Author's Note: Okay so did you know Christmas was well over two months ago? Did you also know that I am incredibly sorry for not updating the story I was supposed to around the time I said I would...because I am! So take this humble update as my way of saying 'hey, you're all lovely for your unwavering patience'. I'm not entirely thrilled about this one though, so I don't blame you if you're not. It's odd to be in the Christmas spirit for obvious reasons. Before I forget just want to say thank you to SevenDevilsInYourHead. I know it's well past the day but happy birthday, I hope you enjoy this update and last but certainly not least, to NikkiCee...you got the update you wanted :P Nevertheless without further ado, I give you the first of the last installment and this time I assure you I will finish it within a week or so. Thank you once again to all of you that have commented and added this story to your updates. I hope I don't disappoint.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: You know. I know it. As do the real writers of Skins...
Part 2: And Then There was One
Women are fascinating specimens and I'm not saying that for the obvious reasons. I mean, they really are mind boggling. One moment they're demure and shy and in the blink of an eye they're coquettish and flirting shamelessly with you. You're never quite sure what to expect. The possibilities are endless and that's something I'm perfectly fine with ( most of the time anyways). After we'd left the pub, or rather when the discussion came up about where we should have gone shopping, Emily changed. She was so open and charismatic at the bar and all of a sudden she was sullen and far too quiet for my like. It was like the pod people had invaded the little redheads body except with a slightly more depressing personality. We'd left to purchase the gifts discussing what stores we'd go to. To make things easier I suggested we go to Hamleys. We had a list of what we needed to purchase and the large toy shop was conveniently designed with seven organized floors of gadgets and gizmos. Toys ranging from the cute and the cuddly to the fun and the educational-basically anything the merchant could get his hands on. I knew the place would be overrun by parents who decided to wait until the last possible moment to buy gifts not to mention the increasing possibility of being surrounded by dozens if not hundreds of screaming children. Those were odds I wasn't comfortably with but I had a bonus to gain. I explained in detail to Emily what my plans were. I told her we'd start at the top floor and work our way down back to the entrance. She stayed quiet for most of my rant, nodding her head occasionally or humming a sound of agreement. Normally I wouldn't have pressed. In fact on any given day I wouldn't even have noticed Emily's distant behavior. I mean she volunteered in the first place, I didn't see why she was acting like that. I was thrown off to be honest. I drove cautiously down the streets and the snow falling heavily, blanketing the ground in a soft, white layer. I stopped at an intersection and turned to look at her quickly before releasing my hold on the brake and slowly inch forward.
"Everything okay Ems?" I try to look between the road and her, but with her face half turned looking outside her window, I couldn't read her expression.
"Yes."
The reply was quiet and tight. I don't have to see her face to know there's something wrong. Normally I'd just ask the person outright what was wrong. I wouldn't want someone to feel like they needed to lie to spare my feelings so I treated everyone accordingly. But for the sake of avoiding an argument I let it go and continued to drive. I reached for the stereo button and let the radio fill in the silence. Much to my disdain its only Christmas music playing (uh duh). I roll my eyes and lift my hand to change the station when I hear humming beside me. Out of the corner of my eye I see Emily lightly drumming her fingers on her thigh. She bobs her head along to the music. As the song resumes the verse, she starts to sing softly.
Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
She kept on singing unaware and content to just be. I was tempted to turn the radio off, the song would no doubt play ten more times within the hour. But she looked ridiculously and utterly happy singing that I couldn't bear to take that away from her, maybe she was just quiet because she wanted to be somewhere else, I know I did. Maybe she had a family waiting for her, or a boyfriend, though I was hoping the latter was nonexistent. I wanted to try my luck later on. I started to drum my fingers along to the song on the steering wheel. I rolled my eyes. How fucking stupid is that? I hate it when songs get stuck in my head because you'll never get the lyrics out. They just play on over and over again until you end up being that stupid woman who sings songs out loud much to the annoyance of others.
"Problem?"
"What...?" I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't realize Emily had stopped singing and was even halfway facing me in the seat.
"Uhh...no...why?"
She stared at me and though it was slightly unnerving, I glanced back at her quickly, eyes still focused on not killing us or any other human being. "Nothing..you just looked upset."
I veered into the next lane and welcomed the distraction of figuring out where to park the car. I could feel her eyes on me, waiting for a response. I sighed and was going to respond when I noticed a car exiting from a spot and sped up slightly to grab it. A place this close to the store was difficult to grab. I wedged the large vehicle into the space and turned off the ignition. I removed the seat belt and reached for my wallet in front, tying my scarf tighter around my neck bracing for the cold gust swirling outside. I turn to face Emily.
