A/N: Grrreetings! (That's "greetings" with a cheeky growl, if anyone wants to know how that sounds...haha.)
So, when I started writing this holiday bit, I wasn't sure whether it would be two, or three chapters. At this point, it might well turn out to be four by the time they get back to Bristol, but either way, it'll keep you entertained... I hope.
What can I tell you about this chapter, without giving it all away? Hmm... How about the following selection of terms? Artistic exploration... Sea views... Dripping water... Seafood?
That sounds about right. ;-)
It's also Fluffy™, and rather seductive, but alas, no smut.
(It's coming, though... And so will they. Did I really just type that? Oh Christ. Oh well, have a free laugh...lol)
(GloryMorgan, if you are reading this, you are SAFE TO READ THIS IN CLASS...lol.)
On with it, then...if you haven't laughed yourselves to death already... (Please don't, yeah?)
Disclaimer: I do not own skins. All I claim ownership of is an active imagination, speedy fingers (for TYPING, you perverts), and a quirky sense of humour. You're welcome. Any and all typographical errors are the responsibility of the iPad on which this tale has been typed.
It was late afternoon, and Naomi was sitting against the headboard of the very comfortable double bed that Emily was also sitting on. The redhead was leaning back against her chest, and Naomi had her arms wrapped around her stomach. In Emily's lap sat Naomi's sketchbook, open to a page that had an abstract sketch on it. The sketch itself was of a simplistic black face, with white eyes and a white mouth, surrounded by what looked to be fluidic tendrils, set against a nondescript background, that appeared to look like coiled string. The sketch itself was drawn in a simplistic colour scheme.
Emily ran her fingertips gently over the drawing. She was apprehensive at first, about doing so, but that was about an hour ago, and Naomi had encouraged her to with each passing drawing, asking her what she saw in the more abstract drawings.
"Water is a common theme with your art, did you realise?" Emily asked.
"You think so?"
Emily nodded. "Your bus is blue. There's an octopus on it. This one here..." She said, turning back a few pages, "...the bubbles...even though there are red, purple and green ones in there, the other ones are shades of blue, like water. The painting on the back window, even... And it's not just any blue you chose, it's one that is distinctive and catches your eye."
"Hmm."
"Even the mural in Gina's hallway, babe. The lettering may be white, but when you turn on the black lights..."
"It glows blue." Naomi said, finishing Emily's sentence.
"Yes." Emily said, leaning her head back onto Naomi's shoulder. The blonde gently kissed her neck, and held her slightly closer. "This one...looks both marine, and alien in nature, if that's possible."
"I think it can be. Remember, it's abstract, it's open to interpretation."
"I know. Were you thinking of anything in particular when you drew it?"
"This one?" Naomi chuckled. "Not until after I'd finished it. Sometimes my mind switches itself to a point where everything just slips away, and all that's left is the stroke of the medium... Chalk, charcoal, paintbrush..."
"And what was your thought when you finished it?"
"I'll tell you, and you're allowed to laugh if you want. The Flying Spaghetti Monster. Noodly appendages, and all."
"Seriously?" Emily laughed, turning to look at Naomi, who had a smirk on her lips.
"Seriously. It actually surprised me that it was my first thought."
"Why?"
"I've been brought up more or less without religion. Gina believes that it's mostly all hogwash, anyway, and so long as we are good to each other, what you believe in doesn't really matter." Naomi explained.
"Sort of like... People matter more?"
"Yes. It's always been people that matter to Gina."
"I've gathered that." Emily replied, as she turned to the next drawing in the sketchbook. It stopped her dead in her tracks, as it were. "Wow." She said, looking at the gloomy drawing of a simple gravestone, adoring a freshly filled grave. The sky in the drawing was grey, and a tree stood by the gravestone itself, with a thick, black curved line in the distance that looked to represent a road. She traced over the many blurred lines that made up the drawing, until she traced over the name on the gravestone itself. "Stonem? Who is that?" She asked, noting that the drawing had been slotted into the corners of the page of the sketchbook, like a few others.
"Effy." Naomi replied. "It's an old drawing, though... I drew it back when we were in college, when she had issues. She was in hospital for a while."
"She tried to..."
