Hey guys, here we go again with a one shot. Hope you like it, this came to me while eating pizza, and, listening the song of Ben Rector 'love like this', lol...
It's a short one-shot, but, I hope you like it. Thank you for reading, see u soon!
The missing ingredient
*** Alison's narrative (voice-over) ***
Einstein once said, 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'. I was sure he was right, but, even then...
Alison angrily groans. - "God damn it!"
Jasons scolds. - "Alison! Language!"
Alison rolls her eyes, she just angrily shoves the pizza dough into the oven, even if she wasn't satisfied with her creation...
Jason. - "It smells good..."
Alison deeply sighs, she doesn't reply, she just gets her hands in another dough... again... expecting a different result... again...
Jason. - "Why do you feel like you need to re-invent the pizza?"
Alison. - "It's not that, Jason! This Italien pizzeria is our legacy! Mamma, Papa, everyone is counting on us to keep the business, ongoing. But, how can we do that, if I'm not able to make great pizzas like them?!"
Jason. - "Your pizzas are good..."
Alison. - "But, not good enough..."(sighs) "We're losing customers because the pizzas don't taste the same as when Papa was here..." (sighs) "I just need to find the missing ingredient that will allow me to make the perfect pizza..."
Jason. - "It's not indicated in the family recipe?"
Alison shakes her head, something is missing in her preparation, she knows it, and, it's not like she hasn't asked her father about it. But, each time she asks, Kenneth just pats his chest, and, Alison has no idea of what the hell he means by that...
Jason. - "You'll figure it out, I'm sure. But till then, just do not be too hard on yourself. Okay?"
Alison. - "Fine..."
Jason. - "The order 30 is ready, can you deliver it...?"
Alison looks at the delivery address and, says. - "They ordered again more pizzas?"
Jason smirks. - "God! What would we do without Miss. Marin as our loyal client..."
Alison chuckles, and, nods when she grabs the boxes, and, gets ready to deliver pizzas, for the 4th time of the night at Hanna's place. But, to be honest with you, it wasn't just Hanna's apartment. She has a roomie...
(At an apartment)
Emily rushes to the door. - "Do not open the door! I'll get it! I'll get it!"
The doorbell rings again, and, as the last time, Emily is the one who rushed to answer the door...
Aria. - "Wow, I'm shocked that it's not Hanna, who's rushing to the door to pick up the food..."
Hanna. - "Hey! I'm not always like that..."
Spencer mocks. - "Yeah, sure... that's why you're the only person I know who has eaten a cake on the floor, after it dropped..."
Hanna rolls her eyes. - "In my defense, the cake was delicious, even if it crashed against the floor..."
The brunettes chuckle, just recalling that day...
Aria stares at the brunette who's standing in front of the door, and, says. - "Emily. I know you love pizzas, but, I don't think we need more..."
Hanna grabs another slice and, says. - "Talk for yourself, Aria. I can keep eating..."
Spencer. - "Of course you can..." (She looks over her shoulder to her friend who's next to the door while the rest of them are on the sofa, and, says) "But, I don't think that it's the pizzas the reason why Emily's so eager to open the door..."
The young Hastings was right, Emily is a pizza's lover, but, that's not why she's so eager to open the door. The real reason is...
(open door)
Alison. - "Hi, here, your order: pepperoni..."
The blonde reads the order of the pizzas she brought, and, Emily just nods with a big goofy smile. Leaning her head over the edge of the door, staring at those blue eyes, at those gorgeous lips moving... the brunette is lost in her thoughts, thoughts that are all about...
Alison. - "So, it's 20 $ "
Emily deeply exhales, still on planet's Alison. Because she can just think about this girl from the 1st time she got to know her... sadly, she hasn't been able to make a move since then...
Alison. - "Are you gonna pay me, or what?!"
Emily snaps out of her mind, she comes back to reality when she hears the bossy voice of the blonde, claiming the money of the pizzas...
