Collide (Collide #1)(62)

Twenty minutes later, with a subdued knock, Olivia peeked in the door. "Can I come in?"

Emily nodded.

Olivia sat on the bed. "I'm sorry, Emily. I shouldn't have said what I did," she whispered, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear, her eyes glassy with regret. "You've been through so much. I just want to see you happy."

"I am happy, Liv. Please trust me when I say that. I just can't have you act like that around him," she said, sitting up. "You two will give me a nervous breakdown."

After a very long minute of obvious deliberation, Olivia let out a heavy breath. "Okay - only for you because I love you to absolute f*cking pieces - I won't say another thing to him. You do realize how hard that will be for me, chick, right?"

"I do," Emily said. "And that's why I love you to absolute f*cking pieces." They leaned in and shared a tight hug. "I'm going to make sure he apologizes to you for what he said."

Olivia let out a huffed laugh. "I don't need his apology, Em. Besides, he's wrong. I'm not a dyke. I'm a certified equal-opportunity lover. I like both male and female, darling."

Shaking her head, Emily laughed.

Olivia stood up and walked to the door. "I cringe saying this - God, I f*cking cringe..." She exhaled a breath and rolled her eyes. "But Dickhead - which I'm not giving up his nickname by the way - is right. Most of Bushwick isn't a good neighborhood. Something else will come along. Just hang out - you'll see."

A faint smile played across Emily's mouth. "Thank you. I'll take both of your advice and wait it out."

Olivia blew her a kiss and walked out of the room.

After calling Dillon and vehemently insisting that he apologize to Olivia, Emily attempted to go to sleep. She tossed uncomfortably in bed as her mind continually strayed back to Gavin. She tried to fight her emotions, reminding herself that she loved Dillon, but Gavin was embedding himself into her thoughts like a sneaky little parasite. His magnetic presence thickened the air she breathed when he was near her. His idea of inaugurating a friendship between them seemed impossible the more she went over it. There were too many dangerous variables floating around. She felt swallowed by the confusion of the feelings she had.

As her consciousness slowly drifted toward sleep, her mind tried to fight a bloody battle against what her body already knew. She wanted him, and she wanted him bad.

Throw guilt to the wind, it screamed at her. For tonight, at least her mind won the war over her body's assault, deciding not to risk the possible destruction of her life.

But damn him and damn that kiss.




Over the next few weeks, Emily fell into her routine at the restaurant with ease and was happy that Dillon found himself in a more normal schedule. He wasn't getting in as late in the evenings. For Emily, things started to calm down. Dillon pulled a few strings with a client of his, who held a position high up in the New York City school district, landing Emily a full-time teaching position located in Greenwich Village. She was excited that in less than a month she would finally start her career at what she had spent so many years in college for and was even happier that she'd be surrounded by first graders. It was the grade she had wanted to teach because she felt the beginning of a child's educational start in life was their most important.

"Are you almost ready, babe?" Dillon called out impatiently while waiting on her couch.

"Just give me two more minutes." She pinned up the last few strands of her hair.

She studied her reflection in the mirror and decided that even though the auburn mess was uncooperative on this particular afternoon it would have to do. She threw on a green-and-brown boho summer dress with spaghetti straps, grabbed a pair of brown heels, and slipped into the living room.