Alison groaned, rolling on the other side of the bed. She slowly opened her eyes, realizing the sun was already up. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, feeling tired. She had spent most of the night awake, thinking about how Emily and her were acting around each other. She knew it wasn't healthy, especially knowing that Emily was in a relationship - she didn't want to interfere in it. She was sure as hell that she didn't want to be the other woman. Still, she couldn't help but think of the way Emily had been watching her through the open bedroom door last night. The tension between them had already reached a peak when Emily began to talk about their past, but Alison almost lost it when she found Emily lurking on her. Friends certainly weren't supposed to look at friends that way. The silence between them was burning her up. The blonde knew she would have to talk to Emily about all of this, but she wasn't ready for it yet. She didn't even know how the brunette was feeling about her. It was becoming more and more obvious that Emily was craving her but crossing the bridge sounded like a bad idea. For over four years, Emily had been a feeling she would have preferred to forget, and she almost did... She almost did. And that was the worst part of it because, despite it all, Emily was still her everything. Alison had spent almost all her youth trying to convince herself she didn't have feelings for the brunette, scared of what it might mean. When she finally admitted it, she felt free. Unfortunately, the emotions didn't go away with Emily. The blonde was still, after all these years, inexplicably hooked on her. She was still, somehow, the fucking centerpiece around which she revolved.
She was brought out of her thoughts by her alarm clock, letting her know she needed to get out of bed. She sighed and ran a hand over her face to try to wake herself up more. She stood up slowly, questioning the usefulness of having a job. Removing the oversized t-shirt she was wearing, she quietly walked over to her closet. Being in the fashion industry, she needed to be aware and ahead of every trend. In fact, her outfits were, in some way, a part of her job. But today, she wasn't feeling extravagant. She grabbed a pair of skinny faded blue jeans and a white oversize shirt. She tucked the left front part of the shirt in her jeans and opened a drawer, taking out some rings and a pair of silver earrings. Sliding her rings on her fingers, she walked toward her mirror to put her earrings on more easily. She tucked her hair in a high messy bun and walked to the bathroom to wash her teeth. Taking her toothbrush, her thoughts ran back to Emily. She had to open to the brunette.
Alison made her way out of her bedroom, stopping in front of Emily's room. The door was wide open and let see the girl, intertwined in the blankets, who was still sleeping. Alison smiled at that view, enjoying her presence. She quickly went down the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. She grabbed an apple and her keys and exited the house.
Emily woke up to the sound of a door closing. She opened her eyes and looked around her, taking a few moments to remember where she was. She touched the screen of her phone resting on the nightstand, only to notice another missed call from Ophelia. "Shit", Emily left out. She had forgotten to call the girl back. "So much for trying to make it right", she sarcastically mumbled as she rolled onto her stomach and pressed her face to her pillow. She groaned and looked at her phone again and opened Instagram. She scrolled for a few moments before taking a glimpse at the clock. It was already 9:00 am and she had to be at the aquatic center at 10:00 am, which was a blessing. Generally, her swimming started at 6:00 am or 7:00 am. She opened the map on her phone and entered her destination, trying to figure out around what time she would have to leave the house. Surprisingly, the center was only 2,1 miles away.
She got up from bed and made her way downstairs. Fortunately, she realized that Alison had already left. After last night's situation, she wouldn't have known what to say to defend herself. She assumed she would have to figure out a way to apologize, not that she was really sorry about it. She was only embarrassed to have been caught starring selfishly. She smiled at that thought; Alison totally looked stunning though. Emily knew her behaviour was off; it wasn't like her normal self to be so bold and obsessive over someone. Her heart had been doing strange things lately. Making her way downstairs, Emily realized it was the first time they had been alone together for years. Maybe that was where this tension was coming from.
She walked to the kitchen and grabbed a banana. Eating it, Emily took out her cellphone from her jogging short pocket and texted Ophelia, figuring the girl must have something important to say since she had called twice. "Meet me at La Colombe after my practice?". The brunette went back to her room and pulled out a backpack from her luggage. Emily had decided to go to the aquatic center running as it wasn't that far away. She put her bathing suit and a towel in and changed her clothes into a sports outfit. She left the house some time after, wanting to get to the pool before 10:00 am so she could take a shower.
