A/N: So, I know I said at the beginning of the previous chapter *checks to see what I said* I said that I was going to maybe not constantly borrow dialogue from SF, because I wanted to expand on Katie's story, but then I realised that without it, it might not make a shred of sense if you are reading this without having read SF. I had a PM which asked me if you had to read SF to understand this story, and while it does obviously link back to SF in some ways, I see it as more of a stand-alone companion to it.

So in order to achieve that, I may well have to include large chunks of dialogue from SF (not every chapter, just the few Keffy chapters that are there), but, obviously, change the POV and add more of KFF's internal monologue. How much of that happens, though, is not set in stone, because obviously the parts in SF are snapshots that are aside from the main plot, and only a handful of chapters in comparison. And there are gaps to be filled in, which is the purpose of this tale.

So, yeah... That way it might stand more as something that can be read on it's own, I'm hoping, so we shall see how well I do at it/how badly I fuck it up and bore you all to death. (Not really, but anyway.)

Yes, I AM fairly certain the epitaph on my tombstone will be cynical as shit. :-P

ANYWAY. Having rambled on with all that, I give you chapter two.

Disclaimer: I do not own skins. I suck at applying black nail polish. Or any other colour, for that matter. All typos blah-de-blah...

(Katie POV)

When we wake, our minds are blank for a short minute before the reality of the day kicks in. At least, that's what I think, anyway. When I woke up the next morning, I was facing the window, and I didn't even remember closing the curtains the night before. All I saw, for that brief, blank moment, was the window itself, and the sliver of light that framed the hanging fabric. I squeezed my eyes shut, groaning slightly, feeling a horrible taste in my mouth. I remembered I'd drunk a fair bit of vodka last night, and that's why my mouth was currently feeling like the insides of one of James's school shoes.

It takes that moment for me to remember the previous night, starting from when Emily stormed off. Christ, I needed to send her a text and apologise. The rest if the night then came flooding back to me. Meeting the mysterious brunette, and the strange conversation we had. And then, I felt the arms around me. There's a hand resting on mine. A very feminine looking hand. What the actual FUCK?

I wriggle my way out, and sit up. I look down at myself, and thank fuck I'm still clothed. My hand is on my forehead, and I take a deep breath.

"Good morning." Comes a quiet voice from next to me.

I turn to my right and see her. I'm pretty sure my eyes are wide, because she sits up, with the grace of a cat, and folds her hands across her lap. There's a calm look in her eyes, and they are trapping me with their blue deepness.

"Uh...hi." I reply. I didn't want to seem rude, after all. But what was she doing in my flat? In my bed, no less? My brow furrowed. "Effy?" That was her name...right?

She nodded. "Yes."

"Right." I said. I'm sure she could see the confusion on my face.

She placed her hand on my arm. "Relax." She said, her voice this strangely calm thing, despite it's morning roughness.

"What are you doing in my bed?" I asked, quietly stating the obvious.

Her head tilted to the side. "You don't remember." It wasn't a question.

I thought to myself for a minute. I remembered the two of us ending up here, and the few drinks after, and then...

Oh.

"You...you kissed me." I said.

"Yes."

"Did we-?"

"No." Effy said.

"Right." I said, and I think she could tell there was relief flooding through me at that moment.

"You're confused." She said, taking my hand in hers. The contact was strange, but not uncomfortable.

"You think? I never bring anyone here. I never wake up with anyone in my bed, ever. So...how did you get here?" I asked.

"Would you like the short, or long answer?" The brunette next to me asked.

I shrugged. "The long answer. Humour me."

She turned slightly to face me, and looked into my eyes. Although, I think it's better described as her drilling into my head with dark blue drill bits. "You had an argument with your sister after telling her to chase me. She left with my best friend. You and I left, and came here. We had a couple of vodkas. We kissed, we went to bed." She says all this slowly, not in the way you'd talk to a moron, but in a way that was gently clear to understand. "We didn't have sex. Because you told me you weren't gay."

"I'm not." I said, automatically.

"You were quite particular about that." She smirked.

I laughed, in spite of my confusion. "Because I'm fucking not." I said, a little rudely. Jesus, Katie, why not just bite her head off? I sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Effy said, calmly. "To finish the explanation, it was late. You asked me to stay, because you didn't want me walking home in the dark, alone."