"Yeah." Naomi replied. "That was just before Gina took her in. With Anthea tripping around Europe, Effy didn't have anyone to look out for her, and she really needed it. Her brother was off at uni and didn't have the time, and her dad's involvement in her life is sometimes sporadic, at best."
"Does she know you've drawn this?" Emily asked.
"Yes." Naomi said, reaching to the corners of the drawing and carefully lifting the drawing out of the page. "I took it to her when she was in hospital. Here..." She turned it over, and Emily saw that the back had two messages written on it. The first had a date written there, as well as a short paragraph.
"I love you, and I don't want to have to see this anytime soon. Ok? Naoms. xoxo"
The second message was in a less clear form of handwriting.
"You saved me once. This might just do it again. Thank you. Eff. xo"
Emily read the message once more, letting it sink into her mind. She realised now, why Effy and Naomi communicated so well with each other, and why they seemed such good friends. "You saved her life, didn't you?"
"Yes." Naomi whispered, but said nothing more of it.
Emily turned around, and linked her fingers behind Naomi's neck, pulling her close. "You get more amazing, the more I know about you." She said, softly.
"I did what anyone would have done, Ems. I was just lucky enough I was in the right place at the right time." Naomi said.
Emily nodded, as she turned back to the sketchbook and gently tucked the corners of the drawing back into the page. She turned to another drawing, which was of what looked like branches set against a blue background. "Trees, or branches?"
"More reeds, actually. Like in a lake, or river." Naomi replied.
"Oh. I see it now, it's like they are being moved by the water." Emily said, once again gently running her fingers over the drawing. "It's so simple, but so beautiful."
"You know what else is simple, and beautiful?" Naomi asked, as she slid her fingers between Emily's, capturing the redhead's hands in her own.
"What's that?" Emily replied.
Naomi nuzzled Emily's hair off the back of her neck with her nose and gently kissed her. "This. Being here with you. Simple...beautiful... Perfect." She whispered, placing another kiss on the back of Emily's neck.
Emily closed the sketchbook and set it on the bedside table. She turned to face Naomi and leaned in, kissing her slowly. The blonde wrapped her arms around Emily and pulled her into her lap, drawing her into a deeper kiss. When her lips left Emily's, their foreheads rested against each other. "It's getting a bit late... Do you still want to go and see the beach at sunset?"
Emily nodded. "I do... It's hard to be apart from you, though."
"You won't be though... Oh. You mean..." Naomi said.
"Yeah." Emily smiled, sheepishly.
Naomi smiled. "C'mon, babe. I want to see how well you photograph a sunset." She said, getting the both of them to their feet. "And we can do dinner as well."
"Sounds good."
The two of them walked towards the front door, Emily picking up her camera bag, Naomi checking that she had the keys. As they went to walk out the door, Naomi stopped. "Hmm. Should probably leave a light on, so we don't trip on our way back in." She said, reaching across to turn on the light. She flicked the switch, and the room remained dark. She flicked it off, and tried it again, as one does when they are greeted with a non-functioning light switch. But again, the light didn't turn on.
"Hmm, odd." Naomi mused. "Lightbulb must need changing."
"The light in the kitchen, maybe?" Emily suggested.
"Good thinking." Naomi said, walking through to the kitchen. She pushed the light switch, and again, nothing. "Oh, unbelievable! Two lights out?"
Emily looked curious, and went for the switch in the hallway, trying that. "Babe? This one is out, too."
Naomi walked past the fridge, and heard a wet sound under her feet. She stopped, and saw a pool of water at the base of the fridge. She opened the door, and stepped backwards as water dripped out of it at her feet. "Shit!" She exclaimed.
Almost at once, Emily appeared at the door. "What is it?"
Naomi turned to Emily. "It's an educated guess but I think the power is out."
"Oh."
"Might be a fuse or something. I'll go check the fuse box." Naomi said, walking out to the front door and opening it. She looked around outside, finally finding the fuse box on the side of the cabin, only to find it locked with a heavy padlock. "What the? Who the fuck locks a fuse box?" She said to herself, walking back inside.
"Any luck?" Emily asked.
Naomi shook her head. "Fuse box is padlocked shut." She said, biting her bottom lip.
"What about the office?"