"Ready?" I plaster a smile on my face and grip the door handle to walk out. She nods quietly and walks out of the car as I do the same. We both walk in silence and quickly to the large glass doors at the entrance. I notice Emily has her neck and half of her head buried into her coat with her hands firmly dug into the pockets. Actually from this angle she kinda looks like a tortoise. The thought makes me chuckle aloud and she fixes her questioning stare at me, her expression puzzled. I shake my head at her and extend my arm to open one of the doors, allowing Emily to go first. She smiles at my politeness and curtsies earning an eye roll from me. Cute, definitely cute.
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Fuck. My. Life. We've been in this bloody toy shop for an hour already and nothing absolutely nothing has been deemed worthy to purchase. I've had countless associates approach Emily with the best toys possible and nothing. I'm rethinking the cute statement now because slowly but surely I'm becoming annoyed. She knows it too. She keeps on looking at me funny as if I'm the one that's completely gone mental. Every single toy I've shown her she turns down right away for the silliest reasons. For example I remembered on the list one of the younger children wanted a doll. I'd looked around like a nutter for one until. I finally located a massive display. I grabbed three different ones from their places on the shelves before me and practically ran back to show Emily.
"Emily!" she had her back turned away from me as she sat on a bench watching two small children play. At the sound of my voice she turned around and stood. "Look," I gesture towards my arms and she looks down at the dolls and back up to meet. "I never pegged you as the doll type Naomi."
"What?" Oh. She's joking. "Smart Emily."
"I think so," she smirked proudly.
" Its for that girl on the list. She wants a doll yeah? So..." I stop to set two of the dolls on the bench leaving me to showcase one of the dolls. "It comes with a lip gloss set, some other girly items..." I don't even bother to finish my sentence because of the way Emily is looking at the doll as if it were plagued. "Whats wrong?"
She looks up at me slightly embarrassed but determined. "She won't like it."
I stare at her incredulously. "What? What do you mean she won't like it?"
She crossed her arms in front of her. "Exactly what you heard Ms. Campbell. Natalie won't like that doll. She prefers China dolls. Not bug eyed, teenage dolls with," she grabs the package and reads the side notes "10 different lip gloss colors and wardrobe."
"Ok," I say slightly miffed. " Drop the formality please. Just Naomi," I added. " What about this one?" I grab the second box and present it to her.
"Dora the Explorer?" she states in disbelief.
"Yeah, she comes with a companion and everything, a monkey or something...and look, a bag to put her map and several other essentials." She's still looking at it funny and I lose my patience.
"What the fuck Emily?" There was a resounding silence that carried on in our area of the floor...probably not a good thing to curse around children.
Unexpectedly, she grabs my hand and pulls me into a corner of the large room away from the disapproving looks of very upset parents. I forget momentarily that I'm upset with her as she tugs me along. Her hands are soft and warm and though I'm already thinking about her fingers...and stuff, she abruptly stops and faces me. She's pouting but it looks so cute on her, the way her mouth is turned down upset and her arms folded against her chest like a cross child. Wait. Shit. Focus.
"What?" I demand. "We've been searching for an hour and you've liked nothing Emily. I'm bound to be a bit upset. You don't even look interested in being here which by the way" I lean in and lower my voice " is fucking fucked up considering you volunteered for this. What is it?" I don't stop, I'm on a roll. " Have somewhere else you'd like to be?"
She glares at me as I lean back and fold my arms. "Maybe you should have asked where I wanted to go instead of making decisions for the both of us. This list " she reaches towards my coat pocket where I shoved the piece of paper and pulls it out. "This list exists for a reason. If you bothered to even look at things as they are and not like you want them to be you would have realized that the children on here don't want the latest fucking Bratz doll. Which by the way, really?" She stares at me incredulously and I look away slightly embarrassed by her harsh tone and partly because I don't want to get kicked out for causing a scene. "Could you have chosen a worse doll?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"Everything!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration. I know I probably shouldn't laugh, in fact it might be dangerous if her glare is anything to judge by, but I can't help but find it hilarious and I burst out laughing. I try to hold it in but one look at her puzzled expression and i laugh even harder.
She shakes her head. "Oh how mature Naomi."