"No, it's not alright." I replied. "I shouldn't have been rude, I'm just surprised and a bit confused."

"I know."

"Do you? Have you ever woken up next to someone you didn't expect to?"

She shrugged. "On occasion." She said. "And you?"

I shook my head. "You would be the first."

"I see."

"Right. So allow me to be a little, like, fucking shocked, yeah?" I said. "Not to mention confused as fuck."

"You're upset."

I looked at her. I've seen what people look like when they think I'm about to kick off about something. But she didn't have that look of surprise, shock or fear on her face. No, her face was completely passive and calm. "Oh, not at all. Because clearly this is a regular occurrence for me." I said sarcastically, indicating between us.

Effy smirked. "Oh?"

I groaned, and flopped down against the pillows. "You're fucking irritating."

It's true. She was. I know that I didn't really know her, but for the few hours I had been in her presence, she was good at getting on my nerves. But I knew one thing. As confused and shocked as I to wake up with her in my bed, in her arms, it wasn't completely unpleasant. What's more, in spite of my confused annoyance, I had slept well, probably better than I had in a while.

"I can leave, if you like. Give you time to yourself." Effy said, softly.

I turned my head towards her, and looked at her. Her eyes were piercing into me, and I felt a shiver slip up my spine. Her eyes dropped to her hand and then back to mine. I felt her hand squeeze mine, and it was like she was telling me she didn't really want to go. Like she was telling me the ball was in my court. But I had one question.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

I shook my head. "Don't, ok? Don't do that mysterious shit with me this early in the morning, yeah?" I said. "Can you please just talk straight with me?"

"Nice choice of words." She said, deadpan.

I huffed, and threw back the duvet, intent on getting up, but the gently firm grip of her hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned back to look at her, and the look in her eyes was different to what I'd seen before. It was stripped back, honest, and almost vulnerable. "Sorry." She said, barely audible. She took my hand, and held it between her own, squeezing gently. Her hand was so warm on mine, and her touch made me feel weird. Not like it creeped me out, but that was part of it. Why wasn't I creeped out? Why wasn't I panicking as much as I should have been, and feeling like my skin was crawling? I took a deep breath, as we shared an uneasy silence.

After a few minutes of silence, I'd calmed down a little bit. I squeezed her hand back, gently. "Hey. I'm the one who is sorry, ok?" I said, apologetically. "You've done nothing wrong, and it's me that's freaking out."

"Ok."

"This is just...not a situation I ever thought I would find myself in, if I'm being honest." I said. "It's not everyday, or ever, really, that I wake up with a girl in my bed. I have a habit of jumping to conclusions about things... I was just..."

"Surprised." Effy said.

"That's one word for it." I replied, nodding.

"Nothing is ever clear." She said. "When one wakes up."

"No. It's not." I said.

"So... Why what, Katie?" Effy asked, calmly.

I shrugged. "Why me, I guess. You come home with me, I make it clear to you that I'm not gay, and you don't..." I shrugged again. "You don't take the hint. I just want to know why."

"You needed a distraction."

"A distraction." I repeated.

"Am I wrong?" She asked.

I thought for a moment. She wasn't, really. After Emily leaving last night, I was worried about her, and Effy's calm manner, telling me that she would be ok with Naomi... I only half believed it, if I'm telling the truth. I mean, really...what was I supposed to do? She's not just my sister, she's my twin. Yeah, I nagged her, but I did love her, and was worried out of a sense of wanting to protect her. I know she's vulnerable after Charly, I know how much her walking out hurt Emily. I guess Effy had distracted me not only from my thoughts, but also from making some kind of scene when I saw Emily with Naomi.

"No." I said. "You're not. You did distract me."

"Not the distraction you expected."

I shook my head. Definitely not. "I never expected you to kiss me." I mumbled.

"No. Nor did you expect to like it." Effy said, as she pulled back her own half of the duvet and slid off the mattress, again, as fluid as a fucking cat. I was speechless as she walked over to her boots, and sat on the end of the bed, pulling them on, and tying up the laces. She stood, and turned to me. "May I use your bathroom?"

