One and a half pints of ice cream later and I was still unsure of what had just transpired.

Layla had obviously informed Nate of where I'd been staying as the scene he'd created was straight out of his playbook.

The words he'd spoken still shook me to my core, reminiscent of the lines he'd always spouted when we were together.

Every word broke me down further until I started to believe that what he was saying was the truth, my self esteem in the toilet along with my self worth.

I knew it wasn't true, but I didn't realize just how wrong he was until Emmett stood up for me in the most unexpected of ways.

When his arm rested across my shoulders and declared to Nate that we were together floored me, and before I could even express how grateful I was to him he acted like it had never even happened in the first place.

We all shuffled in the kitchen, sans Reed as he'd volunteered to take Nate back to his apartment, and sat at the bar to eat ice cream as I'd suggested.

"Oh hey, how was your game tonight?"

My ears quirked up at Lucas' inquiry. I hadn't even realized Emmett had a game that night. I'd been a little busy...

Emmett's face lit up like I'd never seen before and it created a fluttering in my stomach, one that I told to shut up as soon as I felt it.

"We whooped them twenty-eight to three! But that's not the best part. The scout who came to watch me play called and said he wanted to speak with me about my future in football on Monday."

"Holy shit dude, that's amazing! So you gonna be a Patriot now? Give the Super Bowl a shot?"

I didn't realize just how successful Emmett was with his football career, and I cringed as I remembered mocking his injury the night we met.

Our gaze met almost instantaneously and it was as if we were remembering the exact same moment together.

The heat from his stare was pinning me to my seat and Lucas could sense the awkward tension floating in the air around us.

We finally broke eye contact after what felt like hours, the feel of his icy eyes staring into my soul carrying a blush to my face that hadn't appeared in years.

"That's the dream. Won't know anything for sure until I speak with him Monday, but my chances are looking good."

"Well congrats man, don't forget the little people when you make it big. Alright well I'm headed to bed, I have some computer analyzations and data configurations to work on in the morning before heading off to work. Goodnight, Lydia don't eat all our ice cream."

I threw him the middle finger as Lucas sauntered off to his room leaving Emmett alone in the kitchen with me, something that caused a stutter in my rapid heart rate.

"Congratulations on your opportunity, it sounds amazing."

He went to the sink to dispose of his spoon and threw away his empty pint of ice cream, busying himself so his eyes never landed on mine and it felt almost intentional, like he didn't want to meet my eyes.

He ran out of things to do and I realized I had lost myself in his languid movements, my eyes following the ripple of his arm muscles in his tight black t-shirt and it was almost as if I could feel the drool escaping from my mouth at the sight.

His ice blue eyes cut to mine and in that moment I wanted nothing more than to run my hands up and down his chiseled body, to have the feel of his mouth on mine and-

"Lydia?"

Well, that's not embarrassing...

"Yeah, sorry what?"

"I asked you if you were okay, you know with everything that happened tonight..."

I couldn't believe I had totally spaced out just staring at his muscles and daydreaming about him.

I cleared my throat and pulled my long thick hair off of my shoulders to air out my skin which was becoming increasingly hotter by the second.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I always knew deep down the relationship wasn't gonna work out considering how toxic everything was, but I think that's what forced me to stay, too. It was like I was trapped in a never ending cycle of emotional abuse and it wasn't until the shock of seeing him with my best friend that I finally told myself now or never and got out of it."

A smoldering look appeared on his face and I almost completely lost myself in his eyes.

"I was in something pretty toxic too where I was cheated on. I had really thought I was going to marry that girl, so I know how it feels."

"It's nice to talk to someone who really understands. Before tonight and getting all my stuff back, you were the only one who was treating me like I was normal and not made of glass."

His mouth pulled up on the side into a smirk and pinned me to my spot as he made his way around the counter.

"I knew when we talked that first night that you weren't fragile. You're stronger than Lucas or Reed know, to be able to stand up to that guy the way you did tonight was pretty hot, you didn't let him walk all over you, I can respect that."

He was so close to me, six inches away and I could see every line in his face, every small imperfection, scar and freckle or mole.

My breath hitched in my throat and I could tell he realized how much he affected me as a cocky smile stretched across his face that was so close to me.

God, his teeth were so white against his sun darkened skin, his eyes incredibly, impossibly blue.

"Thanks, I guess. And thank you for what you did, what you said about him being wrong..." I trailed off, not knowing how to put in words how grateful I was that someone else had been able to put Nate in his place the way Emmett had done.

"You don't deserve to be treated like that, and a guy like him never deserved someone like you."

A small breath escaped me and then my teeth captured my bottom lip, the action darkening Emmet's gaze considerably.

"How do you know what I deserve?" My voice was whisper soft and I cursed myself at how weak it sounded to my own ears.

"Well, any woman strong enough to force a man out of his own bedroom is too good for a coward like your ex, trust me."

"Ah, so you're still hung up on your room are you?"

He cracked a wry smile and I could see the wheels turning in his head, his expression turning from sincere to conniving in a matter of seconds.

I leaned back against the kitchen island and wrapped my arms around my chest.

"Maybe just a little."

"And what exactly are you still hung up on? You have your own room now, Reed made the office into a bedroom right?"

"The only issue is that it's the size of a large closet. I just think the circumstances were less than fair."

I scoffed at him in incredulity.

"Less than fair? I don't think so. What do you think would rectify the situation then? I just give the room to you?"

He brightened up immediately and I had to laugh at his own gullible attitude.

"I wasn't being serious."

"How about a wager, then?"

"A wager? You want to make a bet? What do you have in mind?"

He leaned in dangerously close and I was suddenly terrified about the way this conversation was going.

I could smell the body wash rolling off of his freshly showered skin and it was mouth watering and intoxicating all in one breath.

"You and me."

"That's not really a bet..." I trailed off, heart in my throat and breath not exactly in my lungs.

"We could make it one. I get you into my bed, and I win. You hold out, and you win and get to keep the room. What do you say?"

I immediately backed up away from him, disgusted.

"Are you serious? How much of a pig could you be?"

"I'm very serious. I want my room back, and I know you're attracted to me. You need a rebound and I need a bigger room, win win situation."

I couldn't believe the absolute garbage coming out of his mouth, almost as if he had morphed from the kind and sensitive and caring person he was just a few moments earlier into an absolute misogynist.

"You've got yourself a deal, because there's no way I'd ever sleep with someone as disgusting as you."

"We'll see, Lydia. We'll see."

I scoffed and turned on my heel, the memory of those eyes staring deep into my soul an aching reminder of everything physical I'd wanted with him that could never come to fruition.