A/N: Hello! :) If you are reading this, I'm going to assume one of a couple of things. 1: You have been reading Serendipitous Freedom and have just read chapter 35 and your interest is piqued enough to know what the hell I was on about in my author's note. Or, 2: You were looking for a new fic to read and found it in the list. Or, 3: You have me followed. Or, 4: You googled the term "grey areas" and it mysteriously led you here. HA!
SO. Whether this turns into anything more than one chapter, I do not know. I think it will, but who knows. If it does, it might not be straight away, but it'll happen.
I'm also trying something totally bloody different for me and writing the start of it from Katie's POV, which I've never done, so if it's rubbish, you'll just have to forgive me/let me know/ stone me to death Internet style.
Anyway, on with it, I suppose. A lot of the dialogue in this borrows from the chapter in SF where Effy and Katie are in her flat for the first time. Going on will be different, because I want to try and fill in the gaps that aren't written as their chapters in that story. But, I had to start somewhere.
Disclaimer: I do not own skins. All typos are the property of my iPad.
(Katie POV)
"Katie, you left something of yours here the other day." Effy said, casually, as she stood and walked out of the kitchen.
I thought that was odd. I didn't remember leaving anything behind the few times that I had been here. I looked over at Naomi and my sister, Emily with half a smirk on her lips. Naomi, on the other hand, looked at me, nodding towards the door in encouragement. Why did it feel like I was being set up? Honestly, I felt like I didn't have much of a choice, so rather than be told to, I nodded, and got up, walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs. I caught another look at Naomi's mural, I wish I had more time to look at it, but something else was occupying my thoughts. Effy.
I don't know whether it's hard to explain what she does to me, it might seem simple to some, but it's saying it out loud that still scares me. I meant what I said, that I think I'm falling for her. She has this way about her, nothing seems to bother her. She's cool, collected, and so annoyingly calm sometimes, it's unnerving. And the other thing... She does my head in the way she speaks sometimes. Not her voice itself, it's actually quite soothing when it wants to be; no, I'm talking about how she says things. Talking in mysterious little cryptic fucking circles that make my head hurt. I don't think I've been as confused as I've been this past week in my entire life...
**FLASHBACK - FRIDAY NIGHT, NIGHTCLUB**
I've never had someone disarm me as much as she does. She managed to do it the night we met. That lopsided grin of hers made me feel queasy when she sat down next to me. I've had numerous girls try and crack onto me, thinking I'm a lezzer like Emily, and it's happened so often that I'm just used to it. I was feeling a bit prickly because of Emily storming off like that... She thought I was trying to meddle again, but I wasn't really, I was just wanting her to get out and have a bit of fun... Christ knows she needed a shag, and it wasn't until I spotted Emily sitting at the bar, and a blonde standing next to her that I felt the need to get up and swallow my pride and apologise for being such a bitch.
But Effy stopped me. She said that the blonde, Naomi, was her best friend and wouldn't hurt Emily. I didn't believe her at first, until I saw her expression. Strange, like she just...knew. Other than that, I knew Emily was an adult, and could handle herself, but still, she's my little sister, and even though I know she can, I still feel protective of her.
"She'll be ok." She told me, once Emily and the blonde had wandered off to wherever.
"How do you know?" I asked her, my tone still hostile, but curious.
"Naomi is my best friend. She wouldn't hurt anyone." Effy told me.
"Naomi? And who are you, when you're at home?" I asked her.
"I'm Effy." She said, and then she smiled at me.
It was that fucking smile of hers that got to me. And it stunned me, because it pulled at something inside me. The smile was friendly, curious, and wolfish all in one, and I'd never seen that kind of smile from anyone, not least any of the boys I had ever been with. Usually boys just took a good look at my tits and were up for it, but Effy... She looked everywhere but at my chest.
After I told her my name, she stood up.
"Coming?" She said.
In spite of myself, I was curious about her. I finished my drink and stood. "Where are we going?" I asked.
