Naomi awoke the next morning feeling blissfully comfortable and rested. She could feel the sun's rays creeping over her body as it rose through the open curtains, and she was experiencing the peaceful feeling of waking up naturally after a rejuvenating sleep. As her senses started coming back to her, she tried to remember the dream she'd just been having. She could vaguely recall a flash of bright red and the feel of warm flesh under her fingers. It had been a great dream, she thought wistfully as she tried to remember the details, but they slipped away like water in cupped hands. She smiled lazily and stretched out on the bed, or she tried to stretch; she was met with resistance in the form of a hand being held by her own. Her eyes snapped open.

It wasn't a dream. I'm holding Emily's hand. Shit.

She was properly awake now, and began to assess the situation in front of her. Emily was lying facing away from her, and Naomi was totally spooning her! Her leg was carelessly draped over Emily's sleeping form, and her arm had been thrown over her, their fingers loosely intertwined. Naomi had been nuzzling the back of Emily's head, and she realized quickly that the flash of red in her dream had been Emily's hair that she'd had her nose buried in. How the hell did we end up like this? What made the whole situation even more inappropriate was that Emily had either knowingly or in her sleep, unzipped her onesie and kicked it down to the end of the bed, where the rest of the covers happened to be strewn, and was lying in front of Naomi wearing only her bra and knickers.

She could feel Emily's soft, even breath on their tangled hands, indicating that she was still fast asleep. Naomi couldn't help but rake her eyes over Emily's almost naked form. She was so breathtaking. Her skin was milky white and flawless, with an occasional freckle. Naomi could count three on her arm right in front of her, several on her legs and one on her hip, right above where her knickers ended. That's my favourite. She had a sudden urge to run her fingers over it, to commit the texture of it to memory, and probably would have if her only free hand wasn't already occupied by Emily's.

Naomi mentally chastised herself for even thinking that. She flopped back down on the bed to consider her next move; she didn't want to wake Emily and have to explain the situation they were in, but she wasn't sure how to go about extracting herself without waking her. Plus I'd rather just stay like this forever.

Her face had been brought back close to Emily's hair with her movements and she took the opportunity to nuzzle her neck again, relishing the soft skin she found there and the scent of apple shampoo along with a more earthy scent that could only be Emily's own. She loved that smell already. Emily let out a soft 'Hmmm' sound in her sleep that sent a wave of contentment flowing through Naomi.

How is it possible that this can feel so right? Naomi was by no means homophobic or anything; she'd grown up in a very liberal household and thought that attraction was just that, attraction, whether it be to someone of the opposite or same sex, or anywhere in between. But she'd never considered that she could be gay. She'd had boyfriends in the past and had been intimate with them to a certain extent, but she'd never felt anything like this before. As a general rule, she hated sleeping with other people because she usually woke up with every small movement they made; snuggling all night was out of the question, and to be honest, Naomi had never really wanted to do that anyway. She'd slept soundly last night though, in fact, Naomi couldn't remember the last time she'd had such a good night's sleep. And she'd spent at least a good portion of the night wrapped shamelessly around Emily's almost naked body. This kind of thing was a novelty to her. She'd never experienced this level of comfort and intimacy with anyone before, and attraction her mind tacked onto the end of that sentence.

Because there's no denying it anymore, I fancy her. I really, really fancy her, a lot.

Before Naomi's brain could process this revelation any further, Emily started stirring in her arms.

Naomi panicked. Crap! What do I do?! Should I pretend to be asleep? Shit, no it's too late. Oh my God she's going to think I'm a total perv.

Naomi started trying to untangle their hands quickly before Emily completely woke up and freaked out, but she was interrupted when unexpectedly, the redhead's grip tightened, pulling Naomi even closer to her and she snuggled further back into her, bringing Emily's back flush against Naomi's front. The feeling was exquisite, and she didn't even bother to resist.

'You know I'm pretty sure this kind of thing is against the code of conduct.' Emily mumbled sleepily.

'I know right, you're so inappropriate.'

'Mmm, what? From what I can deduce, YOU'RE the one cuddling ME. Pervert.' Naomi decided in that moment that Emily's just woken up voice was somehow both the sexiest and most adorable thing she'd ever heard. It was husky and low and sent shivers down to the very core of her being.