Naomi looked at her watch, seeing that it was half-past five. She shook her head. "It's well after four. Rusty said they would gone after four. And out all night, too."
"Oh. Fantastic." Emily laughed, almost humourlessly. "Well... My phone has a flashlight on it..." She added.
Naomi laughed at the helpful tone in her voice. "Good thing there wasn't anything decent on telly, either." She said, breaking into a fit of the giggles.
Emily stepped towards her and pulled her close, resting her head on Naomi's chest as the blonde's arms wrapped around her. "Hey, we'll figure it out later, yeah? It's only one night."
Naomi frowned slightly, framing Emily's face in her hands. "I wanted it to be perfect, though." She said, softly.
Emily leaned close and kissed Naomi softly, their lips barely touching. "It's a minor ripple, babe. We could be in the middle of nowhere, and I wouldn't care, because you would be there with me. It's still perfect to me."
"Are you sure?"
Emily nodded. "Yeah, I am. We'll sort it later. Right now, we have a sunset to see, yeah?"
Naomi looked puzzled, but let Emily take her hand, leading her out to the front door. "Wait!" She said, reaching for her backpack and pulling out a small notebook and a pen. She scribbled a note, and tore the page out of the book. "Ok. I'm going to leave a note at the office, I'm pretty sure I saw a letterbox outside."
Emily smiled, and picked up her camera bag. "Come on, before we miss it!"
The two of them left the cabin, locking the door behind them. They got into the van, and a distinct silence fell over them. Naomi sighed, and Emily noticed something wasn't quite right.
"Naoms?" She said, reaching over and taking her hand. "You ok?"
Naomi nodded, slowly. "I just... I wish I'd noticed it sooner, that's all."
"I know." Emily said. "But you didn't, so there's no point in worrying about it. Besides..." She leaned over and kissed Naomi slowly, letting her lips kiss across her jawline to her ear. "I don't need light to find you..." She whispered.
Naomi shivered, and Emily gave her a sly smile, noting how dark her normally bright blue eyes had become. "Ok, furthest thing from my mind, after that... Let's go, before we miss it."
She started up the van, and they started on their way.
The car park was just as deserted as it had been, the first time Naomi had parked the van hours earlier.
"I think we're here in the off-season, so... Not so many tourists." Naomi said, as she switched off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt. Her cheery disposition had returned, which Emily was grateful for, as it lifted her own mood over the power issue. She had enough of a level head to know that some things like that could not be helped, and that sometimes, you just had to wait for things, even though it was inconvenient. Working for the council had taught her that.
The two of them got out of the van, and Naomi led Emily through the path out to the gazebo. It was empty, and the tide was coming in, the waves crashing against the shore, closer to where it had been before. The sun was a lot lower in the sky, now a large, bright orange ball, shining through the light clouds that were also in the sky.
"Oh, that's beautiful, isn't it, Em?" Naomi said, an amazed smile on her lips.
Emily stood beside her, and she felt Naomi's fingers slip into her own. "It certainly is."
Naomi turned to Emily and kissed her softly. "So? How does Emily photograph a sunset?"
Emily smiled, and Naomi sat down. She watched as the redhead took off her shoes and socks, opened her camera bag and pulled the camera out of it, removing the lens cap and slinging the strap around her neck. She stepped past Naomi, leaning against the post at the entrance that faced the sea. She took a deep breath, and held the camera with the lens facing out to sea. Naomi heard the click of the shutter, and then watched as Emily sat down on the floor of the gazebo, her feet sinking into the white sand. The redhead looked up at her, and reached behind her, patting the patch of floor. Naomi stood up and pulled her own sneakers and socks off, and sat down behind Emily, her legs framing the redhead's, and her feet hitting the sand beside hers.
"Like before?" Naomi asked. Emily nodded, and Naomi slipped her arms around Emily's waist, resting her head on her shoulder. "Just remember to breathe, and clear your mind." She said softly, gently kissing Emily's cheek. The redhead closed her eyes, and breathed deeply, letting herself relax both her body and mind. She even forgot that Naomi was sitting behind her, and began fiddling with the settings on her camera. She raised the camera and checked the display, waiting as the colours settled. Once they had, she focused the image and clicked the shutter once, then twice, then a third time. She then sat the camera in her lap, one of her hands linking fingers with Naomi's.
