“Don’t regret it. If he left, he never loved you.”
“Aren’t you going to freeze in that dress? It’s minus ten outside, and they say it’ll drop even lower tonight,” Mum said, peering into Emily’s room.
“I won’t have time to freeze—it’s just round the corner. I can’t turn up to a birthday party in jeans,” Emily replied, adjusting the belt of her dress in the mirror.
“Is Daniel picking you up?” Mum asked.
“No, he texted he’s running late. His mate’s laptop crashed, and he’s fixing it,” Emily answered airily.
“He could finish tomorrow if he’s short on time. It’s not right you going alone,” Mum pressed.
“Mum, no one cares about that anymore. What’s the big deal? So we won’t arrive together—who even notices? I’m late as it is.” Emily shoved her heels into a bag and headed for the hall.
She knew Mum didn’t like Daniel. All because he’d kissed Emily right in front of her. “It’s not proper. There’s such a thing as decency,” Mum had scolded after he’d left.
Emily pulled on her warm boots, a long down coat, and wrapped a thick scarf around her neck.
“No hat?” Mum gasped.
“I curled my hair—what good’s a hat? Right, I’m off.” Emily unlocked the door and slipped out.
Mum called something after her, but she was already hurrying down the stairs, eager for the party and seeing Daniel again.
Their romance had been swift and intense. Emily hoped a proposal wasn’t far off.
The icy air bit her cheeks and fingers, creeping under her coat. She tugged her scarf higher, burying her nose in it, and quickened her pace to her friend Charlotte’s. “If only Daniel would hurry,” she thought. She’d rung him half an hour ago. “Stop nagging, and I’ll be faster,” he’d snapped. She hadn’t called again.
In the hallway, Emily loosened her scarf. She took the stairs instead of the lift, hoping to warm up. Though she and Charlotte lived just two streets apart, the cold had seeped in.
The flat door was slightly ajar, music spilling out. Some bloke smoking outside must’ve left it open. Or maybe Charlotte had left it unlocked for latecomers. “Perfect. Less fuss.” Emily stepped into the dimly lit hall. The thumping music and shouts overwhelmed her.
She shrugged off her coat, stuffed her scarf in the sleeve. The rack groaned under layers of winter jackets. Charlotte had said it’d be packed. Emily squeezed her coat onto a hook, slipped on her chilled heels, shivered, and stepped into the room.
The bright lights dazzled after the dark hall; the music pounded in her chest. A dozen guys and girls danced around the table, filling the room. No one noticed her. She scanned for Charlotte, but she wasn’t there.
Weaving through the dancers, Emily headed for the kitchen. Just as she reached the glass door, it swung open. Charlotte, flushed, fever-bright eyes, a victor’s smirk, barrelled into her. Shock wiped the grin off Charlotte’s face.
Behind her stood Daniel, smoothing his hair with splayed fingers.
“You’re here already?” Emily asked, eyes flicking between them.
Charlotte recovered, smiling as if nothing had happened. “Party’s in full swing. What took you so long? Fancy a dance? Or a drink first?” She brushed past Emily.
“You didn’t call. Didn’t even notice I wasn’t here? Or were you too busy?” Emily’s voice was thick with hurt.
“Didn’t get a chance. Just got here myself.” Daniel leaned in to kiss her, but she flinched away.
She caught the scent of Charlotte’s perfume.
“Em, come on. We were just slicing food,” Daniel protested.
“Wipe the lipstick off your cheek. Give her this.” She thrust the gift bag at him. He barely caught it as she shoved through the dancers toward the exit.
In the hall, she kicked off her heels, jammed her feet into boots, snatched her coat, and fled. Her scarf slipped, landing on the stairs. As she bent to grab it, Daniel burst out of the flat. Emily bolted downstairs.
“Em, you’ve got it all wrong!” he shouted after her.
Outside, the cold slapped her face. She remembered the abandoned heels, but no way was she going back. “How could he? He got here first and didn’t call, didn’t look for me… Some friend Charlotte is. How could she?” Tears blurred her vision as she walked away from home. Only when her lashes clumped with frozen tears and her nose went numb did she realise how far she’d gone.
“Where now? Home? Mum will fuss, say she never liked Daniel… Maybe the church? There’s a midnight service. No—too crowded, too far.”
Emily glanced around. She’d wandered further than she thought. She ducked into a corner shop to warm up, regretting the thin dress. The cold gnawed through her coat. “I’ll catch flu. Well, good. Let them feel guilty.” Her nose ran, mascara smudged from melted frost and tears.
The shop was empty. The bored cashier eyed her curiously. Emily draped her scarf over her head, wrapping the ends around her neck, and stepped back into the freeze.
Suddenly, footsteps crunched behind her, breath clouding in the air. She turned. A bloke in all black, hood up, kept pace.
She realised they were alone on the street. Emily sped up, but he matched her. Soon she was panting.
“Running from someone?” he asked.
She pretended not to hear, hoping he’d leave. He didn’t.
“Got your heart broken? Don’t waste tears. If he left, he never loved you,” he said.
Emily stopped, ready to snap—what was it to him? But under the hood, hisShe turned to face him fully, and in his quiet, steady gaze, she found the warmth she’d been missing all along.
