Naomi
"Alright, you have one hour. You know the drill. Troy! No repeats…" Naomi stared down the shaggy headed little prick, as he nodded and smirked, waiting until he looked down at his test to allow herself a grin. She remembered when he came into her class at the beginning of the year. It wasn't as if he was out shooting up heroin in the toilets or anything. He was just a kid full of anger and attitude…a typical adolescent, really. One of the brightest kids she'd had, by far, but he just didn't give a fuck. She had caught him blatantly cheating on the first test, reading directly off the palm of his hand. Now, here he was, closing in on the end of the year, acing all of his tests, and actually smiling while attending class. He could still be a little punk, but at least he had some drive; some sort of motivation.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes thinking about what a cliché she had become. She blamed her mother. Always going on and on about making a difference, standing up for what is right, and everything else she enjoyed going on and on about for hours, even if no one was listening. All of it actually stuck. However, all that 'hate for injustice', as she called it…well, she used to think she would be a political activist or head up a non-profit or something like that. If a younger me could meet me now, man would she be pissed. She chuckled lightly to herself, thinking how nothing ever turned out like she expected, and somehow she still loved her life.
She picked up her pen, ready to try grading papers instead of day dreaming during the test, only to be distracted as she made the first mark. The red ink bled through the paper, spreading out infinitesimally, before drying. Damn. She had been attempting to stay somewhat focused all day long; trying desperately to not think about the night ahead. It gave her the most intense nerves she had ever had, just thinking about it. She had been a wreck the night before, when she got home, as she started to plan her date. A fucking date. With Emily fucking Fitch.
Not to mention that she was terrified of…well, of how much she forgot how terrified she was. There in the redhead's hallway, she completely lost herself in Emily's lips, her skin, her hair, her scent. If she was honest with herself, she was ready to rip her clothes off right then and there. Only Emily's insistence that they take things slow had stopped her, and only then did she stop and think. And when she stopped to think, she became petrified of what she had almost jumped into headfirst.
She had no clue what she was doing. What did someone even do…with a girl?...Though judging from her reaction to Emily, Naomi was pretty sure she could figure it out.
She just became more and more enthralled every time she saw her. The night at the club…Emily actually stunned her. Naomi was sure that her brain went completely blank for a solid minute. She had already thought Emily was breathtakingly gorgeous, and adorable. Intelligent, funny, and intense. But she decided she had never actually known the meaning of the word sexy until Emily began to dance. The way her body seemed to become part of the beat, the way her skin slightly glistened in the lights. And then there were her eyes. Naomi knew immediately that Emily was dancing for her and her alone. She barely even registered Cook's hands on her at that point, and when Emily began dancing with her, she thought she might combust.
Emily didn't respond to Naomi's attempt at controlling the situation, either time. She saw the jealousy there, in those brown eyes, but she stayed calm. She took complete control of the situation and burst her way into Naomi's mind. Into her heart. Emily didn't want to be teased and messed around. Not emotionally anyway. I'm sure I could find other ways to tease her…Shit. Stop. For the twentieth time, she brought her mind back from the dirty thoughts Emily seemed to inspire. Thoughts of making Emily squirm, making her scream. She didn't want allow her mind to drift there while she was at work. She was weary of it happening at all. And she still had to concentrate.
She only had six more hours before her date.
Naomi brought her knuckles to the door, hitting it once, before wincing and remembering that her fist was still slightly bruised. Instead she brought her left hand up and knocked. Every second that she had to wait seemed to last forever.
Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing a slightly flushed Emily, sporting a wide smile and quickly trying to pull the strap of her shirt back onto her shoulder, as it had fallen to reveal the creamy white skin beneath it.
"Hi." Naomi couldn't stop looking her over. It never ceased to amaze her that, though Emily never really seemed to try to look fantastic, she always seemed to take Naomi's breath away. Naomi had never seen anyone make slightly tight t-shirts and jeans look so hot. Tonight, however, Emily was wearing a looser tank top over a tight spaghetti strap undershirt. Naomi loved Emily's arms, and couldn't help herself, as her eyes raked over the now exposed and subtly defined muscles displayed, until they reached her hand and Naomi let out a chuckle.
"You really need to start setting aside more appropriate times to paint." Emily had a few spots of green and yellow on her hand. She rushed her paint splattered hands behind her back, maintaining a guilty but playful smirk.
