THE BAD BOY OF MANHATTAN
Chapter 78. Keeping Distance.

Emma always avoids if Elric wants to talk to her. The girl remained adamant with her decision to give each other time to think things through. Elric lost his mind to persuade him. Until, he felt tired and finally followed the will of Emma.

Elric decided to stay a few days at his parents' house. To calm down, and also give Emma a chance to think things through. He thought, if he wasn't close to the girl, maybe Emma would miss him. Yeah, I hope so.

In the back garden of the house, Elric lay on a soft swing chair that was beside the pool. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sunlight that warmed his body.

"May I sit here?"

Erlic opened her eyes. He saw his father beside him, sitting on the chair he was carrying from inside the house. "Please," he replied indifferently.

"May I speak of a recent tragedy?"

Elric opened his eyes again. "What do you want to know (what do you want to know)?" ask without further ado.

"Anything" Nathan said, raising both hands.

"First, I quit my band, secondly, me and Emma were separated for a while. Perfect, yes," chuckles Elric ironically.

"Is the problem that complicated?"

"Maybe not."

"Hmm." Nathan murmured.

"Hey, Dad .. I heard you canceled all Hellbound gigs. Really true?" elric asked, still with his eyes closed.

Nathan chuckles. "I don't want to see that shitty James Howard's face."

"Geez (astaga)!" elric lamented. "I never thought your friend could be the most annoying person on earth."

"Maybe he's really in love." Nathan tapped his shoulders. "You took Emma from her, didn't you?"

Elric. That's exactly what Nathan said. When she expresses her feelings for Emma, the girl is still James's lover. That is, it was he who snatched Emma out of James' hands. "So, am I the cause of all this?"

"Well, I don't know who's right or who's wrong about this. Clearly, you and James both want to achieve their goals. What James did was disgusting. For his already very mature age, he should be able to behave more wisely. That's why I've had the day off to talk to him for a while."

Elric nodded. But soon after, the young man clucked. "Gosh, I hate to say this" he said, banging himself. "What do you think I should do, Nathan?"

"About which one? Your band, or Emma?"

"Both."

"If I give you advice, will you apply it?"

"Maybe."

Nathan chuckles. "Listen, Young Man (listen, young man), about your band, if I were you, I wouldn't be out. Just walk. Whatever James has done, it won't affect you in music, El. Maybe your career is fast on its way to the top because of this incident, but .. people who enjoy your music won't care. They like you for your ability. Just look now, people know you're a genius guitarist. And they see you as you. Not because you're Nathan Bradley's son."

"Hmm .. I'll think of your words." Elric slightly changed his sleeping position, looking for a comfortable position. "Then about Emma, do you have a good opinion?"

"The love affair, yes ...." Nathan stroked his beard. "Women always need time to think. They want us to give them space. The more we chase them, the more they'll stay away. I have a story that might inspire you, El."

"That's right."

"Okay, I'm listening (i'm listening)."

"Before you were born, I made a mistake with Alya."

"You're cheating?" Elric rose from his lying position and looked at the father.

Nathan clucking. "Don't cut my story, Young man!"

Elric raised both hands. "Okay, go on (continue)."

"It could be said I cheated, it could not be because .. ah, no, that part is not important. The point is, I really have to fight to get Alya's heart back. To the point that I feel tired and resigned to accept whatever will happen. But, in my deepest heart, I believe, your mother will definitely come back to me. So, I'm letting it go. I gave him time. I don't bother him anymore. I let him think whether I'm important in his life or not."

"Then, he came back to you. Of course," said Elric while reviewing his smile.

"Voil."

"That means I should let Emma stay away from me for a while, and give her space so she can think whether I'm important in her life or not, is that it?"

"yeah. Just so you're strong to face it. And be patient."

Elric nodded. "Alright," he said with a big smile. "It turns out you're useful, too, Nath."

Nathan laughed at Elric's words. However, he felt proud, his son was willing to involve him in this kind of heart-to-heart discussion. He thought, as a father, it's not so bad.

***

Elric opened the door to his apartment slowly. He wants to see Emma, and says that he agreed to keep his distance for a while, so that they can think with a cold head. However, he saw this room of his apartment a little differently. It looks more empty than before.

With a thumping chest he knocked on Emma's bedroom door. He waited for the girl to open the door for a few minutes. However, the door to the room was not opened.

His hand grabbed the door handle. Not locked. He opened it and stepped in. Instantly Elric exhaled his coarse breath seeing that Emma's room was empty. Not only did he not find the girl there, but all of his belongings were lost. Emma has left this apartment.

He stood there for a long time without knowing what to do. As he was about to pick up the phone in his jacket pocket and intended to contact Emma, he recalled his conversation with Nathan. Women don't like to be chased. Let it. Let Emma think about whether she matters in the girl's life.

Elric took a deep breath. He is trying to strengthen himself to face this phase. Then convince her that one day Emma will definitely come back to her.

She came out of Emma's room and went into her own. Elric cleaned up all his belongings. The clothes, the guitar and everything in the room except the bed and the mabel. He decided to return to Greenwich.

Start over again. Elric steadied his heart and threw away all doubt. Like Emma, she gave herself a chance to think.

Like Taylor Dayne's title track Love will lead you back, Elric believes, to whatever extent he and Emma are currently, his girlfriend will definitely return to his arms.

He took the phone in his jacket pocket, then scrolled the screen looking for someone's number.

"Darren, can I talk to you? Now?"

***