So I have deduced that searching for a new job while having a job takes up the time of two jobs. Leaving me less than desirable amounts of time to write. Working on it—literally. I am sorry bout the wait on this one. Thanks for sticking with this. Also, if you read my other fic Chivalry is Dead don't worry, that should be up before the weekend is over.
kit kat, anon, StayWithMeForTheKids, LoveTypeThing-SureTypeThing, shewritesforher, kaat12, and anon - thank you for reviewing. I really do appreciate it.
Please let me know what you think. And as always, thanks for reading.
I don't own Skins or anything of the sort.
Chapter XV: And my head told my heart "Let love grow," But my heart told my head "This time no."
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It was dead week, the week before final exams for the semester. Every hour was a quiet hour and it was designed to allow students time to prepare for their exams. The only problem was that everything seemed to be due that week. Instead of no homework basically every major project, essay, and presentation assigned through the semester was due. A few days in and Naomi had already picked up on Sid's appropriate phrasing "Week of Death."
Naomi was leaving the library when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket for the third time that evening.
"You've been ignoring meee," Alex whined through the line.
"Oh, I have not, you big baby," Naomi shushed. "And it's the week of death, so give me a break."
"The what now?"
"It's dead week, the week before exams," Naomi explained. "I've been doing coursework, you know, for university, which I happened to attend."
Alex huffed. "Excuses, excuses."
"What on earth would you do if I say, disappeared from the country for two weeks?"
"Skype." Alex answered automatically.
Naomi laughed. "Oh yes because I would just happen to be around a computer as often as you were to respond to messages."
"Whatever you're jus—"
Naomi put her phone down as Emily walked along the path toward the building she just exited.
"Skipping out of studying early?" Emily chastised, her usually indecipherable face displaying a small smirk.
"Or calling it for a night, not everyone procrastinates til the sun goes down." Naomi quipped.
"Is that what you think I do?" Emily raised an eyebrow in challenge.
"I didn't say you." Naomi jested raising her hands in innocence, the faint sound of Alex still chatting idly away on her mobile making itself present as she did so.
"That Alex?" Emily chuckled.
"The one and only." Naomi rolled her eyes.
"Hello Alex." Emily said leaning slightly toward Naomi's still held up mobile. Naomi laughed; she could vaguely hear Alex on the other line.
"Who is that? Are you talking to someone?"
"I said wait up, bitch," said an approaching voice from behind Emily. Naomi put her hands back down at her sides, peering over the redheads shoulder after that too common scowl reappeared on the girl's face.
"What is she doing here?" The same voice said as the obnoxious girl from Naomi's core English class appeared to Emily's side.
Naomi's gaze flitted between the reproachful looking girl and a scowling Emily. Oh. My. God.
"You know each other?" Emily asked the same time Naomi spoke.
"You're twins?" Naomi realized aloud.
"You're fucking slow?" The other girl stated mocking Naomi's surprised tone.
Emily rolled her eyes. "Katie, why don't you go bugger off to the library, since you were so keen on going now anyway."
"I only wanted to go because you said you were," Katie said. "And you're to help me with my outline remember?"
"I only said I was going to the library because I couldn't get anything done with your incessant chatter."
"Danny called, what would you have me do?"
"Not answer."
Katie scoffed. "He's my boyfriend."
"He's a wanker," Emily retorted.
"You really want to play that game?" Katie shot back. The siblings exchanged a violent look.
"Wait, and you're roommates?" Naomi interjected.
"Yes," Emily said rolling her eyes.
"Twins and roommates," Naomi processed.
"Are we just stating things?" Emily quipped, the edge gone from her voice.
"Sorry," Naomi mumbled.
"S'okay," Emily smiled.
"So roommates? Is that normal? Pairing siblings?" Naomi asked.
"No. It was requested," Emily rolled her eyes again.
"Your fault for picking the university furthest from home." Katie shot at her sister.
Naomi glanced between the two girls as they began bickering in…a different language? It sounded like gibberish.
"Fine!" Emily said eventually to a now smug Katie. "Just go get us a table, yeah?"
"Whatever," Katie said. She threw Naomi a reproachful look before walking past and into the building.
"Wow," Naomi stated as Emily rummaged through her rucksack, producing a pack of cigarettes.
"Don't even get me started." Emily puffed, taking a deep drag from the lit stick.
"Okay, I won't," Naomi shrugged.
Emily gave her a look as she nursed her cigarette. She offered it to Naomi after a few more puffs. Naomi raised her hand, declining with a polite shake of her head. Seeing Gina smoke once when she was little had put her off the habit for some reason. Emily just shrugged, inhaling again.
"Okay I better get in there, she's got about ten minutes before I've reached my Katie quota for the day." Emily let out a breath tossing the abused cigarette to the cold ground.
"Right."
"Well Naomi, enjoy your evening not studying in the library." Emily said readjusting the strap of her rucksack on her shoulder.
"Later Emily, happy studying," Naomi jested earning a playful glare from the redhead as she entered the building. Naomi lifted her phone back up to her ear walking off toward her dorm.
"Emily?" Alex chimed through the line. "Did you just say Emily?"
"Yes, that's who said hello," Naomi informed her friend.
"Well tell her I say hello back," Alex said cheerily. "Why didn't you tell me Emily's there? Put her on."
