It's Sunday afternoon and all of the girls were hanging out at the Brew. Alison was out of jail and the girls finally believed in her innocence. However, -A was still lurking around and they had to live with this constant fear. The Valentine's Day, on the other hand, was proving to be a great distraction. Ezra was throwing a party at the Brew and all of the girls planned to go.
"Hi, can I get a decaf?" - Alison asked to the barista, who happened to be Emily. Yeah, she happened to be working on that Sunday.
"Sure" - She went to the coffee machine and started to make the drink. Her relationship with Alison went back to normal after the blonde got out of jail. They agreed that there`s been terrible things between them, but they needed to leave it behind. However, they never talked about that night at Ali's house and they haven't said a word about their feelings, if any.
After Alison went out of jail, Emily came to the conclusion that she was indeed still in love with her friend and that made her feel a little guilty. She was supposed to have supported Ali and stayed by her side instead of trying to frame her for a crime she didn't commit. All in all, she couldn't forgive herself for that.
Therefore, she didn't have the courage to talk to Alison about her feelings. She didn't even tell her she felt guilty because she knew the blonde would tell her to shrug it off when she obviously couldn't. Instead, Emily put some distance between them: they were still best friends, but no more flirting, no more touches lingering a second longer than they should.
Also, Emily entangled herself in a secret relationship with Talia. There was nothing serious between them, really; she knew Talia wouldn't divorce her husband and she didn't mind being the "other" as long as she could forget those sky blue eyes, even if just for a few moments.
She handed the cup to her friend - "There"
"Thanks" - Alison reached out to grab the cup, but her fingers accidentally happened to place themselves on top of Emily's hand. This simple touch made an electrical wave run through their bodies. The girls looked at each other rather awkwardly and Alison grabbed the base of the cup instead.
"Sorry" – The blonde murmured.
"It's okay" – She shrugged.
"You coming?" – Ali asked, noticing that the other girls were already waiting for them.
"In a minute" – Working with Ezra had its benefits. On a Sunday afternoon, when the Brew didn't have many customers, he allowed her to sit out if there were no clients hanging around. Of course, she wasn't going to complain.
It took her only two minutes to join the other girls. The talk of the moment was the Valentine's Party Ezra was going to throw.
"So, Spencer, you're not taking Toby?" – Hanna asked with her usual lack of tact.
"No. He says he has to work an extra shift on Valentine's. Anyway, we haven't really talked the past two weeks" – Spencer had a sour look on her face.
"It'll be okay, Spence" – Aria squeezed her shoulder – "You guys went through stuff worse than this"
"What about you, Aria?" – Alison changed the subject.
"Well… I'm taking Andrew" – She blushed and the other girls choked on their coffee.
"Andrew as in Andrew Campbell?" – Spencer raised her eyebrow.
"Aria, are you insane?! You're taking another boy to Ezra's party!" – Hanna screamed in whispers just in case Ezra was around.
"Guys, me and Ezra decided to break up. I still have feelings for him and I know he feels the same, but Andrew's helped me through a lot recently. He tutored, he looked after me and he even got involved in A's game. I just didn't have the face to turn him down" – Aria explained herself.
"Just be careful, okay?" – Emily warned – "Or you might break three hearts all at once"
"I know, Em" – The small girl accepted the advice.
"So… Hanna, I suppose you're taking Caleb?" – Spencer returned to lighter themes.
"Obviously" – The blonde smiled – "Ali, don't tell me you're taking Holbrook" – She chuckled.
"Shut up, Han!" – She playfully punched her friend on the shoulder.
"Who are you taking, Ali?" – Aria asked.
"I…" – For once, the queen bee didn't know how to answer. She hadn't got any invitation because no one wanted to date the girl who returned from the dead. Though, Alison didn't mind. There was only one person she'd like to take to the Valentine's Party and that was the gorgeous brunette sitting across the table.
Ali tried all week long to invite Emily to this party. However, she just couldn't do it. Every time she was about to do it her hands got sweaty and her heart started to pound so fast she thought she was going to die right there. In the end, she was still looking for some lost piece of courage to ask the girl she liked to a dance.