I nodded, because really, to say no would have been rude. She picked up her jacket, and walked into the bathroom and shut the door. I ran my fingers through my hair, and sighed deeply. I got up, left my bedroom and went into the kitchen, needing a cup of coffee to properly wake me up. I was waiting for the water to boil, discovering that I was going to need to buy more coffee soon. Yeah, it was a fucking mundane thing to notice. But I didn't know what else to think at the moment. A little one-track minded, I made my coffee and went outside to the balcony, and placed the cup on the table, sitting down. I wasn't sure how long I'd been sitting there, until I felt Effy's hand on my shoulder. I looked up, to find her looking at me curiously.

"Katie, are you alright?" She asked, quietly, her voice laced with concern.

I swallowed, feeling the nervousness I felt the night before return to my stomach, and that was even without beginning to drink my coffee. "I don't know." I answered, honestly.

Effy nodded. "I will go." I felt a slight bad feeling that I couldn't place run through me. Like for all my confusion about the previous night, I didn't want her to go. I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, she did, as she squeezed my shoulder. "I think it's better that I do, Katie. You will know how to find me." I looked up at her, my brow creasing. I went to stand up, but she gently prevented me from doing so. "I won't lie, I like you, Katie. But what happens next... Is up to you."

"...Ok." I mumbled. I felt as though I wanted to ask her to stay, but didn't quite know how. Because despite myself, I wanted to talk to her, to know more about her. Like why she was so bloody mysterious, for starters.

"Thank you, though."

"For what?"

"Being who you are." She said, simply. She slid her fingers under my chin and lifted my head upwards, catching my eyes with her own. They looked so... Trusting? Before I could think, she leaned down and kissed me softly. "Goodbye, Katie. I hope I see you again."

She turned then, and left my flat, the door softly clicking shut behind her.

"Christ." I said, to no one. What a mindfuck the last twelve hours had been. I was confused, and overwhelmed. And I wondered to myself, was this the same way Emily had felt? Had she felt the same confusion I was feeling? I could really use her ear right about now. I walked inside and picked up my phone, and sent her a text.

"Katie shum. Call me? -K"

She would know what that meant, that I was sorry for being a complete bitch the night before. But I had to speak to her, to try and make sense of this all, because I felt like it was doing my head in. What was it about Effy that had me so... God, I don't even know the word for it. Curious? I guess that would fit, seeing as how I really wanted to know more about her. The only things I knew were that Naomi was her best friend, and she was annoyingly calm most of the time. And god, did she talk in circles. Like it was her way of being inquisitive, and getting you to admit things you never in a million years thought you would confess to. What did it all mean? When she kissed me, it was good, I'm not going to deny it. Not that I had much of a yardstick when it came to snogging girls, but it was completely different to any kiss I'd shared with a boy. It wasn't clumsy, she didn't overdo it by shoving her tongue into my mouth, or slobbering all over me. (Don't laugh. Happened with some bloke I met at a club one night. Crap shag, too.)

No, Effy's kiss was damn near perfect. Her lips were soft enough, and it had just enough pressure and teasing slowness to set something off inside me that made me want more of it.

I got up, deciding I needed a shower to try and at least have something else to occupy my mind for a few minutes, because my train of thinking was making me feel uneasy. All these thoughts were in my head, and I couldn't separate them out.

But when I got to my bathroom, I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Jesus Christ!" I said, out loud. There was writing on the mirror, in what looked to be red lipstick. Not just any red, either. That bold, fire engine red that just grabs you by the short and curlies. I slowly, carefully stepped closer, not quite believing what I was seeing, and not sure if it would all explode in front of me. I shut my eyes, and then opened them again, just in case I was imagining it. Nope, still there. A neatly written mobile number, in bold, sure strokes, along with another neatly written message underneath.

"LIBERATE."

"Effy..." I groaned, "Cryptic, to the last."

I heard my phone ringing from out in the lounge, so I went out to pick tit up, checking the display. Emily, thank fuck.

"Hey, Emsy." I said, relieved.

"Hi, Kay. What's up?"

"I need to talk to you..." I replied. The events were getting to me now and a chill ran over me, as I felt myself start to crack. Fuck.

"Are you ok?" Emily asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Yeah..." I said, unsure whether that was really true. "I just...need some advice."

I heard Emily laugh. "You? Need my advice? That's a laugh."

I rolled my eyes, trying to keep from snapping at her. After last night, she didn't deserve it.

"Emsy...please." I whined, my control over my voice slipping. "I'm serious." I barely managed to get out.

I heard Emily sigh softly. "Where are you? Home?"

