A/N: OH HAI!
Me again, which another chapter to this little tale. It's a tad later than I expected to post it, I've spent the last couple of days recovering from the Brisbane Pride Rally/March/Fair Day that was held over the weekend. I helped carry a large rainbow flag for the second year in a row, and 'twas a lot of fun. If anyone is interested in pics of the day, feel free to navigate to my twitter (garden_naoms) and I've linked to my Instagram on there (yeah, I am now an instawh0re like everyone else. Might as well change my name to Jones while I'm at it.)
This is part one of the weekend away! There is at least a second part (that is yet to be written) and possibly a third (depending how far the second part gets). And in breaking with the tradition of the last three chapters, it contains ZERO smut. But it is Fluffy™, and I have to say it verynearlyalmost got smutty, but it didn't.
ANYWAY. On with it, as they say.
Disclaimer: I do not own skins. Bugger. Any and all typos are the property of the iPad.
"So, I thought we could stop and have lunch before we get to our destination?" Naomi said, about fifteen minutes after they started their journey. "I mean where we are going isn't far, but I thought it might make a nice detour...we could have lunch on the beach?"
"Sounds like a plan." Emily said. "Are you going to tell me where we are going, yet?"
Naomi laughed. "The mystery is killing you, isn't it?" She said.
"I wouldn't say killing... But, I'm anxious to know." Emily grinned.
Naomi nodded, a wry smile on her face. "D'you like The Beatles, Em?"
"Erm, yeah. Liverpool isn't near a beach, though." Emily replied.
Naomi laughed. "True, but by the end of tomorrow, you, me, and the Fab Four will have been in the same place at least once."
Emily giggled. "Have you been taking cryptic lessons from Effy?"
"Oh, no. She does it so well, I wouldn't dare try to imitate her." Naomi said, offhand. "Seriously, though... If it's starting to annoy you, I can tell you, if you like."
Emily shook her head. "I know how much you want to surprise me. I don't mind waiting." She said, a shy smile crossing her lips. "Oh, shit. I don't even know if Katie got home alright last night." She said, reaching into her pocket for her phone. She turned to Naomi. "Do you mind if I give her a quick call?"
Naomi smiled and shook her head. "Go ahead, babe."
Emily dialled Katie's number and heard it ring a few times before the call was answered.
"Ugh, do you have any idea what time it is?" Katie answered, sounding a bit hoarse.
"Don't tell me she shagged you into a coma? It's nearly eleven, for Christ's sake." Emily laughed.
"Oh. Emsy, it's you." Katie groaned. "Least I didn't shag in someone's backyard."
"Touché, bitch! Listen, Naomi and I are on our way out to wherever she is taking me, but I just wanted to check that you got in alright last night." Emily said.
"She still hasn't told you where you are going?" Katie asked. "And yeah, we made it back to Gina's about half two, and we were asleep until you rang."
"What can I say? She likes to surprise me." Emily said, looking over at Naomi and smiling. The blonde smiled back, before returning her attention to the road.
"Right. Hey, Effy says to tell Naomi to check the glovebox. Something about a tin with 'stay calm' written on it. What, Eff? Oh, she says it's 'keep calm'."
"'Keep calm'? Uh, ok, I'll let her know."
"Good, now let us sleep, yeah? Way too many drinks last night."
"Alright, Katie. The care and I'll call you soon."
"Enjoy your weekend, Ems." Katie said, before ending the call.
"Katie's alright, then?" Naomi asked, as they turned onto a country road.
Emily nodded. "They're both at Gina's, actually. She said Effy said to tell you something about a tin in the glovebox?"
Naomi looked puzzled for a moment. "Can you please open the glovebox for me, and have a look?"
"Sure." Emily said, opening the glovebox. "She said it had 'stay calm' or something written on it..."
"If she said 'keep calm'..." Naomi started.
"Yeah, that was it. Oh! Here it is..." Emily pulled out a small tin that, sure enough, true to instruction had a red lid on which was printed 'KEEP CALM AND STAY SPLIFFED.' Emily laughed, getting the joke as she opened the tin to find a small baggie of weed and a packet of rolling papers. "Oh, I get it now." She flipped the lid shut and held up the tin for Naomi to see.
"Ahh... Yeah, that's Effy for you. Always making sure you have the essentials." Naomi laughed. "Can you reach behind and put it in my backpack? Save it for later, and all." Emily reached back and slipped the tin into the side pocket of the blonde's backpack. "Thanks, baby."
For the next half hour, the two of them played a game of spot-the-object-or-animal.
