AN: I'm back!
First off, I'm sorry! I know I got you guys used to quick updates and this wasn't quick at all! If I can explain a little though, there was another reason why I wanted to get this story finished by Christmas other than the fact that it was sort of the concept and that reason is that I always knew I'd get real busy around New Year's. So yeah, I haven't wrote a single line in a week due to lack of time! So sorry.
Now, I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. I hope every family behaved or if they didn't I hope it was in the good/funny kind of way!
Now, on to year 7!
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Chapter 7: The Seventh year
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By the time Christmas Eve rolled around the next year, not a lot had changed in Emily's life. She was still working for the same magazine, she was still living in London in the same tiny flat and she still had pretty much all the same friends. Really, she couldn't say her life had changed that much.
Still, if there was one thing she could say had changed, it was the fact that she was no longer single. Emily guessed that, as far as changes went, it was a rather relevant one.
The redhead had met Clara a few months ago. She would have liked to say that their first meeting was somewhat special, iconic, that their eyes had met in a crowded room, electricity had coursed through her and that she'd known instantly, but that would have been a lie. In fact, they had met several times before actually speaking to each other.
Clara was Audrey's cousin, one of Emily's work colleagues, and she had seen her for the first time in some posh bar the redhead hated instantly. They'd gone for a drink after a particularly rigorous photoshoot and somehow Clara had been invited. Although Emily had noticed her, she couldn't even pretend the girl had caught her eye or her attention, at least not particularly. She was cute, gorgeous actually, she even was Emily's type in sorts, but she was also rather quiet and shy and the redhead just hadn't really noticed her.
In fact, Emily, who usually had a decent gaydar, hadn't even realised that the other girl was gay until her colleague told her. She'd tried to pay closer attention to the girl afterwards, out of respect for her coworker more than anything else though.
If she was honest though, the one thing that had made her want to actually talk to Clara, get to know her, hadn't been her colleague's revelation or subtle encouragement, but a moment of pure geekness.
It had occurred when Carl, an absolute total wanker who Emily had the misfortune of working with, had tried to chat the girl up. He'd gone up to her, a sleazy smirk on his face and the attitude of someone who clearly thought they were God's gift to women.
"It's Clara, yeah? I'm Carl" he'd finished before the girl had had time to answer.
"Hi" Clara had replied politely.
"So Audrey tells me you're her gay cousin, eh?" he had asked without detour- or tact for that matter-, a small disdainful sneer on his lips. "What's up with that babes?"
Both Emily and Clara had stared at the wanker disbelievingly.
"Cause like, you're well fit. Can't imagine you not finding a real lad that'd do it for you. Besides, Audrey told me you were dating blokes before getting into pussy. So what happened?" he'd continued completely oblivious.
"Wow" Clara had scoffed softly.
When Carl didn't take the hint, she'd raised an eyebrow and had smiled tightly.
"Well, I was really into cocks, obviously, totally loved them and not uncomfortable in my relationships at all or just, you know, figuring out my sexuality or anything" she'd said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But then everything changed when the fire nation attacked"
Emily had laughed so hard she'd splashed her drink everywhere. Carl had looked completely dumbfounded but Clara had given her a satisfied look. And that's how it had started. After that, they had started talking and, as it turned out, Clara wasn't shy at all when you got to know her and she and Emily had a lot in common.
They'd gone on a few dates shortly after that, becoming an actual couple not too long afterwards. It had been a sweet and natural process and Emily had to admit she was rather happy.
As happy as they were and as well as their relationship was going, by Christmas, they'd only been together for four months and they'd both judged it was a bit early to meet the parents. Although Clara's parents lived in a small town just north of London, for Christmas the whole family usually gathered up north in Scotland at Clara's grandparents and both she and Emily judged that it would be simpler to part ways for the holidays. They'd have ample time to reacquaint themselves upon their return.
Jenna had been a bit disappointed at first when Emily had told her that her girlfriend wouldn't be coming to their traditional Christmas Eve dinner, but she'd gotten over it when Katie had told her she and Jeremy would be there.
