A/N: So, here's the deal... I guess this is sort of a test... A couple of months after I started writing TPA, I needed a break from the story, and had another plot idea in my head, which ended up being this story. Personally, I think it's too similar to TPA circumstance wise, but after a discussion on twitter about it this afternoon, I've decided (executive decision style), to just post the bloody thing and see what you guys think.
The short summary of it is: First person POV, intense attraction, loads of introspection on both sides, and hell even some angsty shit thrown in for good measure, because it comes natural for me to write it. *shrug*
On with the tale, then...
Disclaimer: I do not own skins. This is probably going to be the last fic I start posting because one of these days I should tie up all these projects I've created for myself lol. Any and all typos are blamed upon the iPod I wrote this one on. (Same story, different tale?)
(Emily POV)
What a long, tedious day. I let myself into the flat, stumbling in after a full on day of uni lectures. I put my bag down on the floor and went to the fridge for a drink of water. My phone began to ring, and I looked at the display. Katie.
"Hi Kay, what's up?"
"Hey Emsy, we're going out tonight." My twin replied.
"What? I just got home after a full day." I whined.
"Come on, Ems, let's go out and have some fun." she whined back.
"I don't know, Katie. My brain has been run ragged today, I'm kind of tired." I protested.
"Oh, please Ems, it's been ages since we went on a night out. Besides, you might pull a hot muff muncher, god knows you need to get laid."
I cringed. "Thanks for the reminder, Kay." Not that I need reminding that I've not had a shag in a couple of months.
Katie laughed. "Welcome, bitch. Wear something hot. I'll pick you up at 8."
"But Katie-" and the line went dead. "Fucking great." I muttered, to myself.
So after a half hour looking through my wardrobe I picked out a short black skirt and a low cut purple top I suspected had been left behind by my sister at some point. I also threw on a red pair of Converse high tops, simply because they matched my hair. Well, something had to match something.
About five to eight, the doorbell rang.
"It's open!" I yelled from the bathroom, where I was finishing applying my eyeliner. A few moments later Katie stood in the doorway.
"Is that what you're wearing?" she quizzed, a suspicious tone to her lisp. I sighed.
"Yes. Just because you're studying fashion doesn't make you the authority." I said, looking her up and down in the mirror, indicating the leopard print jacket she was sporting.
"What? Animal prints are in."
I laughed. "Yeah, ok."
Katie peered at me. "Is that my fucking top?"
"Oh, so it is yours, then. I wondered."
"Looks alright on you though."
"Thanks. You don't think it's too..."
Katie waved me off. "I said dress hot, didn't I?"
"Right. So who else have you roped in?"
"Just Effy and Cook. Everyone else was busy."
I groaned. "Cook? He always tries to get in my knickers."
"Ems, he does that to anything with a pair of tits. It's just his way. Just tell him to fuck off."
"I did that last time. And the time before that…"
"True, but he always knows where to find a good night out. Besides, he wouldn't seriously try it on with you."
"I bet he would." I muttered, running a brush through my hair. "What do you think… up or down?" I asked her, attempting to distract her from the conversation.
"Hmm. Just tie it back loosely." Katie answered. "He wouldn't, though."
Damn. So much for distracting her. "And why not?"
"Because he thinks of you as a friend. And… I told him I'd rip his balls off if he did." Katie shrugged.
And there it was. No matter how much we argued from time to time, or no matter how much she got on my nerves, Katie was still protective of her little sister.
"Aw. Thanks, Kay."
"Welcome, bitch!" she grinned. "Now, are you bloody ready yet? Eff said she would meet us at some place called Fishtank Tavern? Something like that, anyway… And I think she said she was bringing one of her mates with her, too."
"Oh, right. Well, the more the merrier, I suppose." I shrugged. I grabbed my jacket and phone and Katie gave me a final once over, and then we left.
Soon after, we were outside what looked to be the dingiest pub in Bristol. The lettering of Fishponds Tavern's signage looked like it had seen better days, with one letter missing and one lopsided. I am fairly sure I saw gaffer's tape holding up one letter. Possibly two. Oh, geez...