"Is that a cow?" Naomi asked.
"Uhh... No, it's actually a dead tree." Emily laughed.
"Oh. Oops. Could have sworn it was a cow."
"It's burnt out, that's why." Emily said. "Someone must have set it on fire."
"Aw. Here I was imagining barbecued beef." Naomi grinned.
"We must be getting close, now. I thought I could see the sea at the top of that last hill." Emily said, trying to lean up a bit and see more.
"We are nearly there, yeah." Naomi smiled. "So...do you fancy hanging out another ten minutes to know where we are going?"
Emily looked over at Naomi and saw the giddy look in her eyes. "Well, I don't mind, but you look more excited than I do, so... If you want to tell me, you can."
Naomi nodded. "It's a little holiday park on the coast at Weston-Super-Mare. It used to be a farm years ago that a friend of mum's owned, but they turned it into a holiday park. Apparently the tourists love it, and I remember mum taking me there back when I was a kid and it was a farm. They still have a few animals, but it's mostly holiday cottages nowadays."
"Oh, wow! I thought we were going to just, like, camp on the beach or something." Emily said, surprised. "That sounds lovely."
Naomi smiled. "That was my original idea. Until Gina reminded me I'm sort of...totally shit at setting up tents."
Emily giggled. "Is it bad that I can picture that?" She asked.
Naomi laughed. "Not really. Last time I tried, Cook had to do it. I got a bit flustered and flung one of the pegs and nearly hit poor Freddie in the head with it."
"Aww. I could have helped you, you know." Emily replied.
Naomi smiled. "Sweet, Ems, but I prefer it this way, actually. Means I have less rope to worry about, and more time to think about how to teach you things."
"I see." Emily nodded.
"Besides... This is me treating you, yeah? I couldn't bring you out here and then ask you to help me set up camp... It wouldn't feel right." Naomi explained.
Emily gave Naomi a shy smile. "You are just a big soppy romantic, aren't you?"
"Only when it comes to you." Naomi blushed. "Hey...look, Ems." She said, nodding ahead.
Emily looked, and saw that they were about to turn onto a road that ran parallel to the coast. To the right of them, was the ocean at low tide, with sand stretching as far as one could see. An array of buildings were off in the distance, and they could also see natural coastal vegetation. "Wow." Emily said, her eyes wide.
"There's not much water at the moment...low tide, you see. But give it a few hours."
"It's still beautiful, Naoms. Thank you so much for bringing me here." Emily said, her smile wide and genuine.
Naomi took Emily's hand in hers and squeezed gently, sharing the same smile. The redhead looked around, taking in the surroundings, completely wide-eyed.
"So... Touristy, or off-the-beaten-track, Ems?"
"Oh, off-the-beaten-track, definitely." Emily replied.
"Alrighty then." Naomi said, as they came up to a car park. She turned the van so that they were facing the sea, and parked it. "We're not far from the farm, but this should do nicely for lunch." She said, unbuckling her seatbelt.
They both got out, Emily slinging her camera bag over her shoulder. Naomi retrieved the lunchbox from the back seat, and the forks from the side pocket of her backpack, and locked up the van. She turned to find Emily standing in front of her, a shy smile on her face. Naomi smiled back, and Emily stepped closer, wrapping her arms around Naomi's waist and leaned up to kiss her.
"What was that for?" Naomi asked, as Emily rested her head against her chest. The redhead looked back up at her and simply smiled. Naomi chuckled softly. "C'mon." She said, slipping her finger through Emily's and leading her from the van.
After walking a short distance, they ended up at a deserted gazebo that was in a park area near to the sea wall. Emily took her camera out from it bag and stood at one of the entrances of the gazebo, facing the ocean, and leaned against the wooden post. Naomi watched her as she removed the lens cap of the camera and pointed the lens out to sea. The camera clicked as she took a photograph, and she then replaced the lens cap and put the camera down on the seat beside her. Naomi came to stand behind her, and wrapped her arms around her shoulders from behind. She left a gentle kiss on Emily's temple.
"Naoms?" The redhead asked.
"Yes?"
"Can we...come back here...when it's sunset?"
Naomi rested her chin on Emily's shoulder. "Of course." She replied. "It's lovely, isn't it? It's a lovely place."
"Yes, it is." Emily replied, her fingers threading through Naomi's. they stood there for a while, just taking in the atmosphere and listening to the breeze around them.
