She expected him to walk away. She carried a lot of baggage and hardly any of it good. The life she lived was a troubled one. It was filled with hardships and heartache. And yet, she somehow managed to see the good in people and situations. It was something she was learning and getting better at, after all, it was perhaps the one good skill that came from her living on the streets. But the life she lived was so very hard and it was not uncommon for men to think they were interested in her until they knew her secret. They ran so very far away (and fast too).

Emmy was used to the disappointment. In fact, she expected it. So naturally, when he questioned if she thought he was shallow enough to run, she was about to tell him that most men were. Most men just wanted someone to warm their bed...someone easy. So when they found someone complicated, they weren't at all ready for that. Most men were more shallow than a tide pool.

But then he asked her not to answer his question out loud and she shrugged. He was definitely correct, it would not have helped his argument much. Based on his behavior in the club, he liked looking at attractive women. No doubt he liked going home to them. But those women were easy. She was not. If she had answered his question, it might have made him look more like a prick who preys on easy women. Definitely not something that would help his case.

But then he looked at her with a serious expression, one that she would not take lightly. He was trying to be kind and vulnerable and the least he could do was at least try to be nice about it. Perhaps his offer might seem genuine and kind, but it seemed awkward to her. She was more than capable of caring for herself and his need to take her home was just his way of helping. While she should be appreciative, she couldn't help but feel awkward and angry. "Not to be rude, but that's some patriarchal bullshit. Guy swoops in to save girl who doesn't need saving. It cute, but I don't need charity." She wasn't some lost puppy needing a home. She just needed a break in the music industry. She needed someone, anyone to help her sign a record deal. Once she started making her own money she could break out of the hell she was living in.

Realizing that she was being a dick and he was only trying to help, she sighed. "Look, I just don't like handouts...even if they come from a good place." She was stubborn and perhaps being a bit difficult, but she wasn't going to compromise herself just to make him feel better. She signed. "Look...if it means so much to you to have me sleep in a bed tonight..."she paused, wondering if this was what she wanted. "...then treat it as any other hookup. Trashy porn, booze, and some good sex. Treat me like any other girl you'd pick up." If he wanted her in a bed tonight, it would be in his bed after some good sex (or no sex...but at least she was lured with the thought of sex). She hadn't been with anyone since Alex. God. How long had it been? Seven? Eight Years? Emmy was not a one-night-stand type of girl. Alex had been her one and only. But maybe she had been holding onto his memory for too long. Maybe it was time to let him go.