A/N: Cheers for all your reviews/favourites.
This chapter makes me want to take up stargazing. Just sayin'.
In fact this whole story is what I'd rather be doing with my life. Ok, maybe not painting questionable art on the side of a bus, but the whole living-freer-than-I-do thing.
Fuck reality. Pretty sure I wasn't born for this stereotypical get born-live life-get a job-retire-die crap.
Disclaimer: I do not own Skins. Why am I so bloody cranky?
(Insert usual rambling disclaimer about typos and my iPad)
When they entered Gina's house again just after sunset, Emily found herself staring once more at the mural on the wall. Its welcoming message seemed to jump out at her differently, the white trim of the lettering, and lighter colours of the painting standing out almost electrically. Suddenly, it dimmed, and then brightened again. Emily looked at it curiously, because she couldn't believe what she had just seen. Then, it happened again, rapidly this time, and Emily heard Naomi begin to giggle. She turned around and saw the blonde leaning against the door frame, flicking what appeared to be a light switch.
Naomi looked upwards, and Emily saw two long, thin dark blue coloured fluorescent tubes that flicked on and off as Naomi flicked the switch. Three down lights facing the opposite wall were spaced out between the tubes, allowing for proper ambient lighting for the hallway. She looked back down and saw the amused smirk on Naomi's face.
"Black lights?" Emily asked.
Naomi nodded. "I uh... wanted it to be interactive." She grinned, pointing to the mural on the wall.
"You succeeded." Emily replied, her expression full of wonder. She stepped closer to Naomi and once again slipped her arms around her waist. "Just when I think you can't get anymore amazing..."
Naomi smiled. "I go flicking light switches."
"Yes." Emily replied. "And you're certainly flicking mine."
Naomi raised an eyebrow. "Do you... realise how dirty that sounded?"
Emily smirked. "Uh huh."
Naomi leaned forward and kissed Emily's forehead. "Cheeky."
Emily grinned.
"There you two are! Come on, dinner is nearly ready!" Gina said, cheerily, as she poked her head into the hallway. "I hope you two are both hungry."
"Coming, mum." Naomi said, looking at Emily, who made a move to walk to the kitchen, but Naomi wouldn't let her move. "Wait..." She said. "I just want another moment... Just you and me."
Emily looked up at her and smiled, nodding gently, before resting her head against Naomi's chest. She closed her eyes as they both sighed, enjoying the contact between them. Emily wondered to herself why she had waited so long to feel this again... This comforting feeling that she had missed for such a long time. Naomi herself had much the same thought, and held onto Emily, wanting to do so all night, and then some.
"As good as this feels..." Emily whispered.
"Yeah, I know." Naomi replied, reluctantly relaxing her arms from around Emily's body. Feeling unable to break contact with the redhead, Naomi's fingers linked with Emily's, and the both of them walked into the kitchen.
The first thing Emily noticed was that something smelled good. Really good. The second thing she noticed, was that the table was set for four, with a large bowl of green salad in the centre, and Cook was sitting on one side, grinning at both of them.
"Nice one, Naomikins!" He said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at the pair of them.
Naomi rolled her eyes. "Cookie, can you try and not be a complete tosser, mate?" She asked, nodding her head towards Emily, as if to say 'don't embarrass either her or me'.
Cook threw his head back and laughed.
"James, behave yourself!" Gina scolded gently, in a motherly tone.
"Sorry Gina. Naomi." Cook replied, looking sheepish. "And of course, Emily."
"That's better." Naomi said, pulling out a chair for Emily. The redhead sat down and Naomi sat next to her. "So, mum... What's on the menu?"
"Sunday Night Veggie Lasagna, love." Gina replied, pulling a tray out of the oven. She placed the tray in the middle of the table. "Would anyone like some juice?"
All three nodded, so Gina went to the fridge and out came a large jug of dark red coloured juice. She poured four glasses, and set the jug in the middle of he table. "Alright, then... Dig in!" She said, as she sat down.
Naomi picked up Emily's plate and served her up a helping. "I can guarantee you... Mum's veggie lasagna is pretty good." She said, as she put the plate down in front of Emily. "Feel free to help yourself to salad, also." She smiled. Emily picked up the salad bowl and served herself before placing it back on the table.
