Hey, guys! Thanks so much for your reviews, all of which were lovely! I'd not expected anyone to read this never mind to comment! Anyway, so I've taken things a little, er, off the rails shall we say, in this chapter. I hope it doesn't offend anyone or anything of the sort!
"I don't think I'm ok with this." Emily narrowed her eyes at her protective wife. "What? I've seen Hanna drunk. I've seen you drunk. Neither of those things fill me with confidence." Emily laughed a light, tinkling laugh that floated into Paige's ears and made her heart flutter like it always did.
"Spencer and Aria are going to be there too, they'll look after us."
"I know, it's the fact that they'll have to look after you that frightens me!" Paige ran a hand through her hair exasperatedly. "And I think you need to change." She gave Emily a look before staring intently at the opposite wall.
"Don't you like my dress?" Emily asked, teasing, knowing exactly what she was doing. She smoothed out an invisible crease in the tight maroon number.
"I fucking love it." Paige groaned. "Which is exactly why you need to change into something that doesn't stick to you or is suggestive in anyway." She swallowed.
"Paige?" When she doesn't reply Emily grabs her face and turns it to look at her, "Do you trust me?"
"Of course I do. It's everyone else I don't trust." Emily scoffed.
"It's you I'll be slobbering on tonight when I come home drunk." The dark haired girl confirmed, kissing her wife tenderly.
"Be careful." Paige warns as a taxi horn can be heard outside. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive you? I'll come get you guys from town when you're done too."
"Paige." Emily says in warning.
"Fine. Ok. Go." Paige sighs, shaking her head, laughing as her 25 year old wife raced out the house like a teenage girl, to a taxi that was waiting to take her to Hanna's house where she was meeting the other girls.
"God, you look amazing!" Spencer ogled when she opened Hanna's door to her best friend. Emily entered and did a twirl.
"Thanks. Paige thinks it was too much."
"Wow." Emily looked up to see Caleb standing in front of her. "Emily, you look beautiful." He kissed her cheek and pulled away with a sad smile, "I'm sorry, Hanna told me your news."
Emily gave a shrug, acting nonchalant, "It'll happen when it happens." She nodded, "Now, is someone going to get me a drink?" She asked, wanting to change the topic swiftly.
"Come on, Hanna will be down shortly, you know what she's like."
"Typical Han." Emily rolled her eyes and let Spencer guide her into the kitchen.
"Aria said she wouldn't be long." Spencer checked the large ostentatious wall clock behind her head. "Vodka?" She asked. Emily smiled at her friend who without waiting for an answer was already pouring the clear liquid into a glass and topping it up with orange juice. "How're you doing?" Spencer decided to bite the bullet. Emily had told her the news earlier in the week over coffee.
A few seconds passed in silence as Emily took a long drink, "I'm ok. It's just a case of trying again and hoping for the best."
"God, Em. I don't even know what to say to you." Spence shook her head, sipping her wine. Completely at a loss for words at how to comfort her friend.
"That's ok." Emily smiled, she hated that it made everyone awkward. "Shots?" She quirked a perfectly arched brow which was met by a stringent look from her best friend.
"One." Spencer warned, pointing an accusing finger at the girl before her who was now holding her hands up in surrender. The air filled with the light fragrance of some haughty, undoubtedly expensive, sweet perfume as Hanna pushed her way into the large kitchen, already stumbling. She gushed at Emily, complimented her dress and set down an empty glass on the counter before turning to Spencer.
"You two weren't going to do shots without me now, were you?" Her light eyes flashed to Emily, narrowed questioningly.
"Honestly Han, it's like you heard them calling you." Emily chuckled, taking the shot glass Spencer handed her.
"Guys! You did shots without me?" Aria frowned five minutes later when she finally arrived, kissing the girls on the cheek, lingering longer on Emily as she squeezed her hand.
"You're playing catch up now, Aria." Hanna joked, at which Spencer rolled her eyes.
