Author's Note: Last chapter before the Epilogue!!! Whew!
Anyways, enjoy!
He wrote. "FEBRUARY 6: How to have a family for a day. With my sister as my daughter and my best friend as my wife."
Okay, that sounded weird.
"Okay, that sounded weird."
Seriously?
"Seriously."
Are you kidding me?
I did a double take at his words. It's like he's talking to me or something! Or maybe we just think too much alike it's scary.
"But hey, at least the method of making a family is completely not weird at all, if you know what I'm saying..."
Come on. Really? Even in a book, he'd make perverted jokes.
Sometimes I wonder how he can be a gentleman and be able to come up with innuendos at the same time.
That's called acting. I imagined him telling me so arrogantly... With that handsome smirk of his and that twinkle in his eyes when he thinks he's made a good point. Plus his stare when he's waiting for my reaction––or provoking a reaction from me for all I care. His cute mischievous laugh at the end is so worth it...
Okay, snap out of it!
Ugh, what am I a lovesick puppy?
Yes you are. I imagined him saying again... Adding a very hot wink at the end with his lips forming a very sexy pout––
Okay, okay, I get it!
He's perfectly handsome! So can we please move on?
Oh shoot, I'm talking to myself again.
"Haha I'm only kidding. But anyways, I got an early call from Aunt Krista (it's Saturday so a 9:30am call is still considered very early to me)."
What a coincidence, me too!
"She told me if I would be able to come earlier than 12 to their house––though it didn't sound like a request. More like a demand."
Ugh, my mom's so demented sometimes.
"Of course, I found it a little strange but when I said yes and asked her why, she hang up. Just like that."
Yup, totally demented.
My mom can be very weird sometimes. And then I remembered Andrew telling me that his mom's much worse than mine, making me wonder how Aunt Lynn is going to top my mom when she's acting like this.
"Today I'm going to introduce Em to my sister. When I told mom earlier that I'm going to take Trish out and have a day with Em, she was totally devastated. She wanted to come with us so badly but seeing as how she and dad are gonna be out of town on a business trip, she can't. She didn't say anything but I'm pretty sure she just wanted to see Em again.
I'm pretty excited to drive to Em's house because she promised to make me the best lunch ever. But when I got there, Hale just had to dampen my mood."
Dampen, ugh. He's so British.
"She's talking with Em and I suspected he's being an ass to her again. So I went in and stood in front of Em. I was so sick of how she's acting like she's being nice to Em now. And Em seems to believe her, but I'm not buying it. But anyways, I got rid of her––which Em seemed not be happy about. That's just the way she is. Very forgiving, trusting, genuine, and accepting. I sometimes wish she'd be more cautious, guarded, rude, and untrusting to people so they wouldn't dream of taking advantage of her. But then, she wouldn't be the Em that I fell for––and still am falling for, for that matter––if she changed the way she is."
There he is again. Unafraid to say that he's falling for me.
Now I'm very incomparable to him. Sure, I felt something change in me just a few hours ago, but I was just too afraid to consider what it is.
"I can't lie, she's not a very good cook. I dare say, I didn't have the best lunch ever."
That liar! He said he loved it! He even said I'm better than his mom! And that's saying a lot because his mom is a pretty good cook.
Ugh, so embarrassing. I just wished he told me he didn't like it.
'I'm kidding, I'm kidding. What she made was pretty awesome. Steak, chips, and chocolate shake––my favorite. And I did have the best lunch ever. But not entirely because it's very good. Most of it was because she was the one who made it for me."
Anything for you, Garfy.
"I couldn't help thinking that our situation right now made us look like we're a married couple."
I thought of that too!
"And that adds more to it being the best lunch ever."
It was that way to me, too, Andrew. I would cook for you again. I would cook for you anytime. All you have to do is ask. I'd gladly do it in a heartbeat.
Wow, I sound so very desperate.
"After lunch, I now took her to meet Trish. To be honest, Trish knows more about Em than Em knows about Trish. Aside from me, mom tells her stories about Em, too. At first I wondered how she knew that much of Em, and then I remembered mom and Aunt Krista used to spend hours on the phone these past few days."
Glad to know I'm a hot topic.