Alison. - "Look, I've to make another delivery, so... if you don't mind, can you just give me the money ...?"
Emily nods. - "Sure... sure..."
The brunette takes the boxes of pizzas from Alison, and, puts them over the nearest table, looking into her pockets, she gets out the last 20 bucks she has. This is it, she has no more money to spend for the rest of the month, so, this is her last chance to speak to Alison for the rest of the month, this is her last chance to say something, to make a move, to...
Alison gets the money from Emily's hand, and, says. - "Finally! Bye, thank you for your order..."
The blonde is gone before Emily could say a word...
Emily looks at her empty hand, and, sadly sighs. - "I... I couldn't speak to her... again..."
The brunette sadly closes the door, and, her friends look sad too when they see her dear friend defeated... without hope...
Spencer grabs the empty boxes, and, says. - "I'll get these out..."
The brunette rushes to get out the empty boxes to the outside dumpster, she's not hurried to clean up, well, she would love to clean the messy apartment of her two dear friends, honestly, how they can live like that?! Spencer wonders, piles of dirty dishes, clothes all over the floor. She even recalls the day when Emily put a t-shirt backwards, just to hide the stain of coffee that was all over the shirt... anyway, that's not the point here, the point is that Spencer runs to the dumpster that's in front of the building so, she can...
Spencer yells. - "Hey! Wait a second!"
Alison was already on the bike, with the hands on the helmet, when she turns her head towards the brunette who's walking towards her...
Alison. - "There was something wrong with your order?"
Spencer stands beside her, and, says. - "No, it's everything okay... I think..."
Alison nods, still not sure what she wants. The brunette drops the empty boxes to the dumpster, and, says...
Spencer. - "So, you might be wondering how is that 4 girls can eat more than 6 pizzas on one night..."
Alison. - "Not really, I mean. Hanna Marin is with you, right?"
Spencer laughs. - "Yeah... well... it's true that Hanna can eat a lot..."
Alison nods. - "Yes..." (She looks at her watch, and, says) "Look, I really need to go. Or, the pizzas will get cold, so..."
Spencer. - "I don't want to waste your time any longer. But, before you go, can you give me your number?"
Alison frowns. - "You've already the number to order..."
Spencer. - "I'm not talking about the phone number of the pizzeria. I'm talking about YOUR number..."
Alison blushes. - "Oh..."
Spencer is old fashion, that's why she offers a piece of paper and a pen, so the blonde can write her phone. The blonde hesitates on taking them, she looks up & down at Spencer...
Alison. - "I don't want to be rude, but, you're not my type. You seem to be very stiff... high maintenance..."
Spencer. - "What?! I'm not st-..." (She shakes her head) "Anyway, it's not for me. I'm asking your number for my friend..."
Alison raises an eyebrow. - "Who? Hanna? She's not my type either..."
Spencer. - "No! Not Hanna!" (deep breath) "I'm talking about Emily..." (when she realizes that the blonde has no idea of whom she's talking, she says) "You know, the girl who always opens the door for you..."
Alison. - "Oh! The tall brunette... so, her name is Emily..."
Spencer. - "Yes, and, she would really like to have your number..."
Alison. - "She's pretty..."
Spencer nods. - "She's... and, she's also very kind, a very good friend, and, single... so..." (She waves the piece of paper in front of Alison, and, asks again) "So can you give me your number for her...?"
A big smirk spreads over Alison's face, the blonde puts on the helmet, and, says. - "Nope..."
Spencer. - "What?! Why not?!"
Alison turns on the engine of her bike, and, says. - "If she really wants my number, then, she has to ask for it, in person..."
Spencer. - "She's too shy..."
Alison shrugs, she drives away, leaving behind a very shocked Spencer.
(Back at the pizzeria)
Jason. - "You're back..."
Alison nods, she cleans up, so, she can give Jason a hand in the kitchen...
Jason. - "Something happened?"
Alison. - "Why you ask that?"
Jason. - "I know that smirk..."
