Tangled Love

CHAPTER 139

Emily's POV -

Goodnight Muffin, sleep tight x

My heart warms at his affectionate goodnight text. I was lying here wide awake with a snoring Ivory on the floor willing myself to close my eyes and sleep. My eyes stung, my head ached and all I wanted was to sleep for a decade.

I was more than surprised when my phone pinged letting me know I had received a text from Jake. I literally didn't breathe properly the whole time we were texting, my heart doing little palpitations.

I smile fondly at how cheeky he is, feeling more relaxed and content with every text he sent me. Eventually my eyes grew too heavy for me to keep open and I turned my phone off, his words still floating through my mind. I know there's hope for us and I snuggle further into my blanket, closing my eyes and letting my body relax, once and for all.

I wake up the next morning, feeling instantly refreshed. I stretch and reach for my phone to read over the texts Jake and I had sent to each other the night before. Would he suggest we meet up and sort things out? Or would he leave me and give me the space I need?

An instant toothy smile flashes across my face as I notice he's sent me a text that was unread. I open it and my eyes scan over the screen —

-Morning, sleep well?

I grin, biting on my lower lip as I re-read his text over and over again. He'd fallen asleep after texting me and was now texting me the next morning.

-Very well, you?

I send the text and pull back the covers, looking over to the spot on the floor where Ivory had slept. Her blow up mattress is empty and I frown, wondering where she'd disappeared to. Usually she's too lazy to get out of bed and would spend most of her morning underneath the covers.

"Ivory?" I call out, no reply. I stand up, grabbing my bath robe before pulling it over me, grateful for the warmth. The morning air is chilly as winter creeps around the corner, December approaching fast.

Silence greets me and I open my bedroom door, glancing out into the hallway. I frown and head for the stairs, making my way downstairs. I push open the door to the kitchen and notice her stood by the cooker, her back to me. Her hair is stood up in every direction and she was wrapped up in a pink fluffy bath robe.

"Hey, good morning," I call out softly, rubbing sleep away from my eyes. She turns at the sound of my voice, holding a spatula in her hand.

"Morning, do you want some breakfast?" She asks me, giving me a warm smile.

"Yes please, that smells amazing," I nod towards the eggs she's frying and she grins at me, motioning for me to sit down. I take a seat on the dining table, wrapping my robe around me tighter.

"Did you sleep well?" I ask and she nods enthusiastically —

"I slept like a baby," she chuckles and I grin at her, grateful that she'd settled in well at Pops.

"You were up late last night. I woke up for a second and saw you on your phone," Ivory states playfully, suggestive humour in her voice. I feel my cheeks immediately flame up, turning a dark shade of red.

"I was texting Jake," I mumble, nibbling on my bottom lip. She beams back at me, her eyes twinkling.

"Aha! I knew it!" She cries out, waving the spatula in the air.

"Calm down before you knock someone out with that thing!" I giggle and she grins widely before tossing some eggs onto a plate. I stand up and grab some bread, putting it into the toaster.

"Are you two working things out?" She asks me eagerly and I shrug, grabbing my toast from the toaster to butter it.

"We're not back together, we've just sent a few texts to each other. No big deal." I respond, feeling my stomach somersault as I know it's a big deal.

It's definitely a big deal.

It's a massive deal.

"Okay, whatever you say,",Ivory responds, her eyes shining brightly. I grin at her over my shoulder and take a bite from my freshly buttered toast, moaning as it fills my mouth.

"Food is so good," I say, swallowing the buttery carby goodness. Ivory rolls her eyes at me playfully before lunging for my other piece. She grabs it and takes a large bite of it. Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

"Hey! Make your own toast!" I exclaim, pouting childishly.

"I'm cooking you eggs, surely you can handle making some toast," Ivory responds, giving me a playful shove. I make my way towards the table and pull my phone out, glancing at the screen. My heart skips a few beats as I realise Jake had replied to me.

-I would have slept better if you were next to me.

I nibble on my toast, registering his words. I know eventually we'd have to talk things through properly but right now I'm more than happy to hear from him through the phone. It's better than being left in the dark, not knowing how he's feeling or what he's thinking.

-I don't know what to say Jake.

I quickly text him back truthfully, sending it and swallowing the lump in my throat. My phone vibrates back instantly and I scan over his words, my stomach tightening in knots.

-Spend tonight with me... No strings attached? We don't have to talk about anything if you don't want to. I miss sleeping next to you.

My eyes widen at his suggestion and I stare blankly at the screen, his words eventually blurring up.

-what?

I don't realise how blunt my text sounds until I've sent it but in that moment that's the only reply I could think of. How could he possibly want to sleep next to me when I'd left him, left our relationship? Wouldn't that ruin things for us, ruin the space we both need? I don't want to ruin things any further than they already are.

-forget about it.

His reply is equally as blunt and I instantly feel my heart drop knowing I'd hurt him by shooting him down so horribly. My fingers hover over my screen as I fight hard to think about my response. My mind remains blank and so I turn my phone off, sighing deeply.

Everything is so unstable right now.