How ironic, isn't it? Alison managed to fool death itself, but she couldn't open up her mouth to invite Emily to a party. Who'd ever think the DiLaurentis girl was afraid of being turned down? Ali felt like a sweet girl like Emily deserved more.
"We're waiting" – Hanna pressed. Ali looked at Emily and swallowed hard.
"I don't know if I'll go" – She answered politely.
"Why?" – Emily wondered.
"Nobody wants to date the dead girl" – Alison chuckled.
"Well, I think you're amazing, Ali" – Emily confessed and the blonde hid the blush on her cheeks with her hair.
"What about you, Em? I bet there are lines of girls at your door" – Hanna teased and Ali bit the inside of her mouth. She was dying to know if Emily already had a date.
"I don't…"
"Emily, could give me a hand on the kitchen, please?" – Talia called out, interrupting their conversation.
"Sure!" – And she escaped the conversation before it became too awkward.
"What do you want me to do, Talia?" – Emily asked.
"I wanted you to try a slice of my new strawberry pie" – The cook answered mysteriously and the barista rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe Talia tore her away from her friends just to try a slice of pie.
Talia handed her the dish and Emily opened her mouth in surprise.
"What's that supposed to mean?" - There was a note on top of the pie saying: 'Will you go to the Valentine's Party with me?'
"Nothing. We'll just hang out and have a good time" – Talia knew her relationship with Emily was more like friends with benefits than valentines, but she didn't care.
"Then the answer is yes" – Emily leaned in and gave her a light peck on the lips – "Now, if you excuse me, I have friends to entertain" – She winked.
"See you at the Party, Emily" – Talia let her eyes watch the barista's back as she strode out of the kitchen.
"Back already?" – Alison was the first to notice she had returned. Emily only nodded.
"So, Em, who are you taking to the Party?" – Hanna asked again.
"Talia" – And the girls choked on their coffees once again.
"Talia as in Ezra's cook?" – Aria asked.
"Isn't she a little too old for you?" – Spencer raised her brow.
"Oh, shut up, Spence! Aria dated Ezra for over a year and you didn't say a word about it" – Hanna teased.
"Hanna!" – Spencer and Aria reprehended at the same time.
"She looks like a good person, Em" – The other Liars stopped arguing to watch Ali squeeze Emily's hand sweetly. Spencer, Aria and Hanna choked on their coffees for the third time. Had it been the old Alison, she'd have probably made some snide remark or she would've killed Talia with her eyes.
But there stood Ali, feeling a stab on her heart and masking her feelings just so Emily could be happy. She had been right; the brunette finally found someone who cared about her like Ali should've had.
Emily was surprised by Ali's reaction. Maybe now they could live as best friends and leave the past behind, even though the swimmer's heart still got a hold on those memories.
"Thanks, Ali, for being the only one here who supports me" – She taunted her other friends while she stood up and went to hug the blonde. Alison instinctively let her head rest on the brunette's shoulder.
"You two are so gay!" – Hanna teased, but the two friends didn't really listen because they were lost in each other's embrace.
Six days later, Alison was lying on her bed under the covers watching some random movie when Jason appeared at her door.
"You're not going to the party, Ali?" – He arched his brow.
"I don't feel like going" – She didn't tear her eyes away from the TV. Over the week, she thought about it over and over again and decided that she wasn't ready to see Emily with someone else. Eventually, she would, but not today.
"Why? This will be the first Valentine's party you don't go to" – Jason knew something was wrong with his sister.
"I just don't wanna go, Jason, ok?" – She snapped.
"Is Emily going?" – He quickly put up the pieces.
"I don't know" – She dodged.
"She's going and she's taking someone else, right?" – Alison was surprised at how cunning Jason could be – "Don't give me that look, Ali. I'm your brother, even thought I may have never acted like so in the past" – He sat on the bed.
"Jason…" – Alison didn't know what to say.
"Have you invited her?" – He asked.
"I didn't have the guts to do it" – She hid her face in the pillow.
"Then you can't be mad at her" – Jason said.
"I'm not. I just don't wanna see her with someone else" – Ali's minds went red when she pictured Emily and Talia together.
