A little while later, Eric pulled his new car into a diner parking lot. He noticed the gas gauge was still completely full, not having dropped a single milliter since he left the dealership. He shut off the engine lightheartedly, then turned to look at Emma, who was still sitting there dazed, trying to process everything she had just witnessed.
"Hey Emma, let’s grab so food. I didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast earlier," Eric suggested.
"Oh... yeah, sure, I haven’t eaten either," Emma replied. "Is buying a car seriously that easy? It already ca completely registered with plates and paperwork... so weird," Emma thought to herself, looking at Eric with a baffled expression.
"Why have you been staring at this whole ti anyway?" Eric asked.
"No reason, haha," Emma answered, instantly turning her head to look straight ahead.
Eric unbuckled his seatbelt, but before he could even move to get out, "vwooong," a holographic screen flashed right in front of his face again.
[Quest: Record yourself playing the guitar for five minutes, post it on social dia and gained 200,000 viewers – completed.]
[Completion Reward: $100,000 received and Sound Designer Skill received.]
Seeing that the quest was finalized, Eric imdiately grabbed his smartphone and opened the app where he had shared the video. His eyes went completely wide when he looked at the stats at the bottom of his post.
The video had currently racked up 4,712 subscribers, 292,506 views, 10,301 likes, and 22,815 shares. Noticing Eric staring blankly at his screen, Emma unbuckled her seatbelt, then leaned her body entirely across the console until she was pressed right against him to peek at his phone.
"Wow... all of this in just two days... you are seriously amazing," Emma gushed, playfully bumping her shoulder against Eric’s arm with a bright smile.
"Ding."
A bank notification popped up on Eric’s phone, and Emma had a front-row seat to the alert. The text clearly showed a deposit of $100,000.00 hitting his account. Eric imdiately locked his screen and turned to look at Emma, whose face was incredibly close to his as she stared at him.
"Um... soone just wired so money, haha," Eric muttered, completely at a loss for how to explain it.
"Just what kind of business are you actually running? You’re making really curious," Emma said, locking her eyes onto his.
"Um... I do so investing... that’s all, hahaha. Co on, let’s get out and eat," Eric replied, scrambling for a decent excuse. He quickly threw open his door and stepped out of the car.
Emma climbed out from her side, and they walked toward the diner entrance. She looped her arm through Eric’s, and Eric just let it happen. He was a bit confused by how often she initiated physical contact despite them barely knowing each other, yet it felt strangely effortless—like sothing natural they had always done. Eric’s face began to flush, but he quickly forced his expression back to normal.
Upon stepping inside, they were imdiately escorted to an empty corner booth that offered a clear view of the entrance. Without even realizing it, Eric slid into the seat right next to Emma, as if sitting by her side was the most natural thing in the world. The waitress handed over the nus, and the two of them began browsing the options together while the waitress watched them.
"Wow... he’s handso and she’s gorgeous... they make a perfect couple. But I swear I’ve seen that guy sowhere before," the waitress thought to herself.
"Um... excuse , I’ll have the steak, scrambled eggs, and pancakes. What are you getting?" Eric asked Emma.
"I’ll just do the breakfast set—whole wheat toast, make the bacon not too crispy, and over-easy eggs, please," Emma answered, pointing at the nu and looking up at the waitress.
"Perfect. Would either of you like coffee or tea?" the waitress asked warmly.
"Yeah... a decaf coffee for , please. How about you?" Eric asked, turning to Emma next to him.
"Um... I’ll have the sa, but with cream and sugar on the side, please," Emma requested.
"Alright, it’ll just be a few minutes," the waitress replied politely, collecting the nus.
As the waitress walked away, Eric glanced around the room. He noticed the restaurant was pretty empty, with just the two of them and a handful of other custors scattered across the dining room.
He then looked down at Emma, who was leaning right against him, completely relaxed as she focused on her phone. Noticing Eric glancing over, Emma casually tilted her screen to show him her chat history with Laura.
Even so, Eric wasn’t actually paying attention to her phone screen. His mind was completely preoccupied with his future, carefully weighing all his options. He stole a glance at Emma’s face.
"Hey Emma, you’re planning on going to that sa university when you graduate next year, right?" Eric asked.
"Yeah... why do you ask?" Emma replied, turning her head to look at him.
"Hmm... what if I just wait and start college at the sa ti as you? It seems like a massive headache to apply for this sester anyway. It’s already way too late, and I still have a ton of personal stuff to sort out first," Eric answered.
Hearing his words, Emma’s face instantly lit up with pure joy, looking exactly like soone who had just been granted a deeply desired wish. She imdiately looped her arms through Eric’s, pulling herself even closer against his side than before.
"Perfect... we’ll start school together, haha," Emma said cheerily.
"Haha... yeah, so I’ll just take a gap year to rest and get all my affairs in order," Eric said.
"Do you really have that much stuff to handle?" Emma asked.
"Of course. I an, I literally just moved to this city two days ago, right? I haven’t even had a chance to properly settle in yet," Eric answered.
"Hmm... that’s true. Well, either way, I’m just incredibly happy you’re going to the sa college as ," Emma replied brightly.
Suddenly, "ding," a text notification popped up on Eric’s phone. He opened it up to find a ssage from Caleb. When he clicked into the chat, Caleb had sent a screenshot of a family group text that seed to show an ultrasound photo, followed by a ssage of his own.
"Dude, you’re not going to believe this. Just read it. It’s a ss, a total ss," Caleb wrote.
Eric zood in on the picture. Sure enough, Jason had shared the ultrasound photo, and his dad, mom, and Ruby were all text-congratulating him. Responding with a thank you for all the well-wishes was Vivian, who had already been added to the family group chat.
Taking it all in, Eric just shook his head. He didn’t feel a single thing in his heart anymore. He let out a scoff and texted Caleb back.
"Didn’t you tell yesterday that they broke up?" Eric asked.
"Yeah... but according to Jade, they only faked the breakup to get you to co back. Jade also said that while you were actively dating Vivian, they had already been sleeping together behind your back for an entire year. So you getting kicked out of the house was basically part of their plan too. At least, that’s how I see it, especially since your parents were always going to take Jason’s side over yours anyway," Caleb replied.
"Ah... whatever, I honestly don’t give a damn anymore. I’m not the sa guy I used to be. Just let them do whatever they want, and don’t update about this stuff ever again," Eric sent back.
"Got it. Sorry, man, I just felt like I had to tell you. Don’t worry, Jade has no idea you’re even in this city," Caleb assured him.
"It’s all good, man. No worries, and thanks," Eric replied.
Eric went to put his phone face down on the table, but he suddenly froze. He felt the warmth of soone’s breath right next to him and sothing incredibly soft pressing firmly against his arm. When he turned his head, he was completely startled to find Emma clinging tightly to him, having clearly read his entire text conversation with Caleb.
But Eric could see a completely new expression taking over Emma’s face. Her skin was flushed, her eyebrows were tightly knit in the center, and her mouth was set in a deep, unmistakable frown. She looked absolutely furious. Emma then turned her head to look at Eric, locking her eyes onto his with a dead-serious expression.
"Um... what’s wrong?" Eric asked.
"Nothing. You are so much better off without them," Emma said flatly.
Eric went entirely quiet as a brand-new feeling welled up in his chest. This girl, whom he had literally only known for two days, was showing him more loyalty and taking his side far more than the family who was actually supposed to care for and love him. A deep sense of relief washed over Eric, and without even thinking about it, his arm slid down around Emma’s waist, pulling her even tighter against his side.
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