Shock And Awe

Waiting to Exhale

A/N: Please note that other triggering content (self-harm and suicide will be discussed) throughout the story. Please be forewarned and take precautions if these are troubling for you.

I hope you enjoy the story...and please review...Now on with the show!!!

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"We are afraid to care too much, for fear that the other person does not care at all." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

"When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak." ~ Audre Lorde
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Chapter 14

As we make our way inside the condo, Emily drops her bag at the foot of the stairs. We continue walking into the condo, making our way into the living room to stand near the couch. At this point, Emily is acting like she doesn't know whether she wants to sit down or bolt from the room right now. She might still be in shock from our kiss a few minutes ago, or the news that I'm not with Will, since she hasn't said much since then. When she finally does turn around to look at me, I can tell she's trying to decide what to ask first.

"So...you aren't with Will now? When did this happen?" Emily finally asks.

"Why don't I order some food and you can get us something to drink. It's a long story and you need to eat something before you pass out. Once the food is on the way, we can sit down and I can try to explain everything to you. What do you want me to order?" I reply.

She needs to eat and if I get started with this story, we'll get distracted and forget to order the food. I need to make sure that she has something to eat...especially considering how little she's had in the last couple of days.

"I'm not really hungry...and you said you wanted to talk and explain what was going on, so..." Emily starts.

"I know...but you need to eat something. I'm worried about you, Em. Please." I quietly interrupt.

"Okay, fine." Emily replies.

"Good. I promise, I'll explain everything. I just want to get the food ordered so we can get that out of the way. Does that Italian place you like still deliver?" I ask.

"Yeah, I think so. The menus are in the drawer in the kitchen. Just order whatever you want. I'm going to go freshen up. I'll get our drinks when I'm done and meet you back here." Emily answers as she turns and walks out of the living room.

I watch as she grabs her go-bag and makes her way upstairs. I know that she's really going to go take care of her arm. But for now, I realize I'm just going to have to deal with one problem at a time. I'll worry about getting her something to eat first, and then I can tackle the possibility of her injuring herself later. I know if I try and push her and ask her about what really happened to her arm, she'll shut me out. She has to know my secret first...at least one of them...especially if I hope to get her to open up and realize she can trust me enough to talk to me about one of her secrets.

I make my way into the kitchen and find the menu for that Italian place she likes and I call in our order. Emily hasn't come back downstairs yet, so I decide that I'll go ahead and get the glasses ready for our drinks. I start opening up the cupboards looking for the glasses, only to find most are completely empty. I finally find two glasses, but in my search, I realize that she definitely wasn't kidding about not having anything here to eat.