"Can we stay a while? Until the sun sets proper?" Emily asked.
"Of course." Naomi said, holding Emily a little closer. She nestled her chin into the redhead's shoulder and sighed contentedly. "I am glad I had this idea, you know?"
"Yeah?" Emily asked.
"Mmhmm. In spite of the power issue, this has probably been one of the best weekends I've had all year." Naomi said.
"One of?"
"Yeah, there was one other one... When a redhead stepped onto my bus and turned my world upside down." She explained, gently kissing Emily's shoulder.
A wide smile crossed Emily's lips. "You're so sweet." She said, turning around slightly to kiss Naomi softly. She turned to face the ocean again. "How long do you think we have until the sun sets?"
Naomi shrugged. "Not long, I guess." She replied. "Do you eat seafood?"
"Yes." Emily replied.
"Fancy a typical classic for dinner, then? Fish and chips?"
"Sounds like a great idea." Emily said, with a smile.
The two watched the waves and the tide come in further, Emily taking some more photos. Not much was said between them, the two of them content to just exist together in the same space. Emily finally replaced the lens cap on her camera, as the sun had almost become a bright orange sliver off in the distance. The sky was now a deep purple colour, and shafts of light are streaming upwards through the few large clouds that had formed overhead. Naomi wasn't quite paying complete attention to what Emily was doing, until she heard her voice. "Hey... Take a picture with me?"
Naomi looked up and saw that Emily's lens was pointed back at them both. "Only if I can take it." She said.
Emily laughed softly. "How about...we both take one?" She asked.
Naomi thought for a brief moment. "Alright. Just tell me which button to press." She said. Emily showed her how to take a picture, and then Naomi took the camera carefully in her hands. She knew that even though her own talent and art supplies were priceless to her, the camera was just as priceless to Emily. She held it out in front of them, and paused for a moment. "You know, I'm not too sure this is going to turn out good..."
Emily laughed. "Just take the bloody picture, Naoms."
"Alright..." Naomi crossed her arm across Emily's chest and rested her hand on her shoulder, before holding the button down until they both heard it beep, and the shutter clicked.
"My turn." Emily said, taking the camera from Naomi's hands. She faced the lens back towards them both, and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she felt Naomi's arms squeeze her slightly, and the warmth it created inside her made her smile. She turned towards Naomi and held the button down, the camera clicking once more. Naomi laughed, and Emily turned her face back towards the ocean, and clicked the button once or twice more, as Naomi placed a soft kiss against her cheek.
"I think I'm done now." She said softly, as she turned towards Naomi.
"Yeah?" Naomi asked.
Emily nodded. "Besides, I'm sort of a bit peckish." She said, with a sheepish smile.
Naomi giggled and hugged her close. "Come on, then. I know the best place around here for fish and chips...so we can eat, and then we can see what we can do about our lack of power." She stood up, and picked up her socks, brushing the sand off her feet and putting them on, along with her sneakers as Emily did the same. The redhead also packed her camera back into its bag and zipped it shut.
"Ready?" Naomi asked, getting to her feet once more.
Emily took Naomi's hands and held them in her own. "I know you will probably say that I don't need to thank you for bringing me here, but...I want to. Because no one has ever done this for me, not even my ex. So...thank you, Naomi. For bringing me here. For sharing this place with me. It really means a lot to me, and so do you."
Naomi nodded, and smiled gently. Unsure of her words, she pulled Emily into her arms and wrapped her up in a tight bear hug. "I really love you, did I tell you that?" She said.
"Yes." Emily replied. "But you can tell me as much as you like, I'll never get tired of it."
"Then... I love you." Naomi smiled, kissing Emily slowly. The redhead's lips moved slowly against her own, and Naomi gently slid her tongue between Emily's lips, and they parted, allowing her to deepen the kiss between them. The redhead moved her hand up to Naomi's neck and her fingers threaded into the hair at the base of her neck. A soft moan escaped Naomi's lips and she gently, but reluctantly pulled their lips apart. "We should..."
