Title: Better With You
Rating: T with potential for M (Will warn if it gets to that)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in relation to Pretty Little Liars or in relation to any pop culture references that are made in this chapter.
Summary: After spending a large portion of their Summer apart, the girls are back together for their senior year at Rosewood High. Mona is in Radley, Garrett's been arrested, Maya is dead, and emotions still run high. Emily returns from Haiti in hopes to move past what she's been put through, and finds happiness in an unexpected place. A Spemily focused story with mentions of Ezria and Haleb. Storyline with "A" but not the main focus. The story follows the regular season one and two storyline, and begins after the opening scene of season three, however the night ends differently.
A/N – First of all I'd like to greet everyone a Happy New Year! I hope you all had an awesome holiday (: I apologize for my absence during these past few weeks; my girlfriend totally surprised me with a last minute Christmas vacation, and while I still managed to get some writing done in my down time, the Wi-Fi connection there wasn't strong enough for me to be able to post this new update. But I just got back, and I wanted to upload this at the first opportunity I got, so here it is!
Thank you all so much for the reviews you left on last chapter. Breyanaxo, chxndelier, Lucy, Cassie Noir, dahliadaria, Ronny, Brit, and the guests, y'all are the best! And I'd like to give a second special shoutout to Breyanaxo in particular, for giving clarification about American prom and all that jazz. To everyone, I'm truly sorry I made you wait so long, but I hope this fluffy update makes up for it! My apologies for any mistakes, I definitely didn't give it a second read so I hope it all makes sense at least. Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think of it!
Oh, and for this chapter there are a few songs that I mention, definitely suggest that you give them a listen before reading or while reading as they were the inspirations for this chapter:
Mud On The Tires – Brad Paisley
Fishing In The Dark – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Lucky – Jason Mraz feat. Colbie Caillat
Now, without further ado!
Chapter 36 – Lucky I'm In Love With My Best Friend
Spencer sat at the desk in Melissa's bedroom – her old room – elbows up with her head resting in between them as she stared down at the Calculus textbook that sat below her. She'd been studying since she woke up this morning, but her progress had been significantly limited, her focus constantly being pulled by the envelope on her desk that had been nagging at the back of her mind all afternoon. It was the same envelope that had pulled her from reality multiple times since the day she'd been called into the principal's office; the same envelope that had distracted her so much she forgot her own textbook at school, leaving her to have to resort to using Melissa's old one.
Looking up from her textbook for the umpteenth time, Spencer glanced over at the envelope as though it had been screaming her name for attention. She sighed deeply and reached for it, her hands grazing the already torn corner of it, and as she was about to reach for its contents once again, her actions were stopped by a faint unrecognizable noise. Was that, music? Spencer's head snapped back, looking behind her as though to expect to find the source of the sound right in front of her. Her eyebrows furrowed when she couldn't immediately decipher from where the noises were coming and she immediately stood from her seat, taking a few steps forward to try and track the sound.
At first she couldn't pinpoint it, but after shifting her angle a few times Spencer began to step forward again, the sound getting louder. It didn't take long for the sound to lead her to her window, and as soon as she approached it Spencer didn't hesitate to move the curtains to the side and open the window fully, a smile coming over her face the second she realized where the sound was coming from.
Standing at the bottom of her window was Emily clad in a grey graphic v-neck and a pair of dark blue jeans, her long wavy locks cascading down her black leather jacket, the crisp spring air causing it to blow lightly in the wind. At Emily's Converse covered feet was an oversized speaker, and In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel was blaring through it. Before she could even process what was going on, something flashed in Spencer's line of vision and she finally noticed the polaroid camera that Emily now held in one hand, the photo that she had just taken in the other as the swimmer waved it back and forth, waiting for it to develop.
"Not that I don't appreciate the gesture Em, but what the heck are you doing out there you goof?" Spencer questioned, letting out a slight giggle as she allowed herself to take in the sight in front of her. Emily grinned up at her and snapped one more picture of Spencer's glowing face before letting the camera hang from her neck.
"Well," Emily began, reaching down for the speaker and turned it off before looking back up at the brunette with a smile on her face. "I've always wanted to recreate that scene from Say Anything, so I figured now was a better time than any. I was gonna do it outside of the barn but when I went to say hi to your parents, your dad said you were in Melissa's room."
Spencer giggled once more, shaking her head at how adorable Emily was being.
"No you dork, I meant what are you doing here in general?" Spencer questioned, and a look of realization came over Emily's face.
"Oh!" Emily responded and chucked lightly. She glanced down at her watch for a brief moment before looking back up at Spencer. "Well… It's 5 o'clock, which means it's time for our date."
Spencer's eyes bulged in realization, now recalling the date that she and Emily had set just days ago. She brought her hand to her forehead, lightly hitting herself in frustration of the fact that she'd completely spaced on their date.
"Fuck," Spencer muttered under her breath, looking down at Emily whose face had gone from one of excitement to one of slight confusion. She pinched the bridge of her nose and then glanced down once more, letting out a sigh. "I completely forgot," she admitted, noticing her girlfriend's happy expression deflate almost immediately. "I'm sorry Em. Meet me at the barn door, I'll quickly change and then we can get out of here."
Spencer quickly closed her window and went over to the desk, grabbing her phone off of the table before exiting the room and racing down the stairs towards where the back door was.
"Hey kiddo, Em—" her dad called out as she passed through the den, but she didn't even remotely slow down when whizzing by him.
"I know, dad. I'm gonna go. Don't wait up!" Spencer called out quickly as she reached the exit to her backyard. She pulled the door open, and as she was about to break into a full on sprint from her house door to the barn, the feeling of a hand gripping her forearm stopped Spencer. Before she even had a chance to react she felt herself being pulled, and almost immediately after her lips were met with the soft feeling of Emily's. Spencer smiled into the kiss, her hands immediately coming up to the girl's face as she held her closely, Emily's hands resting on the small of her back. They held their position for a few more seconds until finally Emily pulled away and Spencer let her hands fall from the swimmer's face, linking them around the girl's neck as she smiled happily at her.