"Yeah." I croaked in reply.

"Alright. I've just got dressed, so I'll be there in like twenty, ok?" She said.

"Ok..." I said. "Emsy?"

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Thanks." I said, as sincerely as I could, being as emotional as I felt.

"What are sisters for? See you soon." She said, as she hung up.

I put my phone back on the coffee table and went back out to the balcony. I picked up the half cup of coffee that was left, and took a sip, but screwed my nose up, seeing as it had gone cold. Bloody cold Bristol mornings. I went into the kitchen and tipped the cold coffee out into the sink, and went back to sit outside, despite the chill. Maybe the fresh air might do my thought process some good.

But then again... The more I thought about what had happened, the more I was sinking into something that felt cold, unfriendly and prickly. Before I knew it, I was feeling more lost than I had, and what's more, my cheeks felt like there were tears slipping down them. I rubbed my face, and yeah, sure enough, I was fucking crying, now.

Come on, Katie. Pull yourself together, yeah? You're Katie Fucking Fitch, not a loser.

But all I could do was hug my knees closer to my chest. I couldn't fucking move. It was like my own thoughts were paralysing me, and I didn't have an escape. I didn't even have an idea of how long I'd been sitting there, until I faintly heard the front door open.

"Katie? Where are you?" I heard Emily's voice calling.

"Balcony." I replied, my voice quiet. A few seconds later she appeared, and I don't know how I really looked, but it must have been bad, because Emily sat down right beside me.

"What's wrong, Katie?"

The question, or maybe it was the caring gentleness in my sister's voice pushed me over my limit, and I fell into her arms and began sobbing. I cracked. Not proud of it, but I did. Emily, though, she was probably was surprised by this as I was, and just let me cry. I mean, when we were teenagers, it was the other way around, really. I would be the one to comfort her, and the last time we'd been in this position was a few days after Charly had split with her. But the amount of times Emily had to be the one giving the comfort had been very rare indeed.

"I'm so sorry, Emsy. For giving you so much shit when you came out." I said, in between my ridiculous blubbering.

"Shhhh... That's all in the past now, Kay." Emily soothed, as she stroked my hair. "What's going on?"

"Last night... You remember that brunette last night that I told you to go after?"

Emily laughed softly. "The one you told me to throw myself at, before I ditched you?"

"Yeah. She came and sat with me."

"Oh? Did you tell her she had the wrong twin?"

"No." I sniffed. "We talked, well, she doesn't really say much sometimes, so..." I nestled my head into Emily's shoulder, enjoying the sisterly comfort. "She came home with me."

"What?!" Emily said, clearly shocked. Sure, I slept with boys, and even had the occasional boyfriend (which never turned out serious enough for me), but I never brought anyone home. Sort of my way of being able to wake up and face the day alone, in spite of the previous night's excesses.

"We just talked... And then... She kissed me." I admitted, feeling the tears threatening to spill. I wasn't sure what was worse, the memory of how I'd treated Emily when she came out was appearing to haunt me, or Emily's possible reaction to what I wasn't even sure of myself. My brain wasn't really helping me at this point.

"Did you kill her?" Emily laughed.

"Emsy." I half-snapped. Trust her to pick humour when I had no patience for it.

"Okay, sorry. So, she kissed you. Then what happened? I mean, save me the dirty details, because...ew, you're my sister, and I don't need to picture that."

"We didn't do anything else, Ems. But..."

"But?"

"Wespentthenighttogether." I mumbled. "She slept with me, in my bed. She only left about an hour ago."

"Katie, what are you trying to tell me? It's ok, it's just me."

"I... Think I'm attracted to her." I said, quietly.

"Oh?"

"Look, I don't fucking know, ok?! You're the gay one, not me, and I'm confused as fuck, here." I snapped, the bitch in my nature rearing it's weary, scared head. "So, try and help me here, ok? I don't ask you to do this often." I said, feeling defensive.

"I know. Sorry, Kay. It's just a bit of a surprise, that's all." Emily said, kissing the top of my head. "You could do worse, she's not bad looking."

I laughed slightly, but there wasn't any humour in it for me. "Ems, that's not the point. I'm freaking the fuck out, ok? I don't know what this means."

"Well... How did it feel when she kissed you?" Emily shrugged.

"Um...okay, I suppose." I said, hesitantly.

