No Escape

Within These Arms

There were a lot of ways for two people to avoid talking about something and with Emily and Alison, they were nothing short of masters in the craft. With both of them having baggage over their shoulders, sometimes it was easier to put off whatever it was that was bothering them. Whether or not postponing talking about something was a good thing was really a case-to-case kind of thing. At the moment, they had both silently mutually agreed that they were putting the discussion about their relationship in the back burner while they dealt with other things, like Pam's incarceration. And maybe groceries.

Alison bit her bottom lip as she crossed off something on the list, looking up as Emily walked ahead of her, already checking the aisle for what they were getting next. Alison couldn't help the smile that came to her lips as she tilted her head watching Emily for a bit before looking back down on the list. It was divided into sections, arranged so they didn't have to go through the aisles more than once. Alison couldn't help but find Emily's need for structure adorable.

"I hope you know that smiling down at a grocery list counts as creepy."

Alison slowly looked up to meet the eyes of a guy with a smile that she knew other girls would have swooned at. She only raised an eyebrow, and the guy's charm only doubled, his smile widening. "That was what I was going for," she replied flatly, already placing her hands over the cart to start pushing away. She'd promised Emily she wouldn't have any outbursts for at least a while, but her muscles were already tensing as the guy followed her, basket in the arm away from Alison so he could walk closer, but at a socially acceptable distance. This was a guy who was sincere about his efforts to ask her out.

"Well, you totally got it. But..."

"But?" Alison looked ahead to catch Emily's eyes, eyebrows raised up at her, before Emily grinned, arms crossing as if she was settling to watch the show. Alison rolled her eyes just as the guy looked to the side to pick up an item, so he wasn't able to see it.

"Maybe stroke the grocery list, too. Complete the image."

Alison raised her eyebrows to stare at the guy for a few seconds. "All right, I'm done with this conversation."

Before she could move, the guy placed his hand on the cart, aware that if he touched Alison to stop her, he wouldn't be getting what he wanted. "I'm sorry. Over the top. I just get a little flustered when I talk to..." He gestured towards Alison, not knowing how to describe her.

"Attractive girls like me?" Alison offered, standing on her tiptoes to reach something that she would likely drop if she even managed to jostle it.

As she predicted, the guy reached over to take the item from the top shelf, leaning over her a bit before stepping back and handing over the box. "Confident and attractive, yes." His dimples shown when he smiled, nodding his head in agreement.

Alison murmured a thanks, and looked up through her lashes inconspicuously to catch Emily's eyes again, while placing the box on the cart. She gave her girlfriend an are-you-really-going-to-let-this-guy-flirt-with-me look, but when she looked up at the guy again, she was smiling. "That's sweet," she replied blandly, feeling her hand twitch with the impulse to snap at the guy.

"Sam, by the way. My name, I mean. I'm Sam."

Alison paused as she studied the guy, trying to decide if he was worth telling her name to, when someone called him.

They both looked up at a call, and Alison realized it was the Sam's friend saying something about them being late to a party. The guy looked back at Alison, and Alison recognized the look as someone who had just been given a bright idea. "Hey, ah, maybe you'd want to go? It's a bit of a distance away. I could pick you up if you'll have any problem going-"