A/N: This is more of a prologue before I start getting into the actual story-don't worry, this is the only chapter that will be -1k words!
Effy
It's not until around five minutes after they've left the airport when Naomi is unable to keep herself from physically reacting to the pain she's feeling. Effy's about to call a cab when she sees Naomi double back slightly as she walks, and she's torn between being exasperated, angry, and concerned for her friend. She walks towards Naomi, now leaning on a telephone pole, and places a hand on her back.
"What's wrong?" she asks, even though she's perfectly aware of what's wrong and she knows how wrong it was to just let Emily board her plane knowing fuck-all about what's going on with her own fucking girlfriend—not her relationship though. Not her right. "Do we need to go to the hospital?"
"Christ, Eff," Naomi says, a slight sneering tone to her voice that makes Effy want to grit her teeth and walk away. She straightens her back a little, and Effy doesn't miss the sharp intake of breath as she does so. "I've got a cramp. People fucking get cramps. You need to calm down."
"Whatever," Effy says, taking her hand off Naomi's back and starting towards the street again to call for a cab, "It's all fucked up."
"What, you think I don't know that?" Naomi says, speedwalking to catch up to Effy, "Just give it some time—"
"Time?" Effy whirls around and looks Naomi straight in the eyes. They're duller, she's noticed. They never seemed to quite lose their brightness, not since Effy had first met her at Roundview, until recently. "How do you even know you've got any time? What if Emily finally hears about it and she has to come back to your dead body in the fucking morgue?"
"Stop being so fucking cynical," Naomi says, sighing and running a hand through her hair, "That's my job. So is telling my girlfriend about my condition. So just leave it alone, alright?"
Effy turns and aggressively opens the back door to the cab that's just stopped in front of them. "Yeah. Whatever."
One month later
They get back to their (more like Effy's, since Naomi is still unable to pay the goddamn rent) flat, and Naomi immediately heads to her bedroom, probably exhausted from the show she's just had (Effy still doesn't quite understand how Naomi could possibly make jokes about her condition), and Effy walks into her little makeshift study. After she's finally settled in, she hears the familiar Skype call tone ringing from the kitchen. "Naoms," she calls. No answer. Naomi's already asleep. Effy groans, gets up from her seat, and heads over to Naomi's laptop, pressing "Answer Call" once she sees that Emily's the one who's calling. She sits in front of the laptop.
"Hey, Em," she says, leaning back into the kitchen seat.
"Hi, Effy!" Emily says, waving excitedly into the camera. Effy smirks a little, amused at the fact that Emily constantly acts like Skype is one of the greatest inventions ever to be thought of. "Is Naomi around?"
"She's napping," Effy says. Because she's sick. With cancer. That she hasn't told you about since she was diagnosed. Almost two months ago. "Want me to take a message?"
"Didn't know Naomi had a receptionist. You've been working too hard at your office job, yeah?" Emily jokes. Her expression sobers a little. "Naomi doesn't usually take naps. Seems like almost every time I call, she's sleeping, nowadays. Everything alright?"
Effy clears her throat, attempting at giving Emily a reassuring smile. Lying's a lot easier when it's through a webcam. "Yeah. She's just not been feeling well lately."
"Oh," Emily says, her voice taking on a rather concerned tone, "Good that she's getting rest, then. Send her my love, alright? And tell her to call once she's awake. I miss her."
"Yeah," Effy says. She hangs up the call and leans forward, placing her elbows on her knees and running her hands through her hair, inhaling deeply before getting up.
Not her relationship. Not her right.