Where I Stood - Chapter Six: Collide [Skins; Naomi/Emily] - Part Four
Where I Stood - Chapter Six: Collide (Part Three)
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Naomi’s adding the milk into their cups of tea when Emily remerges, and Naomi can’t help but notice how Emily looks entirely too tiny and delicate dressed in her baggy clothes as she cautiously holds out her pile of wet ones for Naomi to take. She feels her cheeks flushing as she puts Emily’s clothes into the washing machine, trying unsuccessfully to ignore Emily’s lacy black underwear as she fumbles with the buttons and puts it on.
Emily’s still chattering her teeth together when Naomi straightens back up and she can see cold chill that runs through her body and leaves Emily shivering. It makes her reach out unthinkingly and rub her hands up and down Emily’s arms, as if trying to pass some of her own heat over to Emily just to help warm her. Naomi hears Emily’s surprised intake of breath and suddenly realises what she’s doing, stills her hands slowly and meets Emily’s eyes skittishly.
“Sorry...” Naomi breathes, feeling as though she’s just overstepped the mark without meaning too, and when Emily doesn’t react straight away, just stares back at Naomi in shock- in something that Naomi can’t decipher, Naomi feels her chest tightening as the air around them thickens out of nowhere.
When she starts to withdraw her hands Emily gently shakes her head and murmurs, “No, don’t.”
It almost feels like it’s happening in slow motion then, when Naomi nods her head back in response and holds her breath as Emily tentatively moves into her arms and presses their bodies together; her arms winding round and hugging Naomi to her.
Naomi feels Emily release a sigh against her and instantly slides her arms further around Emily’s body, burying her nose into the crook of Emily’s shoulder and closing her eyes as she breathes her in, taking a moment just to enjoy the feeling of holding Emily closely against her.
It still surprises Naomi every time, how right it seems to have Emily in her arms, how they seem to fit against each other perfectly, and it makes her instinctively tighten her hold a little, afraid that if she doesn’t Emily will slip away from her.
They stay like that for what feels like forever but can surely only be a few minutes, and Emily’s the first to pull back slightly, her cheeks a little pink and her smile tentative but present when she whispers, “Thanks.”
It makes Naomi’s breath catch, at just how beautiful Emily really is, even when her make-up’s run and her hair is damp and curling and she can’t help herself from staring, from letting herself just take the moment in, relishing in the slight vulnerability in Emily’s eyes and the comfort in her touch.
“I’ve missed you,” Naomi murmurs back with without thinking, and immediately feels flushed and worried that she’s said too much too soon.
But Emily just smiles at her again, a little fuller this time, softer, and runs her hand down Naomi’s arm, curling her fingers around Naomi’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze that speaks all the words she’s not quite ready to say aloud yet.
Naomi doesn’t mind that she doesn’t say anything in response, just takes hope and comfort from Emily’s touch and feels thankful that she finally got to hold her again, even if it was only for a little while.
-----
Things get a little easier then, the overwhelming tension between them shifting ever so slightly and allowing them both to relax more, fleeting touches no longer seeming to trouble them and lingering embraces quickly become part of their daily routine.
Each gentle and tentative caress offered meaning much more than any passionate and hasty moment they might share could, especially when Naomi knows that they both feel every single part of what’s happening between them so much more as they take the time to savour it all unhurriedly.
-----
She invites Emily over for dinner, wants to cook for her to try and make their evening seem more like a date rather than just another one of their get-togethers. Naomi doesn’t call it a date when she mentions it to Emily, but knows just by the way Emily stared back at her a little hesitantly before agreeing, that she picked up on the subtle way in which Naomi pitched it too her.
Effy helps her prepare the food because as much as Naomi might all be about trying lately, she’s still ‘a useless tit’ in the kitchen who’s more likely to burn something than to cook it to perfection. Effy suggests something simple, and they settle for some kind of Spanish pasta dish that Naomi’s never heard of but that Effy insists is delicious.
Naomi tells her to bugger off shortly after the food’s started cooking, doesn’t want Effy around to tease her while she turns into some nervous little school girl who’s never been on a date before, and so with a quick peck to Naomi’s cheek, Effy gather’s Bricker up and heads over to JJ’s, leaving Naomi alone to anxiously get ready.
Emily arrives shortly after, dressed beautifully in a long gray skirt and blouse that leaves Naomi feeling more than a little breathless and heated when she sees the way it leaves a hefty amount of Emily’s cleavage on display.
“So...” Emily says nervously, drawing Naomi’s eyes swiftly back up to her face. “Thanks for inviting me over, it smells great, whatever it is that you’re cooking.”
Naomi licks at her lips and nods her head, trying to get her thoughts back on track. “It’s some kind of pasta dish.” Emily quirks an eyebrow and smirks when Naomi doesn’t continue her explanation. “Effy helped me,” Naomi admits sheepishly as they enter the kitchen. “She’s a far better cook than I’ll ever be, so I can assure you that you won’t be leaving here with food poisoning.”
Emily chuckles. “You should have said if you didn’t want to cook, we could have gone out.”
“No, I wanted to cook for you.” Naomi murmurs, feeling herself blush as Emily smiles at her shyly.
“Well, thanks. I appreciate it.” Emily shifts uncomfortably on her feet and glances away from Naomi, the awkward tension shifting back in between them.
“Wine,” Naomi blurts, feeling embarrassed when Emily looks back up at her with amusement clouding her eyes. “I mean, do you want a drink?”
Emily smiles brightly. “That’d be great thanks.”
Naomi can’t stop her hand from shaking as she attempts to pour the wine into the glasses, feels the nervous fluttering in her stomach spreading throughout her whole body when Emily’s hand covers her own a second later.
“Relax, Nae,” Emily whispers, steadying Naomi’s hand and looking up at her with a soft smile.
Naomi releases a shaky breath. “Sorry...”
Emily carefully removes Naomi’s hand from the bottle and says, “Why don’t you check on the food, I’ll pour the wine, yeah?”
“Yeah, good idea,” Naomi says slowly shifting her attention away from Emily as she sets about checking and serving up the pasta.
Naomi makes a mental note to thank Effy when Emily takes her first bite and lets out an appreciative sound and then has to try hard for the rest of the meal not to think of similar noises that Emily makes that sound equally good if not better; has to remind herself that this is not where their evening together is headed.
-----
Their night together passes quickly, neither of them noticing the time as they sit together drinking and talking in the living room, simply enjoying each other’s company and relaxing by degrees as the alcohol starts to work its way into their systems.
It’s only when they’ve somehow managed to shift close enough together that their thighs are pressing together and brushing ever so slightly whenever they laugh that Emily seems to sober a little, cautiously moving away from Naomi and glancing over at the clock.
“I should go,” Emily murmurs as she takes in the time. “It’s late.”
Naomi does it without thinking, reaches out and places her hand on Emily’s knee and says, “Stay.”
Emily looks so taken back by her suggestion that Naomi glances away quickly, feeling awfully embarrassed for the hundredth time in one evening. She hears Emily’s voice a second later, quiet and with a hint of warning. “Naomi...”
Naomi looks back at Emily then and sees the fear darkening her eyes and finds herself laughing nervously in response, wanting to dispel Emily’s worries. “I didn’t mean it like that Em... just stay and sleep for the sake of sleeping.” She sees the hesitancy that spreads across Emily’s face and adds, “Plus, we’ve been drinking, I can’t really let you drive home, can I?”