"This place looks like a total shithole." I muttered, as we walked in the door, met by a haze of cigarette smoke and the faint smell of stale beer.
"Uh, it IS a total shithole, Ems. Apparently Cook's uncle owns the place, though."
Katie looked around and spotted Effy, sitting at a table over in the corner with Cook, and a blonde woman who had her back to me. She waved to Effy and dragged me over.
"C'mon, enter into the spirit, Ems."
"Katiekins!" Cook yelled. "Emilio!" I sort of hated it when he called me that, but it was his way. He would either call me that or "Red."
"Tosser!" Katie grinned as we made it to table, we took the spare seats left. "Hey Eff."
"Katie, Emily." she smiled in her usual mysterious way. "This is one of my uni mates, Naomi."
I couldn't work out if the world had stopped spinning at that point. I was entranced by a pair of pure blue eyes staring at me, with an intense curiosity. What struck me, though, was that the colour deepened as she realised I was staring at her just as intently. It was like I couldn't look away, like I would feel *guilty* looking away. Like we were having a conversation without even speaking. She blinked, and seemed to snap out of it, and I immediately felt a strange sense of emptiness.
"Uh, hi." she said, with a shy smile.
"Hi." I smiled, my voice a little huskier than usual. "Nice to meet you." Oh god, my heart was about to jump out of my chest.
That was an understatement. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her blonde hair hung around her shoulders, and I couldn't help but lick my lips in a strange anticipation that I felt. Why did I suddenly feel like everything else was insignificant, and there was only me and her in the world? The rest of the pub had melted away, leaving only me and her in this wondrously bizarre standoff we seemed to be sharing. I felt a warm feeling grip me, and I started thinking about what it would be like to hold her, to touch her, kiss her, fu-… No! Dammit. I don't even know if she's on my side of the fence, and I'm already imagining myself wrapped around her.
Jesus, I needed a shag. Maybe Katie was right. I snapped myself out of it and caught Effy looking at me, her usual smirk on her face. I raised an eyebrow at her, and she gave me an all-knowing smile.
"Oi, Christina! Round of tequila shots and pints for me mates, yeah?" Cook bellowed. "So, Emilio, how's ya been? Still a muff monkey? Or have you seen the light?" he asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
He really has no filter between his mind and his mouth.
"Fine thanks, Cook. Still gay." I said, poking my tongue at him for good measure. I could feel Naomi's eyes on me, and while I'm not a closet case, well… people usually don't discover that within the first two minutes of meeting me. Thanks, Cook.
"So, you two are twins?" Naomi said, awkwardly trying to make conversation. I note the slight tone of sarcasm.
"What gave it away, the fact that we're identical?" Katie said, just as sarcastically.
"No, it was totally the hair. And the fact that you're wearing completely different outfits." Naomi quipped back with just as much sarcasm, rolling her eyes. Ok, that was kind of cute.
Katie narrowed her eyes at the blonde.
"Yeah, Katie is six minutes older than me. And six times as bitchy." I said softly, with a smirk, meeting Naomi's eyes.
She smirked back at me and nodded. "Right."
Christina came to the table with our drinks, and soon the table was crammed with shot and pint glasses.
"Alright then, drink up, ladies! Let's get fuckin' mental!"
I picked up a shot like everyone else at the table and drank it back in short order, screwing my nose up slightly as the alcohol burned on its way down. Yep, still not a fan of tequila.
After a few more rounds, we were all rather buzzed, with ridiculous banter being thrown around the table. Katie finally piped up after we all cheered as Cook downed a whole pint in one go.
"Right then… I feel like dancing. Know anywhere good?"
Cook laughed. "Jukebox is busted, babe."
Naomi rolled her eyes at him. "She means a club, Cook."
Effy piped up. "I know somewhere."
And so we left, bidding the dingy tavern goodbye.