"Somewhere quieter." Was all she said, and she turned to leave, so I followed. I was confused as to why I was following her... I could barely think anyway because of the loud bass that that thumped around my head like a dull sledgehammer. Plus, after my argument with Emily, I wasn't in the mood for the club anymore. The desire to drink, dance and shag the night away with some random bloke lost its appeal pretty quickly. Maybe that was it, in the end... I really don't know.
When we got out of the club, she lit a cigarette and offered me one.
"No, thanks." I replied, shaking my head.
"What are you afraid of? She asked, in this mysterious tone that was starting to annoy me.
"Uh...cancer?" I replied.
She smirked at me. "More for me, then." She said, putting the pack in her pocket.
Honestly, I didn't know then if Effy was straight, gay, or what. At that point, we were just two girls taking a walk through the streets of Bristol in the late evening. We didn't say anything to each other as we walked, I was so in my head I didn't know what to say, and Effy seemed to know it, too, so the two of us kept one of those companionable silences you read about.
I think it was just instinct that led us back to my flat. I'm not sure what sort of instinct, but I don't know, the least I could do was offer this mysterious girl a drink for at least walking with me that far, and not asking a ridiculous amount of questions about who I was, or what I did, or the usual shit people tend to ask each other when trying to make conversation. To be truthful, the entire way home I was thinking about Emily. I felt bad for being a little less tactful. I knew she was still sore about Charly, and I was sometimes not as gentle about some of my opinions about her and how Emily should just get on with her life and stop moping about because Charly had skipped out on her. Plenty of fish, and all that. I think she had probably got tired of going out all the time, but honestly, I couldn't live with myself if she spent every Friday night at home watching DVDs, eating pizza and drinking wine.
I noticed we had reached my door. I turned around to Effy, who stood leaning against the wall, so bloody casually. I didn't know what to say, until she spoke.
"I'd love to." Effy said.
Thank Christ she said something, because I sure as hell didn't know what to say. I'd never gone out before and come home with someone. This was a situation I'd never been in.
"What?" I asked, nervously half-laughing.
"Come in for a drink." She said, a smirk that was starting to get on my nerves on her face.
How did she know I was going to ask her that? Her eyebrow was slightly raised, and I wasn't one hundred percent sure, but I thought I noticed her looking me up and down, just briefly. I shivered. How does a girl manage to make me nervous like this?
"I'm not gay." I blurted out. Great. Now I get word vomit, as well as nervousness.
She tilted her head to the side and sort of smiled at me. "Never said you were."
"Well, just so you know." I said, taking out my keys and opening the door to my flat. "Come in, then..."
"What do you drink?" I asked her as I took off my heels. Even though I hadn't been out late, my feet were tired, there'd been a lot of running around at the office that day.
"What do you have?" She asked, her tone sounding slightly bored, but calm, all the same.
"Pretty sure there's vodka." I said, walking to the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a bottle in the freezer, so I grabbed two glasses and walked back into the lounge, finding Effy sitting on the sofa, with her arms spread out, no, fucking draped over the back of it, her legs stretched out, and her grungy, worn Doc Martens crossed at the ankles. I sighed, softly, and placed the glasses on the table, sitting on the opposite end of the sofa. I poured out two glasses and slid one over to her.
"Well, cheers." I said, downing my drink in one go. Chilled vodka always goes down so much easier. Less of that burning sensation and it feels more like you're drinking water. Fantastic to get sloshed on, if you have enough of it. But I felt it once it hit my stomach. Strangely, my mind was still partially on Emily, and not on the mysterious woman sitting next to me.
"Your friend...Naomi..." I said, "I can trust her with my sister, yeah?" I asked, quietly.
She nodded. "Told you. She's my best friend, and a good person." She sipped from her glass. "I know she wouldn't hurt Emily."
"How?" I asked.
"How what?" She asked back.