Emily bites at her lip, obviously conflicted by the mere suggestion and the implications it might cause, shrugs her shoulders when she says, “I don’t know if it’s a good idea, Nae.”
Naomi smiles back at her and teases, “Come on Em, I promise not to grope you in the night.”
“Fine,” Emily replies rolling her eyes as her lips twitch up into a smile. “But you better keep on your half of the bed, you’re a right hogger.”
“I am not!” Naomi gasps in offence, feeling her defence slipping when Emily pins her with a challenging stare.
Emily laughs when Naomi cracks and smiles. “See, you are too, and you know it. You always used to fall asleep on your side and then slowly shift across until you were dead in the middle, all spread out and stealing all of the covers while I clung to the tiny bit of room that I managed to save from you.”
Naomi finds herself smiling softly as Emily recalls the memory and tentatively brushes her thumb across Emily’s knee. “Well, I promise I won’t this time, yeah? We can even make a little pillow barrier if you’d like.”
She feels Emily shudder slightly at her caress and has to fight the urge to lean over and kiss her when Emily whispers, “That won’t be necessary. I believe you.”
-----
They get changed in separate rooms, Emily borrowing one of Naomi’s old large oversized t-shirts to sleep in and once they’re both ready and back in Naomi’s room, they stare at each other a little hesitantly from opposite sides of the bed.
Naomi sees the shift in Emily’s body language, watches as her shoulders slowly hunch up with tension and gestures quickly at her bed before Emily can change her mind. “You okay on that side, yeah?”
Emily swallows audibly and nods her head just the once, her voice coming out quiet when she replies, “Yeah, I always sleep on this side so it’s fine.”
“Thought so,” Naomi says with a small smile, ignoring the way that Emily’s breath catches at the way Naomi’s obviously remembered from all that time ago.
Naomi gets in first, pulling down the duvet and slipping into the bed with ease before tilting her head to stare at Emily who falters for a split second before crawling in next to her. The tension seeps in the moment that Naomi turns the light off, feels herself stiffening and laying motionless as Emily twists and turns next to her, obviously trying to get comfortable.
“Thanks for coming over tonight, Ems. It’s been really lovely,” Naomi murmurs quietly into the darkness.
She feels the mattress dip as Emily turns again and feels herself smiling when Emily gently whispers back, “Me too, Nae. Night.”
Naomi turns her head to try and make Emily out but can’t, lets out a content sigh instead as she turns on her side to face in Emily’s direction. “Night Em, sleep well.”
-----
She wakes slowly, her eyes blinking open and adjusting to the light tentatively, and it’s only when she feels a warm breath puffing out against her neck that Naomi remembers that she didn’t fall asleep alone.
It takes her a moment longer to register Emily’s arm draped over her stomach, their legs carelessly entwined and Naomi can’t stop herself from tilting her head ever so slightly to get a better look at Emily’s face.
Naomi feels her lips curling up into a small smile as she watches Emily sleep peacefully, her eyelashes fluttering softly and her lips parted ever so slightly in a way that forces Naomi’s heart clench achingly in a way that makes Naomi desperate to touch.
She’s careful then, as she daringly brushes her fingertips across Emily’s cheek, tracing the outline of her jaw before continuing on down the curve of her neck; the skin warm and smooth beneath her touch.
Emily stirs a moment later, letting out a content purr as Naomi’s fingers lightly trail along her collarbone and Naomi scolds herself when brown eyes blink open and register her and what she’s doing.
Naomi stills her caress and watches as Emily’s gaze falls to the arm she has draped over Naomi’s waist, sees the shock that glimmers in her eyes as she realises that they’re no longer safely separated by space but instead cuddled comfortably together; their bodies connected in nearly every place possible.
Emily’s eyes find her again and Naomi feels her stiffen as she goes to pull her arm back, clearly horrified that her control and guard has slipped while she’s been asleep. Naomi knows it’s daring, probably a little bit foolish, but she can’t help but want to stay in the moment for as long as possible, and so moves her hand to cover Emily’s arm and keeps her in place.
“Don’t,” Naomi whispers, holding Emily’s eyes and silently pleading with her. “It’s okay... stay, just for a few minutes more.”
Emily closes her eyes and lets out a shuddering breath in response and when Naomi feels Emily relax against her again and reopen her eyes, she runs her hand along Emily’s arm, wrapping it around her and pulls her in just a little bit closer, feeling content when Emily sighs against her and squeezes at her hip.
-----
It’s almost 10.a.m. by the time they finally and a little reluctantly break apart and head downstairs in search of some food- Naomi’s stomach rumbling loudly and making them both giggle as it alerts them of its need for breakfast.
Effy, JJ and Bricker are already seated around the table and eating toast when they get to the kitchen and Naomi’s silently thankful when the surprised look on Effy’s face disappears just as quickly as it emerged.
“Morning guys,” Effy says casually, offering them both a smile as she reaches over and squeezes JJ’s hand, obviously distracting him and cutting him off from whatever shocked ramble he was clearly about to go off on.
“Morning.” Naomi moves further into the kitchen and avoids meeting JJ’s eye as she settles down at the table and pulls a stupid face at Bricker.
It’s only when Bricker doesn’t respond to her greeting, that she follows his gaze and turns back to the doorway to see Emily lingering awkwardly, her brow furrowed as she bites at her bottom lip. Naomi feels her stomach flop at the sight of Emily so nervous and conflicted around the people they’ve known for longer than she can remember and extends her hand out in Emily’s direction with an encouraging smile.
Emily looks back and forth between Naomi and Effy and JJ and eventually takes the few short steps between her and everybody and squeezes Naomi’s hand before settling into the seat next to her.
“You two look rather well rested,” JJ says, pouring them both cups of coffee. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah... really well, thanks,” Emily murmurs back, flashing Naomi a soft smile before taking the coffee JJ passes and sipping at it.
It seems natural then, how quickly the air of awkwardness evaporates around them as they all settle into easy conversation, and as Naomi watches Emily laugh with Effy, while Bricker tugs at JJ’s sleeve and passes him a car, Naomi can’t help but think this is exactly how her family should look.
-----
Katie calls her unexpectedly sometime during the start of November.
“How’s things muffmuncher?”
Naomi rolls her eyes and laughs because even if Katie’s grown up a part of her will always be Katie ‘I’ve never not had a boyfriend’ Fitch and it’s that part that used to infuriate Naomi so much that now makes her smile in amusement the most.
“Katiekins, what a lovely surprise,” Naomi drawls in that slow way she knows grates on Katie’s nerves, and pulls a cigarette from her packet, resting it between her lips before adding. “I’m doing pretty well thanks. Now, what’d you want because you’re clearly not ringing me for a chit-chat.”
She hears Katie gasp in mock defence and mutter, “Bitch.” which only serves to make Naomi laugh again before she clicks her lighter and takes a puff of her cigarette. “I don’t know why I bother with you, you massive cunt.” Katie adds playfully. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m coming up to see Ems this weekend and I’m, like, going to suggest that we all get together for a drink or something. Surprise her with our new BFF bond, yeah?”
“Does she know that you came and met me that day in Bristol?” Naomi asks growing serious.
“Nah, I didn’t want to get her any more wound up than she already was, and well, I’m not sure she would have believed me if I’d said I’d been nice to you.”
“So, what, she just thinks I buggered off back to London on my own?”