"You know, this actually isn't that terrible of a time. You are twenty minutes early." She sent Naomi a knowing smirk as Naomi quickly pulled her phone out of her pocket.
"Shit." She mumbled it to herself, but heard the redhead let out a snort of laughter. "I'm really sorry. I just…I guess I rushed over. I looked at the clock before I left, but I thought it would take longer…traffic and all…and…shit." She couldn't stop babbling until she felt Emily's soft hand on her forearm.
"Don't worry about it," she giggle out, as she ran her fingers soothingly over Naomi's arm, causing Naomi to shut up immediately and let out a breathy sigh mixed with a nervous laugh. "Come in. You can help me clean up. I was finished anyway."
As she stepped in, she recognized Joshua Radin coming from the speakers softly, and saw a small canvas sitting in the middle of the kitchen. It looked like the silhouette of a tree in front of an extremely brightly colored sunset. It didn't look as if Emily was going for a realistic looking picture, but rather trying to capture an idea of some kind. She loved the colors. They were so bright, it brought a small smile to Naomi's face before she realized it was there. She could picture Emily sitting there, focusing intently on the canvas, trying to put everything down, attempting to pour something inexplicable onto the blank space in front of her. She hadn't realized she had been staring at the painting for so long until she heard Emily clear her throat.
"Well, you have been a great help in this cleaning up process, but I believe I am ready for my date, Madame." Emily's hands were now paint-free and she had put shoes on.
"That didn't take long." Naomi hoped it hadn't taken long, otherwise she really had just spaced out completely.
"I decided to just wash my hands and paint brushes for now. I can do the rest later. I want to start our date now." Naomi looked at the girl in front of her, unable to control a quiet laugh at the sight of her face. It was like she was a child being taken to Disney World. Suddenly, she became extremely anxious about the fact that the excitement was in anticipation of the date that she had planned. She swallowed heavily and nodded, heading towards the door. She stopped abruptly, remembering what she had almost forgot.
"Oh, um, here." She pulled out a tiny stuffed elephant, no longer than her finger, from her bag, looking down, embarrassed, as she handed it to the redhead. On the first night they had hung out, Emily had mentioned a love of elephants, going into a ten-minute speech about how amazing they were, how gentle but still terrifying they could be, how adorable she thought the baby elephants were. Naomi had thought, at the time, that she couldn't believe she actually found herself interested in a speech about elephants. So when she saw the tiny toy at the store, she had bought it without thinking. When the date had come about, she decided this was the perfect time to give it to her. The second she had pulled it out, seeing Emily's surprised face, she started scolding herself. What the hell? Why did you think this was a good idea? Flowers, normal. Candy, Normal. A fucking stuffed elephant? NOT normal.
A loud laugh burst forth from Emily's mouth, startling Naomi. "I love it!" She threw her arms around the still shocked blonde, before she stepped back, looking a little surprised at her own enthusiasm, but still grinning widely. She leaned over and planted a small but lingering kiss on the blonde's cheek, whispering a small "Thank you" as she leaned back. She set the elephant next to her laptop, which was sitting on the counter, adjusting his position a few times, before stepping back, seeming to give the elephant a nod, and turning to Naomi.
"This is already one of the best dates I've been on." She giggled to herself for a few minutes as she headed out the door. Naomi, still in a state of surprise, chuckled, shook her head, and followed the redhead out.
As they stepped out of the car and began walking through the parking lot towards the restaurant, Naomi reached out and slipped her fingers into Emily's hand, before thinking about what she was doing. "Um…sorry. Is…is this okay?" She gestured down to their linked hands. She saw Emily look down as if she hadn't realized anything out of the ordinary had happened. Her face broke into a giant smile.
"This is perfect." Naomi could swear her heart nearly exploded out of her chest. This girl had inspired everything from intense lust to extreme tenderness in her and now she was getting these aching feelings in her chest every time the girl smiled or said something sweet.
She couldn't bring herself to care.
They had been sat at a somewhat secluded area of the restaurant (upon Naomi's request) had ordered food and drinks, and had fallen into an easy conversation. Naomi could not help but notice how easy it was with Emily. Everything seemed to flow, but there seemed to be this ever-present buzzing in the air. It was like this force; this excitement that seemed to be created every time they were near each other. Naomi could barely contain herself from doing things that seemed so natural, but were not normal for a first date. She wanted to brush the soft red hair out of Emily's face when it was covering her eyes. She wanted to gently run her fingers over Emily's knuckles as her hand lie on the table. She wanted to feel the tiny cut on Emily's lip and ask her if it was okay. All of it was driving her insane.