"Well hello there, beautiful," Emily greeted her bashfully. A smile crept onto Spencer's face and she leaned in once more, pecking Emily on the lips a few times before pulling away and smiling back at her again.
"Hey yourself, babe," Spencer greeted back. Emily let out a soft chuckle and removed one of the hands she had wrapped around Spencer, revealing the flower that was in her hand. Spencer glanced down to look at the beautiful burgundy red peonies flower that Emily was offering to her. "For me?" she questioned, and Emily just nodded in agreement. It made her smile; Emily always made an effort to get different colours of peonies, and just when she thought there couldn't possibly be another one, she surprised her once more. Spencer pulled away from the girl, taking the flower from her hands and inhaling its scent briefly before kissing Emily once more in appreciation. "It's beautiful. Thank you Em."
"You're even more beautiful. But you're welcome," Emily responded with a wink. Spencer shook her head at the cheesiness of the girl's comment, but couldn't help the blush that she felt come over her face. It was almost an instantaneous reaction, but she had almost gotten used to it. Emily just had a way of making her smile like crazy.
"Such a smooth talker. Come on, let me go get changed so that we can get out of here," Spencer suggested, tugging at Emily so that the two of them could make their way to the barn. They walked in silence; their hands linked together, gently swinging back and forth. It wasn't until they had entered the barn and were in the den that Emily stopped her movements and tugged at Spencer to stop her from walking any further.
"Baby?" the swimmer let out, causing Spencer to stop walking, her body turning back to face the girl with a look of inquiry. Emily furrowed her eyebrows, biting her lip nervously before continuing. "Are you okay?"
Spencer tilted her head to the side, not sure where Emily's question was coming from. Still though, she glanced away from the girl momentarily, knowing that Emily wasn't wrong in making the assumption that there was something going on. Her mind briefly shifted back to the envelope that had plagued her mind for the past few days. It didn't last long though as she felt a nudge from Emily pulling her back to reality.
"What? No I'm fine Em. Everything is okay," Spencer responded as soon as she had focused her attention back on the girl. Emily cocked in eyebrow, clearly not buying Spencer's claim.
"Are you sure? I mean, you've been super spacey these past few days, and I've barely seen you. And you did kind of forget about our date," Emily elaborated, and Spencer let out a sigh, knowing she'd really dropped the ball by forgetting about their date. It made her feel bad not being fully there for the past few days while she was around Emily, but she didn't even know where to begin. She didn't know if she could begin. So instead, she ran her fingers through her hair and put a smile on her face.
"Everything is fine babe. I've just been really stressed with exams. Nothing for you to worry about okay?" Spencer reassured as she leaned forward and placed a kiss on Emily's cheek. "Now let me go changed, so we can start this date," she spoke, giving Emily one last smile before she disappeared into her room, not even allowing the girl to continue speaking about the aforementioned subject.
Emily let out a sigh and watched as Spencer quickly walked away. Though she didn't know for certain, Emily could feel that something was wrong with her girlfriend, and it bothered her to no extent. It was possible that the stress of exams was just getting to her; after all, she did have exams coming up in every class except for gym. Deciding that she didn't want to ruin the night before it even began, Emily took Spencer's word as the truth and pushed any negative thoughts to be back of her mind.
She made her way to Spencer's room and leaned against the wall that was directly across from the girl's doorframe. Her hands were fiddling with the Polaroid camera that still hung down the front of her chest while she waited patiently for the brunette to finish getting changed. At first, Emily thought that Spencer would only be a few minutes. But after 10 had passed, she had started to get concerned. After checking her watch to make sure that time was actually passing and that it wasn't just in her head, Emily sighed and kicked herself off the wall so that she was standing in front of the door.
"Spence," Emily called out, lightly knocking against the closed door instead of just barging in. She knew Spencer; if the door was closed, it was because she wanted privacy. And even though they had been dating for 7 months now, and even though they had been best friends since the fifth grade when Alison invited the two of them along with Hanna and Aria over for their first sleepover together, Emily knew that one of the things Spencer appreciated the most was her privacy; even if it was privacy from her. So, she stood outside, waiting patiently for her girlfriend to respond. When her call out went unanswered, she knocked on the door once again. "Spence you know we're not going to like a ball or anything right?"
"Hilarious, Em," Spencer yelled out from behind the door, and Emily could just hear the sarcasm laced in her voice. Emily giggled to herself at how adorable her girlfriend was being, and knocked on the door once again in hopes that it would open this time, but it was to no avail. "You know this would go a lot faster if you would tell me what I should be dressing for."
Emily rolled her eyes at Spencer's request, not wanting to give in by giving the girl any clues to what their date would entail. She glanced down at her watch once more and sighed, knowing that if Spencer took any longer then everything she planned for their date would be delayed, which meant parts of it might not work.
"You're lucky we're on a tight schedule right now," Emily called out. She paused for a second in order to think of the best way to tell Spencer how to dress without giving away anything. "Just… Wear something comfortable that you wouldn't mind getting dirty – like one of your older pairs of skinnies, and one of your old hoodies. Oh! And closed toed shoes. Like your converse or your keds or your pumas or—"
Emily's rambling was cut off by the sound of the door opening to reveal Spencer in almost exactly what she had recommended just moments before. A barely visible plain black v neck underneath her royal blue American Apparel zip up, black jeans covering her legs, the outfit complete with her black keds. Emily smiled at the sight in front of her, quickly stepping back and catching the brunette by surprised when she lifted her camera to snap a picture of the girl. Spencer giggled at Emily's actions and ran her fingers through her straight brown hair as though she was trying to fix herself up to prepare for another photo to be taken.
"You're such a dork, Em. What are you doing with that anyways?" Spencer questioned in curiosity. Emily smiled and shook the photo in her hands once more before looking at it to see that it was developing.
