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If he ever met a woman more capable or more breathtaking than the one he called his best friend Nolan was sure it would turn out to be a long lost twin to Emily. She possessed a unique presence that both turned him on immensely and scared him.
Spending time with her made him able to see beyond the beautiful exterior and sense glimpses of her soul. Only glimpses mind you, for she was a woman with a lot of layers and though she appeared to be open on the surface she was really a private person and she didn't let just anyone in.
The first time he met her, all he saw was her fire, he could barely remember the color of her hair or what she wore, but he knew then and there that he would know her anywhere from the fierce presence she possessed.
When he saw her again on the boat party he thought she was beautiful and familiar, but he couldn't quite place her. Going through the pictures he took of the party, and especially of her, he paused at a picture that only showed her face. She was lost in thought in a highly focused way and that's when he made the connection between the mysterious woman on the boat and David Clarke’s daughter.
As he told her on several occasions, and himself every single time he saw her, all he had ever really wanted was friendship. Somehow that was getting harder and harder to say to himself. It was the pang of unease in his stomach when she kissed Daniel. It was the cold chill he felt when she held Aiden’s hand. It was the way he wanted to vomit when she smiled that soft smile of hers to Jack across the bar. It was also the way he couldn't help but smile whenever he heard or saw her. That he couldn't stay mad at her. And, perhaps most importantly, the way he couldn't imagine his life without her.
When she confided to Jack and him what her plans were and that they involved her essentially dropping of the face of the earth, he thought about all the ways they could communicate by encrypted video calls, phone calls and that it was lucky that he was rich and could afford to fly to her, wherever she might hide. When she clarified that she wasn't planning on coming up, or even resurfacing again his heart froze and his mind went blank.