Coherent thought was a thing of the past so the only comeback Naomi could manage was a grumbly 'Piss off' as she let go of Emily's hand and swung her legs off the side of the bed to get up. She missed the contact with her as soon as it was gone.

Neither of them was quite sure what to do now. The silence between them stretched on for miles.

After the awkwardness had gotten so tangible that she was sure it would soon take corporeal form, Naomi announced that she was going to take a shower before practically running to the bathroom.

As soon as she shut the door behind her she leaned against it, letting the coolness of the wood calm her down a bit. 'What are you doing Nai?' she whispered to herself. She knew this thing with Emily could not possibly end well. After standing for a while under a very cold shower, she felt a bit better; calmer, collected, and less like a hormonal teenage boy.

She toweled herself off and put on a fresh vest top and shorts. When she came out the bathroom she found Emily sitting on the edge of the bed (mercifully fully clothed again) looking over at a slumbering Pandora.

'She's like a sleeping angel isn't she?' Emily said with a smirk.

Naomi glanced at Pandora and snorted hysterically. Pandora was lying flat on her back with her head tilted up, mouth wide open and drooling slightly. It was a sight to behold. She silently thanked Panda for unwittingly breaking the tension between her and Emily. She picked up her wristwatch from the bedside table and checked the time. 'You'd best get ready Ems,' she said, the nickname slipping out naturally from between her lips, 'breakfast is in 10 minutes.'

'Okay.' She replied, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Naomi repacked her bag quickly and headed to the door with it before turning back, 'Oh, and don't forget to wake sleeping beauty.' She said with a grin towards Panda. Emily let out the most gorgeous little laugh that made Naomi's heart swell.

As she was heading back downstairs, she thought about how they'd woken up earlier and what Emily must have thought of it. She didn't seem freaked out or uncomfortable, like Naomi expected, and she smiled as she remembered the way she'd brought them closer together, and the way her body had fit perfectly against her own. Still, probably didn't mean anything to her, best just let it go. She thought, knowing that they'd probably never speak of it again.

Naomi spent the rest of the morning rushing around and stressing out making sure they had everything they needed for the trip. Freddie was no help, he's the one meant to be sorting this crap out, not me. But of course, Freddie was far too laid back to get worked up, he figured everything would work out.

By the time they were ready to leave it was already half 7 and they were running late, and Naomi's stress levels had peaked when a Canadian guy whose name she couldn't remember had lost his passport. She ended up yelling at him, red-faced and fuming until everyone made an effort to search for it, eventually finding it on a chair in the dining room. She knew the incident had probably made all the volunteers either a) hate her or b) be intimidated her, but she was too stressed to care. Someone's got to run this fucking trip she thought as she puffed furiously on a fag and shot daggers at Freddie and JJ, who were currently showing a magic trick to Effy. She could tell just by looking at them that they both wanted in Effy's pants, and she didn't want to have to deal with that on the trip. You're a hypocrite Naomi Campbell her subconscious berated.

She was brought of her musings by a small and gorgeous voice behind her, 'Are you okay, Naomi?' Emily placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and her worries seeped away immediately, and were replaced by a warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

'Yeah I'm fine thanks Emily, just a bit stressed at the moment. I'll be alright when we get there though.' The redhead smiled warmly at her, and she couldn't help but smile right back. How does she do that? Naomi knew that she was a bit hot-tempered, and when she was in the middle of a bitch fit, God help anyone who tried approaching her. But Emily had just brought her out of it with a single touch and a smile.

'How are you, Ems? Looking forward to the ride?' Naomi wasn't surprised to hear genuine care leaking into her voice when addressing this girl who she'd known for about 8 hours.

'Oh God no, I get incredibly travel sick, I'm kind of dreading it actually.' Uh-oh. Naomi immediately felt a rush of sympathy for her. The journey was at least 10 hours, and the road to the research centre wasn't paved; it was going to be a bumpy ride for Emily.

'Aww, that sucks.'

'I know right.'

'Not for you I mean, for the people sat near you. Try and stick your head out the window when you're spewing your guts, okay?' Naomi gave her a grin and sauntered off, hearing Emily mutter 'Cheeky bitch' under her breath as she went.

