Title: Love Accidentally - Chapter 22
Author: kreia03
Rating: M
Warnings: Some swear words.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.
Summary: "Although, she had to admit she loved the sight of them laughing together over the silliest things she had done back when she was young. They seemed to be getting along so well that a certain fear started to build in her chest. She didn't want this sight to fade away. She would always want to see it, would always love to."
A/N: Chapter 22! *wiggles* Hope you guys like it! And don't hate Effy that much. ^^ Thanks for all the awesome comments and reviews! I managed to borrow a laptop for today, I don't know about the following days though. .
To Suiceene: Regarding this part of the sentence you mentioned, "She fell into a snigger." I may have used the wrong word there, thanks for pointing that out. Gina's not bad. ^^ Sorry for the mistake! XD
Naomi stirred from her sleep, rolling over to her side as she stretched out wide and let out a huge yawn. She rolled back and slowly fluttered her eyes open, her gaze instantaneously falling on Emily's fidgeting fingers. She lazily dragged her eyes up, as they seemed to be still adjusting from the sunlight filling the room, and saw the red head already awake, with her back leaning against the headboard, her bottom lip caught in between her teeth.
"Hey." Emily called out upon seeing the blonde already awake, offering a sheepish smile. "Good morning."
Naomi shifted on her bed so that she was also sat up, positioning herself a few inches away from the red head. "Slept well?" She asked, her voice thick with sleep.
Emily heaved a deep sigh and ignored the question. "I'm sorry about last night." She muttered instead.
The blonde's forehead folded into a crease. "What for?" She yawned, mumbling in between it.
"You know." Emily shrugged. "For making you come here." She dropped her gaze to her still fidgeting fingers, afraid to meet Naomi's eyes. "For comforting me."
"Aren't you supposed to be saying thank you?"
"Well yeah, that too."
"Why are you saying sorry then?"
"Because-" Emily paused as she lifted her gaze to face the confused blonde. "I was supposed to be the one who was comforting you last night." She continued, the corner of her lips quivering. "I mean, what you were feeling was much more important than my shitty fear." She blew out a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I was the one who should've come to you and not the other way around." She murmured almost inaudibly. "I could've been braver you know? Or at least acted like it, somehow."
Naomi pressed her lips in a tight line, her forehead continuing to crumple. "Don't be." She muttered coldly after a short pause. "I don't need your pity Em."
"It's not pity Naomi." Emily retorted, the words rolling out from her mouth fast.
"Then what is it?"
"It's, it's just that I-I feel fucking useless you know?" The red head blurted out. "I know how hard it was for you to open up, I mean, to open up to me. And all I did was to try and calm you down, stop you from crying." Emily buckled her knees, her arms circling around them as she tipped her head up. "I didn't even think that maybe crying was the one thing you needed to get it all out. Break free from everything."
"Emily." Naomi called out exasperatedly. It's too early for all of this, for fuck's sake.
"And then there's this fucking fear of thunder that I have, which didn't help at all." The red head scowled, more to herself, thinking how stupid she must have been and might have looked like. "I wanted to be there for you Naomi, not because I pity you or anything. I just, I know I wanted to."
"Emily!" Naomi called out, louder than the first, breaking off the red head's ranting. She waited until Emily's eyes were fixed on hers. "When you want to comfort somebody, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to hug them or do mushy things and shit like that for them." She paused and caught her breath. "Sometimes, the best thing to do is to just listen." She slipped out of the covers and stood up, leaving Emily contemplating on the wide bed.
O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O
After spending the bright day that followed that particular stormy night at Gina's house, much to the older woman's request, Naomi breathed a sigh of relief once she and Emily were already inside the comfort of their own house. She couldn't be more thankful that the day was almost over, what with spending most of it looking at her baby photos and re-telling the most memorable yet quite embarrassing moments of her life, all thanks to her Mum who seemed to be so amused with Emily. The only thing she could do was to bury her face in her palms and grumble to herself as her Mum and the red head talked about her like she wasn't with them at all. Although, she had to admit she loved the sight of them laughing together over the silliest things she had done back when she was young. They seemed to be getting along so well that a certain fear started to build in her chest. She didn't want this sight to fade away. She would always want to see it, would always love to.
"Do you think it'll rain again tonight?" She asked as she dropped herself on their comfy couch.
"I hope not. It's gonna scare me again." The red head replied, standing near the window to check the weather.
"That's the idea." Naomi murmured to herself, dropping her tone.
