Sunrise

9

A knock on the door made Kari sigh angrily. "Go away, Jacob. I'm still mad at you."

"It's not Jake," Embry said, peeking in. "Sam said you came up last night and wouldn't leave."

"So he sent you?" Kari asked. She rolled her eyes. "No offense, but you're not exactly the person he should send to get me out of bed."

Embry shrugged. "I didn't say I was trying to make you leave. I brought you a cinnamon roll."

She looked over at him from where she was on the bed. It was more comfortable than the couch downstairs and she was able to lay on her back for at least short bursts of time. She eyed the giant cinnamon roll Embry had on a plate and a tiny smile took over her lips. "Close the door."

Embry smiled, taking the way her lips turned up as a victory, and closed the door behind him. He sat next to her, watching for any sign the movement hurt her.

"Want to lay with me?" Kari asked quietly. "You can put the plate on the stand."

Embry set the plate down next to the bed and moved to lay next to her. They each had their head on the pillow, though not too close, and he was close enough that Kari could feel his body heat radiating. It gave her an odd sense of comfort she didn't understand. Embry hadn't ever been one that opened up to her, and they had never been close in their long friendship.

"Why are you friends with me?" Kari asked in a quiet voice. She was staring at the ceiling. "I'm horrible and have a temper. I thought you'd be with Jacob, wherever he is. If Sam wasn't so strict about who you see, I would've even said Quil. Not me. Not the possessive girl with the temper problem."

Embry only smiled, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "You underestimate me. I've always liked you, Karina. You just never noticed because you're always with Jacob."

That got Kari to stop and think. Was she so absorbed with Jacob that she didn't notice Embry's attention to her? She quickly filed through a handful of memories, but couldn't find anything to support his words. Jacob was literally her best friend since birth, other than... she couldn't get herself to even think the name. Embry and Quil came along later. They weren't friends with her, before- he- died. The thought had her tense, which was typical for her reaction to thinking of her brother. Spending nine years with someone wasn't enough time, even if you did share a womb with them for eight months before that.

"What are you thinking?" Embry asked. He squeezed her hand. Kari hadn't even realized she held onto his as she thought. Her hand relaxed slightly after his briefly tightened around it. 

"About Cal," she whispered. She didn't realize she was crying until then. "I miss him."

"Me too," Embry admitted. He leaned over and wiped a tear from her cheek. "We all do sometimes."

"I can't believe it's been almost nine years," she continued. "I can't remember his voice anymore."

Embry said nothing. He simply looked at her, intertwining their fingers, and stayed with her as she cried silently for her lost brother. He only spoke when she had calmed down. "I have to tell you something."

Kari turned her head to meet his eyes. "What is it?"

"Cal made me promise him something," Embry said slowly, as if testing her reaction to the name. "Maybe a week before the accident. He was really mature for being nine. It was like he knew something was going to happen."

Kari swallowed. "What did he make you promise?"

They were facing each other now, both laying on their sides. Embry offered a small smile. "He made me promise to look out for you. I didn't understand what he meant at the time, but it made a little more sense after he was gone. He really loved you. He only wanted you to be happy. That's part of why Quil and I became friends with you guys."