"Well, I know you've taken a big interest in photography lately and that it's important to you. I just wanted to show you my support in your new hobby," Emily explained, glancing at the photo once more and smiling when she saw the end result. She shifted her body so that the two were now standing side by side, and then Emily brought the photo up so that both of them could look at it together. "See how beautiful you are? Now I'll always have a memory of it."
Spencer smiled at her girlfriend's words and turned her face to the side, kissing Emily softly on the cheek. It didn't take long for Emily to turn her face and capture Spencer's lips in her own, both of them grinning as they tried to hold the kiss longer. Emily lifted her hand to Spencer's cheek, gently caressing it with her thumb and pressing her lips harder into Spencer's for a few minutes before finally pulling away.
"Wow," Spencer let out dreamily, her eyes fluttering open.
"I know. And as much as I'd love to do that for the rest of the evening, I've got a lot planned for us, so we've got to get going," Emily responded, giving her one more kiss before dropping her hand from the girl's cheek, taking her hand instead and intertwining their fingers together.
The two exited the barn together, hands joined as they walked across Spencer's back yard, Emily leading them to where she parked. When they were about halfway past the yard Emily reached into her pocket with her free hand and pulled out her keys, the sound of the car unlocking bringing Spencer's attention to where they were headed. Upon looking up to see where the sound came from exactly, Spencer cocked an eyebrow in confusion at an unexpected sight in front of her. Instead of seeing Emily's Toyota Corolla like she had expected, she was looking at what seemed like a brand new black Chevy Silverado. Stopping dead in her tracks, Spencer tugged on Emily's arm to halt her movement too, the sudden stop causing Emily to turn around with a slightly smug look on her face as she knew she'd gotten a reaction out of Spencer.
"You didn't rob a bank or something did you, Em?" Spencer asked hesitantly, earning an eye roll from her girlfriend who shook her head with a grin. Spencer giggled at her response, thinking of how adorable the girl looked. "Okay, well good. But seriously, whose truck is this, and why do we have it?"
"Lets just say I called in a few favours. I kind of needed a truck for my date plan, so Alison helped me out a little," Emily began to explain as she began to walk the two of them over to the vehicle once again. Spencer glanced over at Emily once more though, her head tilted to the side as she was still lost.
"But Alison drives an Altima," Spencer pointed out. Emily smiled at her as the two reached the passenger door of the truck, Emily opening the door for her girlfriend and gesturing for her to step inside. Spencer furrowed her eyebrows in hesitation but followed nonetheless, and as soon as Emily closed the girl's door, she quickly ran around to the other side and got inside of the driver's seat.
"If you would let me finish," Emily playfully scolded as she put the keys in the ignition in order to start it. "You'd let me get to the part where I tell you that the truck is Jason's. Since Alison's family is back in Rosewood for good, Mr. DiLaurentis took his car back from Jason. He ended up buying this one a few days ago and Alison convinced him to let me borrow it tonight. I just have to return it without any scratches or dents."
"And where exactly is it you plan on taking me in this?" Spencer questioned, her eyes still on Emily who was readjusting the seat and mirrors before taking off. A smirk came across Emily's face as she gave Spencer a look that told the girl she wasn't going to find out their date plans any time soon. The swimmer reached for the camera that still hung around her neck, taking it off of her and gesturing for Spencer to hold it, to which the brunette gladly accepted. Spencer then watched the girl reach over to her side where her purse was, her eyebrows raised in surprise as Emily revealed what she'd thought was her missing iPod. "Em! Where did you get that?! I've been looking everywhere for it!"
"I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed this for a little… Inspiration for our date," Emily vaguely explained with a wink as she reached over to the center console and plugged the iPod into the auxiliary cable. A familiar song played into the sound system and Spencer's eyes immediately lit up as the lyrics to Brad Paisley's Mud on the Tires started. "You just sit back and enjoy the ride, beautiful. I think you're gonna like this."
And with that Emily reached into her purse once more, took out her aviators, and put them on with a grin as she swiftly pulled out of the Hastings driveway, the truck roaring with power as she sped off towards their mystery destination.
Almost an hour had passed since the two girls left for their date, and in that time Spencer had asked Emily seven times where they were going. Emily was Fort Knox on the matter however, refusing to give up any clues. It frustrated Spencer to no end, being that the girl was an extremely impatient person, and the only thing that was keeping her distracted during the long drive was the camera that was in her hands. After the fifth time Spencer had asked about what their date entailed, Emily conveniently mentioned the plethora of extra film she had brought for the camera, giving Spencer free reign to take as many photos as she wanted.
From then on there, Spencer had taken numerous amounts of photos of anything and everything; the beautiful scenic view that appeared outside while Emily drove them through a more rural area, the wildlife they had frequently encountered, and photos of not only just Emily behind the wheel of the truck looking like a complete badass with her aviators, but also of the two of them, Spencer making goofy faces beside Emily who tried her hardest to keep her eyes on the road but more often than not ended up having the biggest grin on her face in response to how dorky her girlfriend was being. After going through two packs of film, Spencer finally sat back with a smile as she fiddled with the camera, thoroughly admiring its features.
"God Em, this camera is honestly incredible," Spencer spoke out, running her fingers across its frame gently. "It looks just like the one I was planning on getting."
"I know," Emily replied simply, smiling to herself. Spencer turned to the girl, kinking her eyebrow ever so slightly as if to ask what the girl was talking about. Emily shot her a coy look, playfully winking at the girl. "I may or may not have bought it for you. Thought this date might be a good place to give it its first test run."
"Are you serious Em? This is mine?!" Spencer immediately asked - her voice laced with eagerness and excitement. Emily chuckled lightly while nodding her head in agreement. "You are so winning girlfriend of the year!" she exclaimed, leaning over the center console and placing a light kiss on Emily's cheek. "How'd you even know?"