"What was that?"
"N-nothing." The blonde shook her head exceedingly as she pressed her lips on a tight line.
"Hey." Emily softly called out and waited for Naomi to turn her gaze towards her. "I haven't thanked you properly for last night." She smiled. "Thanks." She paused, biting her lip. "And sorry for the early morning rambling." She grimaced upon remembering.
Naomi merely shrugged her shoulders. "Anytime."
O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O
The next morning, Naomi stretched out wide, her toes curling as she stirred and woke from her deep sleep. She jumped from her bed, practically running downstairs for breakfast when her eyes caught Emily stooped down on the desk, fast asleep, her head leaning against her arms. Naomi slowed down, tiptoeing back to her room to get her duvet and a comfy pillow, bringing it down with her. She walked quietly towards the sleeping red head, slipping the pillow between her head and her arms. She spread the duvet out and was about to cover Emily when the red head suddenly stirred from her sleep, causing Naomi to quickly throw the duvet on the nearby couch. She pretended to be standing there and looking at the view on the window, while watching Emily as she completely rose from her sleep, at the corner of her eyes.
"Good morning." The red head greeted with a smile as soon as she recognized the figure standing near her.
"Why are you sleeping here?" Naomi couldn't help but ask.
"I stayed up late last night." Emily answered, her voice deeper and huskier than usual. "I needed to finish the weekly synopsis I have to give to Freddie." She continued, stifling a yawn as she spoke.
Naomi snorted, to Emily's surprise. "That's what the pocket pc is for Em. So you can do stuff on your room." She turned her head, facing the red head. "At the comfort of your own bed." She drawled out, letting the words roll out of her tongue slowly to stress her point.
Emily rolled her eyes. "I fail at technology okay?" She hissed. "Why are you up so early anyway?"
"It's already ten o'clock." The blonde retorted, turning her back from Emily as she headed to the kitchen.
The red head's eyes grew wide with horror. She turned the monitor on, checking up the time on the computer. "Fuck!" She cursed out loud, fumbling with the mouse as she hurriedly printed out her work. She sprang up to her feet and scurried upstairs, sliding under the showers and washing up as fast as she could. She was supposed to meet Freddie at around eleven and she was so fucking late.
It took her a good thirty minutes to finish fixing herself, not bothering to straighten up her hair. She ran down, grabbing her bag on the desk and her recently printed synopsis from the printer. "Naomi!" She called out from the living room.
"What?" Came a muffled reply from the blonde, who seemed to be eating in the kitchen.
"I'll be going out for a bit to meet Freddie yeah?"
"What?" Naomi cried out in surprise. "B-but, what about lunch?"
"Can you cook something for yourself?" She asked while putting on her shoes. "It's just for now. I'll make it up to you on dinner."
"What if Freddie asked you to dinner?" The blonde asked, anxious.
"I promised you dinner, didn't I?" Emily shouted back. "Unless, you could wait."
"No! Don't!" Naomi paused. "I-I mean, I don't wanna wait."
"I figured." Emily smiled to herself. "I'll go now." She turned around, her eyes quickly spotting the pillow on the desk and the never used duvet sprawled all over the couch. She was in such a hurry that she hadn't noticed the pillow that had been slipped under her head earlier. A small appreciative smile fell on her lips and she dashed to the kitchen, taking the time to thank Naomi properly. She found her seated on her usual spot on the dining table, a glass of orange juice clutched in hand, nibbling on a small plateful of strawberry cheesecake.
"I thought you're leaving?" Naomi asked, her brow arching.
"I was." Emily mumbled. "But I wanted to thank you first. I mean, for the pillow and the duvet." Her eyes didn't miss the faint blush that crept on Naomi's cheeks.
The blonde, in turn, answered with a half nod. "You'll be late. Freddie hates it when people are late."
"Right." The red head bit her lip. "I'll go ahead then."
"Em." Naomi suddenly called before Emily had even left.
The red head quickly peered over her shoulder. "Yeah?"
"D-Do you want me to come with you?" The blonde stuttered, taking huge gulps to hide the shaking in her voice. "I mean, I-I could drive you around." She let out a soft shrug.
"Nah, I'll just take the bus, so you could rest yeah?" Emily smiled. "But thanks for the offer."
"Em." The blonde called again as she gripped the table, sitting almost at the edge of her seat.
"Nai-nai?"
