chapter 5

Emily. 

Waking up late has to be one of the only worst parts of falling into a deep sleep and for me that's never good, hence the worst.

I love sleeping. I sometimes wish to sleep the whole day through if my schedules weren't always so busy and packed up. It gets exhausting at times.

With my schedules recently, as in three years of recent, being so filled up with clients all over the world. It gets tiring. Sometimes I'm too booked up to see Archer, it's frustrating. 

The only two days that I do get to spend with him which are Saturdays and Sundays tends to go by to fast.

"Archer, get up honey. I'll get breakfast ready for you." I murmur softly as I gently shake his tiny body.

I smile to myself when he mumbles something that sounds like gibberish. My eyes wonder around his room. I let out a sigh and stand up to go look at his drawings.

There are all different kinds of drawings that are either neatly drawn or scribbled down on different colours of paper. I smile when I pass a third one of him and I. There's also a couple of ones with Jasmine and Alex in them. I pass by dragons, dogs, cars and even flowers and what looked to be like a ninja and dinosaurs, lots and lots of dinosaurs. 

My eyes zero in on one particular one where his written 'me and daddy' on the top. It's one with a little boy, smiling with a taller man holding onto his hand with a small house behind them.

I shouldn't tear up at the picture but I do. 

Tears gather at my eyes as I continue to stare at the drawing which only causes a sob to escape from my lips. I don't stop the tears, but I do cover my mouth with my hand to muffle my pathetic cries.

I quickly walk out of Archer room wiping away any evidence of me crying over a simple drawing.

How pathetic am I? 

Once I reach the kitchen I start to make coffee for me and also warm up some milk for Archer while making toast and eggs for the two of us.

I'm in my own world so when a cough is sounded behind me, I freak out and drop down the knife and an clanking sound echos around the silent apartment. 

With my heart beating fast and widen eyes at whose inside my apartment. I turn around to come face to face with no one other than Alex.

"Shit, Alex you scared me!" I hiss while clutching my chest where my heart beat increased. I breath out a breath of relief.

He gives me a weird look before coming towards the kettle and making coffee for himself as if it's a normal thing for him to be in my apartment at freaking six in the morning! 

I stare at him for a while and then glance down at the fallen knife before picking it up and walking with it over to the sink to clean.

Both of us stay silent as we both do our own things for the next ten minutes, but I sense the tension in the air and I'm not sure why it's here, but it's here and it's heavy.

"Why are you up so early?" His voice rings into the silence.

Once again giving me a shock from the sudden voice. I turn around to glare at him because I have a feeling he knows what his doing and his definitely doing it on purpose.

"Stop that." I scold while placing a couple toast infront of him before going back to eat my own. "And what do you mean? I get up this time everyday, I do have work today." I say.

His eyebrows scrunch together as he takes a bite of the toast. "It's Saturday." He states while chewing his food.

I stare at him, my mouth agape and my eyes widen as realization starts to kick in. Of course is bloody Saturday! I shake my head and mumble a 'I forgot' which only causes him to laugh at my expense.

I roll my eyes at his childishness. I continue to stare at him a question flows through my mind and I open my mouth to ask him, but he cuts me off.

"Is that the dad?" He questions.

I stare at him confused. "What?" I ask before drinking my coffee.

"Is that Archers dad?" He askes again.

My eyes widen and I choke on the coffee. I quickly spit it back into the cup. "E-Excuse me?" I stutter after clearing my throat. 

He gives me a bored look. "That guy from last night, Emily." He deadpans.

Shaking my head, no. "N-no, it's not." I turn around to drop the remainder of the coffee in my cup into the sink and to take in a deep breath.

Why is he asking me this, now?

And why is today's topic this. I've just had a bad dream about this topic last night because of Connors sudden appearance and now this. Not to mention that I've just seen that drawing in Archers room.

What the hell is wrong with the universe? Doesn't she know that I can only take so much in one goddamn day. 

I turn back around to stare at him intently. "Why?" I question before my eyes narrow at him and my arms fold across my chest.

He shrugs while getting up from his seat. "It's just that-" He stops to stare at me before continuing again. "I just have that feeling." He shrugs again.

"Oh," I mumble.

I bite my lip and frown.

Archer looks nothing like Connor. In fact their both the complete opposite of each other. Dark hair vs light hair. I don't know why he would think that. 

"So he is then, isn't he?" Alex askes again.

This time I give him a bored look and shake my head. I open my mouth to answer him but I'm cut off by a new voice. 

"I'm not the father." Connor makes an entrance. "Although I have an idea who is." He states looking at me before his eyes flicker to Alex's.

I don't know why, but anger starts to fill into me at his statement. He doesn't know anything at all about this and I don't want him telling my friends about something I chose to keep away from them and Archer!