I keep on laughing, tears spilling from my eyes. I'm laughing so hard, I clutch my aching sides. She stands glaring at me before finally breaking into a small smile. Her eyes are warm and her stance is no longer tense. I stop laughing and chuckle slightly before stopping.
"Done now?" she asks in mock exasperation.
I wipe the tears from my cheek and body. She sighs and looks down at her feet thoughtfully before returning her gaze to me. She fixes her eyes on me as if weighing a decision. Looking around once more at our surroundings, she looks me straight in the eye before speaking.
" I suppose my outburst was a bit over the top?" Smile.
" Yeah, well..." I trail off and raise an eyebrow. " You'd give a diva a run for her money."
"Oi! Cheeky" she playfully pushes me away. I'll ignore the happy feeling I just felt. Emily's touch was soft and delicate and it definitely left me wanting more, no matter how innocent it was. Christ, I didn't even know if she was gay, although that doesn't really matter to me. At the end of the day, everyone's a little gay.
"Naomi."
Shit focus.
She paused and looked unsure. "I don't mean to be difficult. I've gone to the same toy shop for the past two years. A friend of mine owns it with her husband. I don't like large places like this. I'd much rather purchase from a smaller vendor. And the toys Tommo has are made locally."
I look at her a bit blankly. She should have just said she wanted to go there in the first place. That much I told her. Emily shrugged but told me after I had laid out my plans for the shopping she didn't dare interfere which made me laugh at her (although not cruelly) it was just slightly ridiculous. I mean if its a tradition she has already then I respect that. I know what its like to have preferences.
"Alright then, off we go," I say adjusting my scarf around my neck and putting my gloves back on.
"Really?" her eyes lit up so much, the brown seemed to turn a lighter color, if that's at all possible.
I grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the shop, ignoring the butterflies that erupted when she smiled at me.
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"Ok, so JJ is the awkward one-"
"Not awkward," she interjected, "he's shy. He just rambles a bit when he feels nervous or excited..or embarrassed."
We started talking, or rather Emily had discussed people she worked with at her parents charity. It wasn't something I was used to, small talk. Sometimes it was awkward and forced, but with Emily it came natural. Then again, she was the only one divulging anything. I merely went out of my way to tease her. I look at her from the corner of my eye and grin. "Ok...shy, unlike you." We had been teasing each other since we left the toy shop. I enjoyed seeing this side of Emily. She was much more relaxed, much more herself. Which to my immense pleasure I'd realize she was very honest and very cheeky, which isn't a bad thing at least to me its not. She started smiling a lot more. She was absolutely beautiful when she did that, not that she wasn't beautiful now. But when she smiled, she just...it was like she was shining. As corny as it may sound, I found myself smiling along with her. It was contagious. At first she thought I was taking the mick so she took to poking me when I smiled or if I was sarcastic or if I rolled my eyes at her-any chance she could really.
"Turn left ahead Nai." I slow down the car and glance at her.
"Nai?" I ask with a smirk.
I hear her clear her throat and stutter awkwardly.
"Uhh..yeah sorry, I didn't mean to. It's a habit I have of giving nicknames. It's my attempt at making a person feel at ease. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable instead-"
"Emily!" Speaking a thousand words a minute as amusing as it was to watch, I couldn't understand half of what she said. Quite frankly it made me dizzy. "Calm down yeah?" I chuckle and watch as she nods and laughs nervously.
"Sorry.:
"Don't worry. It was just a bit unexpected. " I reassure her, trying my best to not make her feel awkward. "Actually, my mum still calls me that. Childhood name and all."
She smiles. "Really?"
"Yeah," mildly embarrassed about my confession.
Emily reaches over and squeezes my forearm gently. "Hey." I look at her surprised by the physical contact. "If its any consolation my dad still calls me Emsy." She chuckles at her own admission, lets go of my forearm and rubs her palms against her lap. Looking up, I notice when she stretches her arm pointing towards the only lit store front on the street. Actually, now that I notice most of the shops on this street are unoccupied and some don graffiti along the window and doors. Definitely wasn't expecting that. I park right in front of the store, afraid that the car might be vandalized or stolen while we're in there. Emily must have noticed my oh so obvious face of mistrust because she smiled reassuringly at me as she left the car. Right. Moving along. I follow her only after securing the doors were locked and looked around once more around my surroundings, not as though looking around will actually do any good. Fat chance of that. I notice the handmade toys neatly arranged through the glass, Christmas lights adorning every possible surface. Emily notices and places her hand on the door knob.
