I own nothing. Written for Ashcat
Emily never went to college and has never had a roommate. Not unless you count real Emily-Amanda in the detention center. So she thinks having Nolan as a roommate will be easy. Boy, is she ever wrong.
Day 1:
She walks into the beach house to find Nolan lounging on the couch in nothing but Darth Vader boxers, eating handfuls of Cheetos.
"What are you doing?" she asks, something between curiosity and disgust coloring her words.
"Vegging, I know you're Tightly-Wound-Revengy Spice but surely even you've done it." He shoves in another handful.
"My couch is white," she says disdainfully.
"I'm being careful, Mommy," he retorts and moves his feet so she can sit down. She rolls her eyes when he puts his feet in her lap. "How is infiltrating the disgraceful Graysons going?" he asks, smiling as his eyebrows wing up.
She steals a handful of Cheetos for herself. "Well enough for now. Charlotte is my in, but if she crumbles, I can always use Daniel. I don't think his feelings for Ashley are as strong as he wants us all to believe," she says while watching Nikki fight with Victor on the Young & the Restless.
"How can you tell?" His eyes flit back to the TV
His eyes linger just half a second too long. Besides, a woman always knows. She munches on a cheeto and changes the subject. "Victor hasn't died yet? He's like 3,000 years old."
"Hasn't Victoria taught you anything, Sunshine? Evil never dies."
"Yeah I was kind of afraid of that." She scowls at Nikki Newman.
On the way out of the house to go to The Stow Away to visit Amanda, she finds Nolan standing pantless at the kitchen island, working on his laptop.
"Do you just not believe in pants?" she asks. Nolan's only response is a questioning expression.
Day 10: She stumbles around half asleep in her darkened bathroom. When her bare butt hits the toilet bowl with a cold wet splash, she becomes wide awake and remembers one thing with searingly clarity. She's living with a man.
"Nolan!" She shouts and begins plotting revenge.
Day 15:
She lets the bathroom debacle slide, or so Nolan thinks. The good thing about knowing someone as well as she knows Nolan is she knows quick, surefire ways of getting under the techno savvy genius' skin.
Her plan is simple. Nolan is laid back but still organized and clean, almost to obsession levels. Grossing him out will be easier than hooking Daniel Grayson and almost as fun as toying with Victoria Grayson.
8:15 A.M. Day 22: She hears the water begin running and she counts, getting all the way to twenty-five Mississippi…
"Ems did you use my razor to shave your bikini line?"
She only laughs in return.
"Gross!"
She creeps over to the kitchen and turns on the sink faucet, remembering the old tricks of the house come in handy.
Nolan yelps. "You Bitch!"
Then she leaves the dishes crusty and piled into the sink for him to find.
"This is disgusting Ems. I am not gay enough to enjoy playing Suzy Homemaker." He peels the dishes apart and she barely hides her smirk behind her laptop. "Didn't your mother teach you to do dishes or did you at least see it done?" He turns on the water.
"No, my not-so-dead Mommy left out that lesson and I shirked dish duty on fake Amanda in the center."
"And now obviously it's take-out and paper plates." Nolan replies then adds. "Truce. I'll put the seat down."
Day 35:
She's too busy scheming to notice the silence of the house or the doused lights. She journeys to Nolan's room, intent on her mission to force him into doing her bidding.
She turns the knob and opens the door. "Nolan –" She cuts herself off when she is greeted by the dark skin of Padma's back.
"I'll come back never mind," she shields her eyes and closes the door. She hears whispers and clattering noises then Nolan appears before her, a crimson-colored throw pillow covering his manly bits.
He clears his throat.
"I uh-" he stammers.
"Sock on the knob policy from now on and we'll be fine." She smirks. "You're Secretary Nolan. That's cliché even for you."
"Padma is the financial officer," he says in a feral whisper.
"You say tomato…"
"What did you need?"
"Your hacking skills but I'll take a crack first." She starts walking away, then turns back. "Oh and Nolan, you're buying new throw pillows.
Day 52:
Nolan walks down the staircase to find Emily in her pajamas lounging on the couch with a pint of Rocky Road.
"Oops, did I miss a party?" He teases. He climbs up and over the back of the couch. When she doesn't blink at his feet on the cushions of her white couch, he knows something is really wrong.
