I held her and the whiskey bottle.
We stared at each other for a few seconds.
With my other hand I twisted off the cap to the bottle and lifted it to my mouth.
Her hand still on the bottle.
I had no idea what the fuck we were doing.
It was weird but… it was Emily.
Em. My Em.
The whiskey burned and I knew what tasted sweet to balance it out.
I lowered the whiskey bottle from my lips and lowered my lips down toward hers.
“I’ve been waiting so long for this, Em,” I whispered. “How to do this the right way. I’m not sure there’s a right way. I’ve sat home for days thinking about you.”
“What do you mean days?” Emily asked.
“I was hiding out a little, Em. Trying to sort my thoughts.”
Emily pushed at my chest and slipped away. “So when did this happen?”
I looked over my shoulder. “What?”
“I was texting you and you weren’t answering me,” she said. “Then you said you were busy with work. You weren’t at work?”
“No.”
“So you lied to me?”
“This is kind of a big deal right now, Em.”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t. You sat there alone dealing with this? What actually happened then?”
“What does it matter? I’m here now. I’m where I want to be. With you.”
Emily shook her head.
She looked flustered and pissed.
“Em… wait a second. I think you’ve got things mixed up in your head.”
“I don’t think I do at all,” she said.
Before I could figure out what was happening here, someone knocked at the door.
“Miss Crabapple?” Emily shouted. “What are you doing here?”
“I just ventured for a walk,” an old woman’s voice said. “I can’t remember the last time I came down this way. I thought I would surprise you with a…”
The voice trailed off as I saw a skinny figure enter the apartment and look right at me.
I offered a quick wave.
“Oh,” the woman said. “You have a visitor. Wow. Maybe I should move to this floor if these are the kinds of visitors you get.”
“This is Liam,” I said.
“Liam?” the woman asked Emily with a smile as though she had heard my name before.
What’s going on here, Em? Have you talked about me to others? If so, talk to me instead. Tell me what you’re feeling.
“Liam, this is Miss Crabapple,” Emily said. “She lives on a different floor and isn’t supposed to be down here. She’s part of my posse for the rooftop.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
I put the whiskey bottle down and Miss Crabapple snapped her fingers and pointed.
“You bring that bottle with you,” she ordered.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
“Miss Crabapple,” Emily said.
“Nope,” she said. “I’m tired. I’m winded from walking down here. I could die right now, Emily. And if my dying wish is for a gorgeous man to bring me whiskey, shouldn’t I get that?”
Emily’s cheeks turned red.
I brought Miss Crabapple the whiskey bottle.
“If I start drinking, are you going to carry me home, Liam?” she asked.
“Of course,” I said. “Why don’t I leave you two alone? Em, I can give you a call later.”
“I’m the one who ruined your night,” Miss Crabapple said. “Don’t leave. I just need to get back home.”
Emily looked at me.
I nodded.
I put my arm out. “Why don’t you grab my arm? And we’ll go for a walk, okay? You show me where you live.”
“Are you asking me to take you home on the first date?” Miss Crabapple asked.
“Well, with a smile like you’ve got, how can I not?” I asked.
Miss Crabapple’s faced flushed for a second. “That’s sweet of you. I’m dying of cancer. There’s nothing good about me right now.”
“Don’t say that,” Emily said.
“It’s true,” Miss Crabapple said.
“I disagree,” I said.
“Try me,” Miss Crabapple said.
“Your eyes are full of life,” I said. “You have nice cheekbones too.”
“I look like a skeleton.”
“Not a chance. You know you have a smile that catches any man’s attention. And your attitude is vicious. You could suck men in, destroy them in a second, and spit out a pile of bones.”
Miss Crabapple laughed. “But not you, right?”
“Oh, not me. I’m far too strong. That’s what makes me an attraction.”
Miss Crabapple handed me the whiskey bottle back.
She looked at Emily. “Be careful of this one.”
“Oh?” Emily replied.
“He’s smooth enough that he’ll have your panties in his mouth before you realize what’s going on.”
Emily gasped. “Miss Crabapple…”
“Okay, fine,” she said. “The old, dying lady is making dirty jokes now.”
“Come on,” I said to her. “Show me your place.”
“Smooth,” she said to me.
“Like a baby’s ass,” I said with a wink.
Miss Crabapple laughed again.
I looked back at Emily and smiled.
She tried to keep an annoyed look on her face, but I caught her slowly smiling.
That slow smile was going to fix everything wrong in my world.
“It’s because of Emily, isn’t it?” Miss Crabapple asked.
“It is,” I said.
“Damn. I thought you were going to take me to bed, Liam.”
“Tell you what… next time, let’s get to know each other. Rooftop?”
“It’s a date,” Miss Crabapple said.
“See you soon,” I said.
Miss Crabapple looked at Emily and made her eyes really big.
She slowly shut the door and I glanced down at Emily.
Without hesitation, Emily grabbed my shirt and pulled.
“We’re going to the rooftop,” she said.
“Throwing me off for real this time?” I asked.
“I’m really considering it.”
“I think you’ve got this all wrong, Em…”
“Shut up, Liam. First off… what you just did for Miss Crabapple… that was nice. That was sweet. She needed that.”
“I know you do a lot for her.”
“She’s got this outlook on life… she knows she’s going to die…”
I put my hand to Emily’s hand and stopped her halfway up the steps to the rooftop.
“We’re all going to die,” I said. “All we have right now is the time we have.”
“Don’t get all philosophical on me. I’m not happy with you right now.”
Emily took off up the stairs and I followed her.
“Wait… Em…”
“Miss Crabapple takes each day as its own version of life,” Emily said. “I caught her one time trying to walk on her own and I thought she was going to collapse. So I helped her. We’ve been friends ever since. She doesn’t want to be treated like something is wrong. And neither do I.”