My Mannequin

CH 03

What is love? A word so simple is somehow always so hard to define. Nevertheless, for Alison, love is very simple, love is in others words, one person, one girl, it's:

"Emily!"

The blonde yells loudly, so loud that the brunette is sure that the entire building just heard her screaming of excitement because she's back home. It's been exactly 10 hours, 12 minutes and 3 seconds since Alison saw Emily leaving for work this morning. Yeah, the blonde has been counting the time apart because it has been a complete torture for her, maybe that's why the moment Emily appear in sight, Alison jumps on her, like a happy puppy who welcomes her master.

"I missed you so much, Emily…"

The blonde glues herself to the brunette and clings on the brunette, softly rubbing her cheek against Emily's chest as she expresses how happy she's to see her again. The brunette freezes under such affection. All this attention towards her persona, it's new for Emily. Maybe that's why she has no clue how to act around Alison.

"I'm back too, you know…"

"Oh, hi Hanna!"

Alison doesn't mean to be impolite, but all her attention is on Emily. In other words, she has eyes just for Emily, the brunette who just wants to get inside, sit on her couch and drink a beer after having a long day at work but she can't, since Alison is glued to her, blocking her to move. How do I make her stop? Emily wonders as she stares at the blonde who is looking at her like a puppy who's waiting for something. Alison wants something from her. But, what could that be? Emily has no clue, nevertheless she tries something when she decides to pat Alison's head like a puppy because what else is she supposed to do?

The blonde doesn't complain, she leans into the touch even if she yearns for something more. And, Emily frowns because her hand is moving, but Alison has no intention to move at all. The patting thing is not working to remove Alison from her way to the couch and like always Emily has been always helpless in terms of love and that's why her roomie decides to intervene.

"Oh for Lord sake, just kiss her already, Em, so you can sit and watch TV!"

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah, Hanna is right, kiss me, Emiliy!"

The dear mannequin closes her eyes and sets her lips for a kiss. Emily gulps hard, flushing and sweating so much that she's over the point to pass out. Deep down, Emily has this desire to kiss her too, but she's too shy to act on it, contrary to Alison who has zero inhibition to take what she wants.

"You're taking too long!"

"I… ahm…"

Emily is silenced by Alison when the blonde pulls her closer, sealing her lips with a soft and tender kiss. The kiss didn't last too long since Alison smelled the popcorns that Hanna just put in the microwave and got distracted by it.

"Oh, that smells good!"

The blonde walks towards Hanna, who's preparing the snacks, leaving a dizzy brunette on the door. Intoxicated by the taste of her lips, Emily zones out as she doesn't understand why the blonde makes her feel like this. Because she's a mannequin, right? She's not real, right? But, the way she looks at her, the way she makes her feel, it feels so real that Emily has no idea of what to do or what to feel till she sees who caught Alison's attention now, and somehow she knows exactly what to feel: jealousy.

"Hanna! Hanna! Hanna!"

"Now, I've your attention…"

Hanna smirks as Alison moves around her, acting like a hungry puppy. Because, Alison has learnt so far that she likes food in general just as much as Hanna. That's why Hanna takes mercy of her and puts the popcorn in Alison's mouth. The blonde moans when she tastes the salty flavour, she loves it, but Emily doesn't love to watch Hanna feeding her beautiful mannequin, at all.

"Give me that!"

A grumpy Emiliy steals the bowl of popcorn from Hanna and with a grumpy face, she sits on the sofa alone as she settles the TV on a random movie and opens a beer for her.

"Really, Em? Jealous of me?"

"Shut up, Hann"

Hanna rolls her eyes as soon as she understands Emily is jealous. Jealousy is something also new for the brunette. She has no idea how to deal with this intense bitter feeling, but Hanna has a pretty good idea how to make her feel better.

"Go, puppy, go to Emily"

"I'm not a puppy"

Alison mumbles, but still, she follows Hanna's command and goes to Emily. Alison has no idea why Emily looks upset, but somehow she has the perfect cure for that.

"Do not look upset, Emily. Between the popcorn and you, you're still my number one on the things I love about this world…"

The blonde steals another kiss from the brunette as she steals the bowl of popcorn from her and Emily just giggles like a fool, forgetting already why she was so upset in the first place, to which Hanna once again rolls her eyes because it's gross to see these two love birds.

Yeah, Emily is as in love as Alison is with her, she just hasn't realized it, but she will, sooner than what she might think. Especially because no matter where she goes, Alison is always there, literally…

"What are you doing, Ali?"

"Going to bed"

The blonde says it so naturally, so innocently but there's nothing innocent in what she's actually scheming when she jumps in bed with Emily.

"Alison. You sleep on the sleeper sofa. This is my bed. You cannot sleep on my bed with me"

"Of course I can! And, I'll!"