The brunette arrived at the aquatic center around 9:45 am. She took a quick shower and put on her bathing suit. She walked out of the locker room and did a few rounds of dynamic stretch before jumping in the pool to do her in-water warmup. It was her first practice with her new team, and she wanted to make a good impression. She did a few lengths underwater trying to ease her nervousness. Somewhere in her second length, her lungs started to burn. She dug up her last bit of motivation to finish her lap and when her hands finally touched the wall of the pool, she lifted her head above the water.
She clambered up the ledge with her hand for support but was surprised to hit a foot rather than the concrete. She quickly removed her hand, taking hold somewhere else. The brunette looked up at the silhouette to excuse herself but stayed quiet, astonished by the woman watching her. Strangely, the girl looked like Alison. Emily's vision was still blurry from the water, so ran her free hand over her eyes. Her eyes examined the girl again and she felt relief realizing it was not Alison. Still, she oddly looked similar.
"You should work on your underwater kick", the woman said.
"Uhm yeah, I guess", Emily replied uncomfortably watching her interlocutor. It was a gorgeous brunette girl.
"You have to kick like a Ferrari, not a Mack truck." The girl observed Emily for a second. Realizing the brunette wasn't getting the point, she continued, "kick fast and small".
Emily pulled herself out of the water. Standing in front of the brunette, she tilted her head and smiled. "Yeah, I'll work on that".
"Anyway, you must be the new girl, I'm Taylor", the girl answered.
Emily was about to reply but was interrupted by her new coach. "Come on ladies, it's time to get in the water".
Today's training was about backstroke. Her coach indicated to her what to do in her pre-set before moving on to the main set. She spent a lot of time working on her technique and training her underwater kicking. Finally, she cooled down by free-swimming. Exiting the water, she stretched and went back to the lockers. She opened hers and grabbed her phone to see if Ophelia had replied. She had, so Emily texted her back letting her know she was about to leave the complex and head to the coffee shop. The aquatic complex was only 3 miles away from the small restaurant so she took another quick shower and put on her running clothes before exiting the building, knowing she wouldn't be late. Emily had been walking for a few minutes when she felt someone grab her arm. She quickly turned around to see who it was and was surprised to recognize Taylor.
"Hey, sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to be rude", the girl said.
Emily stopped and waved her hand. "No worries, it's already forgotten". On that, she turned around and put her earphones back on.
Taylor quickly jogged toward Emily and continued talking with tenacity. "I saw your old races. It's pretty impressive".
Emily swift her head, removing one of her earphones. "Thanks".
"I'm glad I don't have to swim against you", Taylor said, giving the brunette a small punch on the elbow.
Emily looked at the girl curiously, trying to understand what she wanted. She tried to keep it cool and nodded. "I'm glad I don't have to swim against you".
Taylor smiled. "I can give you my number if you want. If ever you want to train together or grab a coffee", she said easily.
"Yeah sure, why not", Emily replied.
The girls exchanged their numbers and they talked for a few minutes before then went on their way. "I'll text you", Taylor winked.
Emily stood in place for a moment, watching the brunette walk away. She was confused by the girl's confidence, but she was happy to have a new friend in town.
She then continued to walk toward Beverly Hills, where the café was. To save time, she took a shortcut through the Los Angeles Country Club. Walking down Santa Monica Blvd, she approached a French café that was smelling absolutely delicious. She looked over, thinking she should text Ophelia and ask her to meet her there instead. She observed the patio a couple of minutes, internally debating if it was a good idea to relocate their lunch. Her eyes stopped on familiar blonde hair. Emily's eyes widened and she did a double-take to be sure it wasn't an error. Sitting on the patio of the small restaurant, was Alison. The brunette quickly looked around, scanning the area to make sure Ophelia wasn't in sight. The last thing she wanted was for Ophelia and Alison to run into each other. She internally laughed. Clearly, the universe was conspiring against her. Definitively, she wasn't going to ask Ophelia to meet her here. She stayed in her position a few more minutes, examining the scene from afar. The blonde was sitting across from a man Emily didn't know, and it was annoying her. She knew Alison wasn't doing anything wrong, but she was feeling hurt. The evening they had the night before was nice and, in some way, she felt as if Alison was tarnishing it by spending time with someone else. Emily took a few breaths to try to calm herself. She had no reason to be upset with it, she didn't even know if the blonde was seeing someone - not that it would bother her; it was just a hard thing to wrap her head around. As a matter of fact, Emily was technically dating someone, but somehow, it felt different. She couldn't explain it to herself but seeing Alison with another person snapped something inside of her. Eventually, she managed to look away and continued her walk toward the coffee where she was having her rendezvous.