I rolled my eyes. She was starting to piss me off a little more, now. "How do you know she isn't going to hurt her?"
"There's something between them. They don't know it yet, but it's there." Came the reply.
"Yeah, right." I scoffed, pouring myself another glass of vodka. "They've never even met before." I added, as I took a sip.
Effy didn't say anything, but had a look in her eye that told me she knew more than she was letting on.
"Alright, spill it. I know you know something, which is a bit strange, seeing as I don't know you from a bar of soap."
Effy's long fingers curled around the vodka bottle as she unscrewed the lid and poured herself another drink. "Tonight isn't the first time they've met."
I looked at her curiously. "Where else would they have met?"
Effy smirked. "Naomi had a little gathering last night that got a bit loud."
"Right, but what's that got to do with my sis-" I started to say, before the penny dropped. "Ah. Someone complained to the council."
"Got it." Effy said, the corner of her lips curving up sightly.
"How do you know all this?"
Effy shrugged. "I was there when Emily delivered the warning notice."
"And you could tell from the, what, five minutes it took to serve a council notice that there's something going on?" I laughed.
Effy had a seriously blank expression on her face. "I watch people." Oh. Of course. I stared at Effy, wondering how this girl managed to keep up such an air of mystery about her. What's more, it made me curious to know more.
"Pervy." I joked. "So... While you were watching my sister and your best friend, you saw something? Sparks? Streamers and balloons? A giant TRUE LOVE fountain, complete with fucking performing dolphins?"
Effy laughed, and I found myself taking note of everything about this girl's smile. It was such a stark contrast to her usual passive expression, that it tugged at something that I couldn't place. "No. Just energy." She replied. Energy? What on earth did that mean?
"You are rather fucking cryptic, aren't you?" I said, slightly annoyed.
"It bothers you." It was more of a statement than a question.
"A bit." I said, finishing my glass. "Do people get used to it?"
Effy shrugged. I just shook my head and a wry smile crossed my lips.
"So... Guess most people just put up with it, yeah?" I asked.
"Most do." The brunette replied, as she stood up and walked to my DVD shelf, running a long fingertip along the spines, taking in the titles. "Interesting."
"Mocking my choices?" I asked, as I set my glass back on the table, opening the bottle to refill it.
Effy shook her head, her long hair brushing the tops of her shoulders. I couldn't help it, I found myself taking in her appearance. Not perving, you understand. I'm not my sister, yeah? Effy, it appears, favoured black as her only colour choice. I wasn't sure if what Effy wore could be classed as a dress, or whether it was more of a long t-shirt. It had this odd, abstract pattern on it, something that I wouldn't be caught dead in, , coupled with fishnet stockings that had the odd rip in them, and those boots, made me think that Effy look like a cross between a goth and biker slut, and the worn leather jacket just completed the look. Before I knew it, my eyes had trailed back up, and met the smirking expression of the brunette.
"Like what you see?" She asked me, her head once more cocked to the side.
Even being straight, I can acknowledge when I see a good looking woman. There was a reason I urged Emily to go over to Effy when we were in the club. Effy was attractive, I recognised that. And for all Emily's protests, I knew she was lonely, and it was the way Effy looked at her that made me try and encourage her. But now, Effy was sitting in my sitting room, clearly not Emily's. Her eyes were almost piercing my own. They were surrounded by this seductive, smoky looking make-up that made her look somewhat appealing. Wait, what? Why had this night taken such a strange turn?
I looked away from her eyes. "I told you, I'm not gay. I'm not my sister." But apparently, my eyes had been betraying me.
"Maybe not. But you look at me like you want to devour me." She said, coolly.
I had my glass to my lips, and almost choked on the vodka. "I...uh...um..."
It's not often I'm rendered speechless. Emily could probably count the times on one hand, if you asked her. I don't know what about Effy was doing this to me, and it had me completely confused. I wasn't that drunk, so it definitely had nothing to do with the alcohol. Maybe it was her mystery. I watched her as she crossed back to the couch and sat next to me, so casually.