"You gotta talk to her, Ali! Otherwise, she'll never know what you're feeling!" – He told her, but she didn't react.
"Well, I'll be in the office if you need me" – He stood up and left, pretending he had given up on the matter, but he hadn't. Jason had a plan.
"Ali, you're getting out of bed NOW" – Spencer barged in.
"Spencer, what are you doing here?" – Alison almost jumped out of bed in surprise. Her friend was wearing a crimson blouse with a long-sleeved black shirt underneath, blue skinny jeans and black boots.
"I'm taking you to the Valentine's Party" – She pulled Ali out of the bed.
"I'm not going!" – The blonde reiterated – "I don't have a date anyway"
"I'll be your date, silly" – Spencer started to look through Ali's closet to find some decent clothes.
"You don't understand, Spencer!" – Alison screamed – "I DON'T wanna go!"
"Why?"
"Because I don't wanna see Emily with someone else" – There, she finally said it. Now she could wait until Spencer began to rant about how she should leave Emily alone for good.
"I know" – Spence simply said – "That's why Jason called me"
Oh, Alison was so going to murder Jason! – "You see, I appreciate what you and Jason are doing for me, but I just wanna be alone tonight"
"Alison, you gotta fight for her! You can't just expect her to guess what you're feeling" – The smart girl argued.
"She knows how I feel!" – Ali exclaimed back.
"Wait, when did you tell her that?" – Spencer was slightly caught off guard.
"The day Mona slapped me. And then…" – The blonde shut up before she said something inconvenient, but Spencer had a sharp mind.
"You two did it?!" – Now that was a surprise.
"Yes, but we never talked about it" – Alison lowered her face.
"Alison, if you told her your feelings and you slept together on the same night, it's because she cares about you!" – Damn, this girl used to have boys head over heels for her and now she's lovesick.
"A lot of things happened. She started dating Paige again and now she's taking Talia to the party" – Alison furrowed her eyebrows.
"Alison, let me be honest if you" – Spencer sat beside her and held her hand – "Emily was holding back because she was afraid that you were going to use her again. And then, when we believed you were –A, Emily tried her best to pull a straight face, but she couldn't. We could see how much she was suffering. Paige and Talia were just distractions so she could forget about you and she knows that. I think she feels guilty for sending you to prison. Actually, we all do, but she's the one who feels the most because she loves you"
"How do you know all of that?" – Ali allowed herself to feel a glimpse of hope.
"It's in the way she looks at you and in the way you look at her" – Spencer smiled – "You two love each other"
"Thanks, Spence" – She said from the heart and rest her head on the brunette's shoulder.
"Just taking care of my cross sister" – Spencer chuckled.
"Just taking care of what?!" – Alison raised her head with an incredulous look.
"You're my cross sister, the half-sister of my half-brother" – The brunette explained.
"Ok, you just ruined our moment" – Ali chuckled.
"Oh, shut up Ali" – She pushed her shoulder lightly – "Now, let's find you something to wear"
Alison and Spencer walked into the party arm in arm. Hanna and Aria were already waiting for them with their respective dates.
"So, who's your date?" – Hanna pointed at them.
The two sisters looked at each other and smiled – "Her" – They said at the same time.
"What do you think you're doing?!" – Aria knew the duo was up to something, but couldn't figure out what.
"Nothing" – Spencer dodged.
"Look, it's Emily and Talia!" – Hanna waved her hand and Alison looked at the door to find one of the most beautiful views she'd ever seen. Emily was wearing a navy blue dress with silver high heels and a cream colored leather jacket on her hands. For a moment, Alison forgot about the world and just focused on those brown eyes carefully locked with hers with a slight hint of surprise in them.
"Stop drooling. You're my date, babe" – Spencer joked and whispered in her ear.
"Oh, shut up, Spence!" – Ali retorted.
"Hey guys, this is Talia" – Emily introduced – "Talia, these are Spencer, Alison, Hanna, Caleb, Aria, and Andrew"
"Hi…" – Talia greeted – "So… are you a couple too?" – She pointed at Spencer and Ali's linked arms.
"Yes!"
"No!" – They said in unison. Alison gave her cross sister a "what the hell?" look. Hanna and Aria a shocked look and Emily didn't understand a thing.