"It doesn't look like much but it has exactly what I'm looking for and most importantly at an affordable price."
I remember saying something along those lines to her before going to the pub and I smile. " If you say so."
She opens the door and a ring announces our presence. I take one more look at the car. Talk about paranoid. The warmth that hits my face when I walk in stings my cold skin but then soothed it. The toy store isn't big compared to the other one we were at but it feels homey. It had the look and atmosphere as though Santa himself were to pop out from behind the long wooden counter before me. The room was large and circular with a domed ceiling. There was nothing modern about it, in fact it was all made out of wood as far as I could tell. Two staircases curved around either side of the room, leading up to an inside balcony. Around the walls were posters from children's books- Treasure Island, The Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland. This room, and the balcony above the register, were full of toys, to the point of being almost crowded. They were organized by some kind of theme that only the owner knew- kites, sleds and flying toys in one section, and dolls, chests and smaller items in another. I can't begin to describe everything that was there- I don't think I could. In the corner of the main room by one of the staircases stood a suit of polished full plate mail and helm, just the size of a child. Who on Earth would buy that for a child is beyond me. I noticed then a sort of glow coming from the ceiling. It had been painted to look like the night sky, with constellations and everything. There were sailing ships suspended from balloons that swam through the air as if it were on the sea. There was a folding artist's desk stains adorning the cluttered surface.
"Thommo comes up with ideas for toys. Sometimes he'll have children draw up things they might like."
I look up and it's then I notice how close Emily is standing to me. I nod slowly appreciating her proximity and her natural beauty. She doesn't have make up on that I could tell, but there's something about her that is just so alluring and intoxicating, its a bit overwhelming. Her skin is pale but in this light it looks golden with a hint of red on her cheeks. Her eyelashes are long and dark, a contrast to her warm brown eyes that are staring at me intently.
"He calls it his thinking chair but the kids that come here call it his magic chair," she continues to speak. I'm glued to every word she says, her voice as soothing as a lullaby.
"EMMMMMMIIIILYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
We both jump at the sudden intrusion bursting from behind the register. A flash of color is all that I see coming to embrace Emily quicker than any average human could move.
"Bloomin' 'eck, its so good to see ya." Emily chuckles which I would imagine is slightly difficult because she's locked in the hug of death by a mad woman. Seriously, she'd have to be mad to wear so many colors at once. It's like Christmas and Easter threw up on her.
"You too Panda." She pats her back and pushes her away but not out of arms reach. She smooths out her hair. "This is Naomi," she says gesturing to me. "She-"
"NAOMI!" She hugs me abruptly and Emily scrambles to disengage me from her freakishly strong grip.
"Panda! Where's Thomas? I've got an order to place."
"Oh right!" She lets me go practically shoving me into Emily as she scurried towards what I presume is the back of the store. I mumble a quick thank you and she rubs the back of her neck nervously.
"She's a bit full on. Sorry."
"It's fine. Have you known her very long?"
She nods and smiles reminiscently. "Yeah I've known her and Thomas since college. We all hung out together, you know, same courses."
I nod absentmindedly. "They're a couple. Married to be exact." I look at her with one raised eyebrow. "Panda and Thommo. Married."
She said the last bit slowly and mockingly. Cheeky.
"And they work together?"
Nod.
"That must be annoying."
Emily went to answer but was interrupted. Attached firmly in place by an excited Panda, is who I presume to be Thommo. He smiles at both of us before hugging Emily with one arm. He extends his hand towards me and smiles warmly.
"My name is Thomas. So pleased to meet you."
I'm not used to people shaking hands outside of work and even then it doesn't mean anything. It's just a business formality. But I can't help but feel that the man stood before me actually means what he says.
"Naomi Campbell. Nice to meet you too."
There's a silence after my introduction that I assume is because of my given name. I swear, mum had it out for me when she named me. I don't care what she says. But to my relief or rather amusement, I notice the young couple glance at Emily with raised eyebrows and massive grins on their faces. Why do I get the feeling that they're having one of those eye talks? You know those conversations carried out with only just looks?
"Well," he says, clapping his hands together excitedly. "You've come here for the order you placed yes?"
I look at Emily confused and her eyes dart towards mine unsure before looking back to Thomas and nodding slowly.
"Perfect, I'll just go get them then. Panda, will you help me with the boxes?"
I waited until they were out of earshot before addressing Emily. "Emsie?" I say sweetly.
She faces me, gulping and with a small, nervous smile in place. "Hmm?"
