Teacher's Girl (Aflyingwhale)

EMMA’s POV : 

"Elliot...I...l.."

I took a deep breath and steadied myself, finally saying, "I'm sorry, but I can't give you an answer right now.This is a lot and it’s serious and I have to think about it first..."

"Oh,"his mouth formed an ‘O’ and the look of hope and excitement in his eyes faded into disappointment.

"I have no idea you're even considering something like this.You never even told me about it,"

I said to him.

"That's what I'm doing now, I'm telling you.This is what I want,"he paused for a beat before continuing, "Is this not what you want?"

"l...I mean, it’s a big step..."I stammered.

"I’m just turning twenty-two this year...and I may look like it, but I don’t feel like an adult.I still feel like I'm just a child and I don’t even know what my life is gonna be like a month from now.You know what I mean?"

"I understand,"

Elliott put his gaze down and sighed.

He closed the little velvet box and shoved it back into his jacket pocket.

The air suddenly felt cold and I could hear the faint whispers and murmurs of the people watching us.

I didn’t dare to look, I was afraid I'd be faced with judgmental eyes or pity smiles.

"Ehem,"

Tristan coughed awkwardly as he stepped towards us.

I was glad that he decided to come in at this point.

He was saving us from the awkward ‘now what’ conversation.

"You got your hot dogs?"I said to him.

"Yup..."he replied.

"So...uh, is there any other place we should go to before we head back?"I said to both Elliott and Tristan.

I was trying to make the situation as calm and as normal as possible, but Elliott wasn’t buying into it.

"I think I'll just go home,"he said, pausing for a moment before continuing, "You two can keep going, I'll take the train back.I could use the time to think,"

"Are you sure...?"I asked cautiously.

"Yes.I'll see you at home,"

he let out a small smile and leaned towards me for a kiss.

I didn’t move away, and I thought he was going to kiss me on the lips, but he kissed me on the cheek instead.

I didn't say another word.

I just watched quietly as Elliott turned around and walked out of the park.

Meanwhile, Tristan was studying my face intently and he let out a long deep sigh once Elliott was out of sight.

"Whoa, E, what in the world happened just now?"

"I don’t know, T.I don’t know where this is coming from.We never talked about marriage or anything like that.Elliott’s just always so...unpredictable," I started babbling out of control.

"It’s like Paris all over again.We never talked about being together, but suddenly he wants to come follow me to the States.And okay, so he wants to have a relationship with me, I can handle that.But this? A marriage? All of a sudden? Like...how?"

I only stopped talking to catch my breath.

Tristan fished out a bottle of water from his hot dog doggie bag and handed it to me, he knew full well that I was thirsty after all that ranting.

I quickly took it from him and gulped down half the bottle at one go.

All this talk about marriage was suddenly making me dizzy and dehydrated.

"I'm not ready for a marriage, T.I mean, look at me, I can barely walk in high heels!"

I continued the rant as Tristan laughed.

"I just got out a super heavy relationship with lan and all I wanted was something easy and light and fun, not a marriage!"

"To be fair, you and lan broke up, what almost two years ago?"

Tristan raised an eyebrow.

almost a year.You can’t

sure, but a marriage? Really?"I

twenty-two in a couple of months!" Tristan wasn't buying into what

me, he asked, "Is age really the

through this before, T.I know not to

you mean?"he

of a Hail Mary to

get

faced with a similar

a few times before saying, "With

bitterly

high school.We were broken up, or actually, he broke up with me because he thought he was

"And...what happened?"

moved to New York City to start the gallery.And I guess you

"I see..."

on the relationship, thinking it's gonna save it.In fact,marriage is only gonna

like a

and fake

this situation

what are you gonna tell Elliott

I feel and what I want to tell him, but I just don’t have the right words for now.But, I'll get there.I just need to take a walk and arrange my thoughts,"

beat, but suddenly he said, "Hey E, can

"Hmm?"

love even

"Of course!"

quickly and somewhat defensively

yearlong relationship with a man I don’t even

way you look at him compared to the way you look at

Tristan argued.

love a lot of things,

I stammered a little.

I love my family and I love you and Sophie too, and I love

the way you love lan?"Tristan was quick

"Exactly..."I admitted in defeat.

an expression I couldn't decipher and

Why are you looking at

I said love,

just

on now, it's me you're talking to.You don't

Tristan’s face and I knew he

was

am I gonna do?

exasperation, "If I say no to Elliott, it might be the end for

lying to myself and to him too, and that’s not

it’s not that I don't

so bad before, I'm scared of ever loving someone the way

he deserves to be loved, but I just need some time to

things out? To see if you can love him the way you do

much.Does that

you never get there?"he

him as

I'm afraid of..."I

didn’t have a

while now, we just continued walking

will you do me a favor?"I said

"Anything,"he said quickly.

Elliott homme? He’s alone in a foreign place, he doesn’t have

to take a walk and reorganize my thoughts, alone, but I'll be

reassuringly, "Sure,

"Thanks, T,"

but before he ran towards the direction that Elliott took, he turned back to me and said, "Hey, you'll make the

knowingly at each other, another telepathic moment type

nodded and

the next second,

I had asked for, I was left alone with

about

when I looked up at the street sign, I

much when your mind was clouded with

my old ritual of making a pros

anything, but it was all in my

there were a lot more

He is genuinely a really good guy

a stable