Bonjour mes chéries! I'm exhausted so let's make this short and sweet: your reviews are amazing, so are you! Thanks from the bottom of my heart for following this fic, you can't imagine how I appreciate it! Story now...

Naomi's POV

I've been crying for what seem like hours now. Endlessly.

I must look like a right fucking mess; eyes puffy, my face probably flushed with different taints of red, strains of mascara on my cheeks. The mascara I put on for Emily because I wanted her to look at me with those darkening eyes again. Those fucking eyes.

If I could, this simple thought would probably bring a new painful round of tears but I'm dried out, there's really nothing left. I'm empty; only pathetic hiccups and noisy sobbing are still making their way through my tight throat and echo in the quiet apartment.

It's sunset now and my bedroom is lit with orange and pink, this short-lived particular light that comes right before complete darkness enlightening every corners of my room with a peaceful glow. The noises of the busy streets down my apartment are coming to me through my open window and this commonplace situation, just another Saturday night in London, somehow manages to calm me down a bit. Resting my forehead on the cool wood frame of my bed, still messily sitting on the floor, shoes long gone, I take deep breaths, desperately trying to think clearly.

After a minute, I hear the front door of the apartment opening and Katie's laugh comes to me, along with Effy's voice. They probably notice my purse on the small table near the door, because I hear their heels approaching towards my bedroom, Katie talking to me,

"Naomi! Are you in there? Jesus, we were looking for you everywhere, where the fuck were you? We couldn't find Emily either so we- Oh fuck! Are you shagging in here?"

Katie keeps talking but I don't get what she's saying anymore, the mere mention of Emily involuntarily bringing back a fresh round of tears. I put my hand over my mouth, hoping that Effy and Katie will just go away but I can't help to let out small noises, unable to contain the violent sobs now shaking my whole body.

The door to my bedroom opens and for a second, I am blinded with the raw light flooding from the corridor. They suddenly stop to talk, visibly taking in my probably pathetic heap on the floor and my crying face.

Before I know it, Katie kneels in front of me, worry painted over her features. Putting both her hands on my shoulder, she brings me into a hug, whispering random comforting words as she does so. I hug her back tightly, suddenly needing this human heat to reassure me, help me not to drown in my own tears and I am grateful that, for now, Katie doesn't ask me any questions. She gently rubs my back, and I vaguely hear Effy saying she's going into the kitchen to make some tea.

After a few minutes, Katie manages to calm me down and, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, she takes my hand, standing us both. We make our way towards the living room where Effy is already sitting, a tray of muffins and cups of tea in front of her.

I sit beside Effy, Katie next to me, and Effy hands me a tissue, a small reassuring smile gracing her lips. We stay in silence for a bit, drinking our teas and I'm aware that Katie and Effy are exchanging questioning looks behind my back; I owe them an explanation. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I bring my gaze on the vase of flowers on the table, unable to look them in the eyes,

"Emily...She, I mean we" I miserably stutter, fucking tears threatening to fall again "We're not together anymore."

Katie grabs my knee, forcing me to look at her,

"What the fuck Naoms? What the fuck did she do to you?" She seems angry, her eyebrows furrowed in apparent confusion.

Wiping a lonely tear on my cheek, I look deeply into her chocolate brown eyes, so similar to Emily's. My voice is shaky when I answer,

"Freddie and her they... had a plan." And with that, I start to tell them the whole story, starting with how we met and how she was perfect and how I realized I loved her and how, in the end, she broke my fucking naive heart. Once I start, I can't seem to be able to stop, I have to keep talking about Emily, have to at least try and search for how I could have seen this coming. The words come out rapidly, messily, interrupted by tears and sighs.

Finally, I stop staring at my fidgeting hands. I'm out of words, as I'll probably be out of tears, and I don't feel any better. I've just relived the whole thing, and it just feels like I'm rubbing myself in my own stupidity. How could you not see it Naomi, that she was not really into this? Cook told you she didn't do relationships.

Looking up, I meet Effy's soft gaze and Katie's angry one,

"How could she like do this to you! I'll have a word with her Naomi, but not before I kick the shit out of her!"

"Look Katie, it's fine really, you don't need to..." I feebly reply, not wanting this to come between Katie and Emily.

