Chapter 5

Eric stared at the notepad, on his bed as he scrolled through his phone. He was trying his best not to open it because he didn't know what might be in it.

He picked it up from where he had kept it, staring at the cover. He eventually opened it without thinking, he was bored and exhausted from all that had happened in the day and just really needed to do something different.

He turned the first page and even after the bold warning of "do not open" was written on it, he still went ahead to open it.

He saw her first poem written on the second page and read it slowly, it was nice and he loved it.

He sat up straight on his bed, turning the pages one after the other and reading them. He had completely forgotten about the warning at the beginning and how she would feel about it if she found out.

He wanted to know all there was to know about Emma and the book with him was one way he knew he could.

Emma hurried to the park once it was time for her break, she was hoping to find her notepad there. It was the only place she had gone to the day before and the only place she had thought of.

She searched where she had sat, under the bench, beside the bench and even around the tree but there was nothing.

She sat on the bench, rubbing the back of her neck and thinking of several possibilities and things that might have happened to the book.

Why would someone steal the book? Did someone throw it away? Maybe the breeze had swept it to the road and it was stepped upon by a car.

Several thoughts crossed her mind but she was trying her best to not lose hope and believe she could still find it.

She was about to leave when Eric came walking toward her.

"Hey."

Before Emma could say anything or ask about her book, he stretched it out to her.

"I think this is yours," he said, handing it over to her.

Emma's face lit up as she received it and hugged it to her chest.

"Thank you, thank you so much," Emma said, smiling.

"They are great poems. your writings are so beautiful," Eric said and immediately he regretted having made the statement.

"You read it!!!" Emma exclaimed, her face a mixture of rage and worry.

"Just a f...ew pa..ges," Eric stuttered.

"You shouldn't have read it, it was personal," Emma said, her mood had suddenly changed.

She gave him a hostile glare and her temper sparked.

"I am sorry, I had no idea," Eric said, with a cracking voice.

He knew he probably shouldn't have gone through it but he wasn't expecting her to be this angry about it.

Things were still in control and Emma could have just let it go if he hadn't uttered his next words.

"It's just a book, there is nothing to be angry about."

"Just a book!!! You're unbelievable."

Emma walked away and didn't turn to look at him as he chanted her name to wait.

And at that moment, Eric knew he had fucked things up. He was just trying to get to know her but now he had made things even worse.

Emma wasn't as confident in her writing as a lot of other writers, if she had wanted Eric to read them, She would have given him in her own time.

She didn't like his choice of words and how he made her writing seem like nothing she should react about.

They weren't even friends yet and we're already having issues.

Emma went home immediately after work. Thoughts of what had happened in the afternoon kept coming to her.

She wasn't sure if she overreacted but she knew she had every right to react or if she was overthinking the whole situation.

Eric was thinking of several ways he could apologize to Emma because he didn't want to be on her bad side.

Emma got home and Mrs Lopez was outside reading as usual.

"Emma dear, would you mind coming here for a chat."

Emma never understood why Mrs Lopez enjoyed talking to her so much, apart from the fact that Emma thought of herself as boring, she wasn't all good with conversations too.

"How was work?" she asked, as Emma approached.

"It was the same old routine."

"Your novel?"

Emma sat on the seat next to her on her veranda.

"Still on the first page, I can't seem to get past it."

"Breath, write like you always do. For fun. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Once you remove the fun out of writing, the passion is hard to find."

Emma always loved speaking to Mrs Lopez, she always knew what to say and when to say it.

"What are you reading?"

Mrs Lopez turned the book cover for Emma to see.

"Romeo and Juliet?, this is the third time I am seeing you read it."

"It's not my fault, I love the book."

"I am not a fan of it."

"You love romantic books, you have always loved them."

"I love happy endings. All love stories should have happy endings. Isn't that what love is about?"

"The greatest love stories don't have happy endings though. The fault in our stars is another example."

"Pride and prejudice gave Elizabeth and Mr Dacey a happy ending," Emma said.

"Anna kareanin was bittersweet though."

"Romance novels deserve happy endings only, I can't take the heartbreaks that happen at the end. Love is sweet, so why suffer for it."

Mrs Lopez smiled.

"I understand you dear but that's life."

Emma's view wasn't going to change about what romance should be. No one could convince her otherwise.

"I made paella, you could have some."

Emma smiled at the offer, she loved eating Mrs Lopez's paella. She had made her fall in love with Spanish delicacies.

"I would love some, at least something to make my day."