"You don't seem like a jar, Katie." She said.
It seemed to me that this conversation was only going to get more confusing. "A jar? What the fuck?"
And that's when she did it. She reached up, and tucked part of my fringe behind my ear, causing me to shiver. And not a shiver like I had left the flat in a snowy day and had stupidly forgotten a warm pullover. This one reached deep inside me and travelled right up my spine and back down again. Jesus fucking Christ.
"Labels...are for jars." She said, looking into my eyes. I noticed how blue they were. Clear and deep, like the ocean. A total contrast to my own brown eyes.
"I'm not a jar." I said. Why is it that when we are nervous, we repeat or deny what's just been said to us, and make ourselves look like idiots?
"No. You're not." She said, as she leaned a little closer. "You are beautiful, though." She gently ran the backs of two cool fingers down my cheek. Her touch was as gentle as it was electric, and it made me even more nervous. It did things to me, and I was finding myself in a situation that was making me very, very nervous. I found myself swallowing, and I swore to myself that I could hear every movement of my muscles as I did so.
My eyes fluttered shut as my lips trembled slightly. "Jesus." I said, my lisp becoming just a little more obvious, as well as the huskiness my voice had taken on. I'd heard that said to me many a time. But the way Effy said it was different. Maybe I had just been so used to hearing it said by boys who were just trying to get into my knickers, but Effy? The tone of the voice of this girl I didn't know sounded bizarrely sincere. She didn't say much, it seemed, but whatever she said... Well, she was good at choosing words that had some kind of impact.
I opened my eyes, and found Effy's staring back at me. I didn't have to be a genius to know what the look in her eyes meant. I'd seen it from enough boys, and even Emily's on many a night out in college, right before she disappeared with her girl-for-the-night. I shook my head. "I've never..."
"Kissed a girl, or slept with one." Effy asked, her head once again tilted to the side.
I swallowed. "Either." I said, honestly. I couldn't move. The nervousness was getting to me, and I found myself torn between wanting to get away, and wanting to get closer. I felt like the only thing keeping me from getting away, other than the fact that we were in my own flat, was that Effy herself was drawing me towards her. Like there was a spell around me, and I couldn't break free from it. Almost hypnotised.
"Do you want me to kiss you?" Effy asked, her voice low and quiet.
"I don't know." I replied, my brow furrowed. My eyes flicked down to her lips. They looked to be soft, inviting. I briefly wondered how they would feel against mine. And then, I thought about it again. What could it hurt? No one had to know, it would just be between me and the mystery girl. I wouldn't have to tell anyone, and if I didn't feel anything, well, at least I'd be completely certain that it did nothing for me.
"I think you do." She said. Did her eyes just get fucking bluer? I don't think I've ever seen eyes that blue. "So I'll kiss you, and the you can decide." She added. And she said it that matter-of-factly, like it was a statement, not a suggestion. She rested her hand on my cheek and leaned in, brushing her lips against my own. I was right, they were so soft. She pulled me in closer and deepened the kiss slightly, still keeping it gentle and tentative, as though she didn't want to scare me. The nerves in my stomach were bubbling up, and I felt Effy's fingers at the back of my neck, pulling me slightly closer. The strangeness of the situation disappeared, and I found myself moaning softly, the only thing that mattered was her lips on mine as she kissed me long, slow, gentle and deep. I'm not sure who pulled away first, I think it was her. She was looking at me with calmly concerned eyes.
"Wow." I breathed. I didn't have any real words to say after that, my brain was trying to process what had just happened, and how my body reacted to it. It wasn't the most unpleasant kiss I'd ever had. In fact, it was pretty fucking good.
"You don't regret that for a second." Effy said, still looking at me carefully. I found myself sighing and shaking my head. "No pressure, Katie. If you don't want to, we don't have to do anything."