Emily had been a bit scared her mother would nag her about it all night, but when Christmas Eve finally came around, Jenna was so happy to have her three children with her that she didn't bother the redhead at all about her absent girlfriend.
Emily was therefore in a great mood later, when she got ready to go to her little pub for her annual meeting with Naomi. She was finishing up her make up in the bathroom when Katie found her.
"Going to meet Naomi, I presume?" she said.
"Yeah" Emily confirmed.
"Can't you just like stay here for tonight?" Katie grumbled. "Why d'you have to meet her?"
"I don't have to" Emily replied with a small eye roll. "I just want to"
"Why?" her sister sneered.
"Because she's nice and I like to spend time with her and she's my friend" Emily explained slowly, trying not to get mad at her sister.
"And Clara doesn't mind that you're meeting her, does she?" Katie asked her, a pointed bitchy look in her eyes.
Emily rolled her eyes hard.
"I don't see why Clara would even mind... Besides she's got nothing to worry about. Naomi is my friend, not like... her competition" she replied, properly annoyed now.
"Oh my God!" Katie shot back. "You haven't even told her, have you?"
Emily felt herself blush.
"It's just a bit hard to explain and I just... forgot to mention it before leaving and explaining it over the phone felt wrong... Anyway, she wouldn't care" she defended.
"You keep telling yourself that" Katie scoffed.
Emily tutted in response.
"Whatever Kay" she said under her breath. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, yeah?" she continued as she walked over to her sister.
"I still don't think you should go" her twin told her.
"Enjoy the rest of your night Katie" Emily finished, giving her sister a light kiss on the cheek and leaving the bathroom.
As she grabbed a coat and a hat and shouted her goodbyes to the rest of her family, Emily didn't feel as confident as she had with her twin though.
The thing was, Emily hadn't been completely honest with Katie. She hadn't forgotten to tell Clara about the blonde, she just hadn't. It wasn't like she had out right lied to her girlfriend though. She had just simply chosen not to bring the subject up and, of course, Clara hadn't known there was anything to bring up at all. Emily had felt rather good about that choice as well before leaving. It wasn't like she had a secret agenda where Naomi was concerned; she'd made her decision about that the year before. Still, Katie's little bathroom interrogation brought on a few doubts.
Should she have told Clara about Naomi? Should she feel guilty that she hadn't?
No, Emily told herself stubbornly. Naomi was a friend and Emily had every right to go for a drink with her if she wanted to. Besides, Clara had never shown possessive tendencies. Even if she had told her, the redhead felt certain she wouldn't have cared.
She couldn't let Katie, of all people, make her doubt herself. So what if Katie thought Emily had other motives for meeting Naomi? What did she even know?
When Emily made it to the pub, she'd managed to work herself up a little. She walked towards the bar, fully intending on ordering a drink right away to calm herself. She was half way there when she was stopped by two strong arms grabbing her from behind.
Her heart leapt in her chest forcefully, her breath hitched and her muscles tensed as the arms wrapped themselves around her and she felt herself being pressed against a body. Just as she was about to panic though, a whiff of a familiar perfume hit her nostrils. Naomi, she thought, her body immediately relaxing. She was no longer feeling grabbed, but rather hugged.
She smiled despite her surprise as a voice whispered bashfully in her ear:
"You're here"
Emily chuckled.
"Of course. I said I would, didn't I?" she shot back.
The arm loosened around her and Emily was able to turn around. She was still grinning broadly when her eyes fell on Naomi. The blonde was smiling as well, although she was also biting her bottom lip, seemingly trying to control herself.
"Aww, you worried I wouldn't show!" Emily teased.
"Shut up" Naomi replied with an eye roll, her cheeks getting red.
They looked at each other for a beat, until the blonde chuckled and shook her head.
"Okay... maybe I was a bit worried..." she conceded.
Emily's smile widened and before she knew it, Naomi had wrapped her arms around her waist and was pulling her into another, proper hug this time. The redhead indulged her, wrapping her own arms around Naomi's neck, her heart beating abnormally fast as her body was pressed flushed against the blonde's. She decided to ignore that last part though.