"So I took them to an amusement park and Trish clearly had a great time. So did Em and I. Not surprisingly, Trish easily warmed up to her and in no time, they were already teaming against me. Ugh, that traitor."
I laughed at that. Trish and I did gang up on him. I was really glad Trish and I get along. Of course, I wasn't worried that we won't. After all, Andrew spoke highly of his sister.
"When we were grabbing a quick snack, this old couple came up to us, gushing about how we look like a cute family or something. Em and I shared a look and I could tell we were both thinking of the same thing: play along. And I gotta tell you, I was feeling very good that time. Like I said, I wouldn't mind having Em with me for the rest of my life."
Aw, I wouldn't mind, too. I cooed out loud. And then realizing what I just said, I instantly covered my mouth.
Boy, was I really that desperate?
"Oh god, wait. I'm not whipped, am I? Fuck, this is so not good. What did I just think of? Crap, I think I'm sounding like my mom."
My thoughts exactly.
"I know I said I'm starting to fall for my best friend but I didn't say I fell for her completely and all at once, right?"
Yeah, right.
"Then why am I having these thought about her? Like I wouldn't even mind to be with her for the rest of my life? I mean, who thinks that way?"
You just did.
Woah, I think I am a little cocky sometimes.
"Anyways, we ended the day with me driving her home since it is pretty late. Aunt Krista offered to let me stay the night––no surprise there. I was about to say yes, I would, but then I remembered that Trish would be all alone in the house. Plus, it wouldn't be ideal to be seen enter their house with the same clothes as I did tonight and leave in the morning without changing at all by their neighbors. I'm a full-grown teenage boy. I wouldn't want them thinking bad about Emma. Even if it's Aunt Krista who let me stay. Don't want another rumor to spread about us again."
I chuckled. But what if he did stay that night? And our neighbor saw that he did...
It would be fun for a laugh to hear what they probably thought of the situation.
"In the end, I decided to turn down the offer and drove home. When I got to my room, I plopped down in bed and stared at our pictures from today. I made like a collage of all of those pictures and made it my wallpaper. Then I printed Emma's stolen shot to put it in my wallet. Let's just hope she never sees it."
Aw, too bad I did.
"FEBRUARY 7: Today I've learned that a. Jake's an ass and b. how great of a kisser Emma is."
"This morning, I went to go buy something my mom needed to the nearest store. She's going mad trying to come up with a best meal for the Stones tonight."
Aw, Aunt Lynn is the best.
"To be honest, whatever she cooked will be the best."
Wow, what a loving son. A mama's boy. No wonder he's such a gentleman.
"I know, I know. I'm the "most perfect" son. Most wanted by moms. Most ideal type of boyfriend for their daughters. I can keep on going if you like, but you can stop gushing over me now."
I take that back. He's such a narcissist.
"Anyways, as I was driving back home from the grocery store, I saw something that grabbed my attention in the nearby park. See, I was stopped on a red light and when I looked around, I saw a couple making out."
Oh god. Not this again...
"Hey, that's not the reason it caught my attention. What caught my attention is how familiar those two looked. And when the guy's head turned, it was Jake. With Maggie! I was so stoked I didn't noticed the green light. When the other cars behind me started honking, I was startled so I drove out and found a place to park my car while I barged into their little scene."
Should I continued reading this?
Oh who am I kidding? I don't care about Jake anymore! Let him make out with anybody and see if I give a damn. Let him sleep around for all I care.
"I was so disgusted by him. He doesn't deserve Em. He doesn't deserve to be with her. He deserves a lowlife like himself. In fact, he doesn't deserve anything. I pulled them apart and grabbed him by the collar. My hand itched so badly to punch his fucking face. I was about to and then I realized that I was giving him the easy way out. If I punch him, then that's it. That's his punishment. I can see that he's already feeling guilty. So when I punch him, that would lessen his guilt. No, he deserves to live with this. He deserves to be eaten with guilt. I decided not to punch him since I'm sure when Em finds out, her words would've probably been enough to hurt him. Plus, Em would most likely be upset if I punched him."
Hm...
Nope, I probably wouldn't be upset over it.
Just like how I didn't care when he punched Jake's lights out earlier in the party.