"It's fuckin' legendary!" Cook added.
"James... Language at the table, dear." Gina said.
"Sorry."
"It looks and smells great, Gina. Thanks for having me." Emily said, as she picked up her fork.
"You're more than welcome, love." Gina smiled, as Naomi handed her the serving spatula.
Emily took her first mouthful and was pleasantly surprised. Most other vegetarian food she had eaten (though she didn't have many friends who were vegetarian, and she had never gone out of her way to really try it herself) had been mostly awful, but this was completely different. Zucchini, sweet potato and pumpkin, and mushrooms and pasta layered with a rich tomato sauce that probably rivalled the best pasta sauce Emily had tasted.
"This is really delicious, Gina." Emily said, once she had swallowed.
"Told ya!" Laughed Cook, getting stuck into his share.
"Thank you, Emily. Your praise is appreciated." Gina said, with a smile. Emily wondered if there was ever a time that Gina wasn't smiling, a clear contrast to her own mother, who only had that sort of expression for Katie, who could do no wrong in her eyes. She thought then, of Katie and Effy, and what might happen there... And how Jenna night react.
She felt a touch on her arm, and looked down to see Naomi's fingers gently stroking across her skin. She lifted her eyes to meet the blonde's and her gaze was gentle concern, and her touch meant nothing more than 'hey, I'm here for you'. Emily put any thoughts other than Naomi out of her mind, and she smiled, nodding to let Naomi know that she was alright. Naomi reached to her hand and gripped it in hers gently, before going back to her dinner.
They ate and made light conversation, Gina asking how Emily enjoyed the festival, as well as talking a little about Naomi's art and how much Emily loved it.
"Well, this has been a very lovely meal, Gina." Emily said, once the plates had been cleared by Cook.
"Lovely as always, Gina." Added Cook, giving Gina a hug.
"Thank you, both of you. Well, I'll get stuck into the washing up, James are you able to give me a hand?"
"Sure, no problem."
"Emily and I are going to talk for a bit more before she has to go." Naomi said, moving towards the door.
"Thanks for having me, Gina." Emily said, "It was a pleasure."
"And it was a pleasure having you both in for it." Gina said. "Now off you both go."
The two walked through the hallway and Emily stopped again to look at he mural, in the black light. "Amazing." She said.
Naomi smiled, grateful that Emily found so much pleasure in looking at it.
The two went back inside the bus, and Emily reached for her bag, pulling out her laptop.
"If you like... I can upload the photos to my laptop and you can see them bigger." Emily said, meeting Naomi's eyes, which immediately sparkled back at her.
"I'd like that a lot." She said, quietly. "Um... If you need a power socket... There's one upstairs."
Emily raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Is that your big try at seduction?"
Naomi laughed. "Ah... No. That usually involves a candlelit dinner, nice music and flowers." She joked.
"Ah, so clichéd, soppy shit." Emily laughed, in reply.
"Nah. I'd do something pretty unique, actually." The blonde said, seriously.
Emily gazed at her. There was just something about the tone of Naomi's voice that told her she wasn't joking. She nodded. "I believe you." She said, her voice coming out low. She paused for a moment, her senses feeling something she had long forgotten what it was like to experience. Desire. She immediately cleared her throat. "So, upstairs then. Yeah, I will need a power socket."
"Ok.. upstairs, then." Naomi said, nodding her head and turning towards the stairs. Emily picked up her laptop bag and followed Naomi up. She still couldn't believe that the blonde had let her in to her sanctuary, that personal, physical place that some of her work, her passion was born. On her way up the stairs she caught herself thinking about how much passion Naomi had for her, and in which ways it would manifest itself.
"Uhh... It's an extension cord... And... God, I'm sorry, this is going to sound completely wrong, but I swear it isn't." Naomi said, her face a shade of red Emily hadn't yet seen on the blonde. "It's by the bed so you'll have to sit on it."
The redhead pretended to look shocked, before bursting into a fit of giggles. "We do make a right pair, don't we?"