"Don't give him brownies." Naomi mumbled almost inaudibly. "Shit! I mean, t-take care." She smiled sheepishly, not being able to look at Emily straight in the eye, though she didn't miss the slight blush on the red head's cheeks and the surprise in her eyes.
"Thanks." Emily bit her lip, stifling a grin. "You too."
Naomi watched as Emily headed towards the front door, her eyes boring into the red head's back until she completely disappeared from her sight, a gratified smile shaping in her lips.
Freddie would never ever have brownies. Mwahaha.
O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O
Emily hurriedly clambered down the bus and dashed inside the building, barely making it to the lift, her body quickly slipping in between the closing doors. She dropped her weight against the lift walls as she let herself catch her breath. She fumbled in her bag, searching for her pocket pc to check the time, her heart hammering out loud when her nimble fingers couldn't make out the rectangular shape she was looking for. "Fuck's sake." She grumbled, dipping her head inside her bag as she frantically looked for the black thing, her heart sinking down to the pit of her stomach as soon as she found out that her pocket pc was missing. She bolted outside as soon as the lift doors swung open, crouching down the floor at a safe spot she had found. She emptied the contents of her bag on the tiled floor, a lump forming on her throat as the truth hit her the second time.
Her pocket pc was fucking missing.
Oh my god.
She's so dead.
She stood up, practically dragging herself down the hallway, her steps heavy as she made her way to Freddie's office. She just felt like she wanted to go home all of a sudden, not at all worried about the fit that Naomi was going to throw when she finds out, because she knew she somehow deserved it. She was more concerned of the fact that she lost Naomi's gift to her in the most stupid way she could ever think of, regretting how she did not take care of it that much.
She was so lost in her daze that she failed to notice that the door of Freddie's office was already open, with Freddie standing before her, staring with concerned eyes.
"Emily, did something happen?" He asked as he led the red head to the couch.
Emily softly shook her head. "Erm, Freddie."
"Yeah?"
"Can I just leave my synopsis here and talk about it some other time? I-I really need to go home."
"Is something wrong?" Freddie worriedly asked. "Maybe I can help."
Emily heaved a sad sigh. "I lost my pocket pc on my way here."
"Oh, right." He replied. "I'm sorry about that." He paused. "Are you gonna buy a new one? I could come with you if you want."
"No." She mumbled, shaking her head. "It was Naomi's gift to me. It won't feel the same if I buy a new one." She continued with a sad smile. "Thanks for the offer though."
"I see." Freddie nodded. "Well, if you really feel like you need to get going, it's fine, don't worry."
"Thank you." She slowly stood up, offering a faint smile at the good man before stepping out of his office.
"Emily."
"Yeah?"
"If you want, I could drive you home." Freddie suggested. "It's the least thing I could do to help."
The red head hesitated for a moment before nodding to Freddie. After all, she was too pre-occupied with things that it might not be pretty sensible for her to go home alone.
O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O
"Thanks for the ride." Emily muttered as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "Do you want to come inside?"
Freddie shook his head. "I need to get back to the office. Probably next time." He smiled.
Emily nodded her head lightly and stepped out of the car, sending a timid wave to Freddie as he drove off. She took a deep breath before she turned around, her shaking hand twisting the door handle nervously, and stepped inside.
"Oh, you're home this early." Naomi called out as she sat from the couch, seeing the red head emerging from the front door. "Thought you're gonna be quite late." She turned the telly off, watching Emily with questions forming in her eyes.
Emily slipped out of her shoes and walked slowly towards the blonde. She stood a few inches away from her, her head bent down to hide the guilt that was strongly evident on her face.
"What's up with you?" Naomi asked, her forehead creasing. "You look like you're caught stealing some bloody candy or something." She bantered.
The red head chewed her bottom lip as she looked at Naomi from under her lids. "Naomi." She barely whispered.
"What?"
"I-I've got something to tell you." The red head stammered.
"What?" Naomi replied casually.
"Remember the pocket pc you gave me?" Emily nervously asked, her whole body starting to tremble. She swallowed hard as she saw Naomi nod to answer. "I-I lost it, on my way to Freddie's."
"What?" Naomi's aggravated voice rang around the whole house, making Emily flinch. "What the fuck Em?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" She broke off as she eyed Naomi who shuffled from her seat. "I was in a rush. It probably fell from my bag."
Naomi covered her face with her hand, scrunching it all together. "Christ Em! It's not that fucking little to be left on the bus without you noticing it at all." She spat. "Are you that stupid?"