"So, let me explain letter a. At first, I hated Jake because he cheated on my best friend. Sure, they may not be dating yet but he's currently courting her. And as far as I'm aware, when you court a girl, you make sure that she knows you only have eyes for her. You give effort to make her trust you. And making out with someone else isn't part of that. But anyways, he already did make out with someone else."
Surprisingly, I honestly felt good that Jake cheated on me. At least I found out immediately how much of a douche he is.
"After that little scene I had with Jake, I turned to face Maggie. She was surprisingly keeping quiet about this. She hasn't said a word since I broke their make out session. If guilt was eating her inside out, then she goddamn deserves it."
Sure, she may have went behind my back, but at least she had the decency to explain things to me and apologize. It's not her fault she fell in love with an ass.
And that fact is enough to make me feel sorry for her.
"I told her how she could live a thousand lives and still not deserve to have a friend like Em."
I smiled.
And then I realized that I, myself too, doesn't deserve Andrew. I keep letting him down and here he is, still by my side.
Well, I will surely start making it up to him now.
"I left them both feeling sorry for their asses. Then, I called Em's home. It was Aunt Krista who answered and she told me Em was probably in the nearest grocery store. But when I drove there, she's nowhere in sight. I checked the parking lot for her car but found nothing. I kept driving around town in circles, eyes peeled for her car, while I was dialing her number. But she still wasn't answering which made me worried. What if Jake got to her already and made up a lie about what he was really doing? What if he harassed her? I wouldn't put it past Jake to be a bit aggressive."
Why?
"Since he is a football player."
Oh, I get it.
"I was just so worried about Em. Where could she be?!"
Calm down, Mr. Worrywart! I was only downtown getting a cupcake for myself.
"It would've been helpful if she told someone where she's going so I wouldn't wonder where she could possibly be."
Okay, fine. It's my fault. No need to rub it in.
"Seriously though. How irresponsible is that to just be MIA without telling someone where you'd be going? What if something bad happens and no one you knew could get to you since they don't know where you are?"
Ugh, I get it already! Seriously.
"You know, I wouldn't tolerate this kind of behavior when she becomes my girlfriend."
Wait. What did he just say?
"Oh fuck, did I just write that down? I should've just used a pencil..."
Haha! He's so confident that I'll be his girlfriend soon.
But I sure do want to be...
I quickly clamped my hands over my mouth. Ohmygod what did I just say?!
"Anyways, let's move on to letter b. I caught Em and Jake about to kiss in her room. I can't even describe how I felt that time. I can't say I'm mad though. I couldn't bring myself to be mad at her. Sure, I was mad at Jake but not her. I just sort of felt disappointed, I guess. And hurt, of course."
There's that guilty feeling again...
"I told myself I wouldn't take out my jealousy on her, but I just couldn't stop myself. I want her to feel that I'm bothered with her forgiving Jake. I want her to know that I'm upset. I want her to go after me and assure me I'm not being put in the back burner because of Jake."
You're not, Andrew.
"I just don't get it. How could she get back together with him––that's what I assumed since they were about to kiss––when he made out with her best friend?! What's so forgivable about that? But then again, I know my anger's the one talking. Of course, Em would still forgive him. That's how she is. I understand she couldn't hold a grudge but I don't want to talk to her just yet. I just wanted to cool down so I'll be able to control myself and not yell at her."
You could've just told me that instead of lying to me, telling me nothing's wrong when I asked you. I would've understood.
"When she and Aunt Krista came over for dinner, I almost crumbled when I saw how beautiful she looked that night."
Oh, so he did noticed.
I gave effort trying to look nice that night. I thought it was such a waste when he didn't even notice but in truth, he actually did. Ugh, that actor.
"She looked so much like that hot actress, what's-her-name, from Easy A and Crazy Stupid Love––except they have different hair color: Em's is blonde and that actress is a redhead. To tell you the truth, she's my hollywood crush."
How come he never told me about this?
He knows I have a crush on that actor from The Amazing Spider-man but he didn't tell me that he also has a crush on the leading lady in that movie? He's so unfair.
"Seriously, they look so much alike. But anyways, I managed to ignore her even when I'm dying to tease her about how good she looks."
