AN: Enjoy!
Alison sat in front of the mirror, curling her hair for her and Emily's first date and trying to quell her rising nerves. She knew that there was no reason for her to be nervous because she had been out with Emily loads of times before, but this would be the first time that she went out with Emily as her girlfriend. This time was different, and Alison really hoped that she didn't find a way to screw it up. As Alison eyed herself in the mirror, she wished that she had something a little nicer to wear. Emily had told her a million times that her black floral print dress and denim jacket were completely fine. Emily herself was only wearing a white shirt and a red leather jacket with black jeans, but Ali just wanted to look absolutely perfect. Ali decided to just let it go because there was really nothing else she could do about it, and she went back to focusing on her hair.
At that moment, Emily walked into the bathroom, giving herself a quick once-over in the mirror before nodding in approval. "Ali, are you ready to go?"
"I've just got to finish curling my hair," Ali responded.
Emily gave her a pointed look. "You've been curling your hair for almost an hour now. It's as curled as it's ever going to get. If you continue curling it like that, you might damage it."
Ali bit her lip, looking up at Emily in defeat. "I know. I know. I'm just really nervous."
"Why are you nervous?" Emily asked calmly. "We've gone out to eat together millions of times before."
Ali sighed. She didn't know how Emily was acting so cool and collected right now while Ali herself felt like a hurricane was attacking her insides. "It's different this time though, Em. We're not just going out as friends. We're dating."
"Just tell yourself that it's no different, and maybe you won't be so nervous," Emily suggested. "You're acting like we've never met before, and you have to make a good first impression. Well, you've already made your first impression, so don't worry about it."
Ali smiled up at her. "Was it a good first impression?"
Emily flashed her girlfriend a teasing smirk. "I didn't say anything about that."
"Hey," Ali said with a pout.
"Anyways, relax and have fun," Emily said. "Just because we're dating doesn't mean that we suddenly have to be nervous around each other."
Ali hesitated a little before admitting, "I've always been sort of nervous around you."
The blonde caught the shock on Emily's face before she was able to hide it. "If it makes you feel any better, I could never tell that you were nervous. I've always been nervous around you too, but I know you could tell."
"I could tell, but it was always cute," Ali said with a smile.
"To tell you the truth, I'm nervous about tonight too," Emily admitted. "I've just been trying to hide it because I didn't want you to worry."
This time, it was Ali's turn to look surprised. "I actually couldn't tell this time."
"Neither of us should be nervous, so I'll just tell you now. There is nothing you can say or do on this date that will make me want to leave. I'm in this relationship now, and I plan on sticking around for as long as you'll have me," Emily said earnestly.
Ali's heart swelled at the brunette's words, and she was grateful for that reminder of Emily's feelings for her. Sometimes, she still felt a little burdensome, and she was glad that Emily never saw her that way. However, Ali could tell by the look on Emily's face that the brunette had her own uncertainties, so the blonde decided to make her feelings clear as well. "Looks like you'll be with me forever then."
"I'm more than fine with that," Emily said with a huge smile. "You ready to head out now?"
Ali nodded, placing her curling iron back on the bathroom counter and unplugging it from the wall.
"Your ride awaits." The smile never left Emily's face as she carried Alison down the stairs.
Upon arrival at Rive Gauche, Emily and Alison were seated immediately because of their reservations. Mona had actually called ahead for them and made them dinner reservations for 6:30, which Ali was really grateful for, even after she found out that the brunette had made the reservation before asking Ali and Emily if they even wanted to go. The blonde couldn't be mad though because it would've been hard to make a reservation yesterday night anyway on such short notice, and if they hadn't wanted to go, they could have easily canceled.
When they sat down at their table, they ordered their drinks and then settled in to look at the menu. Ali was pleased to find that all of the items were listed in French, and she found that she could understand pretty much all of it, even without the English descriptions that were next to each item. Ali was still glad that the English descriptions were there though because she didn't want Emily to feel embarrassed if she didn't remember her French. When the waiter came back to take their orders, Ali had decided to go with the garlic shrimp and penne, and Emily had chosen the filet mignon periguese.
Once the waiter was gone, there was no awkward silence or anything, and Ali relaxed when she realized that it really didn't feel any different. It was like they were just hanging out at the mall. Emily started speaking right away. "So, Ali, now that we're kind of taking a night to relax, I wanted to ask you something. I've been avoiding the topic because I know it's a tough one for you, and you've been doing so much better lately, but how are you really feeling about being in a wheelchair?"
Ali paused to think. That was a good question. Obviously, it took some major getting used to, and she still felt that she was, but it was much better now that everyone wasn't teasing her at school. She still got a little frustrated when she couldn't do things, but she was certainly a lot more comfortable with asking for help when she needed it.