"Lunch?" Naomi asked, softly. Emily turned around in Naomi's arms and looked up at her, and smiled, nodding. They sat down on the floor of the gazebo, and the blonde handed Emily a fork. Then, she opened the lunchbox, and gave the contents a bit of a stir. She set the box down between them, and gestured for Emily to dig in. The redhead took her fork and skewered some pumpkin and a couple of spinach leaves, taking a bite.
"Oh, that's good!" She said, after swallowing. Naomi grinned and tucked in along with her. They ate silently for a few minutes, and Emily didn't notice when Naomi had stopped, and was just watching her, until she looked up and caught Naomi's eyes. She stopped mid-mouthful, and looked at her curiously. "What?"
The corner of Naomi's mouth turned upwards in a half-smile, and she raised both of her eyebrows just once. She looked downwards and speared a piece of pumpkin with her fork, as well as a smallish quarter wedge of tomato. She grinned cheekily at Emily, and held the fork out to her. Emily raised her eyebrow and smiled, playing along, she opened her mouth and leaned forwards, closing her lips around the mouthful as she maintained eye contact with Naomi. She slowly chewed in the most seductive manner possible, watching as the grin faded from Naomi's face, leaving behind a definite look of arousal.
Emily swallowed. "You ok there, Naoms?" She said, smirking and batting her eyelids.
"I...uh..." Naomi swallowed. "Jesus."
"Little bit speechless there, babe?" Emily asked.
"Uhm...mymindisallhotandsweatynow." Naomi said, very quickly, before leaning forwards and kissing Emily slowly. The redhead whimpered in surprise as the blonde's fingers threaded their way through her red hair, and gently gripped on, trying to hold her closer as she kissed her.
"Ohh my god." Naomi said, once their lips came apart, her forehead gently bumping against Emily's. "Are you still hungry? Please tell me you're not still hungry..."
"Nuh uh." Emily replied, gently licking her lips. "Not for food." She added, almost in a whisper. Naomi looked down between them, seeing that there was only a forkful of the salad left, so she speared the remnants with her fork and popped them into her mouth, chewing quickly before swallowing. She closed the lunchbox after placing the forks inside and stood up, reaching her hand down towards Emily, pulling her up to her feet.
The redhead packed the camera into the camera bag and slung it across her shoulder. She turned to Naomi, who pulled Emily close to her, and kissed her forehead gently. "Thank you, for sharing lunch with me." She said, softly.
Emily smiled in reply, and hugged Naomi close. "Likewise, baby."
Naomi took Emily's hand in hers and they walked back to the van. Once they got back onto the road, it didn't take long before they reached the holiday park, which was right near to the beach. Naomi turned the van into the driveway, going through the front gate, the park being surrounded by a low green picket fence. She parked the van in front of a building that was labelled "OFFICE", and turned off the motor.
"This shouldn't take long." Naomi said, "Unless you want to come in with me? It's just getting keys, so... Not terribly exciting."
"I don't mind waiting, babe." Emily replied.
Naomi unbuckled her seatbelt, leaning across and kissing Emily slowly. "I'll be right back." She said, softly. Emily nodded, and Naomi got out of the car. She walked to the office and opened the door, walking inside, the small bell attached to the corner of the door ringing cheerily. The office was neat and tidy, with a large, varnished oak bench set near one side of the room. Naomi remembered the room being part of a larger house, and figured the rest of the house must be where Rusty now lived. She saw a pamphlet stand in the corner that held all manner of tourist information, from maps, to local 'what's on' guides for the area.
"Afternoon! How can I help you, love?" Came a cheery voice from the doorway that was behind the counter. A short man with long hair that was secured with a headband, wearing a tie-dyed t-shirt greeted Naomi with a smile. He looked to be about Gina's age, and Naomi had to admit, he looked familiar.
"Uh...Rusty?" She said
"That's right! Welcome to Seaside Holiday Park." Rusty replied. "How do you know me, though? I don't think I know you."
Naomi smiled. "You might not remember me, actually. I'm Naomi... Gina Campbell's daughter?"
Rusty peered at her curiously, and then his eyes lit up with recognition. "Wow! You grew up." He laughed.
Naomi nodded. "That I did, it has been a while."
"Yeah, yeah... Gina called me the other day about a booking for you. She said something about you bringing a friend with you?" Rusty said.
"Yeah, I have my girlfriend with me." Naomi smiled.
"Aw, that's lovely." Rusty replied. "So..." He said, reaching behind him to a wall of keys and plucking a set of keys from one of the hooks, handing he set to Naomi. "Your cabin is number 11, straight down the end of the road and on the left. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come and ask, but do so before 4, the wife and I are going out to see friends, so the office will be closed."
