Intimate Friends by Claire Matthews Read Free Book Online Page B

food...I won't starve to death.”
    “I read that people who live in England are forty percent more likely to suffer from depression than people in the United States.”
    “Where are you getting these statistics?” she asked dubiously.
    “StuffIMadeUp.com.” He grinned.
    “No mosquitoes, no cockroaches, no my mother ,” she retorted, raising an eyebrow, daring him to top that one.
    “No me. No us.” That took the smirk off her face. “Austin's the only place that has us,” he said quietly.
    Emma walked to where he was leaning against a giant tower of boxes. She reached out and linked her index finger with his, swinging their hands back and forth. . Their eyes both locked on the hypnotic motion.
    “Facebook has us...and Skype, and email, and texts,” she said encouragingly. His silence spurred her on. “I wish I could make you understand why I have to go. I'm not even sure I understand it myself. I've just spent so many years trying to make other people happy—my parents, my students, Greg--I just feel like I have to get away, and get some perspective. Try to make myself happy for a while. Does that make any sense?” She looked up at him hopefully, and he knew that he couldn't argue with her...couldn't ruin this for her, no matter how much he wanted to.
    So he smiled, and pulled her towards him by her crooked finger, and kissed her. “Yes. It does make sense. Just don't forget to come back.”
    They hugged, and he felt her cling to him, her tears on his shoulder, and he didn't think it was possible, but it hurt worse, with every moment it hurt worse, and some kind of self-defence mechanism kicked in, and he knew he had to leave.
    “Em, I'm...I've got to go. You're leaving early in the morning, and it'll only be harder if we spend the night together.” Emma nodded, her eyes shiny with fresh tears, and he kissed her, quick and hard, and rushed out the door, knowing that he would drop to his knees and beg her to stay if he didn't leave immediately.
    ****
    Emma got her books together and made her way to the tube station, still getting the hang of her surroundings. Her classes had started three days ago, and she loved them. She loved her flat mate, a sweet girl named Rosemary who was studying to be a nurse. Emma loved London. Everything was perfect. And she was perfectly miserable.
    Thoughts of Noah invaded her brain with increasing regularity. She told herself it was homesickness, and reminded herself of what a strong, independent woman she was, moving halfway around the world, living on her own terms, doing what she wanted to do. Sometimes she almost convinced herself.
    As she arrived at her stop and made her way to campus, her phone rang, and her heart jumped to her throat, as it always did, on the off chance that it might be Noah. But no such luck.
    “Hi, Mom,” she said wearily, stopping at a bench that faced campus. She was a few minutes early, she could stop and chat for a moment. “Gosh, it must be early there, what's up?”
    “Oh, nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice,” her mom's voice was bright and hearty, and it made her feel guilty. For all the jokes she made about her mom, she did love her. She missed her.
    “How's Austin?” Emma asked, putting as much cheerfulness in her voice as she could.
    “Hot...your Dad's already started running around shirtless in the evenings. God only knows what the neighbours think.” Emma grinned. It was their summer argument, and had been for years.
    “Mom, Dad's just...Dad. What would you hound him about all summer if he ran around in a shirt?”
    “Oh, I'm sure I'd find something.” Her mom laughed. “But what about you? How are your classes? How's Rosemary? That's her name, right? Is she nice?”
    Emma filled her mom in quickly, but soon found herself at a loss for words. There was an awkward silence.
    “What's wrong, Em?” her mom asked suddenly. “You don't sound like yourself.”
    Emma felt tears sting her eyes, and she was too sad to even try