Katie chuckles wickedly. “Babes, she doesn’t think you’re that bloody clever.” Naomi scoffs. “I told her I’d sent you back on your merry way when you came to my house that time, all right?”
“Yeah, fine. Well, I suppose none of that matters now anyway. Things have been going good for us, so...”
“Ems said when she rang me,” Katie replies pleasantly. “Look, I’ve got to go, but we’ll catch up properly when we go out, yeah?”
“Yeah, sure. See you soon, Katiekins.”
“Later bitch.”
It’s only when Naomi hangs up the phone that she realises for the first time ever in her life, she’s actually looking forward to seeing Katie Fitch in person.
-----
Emily looks completely baffled the moment Naomi meets them at the restaurant and greets both her and Katie with a brief hug, and she has to bite hard at her lip to keep from laughing when she sees Katie smirk in a mixture of amusement and smugness.
The look of utter confusion cover Emily’s face only intensifies throughout the meal when she and Katie pass friendly and ridiculously playful banter back and forth between them instead of their usual disgusted and loathing bouts of mutual hatred.
“Okay, that’s it,” Emily says as they exit the restaurant, cutting through whatever it that Naomi and Katie are laughing about. “When the hell did this happen?”
They both stare back at her trying very hard not to smile. “When did what happen Em?” Naomi asks, chancing a quick glance at Katie who immediately joins in with her own, “Yeah, Ems, what the fuck are you talking about?”
Their answers only act to fuel Emily further and she gestures wildly at them, her eyes wide and disbelieving. “This.” She mutters exasperatedly. “This odd little nicety thing that you two have going on.”
Katie smirks and cocks an eyebrow as she links her arm through Naomi’s. “Fuck’s sake, Ems. All those years you kept banging on about us being chums and now that we’re playing nicely you get your pants all in a twist. Make your bloody mind up.”
Naomi watches Emily’s mouth drop open a little and can’t contain her laugher any longer. “Sorry Em,” she says when she sees Emil glaring at them. “Katiekins and I made nice in Bristol after you’d told me to bugger off.”
“Yeah,” Katie adds with a smile. “And now we’re like, totally best buds aren’t we babes?” Naomi laughs again and nods her head.
Emily rolls her eyes and smiles back at them. “You’re both complete cunts. I was worried you were doing that fake, overly civilised thing that you used to do when Naomi had to come for dinner at ours with mum and dad.”
“Nope. It’s all real this time,” Naomi says smiling happily. “We’re far too wise and mature to be that dickish anytime soon.”
Katie huffs out a chuckle. “Whatever babes, you’re still pretty dickish.”
“Yeah, well, you’re still a bitch so we’re even.” Naomi retorts with a smirk.
“Right, that’s it,” Emily cuts in as Katie opens her mouth again. “This night has been surprisingly nice and I don’t need you two spoiling it now with one of your insult wars.”
“Fine,” Katie mutters in a playfully dejected tone before turning her attention towards Naomi. “It’s been a pleasure as always.”
“Yeah, it’s been swell, Katiekins,” Naomi replies, letting Katie pull her into a quick hug and laughing when Katie mutters, ‘cow’ into her ear before letting her go.
Emily looks over at her a little awkwardly then and says, “Right, well, thanks for a good night. I guess I’ll see you Monday morning.”
“Yeah,” Naomi replies tensely. “Monday.”
Emily doesn’t make an attempt to move, just stares at her for a few long seconds before closing the gap between them and pressing a kiss to Naomi’s cheek. Naomi smiles shyly when Emily pulls back and tries not to mumble something idiotic when she sees the cute, embarrassed blush that quickly appears on Emily’s cheeks.
They don’t say anything, just stare at each other until they both break out into happy grins and Naomi waves goofily as Emily heads over to Katie and links their arms together as they start to walk away.
As Naomi watches them disappear into the distance, she can’t quite believe just how much easier things were with the three of them getting along, knows it’s already going to make a difference in the long run and goes home with a happy smile plastered across her face.
-----
December comes in the blink of an eye.
And Naomi feels almost stupidly upset when Emily tells her that she’s going back to Bristol for a few days to spend Christmas with her parents and Katie and ends up holding her in a hug for far longer than she should when Emily comes over to the house to say goodbye, pressing a lingering kiss to Naomi’s cheek before turning around and leaving without looking back.
Naomi only sees the wet splodge on her shirt when Effy points it out as she joins her back in the kitchen to bake cakes with her and Bricker, and feels herself grinning like an idiot when she realises she’s not the only one already missing someone and wishing they could spend Christmas together.
-----
As it turns out, Effy’s mum surprises them with an invite home to Bristol for Christmas, and when she tells Effy that Tony will be home and that she’s always welcome to bring JJ, and her (non-gay lover) Naomi too, Effy practically lights up with joy and begs Naomi to come until she agrees.
They invite her mum and Kieran too, and Naomi almost feels tense and irritated just by the mere thought of being trapped in a room with everyone and being made to be jolly and cheerful when all she wants to do is mope about how she already, pathetically misses Emily. But then Bricker bounces onto her lap during the train journey home and excitedly points out a guy dressed as Santa, dispelling all of her dread in an instant; knows that Christmas day is always worth it as long as she gets to see his little face light up in shock and amazement.
-----
Christmas day isn’t half as bad as she expected it to be.
Anthea’s matured surprisingly during the short time that she’s managed to stay sober, and nothing makes Naomi smile more than seeing Effy so utterly happy with her family.
Her mum and Kieran are easily pleased and she feels instantly grateful to Tony who manages to keep everyone entertained with his natural charm and ease without bringing alcohol into the mix.
And then there’s JJ, who turns up just after lunch after having spent the morning with his mum, and surprises Bricker with a Scaletrix set and Effy with a beautiful necklace and Naomi can’t help but think that it’s all rather lovely, even when Kieran manages to accidentally spill coffee all over the floor.
They might be a slightly dysfunctional lot, but they’re hers and Naomi finds herself rolling her eyes and joining in with them all just because she can.
-----
It only occurs to her mid-afternoon that Emily’s house is only a fifteen minute walk from Effy’s and if she wanted to, she could easily sneak away for a couple of hours to see her.
She sends Emily a quick text and tries not to get her hopes up, knows there’s a chance that Emily will be stuck in some kind of festive Fitch scenario and may not be able to make a getaway, but within seconds Emily texts her back and Naomi’s unable to contain her smile as she snatches up her coat and slips out of the house unnoticed.
-----
Emily meets her at the end of the road from her house on the corner just like she used to when Naomi would manage to coax her to sneak out from under her parents’ watchful eyes for a quick and sneaky make-out session. And Naomi can tell just by the way Emily smiles cheeky and rolls her eyes that she’s remembering something along the same lines as she is.
“Hey,” Naomi says when she gets closer, ignoring the cold wind and slight snowfall. “Merry Christmas.”
Emily smiles back at her and pulls her into a hug, says, “Merry Christmas, Nae.”
Naomi glances past Emily’s shoulder in the direction of the Fitch house and asks, “How are you? The Fitch clan driving you insane yet?”
Emily chuckles and tugs at Naomi’s arm getting her to start walking along beside her. “Just a little. Luckily we’ve all gotten too old for the games now and mum and dad back off when we tell then we’ve out grown playing ‘pin the tail in the reindeer’. What about your mum and Kieran, driving you up the wall?”