"Have I told you that you look hot tonight, babe?" – Spencer said and kissed her cheek, her words making Emily notice just how beautiful Alison was that night.
The brunette couldn't help but watch her head to toes. Alison was wearing a gray tank top under a light blue jeans blouse, black skinny jeans, black boots and a silk red scarf on her neck. It was way too casual for Alison DiLaurentis, but it surprised Em how this girl could look amazing in any kind of clothes.
"Okay, so what is this gay thing you're having now?" – Hanna wondered and Spencer gave her a "tell you later" look.
"Babe, I'm gonna grab us some drinks. I'll be right back" – Spencer carefully kissed Ali's cheek close enough to her mouth.
"O-Okay" – Alison was slightly disconcerted by her friend's behavior but kept the charade going nonetheless. She noticed that Emily's eyes were on her, focusing right on the spot Spencer had kissed.
"You know what? Enough talking! Let's dance!" – Aria dissipated the weird mood by dragging Andrew to the dance floor, much to the boy's amusement. The group followed them and started to dance.
Alison, on the other hand, followed Spencer to the bar. The brunette was already waiting for her with drinks in hand.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Emily probably despises me now!" – Alison snorted.
"She was watching you the whole time, you know? When I told you were hot, she looked at you up and down. When I kissed you on the cheek and she almost kicked hole on the spot I kissed with her eyes. She's jealous!" – Spencer pointed out.
"This is insane, Spencer! What if one of the girls asks us about it?" –The blonde retorted.
"Then we tell them the truth and it'll become a funny story" – Spencer handed her her drink – "Drink it"
"I don't like vodka" – The beverage was made of strawberry, vodka, and ice.
"You'll need it tonight" – Spencer winked and they returned to the dance floor.
The group was dancing gleefully, even Caleb, who was not fond of parties anyway. The mood changed when they heard Ezra's voice through the speakers.
"Goodnight, everyone" – He greeted – "I hope you're really enjoying this party. This one goes to the couples!" – And "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" kicked in. All couples started to slow dance at this point; only Spencer and Alison sat out.
Emily and Talia were softly swinging back and forth on the dance floor. The barista had her hands on the cook's waist and the cook wrapped her arms around her neck.
"I'm having a good time" – Talia admitted.
Emily thought about it. Sure, she was having fun, but all she could picture was Spencer's lips on the corner of Ali's mouth. She wasn't too naïve to believe they were a couple because she knew Spencer didn't feel the slightest attraction towards girls. So, why were they doing this? Was it to keep company to each other on Valentine's?
Emily was surprised when the first thing that popped in her head when Spencer kissed Alison was to push the other brunette away. She knew Spence was her friend and she knew she was definitely not into Ali like this, but Em couldn't help but to feel a little bit… jealous. Yes, she was dancing with a beautiful girl yet all she could think of is the spark in Alison's eyes.
She considered inviting Ali, she really did. But she felt like she wasn't worth it, not after she practically abandoned her to rot in jail. Even if Alison forgave her, she would never forgive herself.
"I am too" – She gave Talia a soulless reply and leaned in to kiss her, knowing her didn't taste half as good as Ali's did.
"Look" – Spencer pointed at a couple kissing and Alison felt her heart shatter: it was Emily and Talia.
"I can't do this" – She was about to stride out of the party when Spender held her wrist.
"Just play along" – What she was about to do had a good chance of going wrong, but she'd just do it anyway.
She pulled Alison to dance floor and wrapped her arms around her neck. Ali arched her brow, but put her hands on her waist and they started to slow dance.
"Did you know that once I actually hallucinated that I was dancing with you at Radley?" – Spencer said for the sake of changing the mood.
Alison chuckled – "It wasn't a hallucination. We did dance at Radley"
Spencer was mildly surprised – "So there's no need to be shy on our second dance" – And she started to walk backwards to the wall. When she felt her back was about to hit the wall, she pulled Alison closer, making the blonde put her hands on the wall to keep her balance.
"Spencer, what are you doing?" – The runaway noticed their bodies were almost pressed against the wall.
