|
Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 22, 2013 1:02:53 GMT -5
0 Days until Emmet's Wedding
5:00
So much went wrong in the time lapse of ten minutes.
Softly, the piano to Emmet's left began to play the traditional wedding march. He couldn't decide whether to shove his hands in his pocket or keep them folded. Losing all of his breath, he shuffled at the altar, doing a jittery dance with his indecisive hands.
He looked towards the doors. In a matter of seconds, his fiancee would be walking toward them, ready to become his wife. Emmet gulped away a lump in his throat. He couldn't start crying yet!
5:01
Maeve had told Emmet countless of times how excited she was to walk down the aisle on her wedding day... and now here Emmet was, waiting. He continued to wait.
Hurry up, Maeve, or I'm going to have a heart attack and die, Emmet thought, frustrated.
5:02
The doors remained untouched. Emmet's heart began to beat double-time. There were only two sets of eyes that'd comfort him in this moment. The first weren't coming through the doors. The second were in the middle of the small church.
Nory was already looking at Emmet. When they locked eyes, Nory smiled. Quickly, she looked towards the closed doors. She then turned back to the groom, tilting her head to one side, a smirk on her face.
Nory has been Emmet's best friend for years. Sometime during their relationship, the two created a sort of unspoken language that came in handy during their college classes where seats were assigned based on last names. Emmet Cahill and Nory Quinn were never next to each other.
The messages they sent silently back and forth weren't 100% accurate, but both caught the gist.
Late as always, Nory messaged across the other guests' heads.
You aren't supposed to be late for your own wedding! Emmet returned.
Are you worried? Nory joked.
Of course not. Should I be? Emmet threw.
Nory smiled. No, you idiot. She'd never leave you. She loves you.
Emmet breathed a sigh of relief, casting his eyes downward.
She'd be a fool if she did, Nory thought to herself, and she's no fool.
5:03
The doors opened. Every head in the church spun to look at Maeve. Emmet lifted his eyes. He caught Nory's stare.
I told you, Nory's face read.
Emmet grinned and shot his gaze back of the church. His smile immediately dropped. Maeve's mother walked through the double doors, quite alone. She ignored the looks of the other guests and stared straight at Emmet.
Emmet was stumbling forward like a robot. She stopped in the middle of the church, as if getting any closer to Emmet would ruin them both.
"Honey, I'm so sorry," he heard her mumble.
Emmet lost all feeling in his legs and tumbled onto the steps that lead to the altar.
"There's not going to be a wedding today," Emmet said mechanically. "Go. Just leave..."
5:04
As people moved towards Emmet, he motioned for them to go away, even his family. he sat on the steps, looking at the floor, emotionless.
Nory sat in her seat. She found her boyfriend, Danny's hand. Nory couldn't take her eyes off of Emmet. She stared as people blocked and passed by her view. She was joking before. She never thought this would happen.
Maeve was a fool after all.
"Nor... are we going to go, or..." Danny began but stopped when Nory let his hand go.
"You go. I'm going to wait until everyone leaves so I can talk to Emmet," Nory said, still not looking at her boyfriend.
Danny only moved in closer.
5:05
In his peripheral vision, Emmet noticed that the church was emptying. There were a few stragglers. People were persistent in not leaving, in trying to help him.
He only had one thought, Nory, don't you leave. He didn't look up to check if his friend was still in her seat though. He couldn't be let down again.
"What do you think happened?" Danny whispered.
"Nerves? Maeve realized he proposed way too early? Maybe she wasn't in love with Emmet after all," Nory whispered back.
"Do you think Emmet's going to be okay?"
"No," Nory said simply.
"I'm sorry all of your work went to waste. The church really is beautiful," Danny said, glancing around.
"The reception hall is ten times more extravagant. Maeve wanted a simple ceremony, but Emmet and I fought for an amazing reception. God, look at him."
5:07
Nory turned completely in her seat.
"Danny Donahue, you tell me why you just brought that up," Nory whispered sternly.
Danny cast his eyes down. Fumbling with his hands, he reached for Nory's to stop his movements. He gazed into Nory's eyes.
"It's nothing. I'm sorry for saying anything at all. Really. I just thought it'd be romantic, but no, nothing, never mind."
Nory cupped Danny's cheek. Her boyfriend calmed immediately. "What did you think would be romantic?"
Danny's breath got caught in his throat. With a shaky hand, he reached into his pocket.
His hand remained in his pocket as he whispered, "Nory, I love you. I've loved you from the second you sat down next to me in our Modern Art class – sophomore year. Seeing how much Emmet's wedding meant to you, seeing how happy you were with just the thought of marriage, I realized that I never want to see you marrying any other man. I want you to marry me."
Nory went numb. If she wasn't already sitting, she'd be on the floor like Emmet.
5:08
Danny's hand slipped from his pocket. He was grasping a small, velvet ring box.
"Norielle Jane Quinn, marry me?"
When he opened the box, it was empty. Nory smiled.
"No, ring, Dan?" she laughed, hiding all other emotions.
Danny pulled out the ring - a simple, yet elegant rock. "Only if you say yes."
Nory stared into Danny's eyes with grin that brighten her blue-green ones. Not breaking the look, Nory reached up and snapped the box shut.
"Proposing at another person's wedding is tacky."
"Is that a no?" Danny said, slightly playful, slightly serious.
"No. I mean, yes. I mean, I say yes, but we're going to pretend you didn't ask me a thing. For right now, I'm going to help Emmet, but when I get home, we'll celebrate," Nory said with a sly smile and equally sly eyes.
They both stood up.
"You're my fiancée. That's so strange," Danny muttered.
"If by strange you mean, perfect, then yes, being your fiancée is really strange."
5:09
With only a little clasp of their hands, Danny left Nory to tend to Emmet in an incredibly empty church. Nory stood in the middle of the long aisle, her best friend on the floor directly in front of her.
Nory walked towards him. When she sat next to Emmet, the almost-newlywed didn't motion for her friend to go away. Nory reached for Emmet's blue delphinium boutonniere, pulling it off. Emmet's eyes pulled up as Nory chucked it across the church. It hit one of the two open doors with a soft bang. Nory glanced over at Emmet. He was smiling. It was small but present.
Let's do some damage, Emmet thought silently to Nory.
Nory leaped to her feet and extended her hand to Emmet. Pulling her friend up, Nory immediately tore the first ribbon off the first pew. A shower of flower peddles hit Nory as she tore another ribbon down, throwing it into the air. Spinning around, Emmet was ripping apart a flower arrangement. Nory laughed. Emmet's eyes glossed with tears, but he laughed too.
It almost became a race to see who could do more damage to all the flowers and decorations they'd spent all morning pulling up together.
5:10
Nory and Emmet collapsed in the center of the church, sitting on top of the remains of Emmet's blue and white flowers and the yards of ripped navy ribbon. Both were short on breath. They laughed, gasping for air.
Suddenly, Emmet's laughs turned to sobs.
Rushing to close the distance, Nory grabbed Emmet's body. They held tight. Emmet cried, and Nory shushed.
Nory knew she'd be spending more time fixing her broken best friend than planning her own wedding. Priorities. Emmet was most important.
A/N Just another idea for a story. Thank you for viewing!
|
|
|
Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 22, 2013 1:56:44 GMT -5
0 Days Until Emmet's Wedding -169 Days Until Nory's Wedding
Nory took Emmet home at around nine o'clock that night. The reception was horrific. Nory and Emmet manage to skip the cocktail hour, but when Danny called to tell Nory that both families insisted on having the dinner because it was paid for, Nory and Emmet had no other choice.
Every guest had said he/she was sorry at least three different times – after the second, the apologizes didn't feel genuine anymore. Emmet wasn't himself. Nory stayed glued to his side the whole evening, cutting conversations short, saving Emmet from big, meaty relative's hugs, and sitting with him in the corner as everyone unsympathetically danced. What made everything worse was the fact that the DJ wasn't properly informed that the wedding didn't happen.
His careless mistakes happened multiple times. The first was when Nory and Emmet first walked into the hall.
"Now introducing newlyweds Emmet Cahill and Maeve Longfellow!" and the Rocky Theme blared over the speakers.
Nory and Emmet stood frozen in the entrance as the entire room dropped everything and glanced in their direction. Nory's step-brother Ciaran, thankfully, ran to the DJ to end the song.