Of course. He's thinking of teasing me instead of complimenting me. Why do I find that so amusing?
"It's not that easy to resist talking to her. Who am I even kidding? It's freakin' hard to resist talking to her. And it's not helping when my family are always trying to make us talk to each other or leave us alone together. Also, Em kept trying to start conversations with me and every time I thought of a remark or a joke to say back, I forced myself to just answer one-word replies. I was so relieved when dinner was over because I thought I was off the hook. But when my mom called me and asked to give her a tour around the house, I knew. Something was bound to happen tonight."
That something being our first kiss together. I thought with a smile and a warm blush. And of course, my mind thought back to that night. How I was on his bed and he was on top of me...
To say that our kiss was hot was putting it very lightly.
"So when Em shut the door to my room behind her, I braced myself for a whole lot of explaining. But no, we actually didn't talk that long. I just told her why I was upset and she just told me I was silly for being upset when her and Jake weren't back together in the first place. After that, I couldn't contain my relief and happiness to myself knowing that she doesn't fully trust Jake anymore, so I just gave in and kissed her. I warned her that I just wanted to try something. What I didn't tell her is that I've been meaning to do this for a very long time now. I just never had the guts to do it until now."
I sure do wish he didn't wait that long to kiss me though.
Oh dear. What's gotten into me?
"And to say that it was the best kiss ever would be the understatement of the century. I'm not calling it the best because it was hot or that I was kissing her in my bed or how good I felt when she bit my lip. I'm calling it the best kiss ever because I finally got to kiss her, my best friend. I was feeling so ecstatic, elated even. And her saying that we should wait and see how we turned out did nothing to lessen my happiness. Sure, I could wait for her. Knowing that she can kiss like that makes her very much worth the wait."
I'm starting to regret why I made you wait, Andrew...
I want to be with you now so badly. And it's not just because I feel obligated to make it up to you. It's because I'm starting to realize something.
Oh who am I even kidding? Deep down, I knew that I was feeling something for Andrew. I was just too scared to admit it back then.
"Later that night, I slept with a smile on my lips. And that rarely ever happens."
"FEBRUARY 8: A jealous Em is a hot Em."
Oh, Andrew and his words...
"I went to pick up Em early in the morning. Hey, just because she said to wait and see where this goes, doesn't mean I don't have to exert effort to make her realize that I'm very serious about us. When I got there, I was feeling a little anxious and excited. This is a different day. Em and I decided to give 'us' a try. So, I thought that it'd be easier to make a reaction and a blush out of her. Turns out I'm right. One short compliment about how she looks and her cheeks flamed immediately. I love it."
He is so enjoying teasing me, ugh. Some things never change.
"I followed her to her room because I don't want to be left alone with Aunt Krista downstairs. Don't get me wrong, she's cool and all, but I'm just not sure if I can control myself from telling her what happened last night when she pestered me with questions. But when we got up to her room, I saw her list."
I'm still embarrassed that he has read it.
"Sure, I may have teased her for being too girly about it but I'm actually glad I read it. At least I got a few pointers on what Em likes from a guy, right?"
He doesn't need to read my list since he's already doing everything in there. If I hadn't known any better, I would've thought I was unconsciously describing him when I wrote that. Literally everything applies to him. A gentleman, makes me laugh all the time, never fails to cheer me up, honestly it keeps getting better and better.
"But as if I need pointers, she'd fall for me either way. Like I said, she couldn't resist me."
That air-headed narcissist, I muttered, though I couldn't help smiling. It's quite amusing when he's bragging about himself.
"What bugs me though is why she found it necessary to write this. And when she told me the story about her dickhead ex-boyfriend Derrick Franco, I couldn't help but feel frustrated. I'm frustrated because I know that there's nothing I can do about it. It's all in the past now. All I can do is to make sure that Em never meets someone like him ever again. I just hate how he could do something like that to her. She's like the nicest person ever––well, except for her sense of humor. How could you think of making her cry? She's probably the greatest person he'll ever meet. Well, for me she is."
He really has his way with words that can make my heart flutter with just a few one-liners from him.
