Everything with you

Part 11

Justin

Once, I texted Emma. Good night. I fell asleep and woke up early for a Sunday morning. I had breakfast and headed to Gold's Auto Shop for my shift. Since I was working part time, Zed hadn't let me work on big engines; I got started on the ones with minimal repair. Zed was an incredible teacher, and I was hoping to get a lot of knowledge from him. Around 3, my shift ended. I headed home, took a quick shower, and went to pick up Emma. When I saw her, my mind froze. She was just wearing a black jean and a t-shirt, which was clearly not her size, but she looked beautiful. I could see that she was clearly nervous, which made me smile.

After our last interactions, I had every intention of not screwing this date up. Although this was technically not a date,.

"So Emma, tell me about yourself." I break the tension between us.

"Umm.. I'm from Tree Hill; it's about 6 hours from here. I started going to UCLA about a month ago," she says nervously.

"Okay.. Don't be so nervous; I don't bite, I say with a grin. She doesn't respond but nods her head and bites her lower lip, looking ahead and avoiding eye contact. The sight of her biting her lip makes blood rush to my groin. I quickly try to think of something else to distract myself.

"Well, I'm from here. My family lives here. I am in my third year of engineering at UCLA, and I also play soccer."

"Okay.. So did you always want to be an engineerr?" she asks, looking in my direction.

"Pretty much, yes I always wondered how things work and I always wanted to pursue something related to that.", I said pulling into Peg's Diner. I only get a nod in response. She was really shy and quiet. We got out of the car and headed inside where I was greeted by Ernie, who ran Peg's Diner for as long as I can remember. I guided her into a booth and we resumed our conversation.

"So Soccer ?", she questions.

"It's something I was good at. I got a full scholarship based on me being on the team .."

"Okay..", she smiles and looks at the menu. We ordered our coffees and the entire time Emma was fidgety.

"Are you always this quiet ? because if I remember correctly you practically convinced me to go into a store during the storm?", I ask playfully.

My question must have caught her by surprise as she laughs . "I am not quiet ! I am just nervous".

"Well you shouldn't be" , I say when our drinks arrive. She sees the coffees as a releif and gives me a smile in return.

"What about you Emma? What are you majoring in ?", I question as we are having our coffees.

"I am taking a business course for now, but I have no idea what I want to do next. I would like to work with children, so probably something in that line."

"That sounds really cool; you should go for that." I get a beautiful smile from her in return. We finish our coffees and talk more about her family and mine. I left out my mom's cancer part; it felt too personal to share on a first date. It turns out Emma had a pretty normal childhood with conservative parents.

We head out of the diner, and I can feel the uncomfortable silence creeping up between us again. I couldn't help but feel she was keeping her thoughts to herself. I was determined to know what was running through her mind.

Emma

Peg's Diner really did have the best coffee I've ever had. Justin and I had a good time talking about a few topics while we had our coffee. Every time I saw him smile, I swear it was the most beautiful thing ever—the way his eyes shone. It made me think that he really was interested in spending time with me and getting to know me.

As we walked out of the diner, Justin held my arm and pulled me back. Surprised by this, I gave him a questioning look.

"Do you feel like going for a walk?" he asks.

"Um," I checked my watch; it was a quarter to 6. I had nothing to do in my room as well. "Sure".

"Great, come on," he says, guiding me along the path that leads into the woods. I mentally thank God that I wore shoes and jeans because it looked like we were going on a trek. My hiking and trekking skills were as minimal as they came. I had gone to camp once when I was around 9, but that didn't involve any trekking as we set camp within walking distance from the bus stop. It was more of a camp-themed experience than a real one, and by the looks of where we were headed, it was not an easy path.

As we were walking up a hill, Justin gave me his hand to help me up a rocky path.

He almost had to pull me up; my damn shoes kept slipping on the moss. Once I was finally up, I looked forward to seeing one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life. We were standing at the far end of a cliff. Justin took me further until we were standing at the edge.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting its last golden rays across the sky, a mesmerizing spectacle unfolded from the vantage point of the cliff. At first, the sky is painted in hues of soft pink and tangerine, with wisps of clouds scattered like cotton candy against a canvas of azure blue.As the minutes pass, the colors intensify, transforming the sky into a fiery palette of oranges, reds, and purples. As the sun sinks lower, a sense of tranquility washes over the scene, as if time itself has slowed to a halt. It's a moment of profound beauty and stillness, a fleeting glimpse of nature's magnificence that leaves an indelible imprint on the soul.

And then, with a final burst of brilliance, the sun slips below the horizon, leaving behind a tapestry of color that slowly fades into the gathering darkness. The world grows quiet; the only sound is the gentle rustle of leaves in the evening breeze.

It was breathtaking; I was stunned. As a cool breeze blows across my face, I am brought back to reality. I only then realize that Justin was still holding my hand and was looking at the sunset with the same awe as me. He turns to look at me.

"This scene never disappoints me," he says, sitting down on the grassy ground, pulling me down as well.

"It was beautiful, the best sunset I've seen in my life," I say, smiling, still not able to take my eyes away from the sky.

"Beautiful indeed," he says. When I turn to see him, I find him already looking at me with a smile. Our eyes meet, and I blush under his gaze. I undo my hand from his and pretend to fix my hair, which was probably a mess from the hike. He chuckles at my nervousness and lays on the grass now.

"Why did you help me that day, Emma?" His question brings back all the memories of finding him hurt, alone in the rain. It makes me sad a whole lot more thinking of it now, after I've seen how full of life he is. I turn to face him.

"Well.. I saw you fall to the ground; you looked hurt. I just wanted to help."

"I was hurt that day, but I would have been a lot worse if you hadn't made me come into that store. I never really thanked you for thatt," he says sincerely. I smiled in response.

"Why were you out in a storm that day?" I asked, wanting to confirm what I had heard from Haley. He sighs and sits up.

"I had gotten some pretty bad news and found out my ex-girlfriend was cheating on me on the same day."

"That explains Anna."

He chuckles nervously. "Yes. Again, sorry about that too." . His response makes me laugh.

"Emma... I..." Just as he begins to say something, my phone rings. I quickly checked who it was. It was Joel. I silence my phone and look back at Justin.

"Sorry about that. It was my friend. I can call him back later.".

He nods in response.