One Day

The story flashes back to the morning after Emma and Dexter’s first night together, in Emma’s room on Rankeillor Street, Edinburgh. As Emma wakes up, she finds Dexter sitting on her chair and pulling on his pants. It’s 9:20 am, and, after a few hours of sleep, she assumes he’s sneaking off. She thinks of how handsome he looks and hopes he'll stay. When she asks if he’s leaving without saying goodbye, Dexter, caught off guard, explains that he didn’t want to wake her and planned to leave a note. Emma comments that they are “ships that pass in the night” (288).

While getting dressed, Dexter expresses how nice it was to spend time together, “after all this time” (288). He surprises Emma by calling her “Em.” He lies and says that he must leave with his parents that day. Emma is staying in Edinburgh for the summer. As Dexter kisses her, he regrets the lie and fakes a call to his mother, asking to postpone their departure to tomorrow. They grin at each other, and Emma asks him what they should do with the day.