"You remember the other day when you were at school late, training with Cassidy?" Emily questioned. Spencer nodded in agreement. "Well… While you were out of the house I came over and asked your dad if he had any ideas for a good gift for you. He mentioned the camera and how he'd heard you talking about it several times with Melissa. So, I talked to her and the two of them helped me track it down and buy it." Emily glanced at Spencer, catching the toothy grin that came across her face as the brunette reached over and grabbed Emily's hand, kissing her knuckles softly. "What was that for?"
"Everything. Not just at how romantic of a gesture it was for you to go through all of that trouble just to get me a gift, but the fact that you feel comfortable with my family like that. No questions asked, no force required; Melissa adores you, my mom could never run out of nice things to say about you, and my dad thinks you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I just… It's refreshing, y'know? Toby had trouble trying to even talk to my dad, and I mean he would never even consider spending a whole afternoon with him. I guess I just think it's adorable how much you try with my family." Spencer explained. Emily gave the girl a loving look and squeezed her hand in Spencer's own before she began fiddling with the girl's fingers.
"Spence, I don't do those things because I want to get in good with them or anything like that. I love your family; seriously, I absolutely adore them. Not as much as I adore you, but they're a close second. I love you and everything that comes with you, including your family. And between you and me, I cannot wait to officially be a part of it someday," Emily spoke back, kissing the ring on Spencer's finger and smiling to herself. Spencer felt her heart skip at how easily Emily had just taken her breath away with her words. Before she was even given a chance to collect her thoughts and respond, Spencer felt the car come to a halt. She glanced outside, and upon seeing where they were she was more confused than ever.
"You know, usually I'm pretty good at putting two and two together but you've kind of lost me here," Spencer admitted as she looked at their surroundings once more to see that they were seemingly in the middle of the wilderness, nothing but trees and a muddy field in front of them. Emily chuckled lightly at Spencer as she played with a few of the truck's settings.
"Well Spence, as you know, I kind of hijacked your iPod for the past few days. When we were in Mexico and you were showing me that playlist of yours, one of the songs on it stood out to me. Remember the song that was playing when we got into the car?" Emily asked, earning a nod from Spencer.
"Mud on the Tires? It's one of my favourite Brad Paisley songs," Spencer admitted shyly.
"That's the one. When I was hanging out with your dad the other day he mentioned how he used to take you off-roading when you guys were up at your cabin. It reminded me of when my dad and I used to come up here, and we would go hiking and quading around the lake up ahead. And since Jason needs his truck broken in, I figured we could give him a hand and put this four-wheel drive to use. What do you say, babe?" Emily asked with a smile. Spencer beamed in excitement, being caught completely off guard with the idea Emily had for their date, but finding it absolutely adorable.
"I'm game, on two conditions," Spencer stated slyly, and Emily's head tilted to the side, urging the girl to continue. "One, I totally get to drive at some point. And two, if we get stuck, you're pushing us out," she concluded with a smile. Emily playfully rolled her eyes at the girl in front of you.
"If you think I'd ever make a beautiful girl like you push a truck out of the mud, surely you don't know me as well as you think," Emily concluded with a wink. "Now, lets go riding!" Emily shifted the car into drive and took off ripping down the open field, both girls screaming in excitement.
They spent a good hour and a half driving around and making tracks in the mud, both girls taking turns trying to see how dirty they could get the truck. Spencer was behind the wheel doing donuts in the mud, Emily in the passenger seat snapping photos of Spencer's face glowing in the shimmer of the gentle rays that illuminated the car through the sunset. The brunette looked so beautifully carefree, her warm smile and melodic laugh filling the vehicle. Emily soaked it all in and one of the only thoughts to run through her mind was that Spencer had never looked more beautiful than she did in that moment.
Spinning out of the donut that she was doing, Emily snapped back into reality as the car came to an abrupt stop, Spencer immediately removing her foot from the gas pedal and looking at Emily wide-eyed.
"Uh oh," Spencer let out, the nervousness apparent in her voice. She and Emily looked each other in the eye, and Spencer gave her a look of apprehension. "I-uh… I think we're stuck," she stated, and Emily closed her eyes, dreading what that meant.
The swimmer let out a sigh of slight frustration, knowing she would have to get out and push while Spencer turned the wheel. Though she didn't mind that part in particular, Emily had hoped she wouldn't have to get herself dirty during their date. In the end she couldn't complain though; the look on Spencer's face while the brunette was ripping through the mud was well worth anything she was about to endure.
"Okay," Emily began, unclipping her seatbelt. "I'm gonna push the car to get it rocking back and forth a little, and you're gonna give the truck a little gas. Don't just floor it because one, you'll probably get us even more stuck, and two, I'll end up covered in dirt and I don't think Jason's interior will appreciate it. Just wait for my signal, babe," she explained as she opened the door to get out.
"Wait!" Spencer yelped, causing Emily to stop her actions and turn back to her girlfriend who was sitting in the driver's seat with a rather devious grin. "I was totally messing with you, we're not stuck. I just wanted to see if you'd actually get out and push for me. And they say chivalry is dead."
"You…!" Emily began to scold, earning a giggle from the brunette in front of her. She tried to maintain her resolve but it didn't help that Spencer was being utterly adorable. It only took two seconds for Emily to break out into a grin and shake her head, joining in on the laughter. "Alright you dork, play time is over. My turn to drive."
"Whaaaaat, why can't I keep driving?" Spencer whined, putting on her best pout with puppy dog eyes. Emily simply smiled and leaned forward, capturing Spencer's lower lip in her own and kissing her lightly.
"Because," Emily started, pausing to place another kiss on the girl's lips before pulling away gently. "There's still so much left to do, and it's almost time for the second part of our date. And trust me, you're not going to want to miss this."
The drive from the field that they were in wasn't far from their second destination. In fact, it took all of five minutes to get to the lake where Emily had set up the second part of their date. The two drove in silence, the only sounds filling the car coming from the radio, which was still playing Spencer's relaxation playlist. Neither girl minded though; they drove hand in hand, listening to the sounds of the music and appreciating the silence that was the wilderness. As Emily approached the lake, the car came to a slow stop, and Spencer turned to her girlfriend, awaiting an explanation in regards to what was in store for the next part of their date. Emily put the car in drive and turned to Spencer, flashing her million-dollar smile at the brunette.