"Okay what's up? My big clodhoppers are all over your precious Italian leather couch and you didn't wince."
She sighs. "Amanda and Jack are engaged."
"What?" He says, surprise evident in his tone.
"You heard me." She grouses.
She looks up from her ice cream bowl with such a sad and disappointed look on her face. Nolan knows that he's canceling his date with Padma for the night. He tells Padma he can't make it then orders pizza.
"Correct me if I'm wrong here Ems, but aren't you all up in 007's grill lately? "He asks, reaching for discarded spoon.
She narrows her eyes at him in thought. "Well, yes, technically our friendship does have physical aspects to it and it's not like I didn't see this coming. I mean, Amanda's pregnant. I just didn't expect to have this much anger and resentment about it. It's like she took the life that I'd've chosen for myself if I had the chance."
"Well, if it helps, I never really saw you as the wife of a small town bartender anyway," he says, spooning up a dollop of ice cream.
"I really shouldn't wallow so much anyway because I never really knew how much of what I felt was real in the here and now and how much was truly just a little girl's fantasy anyway."
"Well, either Way, Jack Porter is hot!" Nolan replies in commiseration.
That earns him an eye roll and a smirk. He's making progress.
"Speaking of weddings you and Daniel looked pretty cozy at that sham the Graysons called their nuptials."
She shruggs. "Daniel wanted the trip down memory lane, who was I to deny him that?"
The doorbell rings, cutting off his reply. "Be back, that's the pizza."
He returns, pizza box in hand. "Would you ever give Daniel a second chance?"
She looks up at him. "See, that's the thing with Jack. I never, knew if my feelings were real and with Daniel I never knew which parts of him were genuine and which parts were Grayson. I could tell you that he was only just a pawn in my game of vengeance, but that's not entirely true. Sometimes it felt real."
Nolan smirks down at her and hands her a piece of pizza. "Stick with 00-Sexy Pants. It's simpler."
She laughs at that.
As they sit and gossip about their love lives and veg out like teenagers, Emily realizes something about their friendship: Nolan is a true friend who would and possibly will sacrifice his own well-being and happiness for her own.
It is the friendship she'd tried and failed to have with Amanda over the years.
Day 92:
She sits in the sand in her plum-colored bridesmaids dress. She hears Nolan approach her from down the beach, carrying a full champagne flute.
He sits beside her and hands over the champagne flute. "So, they're married." Nolan says, leaving the statement open-ended so she will reply.
"They are," she says dryly. She takes a sip of champagne.
He steals the champagne glass and takes a sip. "And how do you feel about that?"
She gives a noncommittal shrug, "I'm indifferent." She sighs before continuing on. "Honestly I am happy for them, which was more than I'd expected."
"What did you expect?"
"I'm not sure really, jealousy maybe or possibly even a little hatred, but there is none of that. It's just acceptance and, on some level, hoping that they give each other happiness." She takes a fortifying swallow of champagne.
He laughs. "Look at you, being all Zen."
"It turns out revenge is quite wearing."
"Hmm, I suppose you have a point." He sits the half-empty champagne glass in the sand between them. "You could always quit, you know?"
"No I can't. Revenge is a long and lonely road, seemingly without end."
"You're not alone, I'm here, even though I'm moving across town," he picks up her free hand, holding it in his and then flipping it over to trace his thumb along her faded double infinity tattoo. "And I always will be."
She smirks over at him but doesn't move her hand away. "Now we're just being maudlin."
"Moving in with Padma is a big deal Nolan. I'm proud of you," she adds.
"After our first big fight, I call dibs on your couch."
"I'm fine with that. You weren't a bad roommate."
"Is that your way of saying you'll grow old, grey, and bitter with me?" He asks jokingly.
"Old and bitter yes, grey never. There is hair dye, Nolan."
"Of course. What was I thinking?"
"That I'm too cheap to dye my hair?"
He laughs and they fall into silence. Emily has always liked this part of their friendship. No words, no jibes, nothing but breathing. It's a comfort.
So they sit on the beach and watch the waves before them, content to just be as the sounds of the life she could have had pepper the air with joy and noise off in the distance behind them.