Authors Note: Sorry for the delay, I was a little unwell and it didn't lend itself to writing or much else.
xoxo Chapter 10:
Spencer got to her own back door, but she didn't want to go in. Her smile was too big and she knew it'd be obvious. She tried to shake it from her face, but Hanna caught her the moment she walked in and a detailed run down of events at the Montgomery kitchen door then followed. Emily was practically bouncing around the room when she'd finished and Spencer wasn't far off following her.
"I'm coming too." Emily stopped and grabbed Spencer's hand. "I'm not missing this."
"What? Missing, huh?..." Spencer looked at them all confusedly.
"The fashion gala thingy. You said Melissa wasn't going, so I'm having her ticket." Emily said with such conviction that Spencer was half nodding her agreement.
"And my Mom has a say in this?"
"Your Mom loves me."
"Um." Spencer bit on her bottom lip. She half wanted Emily there and half didn't. Aria was going, but there were two tickets and Aria had been coy about it and then she'd kissed her and now Spencer wasn't sure about anything.
Her friends were getting carried away and she was trying to keep herself grounded. She tried to reason that it wasn't that much of a kiss, even that she could pass it off as friendly? Except she couldn't. Aria had definitely kissed back and the things she'd said in the kitchen had been sincere. She wanted to kiss her again, she wanted it to last more than two-seconds too. Emily was either going to be a help or a hindrance and as she eyed her best friends she really couldn't decide which.
"OK then." Emily rolled her eyes at Spencer's indecision. "How about that head of yours entertaining the thought that I can keep your Mom busy...yeah? Then you can run off and make out with the hot teacher all night."
"Sorry, yes." Spencer nodded and then blushed. "No, I mean not the make out, oh god Emily?..."
"So you don't want to kiss?" Emily teased and Spencer didn't think she could possibly go a deeper shade of red.
"You can come, but you dare embarrass me."
"Would I?" Emily smirked, patting Spencer on the back and helping herself to another cup of coffee.
xoxo
Aria was still frozen on the step when her had Mom walked in. She somehow closed the door and turned around, but her heart was racing and her lips still tingled.
"Hi." Ella repeated and Aria realized she'd been in a daze and her Mom was now looking at her strangely. "Where's Mike? I see we had a party."
"Huh?" Aria was totally not with it.
"A party! Here. there was one?" Her Mom repeated slowly, waiting for Aria to catch on.
"How do you know?"
"I know. You know I always do and there's garbage on the lawn, not the best clean up. So, where is he?"
"Upstairs. Meant to be cleaning, probably sleeping." Aria shrugged, they both knew what Mike was like.
"Just tell me there were no drugs and no cops?"
"Nope, nothing. All good." Aria sat down and watched as her Mom restocked the fridge. She was a little stunned, correction, she was completely stunned and focussing on her Mom right now was all that was stopping her from floating away.
Spencer had kissed her. Just a peck, but it was so soft and it meant so much. She wasn't sure what came next. They'd need to talk. They'd needed to talk for a while now, but Aria never could work out what to say. She wasn't sure what this could become.
Her own indecision had caused enough of a mess for Spencer to get into a state last night and she didn't want that to happen again. She had to face up to things.
"I'm not cleaning your room." Mike mumbled as he entered the kitchen, not realizing his Mom was home. "Spencer can help you."
"Spencer?" Ella's eyebrows almost disappeared in her hair line.
Aria felt like she couldn't breathe. She had no idea what to say.
"Mom!" Mike dropped the bottle he was holding and as the glass hit the floor the question's on Ella's lips disappeared. She rushed to help him and became caught up in chastising him so Aria snuck out of the room and found herself curled up on her bed, glad to have escaped.
xoxo
Spencer tapped her foot restlessly. She'd got bored of waiting for her Mom an hour ago and now Emily was teasing her, again. Truth is she'd not heard from Aria since she left that house yesterday morning and she'd not tried to contact her either and now she was beginning to feel anxious about the whole thing.
When they finally arrived at the hall Spencer was desperate to rush inside, but Emily linked their arms and made sure she stayed close.
"You gotta play this a little cool Spence."
"Why?"
"Coz you run in there and grab hold of her, you're only going to freak her out and history says she doesn't need anymore freaking, you get it?"
Spencer nodded. "I'm so glad you came, really!"
"I know." Emily winked.
"Come on you two." Spencer's Mom stood in the doorway waiting for them. "we're going to be late."
Spencer tried not to roll her eyes and quickly tugged Emily along with her.