"Yeah." Naomi grinned, before biting her bottom lip. Fuck, that's sexy, thought Emily. "Sorry, I just feel really nervous. I'm not sure why. I know that I fancy you and more than that, maybe, I hope... God, and now I'm babbling like a complete twat."
Emily moved closer to Naomi, taking her hands in hers. "You're not the only one, ok?" She said, softly. "I've never felt like this before. Not even with my ex."
Naomi closed her eyes and nodded. "Me either. The only thing I've ever felt this strongly about is my art. For years now, art has been everything to me. It helped me rebuild myself after Alicia." She said, before opening her eyes and raring deep into Emily's. "I don't like to say it, because it sounds snobbish, and that's not who I am inside, Emily. But I am damn good at my art, and you are the first person I've taken an interest in who has seen it. I knew it from the moment you saw me painting it. I've not yet met a girl who hasn't turned their nose up at that painting. Not even Effy, and she and I are best friends. She just refers to it as 'the girl getting off with the octopi', which just makes me sound like I'm into that sort of thing... But really, tentacle sex? Ugh... Too slimy. Gross."
Emily stared at Naomi open mouthed. "Hun... Are you sure you only smoke spliff?" She asked, cautiously, raising her eyebrow.
"Well, you know those mushrooms in the veggie lasagna?"
Emily's eyes went wide. "What?!"
Naomi burst out laughing. "Oh my god, your face! I'm totally joking, Emily." She smiled, cheekily.
Emily hit Naomi's shoulder with her palm. "That's not funny..." She said, seriously, before beginning to giggle.
Naomi pulled Emily close. "Aww.. Really, I'm sorry." She said, kissing her temple softly. "But yeah, usually only spliff. The occasional tab of acid or MDMA every now and again. But usually just spliff."
"Wow."
"Does that bother you?"
Emily shook her head. "No, why would it? I sometimes partake as well... So I would be a hypocrite if it did."
Naomi nodded. "That's fair."
"So... This power socket?" Emily smirked.
"Ah." Naomi said, getting down on her knees and reaching for the end of the extension lead, before turning and being faced with Emily's midsection. Her breath caught in her chest and she looked up to see Emily looking back down at her. Naomi swallowed and handed her the end of the lead.
"Thanks." Emily said quietly, taking her laptop power adaptor out of her bag and plugging it in, setting it up on Naomi's bed. She sat down and looked over the beautiful pattern of the tie-dyed duvet. "Yours?" She asked.
"Yes." Naomi replied.
"I love it."
Naomi smiled. "It was the first artistic thing I learned to do. The old standby hippie handicraft." She explained, as she sat down across from Emily, the laptop booting up between them.
"I think I owned a tie-dye shirt once. Katie called me crazy." Emily laughed.
The startup sound of Emily's laptop chimed in, and Emily set up the cable connecting her camera to her laptop, and set her photo software to download the images.
"Do you only work in digital?" Naomi asked.
Emily nodded. "Yeah. No space for a darkroom and the chemicals are a bit dear." She said. "Not that I don't love the processes... But I've just never had the means or space to indulge in it."
Naomi nodded. "I guess the good thing about painting is that paint and brushes go a long way... So you don't have to stock up all the time... Plus with the bus and the other projects... I'm never without something to paint."
"That's true."
"You would if you could, though...right? I mean... You're not one of those photographers who thinks digital is far sharper and superior and you get a better image, yada yada yada?"
"No." Emily smiled, brushing her fringe out of her eyes. "I've always admired the old methods. I got to play around with it when I was in college... I loved the hands on aspect of it, and it's something that I miss... At least with this setup I can still make images."
Naomi nodded. "I can understand that. I'm glad you at least got to learn the old techniques." She replied, with a small smile.
Emily looked at the laptop screen. "Wow."
"What is it?" Naomi asked.
"I took more photos than I thought I did." She said, as the last ones finished downloading from the camera.
"Oh. Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?"
Emily shrugged. "It can be." She said, with a smile. Her eyes went back to the laptop and she clicked on the first image that she had taken at the festival, which was of the banner that she had seen when she walked in. "There you go... Just press the right and left arrows to to back and forth." She said, turning the laptop towards Naomi.