"Tilt your head to the side" – She ordered and pulled her hair. Alison obeyed reluctantly and Spencer leaned in too. That's when it hit Ali: Spencer wanted everyone to believe they were actually kissing! As the party was dark and there were a lot of people there, this plan had a chance of succeeding! Plus, the angle of their heads also indicated they were kissing, even though they weren't.
"Oh my God" – Emily heard Aria say and turned her head to see her friend. Aria was pointing to the wall, where there was couple apparently making out. She squinted her eyes and quickly recognized Alison and Spencer. What the hell?
Emily dropped her hands from Talia's waist. Had Alison's charms affected even the straight and collected Spencer? Of course, this also meant that whatever she and Ali had doesn't mean a thing to the blonde. She just wished she didn't have to watch two of her best friends making out when she obviously still had feelings for one of them.
A moment later, Spencer and Ali broke their kiss and parted ways. Emily even forgot she had a date; there was a hurricane going on her mind right now.
"Excuse me" – She said to Talia and went after Alison.
After two appropriate minutes, Spencer pulled away.
"I'll go to the bathroom and you'll go to the bar. The girls will probably follow me while Emily follow you" – And she did as she said, watching Alison going to the bar from the corner of her eye.
She entered the bathroom and it took thirty seconds for Hanna and Aria show up after her.
"Okay Spencer, explain that. Why were you kissing Ali? "– Hanna asked.
"If it's just an experiment, I hope you know that Emily didn't like that at all" – Aria reprehended.
"Relax guys, it was just an act" – Spencer shrugged off – "I wanted to make her jealous of Ali"
"You don't get to kiss someone and claim it's only an act" – Hanna pointed out.
"It was an act because I didn't kiss Alison" – Hanna and Aria made weird faces at her response – "Guys, who the hell stays in the same position for two minutes while kissing?"
"There are lousy kissers" – Aria said.
"Well, I don't know about Ali, but I'm not" – Spencer was full of herself.
"Whatever. Emily has a date and she won' believe in Alison anyway" – Hanna affirmed.
"Let's just see how this works out. You can thank me later" – Spencer walked out of the bathroom thinking she'd been reckless that night, but it didn't matter. Sometimes, reckless felt good. That's what she thought when she spotted Jonny and his French beret.
Alison didn't have to wait for long until Emily showed up at the bar.
"What the hell was that, Ali?" – She furiously strode to the blonde's side – "I mean, if you were needy, you could've hooked up with some random boy or something, not Spencer!"
"Emily, it's not what you think…" – Alison didn't know how to explain the scene to her.
"Oh, don't give me that! Why don't you just tell me the truth? It's so much easier than lying" – Emily taunted.
"Please, just listen to me!" – Ali begged,
"Goodbye, Alison" – Emily hit her with her shoulder as she walked past her straight into the kitchen.
And Alison was left alone with her glass of strawberry with vodka.
As soon as she arrived at the kitchen, Emily allowed herself to crumble into tears. She thought she could get used to the pain of a broken heart, but it seemed that it hurt more and more every time Ali turned her down.
"Is everything okay?" – Talia asked by the door.
"Yeah, I'm just… fine" – Emily tried to recompose herself.
"No, you're not" – The cook stated – "I've watched the whole scene"
"… I'm sorry" – Emily didn't know what to say and broke down. Soon, Talia was standing by her side, comforting her.
"I think that you've taken the wrong person to this party" – The married woman stated carefully.
"What do you mean?"
"You should've invited Alison" – Talia didn't feel resentful for being second place.
"She could've invited me, but she didn't" – Emily stated.
"Just look at the way she looks at you. She probably wanted to invite you, but didn't have the courage to do so" – The cook pointed out.
"Then what was that scene with Spencer?"
"Just to cause you jealousy. And I don't think they've kissed. No one stays in the same position for that long" – She chuckled.
"Why are you telling me all of this?" – The swimmer wondered.
"Because we both know you're crazy about Alison" – Talia stated – "And it's okay! Our relationship wasn't based on feelings anyway"
"Talia…"
"Just go after her, Emily. You deserve to be happy" – Talia gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek and walked away.
Alison was still drinking at the bar when Hanna and Aria approached her.