A couple of hours later, I had to admit, I was a little wasted, after several more drinks. Katie and I had been dancing up a storm, and getting loads of glances and outright stares, mostly from horny guys who could no doubt only be thinking with their crotches. I signaled to Katie that I was going back to the bar for another drink. I moved my way through the crowd and then I caught sight of her, blonde hair streaking across my vision like a flash.
Naomi. And in my state, Jesus help me if I didn't think she was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Her eyes locked with mine, and she looked at me, with an expression that said many things. I'm sure my own expression was speaking encyclopedic volumes by now: "Hi, I'm Emily. I'm really wankered right now, but you are completely gorgeous and I think I want to kiss you." or "Hi. I'm uh... Emily. Uhm…(stunned silence, followed by awkward giggling)"
I must have been thinking this for a while, as soon enough, she was standing right in front of me. I looked up into her eyes, and she gave me a nervous smile, which I returned, although I'm sure it came out looking like a drunken lopsided grin.
"Hi." she mouths, the volume of the music not really allowing for normal conversation.
"Hi." I mouth back.
She takes my hand in hers, it's much bigger than mine (I'm not called pint-sized for nothing), and I can feel the warmth of her palm as her fingers curl around mine.
"Come on." she led me into the surging crowd of dancing energetic people. She turned to face me and stared down at me, her eyes twinkling, even in the darkened atmosphere of the club. Her hands linked behind my neck and she pulled
me close to her.
Oh. She wants to dance. Her hands are on my shoulders as we sway to the music, some commercial sounding pop number with lyrics about a disco stick. I made a mental drunken note to myself to look that one up later.
One of her hands drops to the small of my back and pulls me gently closer to her. I know I'm drunk, but her eyes are just…damn, it feels like she is staring right into my soul. How does she do that?
I close my eyes and lean my head against her shoulder, and she pulls me tighter to her. I think in this moment I can die happy, because this feels so good right now. It feels good to have Naomi wrapped around me, all blonde hair, blue eyes and gorgeousness. There is something both comforting and electrifying about having her arms around me. I get lost in the moment and softly kiss her neck. I feel her shiver at the touch of my lips against her throat.
"Outside." I hear her voice in my ear, barely above the club's sound system. She relaxes her arms around me and suddenly I feel empty at the lack of contact. Before I can protest, she turns and starts making her way through the crowd. Curious, I followed her out to the balcony and into some welcome fresh air, which hits me with a rush.
She was looking out over the city smoking a cigarette.
"Cor… nice view." I blurted.
"What?" Naomi turned to me, an unsure expression on her face. I point past her at the night skyline. She turns back to the view. "Ah."
Christ, Emily. Learn to string a decent sentence together!
"So…" I began, trying to be charming, "uh…come here often?" I don't know if you are straight or not, but I can't resist you for some reason. I'm just going to try and pick you up anyway with a really crap pick up line. Here goes nothing.
She turned to me and stared. "You realise that's such a cliché it's embarrassing." she smirked, sarcastically.
"Yeah well… it was either that, or 'how do you like your eggs in the morning?' so whatever." I rambled. Oh, fuck you, drunk brain!
She raised an eyebrow. God, that was actually sexy.
"You're drunk." she smirked.
I smiled in defeat. "Oh yeah? What gave it away?"
"Because I've been watching you all night." Her eyes studied me. Her beautiful blue eyes. And not just any blue, but the blue you see in postcards from tropical places, the blue of the water that recedes from a beach of perfectly white sand.
Oh. "Really?" Why did that not bother me?
"Yes. And you're pretty tiny… I'm pretty sure you drank twice your weight in booze already." she continues to smirk.
I stared at her, giggling like an idiot. She dug in her jacket pocket and pulled out a packet of fags. "Smoke?" she said, casually offering them in my direction.
I shook my head. "Only after se-" I clapped my hand to my mouth before I finished the sentence.
She raised her eyebrow again, or maybe it had never retreated to its usual position above her beautiful blue eye. "Well, you know what they say about that."
I frowned. "Huh?"
She laughed and shook her head. "Guess not." she winked. Her eyes caught mine again and I felt that pull again. I wanted to drown, quite happily, as it were, in her beautiful blue eyes.