'I heard that!' She shouted behind her.

'You were meant to!' Naomi laughed as she clambered into the van. The staff were riding in a small flatbed truck which was holding most of their bags. The volunteers on the other hand, were riding in tiny cramped minibuses, and she didn't envy them at all. She knew the suspension on them was shite, and she felt a twinge of guilt knowing Emily would be feeling crap after about an hour of driving, while she was in the relative comfort of the truck.

'What's got you in such a good mood?' Freddie asked her as she settled down in her seat, 'Last I saw you were giving that Michael guy a good bollocking.' Ah, so that was his name.

'Nothing really, I'm just excited to get there.' She smiled; it was technically true, even if it wasn't the whole truth.

They had been driving for about 2 hours when they stopped for their toilet break, and to stretch their legs. The road was just as bumpy as Naomi remembered and she rubbed her sore arse from where she'd been bumping up and down. She immediately lit up the last fag in her pack, savouring the nicotine rush, as she knew it would be her last for the next 6 weeks; cigarettes were hard to come by in the jungle, and she was trying to quit. She wandered over to the minibuses, checking with the drivers on her way that everything was going smoothly. She'd seen one of them stop briefly on the road behind their truck as they were driving, but she didn't know what for. She soon found out as she mingled with the volunteers. She found Emily sat meekly on the ground by the side of the road, and she looked ill. The colour had drained from her face completely, even her once rosy lips were pale, and her hair hung limply around her face. Naomi sat down next to her and brought a hand up to her forehead to test her temperature; she felt clammy and hot.

'Emilio's been like a dog wiv her head out the window the whole way 'ere aven't ya luv?' Cook had wandered over to them. Emily didn't seem able to form a response.

Naomi felt a surge of affection for the girl then. She leaned over and wrapped her in her arms, feeling powerless to ease the distress Emily was obviously going through. She soon felt her return the hug though, as she leaned her head against Naomi's shoulder and nuzzled into her neck, sighing loudly at the same time. Naomi rubbed her back in smooth circles and resisted the urge to kiss her on top of the head.

All too soon Freddie was calling her back to the truck for them to keep going.

'Stay here, I'll be right back.' She murmured quietly to Emily.

After a few quick words with Freddie and the tantalizing offer of spending the next 8 hours cramped up in the back of a bus with Effy, she'd convinced him to swap seats with Emily so that she could sit in the truck with her. 'Thanks Freds.' She kissed him sweetly on the cheek before walking back over to where Emily was sat unmoving.

'Naomi…' she began with a pained expression on her face, 'you'll have to go on without me, leave me here, I can't get back in that bus…please, don't make me.' Emily looked and sounded so pathetic but utterly adorable that Naomi couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

'Come on you, get up, you're coming with me.' She said, grabbing Emily by the hands and pulling her to her feet.

'Where are we going?'

'You're riding in the truck with me. It's a lot less cramped in there, you'll be more comfortable, and it's slightly less bumpy than the buses.'

'Oh, wait, I thought there was no more room in the truck?' Emily stopped her, forcing Naomi to turn round and look at her. Damn those eyes. I wish she'd stop looking at me with those eyes.

'There wasn't; I pulled some strings.' She replied nonchalantly, and carried on walking.

'Wait…' Emily pulled her round to face her again with a soft expression of gratitude in her eyes. 'Thank you, Naomi.' She reached out and squeezed the blonde's bare upper arm gently, letting her fingers linger there for a moment.

'No biggie. Besides, I'd much rather have your company than Freddie's…' she said with a twinkle in her eye, 'but don't tell him I said that or I'll have your guts for garters. Now come on, let's go.'

She marched them back to the truck and bungled Emily inside, making sure that she got the window seat in case she needed to stick her head out of it again. They were soon on their way, and after a while Emily seemed much more content with this mode of transport. They were all involved in a rather dull game of I-spy (there's only so many times you can say 'something beginning with T – tree', before it gets boring), when Emily scooted a bit closer to rest her head on Naomi's shoulder. Naomi automatically let her face drop down and caress her hair with her cheek. It felt like the most natural movement in the world to her.

