The Rise of Emery James by Shae Scott

fall apart if you don't show up with your toolbox one night," I smile.
    He shrugs, "I like coming over here. I like seeing you after a long day."
    My heart flips.
    "You aren't working on anything today," I say firmly. He lifts his tired eyes to mine and smirks.
    "Is that right?" he challenges.
    I can't help but smile. That smirk gets me every time.
    "Yes. You're welcome to stay here and hang out if you want, but no working on anything. You should probably go home and sleep though," I suggest. I don't really want him to go, but from the looks of him, he's been burning his candle at both ends and he could use some down time.
    He seems to think on it for a minute before responding. "I really don't want to go home to an empty house and eat cereal. Maybe we could order a pizza and watch a movie or something."
    I tense involuntarily, his suggestion taking me off guard. I don’t know why, but it almost feels wrong. Like I’d be betraying Gabe. But that’s ridiculous. Cole and I are friends. Friends can eat pizza and watch a movie. It’s not like he suggested that we make out on the couch like we did when we were teenagers. Besides, he's exhausted. He just wants to relax with some company. There's nothing wrong with that. And he's done so much for me, I can't deny him this.
    He watches as I go through my internal monologue. He knows it well. He knows there is no reason to jump in with an argument to persuade me until I've worked it all out in my head and come up with a verdict.
    "Pizza sounds good," I say finally.
    That earns me a smile.
    "Pepperoni?" he asks, fishing his cell phone out of his jeans to order.
    "No pineapple. That's gross," I warn. He laughs at the old argument.
    I listen as Cole orders our food and I grab some plates from the cabinets. I grab some silverware and my cloth napkins and place them neatly beside the plates.
    My stomach is full of nerves. As much time as I've spent with Cole so far, this feels different. I wonder if it's because I'm hanging out with a man or because it's Cole and we have a history. Whatever it is, it's not going to do me any good to dwell on it so I work to push my anxiousness aside.
    I grab a beer from the fridge and offer it to him. This time I have the kind he likes best. He takes it with a grateful smile. "Pizza should be here in about half an hour."
    "Want to go pick out something to watch?" I ask. My voice sounds far away.
    "Lead the way."
    I grab the remote and hand it to him as I take a seat on one end of the couch.
    His eyebrow raises, "Really? You're giving me the remote? You never let me choose." He looks at me with a doubtful expression like he's waiting on the punchline to some unspoken joke.
    "You can pick," I shrug.
    He sits down beside me, choosing the middle cushion instead of the opposite end of the couch like I'd expected him to. "What if I pick football? Or one of those car shows you hate?"
    "I don’t hate them. I just gave you shit about it because you watched them all the time. I never really minded."
    The smirk is back, " I don't believe you."
    "It's fine. You still get to pick. I don't care what we watch."
    He still looks doubtful. No doubt he's remembering the Emery from the past. She never gave up control of the remote. There's no telling how many episodes of The Bachelor I made the poor guy sit through over the years.
    I settle into the corner of the sofa, pulling a throw pillow into my lap as he scans through the program guide. We don't say much. He glances over at me as if asking my opinion on certain programs. He finally settles on a rerun of Friends. He's such a suck up. He knows it's my favorite show, even now.
    When the pizza comes, he jumps up to get the door. "You stay here. I'll just bring it all in," he offers.
    It takes a lot for me to stay on the couch. I should be getting the plates. Hell, I probably should have made a salad or something. Before I can chide myself on the oversight too much, Cole comes in with the pizza box, a roll of paper towels