"She's my fucking sister Naomi, I can tell her whatever the fuck I want. Plus, we both know who's the strongest Fitch twin right?" Katie winks, making me smile a bit, and, getting up, she starts to make her way towards her own bedroom,

"I'm going to call her and see what the bloody fuck came upon her" And with that, Katie shuts her bedroom's door, leaving me alone with Effy. I would have never thought that Katie would take my side but once again, I think there's so much more to Katie than she lets us see. Sighing, I wipe the remains of tears on my cheeks, suddenly feeling exhausted.

Effy is silent, but I know she's intently looking at me with her mysterious blue eyes,

"What are you thinking about Naomi?" Her voice is strangely soft, and for the first time since I met her, she seems to genuinely care about my answer.

"I don't know Eff... I guess I'm just wondering how I could not see that Emily was not as into this, as into us as I was..."

Plunging her soul-searching gaze into my own tired one, her reply comes instantly, as if she knew all along what I was about to say,

"Maybe you couldn't see she wasn't into this because there was nothing to see."

I'm so not in the mood for Effy's cryptic answers right now.

"What are you trying to say?"

Effy smiles a bit, as if she just said the most obvious thing in the world. "Maybe you couldn't possibly notice that Emily wasn't into this because she truly was into your relationship, just as you were."

I raise my eyebrow, confused with what Effy is implying.

"I don't think she was lying when she was with you Naomi. She's been lying to anyone else but you. Even to herself. "

Anger suddenly erupts within me and I get up, aggressively putting my cup of tea back in the tray.

"I can't fucking believe you're on her side Effy!" I scoff incredulously "Didn't you hear what she fucking did to me?"

Effy seems taken aback by my violent reaction and stands up herself, taking a step towards me.

"Look Naomi I'm sorry. It's just that you told us what she said to Freddie when you were hiding in that cupboard. She said she loved you right? And she didn't even know you were in there. Doesn't that maybe mean something?"

Shaking my head forcefully, I spit back at Effy,

"She was lying! That's all she can do!"

With that, I make my way towards my bedroom, leaving a dumbfounded Effy behind. I tuck myself under the covers; I am truly exhausted.

And as I drift into a deep slumber, Effy's words can't help but make their way in my thoughts, tainting them with a faint new shade.

Hope.

OOOOOO

Cook left earlier in the evening after spending a part of the afternoon with me. We just lied in my bed, my head resting on his chest, his strong arms wrapped around me. I mainly cried, but having my best friend by my side felt amazingly comforting.

It's been two days now. Two days that I didn't leave my bedroom, except to go to the bathroom when really needed. I took off my dress yesterday to slide into baggy sweatpants and my old pig shirt and since then, I spent the majority of my time under my covers, crying or thinking.

I keep remembering what Effy told me, and I can't help to think that she might be right. On some levels. Maybe I overreacted a bit. I should have listened to what Emily had to say instead of storming out so melodramatically. On the other hand, she had this fucking plan with fucking Freddie. She had all the occasions in the world to tell me, and still she didn't. She kept lying to me, even when I told her that I loved her. But she said it back to you Naomi and there was just something in her eyes...

Two days. Two days and no news from Emily. Not even a text, a mail, a call. She's not even trying. And as the hours go by, the hope Effy sparked is dying rapidly, leaving me in tears again. The pain, on its part, never seems to lessen. It's crushing my chest, my heart, leaving me empty and confused.

OOOOOO

A loud knock on our apartment front door wakes me up brutally. I open my eyes, blinking a bit. I must have fallen asleep after Cook left yesterday.

Turning my head to look at my clock, the green numbers indicate 1:12 AM.

Who the fuck visits at this hour?

A ray of light makes its way under my closed door, and I can hear Effy and Katie's sleepy voices in the corridor in front of my bedroom.

Suddenly, there's a loud thump in the apartment, as if someone just fell on the floor.

Katie surprised and panicked voice comes to my ear, as clearly as if she was right beside me,

"Emily?"

My heart skips a beat, resonating loudly on my ribcage when it starts back again, pumping so rapidly I feel it's going to rip my chest open. I sit right up in my bed, my palms instantly sweaty, my mind racing. Emily's here? What the fuck? I can't think clearly, the only information my brain seems to be able to proceed at the moment is the fact that Emily, my fucking Emily, is now metres away from me, in my apartment, in the middle of the night.

Slowly getting up, I make my way towards the door and, putting my hand on the doorknob, I hesitate a bit on whether I should come out or not. Katie then speaks up,

"Effy, take her by the other arm please. Ok Em, now get up." Her voice comes out as if she's forcing to lift something. Emily. "Slowly...Ok, that's good"

"I need to see her Katie. I, I-" Emily's voice sends shivers through out my whole body. She stutters a bit, and I can tell by her unsteady voice that she's probably beyond wasted.

"Ems-" Katie stops, letting out a small surprised noise, and suddenly, there's a loud banging on my door.

"Naomi! Please, I- I- wanna speak to you!" Emily's shouting now, desperately. "Open the door!"

Taking a deep breath, I slowly open the door, revealing in front of me a red-eyed Emily, hair all messy. She's still wearing the dress that she was wearing at the Fitch dinner two days ago, and there's now a huge stain on the front, from what appears to be beer or some sort of alcohol. My chest tightens a bit when I notice the hoodie she's wearing with it; it's one of my old hoodie that she just loved and used to wear with nothing else when we were just lying in bed in her apartment. She looks broken, and it fucking kills me.

Emily takes a step towards me. She smells like alcohol and cigarette, laced with that sweet vanilla scent that is only hers.

"I'm so-sorry Naoms. So fucking sorry really...Please, just for-forgive me" Her eyes are pleading me to listen but I can't, I just can't. How can she fucking break my heart, don't call for two days and then show up drunk, expecting me to forgive her? That's not how it works. She's supposed to try but now it just seems like she's given up already.

Lowering my gaze to the floor, I take a step back,

"Go Emily. Just go. I don't, I can't talk to you right now."

Turning my back on her, I feel her hand grabbing my wrist, and I hate my body for the goose bumps that appear almost immediately.

Emily's eyes are glazed with unshed tears as she takes my hands in hers,

"Don't do this to us Naomi." Her chocolate eyes look like they're glowing through the overflowing water in them and, for a second, I'm back to losing myself in those brown pools. "I couldn't bare it really..." She mutters the last words more to herself, as if she was unaware I could hear her.

This moment only last a second before I'm submerged with anger again, taking back my hands forcefully from hers,

"How dare you? You did this Emily, this" I gesture in the space between me and her "it's all your fault! All your fucking fault! You were the one who lied, I never did anything but opening up myself to you and putting out with all your bloody insecurities!"

Her eyes widened at the harshness of my tone, tears now freely cascading down her pale cheeks. Anger is blinding me, everything I've been feeling for the past two days coming in raged words thrown at Emily's face. This is so unfair. She's not going to make me feel guilty for what's happening.

"Naomi, please-"

"Shut up!" Her face crumbles, hurt flashing in her eyes. I'm shouting now, shouting my pain, shouting at how fucked up we've become in less than two days, shouting at how Emily ruined it, and keeps ruining it " I've been waiting for you for two days now, hoping you'd show up and make everything right. But you didn't, because you're a fucking coward Emily Fitch and now here you are, and you had to get drunk to be able to even look me in the eyes." I take a step forward, towering her with all my height and I can't help to think of how tiny and vulnerable she looks at that very moment. "You had the power to bring us back together again but..." I sigh, suddenly feeling empty, my anger gone as rapidly as it came "I just don't know if you have it anymore." That's when I notice that, just like Emily, tears are rolling down my face, making my vision a blur of red and brown.

Emily is sobbing now and, behind her in the corridor, I can see Effy and Katie, an embarrassed look on their faces, not knowing what to do in the middle of that scene.

"I love you Naomi" Emily's voice is shaking, and I can barely make up the words through her heavy sobs. "Please, don't leave me, don't leave me..."

My heart breaks a bit more but something inside me is holding me back from running to Emily to wrap her in my arms, to inhale her scent while telling her that everything will be all right. Something shifted, changed between us.

Keeping my gaze on the floor, I lean on the doorframe, holding desperately to it,

"I'm sorry Emily, I'm so sorry."

Looking up, she must see something in my eyes because she lets out a small, pleading "Naoms" before I shut my door. On the other side of it, I hear Emily sliding on it to sit on the floor. She's crying. And so am I.

After a few minutes, I hear Katie telling Emily that she's going to call a taxi and that she'll come sleep at her apartment, to make sure she's okay.

After they're gone, the apartment is back to quiet and, lying in my bed once again, I realize that even after everything that happened and everything that I said to her tonight, each and every fibres of my body still long with even more force than before for Emily. I still love her. And the problem is, I'm not sure if it's ever going to change.

This one was a bit short, I know, but I really wanted to give you all something, because you're so lovely. Hint for next time: more angst, more confusion, more when-is-the-make-up-sex? Haha. Review if you have a minute, if not, let me at least give you a hug! xx