"Alison takes Emily on a date for her birthday"
Emily/Alison
"I wonder what the piece would say, if it could talk," Emily comments softly."You ever wonder what all this art would say, if it could talk?" she asks quietly as she stands staring at the sculpture. It's of a young girl - a dancer - by the artist Degas.
They've been standing in front of it for a while now, just quietly taking it in. Their hands are intertwined, as Alison's left arm is also wrapped around Emily's arm - her whole body leaning into the brunette.
"They've seen a lot," Alison replies. She's staring at this piece for what is probably the millionth time in her life. Here, at The Met, the two of them have spent the entire afternoon walking around, Alison guiding Emily to all of her favorite pieces. Now, standing in front of this one, one that Alison spent many afternoons during those two years away looking at, Alison feels self-conscious.
You see, it's Emily's birthday and the other girl had simply asked that her present be something different. Alison told no one what her gift would be, for fear that the other girls might call her self-indulgent. Because it's Emily's birthday and they're at a museum looking at Alison's favorite pieces of art. It probably wasn't her best idea, but Emily has yet to seem bored or unhappy with the whole thing.
In fact, she's been entirely focused, asking questions, and giving her interpretation of things in a way that surprised Alison. It's not that Ali buys into the jock persona Emily tends to project, she knows Emily is smart and educated, but this sort of genuine interest in something Ali would probably talk to Aria or Spencer about is quite new. Alison would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying it.
"So have you," Emily responds. "You've seen a lot too."
"I used to wonder, you know," Alison says. "What it would be like to be a piece of art. Not a performance piece or a painting, but something like this. A sculpture. Something that was so close to being a real person and yet…" Alison trails off.
"You are a real person, you know that - don't you?" Emily asks, still staring at the sculpture.
Alison shifts uncomfortably at Emily commenting so directly at what Alison was implying. She feels a bit of a blush on her cheeks at her, again self-indulgent, thoughts - her comparisons of herself to a sculpture for Christ's sake.
Alison shakes her head. "You tired of this yet?" Ali asks.
"No. Are you?" Emily says, finally tearing her eyes away from the sculpture.
"No, I'm just impressed at how you've managed to appear so interested all afternoon at my shitty trip."
Emily furrows her brows. "Why wouldn't I be interested? I just got to spend my birthday learning about the girl of my dreams. How is that not a great gift?"
Alison's eyes widen. She let's out a chuckle at Emily's words - ignoring the warmth that has spread over her heart at the other woman's words. "We've just been looking at paintings."
"No, we've been looking at the paintings you used to look at when you were gone."
"Sometimes I feel like that was an entirely different person," Alison replies.
"Maybe it was."
Alison raises an eyebrow at that.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't sometimes think that there were multiple versions of you, Alison," Emily admits.
"The ones you like, the ones you love, and the ones you hate, huh?"
"Actually, if today is anything to go by, then my theory was right."
"What theory?"
"That they're all the girl of my dreams," Emily replies. "No such thing as the ones I hate. They're all you - and I love you."
Alison swallows at that. She's always a bit overwhelmed at Emily's declarations of love for her - always feeling like they're unearned, misguided, undeserved. But, Emily's right. The entire afternoon has been about Alison sharing another side of herself with Emily and Emily has done nothing but take it all in. It doesn't just feel like love - it is.
"So, ready for the next one?" Alison asks, her voice still thick with emotion.
"Lead the way," Emily answers.
"I love you too, by the way."
"I know."