The second time this happened was when Emmet and Maeve's wedding song started playing.
"Now, for the couple's first dance!" the moron called over the microphone.
Emmet looked horrified. Almost knocking his seat over, he ran out of the hall. Nory was right on his tail.
"Emmet! Emmet!" she called.
Emmet let Nory reach him before letting himself sob into his friend's dress.
"I've never been so humiliated!" her friend cried. Nory tugged him down to the ground. "You'd think the DJ would realize the groom wouldn't be moping about his reception if he was happily married. And this stupid song!"
Nory's ears perked up to hear that the chorus to "All This Time" by One Republic as it played.
"Yeah, stupid song," Nory cooed.
The third time was when Emmet's family started cutting the cake to hand out. When the DJ attempted to say Maeve's name, Nory resorted to chucking her piece across the room, hitting the DJ square in the face. Emmet smiled for the first time all night.
-
As soon as they turned on Emmet's apartment lights, they realized the immediate difference.
"She's gone," Emmet said hollow, looking around, trying to find at least one of Maeve's things.
Nory took her friend's hand.
"You aren't going to be alone tonight, okay? I'll stay."
Emmet nodded, slapping away tears.
How Emmet and Nory Became Friends August– Freshman Year
The plane ride to Dublin from Mullingar wasn't bad. Fitting her whole life, namely all of her clothes, into a few suitcases (and she splurged for more than one, sadly enough) gave Nory the most trouble. Saying goodbye to her family was hard, but getting from the airport to Trinity College by herself was the hardest. She was almost forced to pile her suitcases up, stand on them, and flail around to get the attention of any taxi driver.
The taxi took her straight to her dorm building – Cunningham House, a huge brick building. After signing in and getting her room, she trudged to her first floor dorm. It took her a while to find. Cunningham House was made up of five houses containing 68 single study bedrooms, each with a wash hand basin and access to shared bathroom facilities.
Something fell in the room next to hers.
"Ow. Ow!" came a voice.
Nory pushed that door until it wouldn't budge anymore. Peeking her head in, she saw a boy lying on the floor. A chair was what prevented the door from opening. The boy rose to her feet, moving the chair.
"Sorry. I was hanging lights," he said, pulling the door open.
"I knocked you down and almost cracked your skull. You don't have to be sorry," Nory returned, opening the room door wider.
Looking around, it looked like the boy had settled in. Everything was neat and tidy and either a deep blue or a deep red.
"Whoa, holy suitcases!" he exclaimed, seeing her suitcases in the hall.
"I know. I live a county or two away. It's mostly clothes and shoes."
"Same. I only had three though. I'm probably going to have to go shopping later to buy some more stuff," he said, sitting at his desk.
"Fantastic! I can go with you, and we can get stuff for the room. It's looking a little drab," Nory said. A small flag of her next door room mate's alma mater at the boy's desk caught her attention. "Coláiste Mhuire? You're from Mullingar?"
The boy laughed. "Yeah. Why? Where are you from?"
"Mullingar, as well. I went to Loreto. What are the odds?" Nory laughed. "I remember in my eleventh year, our singing club tied with the yours for the sectional competition... and we beat them at Finals."
"Right, you did your own songs! I remember."
"Oh, you were a part of it?"
The boy smiled to himself. "Yeah, I had most of the solos my eleventh year. You probably don't remember."
Nory racked her brain. "Oh my God, yeah, yeah, your hair looked like a helmet back then. Less gel, more curl definitely looks better on you. I'm Nory by the way."
"Emmet. I could help you unpack, if you want."
"Yes, I want! Then we can go shopping and explore the city," Nory said, giddy.
Emmet pressed play on his iPod. A song from the musical Spring Awakening filled the room.
"Sorry, there is a lot of show tunes on my iPod. I hope you don't mind. I have a minor in Performance Studies."
Nory grinned. "I don't mind at all."
September
Nory was gnawing on her bottom lip, tapping her pencil against her text book loudly. She kept throwing frustrated glances towards the door. After it was too much, she threw her pencil against it.
"Will they ever shut up? Does our R.A. not care?" she said in anger.
"I'm pretty sure Maeve goes out partying with them," Emmet said from his spot on Nory's desk. Once they realized how close to best friends they started becoming, Emmet rarely stayed in his room next door.
Nory turned in her chair to face him just as Emmet sat his book down on his lap.
"They're obnoxious. Also, their music sounds like a garbage disposal," Nory grunted.
"They're just letting loose a little. They're normally not this bad, but give them some credit, it is a Thursday night."
"They're inconsiderate!"
Emmet shut his book and started to spin on the office chair.
"I think you're just stressing out because of classes. Trinity probably didn't prepare you at all for university. I'm managing because the curriculum at Coláiste Mhuire was intense, but I'll tell you one thing I've learned: study, always study, but you need to let loose or you'll go insane!"
Nory gave him a confused look. "Are you saying we should go out with our house?"
"I mean, it's not really my scene, but if you wanted to, I'd go with you. I was actually suggesting like popping in a movie."
Nory sighed. "Yeah, I like that plan better. Party's are not my scene either."
"So, the only movies I brought were the first four Harry Potter's. Which one's your favorite?" Emmet asked, walking towards his desk.
"None. I'm never even seen one."
"Seriously? I've been watching these since I was twelve. We can watch Sorcerer's Stone. You'll like it – promise."
In the end, Nory wasn't sure if she liked the movie because of the film itself or because Emmet and her squeezed onto her bed and watched the movie on her laptop, shoulders touching, hips meeting, feet occasionally tangling together.
October
Nory got a text from Emmet saying: Can you meet me in the Brown? Idk what to do.
She frowned down at her phone. Emmet just left about an hour ago for choral practice with the Jazz Choir; this is where it was. The walk between the house and Brown Hall was short. When Nory walked through the doors, she pulled out her phone and called her friend.
"Second floor. Room 210," Emmet said, sounded indifferent.
Nory weaved her way through passing students to the second floor. Eventually, she pushed through the door of room 210. Emmet was seated at the piano, clutching some sheet music really tight.
"Hey, why'd you have me come here?" Nory asked, approaching her friend.
"I can't move," he said, not looking up.
Nory furrowed her brow and kneeled in front of Emmet, bending the sheet music towards her to look at the boy.
"You can't move?" Nory said unbelieving.
"We were rehearsing for our upcoming concert, and the director passed me, I guess, heard me singing, told me to stay after, and offered me a solo," Emmet said in one breath.
"Why is that a bad thing?" Nory questioned.
"It's not!" Emmet exclaimed. "This is incredible. It's not often that freshmen get accepted into the Jazz Choir, and it's not often that freshman get solos in any concert. Being a Music major and Performance Studies minor, this is incredible."
Nory laughed. "Why am I here then?"
Emmet placed the music on the piano. Sliding off the piano bench, he sat next to her on the floor.
"I've never been so scared in all my life," he said hushed.
Nory reached for his hands. "Emmet, you have nothing to be afraid of. I remember a very energetic, very confident performer singing a solo at the 2005 Mullingar Singing Championship."
"Nor, that's secondary school," Emmet said softly. "This could make or break me. What if I choke? What I'm awful? I'll never have another solo!"
"Okay, yes, this is very different from secondary school because people actually care. They want you to do well, Emmet. In completion, all the audience wanted was to see you fall on your face. Here, everyone wants you to succeed! Including your director – he saw potential in you. I see potential in you. You've just got to see potential in you!"
Nory pulled them both onto their feet. Emmet gave her a shy smile.
"I wish you would have joined the Jazz Choir too, Nor."
Nory laughed sadly, "No, there's no place for me. Art History major, Studio Art minor, remember? Maybe one day when I'm freaking out for a showcase, I'll text you, and you can meet me."
Emmet smiled, "Definitely."
November
When Emmet walked into his dorm room, he thought someone had robbed them. It took him a second to realize that this mess was just Nory studying. Three different textbooks were open. There were tons of loose-leaf papers inscribed with messy handwriting scattered all over as well. Note-cards, pencils, and highlighters were strategically placed amongst the rest. Nory was in a circle of study.
"How long have you been like this? Why aren't you studying in your room?" Emmet asked, wide-eyed.