The brunette deeply sighs, Alison is doing it again, she's getting what she wants and Emily has no power to stop her. The brunette really wants to sleep, but she knows she will not be able to sleep if she doesn't get rid of Alison first. The blonde is so tactile that Emily will not be able to close her eyes one second.

"Ali, go to bed!"

"I'm in bed"

"But, not in my bed, I... " (sighs) 'Fine, you can sleep tonight with me but promise me to keep your hands to yourself"

"No, can't do"

Alison happily says when Emily finally lies down beside her and the blonde wastes no time to snuggle with the brunette. And just like she predicted it, Emily didn't sleep at all that night. Her heart was always rising and beating faster each time Alison tangled her body with her. That's why the next day at work, the brunette looks like a zombie because of her lack of sleep.

"Rough night, Em?"

"You've no idea Toby"

The brunette was talking with her friend, accommodating the new items they got when her friend Toby points out towards the window because he peeks again at the girl who's always staring at Emily from outside, through the window of the store.

"Emily, do not freak out, but, your stalker is back?"

"Huh? Stalker? What do you mean Toby?"

The brunette turns her head and immediately recognizes the blonde who tries to hide when Emily looks at her.

"Damn it, Hanna, you left the door open again!"

Toby frowns, he has no clue what Emily is trying to say and the brunette wishes she could elaborate better, but, right now she needs to get outside and deal with this girl first. So, she asks Toby to help her finish what she was doing while she goes out to talk with this 'stalker'.

"Ali…"

"There's not an 'Ali', here…"

The blonde says as she tries to hide behind a bush, but, it's too late, Emily knows it's her.

"Ali, I can see you. C'mon, stop hiding"

The blonde gets closer, pouting like a kid who's going to get grounded.

"You're mad, isn't it, Em?"

Emily takes deep breaths when she sees the worried pout of the blonde. And, she's not mad, she's scared of letting Alison walk alone in the streets. The mannequin is worse than a newborn, she has no idea about how this world works and it terrifies her what could happen to Alison if she's not there to help. That's why Emily settled the rule of not going out of the apartment without a companion.

"Ali, you promised me to not leave the apartment alone…"

"But, I wanted to see you…"

"Ali…"

"I'll not bother you at work. I'm not even inside the store!"

"You're not bothering me, Ali. But, you shouldn't be out alone! What if you get lost?! What if something happen to you!"

The idea of losing Alison is very terrifying, and Emily is very upset because of it, something that Alison likes a lot. The blonde smiles, finding very cute the overprotective attitude of the brunette. Emily knows that her dear mannequin is not a damsel she can lock in a tower, but sometimes she wishes she could so she shouldn't worry so much about her safety.

Emily is scolding Alison, and the brunette was expecting to see a pout or an angry face on the blonde, but, somehow all she gets is a lusty look from those blue eyes. It seems like Alison likes Emily nagging her. Maybe that's why the blonde jumps on Emily's arms and fills her with kisses.

"Ali! Not in the middle of the street!"

The brunette blushes at this turn of events. She's not used to displaying affection in public. She needs Alison to understand the basic rules of behavior and boundaries. But, how can she teach her that, if each time she tries to teach her a lesson, the blonde gets turned on and jumps into her arms? Emily has no other choice but to find a tutor for the blonde and who better to teach good manners than…

"Spencer!"

It's a new day in the apartment when Alison happily says the name of the girl who just arrived to cultivate her mind. Spencer gets in and says hello to the rest of the girls. Emily once again thanks her for doing this while Hanna rolls her eyes when she sees all the books she brought with her.

"Okay. So, let's start, Alison. First thing on the agenda: we will start with history then…"

"Boring…"

"Shut up, Hanna!"

Alison chuckles, it's funny to watch how Spencer & Hanna fight like dogs & cats, but as much as she likes to laugh, she finds out she likes even more to learn new things. Spencer's lessons are opening a new world to the mannequin, a world filled with poems, with history and science. The blonde is immersed in this new world of knowledge, so lost in it that somehow, she has no longer time to stalk Emily.

"Looking for your stalker, Emily?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Toby"

Humming, Toby knows why Emily is constantly turning her head towards the window. The brunette is not subtle to hide her constant search for the blonde who has stopped stalking her. The brunette deeply sighs, feeling sad. But, why? She doesn't get why she feels like this when Alison is doing exactly what she asked for. But, the truth is most of the time, we ask for things we really don't want.

"She will be back, Em"

Toby pats her shoulder and Emily nods, Somehow, she wants to believe in his words, but as days go by, she starts to lose hope.

"She's a fast learner, She.."