"Yeah." Emily replied. She turned towards the view out to sea, and sighed happily. Naomi kissed the top of her head, and turned also to see the last sliver of the orange ball of the sun slip under the horizon. Naomi took Emily's hand in hers, and Emily kissed the back of the blonde's hand, picking up the camera bag in her other hand. Emily led Naomi out of the gazebo, and back up the path to where the van was parked. Naomi unlocked the passenger side door, and before she could open it, she found herself pushed against the side of the van with Emily's arms around her. Before a word could leave her lips, Emily's own were against them, kissing her passionately. Her mind caught up quickly, and she found herself kissing her back with equal passion.
Emily let her lips trail down Naomi's throat and rested her head on her shoulder. "I love you, too." She whispered, softly. "I just don't know how I manage to love you more than I did when we woke up this morning. It's just so..."
"Intense." Naomi said, finishing Emily's thought.
"Yeah." Emily said, her eyes fluttering closed. "Feels good, though."
"I know, baby." Naomi replied. She kissed the top of Emily's head once more, and the redhead relaxed her hold around her waist. She gave Emily a soft smile, and then went around to the other side of the van, opening the door and climbing in.
Emily exhaled a deep breath, and opened the door, climbing into the passenger side. Naomi started the van as Emily shut the door, and buckled her seatbelt. "This place isn't far." Naomi said, as she pulled out of the car park. She guided the van down the road, and a short while later, pulled it into the car park of a corner shop, upside of which sat a group of tables and chairs. They both got out of the van, Emily placing the camera bag on the floor, so that it could not be seen. Once Naomi had locked up, they walked hand in hand towards the shop.
"Fancy anything in particular, Ems?" Naomi asked, looking up at the board of items on offer. Various different fishes were listed on the board, as well as burgers and other snacks.
Emily smiled. "You know, the few times dad would take us out for fish and chips, everyone more or less argued about who wanted what. So dad would always get the fisherman's basket to make everyone happy."
Naomi laughed. "I can almost picture that, you know. Sounds good, though... Let's do that."
"Evening, girls, what can I get the two of you?" The woman behind the counter asked.
"Evening." Naomi replied, with a polite smile. "Can we get the fisherman's basket for two, please?"
"Of course! Would you like that battered, or crumbed?" The woman asked.
Naomi looked over at Emily, who shrugged. "Battered will be fine." She said to the woman.
"Chicken salt?" She asked.
"Sure."
"Alrighty. Shouldn't be too long. Just wait until your number is called." The woman said, tearing off a section of the order slip and handing it to Naomi. "That'll be £5.75, love." Naomi pulled her wallet from her pocket and handed over a five quid note, and the rest in change. The woman took the money and then went into the kitchen to see to the order.
Emily and Naomi both sat down, and Emily was looking around wide-eyed at the décor of the shop. Naomi looked on, amused as Emily took in the plastic fish and shark nets that were hung around, along with other marine related items. She noticed that Naomi was watching her, and blushed, a sheepish smile crossing her lips. Naomi took Emily's hand in her own and kissed the back of it gently. "Did you want to get something to drink, as well?" She asked.
Emily shrugged. "Lemonade, if they have any."
Naomi stood and moved over to the drinks fridge, scanning the cans on display. She thing for a moment, because they had what Naomi considered to be two completely different kinds of lemonade. The sickly sweet, clear kind, or the fuller, lemony flavoured lemon coloured kind. She thought carefully, before opening the fridge door and pulling out two cans.
"Uh, NUMBER 11! Your order is up." The woman said, coming back from the kitchen with a paper-wrapped package.
Naomi looked the ticket in her hand. "Oh, that's us!" She set the two cans on the counter. "These two as well." She said.
"£1.60, love. Enjoy!"
Naomi handed over some more change. "Thanks very much...have a great night." She said, smiling politely as she picked up the package. Emily, who had materialised next to her, picked up the drinks, and then they both went outside. Naomi placed the package on one of the tables, and pulled out a chair for Emily, motioning for her to sit down.
"So chivalrous!" Emily smiled, as she sat down.
"You're being sarcastic?" Naomi asked, as she sat down next to her.
"Absolutely not. I was being serious." Emily said, as Naomi began to unwrap their meal. "No one has ever done that for me before."
"Really?" Naomi asked, her eyebrow raised.
Emily shook her head. "Never."