"I never meant to lose it!" Emily shouted back. "I was hurrying to get off the bus."
"You could have at least checked! Could've glanced back on your seat somehow." Naomi retorted. "Jesus! How can one person be so careless and stupid?" She spat.
"I'm feeling down already yeah?" The red head screamed all of a sudden. "So don't fucking rub it in!"
Naomi chuffed out loud. "Now you're the one who's getting angry?" She cried in disbelief. "I can't believe you. See if I'll buy you anything again."
Emily quickly turned around, her eyes stinging with tears as she ran up to her room. She slammed the door shut furiously, locking it before dropping her body on the bed, her streaking tears soaking the pillow sheets as she cried hard.
She didn't come out of her room the whole night.
No words were spoken over breakfast next morning, just heavy sighs and clattering plates filling the air. Though, Emily perfectly knew that she shouldn't have walked out on Naomi last night, after all, she was the one at fault. The blonde, on the other hand, had realized that she had been too harsh with Emily, her temper getting the better of her again, like it almost always did. They both watched each other's movements at the corner of their eyes, avoiding each other's gazes as much as they could. The awkward atmosphere thickened more in each passing second, the silence getting painfully agonizing by each moment as it dragged on.
"Sorry." It was Emily who succumbed first. She gently put her fork down and clasped her hands together under the table. "I know I should've taken better care of it."
Naomi pressed her lips in a tight line before heaving a sigh. "Are you going to be busy today?"
Emily softly shook her head. "I'm not really in the mood to write anything." She paused. "Why?"
"Get ready then. We're going somewhere." Naomi slipped out of her seat and headed out of the kitchen, pausing after a few steps. She peered over her shoulder, her gaze falling into Emily's confused face. "Don't lose it this time." She muttered and continued marching towards her room.
The red head let out a small laugh, gnawing on her bottom lip to stop herself from grinning. She stood up as well and cleaned the table, heading to her room straightaway to fix herself.
Sometimes, Naomi could just be so damn strange.
O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O
"What's taking her so long?" Naomi grumbled as she waited inside her car, rolling her eyes when the red head finally came to view. "You're slower than a turtle." She blurted out when Emily hopped in. As far as she knew, she's the model, yet she finished getting ready much quicker than the red head did.
"I had to clean the dishes you know. Won't wash themselves, would they?" Emily retorted. "Why are you in a hurry anyway?"
"I'm not." Naomi replied, eyes glued on the road they were now trailing. "I just hate it when people make me wait."
Emily rolled her eyes. "Diva."
"Oi!" Naomi cried out, her gaze flickering between the red head and the road. "I'm no bloody diva yeah?"
The red head fell into a snigger. "Wonder what makes you different from the other Campbell." She bantered.
"Anger management. I've got better."
"Right." Emily snorted. "I'm actually surprised you haven't tried strangling my neck."
"You know what?" Naomi broke into a wide grin. "You just gave me a nice idea. Might wanna try that one of these days."
"Meanie." The red head hissed.
"Slowpoke."
"Bitch."
"Cow."
Emily was about to throw another banter when Naomi's phone suddenly rang, instantaneously stopping her from doing so. She closed her mouth, biting the inside of her cheek as she was pretty sure who the caller was.
"Hey Eff."
She knew it. She fucking knew it.
She quickly averted her gaze, fixing her eyes on the streets they were passing by instead.
"Erm, now?" She heard Naomi speak, the fucking sharp twinge piercing her heart again, unaware of the apprehensive gaze that the blonde threw towards her.
"Alright. I'm coming." Emily shut her eyes tight as she heard the words escape from Naomi's lips. She bit her lip, probably too hard because she could taste the blood in it.
"Em."
Emily slowly turned her head around, already knowing what Naomi would say, though the fact still hurt her all the same even if she knew. Naomi chose Effy. She always did and probably, would always do.
"Can you go alone?"
Emily shook her head. "I don't want to."
The blonde heaved a deep sigh. "I'll drop you off okay? But I'll be back by seven and we'll go eat dinner together." Naomi muttered, offering a small yet assuring smile. "I'll meet you at the front door."
"I'll wait for you then." The red head managed to speak, returning the smile. She felt a little lighter somehow. At least Naomi was going back for her.
That's definitely progress.
She stepped out of the car, closing the door carefully, and watched as it completely disappeared from her sight, her heart sinking down on the pit of her stomach.