Emily wasn't too sure how long the hug lasted, but eventually Naomi let go of her and when they parted, the redhead noticed how red the other girl's cheeks were. Her stomach churned at the sight.
"So, huh... Drink and then a table?" Naomi mumbled and Emily nodded.
They finished the short walk to the bar and the second he saw them, the bartender beamed.
"Hey! You're the dancing girls!" he exclaimed happily.
Both girl blushed before nodding shyly.
"Look!" the man continued. "We've set up a little dancing area in advance this year. Feel free to dance at any given time. It was real bloody great last year! The boss decided to start a tradition"
"Oh wow! That's amazing" Naomi replied, genuinely surprised.
"Innit?!" he said cheerfully. "Now what can I get you both?"
They ordered and shortly afterwards they were walking, drinks in hand, to a table further back. They had sat for half a second before Naomi set her blue eyes on Emily.
"Can you believe we've started a tradition in this pub other than our own?" she said happily, her eyes flashing with something Emily didn't really recognise.
"Yeah I know..." she said a bit pensive. "It's hard to believe we did that... I mean... This is special, isn't it?"
"Well... I reckon that you and I, Ems, we can make pretty much anything special..."Naomi trailed off, her cheeks tinted red.
Her eyes were still firmly set on the redhead, glinting in the dimmed light, the corners of her lips curved slightly. Suddenly, it was like the air around them had gotten heavier somehow and Emily felt like the blonde's stare was burning her skin. She gulped slowly.
"So how was Berlin? Are you still there?" she asked to break the silence.
Since she'd been looking right into Naomi's eyes, Emily saw them light up at the mention of the foreign city.
"Oh Ems!" she said wistfully. "It was brilliant! I mean, Berlin is just... I can't even say... just brilliant" she repeated.
Emily chuckled.
"Care to elaborate a bit more?" she teased.
"I don't even know where to start..." Naomi admitted, biting her bottom lip pensively.
"Don't 'start'. Just talk. Tell me anything" Emily said softly.
"Okay... Well, I'll tell you about my favourite place, alright?"
Emily nodded vigorously and Naomi smiled.
"Right so the place is called Spreepark. It's this old amusement park, build in the late 1960's or something I think. At first it was the German Democratic Republic's only amusement park, but then when the wall fell the park was privatized. Anyway, after that a lot of really crazy things happened to it. I was never told the details, but I've heard it's a mix of drug smuggling, bankruptcy and like imprisonment. So yeah, that happened and the park just closed. So for years the park was abandoned and the only way you could go was by breaking in, right? But yeah in 2001 the owners decided to open it for touring and I'd heard about it and went to check it out. And Ems... It was just... beautiful. Beautiful in a completely weird way, but beautiful nonetheless. The vegetations has grown through the structures in places and there are these big fibreglass dinosaurs that are rotting all over the place or just like graffiti of moustaches on random park characters and it's just so... unique. I fell in love with it instantly, you know? After the first time, I went a few others. They built a little café inside so I'd go and have a cuppa and just... soak the place up, right?"
"That sounds amazing..." Emily whispered reverently, her head swimming with images of large dinosaurs with mouldy noses or huge rides turned into shrubs.
"That's not even the best part yet!" Naomi exclaimed happily.
