Bit more daylight in this chapter. I'm getting there...I'm getting there!
Katie swept past Naomi without waiting to be asked. Naomi's mouth twisted in faint disapproval. Nothing much changes, she thought sourly, but followed the older twin into the hall and then the lounge anyway. She was more comfortable there. She felt absurdly grateful that Katie hadn't headed straight for the kitchen. (No, but Emily would have, her inner voice sniped) Naomi ignored it and the other assorted cacophonies in her head regarding the astonishing fact that a Fitch twin was in her house.
Regaining some sort of composure, she stood and waited as Katie found a place for her bag (designer, inevitably), then perched her tight arse daintily on the very edge of the battered couch, as if it contained something catching. A sharp response entered Naomi's head, but it was stifled instantly when her brain randomly reminded her that that was the very spot, aeons ago, where she had knelt willingly in front of a naked Emily and proceeded to comprehensively lick her to a noisy orgasm, while her mother was out shopping.
It was enough to stop her sniping at the obviously uncomfortable twin, but memories like that seemed wildly out of place right now. She decided to assume her normal sarcastic, defensive self. It seemed prudent, with Katie looking at her as if she'd just emerged from a primordial swamp.
"So….to what do I owe this rare pleasure, Katiekins?" she asked curiously, knowing the nickname had annoyed the hell out of the older twin at college.
Katie flicked a stray lock of expensively styled hair from her brown eyes and looked up at Naomi.
"Straight to business...nothing much changes with you, does it Campbell?"
The ritual swap of semi insulting dialogue was familiar, so neither took umbrage at the tone. Katie smiled thinly.
"Still without a functioning bathroom then…?" she grinned at Naomi's dishevelled appearance.
The sudden rush of deja vu that remark produced made Naomi close her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, the amusement in Katies own was gone. The look she gave Naomi then, was suddenly less guarded.
"It's really shit about your mum...I'm genuinely sorry, Naomi?" Katies face registered the truth in that statement.
For a split second, Naomi considered rejecting the kindness. They'd never been friends, even when Emily had (briefly) moved in and Katie was a lot more comfortable with their intense relationship. Amicable foes was the smart sobriquet JJ had given them one night in the pub. It fitted, even though Cook had needed Effy to explain it to him. After his 'Naomi backwards is I moan' crack he seemed to have developed a little more confidence around the others. Naomi didn't want to remember the other reason his self worth had increased...too fucking painful by half.
But all bets were off nowadays...weren't they? Naomi sighed and found a seat by the lounge table. Close enough, but not to close to this unexpected visitor. She took a moment to study this new version of Emily's sister. Still impeccably made up. But much less waggish. Gone was the over use of blusher and eye liner. Her hair was obviously salon cared for, but it hung naturally, softly over her shoulders, lustrously chestnut. (Naomi suppressed the instant urge to ask Katie if Emily too had abandoned vivid red and reverted to her natural look)
Katies clothes were still designer, but again, less in your face than in the past. Tight blue. True Religion jeans and a pair of shiny black ankle boots. A classy blue shirt, without her previous insistence on a cleavage taking centre stage. And a simple black jacket with silver piping on the collar and cuffs. She looked...Naomi searched for the words as the silence lengthened ...comfortable in her skin, these days.
So she settled on a simple response. It seemed safer.
"Thanks...yes it is?" she said slowly.
Katie blinked and fiddled briefly with a plain silver band on her right ring finger.
"Look...you're obviously wondering why I've turned up here..out of the blue. You and I were never close. But I am sorry about Gina, uh...Emily said..."
The mention of Naomi's ex sent a bolt of pain so intense through her that she physically shuddered. Katie being here...in her house...had thrown her enough for her brain to block out the obvious implications. But hearing that name, blasted that thin veneer away. Again she closed her eyes. Her heart felt like it might beat its way clear out of her chest.
Suddenly, shockingly, she felt a smooth warm hand cover hers, as it rested on her knee. It took every ounce of willpower she owned not to jerk it away. Physical contact was not something she'd ever envisaged when she let Katie in. To her knowledge, she had never so much as shaken hands with Katie before...if you forget the roundhouse slap at the Love Ball that is.
She gasped aloud though, and the hand was instantly withdrawn.
"Naomi...I know this must be an utterly horrible time" Katie continued quickly, aware that her faux pas, mentioning her sister, had shattered the fragile peace. "...and I don't want for a moment to make it any worse. I was gonna say that Emily always told me that Gina was kind, thoughtful and a truly lovely person. I don't have any reason to doubt that..." her eyes twinkled and she went on "...although how she ended up producing a miserable fuck like you is a total mystery to me?"
For a second, it felt like someone had sucked all the air out of the room. Naomi's eyes went wide. Then the corners of her mouth twitched...and did it again. Katie kept her face deadpan. It was almost too much.
"Bitch" Naomi said without malice. Katies face relaxed and they shared the first genuine smile either had felt like since the door opened.
Naomi was more comfortable with this. The faux bitchiness both wore as protection was a lot more comfortable than all the ritual platitudes and politeness.
"So..." Naomi said. Because she knew inside that Katie was never going to be the type of person to just pitch up and offer ritual condolences. There was going to be another agenda. Her heart started to thump as Katie looked away for a second.
"You aren't the only one who's lost, Naomi" she said eventually.
Naomi wasn't quite sure how to answer that one. Her first instinct was to snipe. So she did.
"Oh sorry Katie...have you lost your mum too?" she asked acidly.
Katie glared. The truce was definitely over.
"Fuck off Naomi. That's not what I meant and you know it. OK, cards on the table...I meant what I said about your mum. Its shit and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. But I could have just sent you a fucking 'thinking about you ' card from Moonpig dot com and got on with my life?"
Naomi blinked but kept quiet.
"Emily is in bits about this. OK, I know its your mum...no one can ever know how painful it is for you. But Gina was like a second mum to Ems...when you...when you left Bristol for uni...they used to talk a lot...about things, you know?"
Naomi's mouth gaped. She hadn't known her mum had carried on talking to Emily after...after she fucked it all up. But then she supposed it made perfect sense. Gina always considered Emily a surrogate daughter when they were together. They got on almost better that she did with her own daughter.
Instead of answering, head spinning with this new information, she just nodded slowly.
"Ems wants...wants to pay her respects...go to the funeral? Now you can be a cunt about it if you like...tell her to fuck off. But I'm asking you to at least give her that. OK, I get that it will be painful for you to see her. I don't think she's exactly delirious about it (Naomi's stomach plummeted at the thought that Emily was uncomfortable seeing her). ...so...what do you say? Can she go?"
Every instinct Naomi possessed screamed at her to say no. Her mind was still spinning at her mothers death and the sudden appearance of the toxic twin. Now something almost as scary as the funeral itself was being asked of her.
Emily...Emily in close proximity. Emily crying. Up till now, Naomi knew she was the only reason Emily cried. She'd spent enough time bringing her to that point. Guilt and sadness coursed through her.
She made the decision without thinking. Thinking would only terrify her even more.
"Yes...yes she can come...to the funeral" she said in a monotone "...I guess I owe her that much?"
Katie smiled again. A warm smile. A genuine smile. Mission accomplished.
When the door closed behind her, Naomi slumped onto the hall floor and cried for long minutes. She'd thought she was all cried out, but apparently not.
XXX
Just a short teaser..the full chapter coming up next will bring Naomily together again for the first time since the rooftop. But of course...nothing ever goes to plan, does it?