"How do you feel about dinner while we watch the sunset?" Emily questioned before pointing out towards the lake. Spencer's eyebrows shot up in shock at the sight in front of her.
She'd recognize that boat anywhere; something that was to be expected considering her family had owned it for years. Spencer just couldn't believe that Emily had managed to convince her parents to let them borrow it. The boat wasn't huge, but it was big enough to fit a blanket on the deck of the boat, which Spencer could see from where they were. On top of it sat a picnic basket and an array of candles that had become increasingly noticeable as it started to get darker outside.
"Em… It's perfect," Spencer let out, still struck with awe at what she was seeing. Emily grinned and gave the girl a peck on the cheek before letting go of her hand and exiting the truck, quickly coming around to Spencer's side to open the door.
"M'lady," Emily said, her fake English accent causing Spencer to burst into a fit of giggles. But it didn't stop Emily from graciously holding out her hand, offering to help the brunette out of the car.
"I'm starting to think you wrote the book on chivalry," Spencer spoke, shaking her head in amusement. But Spencer happily obliged anyways, and as soon as her hand was in Emily's, the swimmer stepped forward to meet Spencer, and as soon as the brunette went to step out of the truck, Emily wrapped an arm around the girl's waist, holding her in her arms as she brought Spencer down.
Without even letting her feet touch the ground first, Emily pulled the girl into a kiss, which Spencer was happy to reciprocate, letting go of Emily's hand so that she could rest her arms around the girl's neck. They remained in that position for a few minutes, keeping their lips on one another as they snuck gentle kisses back and forth, almost forgetting where they were. It wasn't until Emily started backing Spencer up that she felt her hand come into contact with the mud that was on the exterior of Jason's car, causing her to immediately pull Spencer into her in order to avoid the girl from pressing her entire back up against the muddy door.
"Woah that was close," Emily stated as she held Spencer against her chest just inches away from the two of them bumping against the mud. She took a few steps back; guiding Spencer with the hand that still remained on the small of her back so that they didn't accidentally hit the car somehow. "Come on babe, we've got a picnic and a sunset waiting for us." Emily led the two of them out towards the water where the entrance of the boat was. "I figured we could sit out on the water and watch the rest of the sunset together. I packed a picnic basket for us and everything."
"You didn't cook anything in the picnic basket, did you? Y'know, because you can't cook," Spencer joked as she stepped onto the boat, walking towards the area where she'd recalled seeing the blanket set up. The two of them sat down together, the picnic basket in front of them and the sun set in perfect view.
"Ha-ha. No, I didn't cook anything in here, you butt," Emily responded, using her clean hand to open the basket. She pulled out one of the several bottles of water, and then stood up from the blanket and walked towards the railing of the boat, using the clean water to wash the mud off of her hand. It only took her a few seconds, but in that few seconds she could hear the sound of Spencer taking pictures. Emily turned around, seeing the brunette taking pictures of the picnic basket, the food she had laid out, and a few of Emily with the sunset making the perfect background. Feeling satisfied with the amount she'd taken, Spencer let the camera hang from her neck, gesturing for Emily to come back and join her, to which the girl happily obliged.
"Thank you for all of this, baby. This has been one of the best dates we've had thus far," Spencer spoke as she began to dig into the salad that Emily had prepared for the two of them. Emily smiled at the girl's words, happy to hear that Spencer was enjoying herself. "Oh and for the record Em. Whether or not you cooked this, I would have eaten it with a smile on my face," she told Emily who rolled her eyes and shot her a playful glare. Spencer giggled at the reaction she'd gotten. "Okay, so maybe it would be with more of a grimace than a smile, but still; I'd have eaten it nonetheless."
"Eat your food and quit while you're ahead, Hastings," Emily responded, taking a few bites of her own food. Spencer laughed once more, but still complied, eating more food off of her plate.
It didn't take long for the two girls to finish their meal, both girls polishing off a salad, a bowl of pasta, and two slices of tiramisu, which Emily had gotten because she knew how much Spencer loved the taste of coffee. By the end of their meal it was dark out, and the only thing providing them with any actual source of light were the candles that were lit around them. Emily and Spencer took advantage of the lack of light to lie down on the blanket that Emily had set up for them, gazing at the stars, which were so much clearer on the lake. Spencer had her head rested on Emily's chest, the swimmer gently running her fingers through the girl's hair while Spencer listened to the calming sound of Emily's steady heartbeat. Both girls were completely content with the position that they were in, neither wanting the night to end.
"I can't believe how dark it is out here already," Emily spoke up as she continued to swirl Spencer's hair in between her fingers.
"I know, right? I mean it's only like 9 o'clock and it's so dark out you can see everything. It's breathtaking," Spencer agreed, running her fingers up and down Emily's abdomen. Her hand had somehow found its way underneath the girl's shirt, and Spencer couldn't help but trace her fingers over the girl's bare skin. Not that Emily was complaining; the feeling of Spencer's touch always had a calming effect on her.
"Usually I love late sunsets, because that means it's summer. But today I think I'm liking how early it got dark," Emily responded, kissing Spencer lightly on top of her head. She untangled her fingers from the girl's hair and reached out beside her for the polaroid camera, taking a photo of the two of them once again.
"Oh yeah? Why's that?" The brunette asked playfully as she turned her head up so that her chin was resting on Emily's chest, looking up at the girl.
"Well one, it gives me the opportunity to star gaze with my amazing girlfriend," Emily answered, lifting her head up just enough so that she could peck Spencer on the lips while snapping another picture of the two of them before collapsing back down. "And two, because if the sun hadn't set early, we would have to wait even longer for the next part of our date."