I nodded, feeling very strange indeed. My mind was not quite blank, I wasn't thinking of much of anything, other than the fact that Effy had just kissed me. I think part of me was shocked that I had let her, and even more surprised that I wasn't currently punching the shit out of her for doing so. Because really, I didn't feel like I thought I would. I always thought it would be awful, that it would make me feel sick or something. But it didn't. It was the most tender, caring kiss I think I had ever had. It sent shivers through me, and it set something off inside my lower stomach that I'd never, ever had a woman make me feel before.
Now I wasn't just nervous, I was slightly scared, too.
The clock on the DVD shelf bean to chime. "Shit, it's late." I said, my brain finally waking itself up and coming back into the room.
"Yeah. Perhaps I should go." Effy said, calmly.
A flicker of something ran through me. It cut into my insides, and it felt like the idea of Effy leaving was wrong. I didn't want her to go. "Don't..." I said, completely unsure of what to say next. "Stay. It's late..." I shrugged. "I wouldn't want you getting into any trouble on your way home." Let's settle for friendly concern. For a total stranger who had almost just kissed me senseless. Right.
"Is that the only reason you want me to stay?"
I bit my bottom lip, really unsure of how to answer that question. I wasn't sure what I wanted, and at the moment, confusion was hanging out like an unwelcome loitering visitor. "I don't know." I said, honestly. "You've just kissed my brain out of my head."
Effy smirked at me. "I'll take that compliment."
"Yeah, well... Appreciate it, yeah?" I said, with a nervous smile.
"Oh, I do, Katie... I do." The brunette looked at me through hooded eyes.
I felt myself shiver again. "Christ." I whispered, mostly to myself. "You make me so fucking nervous, you know that? I don't even know you and you are making me feel..." I felt myself beginning to ramble before Effy brought her finger up to my lips.
"It's ok, Katie. It's ok that it feels... Different." Effy said, her palm pressing up against my jaw and cradling it gently. "But if it feels good, why fight it?"
"Because I'm not gay." I replied.
Effy leaned closer. "Nor am I, Katie." She said, before she leaned forward and kissed me again, slowly. "You're too beautiful to be a jar, Katie. Fuck the labels. Set yourself free."
My last restraint seemed to melt itself into oblivion, and I leaned forward and kissed her, merging our lips together. My hand slipped up behind Effy's neck and tried to pull her closer as she slid her tongue across my bottom lip. She gently nipped it between her teeth, and then slid her tongue between my lips, pulling me closer so we were flush against each other. Effy's hand began to trace its way down my chest, and I moaned against the brunette's lips, before breaking apart from her.
"Wait..." I said, breathlessly. "I..."
"Shhhh... it's ok." Effy said, something reassuring about her tone. "I don't want to take advantage of you."
I nodded. "I'm not sure if I can, you know?" Effy nodded in reply. "I mean, it's not because I don't think you're attractive or anything..."
"I know." She said, calmly.
"It's just..."
"I know." Again, her voice was calm. How was she so patient?
"I'm not sure if..."
"Katie... I know. It's a bit to process." Effy said, quietly.
"Mindfuck would be a better term." I whined.
"You think I'm fucking with your mind?"
"No... That's not what I meant." I reached for the vodka bottle and poured myself a decent measure, before necking it in one go. I paused briefly before continuing. "When my sister came out, I gave her so much hell. Because I didn't want other people thinking I was gay as well. I've never even really thought about me feeling that way myself, probably because I was so terrified of not being accepted. I saw how fucking hard it was for Ems when she came out, our mum even threw her out of the house because of it. And then... Jesus fucking Christ, you kiss me like THAT." I said the whole lot virtually in one breath, so much so that I almost gasped by the end of it. My heart was racing.
"Like what?"
I bit my bottom lip and with shaking hands, I poured myself some more vodka. Before I could raise the glass, Effy's hand came over the top of it. "Stop." She took the glass from my shaking hands and held it in her own. "It's not going to help, Katie. Just...say it."