"Don't worry, Spencer already told us what really happened" – Aria said.
"You're not mad at me?" – Alison arched her brow.
"Really? Why didn't you just talk to Emily? I mean, this whole scene with Spencer was unnecessary!" – Hanna pointed out.
"I know, right! I didn't talk to Em because I didn't have the courage to. I wanted to invite her to this party, but every time I tried the words wouldn't come out. I mean, I think she deserves better than me" – Ali sighed.
"Alison…" – A voice called from behind. It was Emily. Ali let her mouth fall open in surprise while the other girls discreetly left them alone. After seeing that there was only the two of them, Emily asked – "Is that true? You wanted to invite me to this party?"
"I…" – A lie hang on the tip of her tongue, but Alison held it back, closed her eyes and took a deep breath – "I did. Before Talia invited you, I'd been trying to invite you the whole week long. When you said you were going with her, I just… gave up" – She shrugged with her head down.
"I wanted to ask you out too" – Emily surprised her – "I didn't because I thought I didn't deserve to… not after everything I put you through"
"Emily, you know that I already forgave you and the girls" – Alison took her hand.
"I haven't forgiven myself, Ali" – The brunette admitted – "I was in love with you, I was supposed to stick by your side, not turn you in"
"But I gave you a lot of reasons to mistrust me" – She took a step forward – "Emily, you're such a sweet girl and I broke your heart. Even worse, you got involved in the mess I've made and you're not the one to blame, I am. I still don't understand why you care about me when I'm such a wrecking ball" – She cupped Em's face.
"We said we were going to put these things behind us. Why can't we?" – The swimmer held the blonde's elbows.
Alison leaned in and their foreheads touched – "Because we care too much" – Her sweet breath tickled Emily's lips.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! – They heard Hanna cheer in the background and they laughed and realized their breaths mixed in the air.
"Hanna's crazy" – Emily blushed.
"So are all of our friends" – Ali replied – "But…" – Her eyes fell to that mouth she'd been yearning to kiss all night long. She dared to look back at Em's eyes and found them staring at her lips and she couldn't hold back anymore.
When their lips met, they found in each other a missing puzzle piece. Ali's hands dug in those black threads while Emily moved her hand to her back and pulled her closer. It was a slow and deep exploration.
Alison bit Em's lower lip, making her moan and part her mouth. Taking advantage of this, she moved her hands to Emily's waist and hovered over her, invading her mouth with her tongue. Far from being scared of this new intimacy, Emily hugged Ali's shoulder and put one of her hands on the base of her neck, encouraging the blonde to continue with her fondling.
Eventually, they parted their lips surrounded by a round of applause and whispers from their friends. Alison retreated and rubbed the back of her neck in awkwardness. Emily smiled and took her hand, intertwining their fingers, as they walked to their peers.
"Now that's a kiss!" – Hanna commented – "Caleb, care to explain why we don't kiss like this anymore?"
"Because we always end up with hands on inappropriate places" – He chuckled.
"Ouch, that's gross!" – Aria rolled her eyes and the group laughed.
"Told you my plan was going to work!" – Spencer bragged.
"Yeah, and Spence!" – Emily spoke – "If you ever get that close to Ali again, I'll smash your face"
"Like you still don't wanna do that" – The smart girl teased.
"Actually, I don't… Not after a breathtaking kiss from a beautiful girl" – Emily flashed a smile to Ali.
"Don't tell me you're one of those cheesy couples" – Hanna rolled her eyes.
"We're not a couple yet, I mean…" – Ali earned some weird glances from the group and broke down into a nervous laugh, hiding her face on the crook of Emily's neck.
"Guys, let's go back to the dance floor. I've got a date to entertain" – Once again, Aria pulled Andrew to the floor and her friends followed, leaving Alison and Emily alone once again.
"I'm sorry about that" – Ali lifted her face up.
"It's okay, Ali" – Emily smiled and received a shy smile in return. Then she took both of Alison's hands – "Happy Valentine's Day, Ali"
The blonde blushed and smiled coyly.
"Now let's dance, babe" - Emily pulled her to the dance floor while she wore the silliest and happiest smile in the world.