A/N: Ah, I have high hopes for this story, it'll probably take me a while to update but I will aim to have long chapters in consolation. I only updated NTFA a few hours ago (ish, I'm not sure) and there's already been loads of views. Thank you guys so so much! I plan to keep this story focussed on Emily's side of the story, though if you've read NTFA you'll know that my plans tend to change, so I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Disclaimer: The Skins creators killed of Freddie, I wouldn't do that.
Emily sighed, "Katie, I'm fine, honestly."
Her sister shot her a look and scoffed, "you haven't been properly out all week, Em. I know you like staying in and painting with your music blasting but I'm sick of it, I can hear it from across the hallway you know. That old guy under you may be deaf but I'm not!"
Emily sighed. It was true, she had spent the week in her flat, only leaving to let her playful Collie do her business on the grass outside the building.
"Well what am I supposed to do? I need to paint if I want to make a living, you should know that, it's the same with you and your writing."
"Yeah but that doesn't mean you have to shut yourself away from everything, don't you get lonely?"
Emily shook her head, "I've got Tori, we're fine."
The young dog rushed into the messy living room upon hearing her name and jumped up onto the couch between the twins, nuzzling into their visitor begging for attention.
"Hello cheeky, have you missed me?"
The dog barked in response as Katie scratched behind her ears.
"Anyway, as I was saying," Katie said, "you've got to stop staying in all the time, come to the gym with me later, it's well boring when I go on my own."
Emily rolled her eyes, "fine, but stop nagging me to leave my flat, I like staying in."
Katie huffed and nodded in agreement.
"Right, I'll get changed in a bit and meet you at the gym then, but we're going for lunch after."
Katie grinned, "great, I'll just take Bandit outside so she doesn't have an accident while I'm out."
"Would you take Tori too?"
"What's in it for me?" Katie shot, jokingly.
Emily smirked and put on a thoughtful look, "hmm.. well I suppose I could offer you this." She reached down beside the sofa and lifted an A3 piece of paper and studied it, keeping it facing away from her sister.
"What is it?" Katie grabbed at the paper, but Emily moved faster, holding it out of reach.
"Oh, I'm not sure you'd like it, I'll just have to get rid of it," Emily said teasingly, slowly turning the paper so Katie could see the other side.
Katie squealed, "Brendon! Emily you're brilliant!"
Tori barked at Katie and both the girls laughed, Emily patted her head and told her to get down before handing the drawing to her twin, "one Brendon Urie, in exchange for taking Tori out right now so I can get changed without her stealing my underwear again."
Katie huffed but nodded, taking the picture and hugging Emily.
The Fitch twins wandered into the Fitch Fitness Centre, Katie in a sporty purple crop top and shorts, and Emily in a tight blue vest and shorts. They were greeted by none other than their brother at the desk, he grunted when he saw them,
"Hello ladies, come to laugh at me wasting my summer break in here?"
"Fuck off," Katie shot, a grin on her face, "we've come to kick people of the treadmills."
Emily shook her head and smiled at James, "how've you been? Still following Gordon around like a lost puppy?"
The youngest Fitch smiled sarcastically and stuck his middle finger up at the pair, "I'm fine, and I don't follow him like a lost puppy, we're equals and you know it."
Katie snorted, "right."
James scowled at her and handed them each a locker key before returning his attention to the computer screen in front of him. Emily and Katie made their way down the corridor and into the changing room. They put their bags in the lockers and headed for the large fitness suite.
"Girls!"
Katie and Emily were greeted by a grinning Rob Fitch and were swept up into a Fitch hug before they could respond.
"Hey dad," Katie smiled, "how's business?"
"It's brilliant, Katiekins. The gym's at an all time high profit wise, the flats you're living in are full and everyone's paying their rent on time, and your mother's wedding business is booming."
"Great, I'm well proud of her, I'll have to offer to help her sometime."
"I'm sure she'd appreciate that. You're quiet Emsy, is something bothering you?"
Emily's eyes were fixed on a tall dark haired woman on a rowing machine, she looked about Emily's age and, from what Emily could see, she had nice tits.
"Emily!" Katie shook her sister, "stop fucking perving on that girl and listen to dad."
"What? Oh, sorry. What did you say?"
Rob chuckled and patted Emily's shoulder, "never mind, you answered my question. How's the art going? And how's the writing going, Katie?"
Emily looked at her sister, giving her permission to respond first.