"Okay, go on"
"Right! So yeah, I'd been going fairly often when I mentioned it to this friend I'd made at work, Karen, and when I told her I was paying for the tour she just giggled. Apparently, Spreepark or 'plänterwald' isn't something you can enjoy with a tour. Naturally, I asked her how else I was supposed to enjoy it so one evening she told me to meet her a few corners away from the place. When I joined her, she made me follow her to this one spot. At first it looked like a giant wall of shrubs but then she disappeared inside them and grabbed my hand and the next thing I knew we were inside the park. I was a bit shocked but then she laughed and said that entering the park after hours and therefore illegally was still the best way to experience it. And in all honesty... She was fucking right. We started walking around and it was just... a bit freaky with its monstrous structures in the dark but also captivating. The sun wasn't completely set so the rays would reflect on the metal, it was gorgeous. I was already really fucking impressed, but then she brought me by the big wheel and started climbing the frame. I freaked out at first, but then she laughed again so I followed her. She climbed like half way to the top, but it was still really fucking high. I was shaking like fuck when I reached the seat beside her. I was genuinely terrified, but then... then she nudged my shoulder and pointed to the horizon and... I mean... the sun was setting in a usual pinkish orange, I could see the main part of the city in the distance, some tall buildings, their windows gleaming in the last bits of light left, there was no noise around us and we were bloody sitting on an old broken big wheel. It was exhilarating Ems..." Naomi explained, her voice in a whisper. "When the sun had set properly, Karen took out a flashlight and we climbed back down. I was in such a high from the view that I didn't realise how dangerous it was. Anyway, I thought it would be it, but then Karen walked me to another spot where a big fire had been made, a few other kids hanging around. We introduced ourselves, they laughed at my pitiful German. There were the remnants of like... I dunno a love lake thingy, these white swan-shaped boats, all around the fire. So Karen dragged me to sit into one and we did and watched the fire as some kids sang and told stories or jokes. I just... When the night was over I knew I'd remember it forever. I went back to Spreepark after that. Sometimes with Karen, sometimes on my own. Sitting on that big wheel became one of my favourite thing to do. I know it was totally reckless and fucking dangerous, but at the top of that thing, above everything else, I felt so... alive. Just free, you know? Anyway... That's... that's how Berlin was. At least for me"
Emily stayed silent for a few seconds before muttering a small 'wow'.
She'd rarely heard a story so beautiful and she probably could have listened to Naomi talk for days, she reckoned. She wasn't sure what it was. She wasn't sure if it was the way her hands would move on their own or if it was the way she'd play with her lips, sometimes biting, sometimes licking. She wasn't sure if it was in the way her eyes got lost at times, looking at nothing, but seeing everything it seemed or if it was the way they'd flash with every emotion. Emily really didn't know what it was exactly that made her so captivated by everything Naomi said, but she knew she didn't care as long as the blonde continued talking.
"Yeah..." Naomi agreed, a goofy smile on her lips, her voice full of dreams.
"So are you still there? Are you still in Berlin?"
"No actually..." the blonde said, shaking her head. "My internship ended in early December. I'm currently back at my mum's"
Emily felt something at the bottom of her stomach flare at the information.
"Oh..." she said carefully, almost offhandedly. "So you're... back in Britain then?"
"Hum, yeah. For now at least..." the blonde replied with a shrug.
"For now?" Emily inquired, her voice wavering a bit. "Do you want to leave again?"
"Yeah well... I mean... I got some sort of offer... I... It's this organisation in Montreal... They've offered me a contract" she explained.
"Montreal?" the redhead inquired. "In Canada? That sounds..." she paused. "Cold"
Naomi chuckled at the description.
"That's an awfully limited way to describe it" she teased gently.
"I'm sorry" Emily blushed. "I don't know much about it"
"Well, from what I heard, it's supposed to be really fantastic. It's not known really well I think, but I've met a few people who went and they unanimously fell in love with the city. It's like... this small city bursting with arts and festivals and different cultures and stuff... Oh and apparently the food is fucking marvellous so..."
"Oh... it does sound quite appealing when you put it like that" the redhead conceded. "So you're going to go there then?" she continued, her voice not as happy as she would have liked.
"I... I don't know" Naomi whispered, casting her eyes down as she bit her bottom lip uncertainly.
"You don't?" Emily inquired, her heart jumping a bit.
"Yeah..."
"Why are you hesitating?"
"Well... it's a two year contract for starters... So if I go, I'll be gone at least two years..." she started, licking her lips nervously. "And like... this is exactly the kind of contract I've always imagined taking... And Montreal is actually really close to a lot of cool places, like New York City which I kinda miss, so that's great..."
"But?" Emily pressed gently.
"But well... I just... don't know..." she said so softly Emily almost didn't hear her.