Naomi looked at her briefly with sympathetic eyes, before breaking into a smile. "Well, I just need to do it more often, to make up for it." She said, as she opened her can of drink.
Emily reached for the other can and pulled it open. "I saw you at the drinks fridge. How did you know?"
"Know what?" Naomi asked, squeezing lemon wedges over the seafood in front of them. She also opened the two small containers of both tartare and seafood cocktail sauce and made a hold in the middle of the chips and placed them both in the middle.
"That I like my lemonade better this way?" Emily said, looking towards the can that she had just drunk from.
Naomi smiled and shook her head. "Lucky guess, I suppose. Calamari ring?"
Emily laughed at the casual subject change. "I'd love one." She replied, reaching for one and taking a bite.
"I haven't been here in years..." Naomi said, breaking apart a piece of fish and taking a bite. "But it's good to see it still tastes just as good." She added, once she had swallowed.
"Mmm. Best I've had in a while, too." Emily said, reaching for a couple of chips, and dipping them into the seafood sauce. A thought came to her as she finished her mouthful. "Hey, is there a convenience store around here?"
Naomi shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I can always ask the owner of the shop. Why?"
Emily smiled. "If we can find one, and I can find what I'm looking for, you'll see." She replied.
Naomi raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" She said, curious to know what Emily's plan was.
Emily grinned cheekily, and picked up a rather long chip. "Seafood, or tartare?" She asked, casually.
A smirk formed on Naomi's lips, and she wanted to see where this would lead. She had a fair idea, but honestly, the two had been subtly teasing each other all day, even if it wasn't explicit. "Tartare." She replied. She watched, as Emily dipped the chip into the sauce, covering almost half of it, and then held it out to her, meeting Naomi's eyes with her own seductive chestnut gaze. The blonde leaned forward and opened her mouth, closing it around at least half of the chip. She pulled backwards, the rest of the chip slipping from Emily's fingers as she sucked it further into her mouth, chewing and grinning at the glazed look in Emily's eyes. The redhead blinked, and shook her head slightly, feeling herself begin to blush.
Naomi rested her elbow on the table, and her chin on her hand, looking at Emily adoringly. "You're beautiful." She said, softly.
"Yeah?" Emily replied, her voice cracking slightly as she tucked her fringe behind her ear.
"Mmhmm." Naomi wordlessly replied, picking up a battered sea scallop, and smirked at the redhead. "Same question, Ems...?"
Emily looked thoughtful for a minute. "Seafood." She grinned. Naomi dipped the fried morsel into the seafood sauce and held it out to Emily. The redhead leaned close and took the scallop between her teeth, pulling it gently from Naomi's fingers and closing her eyes, a cheeky smile on her lips as they closed around the mouthful. Once she had swallowed, she opened her eyes to find Naomi staring back at her with darkened blue eyes. "So," Emily said, clearing her throat. "Is eating fish and chips with you always this...arousing?"
Naomi shrugged, innocently. "Don't know. Never eaten it quite like this before..." She said, with a sneaky smile as Emily giggled.
The two managed to finish their shared meal rather quickly, and Naomi screwed up the remaining grease-soaked paper into a ball and tossed it into the rubbish bin along with the empty soft drink cans.
"Oh...Wait here." Naomi said, as they were about to walk back to the car. She walked back into the fish and chip shop, the woman sitting on a stool behind the counter reading a magazine.
"Excuse me?" Naomi asked.
The woman looked up from her reading and gave a polite smile. "Oh, hello again. Everything alright with your order?"
"Oh, yes, thank you, it was as delicious as I remember it being." Naomi smiled, politely. "I was just wondering if you knew of a convenience store or all night garage around here?"
The woman nodded. "Yes, there's1 a garage about a mile that way down the beach road that is open all night." She explained. "They also sell odds and ends as well as fuel. Should have what you are after."
"About a mile?" Naomi asked.
"That's right. It's well lit, though, being a garage." The woman laughed. "Shouldn't miss it."
Naomi smiled. "True. Alright, thanks for the info. You have a good night, and thanks again for the great meal." She said.
"You're welcome. Come again soon." The woman replied, as Naomi exited the shop.
Emily looked up and smiled as Naomi came towards her. "We good to go?"