Before Spencer could respond, Emily was sitting up in her spot, forcing Spencer to sit up as well. Emily stood up off the ground and walked around to the back of the boat, the sounds of her rustling around echoing across the lake.
"Baby, what are you doing?" Spencer questioned, not able to see what Emily was up to. It wasn't long before the rustling stop and she heard the raven-haired girl's footsteps approach the deck once more. As soon as Emily reappeared, Spencer took immediate notice of the objects the girl now had in her hands and instantly lit up at what she knew was about to come. "We're going fishing in the dark?!" she questioned in excitement. Emily grinned and nodded her head towards the direction of the boat in which she was headed, Spencer following the swimmer anxiously.
"I figured you'd be excited for this," Emily responded, letting out a light chuckle at Spencer's excitement. She took hold of one of the fishing rods, quickly attaching the bait to the hook and casting her line before handing the rod off to the brunette. Spencer happily obliged, a smile on her face as she looked out into the water where her line had landed. Emily quickly ran over to the blanket they had just been sitting on, picking up the camera and snapping a few photos of Spencer before putting the camera around her neck and taking her own fishing rod, baiting it and then casting it out into the water as well.
"Did your dad teach you how to cast a line like that?" Spencer questioned, stealing quick glances over at the girl beside her. Emily smiled lightly, thinking back to the memories she had from her childhood.
"Yeah. My dad and I always used to fish when I was younger. We'd come out here once every few weeks and spend time together before he got shipped off to Afghanistan. It's one of the things I miss the most about not having him here," Emily explained, staring out into the water and adjusting her line slightly. "How'd you know my dad taught me?"
"I didn't know for sure. But I noticed that you talk about him the more you miss him. And considering you haven't seen him since Christmas, you probably miss him a lot right now," Spencer concluded, looking over to Emily who was silently nodding. She shuffled her body closer to the swimmer and held her fishing rod in one hand, placing the other on the small of Emily's back. "I can't say that I know what it's like having a parent in the military. Honestly, I can't imagine how hard it must be for you, and I respect the hell out of your family for holding it together like you do. I mean sure, both my parents are lawyers so I don't see them very often, but they come home every night, and I know you don't have that luxury most of the time," she stated, pausing to place a few feather kisses on Emily's shoulder. "But I just want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to when you're upset, or someone to share all of the best memories you have of you and your father when you miss him the most, or even just someone to be your fishing buddy… I'm always free for you."
"Thank you Spencer. That really does mean the world to me," Emily responded, turning to kiss the girl lightly on the lips. It was a short-lived kiss however, when a tugging feeling coming from Spencer's line interrupted them. The two girls pulled apart, and Spencer immediately grabbed hold of her rod with both hands trying to reel in the fish that was currently attached to the hook. "That thing looks huge! Reel it in Spence, you can do it!" Emily cheered happily.
Spencer smiled at the girl next to her and reeled the line in more and more to reveal a rainbow trout wiggling around at the end of her line. She squealed happily in excitement as she pulled her fishing rod back, resting it on the ground so that she could reach the hook. Spencer unhooked the fish from her line, admiring her catch briefly before throwing it back into the water where it belonged.
"That was awesome! Whenever I used to go fishing with my family I never caught anything. Can we do it again?!" Spencer suggested eagerly, which caused Emily to let out a loud chuckle. The swimmer placed her own rod down, taking Spencer's from her hand and re-baiting it before casting it out once again, earning her a look of happiness from her girlfriend. Without thinking twice, Emily leaned in and kissed Spencer once again, bringing her free hand up to Spencer's cheek and giving it a gentle caress before she pulled away.
"We can do it as many times as you want, babe," Emily responded, stroking her cheek momentarily once again before placing a kiss on Spencer's forehead and then redirecting her attention to the calm waters that were in front of the two of them. Spencer sighed happily and leaned her head to the side so that it was resting on Emily's shoulder, the two still standing side by side.
"Best date ever," Spencer whispered out just loud enough for Emily to hear. The swimmer laughed lightly, leaning her head in too.
"Still not finished yet."
After spending another hour fishing under the moonlight, both girls catching quite a few fish each, Emily finally called it quits, realizing that she was pushing it for time. It didn't take long for her to pack everything up and ensure that the boat was secured before leading her and Spencer back to the truck and taking off for their final date destination. Lucky for her their final location wasn't too far away, and the girls only had to endure a fifteen-minute car ride. Not that Emily would have minded a long drive, but she knew Spencer was impatient and could tell that the brunette was doing everything in her power to not continuously ask Emily questions about where they were going.
It wasn't long before the girls started to see recognizable landmarks from near Rosewood once again. Just by looking out the window, Spencer could tell they were near the city again, but she couldn't quite put her finger on whereabouts they were exactly. At first she just assumed they were going back into town, but when Emily took a few unexpected turns, Spencer was completely thrown off, giving up on trying to track their location. But eventually Emily pulled into a decently packed parking lot, and the moment Spencer felt her park, she looked out the window, immediately recognizing the surroundings.
"What are we doing at Hollis?" Spencer questioned as Emily parked the truck in a stall near the entrance. Emily glanced over at the girl, smiling gently as she put the car into park and cut the engine.
"Second weekend back from Spring break, don't you remember what that means?" Emily asked, her eyes watching Spencer as she waited for it to click in the girl's mind. She observed Spencer furrowing her eyebrows, trying to think of what Emily was referring to, when finally it was like a look of realization came over the brunette's face. Emily's slight grin turned into a full smile as she saw the glimmer of excitement in Spencer's eye.
"Hollis' Annual Spring Kick-Off Carnival!" the girls stated in unison. Spencer squealed enthusiastically in her seat, unable to contain her happiness.
"I can't believe I forgot about this! We used to all go together every year," Spencer commented as the two of them got out of the vehicle. Emily walked around the truck, extending out her hand to the brunette who happily took it.