"Where are the husbands at tonight then?" Emily asked.
"Toby is looking after Spud." Spencer wasn't ready for kids yet, so she had pacified her husband with a Labrador instead. "I think he's starting to realise a dog might be a nice gentle build up before we even consider children." Spencer exhaled, frightened at even the thought of having a child yet.
"Ezra is going out with a couple of his friends from work. I've told him he can't get too shit faced because I'm expecting him to look after me tomorrow when I'm dying." The girls laughed.
"Mummy," A small voice was heard as the door opened slightly. The door opened fully as Caleb lifted up his daughter and greeted the four girls with a wide smile.
"Is it time for bed, princess?" Hanna asked her petite daughter in a sickly sweet voice. "I think it might be, but if you're a good girl daddy might read you a story." Hanna tapped the little girl's nose.
"Oh I don't know about that. Little Lucinda's a little trouble maker aren't you?" He tickled his blonde daughter's sides as the girls watched on with differing expressions on their faces. Aria's of complete happiness at the heart-melting scene in front of her, she was so happy for her friend. Spencer's was more a certain degree of unease as she watched the sickeningly sweet display, while Emily felt only love and jealousy. What she wanted more than anything in the world came so easily to her flighty best friend. But she was sure that soon enough, and although she hated to admit, when the time was right she'd be just as content.
Caleb twisted so his daughter was no longer between him and his girlfriend. "Have a good night." He attempted to kiss her but was warned about lipstick and simply placed a kiss on her forehead instead. "I love you." He pulled her into his side where she stayed for a moment, smoothing down the white hair atop her daughters head. "I love you two more than all the stars in the sky." Hanna whispered animatedly to the pair. "Are you going to give kisses?" She asked her daughter. In turn each girl received a vaguely sloppy kiss and a cute mumble of "night," from the little girl in Caleb's arms.
"How did the pair of you produce something so, God I hate to be admitting this but, cute?" Spencer pulled her face into a semi-grimace. It was a sort of running joke now between the girls how much Spencer disliked the idea of children.
"Hanna, quickly, turn the AC on, the ice queen is melting!" Aria stated, faking alarm.
"Oh shut up. I can admit that Luca is cute, doesn't mean I'm getting broody." Spencer rolled her eyes and finished her wine.
It was early into the night and Emily was already missing her wife. The two weren't used to being apart and it felt strange to be without her. Not that she wasn't having a good time with the girls, but Emily began to feel she should have at least invited Paige, who was after all considered more one of the girls than one of the guys.
"I feel guilty I didn't invite Paige." Emily voiced her concerns over the pounding music.
"There's a valid reason for that!" Spencer laughed, sharing an amused look with Aria, which evoked a confused look from Emily, but before she could even ask, Hanna had already answered her question in true Hanna fashion.
"Because you two can't keep your hands off each other. You, Emily McCullers," Han explained tapping her friend with her pointer finger, "are a horny drunk and it is not enjoyable to witness." Hanna handed the girls more drinks, which she seemed to procure from thin air. Emily accepted gratefully, happy to have something to draw the attention from her burning cheeks. The more sensible girls had already chastised the blonde for providing drink after drink but she didn't listen. This is the way it always went, Emily just got carried away, usually literally because the amount of alcohol she ingested resulted in her being absolutely legless.
"We're going to the bathroom." Hanna announced suddenly, grabbing Emily's arm and dragging the raven-haired girl through the crowd leaving Spencer and Aria behind sporting confused expressions.
"I don't need to pee." Emily complained drunkenly, checking her phone to see if Paige had messaged her. Staring at her phone for a good twenty seconds before it comes into focus and she was able to see anything on the screen at all.
"Come on." Hanna pulls Emily into an empty stall without her consent and opens her clutch, pulling out a small bag of white powder as Emily locks the door. Hanna looks up to her friend with a look of slight apprehension on her face. Hanna knows this is so very wrong; she's a mother for Christ sake. But she's out and she can't help it, she's still young, she's allowed to still have a good time.