Alison laughs, her brother knows her too well. There's some kind of pride to know someone desires you. The blonde is gorgeous, she knows, she could get anyone at her feet, but no matter how good she looks, she's not the Casanova type, and, she's also not the kind of girl to make the 1st move because she knows how hard it's to find the courage to approach someone. But, that doesn't mean either that she will make it easy, for anyone who gets interested in her...
Jason. - "So, are you gonna tell me why you've that big smirk on your face...?"
Alison opens her mouth, ready to speak, when the door of the pizzeria gets wide open by...
Emily stammers, without breath. - "YourNumberPlease!"
The two DiLaurentis look at the flustered brunette who just ran more than 1km to get here... Emily is out of air, she's sweating, and it's not just because of the running, she's also very nervous, finally getting the guts, to talk to Alison. She has been trying to find the perfect moment to talk to the blonde for weeks, but, the moment Spencer told her that Alison wants to be asked in person, Emily knew what she needed to do. Tonight was the night... she just had to be brave enough to speak out and ask...
Emily. - "I..." (She points out towards Alison, and, says) "You... y-y-yyou said to Spencer... so, I came here to ask you in person... can you give me your n-n-n...?"
Breathe, Emily... breathe... that's what the brunette says to herself to calm her nerves...
Alison. - "Did you just run, from your apartment till here?"
Emily nods, using her clumsy hands to remove the drops of sweat from her front-head...
Alison smirks. - "You know that you could have taken the bus, right? There's a bus stop in front of your building, and, that bus lets you just on the corner of this street..."
Emily plays with her empty pockets, and, shyly confesses. - "I kinda have not money for the bus..."
And, she wasn't lying, she has spent more money in ordering pizzas than what she would like to admit... the crazy things we do for love, right?
Clumsy, skint... Emily is not sure if she's really making a good impression, but...
Alison cackles. - "OMG, you're a complete mess!"
Is that a compliment? Emily wonders. The blonde's genuinely bursting into laughter. Something that's very rare to see. And, the most beautiful if you ask Emily. The sounds of her laugh, the way her pitch gets deeper, and, louder... Emily smiles, she would love to hear the sounds of that laugh for the rest of her life...
Alison tries to regain her composure when she says. - "Sorry, sorry... I'm not mocking... It's just that your lack of common sense, it really makes me laugh. I mean, who spend its entire money in pizzas, and run miles just for a phone number...?"
Emily shyly admits. - "Me...?"
Their eyes meet, and, Alison smiles...
Emily. - "So... can I've... you know... your n-...?"
Alison cuts her off. - "If you wait till we close, I can give you a ride home on my bike..."
Emily nods non-stop, she grins like a kid who has just got a present. And, what better gift than being able to wrap her arms around the blonde while Alison drives them home, in the bike. The brunette sits alone at a table waiting for the closing of the restaurant, and, while she waits, in her mind, she's already sitting on the bike, behind Alison, wrapping her arms around the perfect figure of the blonde, gripping hard, smelling the beautiful aroma that Alison's golden curls release while they wave in the air...
Emily happily exhales. - "So pretty..."
The brunette's mind is in the clouds, and, Alison chuckles, finding it very cute...
Jason teases. - "Someone has a crush on you..."
Alison knead the flour with the water and salt to a smooth bread dough, she makes no comment about it, but, her cheeks reveal a special pink of blush...
Jason. - "She seems nice... you should give it a try..."
*** Emily's narrative (voice-over) ***
'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'. If Einstein is right. Then, why we bother to try, and, try again, to date someone? If, it didn't work the 1st time, the next time, it will not work either. Then, why we invest ourselves over and over again, expecting different results...? Why...?
(Outside Emily's building)
Alison. - "We arrived..."
Emily nods, still pressing her body against Alison. Still loving the feeling to have the blonde between her arms...
Alison. - "Emily...?"
Emily. - "Yes...?"
Alison. - "We are not moving, you can unwrap your arms..."