Naomi nodded. "Yeah, there's an all-night garage about a mile down the road." She replied, as Emily took her hand in her own.
They walked to the van, Naomi unlocking the passenger side door for Emily, before getting in on the driver's side. They buckled themselves in, and Naomi turned the key in the ignition, the motor roaring into life. A few minutes after pulling out of the parking lot, Naomi spotted the garage and pulled into the small parking area off to the side of the fuel pumps.
"So, do I get any clues yet?" She asked Emily, who once again grinned, cheekily shaking her head.
She leaned over after unbuckling her seatbelt and kissed Naomi slowly. "And let you have all the mysterious fun? I don't think so, babe." She said, with a wink. "I'll be right back, yeah?"
Naomi nodded, half-smiling. "Alright, then."
Emily got out of the van and shut the door behind her, walking towards the automatic doors. They slid open, and a small speaker above her head chimed, announcing her entrance. She stepped over to the counter, a middle-aged man sitting behind it, reading from a newspaper.
"Hi." Emily said, causing the man to look up from his newspaper.
"Evenin', love. What can I do for you?" He said, greeting her in a cheery Scottish accent.
"Sorry if this is a weird question, but do you sell candles?"
The man chuckled, as he stood up. "It's not really a weird question, love, and yes, we do. They are in the last aisle on the left."
"Ok, thanks!" Emily replied, nodding as she went to browse the aisles. Sure enough, in the last aisle on the left, on the shelf in front of her were various packs of both regular tapered candles, pillar candles, and tea lights. "Typical." She chuckled to herself. "Can't just have one type..." She picked up four of the pillar candles, and one pack each of the tapered candles, and tea lights. The tapered candles were a pack of six, and the tea lights a pack of twelve. For a moment she wondered how she would get it all to the counter, and wished she had asked Naomi to come in with her, but she wanted to surprise the blonde. She knew that the issue of not having any power worried Naomi, in spite of Emily's reassurances that it didn't matter so much.
The man behind the counter looked at Emily strangely, as the redhead placed the candles onto the counter. "Special occasion?" He asked, his eyebrow raised in curiosity.
Emily laughed. "Er, not exactly, no. We're staying at a holiday park nearby, and to cut a long story short, our cabin has no power."
"Oh! That's unfortunate. Did you try the office on site?" The man replied.
"Yes, but the staff went visiting at four and won't be back until the morning." Emily said.
The man laughed. "Typical, isn't it? Well, I hope it hasn't ruined your weekend?" He said, opening a plastic bag and placing the candles inside.
Emily shook her head. "Not if I have anything to say about it." She said, with a smile. "Do you also have a cigarette lighter?"
"Sure." He replied, reaching up to pick one from above his head. "That'll be £10 for the lot, love."
Emily handed over a ten quid note, and smiled. "Thank you, so much. Have a good night."
"Aye, it's a long shift until daylight, but I'll do my best!" He said, with a wave, as Emily walked out the door. She got to the van and opened the door.
Naomi almost jumped in her seat in fright. "Jesus! You scared me." She laughed, pressing her hand against her chest.
Emily giggled. "Sorry. You must have been miles away, then?" She asked, as she climbed into the van and placed the bag on the floor at her feet.
Naomi smiled, and nodded sheepishly. "I was, a bit."
Emily leaned over and pulled Naomi close, kissing her deep and long. "I want to take you a little further, if you'll let me." She whispered softly, in between gentle kisses against Naomi's lips.
"Oh?" Naomi replied.
Emily nodded. "Let's go back to our little cabin, yeah?"
Naomi nodded slowly, before turning the key in the ignition. She turned the turned onto the road, and they headed back to the holiday park.
A/N#2: Are you all wondering how Emily is going to make Naomi's night?
I hope you are... And if you are lucky, you won't have to wait too long, either.
;-)
Reviews/favourites/follows welcome, as always...
If you are in a part of the world that is doing its seasonal change into fall/winter, all I can say is YOU LUCKY SODS.
And if you are in the opposite part of the world (like yours truly), brace yourself, I think it's going to suck this year. Ugh.
Until next time...
~GN~ xo
P.S. The drawings described in this can be found on my Instagram page. (garden_noams on there, same as twitter.)