This one-shot is part of a challenge of The Skins Fics Book Club forum! I highly recommend you to enter in this forum, people are great and warmingly. A shout out to Marsupial1974, my dear mentor (if you take me haha), that have been helping me so much! Really, thanks a lot, you're my savior!
This is my first story ever, so leave a review, I'll gladly read it! Also, english is not my first language.. just a warning :p
Emilly POV
(Saturday)
I've been looking for an inspiration to my art, since I'm an artist and these days I simply couldn't paint a thing, like I was blocked or something. It's freaking me out cause I've never spent so much time not painting.
I decided to show Katie this awesome museum about astronomy that I've been. I went here every Saturday since I found it, and each time I learnt something different about the universe, the stars, constellations and stuff.
As expected, it passed 20 minutes and Katie was already struggling to behave.
"Looking just above our heads, you can see the representation of the glorious Milky Way Galaxy" The guide said pointing to the ceiling. "I think you all probably heard about it, but do you guys know what it really represents? When we see it this way, it looks just like a band of light full of stars, but it's the beginning of years of knowledge, and people aren't even close to know everything. There's at least a hundred billion stars out there, and a billion more planets than what we know or even dream about." She continued the tour, talking enthusiastically about the universe.
"Yeah, she really looks like a moonstruck" Katie murmured, like something just struck her.
"Can't you just stop being a bitch for a second?" I muttered.
"Shouldn't let you drag me here, you're such a funsponge Ems! This shit is even shittier than you!" She grumbled but I decided I don't need more of Katie's rumbling, so I returned my attention to the tour again, seeing the blonde guide still talking about the galaxies.
"This is just one of the many undiscovered galaxies in the universe, that's how insignificant we all are, I mean, just think about it, we are just tiny little things in the infinity sea of stars, and most of us don't even care to preserve the minimal things that we know." She speaks so heatedly, it's not the first time I hear her talking about it, she's always so passionate and every time I come here it's a different speech with the same meaning, show us that we should conserve what we have now. Hearing her words made me wish to be a better person, less alone, less lonely, no one's ever reached me like this, so fast, it feels like I've been struck by lightning and this urge to know more it only makes me more anxious.
"This is the end of the tour but you're all free to continue exploring the beauties about the vast universe that we have in this museum. In case of any questions that the little plaques can't answer, you can shout out for me. As I said in the beginning of the tour, my name is Naomi Campbell, and I'll be pleased to help you in the rest of your discovering." She said and went to the reception balcony.
"Can we go now or do you need some time to stalk the moonstruck over there?" Katie teased me.
"Fuck off Kay, I'm not stalking her" I defended myself, I am clearly not stalking her, but Katie's fun is pissing me off, so there's nothing I can do about that. That's the magical world of the twin sisters.
"Babes, you're almost drooling" She laughed at me. She can be a real pain in the ass sometimes. I just shrugged in defeat and made my path to exit.
(Next Saturday)
After another tour, I've decided to spend more time there, so I stayed and tried to absorb more about this science. It got me thinking, it's like art, how everything was created by an explosion that expanded the universe and evolved to what we are today. It's really fascinating. It's finally inspiring me, I started painting again and it hit me so hard that everything I could paint for the last week was this, stars.
I was passing by to go back to the reception when I saw her. She was standing there, and there was only her. I think even if there were more people in the room, she would still be the only person that I could see. She was contemplating the picture took by a telescope, it looked like a black cloud with an orange shadow in the space, it was a beautiful image but the look in her eyes and her light expression was even prettier, it was causing a wild butterfly race in my stomach and the palms of my hands were soaked in sweat. I didn't even notice that my jelly legs moved by their own will and I was actually standing by her side now, but I don't think she notice. I gathered all my courage and decided to talk to her.
"It must be peaceful in there" I said so low that my voice sounded huskier than it really was. She turned her head quickly, searching for who took her out from her trance. 'Great, I fucking scared her' I thought to myself.
"Can I help ya?" She said trying not to sound annoyed, but her tone was too harsh, and I felt a warm blush spread through my cheeks with embarrassment.
"Sorry, didn't want to make you jump" I quickly apologize, trying to enlighten the mood, seeing that actually worked because the frown that was in her face disappeared and gave space to a smile.
"No problem, actually I needed to go back, I'm on my work time so.." She shrugged and turned around. "I like the way you try to make us see what you see" I babbled trying to gain some more seconds of her attention.
She looked at me again and her smiled increased, she let out a little "Thanks" and got back to the balcony reception. I followed her to get to the exit and went home with the wildest smile in my face. The dawn of the next day, I painted a blonde girl with a blur face. Last month I needed an inspiration, now I've got a muse.
(Another Saturday)
When I got in the museum this weekend, I decided to come later, to be in the last tour. It was dark outside, and it made the inside even more beautiful. The representations of constellations were shining the whole place and people were experiencing a more intense visit.
Again, I was watching the blonde guide Naomi, talking about science. She looks so cute speaking, that she can have anyone's attention, it's like she take things to another level.
"I think everybody here knows that constellation is a group of stars but, the science goes even deeper than this. The universe is vast and that's a statement, another statement is that humans are curious and because of that we needed to have some kind of mapping to have an idea of the size of the space, thinking about this, people created the Celestial Sphere, it's something like a map, and the stars are the coordinates, so if you get lost in some part of the planet, you can easily go back track if you know what constellation is what." She always use some kind of humor tone to the things she teach us. I wonder if she's always this fun, I can't stop wanting to be there to discover it.
Naomi POV
(Earlier that day)
"Naomikins it's pretty obvious she is all over you! She came here for weeks now!" Said Cook, trying to convince me that the prettiest girl I've ever seen was eyeing me.
"Cook, we already talked about this, just because someone looks at you doesn't mean that she wants to know you, it's just that she likes to look at people" I said trying to mimic Effy's smirk.
"Really, Blondie? Quoting Effy, low blow!" He said trying to sound hurt, but we all knew he finally got over her.
"I just don't know what to do Cookie" I sighedin defeat. "She's clearly way out of my league."
"You'll figure it out. Think about it, okay? You're clever." In moments like this, I remember how Cook and I became best friends.
"You're a lot nicer than most people think, Cookie" I beamed at him.
"Fuck you" he teased.
"Fuck you right back". I finished our little chitchat and turned to exit the staff room.
(After the final tour of the night)
It was time to close the museum and tonight it was my turn to do it, so I had to check if every visitors of the last tour were already gone. The first floor was clear, so now I had to look only the observatory and then go home.
When I got there, that redheaded girl that I've been crushing on, was lying down with her eyes closed. It looked like she was smiling. I didn't want to disturb her but I had to do something.
'In this case I have two options, I can go there and tell her to leave because the museum is closing or I could pluck up the courage and finally talk to her.' I discussed in my head.
I approached her without knowing what option I would take. When I got too close to her, I didn't even knew how to speak, so I did the only thing that I thought it would be right, I laid down by her side and looked up to the ceiling and observed the Galaxy that was at my sight. In that moment I was feeling like if I breathe too hard, everything was going to fall apart around me.
I was so nervous that didn't realize that she started looking at me, and it seemed like she knew what I was feeling, because she took my hand to her and slowly whispered "Be brave".