"I've started a third book, still the Waterloo Road series, the first two have been really popular so I thought I'd keep the series going since I can add new characters when older ones leave with it being a school." She turned to Emily.
"It's pretty good, I'm selling a few pictures each month, they don't bring in much but I've been taking requests from people which means more work and that means more money at the end of the road."
Rob smiled and pulled his girls into another Fitch hug, "I'm so proud of you both, you know you've got my full support so don't worry about money if business drops at any point."
Katie scoffed as they were released from the hug, "dad, we're living in the flats you own and you don't make us pay rent, I think that's enough help, we do need to look after ourselves."
"I know, love, I'm just making sure my girls are managing."
The three Fitches shared one last hug before Rob was called away by one of the trainers and Katie and Emily were left to fulfil the purpose of their visit to the centre.
"I'll have a foot long Oven Roast Chicken sub with lettuce, tomato, pepper and extra jalapenos, and a large Coke please."
Katie laughed at her sister's appetite, "Christ, Em, where do you put it all?" She turned to the guy behind the counter, "I'll have half a Turkey Breast & Black Forest Ham sub with lettuce, pepper and tomato with an Iced Tea please."
They both paid for their subs and sat down at a table by the window. Katie pulled the ham from her sandwich and nibbled at it. Emily shook her head in amusement and took a big bite of her sandwich, enjoying the spicy tingle from the jalapenos on her tongue. The older Fitch twin swallowed the contents of her mouth and looked at her sister,
"you'll never guess who I bumped into the other day."
Emily attempted to reply through the mouthful of food but opted for a shrug when nothing more than a muffled grunt could be heard through the delicious sub,
"Cook! As in our James Cook who got sent down for killing that creepy fucking Foster guy!"
Emily's eyes widened and she swallowed, "really? I thought he'd be in there for at least three more years. How was he?"
"So did I, he said they let him out early because of the circumstances. After all, he did find out why Freddie ran away, that guy was a right creep threatening to kill him if he didn't stay away from Eff. Ugh, just thinking about him gives me the creeps," Katie shuddered as she pulled another slice of ham from her neatly put together sub, "anyway, he's actually doing really well, he said he's got a job in a sort of sandwich and tea shop, apparently it's a really nice place run by this really friendly woman and her daughter who's our age, he told me he's sharing a house with her and it's not too far from here. I got his number so I was thinking of calling him and maybe going to see how he is, Effy said she'd like to go see him and you should come with us."
Emily nodded; her mouth was full once more. She smiled as she thought back to the cheery lad whom her sister was so fond of back in college, five years later and her sister seemed just as keen to see him, though Katie had always loved seeing old friends since the first time they moved house when they were six.
Emily finished her sub before Katie, and had stolen a bite of her sister's lunch when she had gone to use the toilet. Now she sat patiently, sipping her Coke and watching the clouds drift across the sky, waiting for her sister to finish eating. Katie swallowed the last mouthful and downed the remains of her drink. Emily stood up and thanked the boy behind the counter for preparing their lunch before her sister dragged her outside and in the direction of their flats.
"God Em, you already thanked him when he gave it to you, are you getting confused? If you've forgotten, you like girls."
Emily rolled her eyes at her sister, "there's such a thing as manners, Katie, I was just being polite."
"Yeah, whatever, I need to get back; it's time for my baby's walk."
Emily bit the inside of her cheek to avoid laughing at Katie, she never would have guessed that her sister would fuss over a dog as much as she did.
"I'm sure she's fine Katie. Though, since you're taking her out, I think Tori needs a walk too, throwing half a tennis ball around the flat for her isn't quite the same as going out."
"You're useless Em," Katie teased, "how she didn't have her bandana on this morning?"
"Oh, it's somewhere in the flat I think, she lost it yesterday but I was in the middle of painting when I noticed so I didn't look."
Katie shook her head at Emily, "what did I say? Useless."
"It wasn't my fault it came off."
"I was joking Em, chill."
"I know, I just feel bad for keeping her inside all week, she loves walks."
"Well you'll just have to make it up to her by keeping me and Bandit company when we get back, and I'll help you look for her bandana if you'll proof read what I've done so far on my book."
Emily nodded and they walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence.
A/N: How was it? Please review and let me know how you found the start to this new story, it really will help me get this one going, reviews always compel me to update as I hate to disappoint people. As in NTFA, I will name any songs I use at the end of each chapter, the title for the story is a song by Never Shout Never that just seemed right though isn't necessarily to do with the story itself.
Thanks for reading!