One Man Band System

The next morning, "Ugh," Eric, who had worked hard all night long, finally woke up. He opened his eyes slowly and sat up in bed, stretching his sore body before rubbing his eyes. He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, then turned to look at the smartphone on the nightstand, noticing the clock already read ten in the morning.

"Ugh... it’s already this late and I’m just waking up," he muttered in his head.

He opened his messages to find the group chat buzzing. Monica, Chloe, Priya, Heidi, and Laura had all sent good morning messages, mentioning they had already left for school. Eric put his smartphone back down and scratched his head. But right then, his nose caught a delicious aroma—the scent of sausages, bacon, and eggs wafting in from outside his room.

"Huh... who’s out there? Aren’t they all at school?" Eric asked in his head.

Slowly, he slipped out of bed and put on his slippers. He walked over to the door, unlocked it, and stepped outside, glancing toward the kitchen.

"Hum... hum... hum,"

His eyes widened as he spotted Emma in the kitchen, humming the song Eric had given her yesterday while whipping up breakfast. Slowly, Eric approached her.

"Wait... Emma?" Eric asked, bewildered.

Emma turned around, pulled out her earbuds, and smiled at Eric while holding her skillet.

"Morning! I made breakfast, come eat. Just take a seat over there, and I’ll grab you some coffee," Emma said casually.

"Why... aren’t you at school?" Eric asked, still confused.

"Hmm... I skipped today. I want to spend the whole day with you," Emma answered with a smile.

"Oh... I see. But why? What’s the occasion?" Eric asked.

"No reason, just felt like it. Go sit down at the table," Emma replied.

Eric walked over to the dining table. Even after sitting down, he kept watching Emma as she casually swayed to the beat of his song while cooking. A moment later, Emma brought over two plates, then headed back to the kitchen to grab two cups of coffee before returning. Once Emma sat across from him,

"Where are you heading today? I’m coming with," Emma said with a smile.

"I actually wasn’t planning on going anywhere or stepping out today," Eric said.

"Aww... and here I thought I’d get to hang out with you all day," Emma replied, looking a bit disappointed as she stared down.

Eric poured some sauce over his eggs, cut a piece, and ate it, keeping his eyes on Emma’s slightly crestfallen face as she ate while scrolling through her smartphone.

"Wanna go out for a drive? Just the two of us?" Eric asked.

Emma snapped her head up and looked right at Eric, her eyes immediately lighting up with excitement.

"Yes! Where are we going?" Emma asked eagerly.

"Um... let’s see. I’ve got tickets to an amusement park. Want to go there?" Eric asked.

"I’d love to... just the two of us," Emma answered enthusiastically.

"Alright... let’s head out right after we finish eating," Eric replied with a smile.

"Awesome... I’m gonna take a shower and change real quick," Emma replied excitedly.

"Aren’t you going to practice piano? Isn’t the competition next week?" Eric asked.

"Don’t worry about it. Even if I don’t qualify, Tania’s representing the state, so we’re good," Emma answered.

"Oh... I see," Eric replied, enjoying his breakfast.

When he finished eating, Eric brought his plate to the kitchen and washed it, taking Emma’s plate along as well, while Emma ran to her room to take a shower and change her clothes. Once they were ready, the two of them went downstairs and drove off in Eric’s car toward the amusement park, without a care in the world.

Emma switched off her smartphone, and Eric did the same. They chatted about everything and anything along the drive, though they didn’t touch on business, music, or their problems at all. But as they neared their destination, Emma turned to look at Eric driving beside her, her expression turning serious.

"Is your work with Morgan Lee on the movie soundtrack finished?" Emma asked.

"Still ongoing. Right now we’re putting together the soundtrack for the final act. Mr. Alan’s handling everything, and I’ve already handed over a few fitting tracks," Eric said casually.

"Do they know you’re opening a production house in partnership with Trinity?" Emma asked.

