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The silence between them wasn't awkward, but comforting.
"Michael?" Emma whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I miss you."
Michael closed his eyes, a feeling of absolute euphoria washing over him. "I miss you too, Emma. So much."
Suddenly, there was a loud, frantic knocking on Emma's hotel door.
"Emma! Makeup trailer in twenty minutes! Let's go!" Carla's voice shouted from the hallway.
Emma sighed, resting her forehead against her hand. "I have to go. Duty calls."
"Go knock 'em dead, Pip," Michael smiled.
"Call me later?"
"I will. Bye, Michael."
"Goodbye, Emma."
They both lingered on the line for three agonizingly long seconds, neither wanting to be the one to press the red button, before finally hanging up.
Ten minutes later, Emma was sitting cross-legged on her freshly made bed, applying some light moisturizer while her phone was propped up on her vanity on FaceTime. She had go to set within 10 more minutes.
On the screen was her mother, Nicole, sitting in the Myers family kitchen in Orlando.
"So," Nicole started, taking a slow, incredibly dramatic sip of her coffee.
She raised a single, perfectly arched eyebrow. "Would you like to explain to me why I had to turn on Good Morning America to find out my daughter has a boyfriend?"
Emma groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Mom! He is not my boyfriend! We went to one lunch!"
"A secret lunch," Nicole corrected, pointing her coffee mug at the camera. "In a hidden Italian countryside village. Where he bought you a bouquet the size of a toddler. Emma, I birthed you. I know that look on your face. You're completely glowing. You practically have heart-eyes."
"I do not have heart-eyes!" Emma argued, her face turning pink. "He's just my favorite author! And my friend! It's not a big deal!"
Suddenly, a blur of motion crossed the screen.
Emma's older sister, Isabel, violently shoved their mother aside and snatched the phone.
"Let me see her!" Isabel grinned wickedly, bringing the phone entirely too close to her face. "So, the millionaire author! The brooding genius! Honestly, Em, I'm shocked. He looks a bit stiff in his interviews. Is he actually just a boring suit who quotes Shakespeare all day?"
Emma's head snapped up.
Her protective instincts instantly flared. "He is not stiff! You don't even know him, Isabel! He is incredibly sweet, and he's really funny, and he actually plays video games! He's not boring at all!"
Isabel let out a triumphant, cackling laugh, looking off-camera at their mother. "Oh my god, Mom, she is so defensive! She's got it bad! She's down bad for the author boy!"
"Give me the phone, Isabel," Nicole laughed, wrestling the device back from her oldest daughter.
Nicole settled back into the frame, her teasing smile softening into genuine, maternal concern.
"Okay, okay, we'll stop teasing you. But seriously, honey... we saw the news this morning. The video of the assault. Is he actually okay? That punch looked devastating."
Emma puffed up her cheeks, her face setting into a fierce, adorable pout of pure defense.
"He is completely fine," Emma said proudly, crossing her arms. "He is strong! He wouldn't get hurt by some goblin's punch! That man is a literal monster, and Michael didn't even flinch. He's perfectly okay."
Nicole and Isabel exchanged a look, both of them fighting back massive smiles at how vehemently Emma was defending him.
"Well, I'm glad he's okay," Nicole said softly. "He seems like a very brave young man. Protecting his mother like that... it says a lot about his character."
"Yeah," Isabel chimed in from the background, popping a grape into her mouth. "If he treats his mom like that, he'll probably treat you like a queen. Just saying."
"Isabel!" Emma shrieked, her face returning to the color of a ripe tomato.
"What?!" Isabel laughed. "I'm just pointing out facts! Now go to work, superstar. Tell the millionaire we said hi!"
"I am hanging up now! I hate you both!" Emma declared, though a massive smile was betraying her.
"We love you too, honey! Have a good day on set!" Nicole laughed as Emma finally tapped the red 'End Call' button.
Emma sat on the bed for a second, staring at her reflection in the dark screen of her phone.
She let out a long, happy sigh, her heart feeling lighter than air.