Emily gave me that skeptical look she has, when she knows I'm full of shit. "Kay... The truth?"

I groaned. "I've never felt that before. It was the best feeling I think I've ever felt, and that scares me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not you." I admitted, before tears overtook me again. Emily held me and rocked me gently. There isn't anything like this in the world for me. The best comfort I've ever got is when Emily is the one doing the comforting, and it makes me wonder why I've not experienced it more. Oh, I know, because I've never had this happen to me before, and haven't ever needed her advice like this.

"Shhh... Katie, it's ok to feel like that. You know it's not wrong, yeah? I know mum didn't drill that shit into you like she thought she did."

I whined, slightly. "Yeah, but..."

"So, you kissed a girl and you liked it. Nothing to be ashamed of, Kay."

I nodded. "It's more than that. I wanted to do more, but was too scared to."

"Katie Fitch, you raging lezzer, you!" Emily laughed, and I couldn't help but laugh slightly, despite how I felt currently, at the joking tone of my sister's voice.

"Do you have any advice, or are you just going to take the piss?" I said, quietly, sadly. Because I felt very far from go-go dancing in a leopard print bikini at the moment.

Emily hugged me close. "Okay, why were you scared?"

"I don't know... I wouldn't know the first thing about how to shag a girl. I thought it would be bad form to be on the phone to my sister for tips, during." I said, sarcastically. It's always been my best self defence, sarcasm. It just comes ridiculously natural to me.

Emily laughed out loud at that. I couldn't help but smile at her throaty laugh. "So? Let her do it first... Remember what she's doing, and then do it to her."

"That's it?" I asked.

"It's sex, not rocket science, Kay. Some of it will just come naturally."

"Right." I said, not really believing it. Natural to me was shagging a bloke. That was my natural state, and Effy clearly wasn't a boy, if her tits were anything to go by.

"Then, after your done, we can buy you a BIG rainbow flag and hang it in your bedroom window."

I poked her sister in the stomach. "Bitch." I laughed.

"Ah, there's my sister. Welcome back." Emily grinned, hugging me close. "Seriously, Kay. It's no big deal. I can lend you my box if you want."

"You still have the box of fannies?" I laughed in reply. I had a flashback to the day I tried to break into the box to find out what was in it, and James, the pervy little wanker, caught me at it and told me what was in the box after I had him by the scruff of his neck. That was what made me laugh, because nothing else about this conversation was really funny.

"Well, by the time mum threw me out, James was already surfing the Internet for porn, why should he need my BOF?" Both of us laughed heartily at this.

"Right, I should have guessed." I said, once we had calmed down.

"Did you get her number?" Emily asked.

"Yeah... She left it scrawled on my mirror in red lipstick." I said, still surprised at the cryptic message that was on my mirror, along with he phone number. 'Liberate'?

"Wow. Classy." Emily giggled.

"She's a bit mysterious and... well, dramatic." I said, wearily. It was true, though. She might have me very confused and scared, but she was full of mystery. And I'd never known anyone to leave a number like that. Don't people normally use paper, or just ask, or, Iike, punch it into your mobile?

"And she's hot?"

"Oh yeah." I admitted. "I'm not used to appreciating the female form, but she's fit alright. Why do you think I was trying to push you to her last night? You think I'd let my sister shag some random ugly bitch?"

Emily laughed. "I'm glad you came to me, Kay." Emily said, leaving another kiss on my temple. "It means a lot to me that you felt ok to talk to me about it."

"Yeah, well... I'm sorry for being a bitch last night. It was a bit of a low blow."

"Yes, it was."

"Were you ok?" I asked. "Was Naomi respectful?"

Emily looked at me, brow furrowed. "How did you-"

"Effy is her best friend, Ems." I explained. "We saw the two of you go last night."

"Right." Emily nodded. "Actually, she was. Very respectful. I was pretty upset, so she took me out for some air, and then we went and had pancakes."

"What the fuck? Pancakes?" I scoffed. Seriously? Obviously, I thought something completely different.

"Mmhmm. Pancakes, syrup, bacon, sausages, the works. And you know how I love a good plate of pancakes. Her idea of cheering me up, I guess."

"And she didn't try anything?"

"No, she was friendly, but definitely not trying anything on. I got her number, though. And I'm going to see her tomorrow."