She watched as Naomi began to flick through the pictures, grinning when she got to the first ones that Emily had taken of her while she was eating lunch. The redhead could see the slight blush that covered Naomi's face. "These are great, Emily." She said.
"That was just lunch, though... Keep looking." Emily smiled. Naomi kept flipping through the pictures as Emily watched, seeing the progression of her performance played out in pictures. She stopped on the close up Emily had taken of her, staring off at something unknown, looking completely at peace.
"Oh, god." Naomi whispered, her pupils dilating widely. Her eyes ran over the image, taking in the subtle variation in tones and colour. "I've never thought that much of myself, but..."
"Are you kidding me?" Emily asked. "That image doesn't do what I see any real justice." Naomi's eyes met hers and gazed at her with a curious look. Emily held her gaze and told her with her eyes what she didn't have words for. That Naomi was uniquely beautiful. She reached up and tucked Naomi's fringe behind her ear. "You are rather beautiful." Naomi gave a shy smile and she could feel her cheeks getting hotter as the blush spread across them.
"And you think I'm too sweet." Naomi mumbled, before leaning in to kiss Emily softly. "You are positively saccharine."
Emily smiled. "What's that you said... 'I call it as I see it'?"
Naomi giggled. "I see. Competitions as to who can out-goo each other. I can handle that." She grinned, as she went back to the pictures. She flipped through them slowly one after the other, taking in each image in and spending more time on some than others. She came to an image of her placing one of the lit flares into a bucket, the bright red of the flare creating a focal point for the image, the smoke billowing off it, floating over Naomi's shoulder. "Are... Are you able to get prints of these done?" She asked.
Emily nodded. "Yes. I can take them to a copy or photo shop and get them printed up. Why?"
Naomi smiled and tapped her temple with her fingertip. "Artistic mind in overdrive, Emily. This one, here..." She said, looking at the image of her with the flare, "...there's something about it. It's like it's asking me to paint it. But I need a larger size for reference... Um..." Naomi paused, her brow furrowing, before she looked down at her hands.
"What is it?" Emily asked, gently.
"I'm... Seeing abstract things in my head. But this... This is beautiful realism. I need to turn this into what I see... Up here." She explained, tapping her temple again. "I could use your help to do it... If you want to help me, that is."
Emily stared at Naomi in partial disbelief. "You're asking me to help you create art?"
"Y-yes. I suppose I am." Naomi said, nervously. "Only if you want to, though... I mean... Feel free to say no, and I'll understand if you do, because it's two similar, yet totally different art forms, but I can tell from these pictures that you have a keen eye for creating some amazing images, Emily, and I feel the need to bounce something off that, it's like it sings to me, calling to me in the night like siren song..." Naomi rambled, before Emily leaned over and kissed her passionately, in part to silence her rambling, and in part to thank her for asking her something that was ultimately so personal to both of them.
Naomi broke the kiss between them and shut her eyes again, her forehead leaning against Emily's. "Um... Does that...mean...?" She asked, her voice nervous and shaky, both from another of Emily's kisses that did nothing more than temporarily blank her mind, and for the first time having asked someone to create something with her.
Emily giggled and nodded. "Yes... I would love to."
She watched as Naomi's expression turned to that of a wide grin and squealed as Naomi pulled her into her lap and wrapped her arms around her, holding her close. "Thank you." Emily heard her whisper, and felt it against her ear. Emily pulled her arms tighter around Naomi in response. Emily was enjoying the feel of the blonde in her arms, as well as Naomi's arms around her. She felt that it was something she could get used to very much, and for the first time, she wasn't afraid of how that made her feel.
Naomi had much the same feeling... Thinking how good, and how... right it felt to be in this embrace with Emily. It surprised her, she had never felt this pull towards someone, not even Alicia. Naomi had loved her, yes, but this was completely different. She had never felt that her relationship with Alicia was something extremely special, and never had the bond that she and Emily had developed in such a short space of time.
"This is nice." Emily said, quietly. Naomi realised her voice was quite a bit lower than usual.
