Temporary✔️

| Thirteen

IT'S THE day of the dance and May gets ready in Emery's room, as usual. She slips into a red, short silk dress. It hugs her waist and flares out at the hips.

"I can't believe you're not going." May pouts at her friends.

"Yes you can." Emery smirks from behind her book. May laughs, knowing she's right.

"Come braid my hair." May tells Emery. Emery's always been a master at hair, thought she barely tries with hers. A usual bun or ribbon is the go-to for her.

Emery does, easily pulling and stringing together the light strands of hair. In ten minutes, May has two French braids, with ribbons that match her dress strung through.

"Beautiful." Emery makes her assessment before May departs. Apparently May has met someone and really likes him, she's vague about it, but anyways Emery's happy for her. His car, which seems really familiar somehow, pulls up and takes May away.

Emery takes up the violin. She plays softly for the first time in a long while, not having to cover loud voices and being able to enjoy the melodies. Her parents haven't been around much.

Over the tunes, her phone begins to ring. Another rare occurrence. She places the violin on the stand, walking over to the vibrating device.

She answers. "Hel-"

"Hurry come over quick!" Harven exclaims, hanging up as soon as he finishes.

She pulls the phone away from her ear, looking at it with furrowed brows. She shakes her head and begins to put on her shoes. Something might actually be wrong.

She hates him, yeah, but she doesn't want him dead.

With a walk across the grass, she's at his front door. She knocks two times and Harven answers immediately, like he knew exactly when she'd arrive.

"Oh look, you're fine. Good day." Emery goes to turn around, but Harven grabs her arm.

"No wait. Put this on." He hands her a blindfold. He's holding the door suspiciously closed. Only his head sticks out of the small crack.

"Absolutely not." She looks at the fabric in her hands.

"I'm not gonna do anything to you. No pranks, remember?" He says. She narrows her eyes, wondering if she can trust whatever is going on here.

It is in the contract. Nobody breaks a contract.

She huffs, and begins to tie the blindfold around her head. When it's on, and she only sees pitch black, he guides her inside the house.

The space feels more empty than usual, and eventually Harven leaves her side. She stands awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"Okay take it off!" Harven shouts excitedly.

She slides it off her head and the scene almost makes her laugh.

There are colored lights playing above them, and the furniture has been moved against the walls. There is one bag of chips and a stereo on the long table near where Harven is standing.

And he's in a suit.

"What is this?" Emery looks around confused.

"Well," Harven takes a chip, "You said there was too many people at the dance, so I brought the dance here with just you and me. Which honestly could turn out to be more of a disaster." He finishes.

Emery smiles lightly, still looking at the scene.

"Oh my gosh, Harven." She shakes her head, hiding her face with her hands.

He picks up a little remote, which turns on a soft song on the radio. She widen her eyes, laughing in embarrassment.

"We must dance, It the right thing to do." He takes her hand, and they begin to move to the soft beats, in the middle of his living room.

"It was actually a hassle moving the couch." Harven says, looking down at Emery's smaller form.

"Workout more. I could do that in my sleep." She shrugs.

"Oh don't ruin it." He groans. She smiles, glad to have humbled him.

"Why did you do this?" She asks, looking up.

He thinks about it. "I don't know. It seemed like something a real boyfriend would do." He says.

"Seems like we've got this thing down." She says.

"Yeah, I think we do." He agrees.

"I guess um- thank you. This is much better than the real thing." She chuckles softly. Her cheeks burn realizing how what she just said sounded.

"Oh? It's gonna get to my head, Emery. Humble me again." He closes his eyes in readiness for her humbling.

She sighs. "I'll let it slip this one time." Emery cocks her head. He lets out a relieved breath. His sapphire eyes were so different from any other time she's seen them before.

The music stops and Emery blinks away.

They separate. "Well. I actually might need your help moving the furniture back." Harven states.

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah yeah."

They get rid of any evidence that their party ever happened.

Because, even if for only a little while, it belonged to only them.