Naomi scoffs and follows it up with a smirk. “Not only have I got mum and Kieran to deal with, I now have my adored extended family of Effy and her mad bunch. Oh, and Jay, but he looks a little overwhelmed by it all, has stayed pretty quiet so far.”
Emily smiles softly. “Him and Effy worked out surprisingly well, huh?”
“Yeah,” Naomi nods. “I never would have pictured them together when we were at college but now they just--”
“Work?” Emily cuts in, glancing sideways at Naomi.
Naomi lets out an amused sigh and smiles. “Who would have thought that a few years and a bit of growing up would have had such an effect on two people?”
“I don’t know,” Emily says, smiling softly over at Naomi as she slides their hands together and entwines their fingers. “Seems like that’s an occurring theme around here, right?”
Naomi glances down at their hands and finds that she has to swallow hard against the emotional lump in her throat before she can look back at Emily and happily murmur, “Yeah, it does.”
Emily doesn’t say anything else, just squeezes Naomi’s hand a little tighter and lets them enjoy the moment of just walking silently together.
-----
The first thing Naomi notices when they stop to look out over Bristol harbour, is how red Emily’s cute little button nose has gotten in the cold.
It makes her giggle and smile uncontrollably when Emily sniffs for, like, the twentieth time in five minutes and she turns to Naomi with a bemused smile and wide eyes. “What?” Naomi shakes her head and bites at her bottom lip until Emily prods at her and repeats herself.
She unties her scarf then, instead of replying and carefully loops it around Emily’s neck, tying it perfectly and tucking the ends into Emily’s coat before grinning back at her and tapping Emily’s nose with her index finger. “You looked a little cold, Rudolph.”
Emily scoffs at Naomi’s teasing and swats at Naomi’s hand which only makes Naomi break out into a laugh. It doesn’t last long because within seconds Emily’s grabbed her by the collar of her coat and is tugging her forward and into a kiss.
It’s tentative and slow and delicate and just enough to make Naomi feel like she’s melting into her as they pull apart reluctantly.
Naomi releases a shaky breath against Emily’s lips and finds herself at a loss for words, doesn’t know what to say when kissing Emily like that has been all that Naomi’s wanted since the moment their lives collided again.
She smiles shyly instead and watches as Emily smiles tenderly back at her, and decides that she doesn’t need to say anything at all, Emily already knows, she feels it too.
-----
They kiss once more when they get back to the Fitch house and Naomi has to stop herself from rolling her eyes and laughing when she hears an, “Emily, is that you darling? We’ve all been waiting for you before we--”
And it wouldn’t quite be the perfect moment without Jenna Fitch intruding, staring over at them- at Naomi with a look of shock and general confusion.
Emily runs her hand down Naomi’s arm and links their hands together while simultaneously turning towards her mum and saying, “Sorry mum, Naomi and I went for a walk and lost track of time.”
Naomi waits then, as Jenna’s gaze falls down to their entwined hands, for the burst of disgust and rage that normally spews out of her mouth whenever she catches sight of Naomi with her daughter or just Naomi anywhere, but it doesn’t come.
Instead, Jenna smiles politely, albeit a little awkwardly and beckons them over. “Why don’t you invite Naomi in for a drink, Emily? It’s rude to leave your guests standing out in the cold.”
“Sure mum, that’ll be nice, thanks,” Emily replies with a smile before turning back to Naomi with amusement clouding her eyes when she sees the shock evident on Naomi’s face.
“What the hell happened to your mum?” Naomi whispers as Emily tugs her towards the house. “She’s almost, like, human now or something. It’s weird.”
Emily just shakes her head and laughs as she pulls her inside. “Shut up, Naomi.”
-----
It feels a little bit like she’s suffering an outer-body experience.
Naomi doesn’t quite know what to make of it all as Jenna makes polite conversation with her and Emily while Rob clumsily shoves a can of larger into her hand and pats her roughly on the back even as James and Katie continue to pull amused faces at her from the couch.
It still feels a little bit weird, takes until Emily sits down next to her and places her hand comfortingly on her knee for Naomi to relax and actually start to enjoy herself.
It’s nice, but it’s a weird nice that Naomi isn’t quite sure what to do with yet, even when Emily laughs at her again for what feels like the tenth time and kisses her goodbye at the door two hours later with a “welcome to the family” that has Naomi smiling all the way back to Effy’s.
-----
They’re all back in London for New Year’s and when Effy manages to convince Tony to come back to London with them and babysit Bricker on New Year’s eve, she organises a little get-together for the four of them - her, JJ, Naomi and Emily - and somehow convinces them all to spend a night out on the town, drinking and celebrating as the old year passes and the new one arrives.
Effy gets annoyed with how reluctant they all seem to begin with and with a few well placed drink orders and some dancing, they’ve all loosened up by the time midnight starts to come around.
Naomi comes back in from having a smoke just in time to catch sight of Effy and JJ dancing together slowly in the middle of a crowd, all smiles and kisses, and manages to find Emily again a couple of minutes before the countdown starts.
Emily pulls her in close, looping her arms behind Naomi’s neck and smiles at her brightly as Naomi wraps her arms around her and lets them sway to the music together. And it’s only when the countdown begins and Emily tugs at the back of her neck, drawing her down for a deep, slow kiss and whispers, “To never looking back but always forwards” against her lips, that Naomi feels her heart bursting with an overwhelming sense of love and believes that this will be the year when everything in her life properly begins.
-----
She wakes naked and twisted beneath cool sheets with a warm body pressed tightly up against her side and feels her lips quirking up into a soft smile as she trails her eyes over Emily’s face and lets herself reach out and run her fingertips over the soft skin of Emily’s arm and shoulder.
Emily stirs beneath her touch and blinks her eyes open with a sleepy smile, letting out a content sigh as Naomi traces her fingers down Emily’s bare back where the sheet has slipped away and left her exposed to Naomi’s gaze and touch.
Naomi’s aware of Emily watching her, can feel her looking, as she keeps her own eyes glued intently to the way that Emily’s skin seems to melt and mould around her fingertips with each passing stroke that she makes.
And it’s only because it all seems too much, too unreal that Emily’s still there with her and letting her touch without moving away, without flinching, that Naomi finds herself saying it just because she can.
Breathes it out honest and true, “I love you...”
Emily closes her eyes at the words, at finally hearing it at a time when she can, when it isn’t wrong for either of them, and Naomi uses the opportunity to trail her hand up to Emily’s face and cup her cheek, brushing the pad of her thumb gently across Emily’s skin.
Naomi watches as Emily’s eyes re-open, nuzzling her face into Naomi’s hand and looks back at Naomi lovingly, her emotions raw and open and there for Naomi to see in her eyes when she murmurs back, “I love you too.”
“I know,” Naomi says, smiling when Emily turns her head and kisses her palm. “I’ve always known.”
Emily smiles back at her beautifully and shifts enough to close the tiny bit of distance still left between them as she pulls their hands away from her face to rest nestled between their hearts and takes her time to kiss Naomi languidly, tenderly- enough to leave them both trembling and breathless.
Naomi knows that neither of them are faultless and that what they have may not be the perfect fairytale version of love that Emily had hoped for, but it’s theirs, and when Emily breaks away to look at her, to really look at her openly and adoringly, Naomi knows she’ll spend the rest of her life holding onto it.