"So, what is something that you hate?"
Naomi shook her head at the randomness of the question. "Is this the question game again?" She held back a laugh, unable to believe that the redhead loved this game so much.
"Yup. So…?"
"Well…I guess…hmm." Naomi thought back to her thoughts earlier in the day. "I would have to say, I hate injustice. That is what I would have said when I was younger, but I think it still holds true." Emily seemed to think about it for a second.
"That is a very wide range of things, isn't it? It's a lot to hate, I mean."
"Yeah, I suppose it is. I just wish the world was fair sometimes, you know? There is so much wrong with it. So many hungry people, so many shitty situations. Not just things that require the goodwill of a few people to fix either. It's not as if everyone being more caring and generous will make it all better. There are so many complicated political and socio-economical issues that only an immense amount of time, money, effort and planning could ever fix…and even then…" Naomi trailed off, feeling herself getting worked up. "I used to want to try and fix it all by myself, but I decided to focus on one thing that I was good at instead." Naomi chuckled, thinking about a younger version of herself, desperate to take on the world; to take down one evil political and corporate entity at a time. She was so angry back then.
"What about you Ems? What do you hate?"
"I don't really hate anything."
"That is an unfair answer. You can't just…not hate anything."
"Well, hate is such a strong word." She giggled at herself, before she became thoughtful again. "I just…I don't get angry about things as much as I get…upset. Does that make sense? It doesn't feel like hate…it feels like…like being in despair at the thought of certain things." Naomi was once again struck with how much Emily seemed to feel, all the time. She was so…connected with her emotions. Naomi almost wished she could be like that. But at times, when she saw Emily so deep in whatever she was in, she thought it would be exhausting in a way, dealing with all of that, all the time.
"Well, what is something that, well, that sort of hate applies to?" She wasn't sure how to phrase it now, Emily confusing every part of her brain.
"I guess, if we are using that definition…I hate how fleeting everything is." Her brow furrowed slightly. There was a soft sadness in her eyes. Naomi wanted to reach over and smooth the anxiety showing in Emily's face; wanted to smooth the crinkled skin above her eyes.
"Nothing lasts. It's just the way time works. The only thing that goes on forever is an idea, as long as there are people to keep it. But you can't touch that. You can think about love, but the love that you feel, it can't last forever. The beauty of a perfect moment…well, it only lasts for a moment. I mean, that is part of what makes those moments great. That you get to be there for them, even though they disappear so soon after. But…it's still sad. Because it's just how everything works. Nothing can last, even lasting things. You can't stop time." Naomi watched Emily's mouth as she talked, seeing a look that was almost frustrated cloud her face. Like she was trying to wrap her mind around what she was saying. She was looking at nothing in particular, still thinking. Naomi traced her eyes over the soft curve of her jaw before staring at her bottom lip, sticking out slightly as she sat in concentrated silence. She was so engrossed in nuances of her face that, when Emily abruptly smiled, her breath hitched at how beautiful she found it. "But really, that is just how life works, you know. So, as sad as it is, it makes me really…" she stopped looking as if she were trying desperately to find words, a fire lighting up her eyes "…really, fucking…fucking burst with how awesome it is to even be here, you know? Just, life…it can be a real bitch sometimes. And when I get lonely and feel sad, I forget all this. But it is sort of just amazing to be here, and breathing and…living."
Emily continued to talk, letting her thoughts flow out of her, causing Naomi to be increasingly hypnotized by her lips, the way the side of her mouth curled up when she was laughing at herself, the way she bit her lip when she was searching for words. She could barely look away from her eyes. They were this deep brown that was now burning, as Emily talked about philosophical theories that Naomi had never heard of, which turned into talking about books and music, and then everything else. Naomi was talking too, but she geared all of her answers towards trying to get Emily to talk more, loving seeing her lit up talking about little things like character development in some television show or laughing over some silly joke her five-year old cousin told her on the phone. Before Naomi realized, it had been three hours, they had paid, and they were just sitting there chatting, almost no one around them except their waiter, lurking behind the wall near the kitchen, clearly wanting them to leave so he could go home.