"Yeah." Naomi whispered, in reply.
They sat there for a few moments, both noting how calm they felt against one another. It was Naomi who spoke next.
"What time do you have to work tomorrow?" She asked.
"Eight-thirty." Emily replied. "Why?"
Naomi pulled back slightly to face Emily. She bit her bottom lip before speaking. "Stay here with me tonight?"
Emily thought for a moment. She checked the time on her laptop, and it was still early, just before seven. "You don't mind me skipping out early in the morning?"
"So long as you leave with a kiss." Naomi said, hopefully.
"That can be arranged." Emily smirked.
"So...?"
Emily kissed Naomi softly. "Yes, I'll stay."
Naomi smiled, genuinely. "Yay." She said. "And that way I can also get a better look at the rest of the photos."
Emily nodded.
"I should show you something first, though. Something I can't take credit for, but it's still beautiful." Naomi said.
"Um...ok." Emily said.
"It involves a little excursion, though." Naomi said, doing a cheeky double eyebrow raise.
"Oh?"
"Not far, I promise." Naomi smiled.
Emily nodded her agreement, and slid herself off Naomi, and the blonde stood up, taking Emily hand firmly in hers and walking towards the door to the art room. She opened the door and led Emily to the far corner of the room and opened a cupboard door. Emily's eyes went wide as she saw a series of handholds built into the wall of the bus. Naomi grinned. "After you." She said, motioning to the ladder.
Emily smirked. "Promise you won't perve at my arse?"
Naomi laughed. "I can't promise that. It's a cute arse."
Emily laughed, and began to make her way up the ladder, finding a hatch above her head. "Oh, here..." Naomi muttered, climbing up beside Emily and reaching up to flick the latch. Her hand fumbled a little with it, but it was only brief. Get it together, Naomi... she thought to herself. She noticed the close proximity between her and Emily, feeling the redheads body heat against hers. She reached upwards and pushed the hatch open. "There you go." She whispered.
Emily climbed up out of the hatch, to find herself standing on top of the bus itself, the giant letters spelling "PASSION" under her feet. Naomi climbed up and out of the hatch, and walked to the middle of the bus, and sat down. "Come." She said to Emily, with a warm smile, patting the space next to her. Emily walked over and sat down next to the blonde. Naomi slid her hand behind Emily's head and pulled her close and kissed her, slowly. Her fingers slipped behind Emily's neck as the kiss between them deepened. Finally needing air, they both pulled apart from each other.
"Do you trust me?" Naomi whispered.
Emily looked at her with wonder in her eyes and nodded.
"Good. Lie backwards." Naomi said, shifting and lying down on her back. Emily followed suit and found herself staring at the most beautiful starscape she had ever seen.
"Wow..." Emily whispered.
"Yeah. It's something, isn't it?" Emily replied.
Oh, yeah, Emily thought. Just like you are something. You make me want you so much, it's terrifying.
"It certainly is." Emily said, her huskiness in her voice becoming more apparent.
The two lay there a while, before Naomi felt the touch of Emily's fingers gliding down her wrist, the back of her hand, and brushing over her thumb. Naomi then found herself holding her breath as Emily's fingers slipped into hers and gently gripped on, her thumb lightly rubbing back and forth over the blonde's own. Naomi finally remembered to breathe, and couldn't believe how hard her heart was racing. Emily didn't say anything, she didn't have to.
They lay side by side for a long time, the both of them watching the stars, silently. After a while, Naomi brought their linked hands upwards and kissed the back of Emily's hand gently.
"Thank you for showing me this." Emily said, quietly. "I've not looked at the stars like this since I was a kid."
"I come up here sometimes at night... When I need to think."
Emily felt Naomi shift beside her, and sensing her movement, turned onto her side to face her, their linked hands between them. She found Naomi's eyes staring back at her brightly, illuminated by the ambient light from a nearby street light.
"You seem to be baring all to me today." Emily said softly.
"Yeah." Naomi replied. "I do."
"Do you know why?" Emily asked.
Naomi shrugged. "You make me feel at ease. I don't feel like I have to hide anything from you. Like... If I do, it will feel wrong."