-----
As a little extra thank you, I have made a fanmix out of the playlist I used to write this story. Download it here: Where I Stood: The Chapter Mixes - (a not really fanmix)
-----
Naomi’s adding the milk into their cups of tea when Emily remerges, and Naomi can’t help but notice how Emily looks entirely too tiny and delicate dressed in her baggy clothes as she cautiously holds out her pile of wet ones for Naomi to take. She feels her cheeks flushing as she puts Emily’s clothes into the washing machine, trying unsuccessfully to ignore Emily’s lacy black underwear as she fumbles with the buttons and puts it on.
Emily’s still chattering her teeth together when Naomi straightens back up and she can see cold chill that runs through her body and leaves Emily shivering. It makes her reach out unthinkingly and rub her hands up and down Emily’s arms, as if trying to pass some of her own heat over to Emily just to help warm her. Naomi hears Emily’s surprised intake of breath and suddenly realises what she’s doing, stills her hands slowly and meets Emily’s eyes skittishly.
“Sorry...” Naomi breathes, feeling as though she’s just overstepped the mark without meaning too, and when Emily doesn’t react straight away, just stares back at Naomi in shock- in something that Naomi can’t decipher, Naomi feels her chest tightening as the air around them thickens out of nowhere.
When she starts to withdraw her hands Emily gently shakes her head and murmurs, “No, don’t.”
It almost feels like it’s happening in slow motion then, when Naomi nods her head back in response and holds her breath as Emily tentatively moves into her arms and presses their bodies together; her arms winding round and hugging Naomi to her.
Naomi feels Emily release a sigh against her and instantly slides her arms further around Emily’s body, burying her nose into the crook of Emily’s shoulder and closing her eyes as she breathes her in, taking a moment just to enjoy the feeling of holding Emily closely against her.
It still surprises Naomi every time, how right it seems to have Emily in her arms, how they seem to fit against each other perfectly, and it makes her instinctively tighten her hold a little, afraid that if she doesn’t Emily will slip away from her.
They stay like that for what feels like forever but can surely only be a few minutes, and Emily’s the first to pull back slightly, her cheeks a little pink and her smile tentative but present when she whispers, “Thanks.”
It makes Naomi’s breath catch, at just how beautiful Emily really is, even when her make-up’s run and her hair is damp and curling and she can’t help herself from staring, from letting herself just take the moment in, relishing in the slight vulnerability in Emily’s eyes and the comfort in her touch.
“I’ve missed you,” Naomi murmurs back with without thinking, and immediately feels flushed and worried that she’s said too much too soon.
But Emily just smiles at her again, a little fuller this time, softer, and runs her hand down Naomi’s arm, curling her fingers around Naomi’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze that speaks all the words she’s not quite ready to say aloud yet.
Naomi doesn’t mind that she doesn’t say anything in response, just takes hope and comfort from Emily’s touch and feels thankful that she finally got to hold her again, even if it was only for a little while.
-----
Things get a little easier then, the overwhelming tension between them shifting ever so slightly and allowing them both to relax more, fleeting touches no longer seeming to trouble them and lingering embraces quickly become part of their daily routine.
Each gentle and tentative caress offered meaning much more than any passionate and hasty moment they might share could, especially when Naomi knows that they both feel every single part of what’s happening between them so much more as they take the time to savour it all unhurriedly.
-----
She invites Emily over for dinner, wants to cook for her to try and make their evening seem more like a date rather than just another one of their get-togethers. Naomi doesn’t call it a date when she mentions it to Emily, but knows just by the way Emily stared back at her a little hesitantly before agreeing, that she picked up on the subtle way in which Naomi pitched it too her.
Effy helps her prepare the food because as much as Naomi might all be about trying lately, she’s still ‘a useless tit’ in the kitchen who’s more likely to burn something than to cook it to perfection. Effy suggests something simple, and they settle for some kind of Spanish pasta dish that Naomi’s never heard of but that Effy insists is delicious.
Naomi tells her to bugger off shortly after the food’s started cooking, doesn’t want Effy around to tease her while she turns into some nervous little school girl who’s never been on a date before, and so with a quick peck to Naomi’s cheek, Effy gather’s Bricker up and heads over to JJ’s, leaving Naomi alone to anxiously get ready.
Emily arrives shortly after, dressed beautifully in a long gray skirt and blouse that leaves Naomi feeling more than a little breathless and heated when she sees the way it leaves a hefty amount of Emily’s cleavage on display.
“So...” Emily says nervously, drawing Naomi’s eyes swiftly back up to her face. “Thanks for inviting me over, it smells great, whatever it is that you’re cooking.”
Naomi licks at her lips and nods her head, trying to get her thoughts back on track. “It’s some kind of pasta dish.” Emily quirks an eyebrow and smirks when Naomi doesn’t continue her explanation. “Effy helped me,” Naomi admits sheepishly as they enter the kitchen. “She’s a far better cook than I’ll ever be, so I can assure you that you won’t be leaving here with food poisoning.”
Emily chuckles. “You should have said if you didn’t want to cook, we could have gone out.”
“No, I wanted to cook for you.” Naomi murmurs, feeling herself blush as Emily smiles at her shyly.
“Well, thanks. I appreciate it.” Emily shifts uncomfortably on her feet and glances away from Naomi, the awkward tension shifting back in between them.
“Wine,” Naomi blurts, feeling embarrassed when Emily looks back up at her with amusement clouding her eyes. “I mean, do you want a drink?”
Emily smiles brightly. “That’d be great thanks.”
Naomi can’t stop her hand from shaking as she attempts to pour the wine into the glasses, feels the nervous fluttering in her stomach spreading throughout her whole body when Emily’s hand covers her own a second later.
“Relax, Nae,” Emily whispers, steadying Naomi’s hand and looking up at her with a soft smile.
Naomi releases a shaky breath. “Sorry...”
Emily carefully removes Naomi’s hand from the bottle and says, “Why don’t you check on the food, I’ll pour the wine, yeah?”
“Yeah, good idea,” Naomi says slowly shifting her attention away from Emily as she sets about checking and serving up the pasta.
Naomi makes a mental note to thank Effy when Emily takes her first bite and lets out an appreciative sound and then has to try hard for the rest of the meal not to think of similar noises that Emily makes that sound equally good if not better; has to remind herself that this is not where their evening together is headed.
-----
Their night together passes quickly, neither of them noticing the time as they sit together drinking and talking in the living room, simply enjoying each other’s company and relaxing by degrees as the alcohol starts to work its way into their systems.
It’s only when they’ve somehow managed to shift close enough together that their thighs are pressing together and brushing ever so slightly whenever they laugh that Emily seems to sober a little, cautiously moving away from Naomi and glancing over at the clock.
“I should go,” Emily murmurs as she takes in the time. “It’s late.”
Naomi does it without thinking, reaches out and places her hand on Emily’s knee and says, “Stay.”
Emily looks so taken back by her suggestion that Naomi glances away quickly, feeling awfully embarrassed for the hundredth time in one evening. She hears Emily’s voice a second later, quiet and with a hint of warning. “Naomi...”
Naomi looks back at Emily then and sees the fear darkening her eyes and finds herself laughing nervously in response, wanting to dispel Emily’s worries. “I didn’t mean it like that Em... just stay and sleep for the sake of sleeping.” She sees the hesitancy that spreads across Emily’s face and adds, “Plus, we’ve been drinking, I can’t really let you drive home, can I?”