As they finally left, feeling buoyed up by the apparent success of dinner, Naomi became excited for their next stop.
Naomi's hopes were dashed to the ground as they pulled up to an empty building with an empty parking lot and a 'Closed' sign hanging on the door. She had checked the website multiple times to see if it would be open, but according to the sight in front of her, it was wrong.
"Karaoke! I love karaoke!" Emily's excited voice made Naomi even more upset. "Wait…it looks closed…" Naomi saw Emily look towards her and she felt immensely disappointed as the brown eyes met her own.
"I can't believe its fucking closed! I knew it was a family owned place. I bet they all went out of town or something. Shit! I'm sorry Ems. I'm sure we can find another karaoke bar. There has to be one around here somewhere." She looked down the street, actually hoping for a second to see one sitting next door.
Emily gave Naomi a gentle smile as she reached over and placed her small hand on top of Naomi's. "Naoms, it's already dark. I don't really want to drive around aimlessly right now. We can figure something else out. It's fine." Suddenly her eyes looked over Naomi's shoulder and her face lit up. "Naoms, do you have a soccer ball in her somewhere?"
"Um, yeah…there is one in the trunk. Why?"
"Grab it and let's go." She bounded out of the car and went running off. Naomi turned her head and saw her small form speeding towards a lit up field just behind the bar. She smiled as she grabbed the ball and tried to catch up with Emily.
It looked as if it were a new pitch that probably had a timer on for the lights, but no one using it tonight. There was a wire fence running around the field fairly close to the edge on the opposite side, separating it from a small forest. Naomi breathed deeply as she followed Emily's lead, kicking off her shoes, and stepping onto the cool green grass. She wiggled her toes, loving the feeling. The soccer player in her was rejoicing at how perfect the grass was, wishing there was an actual game to play right now, just so she could properly put use to the field. Emily ran up to her, rolling the ball away from her and sprinting down the field with it, her bright red hair blowing behind her. Naomi jogged after her, trying to steal the ball back. They played around for a while, sometimes trying to keep it away from each other, other times trying to keep it in the air between them. They barely spoke two words as they played, mostly just laughing like small children.
As they simply passed it back and forth for a break, Naomi spoke. "Sorry about the place being closed. I really wanted to see you sing karaoke."
Emily grinned. "It's okay. This is fun too. Maybe we can go sing at another place on our next date." She smirked shyly towards Naomi, who blushed furiously, but composed herself.
"And what, Miss Fitch, makes you think there is going to be another date?" Emily looked playfully defiant.
"Well, I have clearly beaten you in all aspects of these little soccer games we have been playing. I think that means I am entitled."
"Hmm, how do you know I wasn't letting you win?" Naomi laughed lightly as she passed the ball back to Emily, who let out a scoff.
"Okay, Campbell. If you can get the ball away from me, you can decide whether or not there will be a second date." Naomi smiled, knowing that there was nothing that could stop her from going on a second date with Emily Fitch, unless, of course, it was Emily Fitch.
"Deal." She sprinted at her, chasing her towards the fence, as Emily squealed trying to get away while still keeping the ball. A few times, Naomi got close, but Emily did some confusing foot work, and left Naomi laughing and chasing after her again. As they got closer and closer to the fence, Naomi began holding on to Emily's hips, trying to move her off the ball, but became distracted as Emily began to laugh and she could feel the redhead's body shaking from laughter under her hands. Naomi tried to move her legs around to the front of Emily, but the small girl kept repositioning her body between Naomi and the ball, laughing the whole time, squealing lightly as Naomi squeezed her sides gently, tickling her. They ran into the fence, Emily placing her hands on the top bar, still shielding the ball from Naomi.
Their movements slowed a bit as Naomi gripped Emily's hips a little more firmly and moved her body close to Emily's back, not quite touching but close enough that the buzzing in the air she felt earlier now seemed to be vibrating through Naomi's entire body, causing her skin to tingle and her heart to thud deeply in her chest. With her hands she gently nudged Emily's hips, trying to coax her into turning around. Emily obliged and slowly spun, letting her arms fall to her sides, linking her fingers into the wire of the fence. Naomi, hands still on Emily's hips, lifted her foot up and dragged the ball back, causing it to roll a few feet behind them. She smirked down into Emily's face, raising her eyebrows. "It looks like I am victorious."
