Chapter Text
Once Emma takes a step back, the group all stares in disbelief. Jacob runs off and a strange expression comes over Emma’s face, before she turns and walks off in the opposite direction. “Emma, wait,” you shout. She doesn’t give any inclination that she’s heard you, instead continuing to walk away. It doesn’t take you long to come to a decision. You get to your feet and manage to catch up to her within a few moments.
“Emma, what’s wrong?” You ask, once you’ve joined her. Emma turns on you angrily.
“What’s wrong?” She hisses, clenching her fists at her sides. “What’s wrong is that I kissed you.” Ouch, that hurts more than you expect. You push the pain away and try to think rationally.
“Sorry, I don’t really know what to say,” you admit, once you stew in your own confusion for long enough. “Besides, I hate to say it, but… you kind of sprung that on me. I had no intention of getting between you and Jacob.” You do feel a little guilty, despite knowing it was all out of your control. By the time you processed what was happening, she was backing away from you.
“Jacob and I aren’t together anymore,” Emma says, an irritated expression on her face. You didn’t exactly know that. Although, to be fair, your coworkers’ love lives aren’t exactly on the top of your priorities list. “And we never will be.” You raise your eyebrows. That’s unexpected.
You’re extremely curious about the motivation behind that remark, but you manage to restrain yourself and keep silent. Your patience eventually pays off, because Emma sighs and then continues to speak.
“We wanted different things,” she says, her fingers fidgeting on her crossed arms. “I thought it was just a casual thing, but he wanted a relationship and… I didn’t- I don’t want that.” You take a moment to process that.
“And I’m assuming you told him that.” You manage to say, once you think you’ve gotten an adequate grasp of the situation. Emma nods.
“He’s having trouble accepting it.” Her eyebrows furrow and she looks off to the trees in the distance. She’s been uncharacteristically avoiding eye contact throughout your entire conversation. Is she embarrassed? You don’t realize that Emma is waiting for an answer until you hear her cough pointedly. You sigh.
“So the best way for you to make it clear to him… was to randomly kiss me?” You say, unable to keep yourself from lashing out at her—albeit mildly.
“Well, it sounds dumb when you say it like that,” Emma huffs with a roll of her eyes. You think that it sounds dumb regardless, but you wisely keep your mouth shut.
“Regardless, you could’ve given me a warning,” you bring up. You’re not trying to bring yourself into the conversation and change the subject, but you do think it needs to be addressed. Her kiss was very sudden; there was no chance for you to give your consent.
“What, was it really that bad?” Emma asks sardonically. Despite the clear attempt at sarcasm, you can sense some underlying insecurity there. You decide to be honest with her.
“No, of course not,” you say, biting your lip. Truthfully, when you look back on it, you actually… liked it. The kiss was just entirely unexpected. If you had been expecting it, you’re certain you would’ve been feeling better afterward. “I was just surprised.”
“Oh,” Emma remarks with wide eyes. Her arms fall to her sides, but she continues fiddling with her shirt sleeves. She seems weirdly anxious. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Thanks.” You smile, appreciative of her apology. She didn’t try to dodge the conversation or change the topic. The two of you are silent for a while and you let your gaze wander around the forest. It’s gradually growing darker. When you look back, you can just barely see the fire in the distance. You hope the others are doing okay.
“Can I try again?” She murmurs, so quietly that you’re convinced you imagined the remark.
“What?” You’re sure you misheard her. You weren’t paying attention, after all. You turn to look at her, only to find nothing but sincerity on her face.
“Can I kiss you again?” She asks, cementing the fact that you really hadn’t misheard her.
“Why?” You squint at her in confusion and disbelief. Is this some sort of joke? If so, it’s a rather cruel one. You take in Emma’s nervous demeanor and serious expression. You don’t think it’s a joke.
“I just told you,” Emma says. “I never had feelings for Jacob. But… I had them for you.” You squint at her for a minute, trying to puzzle that confession out. Did she really have feelings for you that whole time? You think back to all the times that you felt eyes on you when you were in her presence. You had put it down to your imagination. Apparently, those gazes meant something.
“Why do you think I picked you for the dare?” Emma continues. “I wanted to kiss you.”
“You hadn’t intended to make Jacob jealous,” you realize aloud. Emma nods.
“I thought he’d be over it by now,” she admits. “Apparently not.”
“Okay, I get it now,” you say with a frown. “You still probably shouldn’t have done that in front of him.”
“You think I don’t know that?!” Emma exclaims in a sudden burst of emotion. “I had no choice! I was-” She then pauses. You raise an eyebrow at her sudden silence. You watch as she inhales slowly and turns to look at you with bright eyes. “I was scared. I didn’t want you to reject me.”
“Why would I reject you?” You laugh awkwardly. Emma seems to misread your amusement as a laugh at her expense, because her gaze hardens.
“Because you’re you,” she breaks off, her voice cracking. Emma wipes her eyes and you feel completely and utterly bewildered. Did she really think that you were out of her league? Why on earth did she not realize that it was clearly the other way around?
“Are you joking?” You ask. “Have you looked in a mirror recently? Emma, you’re gorgeous. Not to mention, you’re absolutely hilarious. You always know just what to say to get the group going. You’re a great friend-”
Emma cuts you off by putting a finger on your lips. You’re embarrassed to admit that the gesture makes you flustered. You swallow hard and watch as her eyes flit about your face. Emma’s cheeks are flushed pink. Her gaze falls to your lips and stays there.
“So, should we try again?” She asks. You don’t deign to give her a verbal answer, instead leaning forward to kiss her. Emma quickly reciprocates, her hands bracketing the sides of your face. You let your hands fall to her waist and she makes an appreciative noise.
“Never thought I’d actually be grateful to have played Truth or Dare,” Emma remarks, once the two of you break apart. Her hand slips down your forearm and clasps yours.
“Me neither,” you admit. The two of you look at each other for a long moment before bursting out laughing.