'Sorry for being so gross and probably smelling of sick.' Emily said to her quietly.

'Don't worry about it, you'll smell worse after a few weeks camping in the jungle, believe me.'

'You're supposed to disagree with me, bitch.' Emily chuckled into her shoulder, sending pleasant vibrations through Naomi's body. Naomi gave an over exaggerated sniff of the air around her.

'Ems, you smell of something, and it aint roses.' Emily retaliated with a playful whack to her leg.

'Ow! Christ woman, you know I'm a staff member right? You can't treat me like this without severe repercussions.'

Emily lifted her head, looked Naomi directly in the eye and said with a quirk of her eyebrow 'Oh? And what severe repercussions would these be exactly?' They looked at each other for a few moments before both bursting out laughing. 'Okay, that sounded WAY less dirty in my head.'

'Yeah right, perv.'

They continued their banter for a while before Emily fell silent, and Naomi was pretty certain she was falling asleep. She and Emily were certainly getting along. Not only is she absolutely stunning, but she's also hilarious and witty and clever and we get on so well – how can anyone possibly be so perfect? Am I completely smitten or what?

Emily shifted in her seat to get more comfy, bringing her legs up to rest on the dashboard and once again leaning her head against Naomi. Emily's hair tickled her skin, making goose bumps appear all over her and at that point, Naomi decided that yes, she was completely smitten. After a while Emily scooted even further down her body and rested her head on Naomi's thigh. Naomi froze at the contact. Emily's head was very close to a certain special place and it was making her nerve endings feel on fire.

'Sorry, do you mind?' Emily asked, making a move to get up.

'No, not at all.' Naomi managed to squeak out.

'Thanks. I feel less sick when I'm lying down.'

'Just don't throw up on me though, okay? Otherwise there'll be some more of those severe repercussions.'

'I'll try my best.' Emily said before closing her eyes.

They'd been sat like this for a while and Naomi had been absentmindedly staring out of the window when she realized that she'd also been absentmindedly running her fingers through Emily's hair on her lap. It's so soft. Emily had the most peaceful, beautiful look on her face that Naomi felt like crying all of a sudden. What is wrong with you? She asked herself for the gazillionth time since meeting Emily for the first time. Naomi took this opportunity to commit every detail of her face to memory. She was fascinated by the way her long eyelashes curled softly, and the way the bridge of her nose sloped softly up to her forehead, and the way her hair fell softly around her soft face. That was what Emily was: soft. I bet her lips are soft too. Naomi sighed and turned to stare out of the window again, all the while continuing her stroking of Emily's hair.

Emily slept for most of the rest of the journey. It broke her heart to have to wake her briefly when they stopped for their next rest, but Naomi really needed to pee. When they climbed back in, she was pleasantly surprised when Emily settled right back down in her previous spot.

They finally arrived at the research centre a few hours later and Naomi climbed out, stretching her legs and cracking her back as she went. It felt wonderful to be back here, kind of like coming home. She took in her surroundings with an appreciative stare. The research centre was situated on the bank of a vast river, and was surrounded by dense forest on its other three sides. At this time of year in the wet season, the water level rose so that the river almost came up to the porch of the centre, and there were always waders and other water birds wandering around close by. There was a central lodge that was circular in shape with a domed, thatched roof, and contained the dining room on the second floor, and there were smaller tourist lodges dotted about that contained the sleeping quarters. It was very picturesque.

Naomi always appreciated the noise at this place. There were no cars, no motorways, no coffee machines or elevator pings, no people rushing about and shouting, no dogs barking, but it was never silent. There was always a bird screeching nearby, or a cricket chirping, or a tree frog calling for a mate, or a howler monkey far off in the distance. She closed her eyes and listened for a few moments. There was a Screaming Piha close by, she noted as she heard its familiar call.

She felt someone come and stand next to her. She opened her eyes to find Emily surveying the river in front of her with nothing short of wonder in her eyes. As they stood there, a pair of Scarlet Macaws flew over head. 'What do you think?' Naomi asked, watching Emily take it all in.

'It's beautiful.' She said after a pause, her voice thick with emotion. 'Absolutely beautiful.'

Naomi kept her eyes on the girl stood beside her. 'Yeah…beautiful.'