"Since noon... it smelled weird." Nory said in short.
"You're been studying for eight hours?" Emmet barked.
"I took breaks to pee and eat," she answered as if it was obvious. "You're doing too much talking! Where have you been?"
"I've been with our R.A. Maeve. We studied at the library then got coffee and walked around the city. I've been texting you to meet us…"
"Phone's been off all day," Nory said quickly, pulling up her flashcards.
Emmet charged at Nory, pulling the cards out of her hands. "No, you are done studying for tonight!"
"Emmet, no, my test is tomorrow!"
"You've been studying for this all weekend. You're ready. You're going to over-study and just stress out more!"
"I need…"
"What you need is to chill out," Emmet said slowly, pushing himself rather close to Nory's face. Nory fumbled over her words. "Maeve was telling me there's a meteor shower tonight. If we go now, we can get coffee, sneak up to the roof, and see if we can see the shower over the city lights."
"Emmet, there's no way. The most we'll see is a plane passing by. Besides, I have to…"
"Stop studying."
They were so close. Nory's heart thumped against her chest. If Emmet stayed like this any longer, she would do anything the boy said.
"Okay," she whispered.
The walk to the top floor was awkward. They were just two young students, obviously freshmen, holding hot coffee and blankets, standing in the middle of experienced Dubliners on their way to other floors. By the time the they got to the top floor, it was just Emmet, Nory, and a small, fairy-like woman. She kept smiling at them.
Exiting, the two shuffled around, trying to find the roof entrance.
"Over there," the woman said, pointing past Nory's head.
Emmet saw the door. "Thank you, Miss."
She smiled, knowingly, and walked away. The November air was chilly, but Emmet stayed close to Nory. He wrapped a blanket over the pair as they lay looking up at the sky. Nory was right. They really couldn't see stars. There was a glow from the city lights, but they were far enough away almost seeing something.
"Is that one?" Emmet squealed, pointing up.
"Airplane," Nory laughed. She felt his pinky touch hers under the blanket. Her stomach did a flip.
"dang. We'll see one though."
Nory smiled. With a whole lot of courage, she placed her hand on top of Emmet's. "And if we don't, that's okay too."
Emmet squeezed her hand.
December
Their first semester of college came and went. Tomorrow, Emmet and Nory would be boarding a plane back to Mullingar. Neither admitted how much they'd miss Dublin though.
"We have to do something big tonight!" Nory said, watching Emmet pack his clothes in his suitcase.
"Like what?" Emmet asked. "Can you sit on this?"
Sitting on the suitcase as Emmet zippered, Nory said, "Let's go downtown!"
Struggling to speak, Emmet said, "We go there like every weekend.
"I know, but for a month, we don't see it at all! I want to take as many mental shots of it as possible!"
"Okay, how are we going to get there?"
"Let's walk."
Emmet looked up, an are-you-serious? look on his face. "That's like thirty blocks…in the snow."
"Live a little, Cahill!"
Pulling on as many layers as possible, Emmet and Nory ventured into the city. Nory didn't realize how thick the snow was falling. The roads, cars, and sidewalks were buried! It didn't bother Nory too much. She almost skipped across the street. Smiling, as Emmet tried to follow, Nory threw a snowball at him.
"NORY!" Emmet yelled, almost slipping. Sliding across the street, her caught up to her. He buried his whole arm in the snow on top of a car and snapped it at his friend. Nory yelped.
"EMMET!"
They were both laughing. As they jogged up the block, snowballs were being thrown left and right. By the 6th block, Emmet had caught up to her. As Nory spun to whack her friend in the face, she fell. Emmet tripped over her. Neither could catch their breath, they were laughing so hard.
The snow fell in huge flakes. Both lay on their backs, looking up. They were both smiling like crazy.
"I'm going to miss this," Emmet admitted, reaching up to catch a few flakes in his gloved hand.
"Yeah, Dublin is magical," Nory said dreamily.
"I meant you."
A blush rose to Nory's cheeks, and if Emmet had looked over, he would have seen it on her light skin against the white snow.
168 Days Until Nory's Wedding
Nory's eyes flickered as sunlight trickled against them. Her body woke up at different times. The sun woke up her eyes. Soft breaths woke up her ears. A warm torso woke up her chest. Cold feet woke up her legs. And her face and the rest of her finally woke up as she nuzzled her head into soft, sweet smelling hair.
This wasn't Danny. It was Emmet. Her eyes pulled open.
She looked down at her best friend and smiled. In college, some days they'd find themselves tangled in each other like this. It wasn't on purpose; they'd be watching a movie or chatting on Cunningham House's roof, and they'd just pass out, only to wake up in each other's arms.
Nory would always get this very specific pulling sensation in her gut when she'd feel Emmet's arms hooked tightly around her waist. She'd always breathe in deep breaths of the smell of Emmet's hair and listen to her friend's steady breaths. She would ride out these feelings until she felt it was inappropriate and woke the sleeping boy.
Today, a year or so out of college, Nory found herself doing the same routine she'd done so many times. Maybe it was out of habit. Maybe it was because while Emmet slept, she wasn't thinking about being heart broken. But maybe, it was because Nory missed feeling this way. Whatever it was, it was too early for her to register.
|
|
|
Post by meg_cahill21 on Jul 22, 2013 7:09:00 GMT -5
i love this! update soon!
|
|
|
Post by HburgEagle44 on Jul 22, 2013 15:02:13 GMT -5
Oh, wow, this is a great start!! Maeve was an idiot. Update
|
|
|
Post by celticbear on Jul 22, 2013 18:52:29 GMT -5
I agree Maeve was an idiot! I would like Nory and Emmet to be together in the end!
|
|
|
Post by daisyfields on Jul 22, 2013 19:05:38 GMT -5
love love LOVE! update please
|
|
|
Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 23, 2013 3:38:29 GMT -5
168 Days Until Nory's Wedding – 9:06 AM
It was still early morning when Nory got home. As soon as she opened the door, the almost-night last night made her immediately feel guilty. She was supposed to come home, she remembered. Danny had planned them a romantic evening – evidence of which were scattered all around the apartment.
Nory stepped on the rose petals that lead across the living room. Danny had taken every single blanket, pillow, and cushion in their apartment and assorted them to make a bed-like structure in the corner of the room. He had tied their thin, silk sheets as drapery that drifted down to the floor. There were lit Christmas lights hanging around the sheets like floating stars. Nory glanced towards their Christmas tree to find that it had been stripped on its lights. Smiling, she crawled into the fort and into the arms of her fiancé.
Nory started to kiss the hollow of Danny's neck. Danny made an affectionate noise.
"Wake up, you," Nory hummed.
"It's light out. What time is it?" Danny questioned, tightening his eyes shut but pulling her closer nonetheless.
"Does it matter?" She whispered, kissing his lips. Danny smiled against them; it really didn't.
Nory and Danny's Story – Sophomore Year
Emmet was the hardest person to wake up. The only thing that could really wake him was his alarm, which he abused the snooze button on every morning. Nory had a system though; she knew how to wake her neighbor up. She had a year of practice.
Nory loved having classes with Emmet. It was rare because of their conflicting majors. However, when she realized they'd signed up for the same class at 8 AM, she almost pitied herself.
The first class on the first day of classes sophomore year was Modern Art – 8 AM. It only took Emmet ten minutes to get ready, so as Nory readied herself, she let him sleep. When she finished, she began the routine.
Nory hopped up onto Emmet's bed and started to jump. The boy pulled his covers closer to his body and grunted incomprehensible words.
"Emmet! Emmet! Emmet! Emmet!! Wake up! Wake uuuuup!" Nory called down at her friend.
Emmet kicked at Nory's right leg. This part was when Nory would fall to her knees to prevent anymore kicking.
"Emmet! Emmet! Wake up! Emmet!" She said right into his face.
Nory prepared herself because in the next second, Emmet tossed her onto the floor.
"Go away," Emmet mumbled, digging deeper into his pillow.
Nory grinned mischievously as she gripped the sheets and tugged, pulling the sheets and Emmet off the floor. Emmet's eyes shot open with strong dislike as he glared at her.
"This year too, Nory?" he groaned.
"If you'd wake up like a normal human being…"
Nory ran to her room and packed her books in her shoulder bag as Emmet changed, styled his hair, and brushed his teeth. In ten minutes, they were on their way to class.
