A/N: So I'm uploading 2 chapters in one day because I've got way too much time on my hands. I know the chapters haven't been terribly long so far, but as the story picks up, they'll likely get longer. Also, with shorter chapters I get them up twice as fast :)

thanks to all the readers so far and if you want to leave constructive reviews, please do :)

wish i owned skins. i don't though.

Chapter 2: Naomi

She's here. Emily's here. She's so hurt though. I've hurt her again, I promised I'd never hurt her. She doesn't deserve to be hurt. She deserves to be loved and cherished for the rest of her life. I was supposed to be the one to hold her hand as we went shopping downtown. I was supposed to be the one wiped the tears from her eyes when she inevitably crushed her fingers in the car door, again. I was supposed to be the one she travelled the world with. I was supposed to be the one who cherished her until our hair turned gray and we sat in rocking chairs together, cursing the kids who left empty vodka bottles on our lawn. I was supposed to be the one to love her and cherish her for the rest of her life. And I hate myself for not being able to do that.

It hurts too much to stay awake. I know she's here though, I can still feel the weight of her on top of me. I want to stay awake and talk to her, to smooth her hair, to kiss her forehead. But my eyes are so heavy. Everything hurts, so much. The pain is just too much. I could die right now though, and I think I would die happy, because Emily's here. I wouldn't die without regret though, because I'm leaving Emily alone. It hurts. It hurts so much. I close my eyes, and let the darkness take me over.

"Come on Noams! Try and catch me!" Emily giggles as she runs along the water's edge on the deserted beach.

"Fucks sake," I mutter under my breath. I really need to cut back on the fags if I'm going to be chasing after Emily for the rest of my life. I can't help but smile as I break out into a sprint, chasing after my girl. She slows down just slightly. She wants me to catch her. I finally reach her and wrap my arms around her small body from behind. She squeals as the force of impact makes us crash together into the Arabian Sea.

When we break the surface, we're both laughing. We've drifted out far enough to where I can stand fine, but where Emily's short stature makes it more difficult for her to do so. I pulled her towards me and she wraps her legs around around my wait, her arms around my neck. "So what do I get for catching you?" I ask with a smirk, my hands clutching her arse.

"Hmm," Emily puts a look of concentration on her face, pretending to think of a reward for me. She grins before she leans forward and captures my lips with her own. I'm immediately left craving more and Emily, ever anticipatory of my actions, concedes to my desire by running her tongue across my bottom lip. I grant her access, though she'd never have to ask. Our tongues fight for dominance, but this isn't a battle either of us mind losing. It's a push and pull really, because neither of us ever gain dominance for long before the other catches up.

The wave crashes down on us, pulling us from the distraction of one-another's bodies. I fall over, still clutching Emily and the wave brings us back to shallower water. I disentangle myself from Emily's limbs and extend a hand to her, helping her up. I can't help but rake my eyes over her body, her perfect tits and perk arse. I try and catch her eye, to see if she's caught me perving, only to find her eyes glued to my owns slick form. "Perv," I cackle, pulling back onto dry land. Goa hadn't been the shagfest either of us had been expecting, but three weeks in now, we were still figuring it out.

Our first night in Goa, we could hardly contain our excitement, barely taking the time to drop our stuff off at the hostel before heading to the beach. The beach in Goa is so long, that it wasn't hard to find a place for ourselves, a place where no one would find us. We had sex on the beach our first night in Goa and it was nothing like either of us anticipated. Sand. Everywhere. I ended up with a UTI and was out of commission for a few days. It was also nearly impossible to get any alone time at the hostel. There was always someone around. Most of the kids at the hostel were our age or a bit older, mostly Brits and Yanks, none of them seemed to mind so much that Emily and I weren't sharing a cot for convenience's sake. The natives though, weren't quite so understanding, forcing our relationship to really be a more private one. There was no kissing in public when we went exploring, and certainly no sex where someone could walk in on us. So whenever we went to a more secluded area of the beach, we made full use of the ocean, where it was a bit harder to get sand in unwanted places, but where we wouldn't be seen by disapproving eyes.

"So where are we going for our last night here?" I ask her. Tomorrow we'd be moving on to New Delhi, where we'd spend a day or so before continuing on with our year of travel. We had no plans on where we'd go next, figuring we'd decide based on what train or plane tickets were the cheapest. We both had places we wanted to go though. I wanted to go to Croatia at some point, and Emily is dying to go to Greece and Austria. We have nearly the entire year ahead of us for that though. We have our entire lives really.

"It's a surprise," she grinned, obviously thinking about the night she had planned for us. There was a time when I would have forced her to tell me what she was thinking. That wasn't me anymore though. I trusted Emily. I trusted her with my everything, with my soul. I'd let her take me to the ends of the earth and back in the blink of an eye.

As always, my first thought when I wake up is 'who the fuck ran over me with a truck,' followed by a quick 'oh. I'm not dead.' Today, however, there's a third thought, one I hadn't allowed myself to think before, not even as wishful thinking, 'Is Emily here?' She is here though, my Emily. I can hear her voice, even if I can't force my eyes to open and see her face.

"Surely there must be some other option," she pleads. She sounds so desperate, so broken as she begs. Even before he responds, I know who it is she is begging.

"I'm sorry Emily, there really isn't. She didn't respond to treatment. The best we can do is make her feel comfortable for her last days. I know it'll be a comfort to her just having you here," Dr. Rosen responds.

"Please, isn't there always something new to try?" Her voice is shaking and I know she's crying. Sweet Emily, don't cry. I never wanted you to hurt like this ever again.

"She's too far gone for clinical trials, they don't take patients this far beyond reach. And likely the trials would even shorten what little life she has left between the stress and the horrible side effects they tend to have. That's if she didn't get the placebo. The best thing right now for you to do Emily is try and distract her from the pain. Love is pain's best medicine." If only love could cure cancer.

The door opens and shuts. Dr. Rosen has left. "Em.." I managed to croak as my eyelids peel themselves back. She turns around at the sound of my voice and comes to lay next to me on the bed. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying and I wipe a stray tear off her cheek. She smiles sadly at me and intertwined our fingers.

"I love you," I whisper.

"I love you more than anything," she responds, kissing my forehead, "And I will never, ever give up on you." Her voice has gained some strength and conviction. "You're not allowed to die, okay? Not until I say so. You're not dead yet, so I don't believe all hope is lost. I will never give up, okay?"

I nod as tears sting my eyes. I hurt so much. My whole body aches. My body wants to give up, to die. My heart aches. It aches for the girl tightly clutching my hand. And for the first time in months, my heart isn't ready to give up.