A/N: This was mostly typed on my phone, so if there are any mistakes, I apologise. FitchSwitch did kinda look it over via text message, so hopefully there's nothing major. Anyway, enjoy.

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Emily

She tells herself not to get her hopes up as she settles in the stands with her book Monday morning. She's beat Naomi there, but she's not surprised. She didn't sleep well last night and she didn't feel like lying around in bed this morning or being subjected to more of Katie dishing about what a great shag Cook is and how Emily needs to find herself a bloke.

"Maybe Freddie's up for it," Katie had suggested on Sunday afternoon.

Emily had imagined briefly how absurd she'd look standing next to someone as tall as Freddie and laughed. She hadn't been brave enough to tell Katie that she didn't want Freddie or anyone like him.

She doesn't want a him at all. She doesn't want just any her. She wants Naomi.

She looks out over the still water of the pool and breathes in the chlorine. Her brain is flooded with thoughts of Naomi: the way she looked in that tight peacock blue top on Saturday, the way her body had moved against her own when they were dancing, the way her voice grew raspier after she'd taken a drag of a cigarette, the way her lips felt pressed against her own. Emily had melted into those lips. She'd let herself get lost in their softness and their gentle caress. She'd let herself believe she felt pure, raw desire in the way they kissed her back.

The door to the locker room swinging open shakes her out of her thoughts, and she can't help the way her chest constricts and her heart skips a beat when she looks up and sees Naomi walking through it, white track suit on over a blue swimming costume.

Emily watches silently as Naomi scans her surroundings. She's unsure, now that she sees her, if she's ready to see what Naomi's reaction will be to her two days after their kiss. Naomi's eyes find her, and Emily feels a hint of relief at the shy smile that's sent her way. She offers her own tentative smile back.

She's not surprised when no words are exchanged. Emily's grown accustomed to the way that Naomi just likes to get in the water and swim first thing. Besides, she can see Naomi's got her headphones in.
Emily doesn't even bother opening the book in her lap as Naomi sheds her track suit, closes her eyes to focus, then takes her headphones out and sets them carefully down. Emily's not even spared a glance as Naomi makes her way to a diving block, climbs up, poises herself to dive, then holds, waiting for something that Emily can't determine.

*Splash*

Naomi dives gracefully into the water and she's more than halfway across the pool when she surfaces. Emily allows her eyes to drink in every curve, every muscle, every long stroke as Naomi swims. It's a graceful ballet of muscles, timing, breathing and water, and Emily's not sure she's ever seen anything more beautiful. She's been watching for a few weeks now and still she finds herself mesmerised as Naomi glides through the water like she was born to do it.

The minutes fly by far too quickly (even though Emily's positive that Naomi swam a few extra laps this morning), and before Emily's ready to face what might happen next, Naomi's pulling herself out of the water and ringing out her hair as she towels off.

Naomi's eyes find her again, and the same shy smile from before settles on her face, only this time it's accompanied by a pinkness in her cheeks. It occurs to Emily that she's been staring (and, okay, maybe perving a bit) and that Naomi's rather acutely aware of that fact. She finds herself blushing in response.

She searches her brain for words to say to make things less awkward. She wants to let Naomi know that she's not going to pressure her. She wants to let Naomi know that things don't have to be awkward between them. She wants to let Naomi know that she doesn't have to be self-conscious around her. She wants to let Naomi know that they can still be just friends. (God, she doesn't want to lose Naomi as a friend.)

She wants to let Naomi know that she's fallen for her completely and is hers for the taking. She thinks she shouldn't.

She opens with, "Good swim?"

Naomi wraps her towel around her waist as she nods. "Yeah. Thanks."

There's a slight furrow to her brow and a flash of an expression that Emily can't quite read as she says it.
"Did you have a good rest of your weekend?"

Naomi makes her way towards where Emily's sitting, hair still dripping large drops onto the floor. "Yeah. It was quiet. Chilled at Ef's yesterday morning then had a relaxed swim. Then homework. Nothing big. You?"

What Emily wants to say, but knows she mustn't is: "I thought about kissing you over and over again. I thought about how amazing your lips feel on mine. I spent hours imagining getting to kiss you again and envisioning what it might be like to be your girlfriend."

Emily actually says: "Same. Homework mostly. And I got subjected to Katie dishing about how great a shag Cook is." She makes a disgusted face and Naomi rolls her eyes.

"Delightful."

"Oh yeah."

"Did she tell you how he likes having his balls grabbed?"

Emily cringes and then a horrible thought strikes her. "You didn't..."