"After school, when I was walking to Em's locker, I saw that she was talking to someone who looked very familiar. When I got there, I saw that it was Shannon. It was really good to see her again. We haven't seen each other in a very long time."
It was really good to see her again?
"She's still that beautiful Shannon that I knew. She didn't even look like she's in college. God, I can't believe she's really here right now."
I started frowning. Wow, it sure seems he missed her so much.
"Just seeing her face made flashbacks of the all the good times we had together run in my head. And there were a lot."
A lot of good times, huh?
My hand itched to rip this page out, but I held myself back. It's not my fault they had history.
A pretty good history as it may seem. Ugh, as if I care!
"It made me miss her all over again."
And now he misses her?!
Fine! Miss her all he wants, see if I give a shit.
It's not like I'm his girlfriend or something.
Gosh, I hate feeling like this––whatever this is.
"Haha, Em must be feeling pretty jealous right now. I can tell. Haha!"
Wait.
What?
"I so wish I could see her reaction while reading my lies about missing Shannon."
He was faking?
"She and I broke like two years ago. I've moved on from her long ago. Why would I even miss her? Haha! I really wanted to see Em's face right now."
Boy, he's good.
"But anyways, Shannon told me before the training––more like threatened––to take Em with me as my date to her wedding. I was already planning on taking her as my date, but Shannon doesn't know that... So I blackmailed her into making Em jealous of her. She understood immediately and was very happy to play along."
He sure plays dirty.
So that's why Shannon kept saying how she missed watching Andrew train and things like that. At first she said she came back to CPEHS just to support Andrew but in truth, she's only back to give Mr. Fitzgerald––her favorite teacher––and his girlfriend Aria Montgomery invitations to her wedding. I got jealous for nothing!
"While training, I kept glancing at Em and Shannon talking. I was making sure if Shannon was doing her part."
Something in my head suddenly just made sense. So that's why when he came over to us asking what we were talking about, there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. I knew it. I was double-teamed by him and Shannon. But it was generally his idea and I fell for it. Man, he's really good. All that just to make me jealous?
Oh right. And to get a reaction from me, of course.
"But I couldn't help appreciating the fact that was looking a little jealous. And that's when I knew for sure that I have a chance. More than a chance actually since she's obviously bothered that my ex is here. At least I know that she likes me too. I can't even tell you how happy that made me feel.
And I felt even more happy that she's still waiting for me to finish training. I could easily get used to this."
I glanced at the clock and was surprised to see that it was almost 6 in the morning. I closed the diary, not because I wanted to get some sleep––please, I'm too happy to feel sleepy––but because I needed to get ready.
Like I said last night, I'll come back to Andrew's house and help him clean up the mess. But I now have another reason why I'm coming over.
Another thing also made sense in my head as I was reading the most absolutely sweet things that he wrote. A lot of things cleared and I realized how much I wanted to be his and his alone. I realized how much I've fallen for him without even knowing it. I'm in way too deep in love with him. I also realized why I finally started admitting that I'm in love with him. Ever since he kissed me last night, something in me changed, something in me loosened. I was right, last night's kiss was different. It put all of our other kisses into shame. I feel bad for those other girls who never knew what it was like to be kissed that way.
So yes, I'm preparing myself, trying look the most beautiful I have ever been with him because later I'm coming over to his house to tell him what he's been waiting for.
I can finally tell him that I love him.
My best friend. I love my best friend.
There, I said it.
---
Stonefield update: There was a recent fan pic of Emma and Andrew on June 14 amidst the engagement rumors! Everyone on tumblr kept gushing about how their legs were intertwined. Some say Em's legs were over Andrew's while others say their legs were crisscrossed. You be the judge but to be honest, what's the best about this fan pic is Em's smile and how bright Andrew made her smile like that.
Picture on the side :))) Ah, they sure are the best couple ever.
Quote of The Day:
"Andrew is a great actor, very spontaneous and always aware of his moments because he comes from a super-theatrical background,” Marc Webb tells E! Online. “Emma comes from this improvisational comedy background. Their two styles meshed. She was so funny and he was so funny.”
"Stone," Webb explains, “brought something out in Andrew that’s just magical."
-Marc Webb interview with E! Online (I swear, Marc is a stonefield fan)