Then, she lifted her eyes from the table and locked them with the redhead's. Emily was transfixed the second the blue orbs graced her sight. Gosh she really loved Naomi's eyes. They stared in silence for a few seconds and then the blonde gulped.
"Maybe... Maybe I just want to... stay... like... here... In England... For a bit you know?" she finished, her eyes burning into Emily's.
It was the redhead who gulped slowly this time. She nodded, her heart beating seriously fast now, her hands trembling a bit.
"Right..." she heard herself reply, her voice huskier than usual.
They continued to stare in silence and Emily felt like her entire body had been taken over by worms, worms that were making her jittery, worms that were crawling underneath her skin in an unsettling, but not unpleasant way.
"Anyway..." Naomi eventually said, breaking the eye contact. "I'm still thinking about it"
She nodded and soon enough, they changed the subject.
Slowly, the worms left Emily's body and she breathed a little more easily. They continued to talk easily after that and even though the redhead was feeling a lot more relaxed, she couldn't keep the thought that Naomi might be staying in England this year very far out of her mind. She didn't know why it made her shiver to think about it, but it did.
The night progressed with different topics of conversation and glasses of alcohol. Around them in the pub, some people were dancing on the new temporary dance floor and every time Emily looked at it, she couldn't help but smile proudly.
Eventually the conversation fell onto the subject of work and the second it had, Naomi exclaimed loudly.
"Oh! I almost forgot, fuck! I've been meaning to say forever!" she said disbelievingly. "You, Emily Fitch, are a secretive cow!"
"What?!" Emily shot back with a laugh.
"When you told me you were in photography and all I figured you'd be good, you know, because, well, it's you, but fuck me! Ems, you're not just good, you're amazing! Terrifyingly talented actually and I feel cheated! Why didn't you tell me you were this bloody fantastic?" the blonde explained, completely serious.
Emily opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came. She stared at Naomi incredulously for a minute before the other girl shook her head.
"I mean, I've been getting your magazine obviously and I just... I didn't expect that at all..." she finished, her voice so affectionate Emily felt like her heart was about to burst. "Your pictures... You made me think at times that that stupid theory of yours about things having souls might actually be true!"
"They do!" the redhead said through a chuckle.
"Whatever" Naomi waved off. "What I mean is... Your pictures have something in them and like... even the fucking useless things you took because you were obviously on an assignment. Even those have this quality to them. This... essence, like they're really organic things and not... well things things"
Emily's cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. No one had ever complimented her work like that. Her entire chest felt warm and about to explode of happiness. She'd had shallow girls compliment her before but most of them hadn't seen her work at all and were just pretending. The second that thought came to her mind, Emily felt a twinge of doubt course through her. As much as she didn't want Naomi to be faking, she had to check.
"What was your favourite photo?" she asked as casually as she could, hoping with all her heart that the blonde would have an answer.
"Oh that's easy!" Naomi replied promptly. "It's the picture you took of the lead dancer in Rambert's latest show. Although I really enjoyed that portrait of Randy the homeless and even Gerry the puppy" she continued, a smirk crossing her lips. "Shall I mention more of your pictures or did I pass your test?" she asked and Emily blushed.
She chuckled nervously at being busted but she was also so happy that the blonde really did know her work and wasn't faking.
"You've passed..." Emily said shyly and Naomi chuckled.
"Good" she said smugly.
"Stop looking so pleased with yourself" the redhead chided, rolling her eyes.
"Why? It is my best look"
Emily snorted and rolled her eyes again.
"Anyway, why is it your favourite?" she asked, focusing back on the actual subject.
"Are you kidding me?!" Naomi exclaimed astonished. "Have you looked at it? Ems I've never seen someone capture the essence of dance in one shot before. It's not even just the dancer herself... it's like... it's like you've also captured her love of dance and that's just... I mean she has that smile that's barely there in the picture and I can't believe you managed to snap it. Besides, it's the Rambert Dance Company! I absolutely love their work. Becoming a dancer for that company was my dream between the ages of 3 and 6"
"Really? Aww, that's cute! I can totally imagine it! Tiny little Naomi wanting to be a star dancer" Emily cooed.