"Alright. Thanks for having a booking at such short notice. What do I owe you for the night?" Naomi said, digging her wallet out of her pocket.
"It's £20 just for one night, but fix us up when you check out tomorrow." Rusty said, waving his hand.
"Alright. Does that have to be anytime in particular?"
"Anytime before 4." Rusty replied.
"Ok. I guess we'll set off, then. Thanks again, Rusty." Naomi said, smiling. She left the office and got back into the van.
"All set?" Emily asked.
"Yep! We are down the end of the road on the left. Rusty said if we needed anything to ask the office before 4." Naomi replied, as she started up the van. She drove down to the end of the road, and parked beside a dark green painted weatherboard cabin. The two got out of the van, and Naomi opened the sliding door, retrieving Emily's backpack and placing it on her back, and picked up her own backpack in her hand.
"You want me to grab yours?" Emily asked.
Naomi smiled and shook her head. "I got it."
They walked to the door and Naomi slipped the key into the lock and opened the door. She stepped aside to let Emily enter first following herself immediately after. The front door opened into a homey looking sitting room, which was furnished with a comfortable looking sofa, and the window was framed with dark purple curtains. Emily placed her satchel down on the sofa, and looked through the cabin, walking through the short hallway, passing two bedrooms and finding that the hallway ended with a door. She opened the door, finding that it opened out onto a deck area, which was furnished with two deck chairs and a small table between them.
She rested her hands on the wooden railing of the deck, and took in the ocean view. She took a deep breath, smelling the fresh saltiness of the sea air around her, and as she exhaled, she felt Naomi's arms slip around her waist. The blonde softly kissed the top of Emily's head.
"Beautiful view, isn't it?" Naomi said.
"Very." Emily replied, sliding her hands own Naomi's forearms and covering her hands with her own.
"I'm glad you like it."
"Oh, I love it, Naoms." Emily said, raising Naomi's hand and kissing it gently.
Naomi turned Emily around in her arms and held her close. "And I love you." She said, leaning in and kissing her slowly.
"I love you, too."
The pair went back inside, and Naomi shut the door behind them. Emily's hand reached up and rubbed the back of her neck, and she rolled her shoulder a few times as they walked down the hallway.
"You ok?" Naomi asked.
"Yeah, just a bit stiff from being in the van, I think." Emily said, as she stopped. Naomi rested her hands on the redhead's shoulders and squeezed gently.
"You need a massage?" She asked, rubbing her thumbs at the base of her neck.
Emily began to relax as Naomi's hands gently squeezed her shoulders. "That does feel good." She said, softly.
"Come on..." Naomi said, sliding one hand down to Emily's and taking it in her own. She led her into one of the bedrooms, and sat down on the end of the bed. "Turn around?" She asked. Emily turned around and Naomi's hands gently gripped her waist and pulled her backwards so that she was sitting between her legs. The hands moved up Emily's back and gently rubbed and squeezed at her shoulder muscles. The redhead felt the tension begin to melt away and let her head fall backwards. Naomi continued to massage Emily's shoulders for the next few minutes, until the redhead reached upwards and threaded her fingers into the blonde's, ceasing her movements. Naomi slid her hand down Emily's chest and her other arm around her waist, her back now flush against her front. "Is that better?"
"Mmhmm." Emily murmured, leaning backwards into Naomi. She sighed softly, as she felt warm lips kissing the side of her neck. The hem of her shirt lifted, and she felt soft warm fingers stroking her stomach as Naomi kissed across the back of Emily's shoulders. "You feel good."
"So do you." Naomi whispered in reply, softly kissing behind Emily's ear. "Lie down with me?"
"Yes." Emily replied. Naomi unwrapped her arms from around the redhead's waist and moved backwards up the bed, watching as Emily crawled upwards on her hands and knees. She stretched out next to Naomi and the blonde wrapped her arm around her back, pulling her body close to her own. Emily sighed as she relaxed into the embrace. "It's so easy with you. It's like we're meant to fit together." She said, as her nose nuzzled into Naomi's neck.
"It's beautiful." Naomi whispered.
"Yeah."
There was a long silence, broken only by the distant sound of the waves. "I keep trying to think... Of how we can work together..."
"And?" Emily asked.
Naomi kissed Emily's forehead. "Obviously you have the talent with the lens... But what of the post-camera stage? Do you ever manipulate your images?"
"Sometimes. Mostly I play with exposure times when taking shots, and other settings."
"How do you mean?" Naomi asked.
"Like settings to get different colours, you can make sunsets look deeper and richer in colour, for example. All by adjusting things in-camera."