"I suppose you are." She let out a melodramatic sigh, causing Naomi to grin. "So the occurrence of another date is in your hands."
"Well, I am not quite done with this one yet. I would like to see how it turns out before I decide anything for sure."
"Ah…so I could still influence your decision then?" Naomi watched as Emily flipped a switch and was suddenly sexy Emily. She was amazed at how many sides this girl had. She wanted to get to know them all. Those brown eyes were looking at Naomi through thick eyelashes. Emily had a smirk on her face, as she bit her lip lightly.
Naomi gently nodded her head, "I suppose you do have some say-so in the final decision, yes." Their faces were much closer than before, both of them having moved them nearer to each other as they spoke.
"Hmm…well, what sort of thing would help my cause? I have a few dollars, if it's a monetary incentive you were looking for. Or…let's see…" Emily put on a faux-thinking face as she raised her right hand and ran one finger from just below Naomi's ear down to her collar bone slowly, causing Naomi's skin to burn under her touch and a shiver to travel down her spine. "Well, I'm just not sure what else I could do…"Her eyes were wide as she pouted, trying to keep a smirk off her face, though her lips twitched a few times, giving her away.
Naomi's breathing became heavy, the air now thick between the two of them. Naomi could smell Emily all around her and her own fingers were on fire, separated from Emily's skin only by the material of her shirts. She moved her thumbs underneath them and ran the tips of them over Emily's skin, hearing Emily's breath become ragged and feeling a fire start in her own stomach. Emily's pout, as well as her smirk, were gone, replaced by a look she had never seen before. It wasn't lust, not completely anyway. And it wasn't a flirty look, or even a laughing one. It wasn't smiling, but it wasn't sad either. It was completely somber, but bright. Her eyes were wide open, looking directly into Naomi's, as if they could see right through her. Her lips were parted very slightly and she looked like she was watching something. Like she was completely immersed with what was in front of her. All she could do was look back, her mind having gone a bit fuzzy, and as if she had lost control of herself, she leaned in and pressed her lips to Emily's.
This one was different. There was an intensity about this kiss that wasn't there before. Naomi's heart began screaming at her, but she tried not to listen to it. She thought about the fact that she hadn't known this girl for that long. About the fact that certain things were silly and impossible. She even let the fear take her over for a second about this being a girl that she was kissing. But that traitor in her chest kept saying the same thing over and over again. Love. Love. Love.
She felt herself become more intense immediately. It was as if she was experiencing every single sensation, but she wasn't actually in control of what her body was doing. She slipped her tongue into Emily's mouth, losing her mind a little as the redhead released a soft moan. She felt her lips vibrate from it, as those small soft hands tangled in her hair, pulling her closer. Her own hands reacted by pulling those small, perfect hips towards her own, as their bodies pressed against each other fully. Emily's arms were now all the way around her neck as they devoured each other, reveling in the sensation of tongues, teeth and breath melting into each other, being fused together by the heat between them.
She felt Emily raise her thigh, trying to get closer to her, fitting it directly between Naomi's own, but neither of them pulled back this time. Naomi simply pressed herself further into Emily, running her hands under Emily's shirt, along her back, unable to get enough of the warmth of her beautiful skin, desperate to taste it. She felt herself becoming increasingly wet as Emily continued to move her thigh against her. She was unable to stop herself from simultaneously reaching her hands down to cup her ass, and leaning her mouth down to suck her pulse point, feeling her underwear flood at the slightly salty taste of Emily's skin. She pulled her left hand out from under Emily's shirt, gripping the back of Emily's neck, pulling her closer, before running her hand slowly down, over the soft skin of her neck, surprising herself as she rubbed against Emily's breast, causing them both to pull back and release short gasps.
They pressed their foreheads together, breathing deeply, staring at each other. Naomi swore she could feel the air pulsing along with her body.
Emily released a low chuckle as she spoke, "You are very dangerous." Her voice was deep and gravely. Naomi was unable to stop tightening her grip on Emily's magnificent breast, as the husky voice seemed to be spurring the uncontrollable part of her brain forward. Emily let out a shaky breath, but still didn't move as Naomi expected her to.
As she spoke again, Naomi's heart began pounding even louder than before. "Do you want to come back to my place?"
God, yes.