"Not as bad as I used to. I mean, I still hate feeling so helpless sometimes, but I'm definitely adjusting to it, especially since the kids at school have stopped acting so cruel. The main reason though that I haven't been having such a hard time anymore is my amazing friends."
"So you like the way our friends group joined together?" Emily asked with hopeful eyes.
Ali gave her a bewildered look. "Of course I do. Hanna and Aria are really sweet, and I'm so glad that Mona finally came around. It felt like she and I were always in a competition before, so it's incredibly nice to finally actually be friends with her."
Ali knew that her statements were absolutely true. Aria was the sweetest person that she had ever met, and Hanna was hilarious. Ali would never get over the way that they treated her like she was the queen when she was really no different than them, although it seemed that they were starting to figure that out now. The fact that Mona came back was even better. Ali's accident provided the perfect opportunity for Mona to get the fame that she had always strived for, and the blonde was really glad that the brunette had found that it wasn't everything that she had hoped, especially since Ali had recently found out the same exact thing. For the first time ever, she and Mona were actually friends. Ali and Spencer had always been close because they were neighbors and had known each other since childhood, but Mona hadn't become their friend until high school, and she had always been jealous of Alison. The blonde could never get close to Mona because there was always a sort of tension running between them, making Ali feel as if she were constantly competing with the other girl, and she was relieved that all of that was gone now and that they could actually be genuine friends.
Ali shrugged as she turned her attention back to Emily. "I guess at least one good thing came out of the accident. It also gave me the courage to admit to everyone my feelings for you, so that's another plus."
Emily smiled warmly. "I can't argue with that one, although I'm sure that you would've come around and admitted it eventually."
Alison nodded in agreement, knowing that this was most likely true. She could not imagine her life without Emily in it, and she knew that if she had spent enough time without Emily, she would've eventually caved and realized that her reputation wasn't so important after all. "You're probably right."
When Emily and Ali's food came, their talking dwindled down a little as they enjoyed their respective dishes. Alison absolutely adored hers because it was French food after all, and she could tell by the look on Emily's face that the food here had exceeded her expectations. The evening continued nicely, and the accident was not brought up again. Instead, they used their time to just hang out and spend time together in a romantic setting. It felt nice to be out on a date, and Alison knew that it was weird for two people who had just started dating to wait so long to actually go on a date, but it felt like she'd known Emily forever. Ali had a great time at the restaurant, enjoying the time to just get away, even though it was only for a couple hours, and she could tell that Emily loved it as well. Ali made a mental note to thank Mona for the restaurant suggestion and reservations later.
After having been home for some time watching television, Emily and Alison finally decided to get ready to go to sleep. After showering and brushing their teeth, they collapsed into bed. The romantic feel of the evening was still buzzing through Ali's veins, and she was finding it hard to restrain herself from jumping Emily's bones right then and there. Clearly, the brunette was having the same struggle because it wasn't long before she was rolling on top of Alison to give her a searing kiss. Ali didn't even hesitate to return it immediately.
"I'm not hurting you, am I?" Emily asked when she pulled back for air.
"No. You're fine," Ali panted.
The two of them shared a passionate kiss, and Ali reveled in the feel of Emily's weight on top of her, pinning her to the bed. While she loved that particular feeling, she was ready to take control, so she pushed at Emily, rolling her onto her back, and the blonde rolled on top of her girlfriend as best as she could. It was hard for her to do because of the fact that she couldn't move her legs, and Emily quickly helped her get into position, but Ali didn't mind, too thrilled at the new feel of being the one on top. Ali grabbed Emily's lips again with her own, losing all sense of time as they made out hungrily.
A few minutes later, Ali pulled away, kissing Emily's neck and not really caring if she left a mark. She trailed gentle kisses down Emily's neck before nipping and sucking at her collarbone. Emily moaned in pleasure at the feeling, and Ali pushed the brunette's shirtsleeve out of the way to place light kisses over her shoulder.
"Ali, wait," Emily spoke up.
The blonde pulled away instantly at Emily's request, and she couldn't stop the slight hurt that she knew played out in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"I would just really like it if we could take things a little bit slower. I just don't want to move too fast." Emily caught onto the look in Ali's eyes. "It's not that I don't want you because I really, really want you. It's just that I've never slept with anyone before, and I don't think I'm ready to yet."
Ali felt her shoulders slump in relief that Emily's reason for wanting to take things slow had nothing to do with her disability. She didn't want Emily to think that she would break at any moment, and she was glad to hear that the brunette's reasons were completely personal. Ali realized that she must have been silent for more than a second because Emily was looking up at her nervously.
"Don't worry about it, Em," Ali was quick to reassure her girlfriend. "I understand, and I'm perfectly fine with waiting. Sorry I got a little carried away, but if it makes you feel any better, I've never slept with anyone either."