"Do you actually like doing that?" Emmet asked, sipping the coffee Nory had made for him.
"Yes, actually," Nory admitted.
Emmet elbowed her lightly, hiding a smile. They got to the building. Their class was in a pretty big lecture hall, which meant they'd be able to sit wherever. The class wasn't full yet, but the teacher had already started talking when the two snuck in.
"-small class size for a big room. How this happened, I don't know, but I'm going to assign seats, so you're not scattered around, and then I won't have to shout. Okay, let's start. Cahill, Emmet!"
Emmet suddenly perked up, standing. He walked down the aisle to where the teacher instructed.
Emmet glanced back at Nory. He threw her a look that could be read as, Really? Assigned seats?
Nory returned a look that could be interpreted as, I know!
Emmet shook his head, and Nory saw his face read, And I'm in the front row. No dozing off for me.
Nory smiled, sending back, You'd never wake up.
Emmet threw Nory a sarcastic face.
Nory was laughing as the professor called, "Quinn, Norielle!"
Breaking eye contact with Emmet, she jumped up. She directed her a few rows back from her roommate. She almost tripped on the boy sitting next to her.
"Sorry," she mumbled, catching the boy's eye as she sat.
He was cute, Nory decided. He could use a hair cut because his sandy brown hair kept blocking his light eyes, but that was something that could be easily looked over. He was playing with his reading glasses and kept glancing at Nory. Nory blushed because her own glances kept getting caught.
"That's a great bag," the boy said softly. "Is that Marc Jacobs?"
Nory smiled down at it. "Only the best."
Before either student could say anything else, the professor started teaching. Nory allowed herself a look or two towards the light eyed boy throughout the lesson. When the class ended, Nory paid really close attention to packing up her books. She almost felt the boy's eyes on her.
"Nory, want to get some breakfast?" Emmet's voice asked.
When Nory looked up, the boy was bending past Emmet. Nory was almost disappointed, but then she saw Emmet's smile.
For the next few weeks, Nory and Emmet would start the beginning of class with their silent, unspoken conversations. Nory only ever smiled at her neighbor; they never spoke.
One day in October, Emmet couldn't make it to class.
"Where's your friend?" the boy immediately asked, as Nory sat quietly, waiting for class to begin.
Nory's head snapped sideways. "Emmet? He's sick."
"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to be nosy," he said, sinking a little into his seat.
Nory laughed. "You're not. I'm Nory because it's silly that we haven't been introduced yet."
"Danny," he said with a warm smile that made Danny's heart beat in protest.
They talked for a few minutes before the lesson started, and Nory realized that all she wanted to do was end the lesson so she could talk to Danny some more.
"Hey, did you maybe want to study?" Danny asked as they headed out into the city together.
She was composing a text to Emmet when Danny asked. She almost dropped her phone.
"That'd be great, yeah."
Nory never finished that text.
In class, the conversations between Emmet and Nory get shorter and shorter and the conversations with Danny got longer and longer. Outside of class though, she mostly spent time with Emmet. Danny was great, but he was no Emmet.
168 Days Until Nory's Wedding – 11:46 AM
Danny fixed them breakfast as Nory texted Emmet at the table. From behind her back, Danny placed a plate of pancakes in front of Nory, kissing her neck.
Danny must have read the text because he said, "How is Emmet?"
"Awful," Nory mumbled, putting her phone down.
Danny hugged Nory's shoulders. "Take as much time as you need to fix him up."
Nory touched the arms around her torso, leaning back into Danny.
-
Emmet and Maeve's Story – Freshman Year
Emmet's alarm rang for the umpteenth time before he finally woke up. Scrambling off his bed, he walked like a zombie towards the light switch. As soon as he flicked it on, the overhead light flickered and burnt out.
"Really?" Emmet muttered, glaring at the ceiling.
Grabbing his key off his desk, he trudged through the hall. Somehow in his sleepy haze, he ended up in front of his R.A. Maeve's room. Rapping on the door, he waited. Maeve pulled the door open.
"Did you just wake up, Emmet?" Maeve laughed.
"My light's out in my room. I come to you, right?" Emmet said, his voice not strong enough to speak.
Maeve couldn't hide her smile. "I'll tell the custodians. Go back to bed."
"Class," Emmet said, walking away.
"Hey, Cahill, you know, maybe after class, after your light is fixed, we can study or get Starbucks or just walk around town…"
This woke Emmet up immediately. Spinning around, Maeve was smiling confidently at him.
"Sure," was all Emmet could say.
The entire time Emmet was with Maeve, he kept trying to text Nory. He didn't want to be in an awkward situation with their R.A. on his own. Nory refused to reply. By the time of their Starbucks run, Emmet realized that Maeve was really cool and choosing to go into town with her wasn't a hard decision.
Things only took off from there. Whenever Damian wasn't with Nory, he was with Maeve.
"Want to come out with me tonight?" Maeve asked him on a random Thursday night.
Emmet pulled his face out of the novel he was reading. "Not my thing."
"It's not mine either," she said, coming towards Emmet, before pulling his book out of his hands.
"Why do you go then?" Emmet said, giving Maeve room to sit on his own bed.
He shrugged. "I guess to fit in. It's fun though. My inner party girl likes to come out, I guess."
Emmet laughed. "I don't blame you."
"I like to have fun," Maeve shrugged, folding her hands on her laps. "It's not my fault."
"Hey, live while you're young, right?"
Maeve chuckled. "Really, Emmet?"
"You've got to give me credit for that," Emmet shoved her playfully.
"So will you come with me?"
"Me? Why me?"
Maeve shuffled closer, their knees touching. "Because I really like you, and I thought you knew."
Emmet's mouth dropped open. In his head, he wanted this to happen, but he was sure Maeve liked older boys. But as Maeve leaned forward, Emmet suddenly figured out why Maeve wanted to always wanted to hang out.
The kissing was an added bonus, even though Maeve didn't want anything serious. When Emmet told Nory about what was happening, Nory was less than thrilled.
"She has no idea what she wants in life, Emmet,, that's asking you to tiptoe into her closet for a quick make-out, but when it comes down to it, she's going to drop you for the first older man she sees!"
"Nory!" Emmet said shocked.
"I'm just trying to look out for you. You're so smitten, you don't even realize that dating our R.A. isn't allowed!"
"We aren't dating…"
"You're right. What you're doing isn't dating," Nory said, annoyance in her tone.
"We kissed a couple of times!"
"Whatever. Do what you want…"
And Emmet did. The more deep he got with Maeve, the more Maeve didn't want a relationship. But Emmet didn't care because he really liked her and everything they were doing with each other was so new, so exciting. He was a teenage boy after all.
Nory avoided the subject until it disappeared all together, and she and Emmet fell back into their groove. By the time the term ended, the relationship was disappearing as well.
"Where are you living next year?" Maeve asked, scattering kisses across Emmet's cheek.
"Cunningham again with Nory." Maeve made a disappointed noise. "What's wrong?"
Emmet felt Maeve lumber off the bed.
"This was harder than I thought it would be, Emmet, and it's coming a lot sooner than later," Maeve said as she put on her shoes.
"What is?" Emmet asked.
"I think we should end this. I mean, it wasn't anything serious anyhow."
Maybe they weren't together, and maybe all they did was fool around, but Emmet felt like his whole world was falling apart. Grabbing his stuff, he threw them on and ran back to Nory's room. Nory wasn't there, so he waited. By the time his neighbor came back, Emmet was certain he'd cried himself dry. He was wrong.
Nory ended up popping in the fourth Harry Potter movie and held her best friend until they both feel asleep.
Nory, Emmet, Danny and Maeve''s Stories Continue – Sophomore Year
Nory hated her History of Western Art II class. She found herself in the library more often than not. Balancing six or seven books, Nory dug through her pockets for her room key.
As she walked past Emmet's room, she heard a laugh - a girl's laugh... and then silence. She didn't know what happened, but her feet seemed to be glued to the ground.
"Maeve... we can't."
"Shh..."
Nory couldn't breathe. She knew that voice. Angry flooded the shock, and she wanted to kick down the door. Instead, she backed away and locked herself in her room. Emmet could do whatever he wanted, as far as she was concerned.