Emily bites at her lip, obviously conflicted by the mere suggestion and the implications it might cause, shrugs her shoulders when she says, “I don’t know if it’s a good idea, Nae.”
Naomi smiles back at her and teases, “Come on Em, I promise not to grope you in the night.”
“Fine,” Emily replies rolling her eyes as her lips twitch up into a smile. “But you better keep on your half of the bed, you’re a right hogger.”
“I am not!” Naomi gasps in offence, feeling her defence slipping when Emily pins her with a challenging stare.
Emily laughs when Naomi cracks and smiles. “See, you are too, and you know it. You always used to fall asleep on your side and then slowly shift across until you were dead in the middle, all spread out and stealing all of the covers while I clung to the tiny bit of room that I managed to save from you.”
Naomi finds herself smiling softly as Emily recalls the memory and tentatively brushes her thumb across Emily’s knee. “Well, I promise I won’t this time, yeah? We can even make a little pillow barrier if you’d like.”
She feels Emily shudder slightly at her caress and has to fight the urge to lean over and kiss her when Emily whispers, “That won’t be necessary. I believe you.”
-----
They get changed in separate rooms, Emily borrowing one of Naomi’s old large oversized t-shirts to sleep in and once they’re both ready and back in Naomi’s room, they stare at each other a little hesitantly from opposite sides of the bed.
Naomi sees the shift in Emily’s body language, watches as her shoulders slowly hunch up with tension and gestures quickly at her bed before Emily can change her mind. “You okay on that side, yeah?”
Emily swallows audibly and nods her head just the once, her voice coming out quiet when she replies, “Yeah, I always sleep on this side so it’s fine.”
“Thought so,” Naomi says with a small smile, ignoring the way that Emily’s breath catches at the way Naomi’s obviously remembered from all that time ago.
Naomi gets in first, pulling down the duvet and slipping into the bed with ease before tilting her head to stare at Emily who falters for a split second before crawling in next to her. The tension seeps in the moment that Naomi turns the light off, feels herself stiffening and laying motionless as Emily twists and turns next to her, obviously trying to get comfortable.
“Thanks for coming over tonight, Ems. It’s been really lovely,” Naomi murmurs quietly into the darkness.
She feels the mattress dip as Emily turns again and feels herself smiling when Emily gently whispers back, “Me too, Nae. Night.”
Naomi turns her head to try and make Emily out but can’t, lets out a content sigh instead as she turns on her side to face in Emily’s direction. “Night Em, sleep well.”
-----
She wakes slowly, her eyes blinking open and adjusting to the light tentatively, and it’s only when she feels a warm breath puffing out against her neck that Naomi remembers that she didn’t fall asleep alone.
It takes her a moment longer to register Emily’s arm draped over her stomach, their legs carelessly entwined and Naomi can’t stop herself from tilting her head ever so slightly to get a better look at Emily’s face.
Naomi feels her lips curling up into a small smile as she watches Emily sleep peacefully, her eyelashes fluttering softly and her lips parted ever so slightly in a way that forces Naomi’s heart clench achingly in a way that makes Naomi desperate to touch.
She’s careful then, as she daringly brushes her fingertips across Emily’s cheek, tracing the outline of her jaw before continuing on down the curve of her neck; the skin warm and smooth beneath her touch.
Emily stirs a moment later, letting out a content purr as Naomi’s fingers lightly trail along her collarbone and Naomi scolds herself when brown eyes blink open and register her and what she’s doing.
Naomi stills her caress and watches as Emily’s gaze falls to the arm she has draped over Naomi’s waist, sees the shock that glimmers in her eyes as she realises that they’re no longer safely separated by space but instead cuddled comfortably together; their bodies connected in nearly every place possible.
Emily’s eyes find her again and Naomi feels her stiffen as she goes to pull her arm back, clearly horrified that her control and guard has slipped while she’s been asleep. Naomi knows it’s daring, probably a little bit foolish, but she can’t help but want to stay in the moment for as long as possible, and so moves her hand to cover Emily’s arm and keeps her in place.
“Don’t,” Naomi whispers, holding Emily’s eyes and silently pleading with her. “It’s okay... stay, just for a few minutes more.”
Emily closes her eyes and lets out a shuddering breath in response and when Naomi feels Emily relax against her again and reopen her eyes, she runs her hand along Emily’s arm, wrapping it around her and pulls her in just a little bit closer, feeling content when Emily sighs against her and squeezes at her hip.
-----
It’s almost 10.a.m. by the time they finally and a little reluctantly break apart and head downstairs in search of some food- Naomi’s stomach rumbling loudly and making them both giggle as it alerts them of its need for breakfast.
Effy, JJ and Bricker are already seated around the table and eating toast when they get to the kitchen and Naomi’s silently thankful when the surprised look on Effy’s face disappears just as quickly as it emerged.
“Morning guys,” Effy says casually, offering them both a smile as she reaches over and squeezes JJ’s hand, obviously distracting him and cutting him off from whatever shocked ramble he was clearly about to go off on.
“Morning.” Naomi moves further into the kitchen and avoids meeting JJ’s eye as she settles down at the table and pulls a stupid face at Bricker.
It’s only when Bricker doesn’t respond to her greeting, that she follows his gaze and turns back to the doorway to see Emily lingering awkwardly, her brow furrowed as she bites at her bottom lip. Naomi feels her stomach flop at the sight of Emily so nervous and conflicted around the people they’ve known for longer than she can remember and extends her hand out in Emily’s direction with an encouraging smile.
Emily looks back and forth between Naomi and Effy and JJ and eventually takes the few short steps between her and everybody and squeezes Naomi’s hand before settling into the seat next to her.
“You two look rather well rested,” JJ says, pouring them both cups of coffee. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah... really well, thanks,” Emily murmurs back, flashing Naomi a soft smile before taking the coffee JJ passes and sipping at it.
It seems natural then, how quickly the air of awkwardness evaporates around them as they all settle into easy conversation, and as Naomi watches Emily laugh with Effy, while Bricker tugs at JJ’s sleeve and passes him a car, Naomi can’t help but think this is exactly how her family should look.
-----
Katie calls her unexpectedly sometime during the start of November.
“How’s things muffmuncher?”
Naomi rolls her eyes and laughs because even if Katie’s grown up a part of her will always be Katie ‘I’ve never not had a boyfriend’ Fitch and it’s that part that used to infuriate Naomi so much that now makes her smile in amusement the most.
“Katiekins, what a lovely surprise,” Naomi drawls in that slow way she knows grates on Katie’s nerves, and pulls a cigarette from her packet, resting it between her lips before adding. “I’m doing pretty well thanks. Now, what’d you want because you’re clearly not ringing me for a chit-chat.”
She hears Katie gasp in mock defence and mutter, “Bitch.” which only serves to make Naomi laugh again before she clicks her lighter and takes a puff of her cigarette. “I don’t know why I bother with you, you massive cunt.” Katie adds playfully. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m coming up to see Ems this weekend and I’m, like, going to suggest that we all get together for a drink or something. Surprise her with our new BFF bond, yeah?”
“Does she know that you came and met me that day in Bristol?” Naomi asks growing serious.
“Nah, I didn’t want to get her any more wound up than she already was, and well, I’m not sure she would have believed me if I’d said I’d been nice to you.”
“So, what, she just thinks I buggered off back to London on my own?”