Emily blushes, and, says. - "Oh! Right, right, right..."
The clumsy brunette almost fall when she tries to get off the bike, but, two strong arms hold her tight...
Alison. - "Are you okay?"
Emily looks at those beautiful blue eyes that are looking at her with so much concern, and, she has no words to say, she just nods with a goofy smile. Alison sees the way that Emily is looking at her, and, chuckles. The blonde breaks the embrace, and, Emily walks towards the door of her building...
Emily. - "Ah... uhm... mmm... would you... if you want to... can I offer you a drink?"
Alison. - "I'm driving. I don't drink while I drive..."
Emily. - "Right, right, right... ah... uhm... mmm... but, what about a soda? Or coffee, or..."
Alison cuts her off. - "It's late. I should go, you're home. So, I can go..."
The blonde was ready to turn on the engine when...
Emily. - "Wait!"
Alison stops her motions, she locks eyes with the brunette...
Emily. - "Your number..."
Alison. - "Huh...?"
The brunette walks towards the blonde, with each step she makes, Emily feels how her pulse rises to the sky, how the palm of her hands starts to sweat. And, she has done this before, multiple times to be exact, she has asked many girls for their numbers, and, each time she tries to conquer someone's heart, she fails. So, why she should risk to get rejected again? Why she should expose her heart to get hurt again...? Why? Emily wonders, but, when she finally stands in front of the blonde, she gets to the conclusion that no matter how insane might seem to expect a good result from this, she must try, so...
Emily takes a deep breath, and, says. - "Can I have your number...?"
Alison raises an eyebrow...
Emily gulps hard, and, shyly mumbles. - "Please...?"
Alison. - "Why you want my number so badly?"
Emily. - "I want to ask you out... someday... if you let me..."
Alison. - "Have you dated someone before?"
Emily nods
Alison. - "Then you know, like me, that it's pointless to date. It always ends the same way, broken hearts, pain..."
Emily. - "I'll not break your heart!"
It wasn't a promise... it was a statement...
Alison. - "And, what if I break yours?"
The blonde knows her cold heart, she hasn't been able to care for someone as much as she cares for herself... till now...
Emily. - "Then break it..."
Alison. - "Huh?!"
Emily smiles. - "Break my heart... break it thousand of times... just give me a chance, so you can break my heart if you want..."
Alison chuckles. - "You really have zero common sense of survival..."
Emily chuckles. - "Maybe..."
The blonde puts on her helmet, and, the brunette gets worried that her high expectations will just crash to the floor, but...
Alison. - "I'm not giving you my number... at least not yet..." (She turns on the engine, and, says with a big smirk) "But, I'll give you a try..."
Emily. - "Huh?"
Alison says while she drives away. - "Tomorrow, 8pm. We will go to watch a movie..." (She yells while she gets farther) "And, do not worry, it will be my treat since you are broken for all the pizzas you bought me..."
Emily chuckles, and, she happily gets into her apartment...
Spencer. - "So, what happened? Did you get her number?"
Emily shakes her head, still taken by how the night went, she leans over the door, while her friends look at her...
Aria. - "Then, why you're smiling?"
Emily shyly smiles. - "I didn't get her number yet... but, I got a date with her..."
Her friends smile, they feel happy for her...
Hanna raises her hands, and, says. - "YES! EMILY! Go for the pizza's girl! Does this mean that we will get free pizzas?"
Spencer and Aria throw her cushions while they say. - "Are you serious, Hann?!"
Hanna shrugs. - "Hey! There's nothing wrong with dreaming big!"
Emily chuckles, Hanna was right, there's nothing wrong with dreaming big, that's why, that night, Emily goes to bed with the hope that even if she has dated before, and, it didn't work. This time, it will be different... she expects that the result will be different. And, she wasn't wrong because just like she promised it, Alison gave Emily a try, and, many nights after. One date became two, then 3... 4... 5... Alison realized that Jason was right, Emily was nice, but, more than nice. She was kind, she was thoughtful, beautiful. And, she was the missing ingredient in Alison's life...