Emily's mouth dropped open in shock. "But what about all those boys at school? They'd kill to go out with you. You've been on dates with people before too. I know it. What about that boy you dated for six months last year? What was his name? James?"
"I know about the rumors that go around the school about me, Em, and I don't expect you not to be suspicious of them. Everyone used to say that I hooked up with someone at every party I went to, but it wasn't true. I'm not a one-night stand kind of girl. And yes, I dated James, and we actually did come close to having sex one night, but I pushed him away because it just didn't feel right. I couldn't figure out why back then. I mean, I really liked him, and our kisses were great, but I just couldn't give myself to him. For a while, I wondered if something was wrong with me because a girl, with my reputation especially, should want to give herself completely to her boyfriend of six months. I mean, I was supposed to have slept with all of these people, but I hadn't actually slept with anyone before. I stopped worrying about it back then because I couldn't figure it out, but now I know that the reason I couldn't give myself to James was because the only person that I ever want to be with is you."
Emily was silent for a moment before answering, and Ali thought that she could detect the faint glimmer of tears in brown eyes. "Wow, Ali. You didn't have to do that for me. Is that why you broke up with him?"
Alison nodded in the dark. "Yes. It never felt right with him again after that."
"You didn't have to save yourself for me. I would never expect that of you. You could've given yourself to James," Emily said quietly.
Ali had to stop a sigh of exasperation from escaping her lips. She thought she had already explained this to Emily well enough, but she decided to use a different approach. "And you didn't have to save yourself for me. You could've given yourself to any girl you wanted."
Emily's brows furrowed in confusion. "I didn't want any other girl. I want my first time to be with you."
"Just like I want my first time to be with you, Em. That's why I couldn't give myself to anyone else." Ali contemplated that thought for a second before adding, "We waited for each other."
A smile spread across Emily's face at the thought. "I guess we did. That's kind of sweet."
Ali smiled brightly as well, leaning forward to kiss Emily again, but their tender moment was interrupted before their lips could even touch by the sound of Emily's cellphone going off. Emily grabbed her phone off the nightstand, and Ali thought that it might be her mother checking up one her, as the older woman sometimes did, but when the brunette rolled her eyes, Ali knew who it was before Emily even told her. "It's Hanna."
"I gathered as much from the eye roll," Ali said, and Emily chuckled.
Ali laid her head down on Emily's chest as the brunette answered the phone, and Alison found that she could hear what Hanna was saying from her new position. "Hey, Em. How was the date?"
Ali could practically see Emily's scowl, even though she wasn't looking at the brunette. "Han, it's midnight. Ali and I are trying to get some sleep."
"Seriously? You guys should have extra energy or something from your date, which we need to talk about, by the way. Give me the deets," Hanna said excitedly.
"There are no deets, Hanna," Emily responded, sounding mildly annoyed. "Ali and I went out to eat at Rive Gauche, and the food was amazing. We had a lovely time, and we are both extremely grateful to you and Mona for setting this up for us, but we are kind of tired now, and we'd like to go to sleep."
Hanna huffed. "Fine, but you have to promise to tell me all about it in the morning."
"Did she give you the deets? How was the date?" Ali recognized Mona's sound in the background, and she honestly wasn't surprised at all to find that Mona and Hanna were hanging out. Ali was glad that the two girls had taken such a fast liking to each other because that made it really easy for Mona to fit in with the new group.
"She said they had a good time and that she liked the food, but she won't give me anything more than that because she is being cranky and saying she wants to go to bed. I probably interrupted them during sex or something." Ali's eyes widened when she heard Hanna say that to Mona because that wasn't too far from the mark, and she smiled when she realized that that statement would only make Emily more annoyed.
"We were not having sex," Emily argued.
"Lame," Mona said. "Don't be such a sourpuss, Emily."
"I'll tell you guys about it tomorrow morning. I promise," Emily said.
"Great. We'll be there at ten. You better be ready to spill." Hanna hung up before Emily had a chance to argue, and the brunette groaned as she put her phone aside and dropped her head back onto the pillow. Ali moved to lie beside Emily so that she could see the brunette.
"I hate it when she does that. I don't want to talk about our relationship with her. You know she'll ask the most awkward questions." Emily whined. "And she's going to be over here at ten in the morning. I wouldn't mind getting up at ten."
Ali raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend, a playful smirk settling across her features. "It's your house, and she invited herself over. If we're not ready to get up when they get here, we don't have to get up. They can wait outside until we're ready to invite them in."
"I like the way you think." Emily chuckled, pulling the blankets up and turning on her side.
Ali scooted closer to Emily, putting her arm around the brunette. "Good night, Em."
Emily snuggled into her girlfriend. "Good night, Ali."
Ali didn't know about Emily, but she truly was tired, and she fell asleep almost instantly with her favorite person in the world tucked safely in her arms.