Arriving at the restaurant, she was glad to see that Ophelia was already there. She was sitting on the patio, looking at her phone. Emily quickly made her way toward her. Noticing the brunette, Ophelia let her phone down and stood up to hug her. She invited Emily to sit down at the table on the chair across from her.
"I'm happy you invited me for lunch", Ophelia said, smiling.
Emily ran a hand through her hair, "well I figured you wanted to talk since you called me two times".
Ophelia blinked. Right. "Yeah, sorry about that. I just wanted to hear from you. We left things abruptly last week….", Ophelia stopped, being interrupted.
"Good afternoon ladies, can I serve you anything?", the waiter asked.
"Uh, yeah I'll take a workshop macchiato and a croissant", Emily quickly replied.
The waiter looked in Ophelia's direction with a smile, "and for you?"
"Just a cornerstone cortado please", Ophelia answered.
The server turned around and walked away.
Emily observed him, making sure he couldn't hear. She looked back at Ophelia and nod, tightening her expression a little bit, "I don't think how you acted was out of line. You were pissed at me, and it was understandable".
"Yeah…", Ophelia shook her head, "I don't know, for some reason I thought something was going on between you two".
"Right", Emily looked down at her lap. She looked back up, struggling to make eye contact. "I guess I was being hypocritical about the situation".
Ophelia tilted her head, a little bit confused. "What do you mean?", she asked.
"I just wish I had been more honest with you, it wasn't fair", Emily started.
"It's fine, Em. I get it, it must be fucked up to see your ex after so long", Ophelia replied with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
Emily nodded but stayed silent, looking down.
Ophelia examined Emily's face, sensing there was something wrong. "Have you been feeling bad about this?", she asked softly.
Emily looked back up. "It's been on my mind yeah…", she managed to say before they were interrupted again.
"A macchiato and a croissant for you", the waiter said putting down a cup and a plate in front of Emily.
He leaned on Ophelia's side, deposing a coffee cup in front of her "and a cortado for you".
"Do you need anything else?", he asked.
"No, it's fine, thank you", Emily answered, annoyed by his interruptions.
Ophelia smiled and quickly continued their conversation. "Well, if you want, we can move on from here", she paused. "I'm sorry about last week, I was overwhelmed by my emotions."
Emily blinked and took a sip of coffee, "No, that's not it."
"It's fine, I swear", Ophelia repeated with a smile. She paused a moment to puff on her coffee. "I want you back home, I'm sorry for the way I acted".
Emily didn't respond, questioningly looking at Ophelia. "Uh… Don't you think we need more time? It's only been a couple of days…"
Ophelia's smile disappeared. "What?", she asked. "Look, I know it was unfair of me to make a scene in front of your friends about the way you were acting around Alison without really talking to you about it first. We have been together for a year, it's normal I don't know you inside out yet."
Emily took a breath. "Yes, I know, but I realized I shouldn't have hidden that part of my life from you".
"Ok…Okay. What does this mean?", Ophelia carefully asked, nervous about the answer she might get.
"I just… I don't know Ophe. I don't know what I'm supposed to tell you", Emily responded nervously.
Ophelia nodded, avoiding eye contact as she took another sip of coffee. "What are you trying to say Em? I really don't understand where this conversation is going."
At the same time, Emily's phone began to ring and Alison's name appeared on the screen. The brunette quickly grabbed it, pressing the side button, and turning it around for the screen to lay on the table. She closed her eyes, fuck. Ophelia had clearly seen Alison's name pop up.