Naomi thought for a moment. "Sort of like... Using different tints with paint? Seeing the image in your head, and then translating it onto the canvas... Fiddling with the settings is like mixing colours."
"Sort of. It's... Sort of hard to explain without showing you."
"Oh. Well... Why don't you show me, then? Maybe I can learn from you as much as I can teach you." Naomi asked.
"Mmm... I'm sort of enjoying lying here, though." Emily said, giving Naomi puppy dog eyes.
"Aww." Naomi said with a smile, kissing Emily's forehead. "I'll make it worth your while later."
"Promise?" Emily asked, in the cute way that Naomi found she had that just pulled at her heart.
She leaned in and kissed right beside Emily's ear. "You bet." She whispered, causing Emily to shiver in her arms. She dragged a reluctant Emily off the bed, and out to where they had left their luggage. Emily got her camera out of its bag and slung the strap around her beck, as Naomi led her out onto the back deck, right to the balcony which faced the sea.
"So... How do we..."
Naomi kissed Emily's shoulder and placed her arms around her waist. "Relax. Breathe deeply, close your eyes and just let go." Emily closed her eyes and let herself relax against Naomi's chest, feeling her arms around her and the sense of safety and freedom they brought with them. "Now..." She heard Naomi say, "Do you feel relaxed?" Emily nodded slowly. "Now, show me how you take a picture. Just of the view in front of us. Exactly how you would take it as if I wasn't here holding you."
Emily opened her eyes and raised her camera to eye level, clicking various buttons to get the desired result. She finally took a couple of shots at various exposure types, and then brought the camera back to her chest, allowing the neck strap to take up the slack as she switched it off. "Christ." She whispered.
"What is it, baby?" Naomi asked, softly.
"I'm not sure I have words." Emily replied.
"Sometimes it is what catches your eye first that makes the impact. It burns itself into your memory. But to really see, to really experience that impact, we have to be completely still, and at peace." Naomi explained.
"Clearing your mind, so the first thing that pops into it is..."
"Yes."
"Wow." Emily said, softly.
"How do you think it is for press photographers, then? Those who cover conflicts? There have been some photos that have just been pure circumstantial luck."
"True." Naomi said, gently kissing across Emily's shoulder again. "There is such a thing as right place, right time, right circumstances. Or wrong in some cases."
"Yeah."
"Ever had the urge, Em? To travel the world taking photographs like that?" Naomi asked. "I mean, not in war zones, but..."
"I'd need a job with the press, first." Emily laughed. "But...yeah. I'd like to do that one day. Even if it's just for me."
"I think you should make more time to nurture your talent."
"I know, but it's hard with work and all. By the time I've recovered from my week, it's time to go back on Monday." Emily explained.
"Don't you get a day off?"
"Yeah, Tuesdays."
"And is that set in stone, or can it be changed?" Naomi asked, slipping her hands into Emily's pockets.
Emily shrugged. "Never thought to ask, really."
"Hmm. I just thought that if you had Monday off instead of Tuesday, it would give you a three day weekend, and you'd get more time to...indulge."
Emily turned to Naomi and smiled. "That's a great idea."
Naomi smiled. "I come up with them, sometimes."
"That you do." Emily replied, looking back out to the ocean. "I needed this. Just a couple of days to get away. And any time spent with you is more a getaway than I could ask for, so...thank you."
Naomi hugged Emily tight and kissed her temple. "You're welcome."
"I have a question."
"Hmm?"
"That moment that you take to clear your mind... How does that translate to action photography? It's so...spontaneous."
"Maybe it's the knack for finding the right moment. Sometimes it can even be by accident." Naomi replied. "Clearing your mind is a skill that I believe becomes easier with time and practice."
Emily nodded. "Makes sense."
Naomi rested her chin on Emily's shoulder and drew her closer. "The only thing that's missing is our feet in the sand." She said. "We have the breeze, the view..."
"Yeah." Emily said, gently squeezing Naomi's hand. "Maybe later, on the beach?"
"Mmhmm."
Emily turned around in Naomi's arms and leaned her head against the blonde's chest.
"C'mon... I want to show you a couple of my sketches." Naomi said, kissing the top of Emily's head.
Emily let Naomi's fingers slip into her own, and she led her into the cabin.
A/N#2: I'm pretty sure the gazebo was about a second away from getting tested for soundproofing.
(It would have failed, don't you think?)
*snicker*
Until next time... I am also going to update TPA, and I'm still working on GA's next chapter, so stay tuned on all fronts!
~GN~ xo