All other emotions resisted Nory. Emmet had said he was over Maeve. Emmet had said that he hasn't spoken to Maeve since that day he ended things freshman year. How did Maeve talk her way back into Emmet's life? And why was Emmet letting this happen?
As Nory sorted through the answers, she found herself in front of Danny's door. She didn't realize how far she'd traveled. Letting the books slip from her arms, she banged against the door.
Danny pulled it open, looking surprised. He seemed happy for a second until he realized that Nory wasn't there just to say hello. Nory crashed into her friend's arms.
Nory didn't cry or sob or anything of the sort. She was just emotionless. She stared off into space as Danny rubbed her back.
"What happened?"
Sarcastically, Nory said, "My neighbor has a friend over."
Danny made a dang-that-sucks-hissing sound. "Wait…that Emmet guy? The one you like telepathically have conversations with?"
"Unfortunately…"
Danny pulled away, looking stunned. Nory glanced over at Danny. He looked way more upset than he needed to look.
"Cut back on the empathy," Nory said, "and tell me how I look at Emmet without barfing the next time I see him."
"You know it's more than that, Nory."
"What do you mean?"
"You're going to be fighting a lot more than just your gag reflex – maybe something to the equivalent of a dagger through the heart."
"I don't underst-"
"How long have you been in love with him?" Danny asked abruptly. Nory expected to hear frustration or sadness, but Danny was simply curious. When Nory couldn't manage an answer, Danny continued, "I thought so. Emmet obviously doesn't care about you the way you care about him."
Nory was ready to defend Emmet, when she saw how quickly Danny's eyes softened.
"Emmet doesn't care about you the way I care about you."
Nory stared wide-eyed at Danny. The other boy's glances shifted between her lips and her eyes. With a shaky hand, he touched Nory's cheek, his thumb tracing the line of her bottom lip. Nory sucked in a breath and snaked her hand behind Danny's head, only to pull him forward.
For a second, she forgot about Emmet…only for a second.
168 Days Until Nory's Wedding – 12:14 PM
"Is it okay if I go back over?" Nory asked, washing the dishes. "He probably hasn't eaten."
Danny kissed Nory's cheek. "You don't need my permission."
As she headed out of the apartment, she felt guilty for leaving Emmet in the first place. Emmet's where Nory's head had been the entire morning. Nory felt guilty about that too.
|
|
|
Post by celticbear on Jul 23, 2013 9:34:42 GMT -5
Boy! I have to give Danny credit for being so understanding about Emmet and Nory's relationship! Also love the back story on how each couple met!
|
|
|
Post by HburgEagle44 on Jul 23, 2013 15:16:56 GMT -5
Wow...love the backstories!! And you know what? Emmet was kinda an idiot, too.... update.
|
|
|
Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 25, 2013 0:18:11 GMT -5
A/N There's slight mention of alcohol in this one, nothing too serious.
164 Days Until Nory's Wedding
Nory and Emmet have lived in Dublin for five years. Even though their first four years consisted of them being poor college students, the two promised each other to try every restaurant in the city. They've never been to the same place twice.
Today was no exception.
"I heard a few people chattering in the cafeteria about this sandwich that's too die for and one of them got at this bakery on by Temple Bar," Nory said, tightening the scarf around her neck.
The weather today reflected that of a blizzard. This didn't matter. Nory needed to get Emmet out of his apartment. He was using his honeymoon vacation from work to snuggle up to his pillow and have long romantic evenings with his refrigerator light. Nory bypassed pity days ago.
"Why couldn't we just order pizza?" Emmet asked, digging his hands into his pockets.
Nory dramatically gasped. "Emmet Cahill, we have not once ordered pizza! What's the point in being a Dublin resident if we don't experience the city firsthand?"
"And getting pizza delivered is un-Irish?" Emmet muttered. Nory shot him a cold look that would have frozen him if he wasn't already freezing. "I didn't mean- Why today, Nory?"
"Because tomorrow wouldn't have been good either – same as the next day, then the next. Emmet, you can't keep torturing yourself like this!"
"My fiancée dumped me."
"I can relate. My mom died when I was eight. My dad was in the hospital from a heart attack when I was sixteen. It sucks; life sucks, but you've got to keep living," Nory pleaded, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. "I'm here to help you. Be sad. Be angry, but around me, at least try."
Emmet look slightly shocked but dropped his gaze as if embarrassed.
"Do you think sandwich-to-die-for is the name of it?" Emmet asked.
Nory could help but smile. "Should I ask?"
And then Emmet did something Nory hadn't heard him do in days: laugh. It wasn't long or ringing, but it was a laugh.
1 Day Until Emmet's Wedding
Emmet kind of wanted to get drunk off of Champagne. He kept picturing himself sneaking off with a bottle of it under his jacket. Every time he'd reach for a refill though, Maeve smacked his hand away.
"You know what happens when you're drunk," Maeve hissed.
Emmet scolded at his fianceé. Today was the perfect day to get drunk. He felt like an overly hormonal teen. He was nervous and irritable; his stomach was in knots, and his head felt like it was being twisted off.
Let me drink! Emmet found himself thinking as his glared at Maeve.
As her pulled his eyes away, another pair caught his attention. From across the room, Nory was laughing from behind his napkin.
What is so funny? Emmet threw.
Nory folded her napkin back over her lap, smiling. When she looked up, her face was saying, You look like you want to choke your fiancee.
SHE WON'T LET ME DRINK! Emmet exclaimed in his head.
Nory stifled another laugh by biting at her fingers. Without other words exchanged, Nory looked around her table, decided no one was paying attention, and grabbed the bottle of Champagne. Tucking it into the first layer of her dress, she fled the room.
Her eyes met Emmet's at the door. What are you waiting for?
Kissing Maeve's cheek, Emmet mumbled, "Bathroom."
Emmet practically ran out of the dining hall and almost crashed into Nory when he escaped the room.
"Whoa! Calm it down," Nory laughed.
"I can't believe you did that," Emmet laughed as well.
"I just kept picturing you sucker punching your way to another drink. You're not a drinker. What's the occasion?"
"I am getting married tomorrow."
Emmet shuffled down the hall, before pulling into the bathroom. The two sat on the small couch at the door. Nory passed Emmet the Champagne, not even fazed that they were in the men's bathroom.
"Only enough to get you buzzed. We don't want you to have a hangover for your wedding!" she said, pulling back the beverage for a second.
Emmet took a huge gulp before passing it back to Nory, who waved it off.
"Really? You did an amazing feat of stealing this, and you don't want any?"
"No, I have been drunk like four times in my life, and I've blacked out every single time. Not taking any chances."
Emmet instantly felt slightly uncomfortable and didn't know whether to drink more or stop. Before he could decide, the door swung open. Emmet tossed the bottle at Nory, who, in one quick motion, tossed it into the large, leafy potted plant next to her. It was Maeve.
"What are you doing?" he immediately asked, eyes shifting between the two.
"Trying not to have a nervous breakdown, no big deal," Emmet said.
"Nory, do you think I could have a moment alone with my fiancé?" Maeve asked rather too politely.
Nory patted Emmet's knee, gave Maeve a small smile then left the bathroom.
Maeve waited for a moment to start speaking. She was standing over Emmet, and Emmet felt oddly like a small child about to get scolded by his mother.
"Emmet, leaving your wedding rehearsal to be with another girl doesn't go unnoticed," Maeve said slowly.
"Maeve, it's Nory."
"Exactly!"
"Let me rephrase: Maeve, it's Nory – my best friend that everyone knows is my best friend, the girl that I invited to my rehearsal because I knew she'd calm me down, the girl who was doing just that. Why are you overreaching?"
Maeve looked like she was about to punch the paper towel dispenser off the wall.
"Emmet! Don't make me hate you! Not today…"
"Maeve, seriously? I thought we were over this."
"No," Maeve spat, "I'm never going to get over what you did!"
Emmet immediately stood up and grabbed Nory's face.
"Maeve, I'm marrying you. I'm in love with you. Why is this even a question?"
She pushed Emmet away. Maeve stood there looking as if she'd been slapped across the face.
Emmet's voice was brittle when he said, "Maeve, what happened New Years was the past. What's happening tomorrow is the future. A future I want to spend with you…"
Maeve looked unconvinced, scared even.