The blonde blushed a bit when she replied:
"Childhood dream..."
"Oh that's okay. It's actually a valid dream... When I was a kid I wanted to be a cat..."
"What?!" The blonde snorted.
"I thought they were pretty and fluffy and they seemed to have a great life okay!" the redhead defended, laughing along though.
"Fuck, that's adorable" Naomi said with the sweetest smile and Emily's heart fluttered.
They giggled together for a bit, laughing harder when the blonde started asking her how she had imagined she'd look like as a cat. When they'd calmed down, a bit tired from their laughing fit, Emily bit her bottom lip and regarded the other girl.
"Naomi?" she asked.
"Hum?"
"Do you want to know how I managed to take that picture the way I did?" she said seriously.
"Yes!" the blonde said automatically.
"I thought about you" Emily revealed simply.
The other girl's cheeks flared bright red and her eyes widened in surprise.
"About me?!" she inquired.
"Yeah... last year when I watched you dance... I noticed this expression on your face, on all of you actually, like you were completely blissfully happy. I... it was like nothing could touch you. You had that glow to you and I... well it was breathtaking and I remember wanting to capture the image so bad then... So when my boss gave me the Rambert assignment I jumped on the opportunity. I snapped pictures throughout the entire show frantically, trying desperately to catch that one tiny shiny glow, which, you know, is hard because these dancers have characters to play and the show was a drama... but then I saw it and I snapped as many pictures as I could. I was lucky enough to get one of it and... yeah... that's how" Emily explained, feeling weirdly breathless once she was done.
Naomi stared at her completely still for what felt like hours to the redhead but probably was a couple of seconds. Then, very slowly, she reached a hand forward and grabbed Emily's. Shivers ran all the way up the redhead's arm.
"This is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me..." the blonde muttered, completely serious.
"Is it? I can't imagine anyone seeing you dance and not saying exactly that..." Emily mused.
A slow smile etched itself onto Naomi's lips and she shook her head in disbelief.
"You're something else entirely, aren't you Emily Fitch?" she asked.
Emily' heart expanded in her chest and she breathed in deep, extra conscious of the pressure of Naomi's hand on hers.
She opened her mouth to answer, but then, her mobile started vibrating in her pocket. She retrieved it with her free hand and when she saw the name 'Clara' flashing across it, she felt an equal jolt of excitement and guilt course through her spine.
"Just gonna take this" she mumbled to Naomi and then pressed the phone to her ear.
"Hey" she said into the phone.
"Emilyyyyy!" the voice of her girlfriend pierced through her eardrums. "Emimi... Emily! Babyyyy! Hi!"
The redhead chuckled genuinely. Clearly, her girlfriend was highly intoxicated.
"Well hello... you alright there?" she teased.
"I am FANtastic! I've got you on the phone! Audrey! It's my Emily on the phone! Isn't it fantastic?!" Clara screamed.
"Oh God" the redhead chuckled as she heard Audrey yell back:
"Yes, bloody fucking brilliant, now stop yelling!"
"Oops!" Clara sniggered. "Anyway, how are you?"
"I'm quite good"
"Bet I could make you feel better" Clara said, her voice huskier.
"Fuck NO!" the voice of Audrey shouted in the background. "You cannot have phone sex right now! I can fucking hear you!"
Emily giggled as her girlfriend whined.
"Sorry, my cousin is being an arse" she said.
"No she's not" Emily countered.
"Yes she is! I wanna say sexy things to you and she won't let me" Clara moaned.
"I don't think you really want to do that in front of her hun..."
"But I want to say that I-"
"I said NO phone sex!"
"Oh for fuck's sake alright! Urgh!"
Emily laughed loudly.
"Babes, how drunk are you?" she asked, a smile on her lips.
"Hum..."Clara started as she considered the question. "Quite trollied" she finally answered.
"Just what I thought" Emily laughed.
"When is Christmas over? I miss you..."
"I miss you too baby" the redhead said into the phone.