Ophelia's eyes went from Emily's phone to her face. "I get it", she calmly said. "You kept in touch with her?"
The brunette looked at the girl across from her anxiously. In a way, the calm emanating from the blonde was scaring her. "Yeah…", Emily nodded. "That's what I was about to tell you".
"Did you like, kept in touch with her or kept in touch with her?", Ophelia questioned.
Emily breathed out nervously. She took a sip of coffee as if it was going to help her. "Actually I-…I'm staying at hers".
Ophelia looked at the woman across from her with incredulous eyes. "What do you mean you are staying at hers? Doesn't she live far away or something?"
"Well, when you said you needed time alone, I figured I needed a place to stay, but Hanna's out of town for the week so Alison proposed one of her guest bedrooms", Emily replied.
Ophelia sarcastically laughed, shaking her head. "Of course, she did". The girl rolled her eyes. "Did you know she lived in L.A.? Is that why you accepted to be traded here?"
"No, I swear I didn't know until last week. I promise.", Emily answered insisting.
Ophelia ran a hand over her face, closing her eyes. She kept them close a moment, trying to know what to say. "Did something happen between you two?"
Emily shook her head as she took another sip of coffee. She looked down, unable to make eye contact. "It's not like that Ophe".
"You didn't answer my question", Ophelia insisted, taking a breath trying to calm herself.
"We have history… Our background is… our background is complicated", Emily stammered nervously. Her own words sounded so strange as they came out of her mouth. She didn't want to hurt the girl, but she knew it was the right thing to do.
"Emily, stop playing hide and seek", Ophelia said abruptly, clearly annoyed.
"I don't know", Emily answered honestly. It was true, nothing physical happened between Alison and her, but the way they stared at each other last night had her wondering.
"You don't know if something happened?", Ophelia questioned. "Let me make this clear; you live with your ex, whom you hadn't told me about and whom you happened to eye-fuck every time you thought I wasn't looking." She tilted her head. "Seems pretty obvious to me", Ophelia pointed out.
Emily stayed quiet. She was feeling like an asshole. She knew the blonde was hurt; she could see the pain in her eyes.
"Look, if you have feelings for her, it's cool but don't play with me, Em." She paused and looked over the brunette who seemed overwhelmed. She continued in a softer tone, "somehow, you will have to figure this out because you can't have both of us."
"I'm sorry to put you through this Ophe, I really am", she replied.
"I know Em. You are a good person; you try not to hurt people. But there is no way out in this one, whatever you do, somebody's going to get hurt…" Ophelia paused, staring into Emily's eye. "Maybe you were right. Maybe we have to pause our relationship until you figure this out", she said sadly.
Emily reached out for Ophelia's hand that was resting on the table. "I think we do too".
With that, Ophelia quietly stood up. "Call me if this doesn't work out", she said with a faded smile.
Emily looked up at her. "I'm sorry Ophe".
"I- I guess I'll head home now". She didn't say anything else and left, leaving Emily alone on the patio.
Emily sat there for a moment, covering her face with her hands. The conversation had gone down a road she wasn't expecting but, in a way, it was for the better. Her phone rang again, getting her out of her thoughts. She quickly answered, not looking at the screen.
"Hi?", Emily said.
"Hey Em, it's me", Alison replied on the other end of the line. "How did practice go?"
Emily breathed out, "It was intense".
"Well, we can talk about it later if you want. Are you still at the center? I'm heading home if you need a ride!", Alison proposed.
"Uh, yeah it would be cool. I'm at La Colombe café right now if you want to pick me up", Emily answered.
"Oh! Perfect, I'm in a restaurant near it. I'll be there in two", Alison happily replied.
"Thanks, I'll see you", Emily said, ending the call.
They had been in Alison's for a little while now. They haven't talked much during the rapid ride home, other than the prompt resume of Emily's first practice. Both women were still embarrassed about their night encounter.