It's during a lunch break when Spencer starts talking about her new prodigy. She looks so proud of Alison and Emily is proud too, but, there's sadness in her eyes and every time she nods at Spencer's comments, her mind is fixed on the dear blonde who makes her smile without a reason. And, that smile doesn't go unnoticed by one of her dearest friends who also decides to say something.

"You like her, isn't that right Em?"

The brunette deeply sighs. She wants to say 'yes' but she also wants to say 'no' because after all, how can she dare to have feelings for a mannequin? Alison magically came alive and Emily is scared to get attached when she doesn't know if Alison will also magically disappear just like that.

"Em…?"

"I need fresh air…"

The brunette decides to take a walk in the park during her break, she goes out, leaving her food behind. Something she regrets the moment her stomach starts roaring. Great, now she's down, hungry and has no clue of what to do. Thankfully, someone knows exactly what she needs like always.

"Emily!"

Brown eyes get bigger with surprise when they peek at the blonde who's rushing towards Emily, waving her golden curls and holding a basket on her arms.

"ALISON!"

"You went out of the apartment alone… I don't like it when you do that, you know that…"

Emily tries to look upset, but she cannot hide her big smile when she sees that she still is all what Alison cares for.

"You can scold me later. But before you ground me again, let's make the most of it"

"Huh? What do you mean..? Hey! Wait! Where are you dragging me?!"

The blonde is strong enough to drag Emily wherever she wants or maybe Emily doesn't put any resistance to it. Emily chuckles, she wasn't expecting Alison to find her, but it seems the blonde has the skills of a ninja because she can always find Emily no matter what. They find a nice spot under a tree and they have the perfect picnic Alison planned for them.

"I thought you had forgotten about me…"

Emily mumbles, letting visible how much she has missed her blonde stalker.

"Forget you? I could never do that, Emily. You're always in my mind. You're all I care about, so, I'm far to forget you"

The brunette smiles, blushing red like a tomato and feeling a little silly for worrying about losing Alison's attention and affection. Especially when the blonde prepared a big feast for her.

"You learnt to cook?"

Says the brunette who licks her lips, tasting all the things Alison did for her.

"Yes! And, I also learnt to bake! And, I learnt to do all the good things to be a good wife to you!"

"You… what?!"

Alison's face lights up, telling all the new things she knows now and it brings big joy to Emily's heart to see her happy and to find out she's doing all this effort for her. Somehow, the sadness which was overwhelming her heart is gone, especially when Alison gives her a folding paper.

"What is this?"

Emily asks as she unfolds the paper.

"I also learnt that the best way to conquer someone's heart, it's with poetry, so…"

"You made me a poem?"

Alison nods, she's not sure if it's good, but she put all her heart in it. And, damn she's good with the words because Emily is crying the moment she's finishing reading it.

"Oh, non! You didn't like it!"

Alison panics, but Emily shakes her head and tells her these are happy tears. She's happy, really happy, so happy that it's scary.

"Why are you scared of feeling happy, Em?"

"Because I have never wanted anything so much as you. And, It's scary to realize you're so important for me because..."

"Because I could become an inanimate object any second?"

Emily sadly nods, she hates to not know how much time they have left or how they can prolong this forever. The brunette has tried to get any answer from Miss Drake, the creator of the glue which brought Alison alive, but each time she knocks at her door, she doesn't get a reply. It seems like the old lady is not at home and who knows when she will be back or if she will be ever back. And, Alison understands what Emily is feeling right now, she has the same doubts, the same fears, but is that reason enough to not love? To not let people in?

"You could get hit by a car…"

"Huh?"

"When you get out of the apartment every morning, I see you leave and I worry about all the bad things which could happen to you like: get hit by a car, or, get kidnapped by a gang or…"

"Okay, you need to stop watching TV with Hanna…"

Both girls chuckle, feeling a little silly about all these worries, but, that's the point Alison is trying to make.

"My point is, no one knows how long we will live. You're here today, Emily. Tomorrow, something can happen and I could lose you forever. And, yes, it's sad and scary to think about it, but, it's even more sad to use those fears as an excuse to not be with you. Because the truth is, Emily, even if it's just a fraction of a second the time I can have with you, I want it, I want to enjoy it and live it to the fullest!"

Emily smiles, she blushes and feels lighter, less scared to feel, to live, to love. That's why she stops wasting time and kisses the blonde in the lips, just the way she always dreamed. Because after all, like Alison's poem said it, there's nothing more she wants than being with her...

'Dear Emily, I dream of you, I yearn for a life with you. You, with your beautiful brown eyes, You, with that perfect warm smile. There's nothing I want more than YOU.

In your arms I belong because in Love, we get to live forever. And, all I want is to be forever yours...'

We wish for a forever, but maybe we should wish for a 'today'. Today is more than enough, today is now and today is the day where Emily will finally put aside her fears and just let love in her life, in the form of her dear mannequin.