"Oh."
"Strange... For someone who woke me up for a first meeting." Naomi said, a smirk on her lips.
Emily laughed. "I think it's the best nuisance call I've ever had to go on."
Naomi blushed. "I suppose warning you I can be grumpy in the morning is unnecessary."
Emily smiled. "Well, no." She replied. "But you aren't going to be hungover tomorrow."
"True."
Emily moved a little closer and so did Naomi. Neither was sure who leaned in first, but soon their lips pressed against each other, and Naomi's hand rested on Emily's jawline as they shared a slow kiss. Both of them felt like they were falling into something that was inescapable but beautiful. For the first time they knew, they needed something.
Something other than curling up with a DVD, a bottle of wine and a pizza on a Friday night, as far as Emily was concerned. Or for Naomi, her art. Both had surprised each other, Naomi had floored Emily her confidence and boldness, as well as her down-to-earth nature. She had seen in Emily something different, and found her presentation of Naomi's own living artwork to be something she had never seen. It reminded her of something similar to rock music photography, but with a definite retro flavour. It appealed to Naomi, because she found it to be very similar to her own upbringing, hearing many classic rock records, and seeing pictures of the bands on the Internet. She loved the grainy style of the images, she wanted to know if Emily could create the same style.
Naomi felt Emily shiver next to her, and separated their lip lock. "Are you cold? We can go inside..."
Emily looked into Naomi's eyes, and blinked a second. "Uhm... Yeah. It is a bit... brisk out here."
"Alright." Naomi said, gently. She sat up, and stood up carefully, pulling Emily upwards as well. They made their way down the stepladder, Naomi going first and making sure Emily got down safely. She climbed partway back up to secure the hatch, and then the two went back and sat on Naomi's bed.
"So, what do you have in mind for this art thing." Emily said, nodding to her laptop.
"That is so weird, I was just thinking about that." Naomi replied. "Uh... Do you know anything about rock music photography?"
"Sure. Concerts are one way to make a quid."
"Have you ever done it?"
"Yeah, back in college. Katie would go out to pick up boys, and I would photograph bands at the local pub. Good practice." Emily replied. "Why do you ask?"
"I see it in your photographs. The influence, that is. You have captured me being so caught up in what I was doing, forgetting the world exists. Some of my favourite photographs are of musicians who were in the same world I was in... That space we go when we create, inside our head... But it was much more intense for them... Painting is one thing, but playing guitar like Jimmy Page is a completely different matter."
"Jimmy Page?"
"Guitarist for Led Ze-"
"I know who he is, hun." Emily laughed.
The blonde nodded. "Look... I don't want it done right this minute," She said, "but I want you to look up some images of him playing on stage... And then, I want you to find some images that you took that you think look similar to that... And then I'll pick one... and tell you what we'll do next. Would that be ok?"
Emily nodded. "Sure. I can do that."
Naomi smiled. "I really appreciate you helping me."
"I'm honoured you asked."
Naomi noticed the time on the alarm clock by her bed, it was getting on towards ten. "Uhm... I don't know what time you needed to turn in... I am feeling like I want to lie down, though."
"I am tired, too. It's been an eventful day." Emily smiled. She reached over to shut down her laptop, and packed it up into her satchel, as Naomi pulled back the duvet and got into bed. Emily took her sneakers off and wriggled out of her skinny jeans before getting under the duvet, rolling onto her side to face Naomi. Her blue eyes staring back at her.
Naomi snaked her arm around Emily's shoulder and drew her in close as the redhead lay her head on Naomi's own shoulder. The blonde slowly and gently stroked her fingertips up and down the warm skin of Emily's forearm. They talked a little while longer, and before long they drifted off in each other's arms, into the most peaceful sleep either of them had in a long time.
A/N#2: For some reason I have that old Maxi Priest song in my head.
(Yeah, I still have issues considering the nineties "retro")
Right. I'm off to find an invisibility cloak before I post the next chapter... Where we find out a little bit about what Katie and Effy have been up to. If that's not your thing, then by all means feel free to skip it and I'll see you back here for chapter sixteen. lol
Au revoir pour maintenant ;)