Emily was now in her room, changing into more comfortable clothes. It was already 15:00, so Emily decided to opt for blue high-waisted jeans and a short black crop top that she layered with an open plaid shirt. She exited her room and was about to walk downstairs when she was stopped by a faded grumble. She stayed in the same position for a moment, trying to be more attentive. "Fucking thing", she heard Alison groaned.
With curiosity, she walked over to Alison's bedroom. She knocked but was met by no response. She slightly opened the door, peeking her head in the room looking for the blonde. "Damn it", Alison snapped. Surprised, Emily leaned out in fear she had walked on the blonde again. She poked her head in a second time and looked around, noticing the blonde was not in sight. Emily quickly realized Alison was in her bathroom, so she opened the door and walked into the room, wondering if the girl needed help with something. She walked toward the bathroom where Alison was and opened it. The blonde was leaning against the sink, looking frustrated. At the same moment, she noted that the girl's shirt was only half on – giving a good outlook on her breast. Fuck, not again. She quickly pulled the door shut. "I'm sorry Ali", she said with an embarrassed voice.
Alison grimaced as she noticed Emily running out of the bathroom. What was it with this girl and intimacy? She rolled her eyes and called back Emily, "at least give me a hand". Alison stopped and looked at herself in the mirror, realizing the double meaning of that phrase in those circumstances. A hand flew up to her mouth as soon as it came out. "I-… That's not what… Can you come to help me?", she managed to say, hearing Emily chuckle on the other side of the door.
Emily cautiously entered, but quickly realized the blonde was in the same position. She did her best to keep her eyes up – she didn't want to be caught staring again. "Are you okay?", she tentatively asked.
The blonde internally smiled at Emily's discomfort. After all, it wasn't like the brunette had never seen her naked. "Yes please", Alison breathed out, annoyed. "My earing is stuck in my shirt and I'm not able to untangle it".
Emily walked toward the blonde. For a quick second, Emily's eye quickly dropped down to Alison's breast. The brunette breathed out, trying to control herself. She stepped closer to Alison, their face being inches away now. She could feel the girl's breath on her neck, and it made her shiver. She leaned in and unhooked the blonde's earing from her shirt with agility. She leaned out slowly, locking her eyes into Alison's for a moment. Unthinking, Emily softly carried her hand in Alison's direction, replacing the blonde's hair behind her ear. She carefully removed her hand, resting it on the girl's cheek for a second. They stared into each other's eyes with a shy relief. Inexplicably, looking into one another they began to feel something new between them, something even more intimate than anything they had done before. This is how you fall in love, Emily thought, still staring into the girl's eyes. At that moment, all she wanted to do was to pull Alison closer and hold on to her tightly, never letting go.
Alison cleared her throat and leaned back, breaking the moment. "Um, thanks", she said uncomfortably. They exchanged a quick embarrassed smile and Emily exited the bathroom, leaving the blonde alone with her thoughts. The blonde swiftly removed the other side of her shirt that was still on her arm and put her hands on the kitchen sink, leaning against it. She stared at her reflection in the mirror trying to understand what had just happened. Was it in her head? For a moment, she felt a connection with Emily, as if they could read into each other's soul. She shook her head and unhooked her bra before removing her pants and panties. She turned around and jumped in the shower. Turning the water on, her thoughts ran to Emily again. It was becoming more and more urgent for them to have a conversation. Under the water, Alison thought of what she would say to the brunette. She always had been confident and determined, but around Emily, her softer side tended to show. The blonde wanted her speech to be clear, without being awkward or too emotional. After all, as far as she knew, Emily was still in a relationship.
She finally turned off the water and exited the shower. She grabbed a towel and passed it on her body before rapidly drying her hair with it. She hung it on the hook on the back of her bathroom door and walked into her bedroom toward her closet. Her humid hair was loose on her shoulder and had already begun to delicately curl into their classic signature. She quickly examined her clothes and took out a pair of black skinny jeans and a green denim oversized shirt that she put on. She walked in the direction of her nightstand, taking her phone that was plugged into a charger. She went through her emails and texts, making sure she didn't have any important ones for the job. Figuring everything was good, she let it back down and walked downstairs.