"Mr. Morgan and Mr. Alan know, I already filled them in. Why? How come you’re asking about my work all of a sudden?" Eric answered casually.

"No reason... Do you still see Wesley often? That actor?" Emma asked quietly.

"Hmm... nope," Eric replied briefly, casting a glance at Emma beside him.

"Oh... that’s good," Emma said.

Eric glanced at Emma. Even though Miranda had already filled him in on who Wesley actually was, hearing Emma ask about him brought a faint sting to his chest, though it wasn’t enough to shake him. He easily brushed it aside and shook it off, refocusing his attention on driving. They finally arrived at the amusement park, and after parking the car and stepping out, Eric walked over to Emma at the passenger side door.

"Ready?" Eric asked with a smile.

"You bet," Emma answered cheerfully.

Holding hands, they walked inside toward the ticket counter. Since it was a weekday, there was no line at all, and they walked right through using their free vouchers. Once inside, the two of them let loose and had a total blast, completely forgetting about everything else. Emma couldn’t stop taking photos of them together, while riding the roller coaster, hopping on various other rides, grabbing lunch, strolling through the park, and relaxing on a bench while enjoying snacks and feeding the birds.

They walked along the edge of the pond to their hearts’ content, then headed into the haunted house, clinging tightly to each other since it turned out Emma was terrified of anything supernatural. By late afternoon, they boarded the Ferris wheel to take in the view from above. Eric turned to look at Emma, who was sitting next to him and gazing out the window.

"Did you have fun today?" Eric asked.

"So much fun! Thank you," Emma answered joyfully, sliding back into her seat beside Eric.

After that, quiet fell between them. Emma snapped a selfie of the two of them and posted it to the group chat. Replies flooded in almost instantly, with nearly everyone sending thumbs-up emojis, bringing a smile to both of their faces.

When their cart reached the very top, both of them remained silent, but suddenly Emma gripped Eric’s hand tightly, prompting Eric to turn and look at her. Eric was startled to see how bright red Emma’s face had turned.

"What’s wrong?" Eric asked.

"Um... can I ask you something?" Emma asked.

"Ask what?" Eric asked.

"If you had to choose between me, Monica, Chloe, Priya, Heidi, and Laura, who do you think you’d pick?" Emma asked.

Eric flinched slightly in surprise, as that was actually the one question he had been dodging all this time. He turned his face toward the window, his mind racing as he tried to figure out how to answer a question that sounded simple yet carried so much weight for him. Eric fell silent for a few moments. As the Ferris wheel began its slow descent, Emma leaned her body against Eric’s shoulder.

"Sorry... looks like my question was a bit too heavy, huh?" Emma said.

"It’s not that... I’m still confused myself. To me... every single one of you is equally precious. But I know I’ll eventually have to choose just one of you, so... right now, I can’t give you an answer because I need to sort out my feelings. I don’t want to string any of you along, that wouldn’t be fair to you guys," Eric replied, trying to be completely fair.

"Okay... I understand. I’m not forcing you to answer. I was just curious because I really do love you, and for the first time in my life, I’m feeling something like this," Emma said.

Eric went quiet for a moment, but his hand squeezed Emma’s hand tightly, making Emma turn to look at him. Eric turned his head, and without either of them realizing it, their faces drew closer. Naturally, with nothing standing in their way this time, they finally kissed. Emma wrapped her arms around Eric’s neck while he responded by holding her by the waist. They only broke the kiss when their cart was almost all the way back down. Before they touched the ground, Emma leaned against Eric’s shoulder while he kept his arm around her.

"I don’t want to go home," Emma said.

"Why?" Eric asked.

"I just don’t want to... what if we stay overnight somewhere tonight?" Emma suggested.

Eric knew exactly where this conversation was heading, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse, knowing full well he had already crossed that line with the others. He simply squeezed Emma’s hand and nodded in response. Seeing that, Emma smiled. After getting off the ride, they still managed to stroll through the park and chat until dark fell, making that night an unforgettable one for both of them.

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