"Han," Emily looks conflicted, shaking her head. It would be hypocritical of her to reprimand Hanna for this given how many times this has happened in the past, and Hanna wasn't always the instigator.
"Don't give me that look. Christ, Em." Hanna slurs, "It's not as if this is a regular thing! We're out." Hanna looks away; grabbing a house key from her purse she opens the bag and pushes the key inside, shaking the bag gently so the fine white powder falls into the groves of the key.
I love you, so much. Emily takes a minute to send a message to her wife, who she knows will already be in bed. "You done?" Emily asks her friend, shaking her head slightly, the buzz dying after Hanna's sudden and serious outburst.
"You want?" The blonde sways, holding the bag out to her friend, wiping her nose. "Come on, Em. I know you're trying to pretend you're not hurting. Maybe for a while you won't have to pretend." Hanna persuades her friend and both of the girls know it's coming from the best of places.
"Jesus, Hanna. Only a little bit. Paige always knows." She brushed dark hair behind her ears, blocks one nostril, inhales and follows the line of the key.
"Come here," Hanna places her gentle hands on either side of Emily's face, steadying her; she wipes the excess powder from the girls nose. Emily inhales sharply and deeply once more, feeling the vile tasting powder trickle down her throat. "They're so going to know." Hanna begins to chuckle and Emily follows suite. Because they're still young and it's still acceptable for them to act like this. "Just like old times." Light eyes meet dark as Hanna's thumb begins to stroke her best friend cheek gently.
"Yeah, before you got yourself knocked up!" The girls laughed, but Hanna's doesn't quite meet her eyes.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Hanna asks, turning from her friend, hand on the lock.
"Of course it is."
"As long as you're sure." Hanna smiles, grabbing Emily's hand and pulling her from the gross nightclub bathroom.
"You know, Aria. I'd say it's peculiar that our friends both went to the bathroom and have both returned with a sudden case of the sniffles." Spencer gave the giggling girls a knowing look.
"Hush now, Spenny." Emily slurs, dragging her pointer finger over the skinny girl's lips. Spencer leans in towards Emily and asks if she's ok, so sincerely that Emily feels obliged to tell her the truth, she shrugs, "I'll be fine."
"You can come over next week, we'll have a chat." Spencer smiles, knowing that her friend wont remember making plans with her the next morning.
"Are you going to lie me on your couch, Spence?" Emily asks suggestively. "I love it when you talk psychological to me." Spencer laughs at her friend before whispering something to Aria and walking off towards the bar.
"Whoa there," Aria laughs, holding Emily steady. "Are you having a good time?"
"You mean if I try not to think about the sweat that's dripping from the roof? I'm having the best time!" Emily hugs her petite friend, feeling overcome with every kind of emotion.
"Spencer's gone to get you some water." Aria shakes her head as Emily begins to fiddle with her phone. It's nice to have them all together, Aria has missed it, since Hanna had Luca, Spencer got promoted and Emily has been trying for a baby the four haven't really gotten together for quite a while. Definitely not in this way, the way they used to. This being the norm that Em and Han would get absolutely shit faced, they're a terrible pair, and she and Spence would end up looking after them although they never minded. They're sure they have more fun laughing at the other two than they would if they were in a similar state.
"I don't need water!" Emily moans overly dramatic, knowing the desired effect of the water. "I'm going to dance with Hanna!" She shouts, jamming her phone back into her bag before stalking off into the crowd towards her manic best friend who is dancing in the middle of the floor, centre of attention as always.
Okkkk. So I know that took quite a turn, but I'm into writing stuff that's at least partly realistic. I hope no one was offended by that or thought it was so majorly bad or unnecessary. It is going to lead somewhere, I think. I've also been thinking and I think the story is mainly going to be Paily. (I'm still trying to get to grips with this style of writing! I'm contemplating changing to first person.) I hope you guys enjoyed, regardless x