In that moment, Emily was conscious for the first time since she'd answered Clara's call that she had still been holding hands with Naomi. The realisation came when, suddenly, the blonde's hand tensed and was quickly withdrawn. Emily felt the loss of the digits instantly and closed her own to stop them from twitching.
"Ems?" she heard Clara say.
"Hum? Sorry, what were you saying?" Emily said quickly, feeling her heart beat weirdly.
"I was saying, I can't wait to see you..."
"Me neither"
"Also, when I see you next, I am going to ravish you so completely that-"
"Okay that's IT!" Emily heard Clara's cousin interrupt and she started laughing.
"No! Audrey don't-" her girlfriend whined in reply.
"Give me the bloody phone!" Audrey said.
"Nooooooo, Ems baby I miss you! I'll see you-" Clara started to say and then the line was cut off.
Emily continued to laugh to herself for a few seconds, before closing the mobile and putting it back into her pocket. When she looked up and her eyes met troubled looking blue ones, her laughter died in her throat.
She didn't try to say something. She just sat and looked into Naomi's blue eyes, feeling uncomfortable although she wasn't sure why.
"You have a girlfriend..." Naomi eventually said, her voice even, flat.
"Yeah" Emily confirmed.
"You didn't tell me..." she said next.
It was the little hint of accusation in Naomi's voice that prompted Emily's reply next.
"It didn't come up" she said seriously, her teeth clenching for half a second.
Naomi's eyes widened and then she frowned. It was clear to Emily that the blonde wasn't sure how to take that comment; was Emily kidding or serious? In all truth, the redhead wasn't sure if she'd intended it as an accusation or a joke either. It was probably a bit of both.
The longer the silence stretched though, the more awkward things became. Then, Naomi's eyes filled with sadness and that made Emily flinch. She cracked a smile. Instantly, the blonde's lips curved upwards as well.
"Okay, I deserved that" she admitted as Emily nodded. "Right... so hum... girlfriend, eh?" she asked, her voice a bit higher than usual.
"Yeah... her name is Clara"
"Hum... Clara... splendid" Naomi continued, her voice just as high, her eyes no longer staring into Emily's. "Nice solid name, that"
The redhead cocked an eyebrow real high at that last comment and Naomi snorted.
"Okay forget that part... Anyway... how long have you been dating?" she inquired.
"Just 4 months"
"Oh, so it's fairly new"
"Yeah it is" Emily nodded.
"And what does she do for a living? Where did you meet?" the blonde asked.
For a second, Emily had a feeling she was being interrogated, but she shook the thought away. Naomi had the right to be curious.
"She's an assistant on various movie sets at the moment, but she wants to be a director one day. Gotta start somewhere right? And her cousin is a co-worker. We met through her" she answered diligently.
Naomi nodded approvingly, although she looked a bit stiff.
"Good..." she mumbled. "So hum... it's going well? I mean... She's a nice girl, right?" she asked.
"Yes, of course. She's amazing" Emily replied genuinely.
Something flashed across Naomi's eyes for half a second, but Emily had not been looking at that moment and therefore missed it. When she looked back at the blonde, the girl was serious and her expression was unreadable.
"So... you're happy, yeah? She makes you happy?" Naomi asked softly.
Emily bit her bottom lip shyly and nodded.
"Yeah... yeah she does"
Naomi smiled, although it didn't reach her eyes.
"Great" she said, her voice a bit robotic.
Emily nodded.
"I'm glad you're happy... You deserve to be happy..." she added and this time, her voice sounded more sincere, more human.
"Thank you" the redhead smiled.
They stared at each other for a while until something occurred to Emily.
"Hey, how about you? How are things with your boyfriend?"
"My what?!" Naomi asked, looking really confused.
Emily's eyes widened.
"Your boyfriend" she repeated. "You know... the Russian..."
"Oh!" the blonde exclaimed. "You mean Victor? Wow! I haven't thought of him in ages!" she said, reminiscent.
"So I take it you guys are no longer together..."
"Yeah, no! We broke up like... last February" Naomi replied casually.