"You don't!" I snap.

His eyes move over to me and narrow. "You're telling me that I don't know who that little boys dad is?" He questions while walking closer to me.

I nod my head as confidently as I can. "You don't." I state and thank the lord internally for my voice not faltering.

He opens his mouth to say something and so does Alex but I've had enough of this talk for today, forever, so I lift my hand up to stop them. I give them both looks that tells them to drop the subject before I lose it.

"Just, please don't." I mutter. 

Silence dawns on the three of us and with none of us trying to break the silence, I decide to make more toast and eggs for everyone. 

"Mommy, your phone." Archer runs into the kitchen while his tiny fingers are clutched around the ringing device.

My stomach drops when I remember that I supposed to be awake last night so that I could talk to Eliza. I completely forgot about it and fell off to sleep. I smile down at him and grab the phone from him after kissing him on his forehead.

"Thank you, I'll be right back." I begin to walk out of the kitchen for privacy. "And make sure he eats his breakfast please." I add.

I send looks to the two men in the room that I'm hoping says 'don't tell him shit!' and when Alex rolls his eyes as Connor nods his head, I know it's okay to leave.

The phone had stopped ringing, but I still make my way towards the living room and into the balcony where I phone them back.

"What is it? " I immediately ask when they pick up, but I'm cut off by Eliza's laughter.

I frown, "What?" I ask.

She laughs for a few more seconds, "Nothing dear, how are you and my grandbaby?" My mother chirps.

I roll my eyes. "We are okay, how is everybody doing over there?" I ask even though I could care less. 

"We're all good," She mumbles.

I know she has something to say so I just hum a response and wait for her to continue speaking. 

My eyes look up at the slowly brightening sky, down to the buzzing city streets. It's still very early hours in the morning, but this place is still running and busy. I guess that's why they call it the city that never sleeps.

It's always so loud and so busy. Everyone is always up and about, doing their own things. City people are definitely different, in a good way of course.

"Indie got engaged, I just found out a week ago." She informs.

And then I remember Connor, my old high-school buddy that's seated in my kitchen and conversing with my family. Realization sets in quickly. That would explain why his looking for a wedding planner!

"With Connor?" I ask. 

"No." I can see her shaking her head almost disappointedly by the way her voice sounds. "Not him." She says.

My mouth falls open and my eyes widen, shocked at what she just said. Who else would Indie marry besides Connor? "Then who?" I gasp.

"Not sure." She answers, almost like she couldn't care less about it.

My stomach drops for the second time this morning. I know she won't be lying about something like this. Why would she lie?

And why didn't Connor tell me about this?

Well I could understand why he didn't tell me

I did say we would talk today plus he just saw me after years, yesterday and he was, maybe still is, furious. 

I don't understand what's happening though. Why aren't the two of them together and why is Conner acting as if this is fine especially since she left him.

"I need to go." I mutter.

"She invited you," Eliza rushes out before I end the horrid phone call.

My eyes widen even more. "W-what. . . why?"

"I don't know why she did but there must be a reason you know that. You need to come down here. I think she's making a mistake and maybe you could speak to her." She quitely says into the phone. 

"I can't. . . I haven't even-" I shake my head, trying to stop my voice from cracking. "It's been years." I sigh.

"This girl was your best friend, your bestfriend that is about to make a big mistake! It doesn't matter what or how you're feeling right now, you need to come down here because she needs you." She scolds.

She was my best friend. 

"You need to come here." She commands. "You left. We weren't the ones that forced you. remember that." I inwardly scoff at that. 

I left for a reason. 

The only times that I did feel bad for leaving was with Archers dad, I did feel bad at times, but only when Archers would reach his milestones. I wished for him to be there with us, his family. 

My mind is working in overdrive and I feel the headache easing in. I take a few seconds to calm myself down by taking in a couple deep breaths. 

"Okay." I say. 

"Okay?" She askes.

I nod my head, "Yeah, I'll take a week off and I'll come down. . .with Archer." I inform. 

We stay on the line for a few more minutes before finally saying our goodbyes and also with Eliza telling me that she'll be awaiting us this week.

Fifteen minutes later after I compose myself from the conversation I just had, I walk inside to find the boys cleaning up the kitchen.

"I'm leaving tonight." I blurt.

Three pairs of eyes snap to mine as they all stop what their doing to turn to me. Archer runs over to me and hugs my legs. 

"Where are you going?" Alex gives me a questioning look.

"Uhmm. . . back to Rosewood?" My eyes meet Conners shocked and confused ones. "One of my old acquaintances are getting married, I need to go see her before she does." I say.

I watch as his face confused face pales. He knows that I know now and I need him to explain to me before I go back to see indie, he needs to tell me what went wrong.