Katie chuckles wickedly. “Babes, she doesn’t think you’re that bloody clever.” Naomi scoffs. “I told her I’d sent you back on your merry way when you came to my house that time, all right?”
“Yeah, fine. Well, I suppose none of that matters now anyway. Things have been going good for us, so...”
“Ems said when she rang me,” Katie replies pleasantly. “Look, I’ve got to go, but we’ll catch up properly when we go out, yeah?”
“Yeah, sure. See you soon, Katiekins.”
“Later bitch.”
It’s only when Naomi hangs up the phone that she realises for the first time ever in her life, she’s actually looking forward to seeing Katie Fitch in person.
-----
Emily looks completely baffled the moment Naomi meets them at the restaurant and greets both her and Katie with a brief hug, and she has to bite hard at her lip to keep from laughing when she sees Katie smirk in a mixture of amusement and smugness.
The look of utter confusion cover Emily’s face only intensifies throughout the meal when she and Katie pass friendly and ridiculously playful banter back and forth between them instead of their usual disgusted and loathing bouts of mutual hatred.
“Okay, that’s it,” Emily says as they exit the restaurant, cutting through whatever it that Naomi and Katie are laughing about. “When the hell did this happen?”
They both stare back at her trying very hard not to smile. “When did what happen Em?” Naomi asks, chancing a quick glance at Katie who immediately joins in with her own, “Yeah, Ems, what the fuck are you talking about?”
Their answers only act to fuel Emily further and she gestures wildly at them, her eyes wide and disbelieving. “This.” She mutters exasperatedly. “This odd little nicety thing that you two have going on.”
Katie smirks and cocks an eyebrow as she links her arm through Naomi’s. “Fuck’s sake, Ems. All those years you kept banging on about us being chums and now that we’re playing nicely you get your pants all in a twist. Make your bloody mind up.”
Naomi watches Emily’s mouth drop open a little and can’t contain her laugher any longer. “Sorry Em,” she says when she sees Emil glaring at them. “Katiekins and I made nice in Bristol after you’d told me to bugger off.”
“Yeah,” Katie adds with a smile. “And now we’re like, totally best buds aren’t we babes?” Naomi laughs again and nods her head.
Emily rolls her eyes and smiles back at them. “You’re both complete cunts. I was worried you were doing that fake, overly civilised thing that you used to do when Naomi had to come for dinner at ours with mum and dad.”
“Nope. It’s all real this time,” Naomi says smiling happily. “We’re far too wise and mature to be that dickish anytime soon.”
Katie huffs out a chuckle. “Whatever babes, you’re still pretty dickish.”
“Yeah, well, you’re still a bitch so we’re even.” Naomi retorts with a smirk.
“Right, that’s it,” Emily cuts in as Katie opens her mouth again. “This night has been surprisingly nice and I don’t need you two spoiling it now with one of your insult wars.”
“Fine,” Katie mutters in a playfully dejected tone before turning her attention towards Naomi. “It’s been a pleasure as always.”
“Yeah, it’s been swell, Katiekins,” Naomi replies, letting Katie pull her into a quick hug and laughing when Katie mutters, ‘cow’ into her ear before letting her go.
Emily looks over at her a little awkwardly then and says, “Right, well, thanks for a good night. I guess I’ll see you Monday morning.”
“Yeah,” Naomi replies tensely. “Monday.”
Emily doesn’t make an attempt to move, just stares at her for a few long seconds before closing the gap between them and pressing a kiss to Naomi’s cheek. Naomi smiles shyly when Emily pulls back and tries not to mumble something idiotic when she sees the cute, embarrassed blush that quickly appears on Emily’s cheeks.
They don’t say anything, just stare at each other until they both break out into happy grins and Naomi waves goofily as Emily heads over to Katie and links their arms together as they start to walk away.
As Naomi watches them disappear into the distance, she can’t quite believe just how much easier things were with the three of them getting along, knows it’s already going to make a difference in the long run and goes home with a happy smile plastered across her face.
-----
December comes in the blink of an eye.
And Naomi feels almost stupidly upset when Emily tells her that she’s going back to Bristol for a few days to spend Christmas with her parents and Katie and ends up holding her in a hug for far longer than she should when Emily comes over to the house to say goodbye, pressing a lingering kiss to Naomi’s cheek before turning around and leaving without looking back.
Naomi only sees the wet splodge on her shirt when Effy points it out as she joins her back in the kitchen to bake cakes with her and Bricker, and feels herself grinning like an idiot when she realises she’s not the only one already missing someone and wishing they could spend Christmas together.
-----
As it turns out, Effy’s mum surprises them with an invite home to Bristol for Christmas, and when she tells Effy that Tony will be home and that she’s always welcome to bring JJ, and her (non-gay lover) Naomi too, Effy practically lights up with joy and begs Naomi to come until she agrees.
They invite her mum and Kieran too, and Naomi almost feels tense and irritated just by the mere thought of being trapped in a room with everyone and being made to be jolly and cheerful when all she wants to do is mope about how she already, pathetically misses Emily. But then Bricker bounces onto her lap during the train journey home and excitedly points out a guy dressed as Santa, dispelling all of her dread in an instant; knows that Christmas day is always worth it as long as she gets to see his little face light up in shock and amazement.
-----
Christmas day isn’t half as bad as she expected it to be.
Anthea’s matured surprisingly during the short time that she’s managed to stay sober, and nothing makes Naomi smile more than seeing Effy so utterly happy with her family.
Her mum and Kieran are easily pleased and she feels instantly grateful to Tony who manages to keep everyone entertained with his natural charm and ease without bringing alcohol into the mix.
And then there’s JJ, who turns up just after lunch after having spent the morning with his mum, and surprises Bricker with a Scaletrix set and Effy with a beautiful necklace and Naomi can’t help but think that it’s all rather lovely, even when Kieran manages to accidentally spill coffee all over the floor.
They might be a slightly dysfunctional lot, but they’re hers and Naomi finds herself rolling her eyes and joining in with them all just because she can.
-----
It only occurs to her mid-afternoon that Emily’s house is only a fifteen minute walk from Effy’s and if she wanted to, she could easily sneak away for a couple of hours to see her.
She sends Emily a quick text and tries not to get her hopes up, knows there’s a chance that Emily will be stuck in some kind of festive Fitch scenario and may not be able to make a getaway, but within seconds Emily texts her back and Naomi’s unable to contain her smile as she snatches up her coat and slips out of the house unnoticed.
-----
Emily meets her at the end of the road from her house on the corner just like she used to when Naomi would manage to coax her to sneak out from under her parents’ watchful eyes for a quick and sneaky make-out session. And Naomi can tell just by the way Emily smiles cheeky and rolls her eyes that she’s remembering something along the same lines as she is.
“Hey,” Naomi says when she gets closer, ignoring the cold wind and slight snowfall. “Merry Christmas.”
Emily smiles back at her and pulls her into a hug, says, “Merry Christmas, Nae.”
Naomi glances past Emily’s shoulder in the direction of the Fitch house and asks, “How are you? The Fitch clan driving you insane yet?”
Emily chuckles and tugs at Naomi’s arm getting her to start walking along beside her. “Just a little. Luckily we’ve all gotten too old for the games now and mum and dad back off when we tell then we’ve out grown playing ‘pin the tail in the reindeer’. What about your mum and Kieran, driving you up the wall?”