164 Days Until Nory's Wedding
"Do we have to go back out there?" Emmet asked, gazing through the snowy window. "Can't we wait? …until summer?"
"Just use the coffee as a heater."
"You mean my lukewarm tea? God, I could be in the Bahamas right now," Emmet said with a sigh.
Nory went quiet. As they trudged through the snow, Emmet kept glancing at Maeve.
"Sorry, I didn't mean-"
"What happened after I left?" Nory said abruptly.
Emmet looked sideways, confused. "What do you-"
"I left you and Maeve in that bathroom, and then the next day…well, you know."
Emmet sipped his tea very slowly. Composing whatever was happening in his mind, he finally said, "She just didn't like me leaving the rehearsal dinner."
Emmet's answer had a lot of holes, and Nory knew this, but she didn't push the issue further.
-
Nory paid for Emmet's taxi back to his apartment and got back to work. As she was heading home later, she sent Emmet a text, asking if he got home okay. When she opened her own apartment door, Danny was in the kitchen snacking on grapes while reading his old A&P notes. Nory snuck up behind him, stealing a grape or two.
"You're a nerd. Stop studying," Nory joked, tossing a grape at him.
"I start my second batch of Grad class in a week. This is allowed."
Nory frowned exaggeratedly. "I can't wait until you're permanently out of school. I missed seeing your face last semester."
Danny smiled, drawing Nory's chin up to bring their faces closer. "Wait until I'm a big-shot dentist, and we're rolling in dough. You can start your own fashion line instead of interning under someone."
"I'm only marrying you for your money."
"Shut your face. How was work?"
"Boring and uninspiring, but I went to lunch with Emmet. I think he may know why Maeve didn't show, but he won't tell me. I think they fought the day before. I just don't know what about."
"They've had their problems in the past, but I seriously thought they'd make it this time."
"You can't build a relationship on maybes and rash decisions," Nory said, shrugging.
197 Days Before Emmet's Wedding - Leap Year
Nory, Emmet, Danny, and Maeve were strolling the city of Dublin, deciding to leave their duties and double date for the night.
They were walking on the famous bridge to look over the bay with their significant others until suddenly, horrifically, Maeve got down on one knee. Nory's eyes pulled open as did her mouth.
"Emmet, will you marry me?"
Emmet almost threw up. The people surrounding him formed a small circle and started cheering even louder than they were before. Leap Year was always a great holiday in Ireland.
"SAY YES! SAY YES! SAY YES!" they chanted.
Emmet's face turned bright red. How could he say yes? He'd just gotten back together with Maeve for the like sixth time. He was so embarrassed!
"SAY YES! SAY YES! SAY YES!"
"Say yes, Emmet," Maeve said mischievously.
"Yes?"
And it came out exactly like that – a question, but the crowd and Maeve heard the word, and before Emmet knew it, he was swept up into a hug and an explosion of cheers erupted around them.
It wasn't until later that night that he realized what exactly he promised. He snuck out of bed and immediately called Nory.
"I knew you'd be calling me. I'll be over in a little."
The two found themselves pacing up the Dublin streets. The commotion had died down after three, but remnants of the celebration were scattered everywhere.
"You're getting married," Nory said softly, unbelieving.
"Yeah," Emmet retorted in the same tone.
Nory grabbed at some streamer hanging off the tree overhead and waved it in front of them.
"Is that what you want?" Nory asked after about a block.
Emmet stared at the streamer like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"Maybe."
|
|
|
Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 25, 2013 18:57:25 GMT -5
How Nory falls in love with Emmet
July –After Freshman Year
It took a lot of coxing and sun block to get Nory into the sun. She reapplied a new layer every half hour but nonetheless had been out in the sun all day. Emmet soaked in the sun very easily, and Nory couldn't help but notice the darkening tan. She cautiously snuck the occasional sideways glance at her shirtless friend. It was cautious because she didn't want Emmet to notice, and it was occasional because the hammering of her heart increased with every look.
Emmet invited Nory to be his plus one on his family vacation. The two were currently on a very crowded Magaluf beach.
"Do you want to swim?" Emmet said watching a rather attractive group of girls racing each other to the water, holding boogie boards.
"Do you not care about your skin or your hair?" Nory asked incredulously.
"Nory, it's the beach! This is what you do at the beach: tan, swim, check out the…people."
"Correction: your surf-girl gawking did not go unnoticed," Nory said, tossing a thin layer of sand onto Emmet's back. "Let's shop."
The two spent the remainder of the day on the boardwalk. After dinner and making a stop at the beach house to drop off everything from their afternoon of shopping, the two went back onto the boardwalk just as the sun was setting.
"Are you having fun?" Emmet said, bumping into Nory happily.
"Despite the inevitable burn, the sand in places where sand should not be, and the lack of any organic food, I am. Thanks for inviting me."
Emmet walked up to the railing and just stood there, looking at the dark orange sky. Nory found her place next to him.
"I'd rather be with you than my uptight family, honestly. You I can actually talk to."
Their hands were both holding the railing, inches apart. Emmet closed the distance by placing his hand on top of Nory's. Nory forced herself not to the gasp. They remained like this for a few minutes, watching the sun and the waves.
"Want to sit on the lifeguard stand?" Emmet asked abruptly, slipping his hand into Nory's, dragging her away before she could say no.
Nory couldn't help but laugh as they kicked through the sand and then pulled themselves up onto the large, white structure. They had to squish to fit; Nory had no objections.
"I wish we could do this all year," Emmet admitted.
"Don't you miss university? I definitely do. I can't handle more than five minutes of my brother's ramblings about football back home. I need the fast life of the city, the nightlife that never ends. I can't wait to go back!"
Emmet grinned. "Summer is so simple though."
"If I wanted simple, I would have went to a smaller college. What's wrong? Why don't you want to go back?"
Emmet wouldn't look at Nory. Instead, he was sweeping sand off his sandals very intently.
"I'm just nervous," he muttered.
"What about? You passed last semester with amazing scores."
"Not the school work," Emmet said even softer.
Nory's stomach twisted. "Maeve," Nory stated, knowing full well that this what Emmet was talking about.
Emmet nodded slowly. "I just…how do I even face her? I'm like putty around her, Nory. If she ever wanted me back, I'd go back to her without a second thought."
"She doesn't deserve you, Emmet. And I know you don't want to hear this, but it's better that you're not together. She'll only ever hurt you."
"I think she's made me damaged goods, Nory. How can I ever trust another girl?"
"Not all girls are her, Emmet. Not all girls will use you for what she used you for. Not all of us are like that."
Nory wanted desperately to scream I can prove that. Let me try! If Nory looked up, she'd risk sending that message non-verbally with her eyes, and she couldn't chance that, so her head remained down.
"You're right. You have a good heart, Nory," Emmet whispered.
"And you're not damaged goods. This will just help you in choosing your next girl more carefully," she said then thought, Here! I'm right here.
Emmet unexpectedly moved in closer to Nory. Nory's breath got lost somewhere in her throat. With a small smile, Emmet wrapped his arms around Nory's shoulders. With flimsy arms, she snaked her way around Emmet's back. She could feel the other boy's breath against her neck, and despite the warm weather, Nory got goosebumps.
Emmet said into Nory's ear, "You're going to make someone very happy one day, Nor."
Nory tightened her eyes shut, thinking, I only want to make you happy, you moron. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to change the subject. Peering over Emmet's shoulder, she saw two people kissing in the ocean.
Pulling back, Nory laughed, "I'll buy you a new pair of sunglasses if you break up that show," pointing at the pair.
Emmet stifled a laugh but took on the challenge by climbing off the pier. Looking up at Nory, he said, "Those pink ones I saw that you wouldn't let me buy. I want those!" then he ran towards the water.
Emmet screamed at the top of his lungs and splashed into the waves. Nory didn't watch what happened next. Se couldn't pay attention. She just looked at the sun and decided to acknowledge what her heart's been telling her for months. Nory was head-over-heals in love with her best friend Emmet, painfully so.
And it was so painful.
How Nory falls in love with Danny
March – Senior Year
The realtor stepped outside the apartment to give her clients a moment for themselves.
"Did you hear her?" Nory asked, bending her body in her direction to make sure she really left. "All those insinuations she was throwing were borderline offensive."
