She wrapped her arms around him tightly and began to cry into his arms, like he had just come back from the dead. And while Gojo hesitated to hug her back, he began to wonder why she was here. 

After she let go of her embrace, she began to clean the tears that fell down her cheeks, and Gojo subconsciously reached with his hands and helped the tears in her eyes. She blushed for a brief moment and so did Gojo. 

Afterwards he led her inside and they began to go upstairs to his room.

Emilia climbed the stairs slowly. She had walked this path many times before, back when she and Gojo would study together or argue playfully argued about irrelevant stuff.

Once they got to his room, Emilia caught a glimpse of the papers filled with drawings around his room and stopped. Page upon page of portraits of faceless people, hands reaching for something they couldn’t grasp, shadowy figures walking alone. 

It was beautiful, but painfully sad.

Gojo moved across the room making sure not to step on the papers on the floor and sat at the further end of his bed. He picked up a book and began drawing on it. Emilia followed his lead, and sat across from him on the other side of the bed. 

Gojo: So... What are you doing here?

Emilia: I... I came to see you of course. You haven't been in school for a month and I heard from your mom that you didn't want to come back. So of course I'd come see you.

Gojo: Why?

Emilia: Huh? 

Gojo: Why did you come to see me? 

She flinched. He didn’t even sound like himself.

Emilia: Why? Because you're my best friend, that's why! Why won't I come and see you after everything that happened?! 

Gojo froze for a second.

Gojo: It's no use. If you're here to convince me to come back, it's not going to work. 

And she was right. Gojo was the kind of person who once he made up his mind, it would be extremely difficult to change it. However, Emilia refused to give up.

Emilia: Some people are worried about you, you know. Even Terra's worried about you. 

Gojo stopped for a brief moment recalling the night he and Terra sat in that train station and scoffed. 

Gojo: Terra of all people? Don’t lie to me. The school hates me and half of them probably celebrate every time they think of what happened.

Emilia shook her head.

Emilia: I’m not talking about them. I’m talking about your friends. I’m talking about me and...

Gojo: I don't have friends anymore. 

Gojo said that last statement so ignorantly and mindlessly, that even Emilia could tell he didn't mean the words he was saying. She then moved over to the side of the bed where Gojo was and pulled the notebook from his hands.

He reached out, grabbing for it, but she held it high up and firm in her right hand. 

Gojo: Give it back. 

Emilia: No. 

Gojo: Emilia. Give... It... Back!

Emilia: No! Not until you tell me exactly what happened between you two! 

Gojo: What's the point of telling you that?! It's already happened and I'm not coming back to school! Just give it back!!

Emilia: It matters to me you dumbass!!!

Emilia’s voice cracked as the last word left her mouth, echoing faintly in the quiet room. That was the first time he had heard her raise her voice at him. But it didn't stop him from trying to reach again for his notebook.

Gojo: Just give it back, Emilia! 

Emilia: Not until you talk to me! Stop shutting me out!

She shifted her body as he lunged again, twisting away to keep the notebook out of reach. But Gojo moved forward, faster this time, grabbing her wrist.

Gojo: Let go—

Emilia: No, you let go!

They struggled for a while as Emilia refused to surrender the notebook, and Gojo wouldn’t let go of the last thing he felt he had left. His grip tightened, raw emotion beginning to break through the emptiness in his eyes.

Gojo: You don’t get it!

Emilia: Then MAKE me understand!

Gojo pulled, Emilia pulled back and their balance slipped.

They tumbled backward onto the bed.

Emilia landed first, with Gojo falling over her, his hands pressed against the bed on either side of her shoulders, their faces just inches apart. The notebook slid out of her hand and fell beside them.

The silence that came afterwards felt like it lasted for a long time. 

Their breathing overlapped in the silence and Emilia stared up at him, wide-eyed, and he stared back at her. Her heartbeat pounded so loud in her chest that she wondered if he could feel it and Gojo stiffened, realizing the position they were in. 

He expected her to flinch and to push him away and to look at him with that same judgmental glare he saw the day everything fell apart. 

But she didn’t.

Emilia swallowed, cheeks faintly pink as her voice came out soft.

Emilia: Gojo, I NEED to know, okay? Just tell me what happened. 

Realizing the position they were in, Gojo awkwardly cleared his throat and quickly sat up, flustered as he adjusted his glasses. Emilia did the same, pushing her hair behind her ear to hide how red her face was.

The book they were fighting over didn't matter anymore as Emilia had already made it clear what she wanted from him. As he sat there, he began to recall the judgemental stares everyone gave him and how Reggie and manipulated the whole situation and once again, found it difficult to talk about it. 

Emilia scooted a little closer and held his hands, and they both locked eyes for a second before quickly looking away before Gojo finally spoke. 

Gojo: It was Reggie.

The bitterness in his tone made Emilia’s expression tighten. She stayed quiet and let him continue.

Gojo: He... he lied to me. He knew I liked Terra this whole time. He knew everything because I told him everything and went behind my back to start dating her. And still, after all that… he convinced me that I could actually—

He cut himself off and looked away.

Gojo: Forget it. It doesn’t matter anymore.

Emilia shook her head.

Emilia: It does matter. Because it hurt you.

Her voice was so sincere that it made Gojo look at her again and ask a question that had lingered in his mind from the moment she showed up.

Gojo: I thought after everything that happened, you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me.... 

Emilia stared into Gojo's eyes once more as she responded. 

Emilia: I've known you for a long time Gojo. I know what makes you happy, sad or even angry. So I know that there's more to this situation than what Reggie has let it to be... And no one noticed this but Reggie didn't also tell me that he was dating Terra. So he fooled both of us. 

Gojo was puzzled. 

Gojo: Wait... So you didn't know too?! 

Emilia: (nods) When I found out, I felt stupid. He played me too. I thought he cared about us, about our friendship, but he used us both. And now you're the one suffering for something he did and it's not fair. 

Gojo stayed quiet for a while, as his mind flashed back to everything that had happened in the last month, and sighed. 

Gojo: I know. 

Emilia looked at Gojo face and then spoke again 

Emilia: I guess I can't convince you to come back to school can I?

Gojo: (nods) My parents are already looking for a home teacher so I'll work with that. But... Thanks for coming to see me. It made me feel better, a little bit.

Emilia: (to herself) A little bit? (to Gojo) Yeah no problem.

On Emilia's way back home that day, her mind began to race back to everything that has happened in the past one month and thought about how happy things were and the last time the three of them went to Karaoke together. 

Emilia: I guess we can't go back to those days anymore. 

But then she suddenly remembered when her and Gojo tumbled and how Gojo fell on top of her and how close their faces where and she began to blush.

Emilia: We... We almost kissed back there.