I laugh and roll my eyes." You had this all fixed from the beginning. Why didn't you just tell me? You could have saved us the trouble."
Emily looked a bit embarrassed. " I...sorry. Like I said, I've bought from here now and I suppose you could say its a Christmas tradition now. I didn't want you to think I was rude or bossy. You did have a plan already..a very extensive, detailed one at that."
True. "I appreciate the thought but you planned everything out as well. You shoulda said."
"Yeah well...that's just me."
I wanted to ask what she meant but Panda burst in again with boxes in tow and the only thing I cared about then was paying for the gifts and leaving. It was getting late and the snow was whirling around outside. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck in a blizzard.
"Brilliant." I reach in my pocket for the company card and approach Thomas who stood behind the register tallying the total.
"I hope you enjoy the presents."
"Uhh they're not for me mate. I doubt I would need-" I take a quick look at the total...Jesus! Children are expensive. "that much in toys." I hand over the card and wait as he charges it. I turn and see Panda and Emily mooning over a China doll...they still make those?
"Naomi?"
"Yes?"
"There's a problem with your card." He says it unsure and almost apologetically but it does nothing to calm me.
"What do you mean there's a problem?"
"It's declined."
"How the fuck is it declined?"
"Naomi!" I hear Emily from behind me and I feel ashamed for my outburst but I won't show it.
"Could you try it again?"
He swipes the card and I hear a beep sound. The bad kind of beep sound. You know that sound that embarrassingly informs you that your outburst was uncalled for because your card has been in fact declined.
"Fuck." I grab my phone from my pocket and dial Effy's number.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
"Fuckin' pick up Stonem."
Ring. Ring. You've reached the voicemail box of-
Shit. I try Effy's mums personal number to no avail.
I scratch my head and turn to Thomas. "Can we pick up these gifts tomorrow? That's a company card. I dunno what's wrong with it."
"I'm sorry but I won't be here tomorrow. Panda and I are leaving on holiday."
How the fuck am I going to pay for all this now? I try and think of any other number I could try to get a hold of Effy and come up blank. Fucking Stonem would do this to me. Without any money-money. Shit. My bonus is in the car. Fuck it, she'll have to pay me back. It's a good thing she paid me in notes.
"I'll be right back." I rush out to the car and reach for the envelope and run back inside.
I give him what's needed for the order and tell him to keep the change. Grabbing one of the smaller boxes, Thomas offers to help with the larger ones and I walk out to put them in the car. Emily and Panda walk out as we finish and I turn around to say goodbye.
"Thank you Thomas. Enjoy your holiday."
"Merry Christmas Naomi."
Panda waves goodbye frantically and shivering in her coat. Emily hugs them both before walking back with me to the car. I blast the heat from the air conditioning in the car and settle in, waiting for the car to heat up before leaving.
"That was nice of you."
"What?"
The roads are covered in snow and I'm struggling to see what's right in front of me.
"You paid for the presents..."
"Huh? Oh that's nothing. The company will reimburse my expenses and that will be the end of that."
There was silence in the car. Not that I minded. Trying to navigate through a blizzard requires extreme concentration and holding a conversation would only interfere with that. I drive back towards the city center and relax when I notice the roads are in better condition. I relax back into the seat and sigh in relief.
"So Emily, where do you live?" She gave me her directions and I was surprised to hear she lived just down the street from me. I continue to drive for a bit before she breaks the silence.
"You don't have to help me wrap the gifts. I understand if you have somewhere else to be."
"Am I bothering you? Trying to get rid of me Ems?" I tease.
"No! No...I don't want you to feel forced into staying to help with the gifts if you have other arrangements."
I smirk at her and its then that she realizes I was teasing her. "Oi! You cow."
She crosses her arms and pretends to be upset with me. Even though I should be paying attention to the road, I take a risk and poke her side and laugh when she jumps up in her seat.
"Stop it!"
I do it again and she grabs onto my finger as I ease back. She's laughing though and I can't help but smile back. Fucks sake I look like a right idiot with a dopey grin on my face.
"Just for behaving like that, you'll be wrapping the presents."
Shit. "You wouldn't want that."
"Why not?"
"I'm shit at that stuff. All those bows and ties. I'm useless at making things look good."
"Oh I wouldn't say that," she stated with a smirk.
"Uhh..and why is that?" I asked confused.
She turned to look at me before answering. "You do a good job of making yourself look good." She winked and smiled, enjoying the look of my jaw dropped expression.