"Hello? Emily? You ok?" she said, bringing me back to the here and now.
"Y-you have really captivating eyes." I blurted. Oh, curse my drunkenness. I was usually more articulate.
Naomi studied me for what seemed like a long time. "Thanks." she said, with a slight nod. "I like your hair. It's rather…distinctive."
I felt myself blushing. "That was my intention." I said, staring again into her eyes. They were like a fucking magnet, or a vortex, trapping me in their azure gaze. Breathe, Emily.
She stepped closer to me, and I looked up at her, noticing for the first time that she was taller than me. The proximity of her body to mine made me nervous. She flicked the rest of her fag over the balcony, and extended her hand towards me, brushing my fringe out of my eyes. She looked into my eyes, and slid her fingertips down my cheek, and not for the first time tonight, I was transfixed by her eyes. There was a strange electricity that passed between us as her palm came to rest on my skin. I don't know if it was the alcohol or the mounting sense of desire I had in me, but it felt like her skin was burning against mine.
"Just give me a… just give me a fucking…" before I could say another word, she leaned in and kissed me softly. I closed my eyes and kissed her back tentatively, feeling a pulse shoot from where our lips met right to somewhere low in my stomach. She deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue gently between my lips as she slid her arm around my waist and drew me closer. I moaned softly and kissed her back, my hand drifting up to her neck. When she finally pulled back, her eyes felt like they were stripping me naked, and they had become a much darker shade of blue.
"Wow." I husked.
"I've wanted to do that since the moment I first saw you." she stated, in a whisper. "Want to go somewhere quieter?"
"Absolutely…" I breathed. She released me from her embrace, and I felt empty at the loss of contact between us. She must have sensed it, because she took my hand and led me back through the club. She gripped it comfortably, as I followed her through the throng of people.
She stopped and turned to me. "You want to let your sister know you're leaving?"
Oh, right. I had momentarily forgotten I had come here with Katie. I pulled out my phone, but I was a bit too wasted to type a coherent text. Naomi smirked, amused as she watched me fumble with the keys.
"Here…" she said, taking it from me. "What should I write?" she asked. I shrugged. She typed out a quick text, before showing me. "Had enough fun for one night, going home. xo"
I nodded and she hit send, handing the phone back to me and leading me out into the night.
The cold air hit me when we walked outside, sobering me up just a little.
"You're at uni with Effy, yeah?" I ask her, as we walked together. Her hand was still in mine and she made no attempt to remove it.
"Yeah. Studying politics. You?"
"English."
"Right."
"Where are we going?" I asked.
Naomi stopped, and turned to me. "You know… I hadn't got the far yet. I'd suggest my place, but I dunno if you're a serial killer, or what, so…"
I laughed. "Not last time I checked. I'd suggest that too, but…"
"Same deal?" she raised her eyebrow, a half smile forming on her lips.
"Uh… yeah." I grinned, drunkenly.
We both laughed together. Then one of those awkward silences followed, where we just stared at each other. Again.
"You're gorgeous." she says to me.
"I may be, but you are breathtaking." I said.
She leans in and kisses me again, in spite of the fact that was are in the middle of the street.
"Come on… I know somewhere we can go." I said, once we had pulled apart.
We made it to the park around the corner from my flat a short while after. I sat on a bench, my feet tired.
"I'm so glad I wore sneakers." I laughed.
"Chucks are trustworthy." Naomi replied, sitting down next to me. "Nice park."
"Yeah. My flat is just around the corner. And I don't know why I said that." Fucking word vomit.
Naomi laughed. I looked up at the stars as silence fell between us.
"Nice night." she said.
"Yeah." I paused. "Naomi?"
"Yes?"
"Why did you kiss me?" I asked.
"Hmm. Dunno how to explain that one."
"How do you mean?"
I felt her slide her fingers through mine and grip my hand comfortably. "It was as if I just had to. Like I couldn't...not kiss you."