Arriving on the first floor, Alison made her way in the living room direction. It was her favourite part about her house. It was well fenestrated so, it was luminous. The view through the windows overlooked the privative courtyard, which gave an atmosphere of tranquillity to the room. Whenever she was feeling nervous, she would come here to think. It was like her own little safe place. Entering the room, she smiled and headed toward a console near a window. She bent down, pressing play on her home-connected Bluetooth speaker. A shuffle playlist from Spotify began to play. She walked back in her footsteps, making her way toward the kitchen. She was pleased to notice Emily was there. "What are you doing?", she asked softly.
Emily swift her head, looking in Alison's direction. She smiled and turned her head back. "You made dinner yesterday so I thought I could make us something tonight".
Alison walked closer laughing. "Can you cook something without burning it?"
"Hey! I'm a way better cook than I used to be", Emily said playfully.
Alison winked. "That's what we'll see. What are you making?"
Emily shrugged. "I thought I could make us pasta with alfredo sauce".
"Wow aren't you fancy", Alison replied sarcastically, playing with Emily.
"Says the girls who unfroze a spaghetti sauce container for yesterday's dinner", Emily answered with a smile.
Alison nodded. "Whatever, I'm sure that I am still a better cook than you".
The blonde walked to the cabinet, taking out a wine glass. She swift her head in Emily's direction. "Do you want one?", she questioned.
The brunette shook her head. "It's probably not a good idea", she replied.
Alison closed the cabinet door and approached the wine cellar. She bent down while opening it to examine the bottles. "And why is that?", she asked taking out a Merlot.
Emily kept quiet, moving her spatula in the saucepan.
The blonde opened the bottle and poured wine into her glass. She walked around the counter, stopping near Emily. "Are you afraid to do something you might regret?", she teased.
Emily turned around to look at the blonde. "Actually, yes", she said with embarrassment. She paused for a second, trying to find the right words to say. "I'm sorry about yesterday, I didn't mean to sneak on you".
Alison stepped toward the stove and peaked at the pan. She dipped her finger in, covering it in the Alfredo sauce. She brought her finger to her mouth, licking it clean while she stared into Emily's eyes. "It's not like you never saw me naked".
Emily licked her lips, internally moaning at that sight. Fuck. Feeling herself redden, she quickly turned around. "It's just that I don't want you to get the wrong ideas".
Alison dipped her finger in the pan again. "Don't worry, I already got plenty of ideas", she replied innocently. She paused for a moment, licking her finger. "Damn, that tastes incredible".
Emily kept her eyes focus on the pan, not daring to look at the blonde. She didn't know how she would make it to dinner if the blonde was going to continue with those hidden meanings. Trying to lighten the mood, she changed the subject. They kept talking for a while until the food was ready.
"You know what?", Alison asked, placing down her plate on the table.
"What?", Emily replied sitting on a chair across from Alison.
"I think I'm going to buy a dog. It has been on my mind for some time now".
"Mhm", Emily narrowed her eyes, "a dog is a lot of work"
"Obviously", Alison snorted. "This house is big, and I wouldn't mind having company in it".
"Oh, I'm sure you can easily solve that problem", Emily replied with a wink, trying to play it off seriously.
"Whatever", Alison rolled her eyes. "Besides, a dog is a good practice for babies you know."
Emily raised her eyebrows, surprised by the blonde comment. She knew Alison wanted a family, but she didn't think the blonde was actually ready to talk babies. She tried to ignore the remark, it felt strange to know that the girl was ready to settle down. "Come on, you don't need a dog, I'm sure you can find somebody to hold you at night, nobody can resist you", Emily answered honestly. "And you know, a relationship might be less complicated than a dog. At least, if it doesn't work out, you can leave them", she joked.
"Rude", Alison snorted. "It's not like me to leave behind the people I love".
Emily didn't reply to the comment at first, knowing what the blonde was implying. But feeling the weight of the silence surrounding them, she knew she had to say something. "I'm sure you are going to be an amazing mother", she replied with a smile.
Alison looked down at her lap and shrugged, "I'll see how it goes with a dog first".