Minx. Two can play that game. "Yeah well...you're not so bad yourself." I reach again towards her and slowly trace my finger from her forearm to her elbow. She has a coat on yes but the point I'm making has come across because I notice her gulp and fidget slightly. Score for Campbell.
I hear her mutter something under her breath. "Hmmm..what was that?"
"Nothing."
I laugh at her and focus on driving. The faster this gets done, the sooner I can start my holiday.
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"Emily!" I yell in frustration. She's in the kitchen making tea and I've just about had it with the presents and anything and everything that have to do with this holiday. She decided to hand me the last gift because according to her I had watched her long enough to know how to wrap one by now. I throw the wrapping paper on the ground and resume my place on the couch, running my hands through my hair. She walks back into the room with a tray full of tea and biscuits in hand. I grab the mug without asking and take a sip.
"Ahhhh!" There's a burning sensation all to familiar and it has nothing to do with the temperature of the drink. "Does this have...is there vodka in this?"
Emily sets the tray on the table and grabs the other mug from my hand replacing it. "You should really ask before you take things," she says laughing at me.
"Yeah, well...how was I supposed to know you'd try and seduce me by poisoning my tea?" I take a drink from the good cup of tea and smile.
"Seducing you? A bit cocky aren't we?"
"Not at all. It's obvious you want me. Don't deny it."
She almost chokes on her tea from laughter. "Yeah...definitely cocky. So what, you just gonna give up then?"
I take another drink of my tea and place my finger on my chin as though thinking deeply. "Not giving up Emily. You make sound like a loser when you put it that way. I like to call it calling for backup." I place the mug back on the tray and grab the remaining package from the floor.
"Now, go on. Work your voodoo magic."
She drinks the rest of her tea in one go and grabs the box from my hand, placing her empty mug next to mine. Impressive. Her hand lingers on mine for longer than I expect it to and when I look at her, she's gazing intently at me. I clear my throat and its enough for her break from her trance. She smiles awkwardly and shifts on the couch as she reaches for the paper strewn on the floor. I reach for the tape and scissors and place them next to her. I watch as she takes the box and sets it between the paper, wrapping and tearing what she needs to cover the package. She bites her bottom lip in concentration and I'm mesmerized when she darts her tongue out to wet her lips. She works quickly and quietly while I ogle at her. I wish I could blame the booze for my actions but I can't. Emily Fitch is captivating.
It doesn't show signs of stopping,
And I've bought some corn for popping,
The lights are turned way down low,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
I groan at the sound of the song I failed to realize was playing in the background.
"That's a sound I'd like to hear again."
My eyes snap open at Emily's comment and I'm taken aback by her bluntness.
"What?"
Words fail to describe the look Emily was giving me. It was a blatantly honest look. A look of pure lust. I'm usually really good at times like now. Times where a course of action is merited but shit..Emily has me stunned. She leans in slowly, eyes dropping to look at my lips. My throat suddenly gets dry but I lick my lips nonetheless. She looks into my eyes for what seems an eternity before closing the distance between us.
Her lips brush softly against mine at first, hesitant almost. I bring my hands behind her neck and push my lips harder against hers. She angles her face slightly to deepen the kiss and I bite her bottom lip softly before allowing her tongue to dart into my mouth. I slip my tongue into her mouth and let the soft muscles caress each other. She moans at the contact and I break the kiss, her hands still gripping my shirt.
"I should go home." I have no idea as to what possessed me to say that. I want to blame it on acting professionally and blah blah but the reality of it is, I don't know what this is. This isn't just another random I'm picking up. I've spent the majority of my night with Emily and it's been nice. But I don't want her to think I want something either. I mean, I've only just met her. It's rather stupid to have feelings for someone I've just met right? Love doesn't work like that. Shit, did I just really use the word love?
"If you want," she says gently. She nudges my nose with hers and presses a soft, lingering kiss to my lips. Those lips should come with a warning like a "you may not ever want to leave the person who owns said lips" sorta thing.
I think about it. Truth is I don't want to. If she's giving me the choice, I choose her. "It is snowing pretty hard outside." I lean in and kiss her again.
"Mmm..dangerous." Kiss. "Too risky." Another kiss.
When we finally kiss goodnight,
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
But if you'll really hold me tight,
All the way home I'll be warm
"My thoughts exactly." I lean in and kiss her until she's laying back on the couch, our bodies flush against each other. Thoughts of gifts and Christmas worries long gone as we start to spread the holiday cheer.