Emily trembled in my arms, her face wet from tears. I felt her body shake as she tried to tell me what had happened. She couldn't get the words out, so I held her tightly, trying to protect her from whatever it was that had scared her.

Everyone stared at us. I slowly unwrapped my arms around Emiyl and led her into the bathroom. I grabbed a paper towel and dampened it with water from the small sink. I handed it to Emily, who smiled as she dabbed her face. It seemed to have helped calm her down.

I remained silent, waiting for her to feel comfortable telling me what was going on. I knew it wouldn't be pretty. My blood was already boiling.

"I left Dylan." She whispered.

I nodded my head.

"We just fought all the time. He was so jealous of any guy I talked to. The doctor said I was too stressed. The stress was horrible. It was horrible for the -"

Emily sobbed and choked on her words. "The baby. My baby." She put her hand over her stomach and crouched down. "He blamed me! Me!"

I felt so helpless. All I could do was hug Emily and tell her it would be alright. I tried to stay strong for her, even when I felt fear and helplessness rising.

When she eventually calmed down, I walked her back to the bar. I asked for two glasses of water. After a few sips of water and Emily began to smile again. She warmed up to talking to people. We all missed her at the office.

I noticed Alex keeping his distance. But I could see longing in his eyes. He wanted so bad to talk to her. He must have been worried about her. I gave him a reassuring smile, which he returned with a slight nod. I knew he was relieved Emily was okay.

Vince and others from the office joined in our conversation.

"So are you moving back?" Charlotte asked Emily.

"Yes. Luckily my old landlord has another apartment available for me." Emily replied.

"What about a job?" Vince asked.

"Well, I, uh, haven't gotten that far yet." Emily said as she sipped on her water.

Vince put a hand on her shoulder and said, "We all miss you at the office, Emily. Is there any chance you'd be interested in returning? We'd love to have you back."

She smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Yes! I would love that!"

We all cheered for her. It would be like it used to be. Well almost. I realized that Emily most likely doesn't know about my new romance with Gray.

I nervously glanced at Gray. I knew we should tell Emily, but it didn't seem like the right time. We needed to be there for her. Gray smiled warmly at me as though he had read my mind before stepping closer to Emily.

"I'm glad to see you back." He smiled at Emily.

"Thanks. I'm happy to see you too." Emily grabbed Gray's hand.

I don't know what it was about that gesture, but it made me feel awkward. Like I had just witnessed something I shouldn't have seen. I glanced away, pretending I hadn't seen anything.

When I looked back, Gray had already released her hand. She flashed me a quick smile, and then Dana and Charlotte started talking about what Emily missed in the office since she left.

I tried to shake off the strange feeling, but it lingered in the back of my mind. I hadn't seen anything wrong, but something had felt off. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something.

Later on, Emily moved to drinking wine. She was more than a little tipsy. Emily winked at Gray and asked him to join her for a dance.

She stumbled slightly as she leaned closer to him. Touching his arm, she laughed. "You haven't changed a bit, Gray. You're still as charming as ever!" She grinned at him, her eyes twinkling merrily. "I've missed you so much. Let's have some fun!" Her arms wrapped around his neck.

Gray smiled awkwardly and gently removed her arms from around his neck. He politely declined her offer and suggested they talk instead. Emily pouted and stepped away, but she eventually smiled, and they started talking.

As I watched the scene unfold, I could hear my heart racing as I saw how Emily looked at Gray. I could feel a wave of jealousy wash over me. I couldn't help but feel envious of the easy connection that existed between them. Emily had known Gray for a lot longer than I had.

I felt a twinge of possessiveness and an irrational urge to rush over there and get in between them. I quickly shook my head, trying to dispel the thought. I knew I shouldn't have anything to worry about. Emily told me before that she had no romantic feelings for him.

Then I noticed Alex had started drinking heavily. His eyes showed determination. I watched as he slammed his drink on the table and approached Emily and Gray. This was not the right time to say anything.

I quickly grabbed Alex's arm and dragged him to the back of the bar.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"I need to tell her how I feel. I have the chance. But she keeps going to Gray." Alex slouched against the wall.

"She just got back. You have time. Let her settle in first," I suggested.

"I thought I had time before." Alex's eyes showed sadness.

I sighed. "Please, for her. She'll feel overwhelmed if you confess to her now."

Alex was silent for a moment as he considered what I said. "You're right."

I leaned my back against the wall next to him. "Good."

We both turned our heads and watched Emily interact with everyone. We heard her squeal as Dana showed her the engagement ring Steve picked out. Gray looked in our direction and raised an eyebrow. I waved him over.

"What are you two doing?" Gray asked.

"Alex was about to say something stupid," I said.

"Ah." Gray smiled. "I'm sure you're happy she's back."

Alex nodded his head. He looked like he was ready to pass out.

"He was about to confess to her. I told him to wait." I said.

"Good idea." Gray smiled. "So when did you want to tell her about us?"

"Let's wait until she's comfortable back in the office. Let her get into her groove again." I said.

"So we're secret lovers now?" He smirked.

"Yes, now stop looking at me like that!" I hit his arm.

"Hey now!" He laughed as he rubbed his arm.

"Don't you two look friendly now." Emily stood behind Gray.

"Oh, um, I guess." I blushed.

Emily looked between me and Gray, studying us. We stood silent. Suddenly Alex groaned, and his body decided to lie on the floor.

"Well, I guess the party's over." Gray chuckled as he grabbed Alex's arm and pulled him up. "I'm taking this guy home now. You two let me know if you need a ride home, okay?"

"Okay, bye." I resisted the urge to kiss him goodbye. Gray seemed hesitant to say anything more to me, probably fearing Emily would figure something out.

Emily and I watched Gray drag Alex through the bar, letting everyone know they were leaving.

"I hope Alex is okay." She glanced at me. "Something about Gray is different. He seems happy. It's a nice look on him." She smiled.