July 15th, 1991.
Well this got awkward.
One Day has continued to destroy me in the best way possible. It’s one of those things that I feel both embarrassment and hurt and well, disgust. I feel disgust because Dex seems to take feelings and neglect them at every turn. He’s just one to neglect everything in front of him. He’s one that doesn’t see that what he does causes people hurt and pain. That’s so frustrating to see, because Emma deserves better.
Hell Dex deserves better for himself. Before you kill me, hear me out.
A platonic vacation with your best friend of the opposite sex. I mean, why not. Well for anyone but Dex and Emma. These two have feelings for each other. She may not be willing to admit it and he may be willing to feel it, but it doesn’t mean that the feelings aren’t there. If anything, it means that feelings are scary and both are not sure that they want to feel them.
When arriving, Emma’s determined to show that she can do it all on her own, but that’s the thing – no one can do everything on their own. People need people. Emma needs Dex and Dex needs her. They just still both seem to be fixed on the fact that they come from opposite worlds.
And the fact that Dex is a somewhat celebrity.
Traveling together, they set rules for themselves (which wouldn’t come, in my opinion) if there weren’t feelings. Those rules seem to be put to the test every five seconds as they are both are bantering to disguise the attraction.
One thing that I do respect about Emma is that she’s determined that the time for her and Dex has passed. She knows that she can’t go back, but she does want to move forward not allowing herself to think about the past and their almost one night stand.
If we’re being honest, I personally would have preferred that they just f**ked it out that first night. Sometimes sex can help you figure it out. I mean, also this slow burn between the two of them is somewhat annoying. I am all for a good slow burn, because I believe that a good slow burn will make a relationship stronger. But with Dex and Emma it just feels like they are keeping each other on a string.
And it’s kinda proven by Dex’s actions in Greece.
When they play a game at dinner, where each one has to tell the other something they didn’t know, Emma admits to her former crush on Dex. He tells her that he knew – Tilly told him. Suddenly I am just mad at Tilly. Like great – she’s getting hers and she’s happy. But also Tilly, you don’t betray your best mate. Telling someone that your best friend has a crush on them and not getting permission – BREAKS THE CODE. Part of me knows that Tilly was trying to help, but it’s not helpful.
I don’t think that Tilly meant to hurt Emma, but I also think that Emma has every reason to be upset. Dex seems to take it as a joke and those are Emma’s feelings. So laughing kinda feels like he just doesn’t care about her feelings (even though we all know he does). Though, we know that the two can’t stay mad at each other forever, it still feels like Emma has every right too.
Only that anger is very close to coming out. Dex and Emma go skinny dipping and he tells her that he fancies her, but the issue is that he fancies everyone. He’s not ready for a relationship, but if she just wants to have some “fun” he would be down.
There are just not words for how dense he can be. Emma dunks him under water and confronts him about what he’s said, after he tells her that he’ll take that as a no.
“It’s weird, you know. How you like to keep me warm. It’s like you want me to still fancy you. Like it’s a necessary condition of the cosmos or something. That I should always just be off to one side somewhere, twinkling away for you,” she snaps at him.
There are no lies detected right there. I think that he wants just that from her – to know that she fancies him and that she’ll always be there. But seeing this episode I know something else also – Dex doesn’t see his own worth. I am very proud of Emma for knowing hers though.
Dex is filled with so many thoughts and so many things that are going wrong – I wonder what it will take for him to see that he’s squandering his life and his heart.
If he ever does.