I swallowed and looked at Effy, whose curious expression was gentle, almost coaxing in nature. "I've kissed loads of boys, yeah? Not a single one of those kisses made me feel like I felt when you kissed me, just now. It's butterflies, it's shivers, it's warm sensations. It's so many sensations at once, it's fucking terrifying. And it's addictive. I want to kiss you again." I managed to get the words out in short staccato sentences.
"So you liked it, then."
I opened and closed my mouth in quick succession, and I'm pretty sure I looked like a fucking goldfish. "Yes." I cringed, closing my eyes as though the roof was going to cave in. I felt the glass being placed back between my hands. I opened my eyes and looked at Effy, who was gently smiling at me.
"See? The world didn't explode, Katie. It's ok to admit these things to yourself."
I exhaled, deeply. I felt an unidentified weight lift from my shoulders at the simple admission. My hands were still shaking as I downed her glass of vodka. It as warm now, though, so it burned on the way down. I placed the glass back onto the table with a clatter, the glass rattling against the surface. Effy reached forward and took my hands in hers, threading our fingers together. I felt a strong static charge pass between our hands, and felt my rapid breathing begin to settle. My heart even began beating slower in my chest.
"Better?" Effy asked. I blinked and nodded. But it wasn't quite the truth, because I was feeling a stronger pull towards Effy than I could verbalise. I needed to feel closer to her, as much as it scared me. Something about her was putting me at ease, in spite of every insecurity I had about myself.
"Wait, no..." I said, standing up. "Take off your boots."
"Why?" Effy asked.
"Because I don't want you getting my sheets dirty." I blurted.
Effy looked at me, curiously.
"I may not be sure about whether I want to shag you or not, but I know that I feel a need to be nearer to you. I don't know why, I just do." I said, nervously. "So... Just take your fucking boots off and come to bed, okay?"
Effy shrugged, and I watched as she kicked off her boots. I took her hand and led her to my bedroom, turning on the bedside lamp. I pulled back the duvet as Effy shrugged off her jacket, leaving it slung over the chair in the corner of the room. I watched her as she crawled across my double bed, with something i can inly describe as cat-like grace, and lay in the centre of it, her dark hair splayed over my pillows. She caught my eye, and patted the mattress beside her.
I lay down beside Effy, and found myself nestling into her side, laying my arm across the brunette's stomach. Where her hands were cool, the rest of her appeared to be quite warm, and was strangely inviting. She also had a sweet scent about her, vaguely floral.
"Better?" Effy asked.
"Yeah." I said.
Effy tilted my face towards hers, and kissed me slowly. "You have a good energy about you, Katie. I can tell you are fierce. It's beautiful." How does someone who has only just met me know that about me? Sure, I've mellowed in the past few years and grown up a lot, but I still had my temper, and people knew I wasn't one to be crossed.
She softly kisses me again, before snuggling me against her side. Effy turned to me and leaned her forehead against mine. She kissed me again, tenderly, letting me enjoy the sensation, and the I responded, nervously following the movement of her lips. Effy ran her fingertips slowly up my arm, across my shoulder and down my back, pulling my body closer to hers. I shivered, as a combined rush of hot and cold sensation bolted through me. A whimper travelled up my throat and escaped in the spaces between our sensually entwined lips. For being the first girl who has ever kissed me like this, she's fucking good at it, because I'm getting more lost, wanting her more and finding myself falling deeper into the contact between us with each movement of her lips.
I was dazed as Effy finally pulled away. I blinked a few times, and then lay my head on the brunette's chest. Effy slowly stroked her fingers through my hair. I sighed deeply, but my breath was shaky and laced with emotion. "You make me want you so much." I said, my voice choked up thick. "It scares me."
Effy leaned down and kissed my forehead gently. "Life is an experience. Embrace it."
"Mmm."
"Go to sleep, now." Effy said quietly, as she shifted to pull the duvet over both of us.