It didn't take her a second to spot Aria in the crowd. Their eyes were instantly drawn to each other. Spencer felt her tummy do a little dance as Aria's lips curled into a half smile and she shyly raised her hand and offered a subtle wave.
"Who's she with?" Emily cut the moment short. Her eyes scanning the room eagerly.
"I...well that women looks familiar, but from Hollis or something." Spencer really couldn't be sure.
"You think she's her date?"
Spencer hoped she wasn't and was relieved when the woman that had been talking to Aria appeared to say goodbye before making her way to her seat.
Aria was alone.
"I'm going to go say hi." Spencer stepped forward but Emily pulled her back. "What?"
"Wait for her to come to you."
"Emily!" Spencer whined.
"She wants to, just wait." Emily insisted and Spencer felt she had little choice but to wait it out. She felt so nervous and wasn't sure she could actually walk across the room.
It didn't take long, probably thirty-seconds at the most, before Aria made her way over, but it felt like a lifetime.
"Hey." Aria was as calm as ever. "Emily." She said in greeting, reminding Spencer they weren't alone.
"Em, can you, uh..."
"Sure." Emily laughed.
"How you feeling?" Aria asked, turning her attention towards Spencer as they stepped into a quiet corner of the room.
"Feeling?" Spencer looked at her quizzically, she couldn't possibly describe how she was feeling right now, her emotions were nothing short of chaotic. "oh, you mean after...yeah good. Lots of sleep and food. You're Mom okay?"
"She guessed there was a party and Mike's been scrubbing the floors since she got home. She's not too mad though."
"So yeah." Spencer couldn't work out why she suddenly felt so awkward. Conversation had always been easy between them and it seemed to still be that way for Aria. Maybe she really had imagined it all. "I guess I should take my seat." she mumbled.
"Spencer?" Aria looked at her confusedly. "Did I do something?"
"I didn't hear from you or..."
"I thought...I've been...I should have called." Aria knew she should have. She'd gone to make that call several times.
"Did your date not make it?" Spencer cut in and it clearly threw Aria.
"My date?"
"Two tickets. I couldn't help but notice."
"No." Aria stepped closer. "There was never a date. I mean, well I had wanted to ask someone but..."
"Oh." Spencer's eyes dropped to the floor. Her heart couldn't take this now. She'd got her hopes up and now she was on the verge of being rejected. She wished she could just run before Aria said another word.
"But she was already going to be here and I didn't want to mess with her Mom, she's like some hot shot lawyer or something." Aria reached out her hand and rested it on Spencer's arm. Like a jolt Spencer looked up and finally her brain remembered how to function properly and she realized Aria was talking about her.
"I kissed you." She blurted out and Aria's grin faded as she quickly glanced to see if anyone had overheard.
"Not here." She whispered and Spencer felt her heart go heavy again.
The lights dimmed signaling the start and she knew her Mom would be looking for her.
"I've got to go."
"Or you could sit with me?" Aria asked hopefully. "please."
"I don't think I can. My Mom..."
"Aria can have my seat." Emily appeared at Spencer's side.
"What about you?"
"Paige just texted, so I'm going to go out and meet her. You're ok right?"
Spencer mouthed a thank you to her best friend as she skipped away. She sucked in a deep breath before nervously leading Aria towards where her Mom was standing, she didn't know if this was a good idea or not, but it was definitely happening. After a few pleasantries they made their way to the front row and Spencer was relieved that her Mom became engrossed in a deep conversation about some trivial matter with Meredith Jepson the moment she sat down beside her.
"I did want to ask you, you know?" Aria leaned in to her slightly as the music began.
"You did?" Spencer turned, a grin filling her face at that revelation. "Then, I'm just happy it worked out."
"Me too." Aria turned to the catwalk but Spencer just looked at her. Their hands resting millimeters apart on their respective chairs. Aria leaned sideways and took Spencer's in hers. "I love that dress!" she whispered, but then stopped looking at the model and her eyes went to where her hand was resting, instead of pulling away she entwined their fingers and looked at Spencer for reassurance. Spencer smiled and squeezed their linked hands. The music was loud and the lights bright around them, but Spencer was lost in her own world now. She didn't see a single outfit. All she could focus on was Aria.
xoxo
"You want to get out of here?" Spencer leant in, her lips almost brushing Aria's ear as she spoke. She wanted to run. To be like this forever because right now in this moment Aria was hers and the second this show ended she was terrified it'd go back to how it was. She knew Aria would sit up straighter, scan the room, let go of her hand and the conversation would be stilted. She really didn't want to go back to that.
