Head over heels (girlxgirl)

Head over heels (girlxgirl) 4

The next day Tina took her bike to the bookshop. She loved reading, but as a teacher she couldn’t find the time, yet she figured she could at least try. The shop wasn’t that big, and she quickly found someone, she knew. She stopped for a moment.

There Emma stood with music in her ear and cap on her head. A shirt, a pair of boyish jeans and her beloved skateboard made the rest of her outfit. She rocked her head to the music while she looked in a book about drawings. Drawings? Tina didn’t know that she was drawing, but then again, - she didn’t know all about her.

She smiled to herself. She liked Emma. Somehow she was different. When she saw Emma the first time, she was fascinated by her assertiveness. Surely she had a strong personality, knew and said what she wanted. Yet an odd frailty lay upon her that Tina could not yet put her finger on. She was humble, - so humble towards Tina in a way it was really flattering. She was a fascinating young woman, who Tina often caught herself watching.

Smiling, she shook her head. Yes, she liked Emma. She liked Emma a lot, - she was very beautiful. Unique, but very handsome, with an adorable smile.

Well, the world was definitely small.

Emma had never looked in a book that should help someone getting started to draw. She just painted what she saw and poured her feelings into the painting. So it was interesting for her to look in such a book, but she didn’t feel the need to buy it.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t see that someone was coming nearer until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Automatically Emma stiffened. Who was that? Before she could turn around to see who it was, a familiar voice asked, “Do you draw?” Emma turned her head to see, if it was the someone, whose voice she thought, she heard. She thought she heard Tina’s voice, but it couldn’t be her, right? First of all, the small city she lived in was still quite big, and what where the odds that they met in the same bookstore? And secondly that couldn’t be Tina’s voice she heard – that would simply be too good to be true.

So when Emma turned herself around, she had to take a deep breath, because Tina’s beautiful face left no air for her to breathe. She took the music out of her ears and smiled to Tina, who somehow examined her. “Sorry, it’s just.. you scared me, I didn’t hear you come.” “Oh, sorry. That wasn’t my intention.” “No, it’s okay, I shouldn’t have used both earphones, they shut all the surrounding sound out. Yes” she continued.

Tina looked questioning at her. God, had she already forgotten what she had asked? How cute was that? She smiled. “I draw” she explained. “Oh, right” Tina laughed. “Yes, of course. Otherwise you wouldn’t look in that book.” She twinkled at Emma, who felt her face blush, which caused Tina to smile. “How long?” Tina asked. “Since..” Emma’s gaze became distant. Her face was marked with sorrow and she gulped. She looked into Tina’s beautiful eyes, who was puzzled by the sudden hardness that Emma sent out. “I lost my father three years ago. That was when I started drawing.”

She looked away and her eyes slowly filled with tears. Tina stepped closer and stroked her arm. “I’m so sorry.”, she whispered. Emma turned her head and looked despondent into Tina’s eyes, while a single tear rolled down her cheek. Tina felt a weird sense of tenderness toward the girl that suddenly seemed so small and stepped closer to embrace her. She could feel Emma stiffen but she relaxed just a moment later and took a deep breath while she put her arms around Tina and held her tight.

Emma closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

How was that possible? It was like Tina could see into her very soul. She felt naked. Not physically, but more as if her thoughts and memories were laid out on a table for Tina to look on.

But that just felt so good, standing in Tina’s embrace, she didn’t want to let go. After a while, too soon, Tina pulled back. “Hey, you okay?” Her caring voice almost made the tears fall again, but she fought them back and nodded shortly.

Tina moved back to the bookshelf, turning her attention toward something else, as she had the feeling that Emma needed a moment to calm herself. She looked at the books, and soon found something that looked interesting. She then looked at Emma who still stood on the same place holding the same book. Tina came over to Emma and stroke her back. “Better?” she asked. Emma nodded and said seriously. ”It’s not your fault, Tina. You couldn’t know that. It comes and goes – sometimes worse than other times.” Tina slowly nodded. ”Okay. If you need anything, – someone to talk to, or a moment alone or anything, just tell me, okay?” She smiled warmly at Emma. “Thanks,” Emma gratefully said.

 ”Bye Emma”. Tina turned around and Emma mechanically reached for her hand. Tina turned around end Emma let it go, confused.

She didn’t just reach for her hand, right? 'Cuz that would be embarassing.

“Eh” Emma babbled. She opened her mouth to say something, while she looked in Tina’s mesmerizing eyes, but that just added to the emptiness in her head. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and smiled apologetic to Tina. “Nothing, sorry,” she said. “Okay,” Tina responded and smiled at her before she left.

A long time after Tina was gone, Emma looked at the spot where Tina had disappeared. Her mind seemed to work at high pressure.

What just happened here?

Emma stood at the same spot for a long time with the book in her hand. Suddenly she smiled, took her skateboard and went out the shop without the book – she figured she didn’t need it. On the way out she nearly knocked over a pile of books that stood near the entrance. She smiled at the sudden memory that came to her mind: