Katie Fitch stared at the two different shoes in her hand. It was like being asked to choose between children as Effy groaned for her to hurry up and pick one. The white gladiator like sandals were gorgeous and would be great for the summer, but the black heels would go so well with the little black dress she had bought for the Love Ball at the end of term. Knowing Katie only too well, Effy left to have a cigarette, giving her more time to ponder over the enormous decision. She was standing by the door, contemplating the pros and cons of a third pair when arms wrapped around her waist and a voice purred in her ear. "Hey baby." The arms that encircled her waist belonged to a girl, and were most definitely not Effy's.
"What the fuck?" Katie pulled away and shoved the stranger who had been all over her.
The girl was tall, almost as tall as Effy, though her body was more athletically defined and Katie's shove did little to move her. Her brown hair was cut just above her shoulders in choppy layers and her hazel eyes were staring widely at Katie. Her smile wavered as Katie angrily glared at her. "I don't see you for a month and this is the hello I get?"
"What are you on? I don't even know you!" Katie spat back, her anger infuriated by the stranger implying she had been justified in grabbing her. She forgot about the fact she was in the city her twin had spent the last five years of her life and was bound to be mistaken for her once or twice.
"Ems?" The girl looked seriously hurt by her words. Realising what was going on Katie corrected her.
"I'm Katie. Not Emily. She's outside." She pointed through the window at Emily who was sitting on a bench with Effy and Naomi.
"Shit. Sorry. You must be Emily's sister." The girl's smile returned as she realised her mistake. Katie resisted the urge to respond with 'obviously' and introduced herself properly to the girl. "I'm Anna. Emily's girlfriend." The brunette explained who she was, which the eldest twin supposed also explained why she had groped her in the middle of the shop. Katie quickly made her mind up, going with the black heels, and led Anna over to the bench the girls were sitting at. Effy looked up first, her eyes instantly taking in the stranger walking with Katie, assessing how much of a threat she was. Naomi and Emily were too deep in conversation to notice either girl approaching. Emily was animatedly explaining how she was banned from the Primark across the street due to a drunken prank.
"That poor girl on the till was mortified." Anna interrupted, grinning as Emily's head snapped up to look at her. "Hey gorgeous." Emily didn't get a chance to say anything back as Anna leant down to kiss her. It was awkward and tense, even without Naomi and Katie's watching.
"Uh, hi." Emily managed to finally get out as the other girl pulled away. "What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting at one?"
"Hi Emily. I've missed you too." Anna replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice. She knew the younger girl had been off with her since moving, it was understandable considering Anna had been the one to cheat, but she had hoped things would be back to normal when she came home. Emily was looking at her like a stranger as she dropped her gaze. She had planned to leave the others while she met Anna and tried to talk things through. The other girl had hurt her, but they had been together for almost two years and as unsure as Emily was about their future their past still meant a lot to her. She could not simply throw it all away without giving Anna the chance to explain herself face to face.
"Can we go somewhere and talk?" She felt the others staring at her as they watched the exchange between the two girls. She told them she would meet up with the three of them later and followed Anna down to their usual coffee shop.
It was quiet for a Saturday afternoon and they managed to get a booth at the back. Anna ordered their coffee before taking a seat opposite Emily. Her expression was sombre, she knew what was coming. "I don't think this is going to work."
"I've said I'm sorry Emily. I will get down on my hands and knees, right here and now, and beg! Just give us a chance." Anna pleaded; she reached out to take Emily's hands in her own. The younger girl did not pull away, finding solace in the familiar contact. The other girl took this as a good sign and continued talking. "Sara meant nothing. I was stupid and drunk and I have regretted that night every second since. Please don't give up on us because of my stupid mistake. Please Emily. We can make us work again. You'll be home soon and-"
"It should work." Emily sighed, pulling her hands away as the waitress brought over their coffee.
"It will. I promise-"
"No." Emily cut her off again with a shake of her head. "I mean it should just work. We shouldn't have to try." She winced as she took a sip of her coffee. Anna had ordered her favourite coffee, a caffé Americano with double espresso and no sugar. Emily couldn't stand it. She pushed it aside.
"Come on Ems, this isn't some fairy tale. This is real life. Relationships are hard and sometimes you have to work to make them happen-" Emily had forgotten how much the older girl tended to talk down to her. There was only three years between them yet she spoke to Emily like she was still a child.
"I'm not in love with you anymore." Emily spoke bluntly. She had finally made up her mind. "I kissed a girl in Bristol, and I can't stop thinking about her. And it's really fucked up because she's supposed to be straight and she has a past with my sister and I must be absolutely insane, but I think I'm in love with her." It felt good to say it out loud, like a burden being lifted from her shoulders, even if she was admitting it to her long term girlfriend.
"Where's Anna?" Effy was straight to the point as Emily turned up at the bar they had found their way to. It was split over three levels and they were sitting on the second, drinking cocktails.
"Probably off fucking the girl she cheated on me with." Emily snapped, swiping Naomi's glass. She said nothing, knowing the redhead had more need for the alcohol than she did. "I ended it." She didn't miss the look Katie gave her. There was concern, but there was something else brooding under the surface. She covered it well though, voicing her dislike of the girl she had only met for five minutes.
"She cheated on you? What a bitch! She fucking groped me in the shoe shop!"
"Most action you've had in a while." Naomi quipped dryly.
"Fuck off bitch. I've had more than you!" Katie replied rather smugly. Emily didn't miss the mischievous smirk Effy shot her way.
"I need a drink." Leaving the girls at their table Emily made her own way over to the bar. She returned with a drink for herself and a round of shots, a bad habit she had picked up from drinking with Cook.
After an interrogation from Katie about what had happened with her and Anna she finally managed to get away from her overbearing twin by dragging Naomi upstairs to play pool. The third floor was empty and they had their choice of the three pool tables. Emily chose the one overlooking the street below and began setting the table up. "You did the right thing you know." Naomi reassured her as they were well in to the game. Naomi was winning as Emily's heart wasn't really in the game. She was distracted by the blonde bending over the table in front of her.
"I know." Emily sighed as she took her own shot. She chipped it and the cue ball went flying across the room. Naomi let out a chuckle as she fetched the ball from under a nearby table. "You're distracting me." She grumbled as Naomi teased her.
"Please, you'd know if I was distracting you." Naomi shot back with a smirk. Emily felt her own lip's curling up in to a smile as the blonde flirted. She knew it would only go so far before she played the straight card, but she would take what she could get.
"I'll just have to think of a way to distract you then, won't I?" Emily shot back, even as Naomi sunk another ball. There was only the black ball left for her to pot and she wore a smug smirk as she lined up her shot.
"Nothing you could say or do will stop me kicking your arse." She pulled back the cue, ready to strike.
"I've had sex on this pool table."
The cue slammed forward, connecting with the cue ball and sending it shooting off the table. It flew over the railing and thudded down the stairs. On the floor below Katie let out a shriek and shouted up to them. Emily collapsed in to a fit of giggles as Naomi stared at her in disbelief. She bit her lip as she walked past the pool table, knocking the black ball in to the pocket with her hand. "I win…and I was kidding about the pool table…it wasn't this one." She winked at the blonde and headed downstairs to fetch the cue ball.
"Fuck." Naomi cursed under her breath. Emily Fitch was seriously getting under her skin.