"I guess 'Two people like yourselves might fair well with something on the outskirts of the city' could be misinterpreted," Emmet said politely.
"Emmet, she thinks we can't afford to live in the city."
Emmet spun to take in the whole room. "Maybe she's right."
Nory stopped her friend mid-spin. "I have an internship lined up for after graduation, and you've applied to like sixteen different places. One is bound to hire you; it's like science. Besides, we are not going back to Mullingar, not after living here for almost four years."
"All I'm saying is, it's kind of expensive. We're going to have to cut back on some stuff for a few months – like internet, cable, and…eating."
"I will eat only Ramen for a year to live in Dublin!"
"Your mind's set, but let me just think about it, alright?" Emmet said just as the realtor walked back inside.
She wasn't too surprised when the two told her they were going to hold off on their decision, again. As they headed out, Nory really hoped Emmet would make up his mind. Shopping for apartments stopped being fun twelve apartments and three days ago. That'd be two hours of her day she'd never get back.
"Seriously?" Nory sighed as she pulled out her phone. She'd missed six calls from Danny and had a text that read: What are you even doing? Call me back. "She's starting to smother me."
Nory dialed Danny's number. He immediately picked up. But before Danny could say anything, Nory said, "Someone better have died."
"What?" Danny retorted.
"I've been out with Emmet. What do you want?"
"Oh," he said. There was a long pause where Nory pulled the phone away from her ear to silently curse down at it. "I thought you were ignoring me."
"Danny, why would I ignore you?" When Danny paused again, Nory said loudly into the phone, "Danny?"
"Nory, can we talk?"
"We are talking, Dan."
Danny sighed. "Come over when you're done with Emmet, okay?"
"Okay, yeah, bye."
Nory immediately hung up and had to restrain herself from chucking her phone up the street. Emmet had been staring at her the entire time, unsure how to react.
"Trouble?" Emmet finally asked.
"I'm just super stressed about everything, and Danny keeps insisting that I'm getting more and more distant. If he says that one more time, I will get distant and dump him!"
"You don't mean that."
"I guess not. Okay, I'll go see him, set him straight, and then I'll meet you for dinner. Sounds good?"
Emmet broke eye contact quickly and played with his hands awkwardly. When he spoke, it came out unsure, "Actually, just work things out with Danny. I said I'd go to Maeve's apartment after you and I finished this."
Nory suddenly stopped walking. "Emmet, you cannot be serious? The girl just dumped you for the third time, and you're crawling right back to her?"
"I knew you'd feel like that."
"Do you freakin' blame me?"
Emmet crossed his arms, protectively. "I just love her, okay? I can't help it."
"I am not piecing you back together – not again."
Emmet shook his head. "You won't have to. I've got this under control. I've already set ground rules."
"What?"
Emmet raised his eyebrows. Nory was angry but couldn't help but feel guilty.
"Nory, nothing's going to happen."
Nory rolled her eyes. "So you say."
When Nory got to Danny's on campus apartment, she was already in an awful mood. So, as soon as her boyfriend opened the door, Nory began to rant.
"Danny, what is your problem? I can't have a life that's separate from you for ten minutes without you getting all antsy that I'm losing interest in you! We've been together for years, and you don't trust me?"
"Of course I trust-"
"No, no, you do not, Daniel! I have a lot on my plate right now. All my 400 level classes are kicking my butt, I've been struggling for weeks applying for internships, and now Emmet won't decide if he wanted to live in Dublin or not. And you won't let me have any space!"
"You're moving in with Emmet?"
Nory missed the hurt in Danny's voice.
"I've been living with Emmet for four years! That's nothing new! I just wish you'd trust me. I'm not going to rush into the arms of another man. I just need my own time to sort through some stuff-"
"Maybe we should take a break…"
Nory suddenly stopped.
"Wh-what?" she muttered.
"You need space. I want to give you that," Danny said.
"No, you can't go from smothering to distant in 2.2 seconds. Why are you saying we need to break-up?" Nory said, sounding slightly desperate.
"Not break-"
"Yes, break-up, Daniel. Breaks are just fancy ways of saying let-me-go-screw-around-then-get-back-together-with-you-after-leaving-you-to-wonder-if-you'll-ever-come-back. Either you want to do that, or you think I want to do that. Which is it?"
"You've been spending a lot of time with Emmet, and-"
Nory almost threw something. "Emmet? You think Emmet and I…? Are you kidding me? Even if that was true, which it isn't, he's too hung up on Maeve. The idiot is over there right now probably hitting up all the bases before being asked to take a seat in the dug-out. I am not cheating on you with Emmet!"
"That's not what I meant."
"What did you mean then?" Nory almost yelled.
"I figured you and Emmet were up to something these past few days, but I didn't think you were apartment shopping. I'm never going to be as important to you as him. You don't know how that makes me feel, Nory."
Nory groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Emmet is my best friend. You are my boyfriend."
"They're just titles. You'll always love him so much more than me."
Nory finally saw the pain in Emmet's eyes. She softened her harsh demeanor.
"I love Emmet," Nory said. "I'm in love with you."
Danny said he loved Nory years ago. He asked her to hold back on saying it until he knew she meant it. She'd never said it…until now. Maybe it was the reality of losing Danny that pushed her over the edge, but Nory knew she wasn't just saying the words to hear them.
"Call me stupid, but I think those are two different kinds of love," Nory whispered.
158 Days Until Nory's Wedding
Nory texted Emmet asking him to meet her at Dublin's park, by the bridge and river. That was an hour ago. Nory got up to leave, only to find Emmet staring up from the ground. She slowly made her way up.
Before Emmet could apologize or say anything, Nory said, "Remember the day we sat here all afternoon doing school work?"
Emmet smiled. "You mean the day we tried to study but played Who's A Tourist? instead?"
"Or do you remember the morning we sat on the roof of and watched all the hung-over people taking their walks-of-shame back to their dorms?"
"I remember," Emmet said.
"Oh, do you remember the second trip I took with you to Magaluf over the summer where we sat on the lifeguard stand and shined that bright flashlight on all the couples in the water doing who knows what to freak them out?"
Emmet laughed, nodding. "Very vividly. Are we here to walk down memory lane?"
"I just realized we see a lot when we're high up."
"Is that why we're at the top of this thing?" Emmet asked, standing to peer over the edge.
Nory found her way to Emmet's side. Their hands were only inches apart on the railing, and Nory wanted more than anything to close the distance.
"I just wanted to feel like I was watching over someone, watching them plot out their future," Nory mumbled, gazing over the heads of people on the boats, seeking one particular person to catch her eye.
"Their future? We can't help them anymore than they can help us," Emmet said, turning away from the crowd, leaning his back against the railing.
"I just wish someone was watching over me."
"You should have stayed on the ground then."
Nory brought Emmet here with no intentions of making her message profound. All of the memories just came and she was surrounded by them. She did have intentions though – she had to tell Emmet something really important. She didn't know how though.
Emmet saw Nory's face and how sad she looked. He gripped her arm and pulled her down the step. Nory gazed up at Emmet, confused.
"Okay, now someone's watching over you," Emmet said with a smile.
Then it slipped. "I'm engaged." Nory didn't want it to slip.
Emmet tried (he really, really tried) to look happy, but the initial shock was all Nory focused on. As Emmet pulled her into a hug, Nory slipped away before he could make contact.
"I'm sorry," she muttered, starting down the bridge.
Emmet caught up. He took her hand.
"Why are you sorry, Nory?" he asked.
"I'm not supposed to be engaged when you've just been left at the altar."
"Maeve wasn't the one for me. Why does that have to do anything with your wedding?"
"I just don't want for you to have to see all this wedding stuff and remember her."
"Nory, all I'll be thinking about is my best friend getting married."
Something just erupted inside of Nory, and she couldn't stop herself from hugging Emmet.
From the river below, people watched the two hug and thought how well they fit together. The onlookers couldn't stop the flashes of a future for the pair they saw that'd make both of them laugh because they were best friends and didn't love each other like that.
|
|
|
Post by celticbear on Jul 25, 2013 22:40:39 GMT -5
Okay this last two updates cinch it! Nory and Emmet belong together! And I have a feeling the reason Maeve left Emmet at the alter is because she knew what Emmet is to afraid to admit, that he is in love with his best friend. Danny and Maeve know the truth! Now we just need Emmet and Nory to face the truth!
|
|
|
Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 28, 2013 5:10:06 GMT -5
181 Day's Until Emmet's Wedding– 11:03 AM
Every time Emmet saw a wedding magazine, he'd buy it. So, when Nory walked into Emmet's apartment and saw a huge stack of magazines on the coffee table, Nory laughed.
