all we know

Emily couldn't help but smile. She loved holding Kal's thick chocolate hair in her fingers. It was a new awakening of some kind. She couldn't remember the last time she'd done this. It was amazing. This was happiness. Truly where she needed to be.

But she remained professional. She asked questions. She wanted to sound interested, but not too interested.

"I'm sure everyone is glad you're back," Emily's smile was automatic.

"Not everyone."

"I know," Emily told him. "B looked really tired. She'll-" She had no idea what her sister would do. It didn't matter. But she wouldn't say it. It wasn't that she was jealous. It was just different now. Emily really didn't need B's approval anymore for anything.

"School starts in like a week, can you imagine?" Snip. Snip. Snip.

"You and Rosco. Seniors."

"Yeah." She took in his scent then. Yeah, he'd been on the road far too long. "Go take a shower as soon as I'm done. OK. You'll feel better." She didn't dare touch his shoulder. Didn't want him to think she could persuade him in to anything. "Glad your back." She dusted off the hair and started to sweep.

"It looks really good." Kal took a look in the mirror then and went straight to the bathroom.

Emily cleaned up and then tip-toed down the stairs listening for Rosco who was nowhere in sight. She found the cash on the kitchen table. She wrapped it in a roll and put it in her back jean's pocket.

She stood there for the longest time. Waiting. Waiting for something. Waiting for Rosco, and then she looked behind her. There he was. It wasn't a dream. Not someone who looked like Rosco in her imagination, but really him.

"That was sweet of you to call like that." Her voice cracked. She wasn't sure if she could steady herself to come to terms with it, to rewind back to the moment when she knew she wanted him. "You didn't have too."

"Who else makes house call, huh?" He sighed. He'd been crying. She could tell. He could always cry more than she could.

She wrapped her arms around him. And held him for the longest time.