I'm not happy with this but I wanted to write something cute to apologize for all the angst lol
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
-Death (mentioned)
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"Jane is dead." Tom had said. "We had a car crash, Tim and I are okay, but Jane didn't make it."
Emma had hung up without saying a word. She had cried for hours, before grabbing her stuff and booking the next flight back home.
Now she was sitting in her bed, staring at the stuffed animal that used to be Jane's favorite. A bunny named Bunny. She chuckled. Kids are so unoriginal.
Tom had asked if Emma wanted to look through the boxes with stuff they'd get rid of, and when Emma saw the bunny, she knew she had to keep it.
She didn't like to admit it, but she often fell asleep with the bunny in her arms.
When Paul came over for the first time, she spent an hour trying to find a good hiding place where she was sure Paul wouldn't look. She ended up hiding Bunny in a desk drawer, under a pile of papers and markers.
Emma did that every time he came over. She was scared he'd find it weird that she still had a stuffed animal. She was a grown woman!
When Paul asked her to move in with her, she said yes. But when she got home and started packing her bags, she started questioning if she'd made the right choice.
She held the bunny in her hands, staring at it. It had a stain under his eye, probably from the time Jane had taken him to the park and dropped him in a puddle. Emma sighed. She didn't want to get rid of it, but she was scared Paul would judge her. She put it in a bag and threw half of her clothes on top of it, so Paul at least wouldn't see it when she came inside.
When she packed half of her stuff she realized she didn't have any more bags, so she decided to go to Paul already. She'd pick up the rest later.
After Emma had texted Paul she was coming and loaded the bags in her car, she drove to his house. It wasn't that far, only a few minutes, though it was long enough to start overthinking everything.
But that feeling soon disappeared when she pulled up the driveway and saw Paul's smile. She got out of the car and gave him a hug. He planted a kiss on her head. "Let's start unpacking?" he asked.
"Yeah." Emma opened the trunk and handed a few bags to Paul.
After Paul made her some coffee, they started unpacking. Emma put her toiletries in the bathroom and put her makeup on a shelf in the bedroom.
"Who's this little guy?" Paul asked.
Emma turned around, her eyes widening. Bunny. She took the stuffed animal from Paul, tears stinging in her eyes. "No! I mean... I'm not a child, I promise! I just-"
"Woah, Em. Calm down, okay?" He sat down on the bed and gestured for Emma to sit next to him. Emma did so, resting her head on Paul's shoulder.
"I'm sorry."
"Hey... Don't apologize... It's okay."
"Sorry..."
Paul started rubbing her back as tears rolled down Emma's cheeks. "It's okay, Emma. I'm not judging you, I promise."
"This is Bunny," Emma said. "He used to be Jane's. I kept it after she died."
Paul nodded. "And now you're thinking about her death?"
"Not really, I'm just embarrassed."
"You don't ever have to be embarrassed, Em. It's okay. How about we stop unpacking for now and go get dinner? My treat."
Emma smiled. "Okay."
Paul looked at Emma. "You can trust me, you know that right?"
Emma looked at the floor. "Promise?"
"Promise."