Emily

Her heart pounded in her chest. Her mouth felt dry, her palms sweaty. Why did she feel like this? She was just going for another normal day at college. But she knew that wasn't true. Not for her anyway. Because no day at college was normal anymore. Not since Naomi had arrived. Ever since that day, everything had changed. No longer was Emily concerned about fitting in or being 'popular'. No longer was she plagued by a desire to be liked by everyone. Now, she only had the desire to be liked by one person; Naomi. For she was spectacular. To Emily, she was the epitaph of perfection. Her blonde hair shone like a thousand burning suns, forever soft and sweet-smelling. Her eyes, blue as a shard of the most beautiful sapphire, pinned her in place whenever they caught her, seeming to peer into the very deepest fathoms of her soul. And her lips. Of the ripest pink, they called to her like a siren's song. Never had she wanted to kiss someone, to be with someone, so badly before. Yet she couldn't. She knew she couldn't. For it would ruin their blossoming friendship, everything they had so newly established, it would all be gone. So she knew she had to suffer in silence.

But it wasn't going to be easy.

As Emily walked into college the next morning, she glanced around the common room; looking for her. Naomi. She saw her; her breath caught in her chest, as though she had suddenly been deprived of air to breathe. She froze, and stared at Naomi, with what could only be described as an expression of pure yearning on her face. But then, she saw someone approach Naomi and engage her in conversation; so Emily walked away dejectedly, feeling her heart break once more for the love she could never have. All day she was unable to focus, only ever thinking of Naomi. She loved her so much it hurt; yet she could never fulfil that love. She could never experience it, and feel the same love in return. That hurt more than anything she had ever experienced before.

A few weeks passed; Emily still longed for Naomi. She longed to hold her hand; to kiss her lips; to embrace her and never let go. She could feel these desires burning inside of her, like a raging fire, and yet there was nothing she could do to stop them. For she had tried everything. She had tried to distract herself with homework; she went out with friends; she even tried to make herself feel attracted to boys. But none of it worked. None of it filled the gaping chasm that Naomi had carved in her heart.

Then came Thursday after school. It was 4:30 pm. Most of the students had gone home by now. But Emily had stayed behind to finish some coursework that was due the next day. She worked for an hour or two, and then decided to take a break and get a drink. As she was walking down the corridor towards the vending machine, she caught sight of some movement out of the corner of her eye. She glanced to her left, and saw someone moving about in one of the deserted classrooms. She crept silently towards the door, and peered in through the glass pane. Her heart skipped a beat. It was Naomi. Emily straightened up and took a deep breath. Slowly, she reached for the door handle. But just as she was about to open the door, it was snatched from her grasp! Naomi then bustled out of the room, her face hidden by a large stack of papers, and bumped straight into Emily, who had frozen in the door frame.

"Oh wow, sorry!" Naomi exclaimed, an expression of surprise on her face.

"It's okay, I, uh, I should've been watching where I was going" stammered Emily. She stared down at the floor in embarrassment, silently cursing herself for being so awkward. 'Why can't you just act normal and friendly?' she scolded herself.

"Are you okay?" asked Naomi, concern showing on her striking features.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine, thanks" Emily replied, her blushing cheeks turning almost the same shade as her fiery red hair. Naomi then gave a small smile, and turned to leave. Emily opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted:

"Do you, uh, wanna come to mine, y'know, for a bit?" ventured Naomi. She bit her lip in a nervous way; even that made Emily's legs feel like jelly.

"Uh, yeah, okay. Sounds great" answered Emily. She smiled at Naomi then, who gave a small smile in return. Emily felt as though she was soaring above the clouds; she wanted Naomi, wanted her so badly and now, she had a chance to be with her, just her, alone. It was a dream come true.

They caught the bus back to Naomi's house. They walked in, and were greeted by Naomi's mother, who welcomed Emily into their home and then disappeared upstairs to get some rest. Naomi took Emily up to her bedroom; she glanced around in awe, unable to believe she was actually in Naomi's house, let alone her bedroom.

"So, Emily. Which do you prefer? Vodka or beer?" Naomi asked, reaching into a cupboard above her desk.

"Either's fine, I don't really mind" Emily replied. She watched Naomi as she sat on the bed opening the chosen bottle of vodka, completely stunned by her loveliness. Naomi then switched on the TV, and they settled themselves on the bed with the alcohol between them...

A few hours passed. They had finished the vodka, and as a result were both slightly tipsy. Emily reached forward and turned the TV off; Naomi looked at her in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Naomi asked curiously.

"Oh, y'know. I thought we could, um, talk. Get to know each other a bit. I mean, we are going to be in the same classes for the next two years, right?" Naomi nodded slightly in agreement.

"Okay, cool. I'll start then" said Emily excitedly. They spoke for a while, comparing bands and movies and clothes they liked and disliked. Then, they got onto the topic of relationships. Naomi admitted to having had a few boyfriends in the past; Emily then quietly confessed to having never been in a relationship with anyone before. Naomi gawked at her in shock.

"You mean ... you've never had a boyfriend? Ever?" asked Naomi in disbelief. "Please tell me you've at least kissed someone?" Emily shook her head reluctantly. Naomi's eyes widened incredulously.

"Well, I think we might have to change that" said Naomi, with a slightly mischievous look on her face. Emily didn't know whether Naomi was only behaving like this because of the alcohol, but whatever it was that was causing this, she was extremely happy for it. Naomi moved the bottle of vodka onto the floor, and sat up straight on the bed.

"Well come on then Ems! We're never going to get anything done if you just lie there, are we?" she giggled. Emily then sat up, her heart beating like a double bass drum. She couldn't believe this was about to happen. She was going to kiss Naomi. Her head felt light, as if she could float away at any minute. But she didn't want to float away. She wanted to stay here, forever, with the girl she loved. She looked at Naomi, who gently took hold of her hands. They looked into each other's eyes; Emily gazing into Naomi's lovingly, Naomi gazing right back into Emily's.

"You know... I've never realised what pretty eyes you have" murmured Naomi, admiring Emily's eyes, which were like two intricate pools of melted chocolate. Emily felt her heart speed up, anticipating the moment when their lips would touch. Naomi then leaned in, slowly but surely, until their lips were mere inches apart. Emily then closed the gap between them, sealing their lips together. The kiss lingered for a few seconds more; then Naomi pulled away slowly.

She raised her eyes to Emily's, who was overcome with emotion. They looked at each other intently; then became overcome by passion. Naomi gently caressed Emily's face, and leaned in to once more kiss her soft lips. Emily kissed her back almost frantically, as if she were afraid that someone was going to take Naomi away from her. They then parted and embraced passionately, only then realising their true feelings for each other.

Emily was overwhelmed by feelings of relief and love; Naomi in turn was experiencing mixed emotions, of both confusion and desire for Emily. They both knew they wanted the other; that much was clear. They were unaware and concerned of the consequences of these realisations, and how they would affect their lives.

But at that moment in time, they just didn't care.

Bit of Skins fanfic, I love Naomi & Emily so thought it was only right to write one about them.

Let me know what you guys think ^^