For a moment Aria just stared at the catwalk and Spencer wondered just what was going through her head. She imagined it was all sorts of ways to nullify the kiss or the hand holding, what she didn't expect was to be jerked up from her seat and half dragged from the room. The double doors shut behind them and Aria turned to face her, a wicked glint in her eyes and a chuckle escaping her lips and it was the sweetest sound Spencer could ever imagine. It said so much and she knew she wasn't in this alone.
Aria stepped closer, the smile was gone and her eyes had darkened. Spencer felt weak as she looked back into those eyes and saw the need that she felt inside reflected back at her.
"We should..." she whispered, but Aria stopped her, placing a finger to her lips.
"We should be ourselves." Aria's voice was thick and she rose slightly on tiptoes, her lips brushed gently against Spencer's, but suddenly they were gone and so was Aria. Spencer opened her eyes to see Aria hiding behind a pillar.
"The fu?" she exclaimed. They'd been so close and now Aria was hiding.
Aria's eyes were no longer dark, but that now familiar look of fear had returned.
"Shush. Someone's there."
Spencer rolled her eyes at the drama of it all, she'd not heard a thing but moved next to Aria and looked around the corner. A door was ajar, but no one in sight.
"They've gone."
Aria pulled her into an empty meeting room without saying a word. Closing the door and making sure they were really alone she turned back to face Spencer.
"If they saw." Aria was practically shaking.
"So what if they did?"
"You know it's not that simple for me."
"I like you." Spencer closed the gap between them. Lifting her hand, she cupped Aria's cheek and took another step so that their bodies were lightly pressed together.
"Spencer." Aria sighed, tilting her head into Spencer's hand and closing her eyes for a second.
"why is you're heart beating that way?" Spencer could feel it racing against her chest.
"I'm scared. If we got caught."
"We didn't. We're alone. Just us."
"We are."
"Are you still scared?"
"I'm petrified." Aria whispered, her eyes locked with Spencer's.
"Me too."
"What we're doing, what I'm doing is wrong. I can't."
"How? You feel it, the same as me, I know you do. At your house, here tonight! You wanted this..."
"Yes." Aria swallowed thickly, she felt it. She felt everything and she wanted her so much.
"And I want this, I want...I've never felt like this before."
Spencer was so close that Aria would only have to move an inch and their lips would touch. When the taller girl rested her forehead on hers and cupped her cheek, she shuddered. It felt so right.
"I'm your teacher." She protested feebly, but didn't edge away.
"I'll quit the class." Spencer mumbled as she connected their lips.
Aria felt like her whole world shifted the second she felt those soft lips meet hers. The kiss was firm but tender. The need they both shared somehow kept under control as pink flesh melded together. Spencer was the first to pull away and Aria instantly felt the loss.
"Spencer." She whispered the girls name. Wrapping her fingers around the back of her neck and pulling her into a second kiss. Her senses and instincts taking over. She was lost in the moment and the second Spencer's tongue ran across her lip she knew she was in deep, but right now she couldn't stop. Their tongues collided and the slow languid kiss became heated with each stroke, their bodies pushed into each other, fighting to get impossibly closer. Her hand moved across Spencer's hip, grasping at her, desperately trying to pull her closer and knowing that she could never be close enough. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her head was a daze. Nothing could really describe how amazing it felt to be kissing Spencer Hastings. She was too lost to even think about it.
xoxo
"Wow!" Spencer exhaled as Aria pulled away. "That was..." she saw something flash across Aria's face and stopped dead. "What's wrong?"
"Your Mom is going to be looking for you."
"Really? That's it. We kiss like that and all you can think of is my Mom?" Spencer joked.
"No, shit." Aria grimaced. "We should talk, I want to and I want to stay, but we can't sit here. I can't keep kissing you. I won't be able to stop."
"I don't want you to stop." Spencer pulled her into another kiss and it took all the strength she had to end it.
"You want to get coffee tomorrow?" Aria picked up her purse and waited for Spencer at the door, smiling at her warmly. She wasn't a teenager that could sit up all night talking, but she wanted to. She wished she could find a reason for them not to have to say goodbye tonight, but she also knew that if Spencer kept kissing her like that...well there wouldn't be much talking or anything else.
"I do." Spencer finally answered. Her cell rang on cue and of course it was her Mom. "so, yeah I got to go." she shrugged.
"Goodnight." Aria kissed her softly one last time, before opening the door. She watched as Spencer made her way back and smiled when the taller girl turned to wave at her shyly one last time. "No going back now." She thought, but for once it didn't fill her with worry anymore. Maybe she was lost in the passion of it all but right now she knew she wanted this and it felt good.
xoxo