"But... I thought he moved to Germany with you..."
"He did... Actually, that was the start of the problem... He wanted to be really serious. He started talking about getting a house together and kids and I mean wow! I didn't know guys could be this intense!" Naomi chuckled.
"Don't you want kids and all that...?" Emily asked in a whisper, her heart squeezing painfully at the idea that the blonde might not want that life at all, but not knowing why.
"Oh maybe... I mean... I don't hate kids... I just... I didn't want his... and especially not now" she replied.
Emily's heart felt lighter afterwards.
"I can't believe you thought I was still with him" Naomi chuckled. "Did you not hear my story about Spreepark earlier and how Karen showed me and all? I mean, no one wants to impress their friend that much"
Emily's mouth opened in the shape of an O and Naomi nodded. She felt her cheeks burn red.
"But you said... you said Karen was a friend" the redhead said confusedly.
"Oh she is now" Naomi explained. "She wasn't for a bit"
Emily nodded. She had this weird dual feeling at the bottom of her stomach. Part of it was feeling queasy, part of it definitely didn't enjoy talking about Naomi's conquests, but another part was actually happy that this time the conquest in question was a woman. Emily guessed it was reassuring in a way to know that Naomi really was definitely interested in women that way. She wasn't sure why it was though. Decidedly, there were a fair few things Emily couldn't explain.
Another silence installed itself between them, but before it had time to get awkward, the lights flickered. They both looked up and then at each other again.
"Guess this means it's over" Naomi said with a half smile.
"Yeah..." Emily nodded.
They grabbed their coats and walked to the exit. They stepped outside and the second they did, Naomi pulled out a pack of fag, pulling one out between her lips and lighting it the next second.
"I didn't know you smoked..." Emily commented.
Naomi looked at her and nodded a bit sheepishly.
"I... I'm trying to quit actually" she admitted.
"Let me help you then..." Emily replied, walking up to Naomi.
The next second, she had plucked the fag right out of the blonde's lips and had thrown it on the ground. Naomi gawked at her for several seconds, her gob wide open. Emily couldn't help but laugh loudly.
"I can't believe you just did that!" she said, half shocked, half impressed.
"Well, these things are bad for you so..."
"I'm not sure I should thank you regardless..."
"Oh no, you definitely should!" Emily teased, her smirk not as confident as she felt it should have been.
She looked at Naomi for a few seconds, wondering why things were so stiff between them.
"Naomi... We're okay right?" she asked uncertainly.
"Of course" the blonde replied. "Why wouldn't we be?"
"I don't know..."
"Then don't worry about it"
When Emily still looked a bit worried, Naomi sighed and walked towards her, her arms slipping around her shoulders and bringing her closer. Emily sneaked her arms around the blonde's waist and finally felt her body relax. They stayed like that for maybe a minute, maybe more. Then, slowly and a bit begrudgingly Emily thought, they let go.
"So should I take your number this year? I mean if you stay in England..." Emily asked, a hint of hope flaring in her chest.
Naomi's expression turned guarded in a fraction of a second.
"Actually... the more I think about it the more I think I'm going to take that offer... I mean... It's a great offer and Montreal sounds really amazing... Besides, staying in England sounds a bit too much like settling down... I don't think I'm ready for that" the blonde explained with a shrug, her eyes looking at everything but Emily.
"Oh okay..." she said, feeling crestfallen, but not that surprised.
She sighed.
"But I'll see you here next year, right? I mean, you'll come back for Christmas?" she inquired, looking at the blonde.
Naomi's eyes lifted and met Emily's. Her guarded expression had vanished.
"Always" she said firmly. "You'll always find me here on Christmas, Ems. I promise"
Emily's heart fluttered and she beamed.
She liked that promise. She liked it a lot. Again, she wasn't sure exactly why she liked it so much. She'd have to figure it out one day, she reckoned. She'd have to figure it all out. But not today.
.
.
I hope this was worth the wait! I hope you guys are still interested to read the end of this despite it's not Christmas anymore. Let me know okay? Take care of you guys! Lots of love!
MMxx