"I went out to like sixteen different stores and got every single wedding-ish magazine I saw!" Emmet said quickly as Nory picked through the stack.
"You have two copies of Confetti," Nory said, holding them up side-by-side.
"I also bought like four magazines dedicated to wedding dresses. I should have been supervised."
"Did you two pick a date?" Nory asked, flipping through Wedding Bells.
"January 7th."
"2013?"
"Yes," Emmet answered hesitantly.
"That's in a few months! That's crazy! How are you going to plan a wedding that fast?"
Something that Emmet hadn't done in a while was genuinely smile – he's been too anxious – but right now, he was smiling at Nory.
"Remember those nights in our dorm room when we'd stay up for hours and you told me you planned your father and step-mother's wedding in less than two weeks. Do you remember?"
Nory flopped down next to Emmet on the couch. "Of course I remember. I'm a pro at this stuff. It's like required to be in fashion."
"Exactly! And when it comes to wedding music and songs, I'm a pro. I'll just need help with…everything else," Emmet admitted.
"Maeve's not-"
"Maeve's family is paying for the wedding, but I get to do anything I want with planning. Please, she's an accounting major with no other skills," Emmet laughed.
"I'll help," Nory said nonchalant, but Emmet knew she was brainstorming about color schemes, flowers, venues, and all that other good stuff.
Emmet hugged Nory quickly then said, "This is why you're going to be a great maid-of-honor!"
Nory's mouth dropped open. She tried to hide how excited she was. She was relatively good too, but she couldn't hide her smile.
151 Days Until Nory's Wedding – 6:32 PM
Emmet couldn't help but laugh at Nory. She was standing on a chair, digging through the top shelf of her bedroom closet, looking for her wedding scrapbooks.
"Why does Danny have all of his crap up here? This is my closet!" Nory grunted, tossing down a stack of swim trunks and a box that made a really loud rattle when it hit the floor. "Found them!"
Nory jumped off the chair and walked over to her bed, where Emmet was laying casually. She dropped the huge books she'd been carrying at Emmet's feet before sitting down.
"I've planned out at least fourteen different weddings in these little treasures," Nory confessed.
She opened the first. It was thick with little clippings inching their way out of every side. It gave a loud creak as Nory turned over the cover, which meant she hadn't opened it in years.
"This one can't be new, but I've never seen it before," Emmet said, leaning over the book.
"I never showed you these. I've been making wedding books since I was twelve."
Emmet looked down at the decorated pages crowded with pictures and sketches, some even had dried flowers. Emmet's eyes rose to look at Nory's face. Nory was smiling, obviously remembering when she'd put the book together.
Nory closed her eyes, putting the pictures the book displayed into one fantasy ceremony in her mind. Emmet's eyes never dropped. It was as if he was trying to look into Nory's brain, to see what he saw.
"How am I going to choose?" Nory said, mostly to herself.
Emmet forced himself to focus on the book between them.
"Talk it over with Danny, see what he wants, and then-"
"No," Nory interrupted, "Danny doesn't care. He said I had full creative control."
Emmet abruptly leaned back against the pillows, holding his legs to his chest. Nory picked her head up. Oh.
"Make sure you get that in writing," Emmet muttered. "But then again, Danny's not Maeve so he probably means what he says."
Nory shut the book and crawled towards Emmet, sitting beside him.
"Danny and I are paying for the wedding together, so he can't use the 'I'm paying for the wedding, so it's my choice ultimately,' excuse that Maeve kept using on you."
"I just wish I'd have some say in my wedding," Emmet said, tilting his head back so he was staring at the ceiling. "I wish you'd have been a bridesmaid... if not the maid-of-honor."
Nory slipped down the pillows and tucked her arm behind Emmet's lower back. She lowered her head until it was resting on Emmet's stomach. Her other hand knotted in her friend's sweater. Emmet's arms automatically found their way around Nory.
181 Day's Until Emmet's Wedding– 3:19 PM
Emmet ended his current call and slid his phone across the living room, far away from himself. He leaned against Maeve's shins. From her seat on the couch, Maeve started to massage Emmet's shoulders.
"What's the problem?" Maeve asked.
"It was my mother," Emmet said, shaking his head, and then added, "then my father."
"And?"
"They're making me have my little sister be the maid-of-honor."
"That's not the end of the world," Maeve insisted.
Emmet groaned. "She's thirteen! She's not going to help with anything!" Emmet ranted. "I wanted Nory to be the maid-of-honor."
The hands gripping Emmet's shoulders released, and Emmet felt Maeve drag her arms past his head until they were in front of him and Maeve's chin was resting on Emmet's shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Emmet," Maeve said sympathetically.
Emmet sighed. "It's fine. At least Nory can be one of the bridesmaid." Maeve hastily pulled away. "Maeve?"
"About that…"
"About what? Nory will be a bridesmaid. That's not even a question."
"I was talking to my parents, and they thought it'd be smart to not go crazy with the bridal party."
"What does that even mean?" Emmet questioned, spinning around to look at Maeve.
"Well, with my three brothers and one sister, we need to be able to have an even number of girls to boys. As of right now, we have to find three more boys."
"Why does that even matter?"
"My parents-"
"I don't care what your parents want, Maeve. Nory's in the wedding."
Maeve stood up. Without even looking at Emmet, she said, "They're paying for the wedding."
Emmet buried his face in his knees.
"Emmet, maybe we can figure something out. Maybe Nory won't care if we can't," Maeve said, her voice more relaxed.
Emmet didn't pick up his head. It actually felt a headache coming on.
151 Days Until Nory's Wedding – 6:39 PM
"Be mine," Nory whispered against Emmet's stomach.
"Be your what?" Emmet asked, fingering through Nory's hair.
"My best man."
"What about Brennan?" Emmet pointed out.
Nory tilted her head up to look at her friend. "When I think about whom I want to be my best man, Emmet, there's no question in my head. You're the most important person to me – aside from my dad."
Emmet pulled himself up. Before Nory could unravel herself from Emmet, he held her tight in an embrace.
"Of course I'll be your best man, Nory."
181 Day's Until Emmet's Wedding– 4:02 PM
"No, no, I understand, Emmet. It's fine. Stop saying sorry. I believe that you are, Emmet. Okay. Okay, I'm going to hang up now. I know you're sorry. It's fine. Okay. All right. Bye. Bye!"
Nory slide her phone shut. She pressed it to her lips without thinking, gazing off into space.
Nory was so excited to be the maid-of-honor... or even a bridesmaid and Maeve's and Emmet's parents ripped that from her. It wasn't anyone's fault. She had to stop trying to place blame. It still sucked though.
Placing her phone on the table, she got back to what she was doing before she got Emmet's phone call. She picked up the scissors and tangled her fingers in some decorative ribbon before realizing she had her hands on the wrong two things. Dropping both, Nory cupped her chin in her palm and just stared down at the design scrapbook she'd been working on with a lot less luster.
151 Days Until Nory's Wedding – 6:42 PM
"I think I'm slowly drying of thirst. Want me to get you anything?" Emmet asked, pulling away from Nory.
Nory only smiled and shook her head. She piled the scrapbooks on top of each other and made her way to the closet. She wouldn't be needing any of these books to plan her wedding.
Storing away the scrapbook, her fingers found the one sitting alone on the top shelf she'd purposefully left up there. It was the newest, the most organized.
It was the one she made for Emmet.
Opening it, Nory didn't realize she was taking her first real look at her own wedding's design.
|
|
|
Post by celticbear on Jul 28, 2013 18:23:28 GMT -5
Love the switching back and forth between the planing of two different weddings! And when Nory's day comes she will be the Bride but I want Emmet for the Groom!
|
|
|
Post by HburgEagle44 on Jul 30, 2013 21:56:31 GMT -5
Your style of writing is magnificent!! I love how this story is arranged I agree with Auntie... Nory and Emmet belong together. Kinda. I don't know. #confused haha
|
|