*** Emily's narrative (voice-over) ***
I have no special talents, I've zero common sense. I'm broken most of the time. And, I'm pretty sure that I'm more clumsy than the rest of the world. There are millions of things that are wrong about me, and even then... somehow... I'm the best ingredient in her life...
(Some weeks later, at the pizzeria)
Kenneth smiles. - "Mamma MIA! The restaurant is full!"
Jason looks at all the customers, and, smiles. - "I know, right?!"
Kenneth looks at the menu, and, says. - "What changed?"
Jason looks over the happy blonde who's making pizzas, and, says with a big smile. - "Her heart..."
Kenneth pats his chest, his heart, and, smiles. - "She finally got it... love... I'm so happy for her..."
(Later, at the apartment)
Emily opens the door, and, a big smile appears on her face when she says. - "Hi..."
Alison smiles. - "Hi..." (she gets in, and, says) "I brought pizzas..."
The blonde kisses the brunette and Emily giggles like a teenager when Alison softly kisses her lips when she gets in. Allison smirks looking at the shy brunette... she's so damn cute, that's what the blonde thinks...
Hanna raises her hands up, and, loudly says. - "YES! Free pizaas!"
Spencer, Aria and Emily roll their eyes...
Hanna opens one of the boxes, and, happily says when she slides a slice into her mouth. - "God! Emily! Never breakout with her!"
Emily shakes her head. - "Never..."
Alison blushes, she loves to see that Emily has no intentions to let her go...
Spencer approaches to the group of friends, and, says. - "Your pizzas taste even better than before... did you change the recipe?"
Alison. - "Nope, it's the same family recipe..."
Aria grabs a slice, and, says. - "This taste so damn delicious! You put something different in it!"
Alison chuckles. - "Not really..." (She glances at Emily, and, says) "I just found the missing ingredient..."
Emily puts a slice of pizza on her mouth, and, says. - "And, what was it?"
Alison kisses Emily's cheek, and, whispers into her ear. - "You..."
Emily blushes. - "Huh?!" (She drops the slice of pizza) "What do you mean...?"
Alison chuckles
Hanna scolds. - "Damn it, Emily! We don't waste food here!"
The blonde gets the slice of pizza from the floor, and, gets ready to eat it when...
Spencer. - "Oh hell no, Hann! Not again!"
The brunette takes away the slice of pizza from the blonde's mouth...
Hanna whines. - "Hey! Give me that!"
Spencer walks away from her, and, says. - "No... it's not salubrious..."
Hanna chases Spencer for the slice of pizza, and, the rest of the girls chuckle looking at the scene. For a long time, Alison didn't know what made her family's pizzas so delightful. But, now she knows... now she knows that there's no better ingredient than love...
Years later...
In a house in the suburbs, Xmas was already around the corner, that's why Emily was so eager to finish the Xmas decorations before her parents arrive to spend the holidays with her, and, her family...
Grace. - "I wanna help..."
Emily smiles, she grabs her little daughter between her arms, and, they start to decorate the tree while, in the kitchen...
Alison. - "Are you ready?"
The little blonde nods, and, Alison chuckles, looking at her little, cute assistant...
Lilly raises her hand, and, says. - "Mommy, mommy! What makes our pizzas so yummy?"
The blonde glances at Emily, her dear wife who's helping Grace to put the star on the top of the tree when she says with a big smile...
Alison. - "Love..." (She playfully places flour over the tip of the nose of her little daughter, and, says) "Everything tastes yummy if you put love in it..."
Little Lilly giggles
*** Alison's narrative (voice-over) ***
Einstein once said, 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'. And, he was right, there are constants in life that will not change, there are outcomes we cannot change... but, there exists too this insane feeling, named 'love' . And, love, my friends... love is the insanity ingredient that was missing in my recipe, in my life... till I met her...