"She was." Naomi stated. "And absolutely not."
"What? Was? Before I could say a proper greeting back? Well that was rude of you."
Naomi rolled her eyes. "Oh, I am ever so sorry," she said in a monotonous tone.
"Better," Alex said lightly. "So that was her earlier?"
"Mhmm."
"She had a really nice voice," Alex stated. "How come you never told me that? Is it always like that, all raspy?"
Naomi huffed as a smile forced itself onto her face. It always did whenever she thought of Emily, or her delightfully husky voice. "Yes."
"Nice."
Naomi rolled her eyes as she entered her dorm building.
"Alex, I've got to go."
"What? Why? I haven't talked to you all day." Alex whined. "Can't you take a study break long enough for your bestest mate?"
"I'm going sledding…"
"WHAT? You don't have time to talk to me because of studying…but you have time for sledding? Rude."
Maxxie had caught her when she was in line for her second coffee of the day. He had invited her sledding, how could she say no?
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"You ready to go?" Maxxie popped his head in the door of Naomi's room later that evening.
"Yeah, just give me a second." Naomi said grabbing her jacket.
She walked down the hall following him past the stairwell to outside Effy and Sophia's room. Shit. Maxxie leaned across the doorway. Pulling her hat firmly onto her head Naomi caught up to his side and she felt herself tense. Double shit. Andy, in full snow gear, was perched on Effy's desk chatting with her as a skeptical looking Sophia sat on the other side of the room.
"You sure you don't want to join?" Andy asked Effy before flashing Naomi a smile.
"Positive." Effy deadpanned in her usual sort of way.
"What about you, Sophia," Andy said turning to the other girl. "I thought you were coming?"
Naomi froze. Being over bundled in the warm dormitory having nothing to do with the sweat materializing on her palms.
"Can't," Sophia muttered. "I've got a study group."
"Ah, too bad," Maxxie shrugged. "Next time."
Naomi and the two boys walked across campus together toward their destination. She had heard from a little birdie (Effy) that Andy was to ask her out. She had been avoiding individual moments with him for the past week. Always aware of an exit, or a third party at any notice so as to put off the opportunity for him to ask her anything. He was a nice lad, and she was always awful at the whole gentle let down thing. She was an all or nothing sort of person; she had no problem telling someone to bugger off…but to politely tell someone she wasn't interested? Well, there she faltered. Caring made things difficult.
So here she was, standing by the edge of the road with the trees that drew a line between pavement and grassy knoll, sledding on a cold clear night down the hill between the science buildings and the old wooden-shingled upperclassmen flats that Maxxie and that lot lived in.
Naomi was thankful that Sophia, fortunately, had some sort of study group and could not attend. The thought of having to deal with both Andy's impeding question and Sophia's unrelenting stare was too much.
Further along the hill another group of students seemed to have had the same idea as them.
"Um," Naomi began. "So what exactly are we going to sled on?" she asked. "It's not like I've got a sled just lying about my room."
"We've gotcha covered," Maxxie winked.
"Nicked these our freshman year," Andy explained through a grin as he produced three cafeteria trays. "Dead useful they are, we've got a stockpile of them back at the flat."
Naomi laughed taking the offered tray into her hands. "That, I believe."
Maxxie laughed at the memory. "Freshman year, Sid tried to walk out the café with a whole stack of 'em! Course the café lady wasn't too keen on that. So why he got yelled at Tony nicked another stack. Walked right out the front with them."
..
Naomi was almost back up the hill after her third or fourth run when she froze. She'd recognize that laugh anywhere, not that she'd had the pleasure of hearing it nearly often enough. She looked over to witness none other than Emily and a few other girls. They were attempting to sled down the hill a few meters further along the hill, in a large plastic storage container. The two groups had edged closer together from their treks up and down the hill. Emily must have ditched Katie not long after entering the library. She smiled as the bin tipped over, Emily and all.
..
"Naomi!" Andy bellowed from the bottom of the hill, "You comin' or what?"
She forced herself to look away, she was enjoying herself sledding with Maxxie and Andy, but she couldn't stop herself from gazing up every time she heard the other group burst into a fit of laughter. One standing out from the others. Her mother always joked that she had selective hearing, but this was just ridiculous. Donning her cafeteria tray she raced back down the slope.
Naomi had successfully avoided being alone with Andy for the past week. She had given up hoping that she could like Andy, but whatever it was that was supposed to be there, just wasn't. She watched Emily and her friends disappear back toward the flats when Andy smiled at her. She looked around realizing Maxxie had already begun his trek back up the slope.
"So," Andy began his gloved hands playing with the edges of his tray. "I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner sometime?"
Naomi had the sudden realization Maxxie might have been in on this set up. She was angry with herself for not paying attention; she had been so close to evading Andy completely. Had they not just said this was their last run?
"Umm," Naomi faltered, not knowing how to say no. She felt as if she were approximating how best to kick a puppy. "Maybe." She tried. His face fell. "I'm just swamped, you know, end of the semester and all…maybe next semester?"
He brightened up, smile firmly back in place. "Yeah, oh I totally understand, yeah, next semester, that'd be ace.
Right, next semester, she could do that, put it off until then; Naomi was nothing if not an avoider.