The headlights illuminated the steps that Emma sat on. She looked up. The car came to a stop and he got out.
"Emma?"
"I got the strangest phone call this afternoon."
"Emma, it’s pouring rain! How long have you been sitting here? You’re soaked."
Emma looked up at the sky, as if she just noticed the rain. She looked back at Paul. "My mum phoned to tell me that her and my father had gotten back together. After being divorced for ten years, they’re getting married again!" She paused. "When I hung up with her, my mind just started winding with all these thoughts. I need to talk to you, Paul."
Paul reached down and grabbed Emma by the arm, helping her stand up. She looked a sorry mess. Her clothes were soaked and clung to her body, her hair was weighted down. He pushed away a few strands that were matted to her forehead. He didn’t know what to say. "Let’s get you inside."
They walked into the house and Paul led Emma upstairs to the bathroom.
"I’m going to get you some towels and some dry clothes."
She nodded her head and stood shivering until he returned with hot towels and a pair of his pyjamas.
"They might be a bit big," he apologized after she took them.
"It’s okay."
"Well, um, you can change. I’ll be downstairs."
He left the bathroom and headed downstairs, totally confused. Why was Emma here and what did she have to say to him? It was always touch and go with her. He just wished that the constant tension between them would forever disappear.
He’d just finished pouring two cups of tea when Emma came into the kitchen. He turned and when he saw her, he started to laugh.
Emma raised her arms, the sleeves of the pyjamas falling over her hands. "They’re just a bit big."
Paul cleared his throat, trying to stop the laughing, but Emma looked too funny. "I’m sorry. They’re a bit big on me as well. I should have found you something else."
"It’s fine. They’re more comfy this way."
Paul held up the tea cups. "Tea?"
Emma nodded her head and Paul handed her a cup. There was an awkward silent moment that overcame them.
"So you’re parents are really getting married?" Paul asked, breaking the silence. God, she looked good, his mind screamed.
"Uh . . .yeah." She smiled. "It’s really quite crazy. I didn’t even know anything was going on."
Silence again.
"Emma, why were you sitting on the steps of my front door in the pouring rain?"
She set down her cup of tea and then started twisting the fabric of the pyjamas hanging over her hands. "After my mum’s phone call I started thinking about things. No, that’s not true. I really started thinking about things when I took off for that couple of months."
"Thinking about what?"
Emma reached in one of the pockets of the pyjamas and pulled out an envelope. "I wrote you a letter. Because, it’s you that I have been thinking about. About US to be exact." She sighed. "I’m sounding so stupid here. That’s why I wrote you a letter. I try and say what I feel, but it just always comes out jumbled." She looked up at Paul. "Can I read you this letter?"
Paul was almost scared of what Emma had to say to him. But he nodded his head and led them into the front room. They got comfortable on a sofa and Emma removed the letter from the envelope. Paul could see that her hands were shaking.
Emma cleared her throat and began to read.

"Dear Paul,
"Facing you seems to be a problem for me. So that is why I have taken it upon myself to write you a letter and say all the things I want to say to you. And now that I have started this letter, I don’t know where to begin! I think I am just going to jump right to what I really want to say.
"I messed things up, Paul. I am a selfish, stupid person. When I needed the love of friends, what did I do? I pushed them away. I pushed you away when all you wanted was to love me and have me love you back. And the stupid thing was, I never stopped loving you. Even though you broke my heart, I still loved you.
"Paul, you are the single greatest blessing I have ever received. I don’t know why we are put here on this earth. I don’t know what they want from us, except I have always known that I am supposed to be by your side and taking care of you and having a family with you and making you happy. In a world that is 99% disappointment, you are the one sure thing. You are proof that life is good. You are my life.
"Maybe things can’t go back to the way they were. I mean, I sure fucked things up royally. I’m going to say that I would be okay with the fact that our chosen paths in life weren’t meant to be taken on the same road, but I could never be okay with that. I would accept it, but never in my heart could I accept that we just weren’t meant to be together. And if we can’t be friends, fine. It breaks my heart at the mere thought, but cards are dealt and once they are on the table that is it.
"Forgive me, Paul, for all the things I said out of hate. I will never stop loving you, deep down."

She folded up the letter and put it back into its envelope before looking up at Paul. When she did, her eyes filled with tears. "You don’t have to say anything," she whispered.
Paul shook his head. "Yes, I have to." Her words had brought him to tears. He needed to touch her, to feel her. He moved over on the couch so that his leg lightly touched her. He reached for her hands and Emma let him take them. "Emmie--"
Just having him say her name like that made Emma’s heart pound.
"I have only one regret in my life, and that is that I let you go. I achieved fame, money and popularity but there was always something missing from my life." He squeezed her hands. "What was missing was you."
A tear slipped down Emma’s cheek and he reached up, gently wiping it away.
"You weren’t the selfish one, Emma. I was. I pushed you out of my life."
"Yes, but I certainly didn’t welcome you back into mine after we met up again."
"And why would you?" Paul asked. "The person you should have felt you could always count on let you down."
"We were young..."
"That shouldn’t be our excuse. It’s my fault, Emma, that we lost all these years when we should have been together."
Emma closed her eyes. She wanted to hear him say it. "Emma," he paused. This had to come out right. "Emma, I love you."
She opened her eyes and searched his face. He meant it. His face told it all.
"I love you too, Paul."
Before she knew what was happening, Paul was kissing her and this time Emma didn’t stop him. It was like being kissed for the first time. He touched her cheek, her arms, feeling everywhere.
"I’m so sorry, Emma." Paul whispered in between kisses. "I don’t know how you could ever forgive me."
She leaned back so she could look at him, bringing up her hand to gently caress his cheek. "I forgave you a long time ago, Paul."
He smiled and kissed her again. "I’ve missed you so much."
After getting reacquainted with each other, Emma lay in Paul’s arms, an act so familiar to her.
"What does this mean?" she whispered.
Paul gently rubbed her arms and lay his cheek on her head. "I don’t know."
"We should take things slow..."
Paul knew that Emma was right.
Emma turned and looked up at Paul. "I don’t ever want to lose you again, Paul."
He smiled and leaned down, kissing her. "You never will."
And Emma knew he was right.