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.

year.You can’t blame the guy if he’s thinking about being

a marriage? Really?"I

couple of

"Is age really the thing that’s standing between you and

through this before, T.I know not to make the same mistake again twice,"I

do you mean?"he

a Hail Mary

get that

faced with

a few times

bitterly and

or actually, he broke up with me because he thought he was doing me a favor.But being

"And...what happened?"

started college, and he moved to New

"I see..."

is not some Band-Aid you put on the relationship, thinking it's gonna save it.In

spoken like a

chuckled and fake

finding this situation amusing," I rolled my eyes

are you

but I just don’t have the right words for now.But, I'll get there.I just need to take a

a beat, but suddenly he said,

"Hmm?"

love

"Of course!"

quickly and somewhat

a yearlong relationship with a

‘Cause I've seen you two together and I've seen you and lan together, and the way you look at him compared to the way you look at

Tristan argued.

lot of

I stammered a little.

I love you and Sophie

way you love lan?"Tristan was quick to

"Exactly..."I admitted in defeat.

I couldn't

looking

I said

just misheard

you're talking to.You don't

Tristan’s face and

sad to admit it out loud, that I was

am I gonna do? I’m gonna

I say no to Elliott, it might be the end

I say yes, I know I'm lying to myself and to him too, and

it’s not that I

so bad before, I'm scared of ever

way he deserves to be loved,

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

that

you never

you could never love him as much as you do

thing I'm afraid

didn’t have a comeback for

were quiet for a while now, we just continued walking aimlessly while our thoughts were

do me a favor?"I said

"Anything,"he said quickly.

in a foreign place, he doesn’t

keep him company tonight? I just need to take a walk and reorganize my thoughts, alone, but I'll be back

reassuringly, "Sure, of

"Thanks, T,"

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

knowingly at each other,

nodded and

next second,

had asked for, I was left alone with my

walking about fifteen

at the street sign,

blocks didn't seem like much when your mind was clouded with

old ritual of making a

anything, but it was all in

a lot more pros than

genuinely a really good guy and he loves

got a