"Every year since the seventh grade, if I recall correctly," Emily responded, happily swinging their arms back and forth as they approached the entrance. "And it looks like we're just in time for the best part," she spoke, looking down at her watch briefly. Spencer glanced over at her wrist as well, and instantly smiled, as she knew exactly what the girl was referring to.
"Fireworks?" Spencer questioned, knowing that it was Hollis' tradition to hold a firework demonstration at midnight on the first night of the Kick-Off Carnival. It was always Spencer's absolute most favourite part of the evening, and regardless of how young they were she always managed to talk her way into getting to stay that late to see the show. They still had about 45 minutes to kill before the fireworks demonstration, but the fact that Emily had gone out of her way to make sure they wouldn't miss it was what brought the most happiness to Spencer.
"Yeah there are fireworks… And a few other things," Emily responded vaguely. Spencer quirked her eyebrow at the girl, and Emily only smirked in response. "C'mon," she urged, giving Spencer's hand a gentle squeeze as then tugged at her arm. She quickly paid for their admission, a little too eager to get inside as she was now basically dragging Spencer along with her. They sped past the crowds of people, Spencer recognizing a lot of familiar faces from Rosewood High that were there. It was to be expected though; the Kick-Off Carnival was such a popular social event that people from all the local high schools attended.
"Em," Spencer spoke while letting out a soft giggle, slowing down her pace and trying to get Emily to do the same. The effort was to no avail at first however, as Emily didn't even remotely slow down. It made Spencer laugh, the amount of determination Emily seemed to have in leading them through the crowd. Spencer still wasn't entirely sure where exactly they were being led to, but instead of putting up a fight she just let it happen. That was of course, until they came into eye contact with the Ferris wheel and Spencer saw that glint of adventure in the swimmer's eye. Spencer immediately stopped walking all together, the full stop in motion finally being noticeable enough for Emily to stop walking as well. "Woah, woah, wait a minute there Emily. There is not a chance I'm getting on that thing."
"Aw come on Spence, please? They always close it early because of the fireworks, and this is gonna be the only chance I get to go on! Please, babe?" Emily coaxed, putting on her best pout and puppy dog look. Spencer looked at the eagerness in Emily's eyes, knowing how badly the girl wanted it. And the truth was, Spencer wasn't nearly as afraid to go on the Ferris wheel as she had been in the past. It helped that Emily was so good with her the last time they had been on one. Weighing her options, and knowing how happy it would make the girl, Spencer sighed in defeat.
"Fine, you win. But you better have a damn good distraction for me once we get on, or I will freak out," Spencer warned the girl, Emily squealing and nodding happily in agreement. It was the one of the most adorable things she'd ever seen Emily do, and Spencer couldn't help but let out a giggle, playfully rolling her eyes at Emily. "Alright, lets get this over with."
The line up for the Ferris wheel wasn't long at all; most people were stood nearby the stage watching the live music that was playing almost directly across from the entrance to the ride. But regardless, the crowd wasn't a huge one, which was probably because the carnival was about to come to an end for the night. Spencer and Emily managed to get on the ride within minutes, and as soon as the lap bar went down, Spencer shuffled herself as close to Emily as possible, cuddling into the girl's arm and closing her eyes tightly. The ride slowly started, and once Spencer felt the jolt that gave the ride more motion, she unconsciously began to dig her nails into Emily's side, her eyes shutting even tighter.
"Relax baby, it's okay. You're okay. Come on, open your eyes and take a look at the beautiful view," Emily coaxed the girl, but all she felt was Spencer shake her head, burying her face in the swimmer's shoulder. It caused Emily to smile, and she turned ever so slightly, placing a light kiss on the top of Spencer's head. "Come on, I promise you it's not all that scary. You can do it, babe."
Hearing the reassurance in Emily's words was enough to calm Spencer down, and before she knew it, Spencer let out a deep exhale and allowed herself to open her eyes. Her grip on Emily immediately tightened, which caused the swimmer to glance over at her girlfriend, smiling at the sight of Spencer actually taking in the view from the altitude they were at.
"Okay so the view is pretty amazing, I'll give you that. But I'm pretty sure I still feel like I'm gonna puke if I look down for too long," Spencer admitted, turning away momentarily to try and collect herself. Emily pulled her arm out of Spencer's hold, wrapping it around the girl instead and pulling her in closer.
"Well I appreciate you coming up here with me. I know I'm supposed to be the one taking you out, but I was feeling nostalgic and I couldn't help it," Emily spoke in admittance. Feeling the Ferris wheel come to a stop, Spencer gasped, turning and burying her face in Emily's side once more. It made Emily smile, and she pulled away slightly from Spencer, using her free hand to lift the girl's chin so that they were looking into each other's eyes. "I have an idea. How about we take a picture together to finish off our date?"
"A picture, right now?" Spencer questioned hesitantly, and Emily nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, I just… Tonight was our first date back together, and I really want a photo of us up here where nobody else matters. Where all that matters is the two of us, together. I want a memory of the start of the promise the two of us made to each other that we would start a future together," Emily explained blushing slightly as she looked down a little.
"I think I can do that," Spencer responded, softly nudging Emily's chin up and briefly capturing the girl's lips in her own. The two broke apart, and Spencer cuddled into Emily once again, the raven-haired girl taking the camera off from around her neck so that they could take photos together. Emily quickly glanced behind her and looked down, grinning slightly before turning back and aligning the camera so that the two of them could take a photo. She snapped a few pictures of them side by side holding each other, and as soon as the Ferris wheel jolted back into motion, Emily smoothly turned her head and kissed Spencer, feeling the girl's grin against her lips. They held the kiss for the rest of the duration of the ride, keeping the embrace tender and romantic. It wasn't until they felt the lap bar starting to rise that they were snapped back into reality. "That was…"
"I know," Emily responded in a haze, taking Spencer's hand in her own and guiding her off of the ride. She quickly glanced down at her watch, and as if on cue, a familiar song came over the sound system.