"Fast work, Ems. And you were all 'I don't want to shag anyone' last night, as well."

"Well, she was the one who asked me out." Emily admitted.

"To what? Movies? Lunch date?" I asked.

"Folk festival at Brandon Hill."

"A folk festival? Jesus. Sounds like it's going to be hippie hell." I laughed.

"I think Naomi might be involved, somehow. Just a hunch." Emily said. "You know that colourful bus I told you I see on my rounds?" I nodded. "It's Naomi's. She lives in it."

"Oh, wow. And to think I almost dragged you away from her last night." I replied, with just a hint of sarcasm. "Effy stopped me so I didn't." I said, after a beat.

"I'm glad she did. Naomi made me feel better than I've felt in months."

"Great, so you end the night feeling awesome and I wake up today feeling confused as fuck. Right pair we make, eh?" I joked.

"Yeah," Emily chuckled, "but you're my sister, and I love you, so I'm glad you called."

"Thanks for coming, Ems." I said, genuinely grateful.

"Anytime."

We both sat on the balcony for a while longer, Emily's arm protectively wrapped around me, which was possibly even weirder than wh she was here to begin with, but I think it was clear to her that I needed comfort. I found myself remembering back to how alone and scared she must have felt when she had the realisation that she was gay. Granted, I hadn't been the most accepting, or supportive to begin with. I know that. But once I was able to accept that it didn't change who she was, really, Emily had my support. I'm a Fitch, after all, and we stick together. But even that was hard for me, because even though I accepted Emily, finally, our mother didn't. Dad was ok, he loved us no matter what, and James just,thought it was awesome. But mum refused to accept it, and still doesn't.

It hurt me too, that she kicked Emily out. It was a big adjustment after sharing a room with her for seventeen years. True, I spent most of our lives bossing her about, but I still loved her, she was like part of me that I couldn't really do without. I sighed deeply, as I unconsciously snuggled into her embrace a little more.

"Want me to make you a cuppa, Kay?" I nodded. "C'mon, let's go inside."

We went back inside, and Emily went into the kitchen, setting about making coffee. I sat at the breakfast bar, and flicked through an old copy of Cosmo that lay on the bench. But not even celebrity gossip could make me feel better at the moment. I opted for a bit of gossip concerning my sister's evening.

"So... What's Naomi like?" I asked.

Emily picked two cups off the sideboard and filled the kettle. "She's different. She was... She made me feel at ease, talking to her, like I could tell her anything."

"Do you like her?"

Emily blushed at the question. I knew that blush. The same one that told me Emily was sweet on someone.

"You SO do!" I grinned, feeling better at hearing that. "Ems, that's great."

"Why is it great?" She asked.

"Because... Babe, it's been long enough, yeah? I know I might have been a bit harsh last night, but what I meant stands. It's about time you stopped moping and met someone." I said, a little gentler than I had put my words forward the previous evening.

"I'm not moping, Kay, I'm over Charly. I just...l haven't wanted to meet anyone." Emily said.

"Well, either way, it's about time. You deserve so much to be happy, Ems. I want you to be happy, yeah?"

Emily placed a hot cup of coffee in front of me. "I know, Kay. And you know I want you happy too."

I sighed. "I know." The problem was, I wasn't sure what that meant anymore, after spending the night with Effy. I was always so sure of myself, so bloody definite, in fact. And now, I wasn't, and that bothered me somewhat. How the fuck can one night turn out to make me question what I thought I'd known since I had hit puberty?

"Just see what happens, Kay. It's the only way you'll know for sure." Emily said, gently. "If you need to talk, I'm here for you."

I nodded my acknowledgement. I got the feeling Emily and I were going to be having similar conversations, soon enough.

"So... are you going to call her?" Emily asked.

I think I thought for a little bit too long about how to answer. Because, really, I wasn't sure. I was in two minds.

"Katie... I think you should. You'll never know, otherwise." Emily said, gently. "If you find out its not for you, I'm sure she will understand."

Oh, I hate it when she is right. And fuck my brain for being so bloody conflicted. Effy intrigued me, I admit that. She made me curious. But it was the curiosity that scared the fuck out of me. I sighed.

"I tell you what," I said, "I'll call Effy, if you make an effort with Naomi. I mean a real effort, too, none of that half-hearted shit. If you like her you should go for it, I mean that, Emsy."

