THE FIGHT

"What were you up to Alec?" Said Emma once Julia and Steve left the room, her voice so cold that it could freeze water.

Only five minutes had passed since the time Emma had walked into his room to see Jade and him in an, admittedly suspicious pose.

But already he could feel the start of the headache which was soon going to accompany the throb in his nose.

This conversation was not going to be enjoyable.

"Emma... Look it was nothing."

Emma laughed sarcastically, "It didn't look like nothing. So this was the reason you didn't have a problem when I left? You got a chance to spend time with your beloved Jade."

The way she spit out Jade's name made him want to defend her. But he knew that wouldn't be such a good idea.

Especially in the fix that he already was in.

Alec groaned, "Emma I know it looks bad. But..."

She didn't let him finish, instead she walked up to the cupboard in his room and started rummaging in it.

"Looks bad? You know how embarrassing it was for me? First of all I walk into the house and don't see you anywhere. And then your mom says that Jade's in your room. Then we see that the door is closed. And the cherry on the cake was that I pull the door open and there the black haired, arrogant girl, who thinks no end of herself is, on top of my boyfriend. Who by the way is naked." She took out a shirt from the cupboard and threw it at him.

"Em..."

"Don't you dare, Em me..." Emma sat down clutching her head, "I was so embarrassed."

"Emma, Julia and Steve are family. They understand... And anyways it was nothing."

"You call this nothing! And is Jade also family?" Emma's voice had escalated so much that Alec was sure everyone in the house could hear her yell. "And what do you mean they understand? They understand that there might be a possibility that you're cheating on me?"

And as far as he knew his sister, even though Julia had agreed to leave the room, she was surely standing just outside the closed door and eavesdropping.

"Cheating? Where did that come from? It was nothing like that. Look Emma... She came to my house because of a misunderstanding. And she punched me... And it started bleeding... Well she was just putting antiseptic." He said, his voice muffled as he put on the shirt.

"And what was the misunderstanding?" Emma asked.

There was a smug look on her face. Almost like she knew that his answer was going to give her more ammunition to use in the argument.

Okay this was going to get him into more trouble.

"Umm.. Jade thought that I changed her clothes." He said quickly.

Alec had this rule. If a bad thing had to be done, he did it fast. Like ripping of a band aid.

She raised her eyebrows, "And why would she think that?"

"Well... Actually... We had gone to the bar together last night and she got drunk and she didn't remember what happened last night. So when she woke up with different clothes on she thought that I...."

Emma stood up, "She doesn't remember? How convenient for you!" She said accusingly. "And I'm glad to know you've been having fun in my absence. No wonder you weren't there to meet me when I came back."

How was he supposed to know that she would come back a day earlier? What did she expect him to do stand at the door, moping the whole day waiting for her to come back?

"You weren't even supposed to be back till tomorrow."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them.

If Emma had looked angry till then now she looked furious. Her face was slowly becoming red.

There was a glint in her eyes that almost scared him.

"Emma..."

"So that's the thing. You got a chance to have all the fun you want to. Without me around. And there I was in Chicago feeling all guilty about leaving you here and going to work."

Alec winced at her words, and that made his nose sting.

Emma had always had this way of glaring when she was angry.

Like she was throwing imaginary daggers at you.

Suddenly Emma sat down on the bed. Like all the energy had left her body.

It was so sudden that for a second Alec thought that she had tripped.

She let her head fall into her open palms.

Alec waited for her to say something.

"Emma..."

"Are you serious about us?" Emma picked her head up and Alec saw the tears on her cheeks.

The waterworks. Why did every argument with her end in tears?

"Ofcourse I am!" He said quickly, as he bent down in front of her.

"You never behave that way!"

"I brought you to the place which means the most to me in the world. Because I wanted you to meet my family and see the place I really belong to. Emma how else do I prove it to you?"

Her next words made Alec sit down.

"Ask me to marry you." Whispered Emma.

What just happened?

He looked carefully at her, waiting for her to start laughing.

But something in her face made him realise that she was serious.

"Uh... Em..."

"I want to get married. We've been in this relationship for so long. You are serious. I am. We've met each other's families. What else do you need?" She said, her face crumpling.

Alec raised his hand to his face and tried to press the bridge of his nose, like he did whenever he was stressed, forgetting about the cut.

His regretted it as soon as his finger touched the cut on his nose.

"Emma I have never thought of marriage." He stated, letting his hands fall back into his lap.

"Then think about it."

This was not what he had expected when the argument had started. Emma got angry fast but she just normally yelled at him till she finally was tired and she cooled down.

Before now, there had been no indication that she was on any other track about marriage than him.

Nothing she had ever said had made him think that she wanted to get married.

But now when he thought back, all the shenanigans about meeting the parents, moving in together and all the talk about how her Cousin Nancy who was marrying though she was two years younger than her.

And even all the talking about marriage with Jade.

How had he missed all the hints!

Alec got up and walked to the window of his room and looked out.

"Give me some time to think about it." He said, atlast breaking the silence.

"Take all the time you need. But Alec, please tell me if that's not what you want." Replied Emma.

He didn't turn around. He heard her leave the room, closing the door behind her.

He exhaled loudly.

This trip back home was becoming more difficult than what he had thought it would be.

First the feelings that had surfaced when Jade had been putting the antiseptic and then the conversation with Emma.

He had to get out of the house, before he went mad.

He remembered the stuff which he had thought he would do that day, originally. Before all his plans had been dashed by the women in his life.

He got dressed quickly and left the house without telling anyone.

..........................