I nestled back into her body and shut her eyes. "Goodnight." I said.
"'Night."
And so, I drifted off to sleep in another girl's arms, and for the first time in my life, those arms didn't belong to Emily. And even more strangely, I didn't have a problem with that. For now, I didn't care. I knew in the morning that it might be different, and I knew I might freak out. But for now...
None of that mattered. The night hadn't turned out how I expected, but it hadn't turned out totally awful, either. Maybe the girl in my bed, who held me so comfortably and made me feel safe in her arms was someone I could become friends with. I didn't know for sure.
The last thing I felt that night, as sleep overtook me, was the gentle kiss that Effy left on the back of my neck. I sighed, content, as my consciousness became dark.
**END FLASHBACK**
I shook my head, making my way up the stairs. I turned to find Effy leaning against her door with her feet crossed over. I've never known anyone who wears so much black, and actually looks good in it.
"So? What did I leave behind?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, as I stood before her.
Effy smirked at me. It used to be infuriating, but I don't know. It's becoming more sexy every time she does it. She raised her eyebrow, in that way that asks me if I'm seriously asking the obvious question.
"Right." I replied. "I didn't think it was that simple." Effy's expression told me she knew the penny had dropped in my mind. That simple, knowing fucking smile that she has. "So?" I asked, again.
She walked into her room and sat across her bed, her Doc Martens dangling off the edge. I followed her in and stood next to the bed. She scooted closer to me, one leg either side of mine, wrapping her arms around my waist. My chest felt like it was constricting, and my breath caught in my throat as my hands rested on her shoulders. My eyes looked down to meet hers, and already her cool blue eyes were threatening to melt me like they always did.
"You really do look beautiful, tonight." Effy said.
I blushed. What? I like compliments, so sue me! "Thank you." I replied, feeling butterflies in my stomach. Yeah, still not used to that feeling, either.
I'd accepted that I felt something for her, and how I felt about that fact was something I had been wrestling with this past week. I wasn't sure what it as at first, and I'd been left to myself to figure that out, seeing as Emily and Naomi were more or less attached to each other in that lovesick way that always had me avoiding my sister when she was all hungry-eyed for a girl. It hadn't happened in a while, so I decided to let her have her fun.
"Penny for your thoughts, Katie?"
I smiled, slightly. "Might need a quid for mine." I said, quietly.
Effy raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
I nodded. "Yeah. But we have plenty of time for that, later." I said.
"Oh?" Effy asked.
I leaned in and kissed her softly, her lips tenderly moving against my own. "Yeah." I said, when her lips left mine.
"Took you a few minutes to follow." Effy said.
I shrugged. "I wasn't quite sure if you wanted me to. You aren't very direct, sometimes."
"It bothers you."
Yeah, it does, but...
"I'm sure I'll get used to it." I said. Effy nodded. "Shouldn't we go back downstairs?" I asked.
Effy nodded. "If you're into keeping up appearances, I suppose..."
"And you're not? Those two probably think we're shagging each other stupid, up here."
Effy shrugged. "Not us." She said, a small knowing smile on her lips.
I raised my eyebrow. "They wouldn't." I said. "Would they?"
Effy met my eyes, and said something I wasn't about to forget in a hurry. "Never underestimate the power of connection, Katie. It can change people, and opens them up to things they've never felt. I came up here, because it's sometimes hard for me to be around those two. The electricity in the air between them crackles like a storm. It's powerful, beautiful."
My brow furrowed. "Then why-?"
"It's too much for me, Katie." Effy said, her voice calm and quiet. "I'm happy for them both, believe me. They need each other, they can make each other happy. I see it, and they are starting to."
"They fit." I said.
"Yes." Effy nodded. "Perfectly. It's rare that two people truly find that. But I saw it between them the first time I saw them together."
"You see a lot, don't you?" I asked, gently running my fingers through her fringe.
She gives me another of those knowing looks of hers, and I roll my eyes. "You're infuriating sometimes."