"Ok." She shrugged.

"Ok?" I asked, not fully believing her.

"Yup. You call Effy and I'll approach Naomi with an open mind." Emily said, holding out her hand with her pinkie extended. "Twin pinkie swear."

I rolled my eyes and held out my pinkie, watching as Emily linked the two together and tugged gently. "You're such a kid, Ems." It was almost like we were ten and speaking in twin all over again. Oh, wait. I'd already pulled that card today.

Emily raised an eyebrow at me. "I don't hear you complaining."

"Ha." I said, half smiling.

"You should go take a shower, Kay. You look like microwaved shit, and you smell of something, and it ain't roses, babe." Emily said, looking me up and down for effect.

"Gee, thanks. Love you too, sis." I scoffed, as I got up and walked to the bathroom.

I shut the door and undressed, staring at the message on the mirror. 'Liberate.' What did she mean by that? I thought back to last night, as I got into the shower... What was it that she had said to me? Oh, yeah...

"You're too beautiful to be a jar, Katie. Fuck the labels. Set yourself free."

Right. Liberate... Set myself free. I contemplated that, as I turned on the water and stepped under the spray. While I drenched myself head to toe, I thought about myself, and then what she said about labels. While I lathered up with shampoo, my thoughts just drifted to Effy herself. Actually, mostly her eyes, which were probably the bluest I'd ever seen. Striking, they just... Pierced through me, like little harpoons. But they had a way of being disarming, as well. Actually, I'm sure that was just Effy herself. She was so...collected? Eerily calm, too, like she had a way of knowing what you were thinking, and was just waiting for you to say what she already knew you were going to say.

By the time I'd rinsed all the suds off me, I'd decided to at least call her. At least to just talk to her again. What could it hurt, really? She was patient last night, after all. And she had left me alone this morning, before I'd maybe lost my nerve and thrown her out. Not that I would have, but still...

I reached up for the deep pink leopard print bathrobe that hung on the back of the door, and put it on, still drying my hair as I left the bathroom. I stepped out onto the balcony to find Emily finishing a phone call.

"Who was that?" I asked, wrapping my hair up in the towel.

"Naomi. I'm going to go visit her." Emily replied. She had a slight smile on her face, which cheered me up a bit. It was good to see.

"What, now?" I asked.

Emily nodded. "She's working on painting the bus today, so I'm going to keep her company."

"Wow."

"What?"

I shrugged. "It's just nice to see you get out some, that's all."

Emily blushed. "Shut up, Kay." She laughed. "Alright, I'm off. If you need to talk, call me, yeah?" She said, as she stood up and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Thanks, Emsy. For everything." I replied.

She left, and I went to get my phone off the coffee table, and went back into the bathroom. I copied the number into my contacts from the mirror, and went back to sit on the sofa. I stared at the number for quite a while, tossing up whether to text or call. Before I realised, I'd been sitting in my own head for almost an hour, contemplating what to say. I didn't really know what to say in a text, so I decided to just call instead. It rang a few times before it was picked up.

"Hello?"

Fuck. Her voice sent chills through me, and they were such a shock to me, I almost hung up in panic.

"Uh... Um, hi." I barely managed to get it out.

There was a short pause. "Katie?"

"Yeah." I replied, probably sounding like a complete fool, but, whatever.

"How are you?" She asked, and even though her voice was passive, I could hear a slight flicker of concern in it. Like she cared.

I sighed. "Pretty fucking messed up, actually." I answered. "But... Look, I don't want to talk about it over the phone with you. Are you able to come by?" There was a pause. "Effy?"

"Yes, but not until this afternoon, I can be there around five." She said. It wasn't a question, either.

"O-ok." I said. "Well, you have my number now, I guess... So... Text me when you get near."

"I will." She said.

"Ok."

There was a short awkward silence before Effy spoke again. "I am glad you called me, Katie." Sincerity.

In a way, so was I, but I wasn't about to admit it out loud. "Mmhmm." I settled for a noncommittal answer.

"See you soon." She said, before she ended the call.

I locked my phone and placed it back onto the table, hoping that her coming over wouldn't fuck with my mind even more.

Really hoping.

A/N#2: And there endeth the chapter. I've personally never woken up next to someone wondering WTF (either good or bad depending on your perspective), so I hope I miracled the shit out of that part of this chapter.

Until next time...

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