Alison woke up the next morning smiling, remembering the night before. She was content with the situation. The little talk Emily and she had the night before was still playing in her mind. Sure, she didn't have all the answers she wanted, but it was so far, the most honest conversation they had in a long time. She knew it was a big step in the right direction. The blonde layed in bed for as long as she could stand before she finally pulled herself out of the sheets. She grabbed a pyjama and walked downstairs.
"I see nothing has changed. You still wake up way too early in the morning", Alison mumbled sleepily to Emily, as she made her way to the kitchen.
Emily turned her head around to see the blonde girl leaning on the doorframe. Alison was wearing a way too big hoodie and her blonde hair was covering messily her shoulders. Emily softly smiled at that sigh; it was one she would never get bored to see. She shrugged, "it's one of the only bad sides of professional swimming".
The blonde entered the room, walking to Emily. "I thought professional swimmers were lucky enough to have their training later in the morning".
Emily rolled her eyes. "I wish. I just came back home; my practice was at 06:00 am", she replied as she was making herself coffee. "I hope I didn't make too much noise".
Alison watched Emily pour her coffee into a mug and subconsciously make another one for the blonde. She smiled as she noticed the brunette putting the right amount of sugar and milk in, without thinking about it. "Honestly, I didn't even notice you were gone", Alison mentioned. The brunette then handed her the coffee cup and Alison took it, not daring to mention she didn't want coffee.
"So", Emily said as she jumped on the countertop to sit on it. She turned her head in the blonde's direction, "what are you doing today?".
The blonde took out her phone from her hoodie pocket to look at the time; it was already 09:00 am. "Working, I have to leave in an hour".
"Can I come with you?", Emily asked, her voice soft and cautious, "if you let me?"
Alison looked up in the brunette's direction, carefully examining her eyes. "Okay", she finally whispered. "But don't you have plans?".
"Not if you are still willing to show me who you are now", Emily replied softly, consumed by Alison's intense gaze.
They kept quiet for a while and froze in their position. Both women stared into each other's eyes, finding themselves once again, in a staring competition. It was as though their eyes were having a silent conversation, trying to express all the feelings they couldn't speak out loud.
Alison's phone finally rang, getting the girls out of their gaze. Alison looked at her ringing phone for a second, wishing she could ignore it. "Uhm… I have to take that", she slowly whispered, forcing herself to leave the bubble they were currently in.
Alison let out a sigh and headed out of the kitchen to take the call. "Hey", she said silently, answering her phone.
Emily stayed in the same position, watching Alison walk away, trying to hear, in vain, what the blonde was saying. She wondered who could be calling the girl this early. Realizing Alison probably didn't want her to hear the conversation, her thoughts ran back to the blonde. She was happy to spend the day with her and reconnect. She wanted to know who the girl was now. She wanted to understand what she had been up to during the last years, she wanted to know all of her details and secrets. Watching Alison walk back into the kitchen, Emily's eyes flashed with hope and happiness.
Alison entered the room and searched for Emily's eyes. She swallowed hard, noticing the intense look Emily was giving her. She looked away shyly, feeling all her willpower leave her body under Emily's look. "Em", Alison managed to say, clearing her throat.
"Uhm?", the brunette breathed, her eyes flickering from the blonde eyes to lips.
"I- I uh…", Alison mumbled gesturing her hand. "We have to put on a more decent outfit".
"Yeah", Emily breathed simply as she closed her eyes, trying to hold on to the spark that was pulsing through her.
Both girls made their way upstairs to change into more proper clothes. When Emily came down, she instantly spotted Alison standing near the entrance.
"Are you ready?", Alison happily said.
"Mm-mm", Emily replied, her eyes flicking up and down Alison's body. The blonde was wearing an apricot loose short dress with a casual v-neck.
Alison smirked, realizing the brunette was checking her out. "You are staring again", she said in a playful tone.
Emily's eyes widened. "I wasn't", she quickly replied in a serious tone.
"If you say so", the blonde commented with disbelief, letting out a small chuckle. "Come on, let's go", she continued as she grabbed a purse that was on the furniture entrance. Alison then opened the door, letting Emily walk out before closing the door behind them.
Emily entered Alison's car, sitting in the passenger seat. The blonde quickly got in the car too and made sure to plug her phone into the charger.
"So where are you taking me?" Emily asked with curiosity.
"You'll see", Alison replied with a smile.
Alison started up the car and began to drive. During the 35-minute drive to the fashion district, they settled into silence, both girls being comfortable with each other. They exchanged a few smiles, but none of them dared to speak, scared to ruin the moment they were sharing. Finally, Alison turned a corner into a street that contrasted with the rest of the area and managed to find a parking spot near a building that looked abandoned. Emily eyed the blonde with a questioning look, wondering where on earth she was taking her.
Alison looked at Emily briefly, a smile on her face. "What?"
"What is this place?", Emily asked in a ridiculing tone, looking out the window.
"You are so curious", Alison answered, opening the door. She exited her car and began walking toward the building entrance. Emily wasn't quite sure if she was comfortable exiting the car in that neighbourhood, but seeing Alison's assurance, she followed her with no questions. The blonde pressed on the doorbell near the building's door and walked into it when it buzzed.
Entering the building behind Alison, Emily was surprised by the coziness that reign there. The interior was completely different from the exterior; the decor was minimalist and carefully chosen. She looked around, taking in the various black and white pictures that hung on the walls, while Alison walked up to the front desk. Her eyes stumbled on a sign, and Emily realized it was a photo studio. She smiled and walked closer to Alison.
"Studio E is on the 7th floor," the receptionist said, handing a key to Alison. "The elevator is behind that wall", she continued, pointing with her finger.
"Thanks", Alison answered before she grabbed, unthinking, Emily's hand and began walking in the direction of the elevator. She quickly let it go once she realized what she did. "I'm sorry, I just…", Alison mumbled, pulling away from Emily.
"It's okay", Emily interrupted, feeling unsure of what was and wasn't allowed between them.
They entered the elevator and kept quiet, surrounded by an uncomfortable silence, until the doors opened again. They walked out and entered the studio and Emily's jaw dropped. The wall in front of them was covered in windows, giving a beautiful view of the city.
"Wow, this place is incredible", Emily said, mesmerized.
"Righ?" Alison asked with a smile. "I wish I had that view from my house".
"Your house is already insane just as it is Ali", Emily answered with a soft smile. She began to walk around the room, impressed by its size and luminosity. "I thought we were going to go to your office", she continued.
"I'm lucky enough to have a new office every day", Alison winked. "Today we are doing a shoot for H&M. We are a little bit early, but I wanted to show you what I did… If it's cool with you".
"Yes, totally", Emily answered with a wide smile.
Alison walked closer to her friend and began to explain to her the purpose of her job. Alison worked as a model agent. As so, she would sometimes go on the shoot set to get in touch with her model or try to book one. Obviously, she had an office downtown for the more formal meetings but today, she wanted to impress Emily. She wanted her to see just how amazing her job was and how well she was doing without her by her side.
As the two girls were walking toward the windows overviewing the city, the elevator doors opened, letting in the photographers, makeup artists and other professionals working on set. Alison turned around and greeted the people as Emily silently watched her, a few steps aside, a shy smile growing on her face.
A/N: Hey guys, it has been a while! I hope all of you are doing fine. Thank you so much for sticking with me on this ride, I love reading your reviews. Some of you seemed confused about a certain part of the last chapter so I wish to remind you that Alison had a one-night back in chapter 5 :)
Hang on to the story please, I'll try and catch up on the last few months! :)