"Yes." She replied. "But you don't find it as irritating as you did at first."
"Maybe I'm getting more used to it than I'd like to admit." I shrugged.
"Right." Effy said, releasing her arms from around my waist. I'm still not used to the fact that whenever she lets me go, I feel naked. Despite being fully clothed. She pushes me backwards slightly, and stands up, my eyes following hers until I'm looking upwards. My hands slip down to her sides as hers rest on my shoulders.
"Eff?" I ask, quietly.
"Yes?"
"W-what about you and me?" I'm looking up at her, and I don't even know if the look I'm giving her is hopeful, or filled with puppy dog eyes. Because I don't even know what I'm doing with Effy. This is unknown territory for me, being that I'm finding myself falling in love, and not only that, I'm falling for a girl. And I'd never done either of those things.
Effy looked at me, and the blank expression on her face unnerved me slightly. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and the look in her eyes was unreadable, not that I could normally figure it out anyway. "That is something I don't know, Katie. I'm intuitive when it comes to others, not myself."
"Oh." I said, biting my bottom lip. I decided to try another question. "What about me?"
She looked at me, curiously, before her lips formed a small smile. And even before she spoke, I knew I wouldn't get a clear answer.
"You know I can't tell you that, Katie." She said, cradling my face in her hands. She leaned in and kissed me softly. "Don't be so eager. Let the events play out for themselves."
"I'm never going to get straight answers from you, am I?"
"Katie." Effy said, kissing my forehead softly. "Life isn't always meant to be black and white. It's the grey areas that make it interesting."
I leaned in and rested my head on her shoulder, sighing. "Jesus fucking Christ." I said, half laughing.
"I get that a lot." Effy smirked.
I playfully punched her on the arm. "I bet you do." I said. "C'mon. Let's go downstairs before Naomi and Ems send up a search party, or god forbid smirk at us or something."
We walked back downstairs, but Naomi and Ems were nowhere to be found in the kitchen.
"They're in the backyard." Gina said, cheerily. I was beginning to like her, the few times I'd seen her, she'd always seemed so accepting. "I believe they are having a bit of alone time. Would either of you like anything else to eat?"
"No thanks, Gina. But dinner was lovely, thank you." I said, with a smile.
"You're most welcome, love. You shall have to come over again sometime." She smiled.
"We're just going into the sitting room for a bit, Gina." Effy said.
"Alright, love."
We had just sat down, when we heard Naomi from the hallway. "EFF?! 'BOUT TIME WE LEFT, YEAH?"
Effy smirked and stood up, and I followed her to the doorway, which she casually leaned against.
"We're down here, Naoms." Effy said, coolly.
I stood beside Effy. "About bloody time you two surfaced from shagsville." I smirked. I was joking. I hoped.
Naomi looked at Effy. "You're rubbing off on her." She said, glancing at me.
"I wouldn't be the only one who has had someone rubbing off on me tonight." Effy smirked, causing Emily to blush a deep shade of red, heightening my suspicion. Lately, I'd had trouble separating the dreamy look in Emily's eyes.
Naomi coughed. "Are we going, or what?"
Effy raised an eyebrow, and pulled her jacket off the bannister where it was resting, slipping her arms through the worn leather.
"Alright, then. Let's go."
"MUM! We're off out now!" Naomi called.
Gina appeared from the kitchen door. "Ok, girls! Have a good night, and be safe!"
"Thanks again for having us over, Gina." I said. "It was a pleasure."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Katie." Gina smiled. "You and Emily are both welcome, anytime."
"Bye, Gina." Emily said.
Naomi opened the door, and we all started to head out into the night. Emily took Naomi's hand in her own and they swung between them as they walked, sharing glances and giggling with each other, as me and Effy walked behind them.
A/N#2: So? Like it? Hate it? Think I'm biting off more that I can chew?
Review and let me know!
Cheers, and thanks for reading, if you got this far.