Do you hear me? I'm talking to you
Across the water, across the deep blue ocean
Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying
Oh I hear you in my dreams
I feel your whisper across the sea
I keep you with me in my heart
You make it easier when life gets hard
Emily turned, giving Spencer a coy look to which the brunette silently responded with a look of curiosity. "Hey Spence, dance with me?"
Spencer grinned and shyly nodded in agreement.
"Always."
Emily led them to the stage area where the band was playing a cover of one of her absolute favourite songs. She pulled Spencer closely into her, wrapping her arms around the brunette's waist and letting the girl fall into her gentle hold.
I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
They don't know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this
Every time we say goodbye
I wish we had one more kiss
I'll wait for you I promise you, I will
"Talk about the perfect song, huh?" Spencer whispered into Emily's ear, pulling herself in tighter to the girl and resting her head on Emily's shoulder.
"Couldn't be more accurate. I know I'm lucky that the love of my life is also my best friend in the whole world," Emily responded, nuzzling her nose against Spencer's hair and kissing the side of her head.
I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Lucky we're in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday
The song went into an unexpected interlude instead of the lyrics continuing on, and suddenly a suspiciously recognizable voice came over the speaker as the song's melody faded out. Spencer and Emily pulled apart from one another, glancing up to the stage where they saw Melissa standing, front and center.
"Hey, how is everyone liking the carnival so far?" Melissa asked, the crowd roaring and clapping in agreement at her question. They watched as Melissa happily clapped and cheered along with them momentarily before bringing the microphone back to her mouth. "Alright that's what I like to hear. Hollis was so lucky that Eric and his band were able to offer their musical talents for this evening, so lets give it up for Eric's band, Kingdom Kahn, one more time!" The crowd cheered even louder, and Melissa smiled at Eric Kahn on stage, the two giving one another what seemed like a friendly hug, but Spencer could tell it was much more than that.
"Judging by the looks of it, you and Noel could be future in-laws, huh?" Emily whispered to Spencer, giggling as the brunette gave her an unimpressed glare and shook her head in denial. Emily was about to make another comment, but Melissa's voice brought her attention back to the stage.
"We're about to start our fireworks presentation, but I received a request by someone important who wanted a few minutes of stage time for a little something special. So without further ado, can you guys please welcome the girl who I hope to some day call my sister-in-law. Miss Emily Fields!" Melissa called out, and Spencer's eyes immediately went wide as she turned to look at Emily only to realize that the girl was no longer standing right next to her. Rather, she was weaving her way through the crowd and up onto the stage, confidently grabbing the microphone from Melissa.
"Thanks Melissa. I'm sorry to kind of hijack the carnival, but I had something I needed to do, and this seemed like the perfect setting. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Emily Fields, I go to Rosewood High, and I am… Well I'm a lot of things. I'm an athlete, I coach and swim for the Rosewood Sharks, I'm a barista at The Brew, but most importantly, I am absolutely in love with my best friend in the whole wide world. Her name is Spencer, and she's standing right over there."
Emily paused and pointed at Spencer through the crowd, the groups of people separating so that it was noticeable who she was. Spencer looked up at Emily completely wide-eyed and not knowing what to do or say, so she just shyly waved back at the swimmer.
"About a year ago, I lost someone really important to me. And I thought that I'd never be able to recover from it. I thought I was gonna be sad and broken forever; until that beautiful girl came and fixed me. She put the pieces of my heart back together in ways I didn't even know possible, and for that I will be… Eternally grateful. Not only was Spencer there for me when I needed her the most, but she taught me what it meant to be happy again, and what it meant to be loved unconditionally. I owe so much to that beautiful girl, and I hope that I get the chance to spend the rest of my life making it up to her, if she'll have me."
"I know that we're going to see struggle in the future, because we know we're going to have deal with a long distance relationship pretty soon here. And it's for that reason that I don't want to cut corners with any other part of our relationship. Because we deserve better than that, and we need to embrace the last few months we have together in any way possible. And in order to do that, I need to make sure that we're finishing off our senior year the right way."
Emily stepped toward the front of the stage and the stage light followed her as she made her way through the crowd. It was easy for her to find Spencer in the group of people, as people cleared a small pathway for her. Finally, the two of them were face to face with one another, Emily smiling at Spencer who was looking at her in absolute adoration; unshed tears glazing over her eyes.
"Spencer Hastings, I fall in love with you more and more every day, and I can't believe how lucky I am to have been blessed with a girl like you in my life. I know you're not usually one for these huge dramatic displays of affection, but I watched like 20 different movies and like 100 YouTube videos, and they all seemed just as hyped up as what I'm doing now. So I think that means I'm doing something right, right? And besides, I'd never pass up on an opportunity to let everybody know how in love I am with you. Now, I know I'm significantly late in asking you this, but I figure it's better late than never. With that being said," Emily paused, reaching into her purse to pull out a see-through plastic container with a flower inside of it. She took it out of the wrapping, holding it out between them, which allowed Spencer to see that the flower was also a corsage.
"Spencer Hastings, will you do me the honour of being my date to prom?"
It didn't even take a second for Spencer to react as she threw her arms around Emily's neck, kissing her with everything she had. The two held each other, and it was as though everything and everyone else disappeared around them. It was just the two of them, together and more in love than they had ever been. Her reaction had taken them both out of reality for a few minutes, but when Spencer remembered her setting, she slowly pulled away from Emily and smiled happily as she sent her a loving gaze.
"In case you didn't figure it out, that was an absolute yes," Spencer confirmed and pulled Emily in for another kiss, just in time for the fireworks to go off behind them.
The crowd cheered loudly, not just for the fireworks but also in celebration of the two girls. None of it went noticed by the two of them though, because they were too busy locked in their own world with just one another. And in that moment, it was as though everything was still. It was perfection, and more than any other time, the girls truly felt how lucky they really were.
There it is! Just a nice bit of Spemily fluff as promised. I hope you enjoyed it and if you have time let me know what you thought by leaving me with a review! Love you all, and once again Happy New Year to everyone.