Emily and Steve Part 8

All day, people came down and said hello to Emily, congratulating her on her choice. Emily was glowing. I had never really seen Mike happy at work. Now that Mike was gone and Emily was here, she was very happy.

At 2:03 PM I got an IM from Emily69, Emily's IM address. It said simply, "Thank you for all of this. You gave me the courage to be the person I truly am."

I replied back, "You don't need to thank me. I should thank you. Being with you makes me the happiest I have ever been. Having you around 24 hours a day, instead of just nights and weekends, just gives me more chance to be happy."

Emily69 replied back, "You make me blush. I love you."

"I love you, too," I replied.

I sat back. Everything seemed perfect. All the darkness from yesterday, all the feelings that Emily could be cheating, they all passed. It was all in my head, I told myself.

The future was bright, and to me, obvious. Love, marriage, a lifetime of happiness together with Emily. The path was set, and nothing could derail it.

The only thing I hadn't counted on was the complete and total unpredictability of life.