"Oh." I said, softly. Could it be she had the same feeling I did? I mean, we'd only just met, and I didn't know her from a bar of soap, really, but I found myself wanting to spend time with her anyway.
"I'm not sorry I did, if that's what you're wondering. If I regretted it, I wouldn't be here now." she squeezed my hand gently. Jesus, help me. Her hand was so warm against mine, but it felt charged with electricity. Not like it was going to electrocute me, but enough to keep a static charge between us.
I nodded. "It's ok. I'm not sorry you did, either." a smile crept across my lips.
"You're not?"
"No. I won't lie… I find you attractive."
"I know you do."
"How?"
"All-seeing Effy." She replied.
"Ah."
"You know how she is?"
I nodded. "Katie and I have known her for years."
"You know what… I'm normally such a nerd, I don't often go out. Been like that since I started uni. But Eff insisted tonight."
I laughed. "You know, so did Katie. I'd had a Friday full of lectures and was so tired I was actually just going to order pizza and watch a movie."
Naomi smiled. "Now that's strange."
"Why?"
"I had similar plans."
"Right."
"Anyway, in her mysterious way, Effy said I should talk to you. Well, she didn't really say much, she just…"
"…looked at me and looked back at you and smirked?"
Naomi giggled. "Yep. I think she picked up on it when we sort of couldn't stop staring at each other when she introduced us."
"Well, if you hadn't trapped me…"
"Trapped you? How?" Naomi asked.
"Those eyes of yours. They're like little blue orbs of magnetism."
Naomi paused, and I turned to look at her. Her eyes drew me in again and I just let them for a few minutes, watching as her brow furrowed.
I cleared my throat. "See? You just sucked me in again."
"Well… I guess I should take the compliment..." she said. "Emily?"
"Yeah? I croaked.
"What does this mean?"
"I hoped you might have an answer for that."
I shook my head. "All I know is, about five minutes after we met, I found myself thinking rather inappropriately."
"Oh, really?" she smirked as she raised that eyebrow again.
"Yeah. I usually… well. I usually have more self control. And I had no clue which side of the fence you're on. My gaydar is normally pretty good, but you're hard to read."
She nodded. "I'm not really much into labels. I'm a human being. Love happens between two people, regardless of gender."
My eyes went wide. "Love?"
She cleared her throat. "Uh, well, attraction. Gender is irrelevant when you connect with someone… if it feels right, then…"
"Why deny yourself."
"Exactly. Life is too short, Em."
I blinked. Familiarity. What on earth was happening here? Why did this not bother me as much as it should have?
"Listen… I have to go. I've got something on in the morning. I would really like to see you again, though.… if that's alright with you."
I nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."
"Here… give me your phone." I handed it to her and she sent herself a text message. "I don't have mine on me tonight… flat battery. But I'll text you when I get home, ok?"
I nodded. She stood up, pulling me up with her, as our hands were still linked. "May I walk you home?"
God, she was being sweet. I gave a shy smile and nodded.
"Lead the way." she smiled.
We walked the short distance to my flat. "This is me." I said.
We stared at each other briefly. I was sadly aware that very shortly our hands would no longer be linked. I must have looked worried because Naomi stepped closer to me and brushed my hair out of my eyes.
"Don't worry, Emily. I promise it won't be long before we see each other again."
I nodded, because I didn't really have words. A sense of confusion had crept over me, which was replaced with something else as she leaned down and kissed me once more, soft, tender. I kissed her back just as tenderly.
"Well, goodnight then." she said, when her lips left mine.
"Goodnight." I said, my voice a little huskier "Thanks for walking me home."
"My pleasure." she smiled. She kissed my hand and then gently let it go. "Goodnight, Emily."
And then she left. I couldn't help myself, I watched her walk to the end of my street. She stopped for a second, and then turned to me and waved, after hesitating for a brief moment. I waved back, and then she rounded the corner, and was sadly out of sight.
I opened the door to my flat, and went inside.
A/N#2: *ahem*
Like or loathe? Review and let me know...
Cheers for reading.
~GN~ xo