Emily thought back at her earlier glimpse of Alison at the café with a man. Was it her boyfriend? She wasn't sure if she had the right to ask, but she needed to know. She tried to find a subtle way to bring the subject. "I'm serious, you will be amazing and whomever the dad is going to be, he will be one lucky man".
"What?" Alison replied, confused by what the brunette was implying.
"Well, I just thought you had someone in your life as you are talking babies", Emily answered.
"Em, I was just mentioning I wanted a dog", Alison replied, examining the girl's face. "Besides, I literally had someone between my legs four days ago: I'm not a cheater".
Emily nodded her head, feeling dumb. She suddenly got up from her chair and began to walk toward the kitchen.
"Where are you going?", Alison asked.
"I need a drink", Emily replied.
Alison stayed in the dining room for some time, waiting for her friend to come back. Emily's comment had thrown her off – she really wasn't expecting that. Did the brunette want to know if she was in a relationship? She stood up and headed to the kitchen.
"I was about to come back", Emily said noticing Alison enter the room.
"I think we need to talk", Alison replied in a serious tone.
"What do you mean?", the brunette replied, putting the cork back on the wine bottle.
"What was that comment about?", Alison asked, confronting Emily.
"What comment?", the brunette replied.
"You saying that the dad was going to be lucky", the blonde insisted.
"I wasn't implying something, I was just wondering if you had someone in your life because raising a baby is a lot of work", the brunette answered. She took her glass and walked around the counter to stop in front of Alison.
The blonde took a sip of her own wine. "Why do you care to know?"
Emily exasperatedly breathed out. "It was just a question, Ali".
Alison stepped closer. "Yeah right. I don't believe you".
"Whatever", Emily answered taking a sip of her wine. "Was that the serious conversation you wanted to have?"
The blonde stared at the overconfident woman in front of her. The brunette was not the girl she used to know. She remembered Emily to be calm and discreet, but the girl in front of her was more arrogant and forward. Somehow, she loved the assurance that the brunette exuded.
"Never mind", Alison simply answered.
Needed to feel the blonde, Emily stepped closer and opened her arms to pull Alison into a tight hug. "I didn't mean to upset you, Ali. I just want to make sure you make the right decisions". She couldn't help herself thinking about how good it felt to have the blonde in her arms. How she wanted so badly to hold the blonde all night long. She kept quiet, knowing she had no right to ask that.
"I know", Alison sighed.
Emily chuckled lightly at the blonde's response; she was obviously nervous. "Let me try again", she said softly. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked, studying Alison.
The blonde leaned out, stepping back to put distance between them. "I just-", she paused and shook her head. "I just… Em, what are we doing?".
The brunette shrugged. "Having dinner", she replied amused.
"No, seriously", Alison answered, confused.
Emily ran a hand behind her neck. The situation was confusing for them both, and she was aware of that. "I don't really know what this means…".
"The way you have been looking at me… At first, I thought it was my mind playing games, but yesterday… I saw how you stared at me last night. We can't just pretend like all of this is nothing.", Alison finally replied, moving her hand between them.
"Ali", Emily breathed out. "I don't know what my feelings are right now", she continued, her eyebrows furrowing as she was trying to understand her emotions.
"Yeah sorry…", Alison whispered, looking at the wine glass in her hand. "Sorry I put my feelings upfront like that".
Hearing the sadness in Alison's words, Emily lightly touched the blonde's forearm trying to comfort her. "No, don't be sorry… It's okay".
Alison shivered at the feeling of the brunette skin on her. "I don't want to make things complicated", she finally managed to say.
"Look, I know the situation we are in right now is incredibly weird, but if it is okay with you, I would love to get to know you again. I would like to know your work or your hobbies or anything you are willing to show me", Emily delicately said.
Alison smiled. "I think I would love that too".
"So, you show me yours and I'll show you mine?", Emily joked, trying to ease the tension.
Alison laughed and took a sip of wine "something like that I guess".
A/N: Hi! Sorry for the late update, I have been busy with school as I was in my midterms. Hopefully, this chapter will make it up to you - it is seriously the longest one so far with 6,000 words ! :) As always, let me know what you thought of it !