She was stood just a few yards from me, staring at me with a million emotions written all over her face. Shock at first but that soon turned into anger. Olivia was handed over to what I assumed was Katie's boyfriend and the pair of them went off happily for some ice cream. I averted my eyes from the rather pissed off glare that met me and kicked up some sand from the beach. There were things I wanted to say but I knew some kind of Fitch backlash was coming straight for me and I couldn't really hide from it.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Wow," I rolled my eyes, chewing my bottom lip so a silly smirk wouldn't appear on my lips. From what I looked at, Katie Fitch hadn't changed at all. In appearance or attitude. Still the same up front, over protective Katie she always was. "It's nice to see you too, Katie,"
"Cut the fucking bullshit, Naomi. What are you doing here?" She asked again, more forcefully this time.
"Well last time I checked it was a free country," I stated, continuing straight after. "If you must know, I'm on holiday. My Mum lives here now and I'm visiting for a couple of weeks,"
"Your Mum lives here?"
"Yeah, for almost two years now," I accepted and paid for the drinks at the bar and made my way over to the empty nearby table, perching myself on one of the stools. I signalled for my former friend to take a seat opposite me.
"I'm not fucking staying," she sneered at me, like she used to many many years ago.
"Come on Katie. Five minutes then by all means you can leave," I pleaded with her and was happy when she reluctantly took up the seat opposite. From where I was sitting, I couldn't see Zoe back at the sun loungers, so turned my attention back towards Katie. I could feel Emily's name on the tip of my tongue, I was almost desperate just to ask how she was, where she was, if she was happy. Anything really. I held back.
"Well? Get on with it then, I don't really want to be sitting here,"
"We used to be friends,"
"A long time ago," Katie answered quickly. "You do remember why we aren't anymore, right?"
"Of course I do," I replied quietly, running my fingers around the top of the drinks glass. "I was young, stupid, I made a mistake,"
"A mistake? You fucked someone else," Katie hissed quietly, suddenly aware of the holidaymakers around us. An older woman frowned in our direction as she walked past. "Pretty big fucking mistake,"
"I know,"
I sat in pained silence, still staring into the drinks I had bought at the bar. I couldn't argue. Everything Katie continued to say was true. I was selfish, I had lost the best thing that was ever likely to happen to me and I had no one to blame but myself. I didn't need to hear it but I could tell Katie had held this in for so long.
"Aren't you going to say anything?"
"I deserved all that,"
"Too right you fucking did,"
"If it makes you feel any better, I've hated myself ever since,"
"Not as much as I hate you," Katie sneered, refusing to look anywhere else except straight at me, the girl who broke and shattered her Sister's heart. "Ems is fine by the way, if you care,"
"Of course I fucking care," I yelled, almost choking on my drink. "I've never stopped caring,"
"It's been six years,"
"There hasn't been a day in those six years that I haven't thought about her,"
"Whatever,"
"It's the truth,"
"You broke her, Naomi. You fucked her up so much, I used to think she would never be okay again. For months she cried herself to sleep, night after night. Do you know how hard that was for me to hear? I've never seen Em like that," The words made me flinch, it was still raw that I had caused that amount of pain towards the person I loved most. "But she's better now, she's happy,"
"I'm glad," I added with a nod, circling the straw around the glass of orange coloured alcohol. Was she happy with someone else? Had someone else made Emily happy? Made her move on? So many questions were filtering through my head but again, I held back, instead taking the conversation in a different direction. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Well, what you been doing for the last six years? Cute kid by the way,"
"Beautiful isn't she? Gets it from her Mu,"
"Making new friends already are we, Naoms?" Zoe approached the table, unaware that she was interrupting a conversation. Katie's eyes narrowed, watching the dark haired bikini wearing woman help herself to one of the cocktails that I had been sitting with for over ten minutes. "Thought you'd got lost, got bored waiting for my drink,"
"Sorry," I smiled my apologetic smile. "I bumped into an old friend,"
"Oh right. God, Emily?" Zoe frowned, looking at the girl who was sat across the table.
"No, this is Katie. She's Emily's Sister, twins remember?"
"Oh, right. Hi," she laughed, extending her hand, which Katie surprisingly took and exchanged a greeting. "Sorry, it's just I've seen some photos of Emily before,"
"Right," Katie said simply, glancing back across at me. Surely it can't have been that ridiculous that I actually kept some pictures of Emily. I hadn't looked at them in a while but I knew they were still in the old shoe box in my cupboard where I put them years ago. "So, how long have you been here?"
"We arrived last night," I answered. "You?"
"Not long,"
"Auntie Kay, Auntie Kay," the little girl appeared from nowhere, excitedly rushing over to Katie, who ignored my instant steely glare. Auntie? My stomach tightened and twisted straight away. "Jakey bought me two ice-creams,"
"Wow, aren't you lucky?"
"Hey, you little monster," Katie's boyfriend reappeared, ruffling the little girl's hair, she giggled and playfully hit his hands away. "You weren't supposed to tell Auntie Kay about two ice-creams,"
"Do me a favour babes," Katie spoke, I still watched on, silent. Zoe sitting next to me. I wasn't even sure if she had been listening. "I'll be right back over in a few minutes, I've just got to finish catching up with a friend,"
They kissed briefly and he took Olivia back off onto the beach. I could hardly wait until they were out of earshot before I blurted out what I had been holding back for a few minutes.
"Auntie?" I frowned, well aware of the lump appearing in my throat. "She isn't yours?"
"Didn't I mention?" She smirked, her usual victory smirk that I saw so often at college. A part of me always wanted to knock it from her face back then and I didn't feel all too different even now. I knew what was coming, I knew by the stupid look on her face. "She's Emily's kid,"