Naomi scoffs and follows it up with a smirk. “Not only have I got mum and Kieran to deal with, I now have my adored extended family of Effy and her mad bunch. Oh, and Jay, but he looks a little overwhelmed by it all, has stayed pretty quiet so far.”
Emily smiles softly. “Him and Effy worked out surprisingly well, huh?”
“Yeah,” Naomi nods. “I never would have pictured them together when we were at college but now they just--”
“Work?” Emily cuts in, glancing sideways at Naomi.
Naomi lets out an amused sigh and smiles. “Who would have thought that a few years and a bit of growing up would have had such an effect on two people?”
“I don’t know,” Emily says, smiling softly over at Naomi as she slides their hands together and entwines their fingers. “Seems like that’s an occurring theme around here, right?”
Naomi glances down at their hands and finds that she has to swallow hard against the emotional lump in her throat before she can look back at Emily and happily murmur, “Yeah, it does.”
Emily doesn’t say anything else, just squeezes Naomi’s hand a little tighter and lets them enjoy the moment of just walking silently together.
-----
The first thing Naomi notices when they stop to look out over Bristol harbour, is how red Emily’s cute little button nose has gotten in the cold.
It makes her giggle and smile uncontrollably when Emily sniffs for, like, the twentieth time in five minutes and she turns to Naomi with a bemused smile and wide eyes. “What?” Naomi shakes her head and bites at her bottom lip until Emily prods at her and repeats herself.
She unties her scarf then, instead of replying and carefully loops it around Emily’s neck, tying it perfectly and tucking the ends into Emily’s coat before grinning back at her and tapping Emily’s nose with her index finger. “You looked a little cold, Rudolph.”
Emily scoffs at Naomi’s teasing and swats at Naomi’s hand which only makes Naomi break out into a laugh. It doesn’t last long because within seconds Emily’s grabbed her by the collar of her coat and is tugging her forward and into a kiss.
It’s tentative and slow and delicate and just enough to make Naomi feel like she’s melting into her as they pull apart reluctantly.
Naomi releases a shaky breath against Emily’s lips and finds herself at a loss for words, doesn’t know what to say when kissing Emily like that has been all that Naomi’s wanted since the moment their lives collided again.
She smiles shyly instead and watches as Emily smiles tenderly back at her, and decides that she doesn’t need to say anything at all, Emily already knows, she feels it too.
-----
They kiss once more when they get back to the Fitch house and Naomi has to stop herself from rolling her eyes and laughing when she hears an, “Emily, is that you darling? We’ve all been waiting for you before we--”
And it wouldn’t quite be the perfect moment without Jenna Fitch intruding, staring over at them- at Naomi with a look of shock and general confusion.
Emily runs her hand down Naomi’s arm and links their hands together while simultaneously turning towards her mum and saying, “Sorry mum, Naomi and I went for a walk and lost track of time.”
Naomi waits then, as Jenna’s gaze falls down to their entwined hands, for the burst of disgust and rage that normally spews out of her mouth whenever she catches sight of Naomi with her daughter or just Naomi anywhere, but it doesn’t come.
Instead, Jenna smiles politely, albeit a little awkwardly and beckons them over. “Why don’t you invite Naomi in for a drink, Emily? It’s rude to leave your guests standing out in the cold.”
“Sure mum, that’ll be nice, thanks,” Emily replies with a smile before turning back to Naomi with amusement clouding her eyes when she sees the shock evident on Naomi’s face.
“What the hell happened to your mum?” Naomi whispers as Emily tugs her towards the house. “She’s almost, like, human now or something. It’s weird.”
Emily just shakes her head and laughs as she pulls her inside. “Shut up, Naomi.”
-----
It feels a little bit like she’s suffering an outer-body experience.
Naomi doesn’t quite know what to make of it all as Jenna makes polite conversation with her and Emily while Rob clumsily shoves a can of larger into her hand and pats her roughly on the back even as James and Katie continue to pull amused faces at her from the couch.
It still feels a little bit weird, takes until Emily sits down next to her and places her hand comfortingly on her knee for Naomi to relax and actually start to enjoy herself.
It’s nice, but it’s a weird nice that Naomi isn’t quite sure what to do with yet, even when Emily laughs at her again for what feels like the tenth time and kisses her goodbye at the door two hours later with a “welcome to the family” that has Naomi smiling all the way back to Effy’s.
-----
They’re all back in London for New Year’s and when Effy manages to convince Tony to come back to London with them and babysit Bricker on New Year’s eve, she organises a little get-together for the four of them - her, JJ, Naomi and Emily - and somehow convinces them all to spend a night out on the town, drinking and celebrating as the old year passes and the new one arrives.
Effy gets annoyed with how reluctant they all seem to begin with and with a few well placed drink orders and some dancing, they’ve all loosened up by the time midnight starts to come around.
Naomi comes back in from having a smoke just in time to catch sight of Effy and JJ dancing together slowly in the middle of a crowd, all smiles and kisses, and manages to find Emily again a couple of minutes before the countdown starts.
Emily pulls her in close, looping her arms behind Naomi’s neck and smiles at her brightly as Naomi wraps her arms around her and lets them sway to the music together. And it’s only when the countdown begins and Emily tugs at the back of her neck, drawing her down for a deep, slow kiss and whispers, “To never looking back but always forwards” against her lips, that Naomi feels her heart bursting with an overwhelming sense of love and believes that this will be the year when everything in her life properly begins.
-----
She wakes naked and twisted beneath cool sheets with a warm body pressed tightly up against her side and feels her lips quirking up into a soft smile as she trails her eyes over Emily’s face and lets herself reach out and run her fingertips over the soft skin of Emily’s arm and shoulder.
Emily stirs beneath her touch and blinks her eyes open with a sleepy smile, letting out a content sigh as Naomi traces her fingers down Emily’s bare back where the sheet has slipped away and left her exposed to Naomi’s gaze and touch.
Naomi’s aware of Emily watching her, can feel her looking, as she keeps her own eyes glued intently to the way that Emily’s skin seems to melt and mould around her fingertips with each passing stroke that she makes.
And it’s only because it all seems too much, too unreal that Emily’s still there with her and letting her touch without moving away, without flinching, that Naomi finds herself saying it just because she can.
Breathes it out honest and true, “I love you...”
Emily closes her eyes at the words, at finally hearing it at a time when she can, when it isn’t wrong for either of them, and Naomi uses the opportunity to trail her hand up to Emily’s face and cup her cheek, brushing the pad of her thumb gently across Emily’s skin.
Naomi watches as Emily’s eyes re-open, nuzzling her face into Naomi’s hand and looks back at Naomi lovingly, her emotions raw and open and there for Naomi to see in her eyes when she murmurs back, “I love you too.”
“I know,” Naomi says, smiling when Emily turns her head and kisses her palm. “I’ve always known.”
Emily smiles back at her beautifully and shifts enough to close the tiny bit of distance still left between them as she pulls their hands away from her face to rest nestled between their hearts and takes her time to kiss Naomi languidly, tenderly- enough to leave them both trembling and breathless.
Naomi knows that neither of them are faultless and that what they have may not be the perfect fairytale version of love that Emily had hoped for, but it’s theirs, and when Emily breaks away to look at her, to really look at her openly and adoringly, Naomi knows she’ll spend the rest of her life holding onto it.
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As a little extra thank you, I have made a fanmix out of the playlist I used to write this story. Download it here: Where I Stood: The Chapter Mixes - (a not really fanmix)