"No! No. Definitely not. Effy."

"Really?"

"Once upon a time."

"Like, they dated?"

"I suppose you could call it that."

"Is that why she keeps hitting on Katie? Is she trying to keep her away from Cook?"

"Oh, no. Not at all. She's actually interested in Katie for some reason."

"I just don't understand it. Katie's straight."

"So you keep saying."

"Trust me, if you'd heard the way she was going on about Cook yesterday, you'd believe it too."

Naomi cocks her head to the side and her expression changes. "And did you...I mean, you know, did you tell Katie about...your Saturday night?"

And there it is. A reference, however vague, to their kiss.

"No," she's quick to answer. Maybe too quick she thinks as Naomi's expression darkens for a split second.

"I couldn't tell Katie without telling her I'm...that I...you know..."

"Like girls?" Naomi finishes for her.

"Like you," Emily corrects and instantly wishes she hadn't.

Naomi's whole body tenses and her face is a mixture of expressions all flitting across it too quickly for Emily to read. Her mind races to find a way to backtrack a little. "Or anyone other than a bloke. She actually suggested I see if Freddie was interested. If she found out I was gay," Emily mouths the word even though she knows they're alone in the pool area, "she'd freak. There's no way that I could have a secret like this from her. That's how she'd see it. And this secret would NOT be okay with her. Trust me, if she wasn't straight this would be a lot easier, but she definitely is to the slightly homophobic degree and -"

"Emily," Naomi cuts her off, and she's half grinning now.

"Yeah?"

"Breathe."

Emily pouts out her lower lip. "I am."

"Don't get me wrong, the rambling is cute, but you were getting rather off-topic."

Emily's breath catches in her throat. Had Naomi just called her cute?

Naomi's smile falters a little and Emily thinks that she must have realised what she said.

"Anyway, homophobic and 'not straight' aren't mutually exclusive," Naomi adds quickly.

"Yeah, but I'd know if Katie were..."

"Like she knows you are?"
Emily frowns. "It's not like I'm out shagging my way through the male population of Britain, though."

"Effy's doing her best and she's not completely straight. Anyway, sexuality can be fluid. So Ef always says, at any rate."

The question "given any thought to yours?" is on the tip of Emily's tongue, but she bites it back.
"Did you mention your Saturday night to anyone else?"

Naomi shakes her head. "Just Ef. I wouldn't out you to someone else without talking to you first."

"Thanks," Emily says with a smile, although part of her can't help feeling disappointed that Naomi hadn't felt the urge to tell someone about the kiss. Then again, she'd had Effy to talk to...if she'd even wanted to.

An awkward silence lingers between them, and Emily finds herself watching the drops of water slip from the ends of Naomi's hair (darker now that it's wet) and *plink* onto the floor.

"I just want you to know that -" Emily begins at the same time that Naomi says, "I should probably go shower."

"What?" Emily asks, laughing uncomfortably.

"No, you first," Naomi urges.

"I just wanted to say that you don't have to worry. I'm not going to try to kiss you again or anything. Especially not at school."

Naomi hesitates before she replies, and when she does it's with a drawn out "okaaaay."

"I didn't want you to feel awkward like I was just sitting here thinking about kissing you all the time." Liar, a voice in Emily's head accuses.

"Really?" There's disbelief in Naomi's voice, and possibly a hint of...but no, Emily thinks she must be mistaken. Naomi can't be flirting with her.

"Anyway, what'd you say before?" Emily asks.

"Just that I should shower before class. Don't want to smell like chlorine all day."

Emily can't help thinking that she doesn't really mind the smell of chlorine. It makes her think of Naomi. She doesn't say so, though. Instead, she smiles and nods. "Guess I'll see you in class, then."

"Yeah." Naomi looks for a moment as if she's about to say something else, but then she turns and heads back to where her track suit and iPhone lie, shooting Emily a little wave over her shoulder before disappearing into the locker room.

Emily breathes a deep sigh when the door thuds shut behind Naomi. She's survived their first post-kiss encounter with her heart mostly intact. She's in trouble, though, because she knows that she's only going to fall deeper the more time she spends with Naomi and she can't bring herself to entertain the thought of distancing herself from Naomi. Despite the brief moment of potential flirting (which Emily's sure she misread), Emily knows she can't read too much in to their time together. Naomi made her position fairly clear the other night. She's not interested. Not in a relationship, at least.

Emily sighs again.

"Whatever you do, Ems, don't fall in love," she mutters under her breath before standing and making her way out of the pool.