Hanna Marin has always been observant, and she notices a lot more than people ever give her credit for.
She knows all of her friends well, but she can read Emily the best. She used to watch Emily because she was the hardest to figure out, and sometimes Hanna really does love a challenge, but now Emily ends up being the easiest for her to read (or maybe she's just the one Hanna likes to read).
They were always friends, but after Alison went missing they became closer than ever; there was a connection between them that neither could really explain with words. Even though the two of them basically tell each other everything, there are countless things that Hanna has noticed on her own when it comes to Emily, things that never get brought up in conversation.
Like how Emily still wore the bracelet Alison had given her, even though the rest of the girls had taken theirs off long ago. Hanna noticed when Emily would be zoned out in class, and she would play with the wristband with sadness in her eyes. If anyone dared to ask why she kept wearing that "stupid thing," Emily would immediately tense up and defend a girl that deserved every ounce of hate she got, because Emily just couldn't help it. Hanna especially noticed the day that Emily had taken the bracelet off. (Which happened only one month and three days ago, to be exact.)
Or the way that she shut down after Maya died and started drinking away her sorrows, something that was very unlike the brunette. There were countless nights when the blonde would end up taking care of her, driving her home and putting her to bed, but Emily tried to push her away and cut her out regardless. Emily would tell Hanna to leave her alone, but her eyes would say, "I just don't want you to be next." (So, Hanna would ignore her and hold her while she cried herself to sleep.)
And when she started withdrawing from Paige, Hanna could see that Emily was thinking, "What the point?" and when the two girls finally broke up, she could tell that the brunette had gotten used to losing the girls she loved, and it hardly seemed to phase her anymore. (And it made Hanna wonder just how much Emily had actually loved Alison, Maya and Paige, or if that had ever been real love at all.)
Hanna noticed how Emily would rarely talk about missing her dad, but had several standing times for Skype dates with him during the week. And although she would make up other excuses as to why she wasn't able to hang out, Hanna always knew what she was doing, even when Aria and Spencer were oblivious to it.
Or when Caleb moved away for good, and Hanna found that Emily knew exactly what to say and when to say it. She knew if Hanna wanted to stay in bed all night with a pint of ice cream, or if Hanna wanted to use their fake ID's at a bar and see how many guys she could get to buy her a drink in an hour. No matter which mood she was in, Emily just knew and would tag along either way, by eating a pint of ice cream herself or letting guys flirt with her while their friend was flirting with Hanna. Emily would try to hide her protective side whenever one of the guys would say something especially sleezy to the blonde, but Hanna always could always tell if she was clenching her fists or her jaw, quietly fighting the urge to say something. There were a few times, though, when Emily couldn't hold it in anymore and would snap at the guy, causing him to walk away with a confused look on his face. (But Hanna loved her for that.)
And there was the time a couple of weeks ago when Hanna couldn't find anything to wear and was standing in her room shirtless, rummaging through her closet, and she could see in her mirror that Emily was looking at her while she had her back turned. Looking at her in a way that was definitely not friendly, in the way that Emily used to look at Alison when they would get ready for parties. When Hanna turned around again, Emily was trying so hard to look at anything but her friend, a slight blush creeping up her neck. (But it didn't bother Hanna, not even a little bit.)
…
The first time Hanna notices something she doesn't quite like is after the girls somehow escape burning to death at that lodge, after trying to trap red coat. What Hanna, Spencer and Mona saw was that Alison was red coat, but when they said this out loud Emily and Aria insisted that they were wrong, that Ali was dead. Although Emily backed Aria up, Hanna saw a hint of hope in the brunette's eyes when they said she was alive, and for some strange reason that causes Hanna's stomach to drop.
Not even three days later, Alison appears again, only this time she's with her family and the police and she's explaining how she faked her death to escape some crazy stalker. Hanna doesn't pay attention to her explanation because she's watching Emily, who is watching Alison, and it's quite possibly the worst two hours she's ever experienced.
Suddenly it's summer again. The girls have long, lazy days to do nothing, but that means that they don't get to see each other everyday at school.
And then Alison is back and she's spending all this time with Emily alone, and Hanna knows that Emily always said she was different when it was just the two of them. Hanna doesn't talk to Emily for days, but Spencer and Aria update her and tell her everything that Emily has been telling them. Apparently, Ali told Emily that she always had feelings for her, but she was scared to act on it and she had so much other crazy stuff going on at the time that she just avoided it. Alison is all "I love you, I need you and I missed you, like crazy," and Hanna knows that Emily can't turn that down, and wouldn't want to turn that down, there's just no way in hell.
…
The last time Hanna went this long without talking to Emily was when none of the girls were friends for a year. (It's killing her, it really is.)
…
One night she hears a voice in her head saying, "Hefty Hanna never got the guy, why would she think she could get the girl?" (It sounds like Alison.)
…
It's over a week later when Emily shows up at her house, and Hanna expects her to start talking about how happy she is with Ali and how perfect everything ended up. Emily doesn't though, and instead she talks about how she just couldn't go there with Alison because she always had an agenda. Emily doesn't trust her, and after all of this time, after finally dealing with the loss, Emily doesn't want her anymore.
This catches Hanna off-guard, and she's looking at Emily intently, trying to read her, and for the first time in a long time she can't figure out what's going on in the brunette's head. It seems like Emily knows this because a mischievous grin has found its way to her face, as she starts walking towards the blonde. (For a minute, it seems like Emily is the one reading Hanna for once.)
"I want to be with someone I can trust. Someone who doesn't have ulterior motives. Someone who gets me, all of me." That's what Emily says right before she kisses Hanna. Hanna kisses her back, and everything that's been happening with them seems to click into place, with all of it leading up to this moment. (For Hanna, nothing in her life has ever felt this right.)
…
6 months later, and Alison is reading her book report to the English class, and she certainly dressed up for it. Halfway through her presentation, Hanna notices that every guy (and girl) in the class is practically drooling over her, pretending to be very interested in her analysis.
Hanna looks across the room at Emily, only to find that the brunette is staring back at her, and has been during the entire presentation. When Hanna catches her, Emily smirks and gives her a knowing look. (The look tells Hanna that she's the only one catching Emily eye these days, and that look is Hanna's favorite.)