When We're Alone

The Barn

Emily and Sue haven't been able to stop thinking about one another since that morning in bed and it had been nearly two weeks since that last happened. They continued their lives as usual—Emily kept herself cooped up in her room for the most part as she wrote poem after poem. She had an occasional outing with George, but she didn't see him every single day like Sue and Austin did. Sue continued to reside at the Homestead, and she grabbed almost all her belongings out from the boarding house she had been staying in.

They shared a bed every single night. Every night having to refrain from holding each other. Every night having to refrain from kissing each other. Every night having to refrain from doing what they both really wanted to do.

Things didn't necessarily become weird after that morning, but they did keep some distance between them. Both girls knew what happened shouldn't have happened, but it felt so right in the moment—Emily couldn't help herself and Sue couldn't help Emily help herself either because she wanted it to happen just as bad.

It had been a Monday morning and Sue was up at the crack of dawn to go fetch water with Lavinia like Mrs. Dickinson asked them to. Emily stayed back and slept in a little longer, but she agreed to help prepare their meal for breakfast once the girls came back with the buckets.

Emily looked up at the ceiling and sighed as she laid awake in bed. Sue and Vinnie had left about a half an hour prior and were due to be back in the next few minutes. Emily wasn't ready to get out of bed quite yet or start the day at all for that matter. All she wanted to do was stay in her bedroom today and write poetry, but she knew that would have to wait until the day settled later.

"Emily?" A voice said from outside the door. Emily turned her attention to the door as it opened a crack, "We're back." Sue said softly. "Us and your sister are on breakfast duty this morning—your mother had to go into town early and said it's up to us."

Emily sighed and let out a groan, "Honestly, I'd rather not—why don't you and Vin just—."

"Emily Dickinson." Sue said sternly, now stepping into the bedroom completely. "Don't you dare."

"Don't I dare what?" Emily asked, grinning.

Sue scoffed and crossed her arms, "Tell me no."

Emily opened her mouth to speak but no words came out at first.

"I'm not telling you no, Susie, I just—." Emily started, but Sue cut her off.

"Let's go. Right now." She said, locking eyes with Emily.

"Damn!" Emily said, rolling out of bed. "Okay, okay."

She walked over to her closet and grabbed her morning robe out and put it on over her nightgown. Sue watched every move she made up until the point she was approaching her by the door.

Emily stopped in front of her and raised an eyebrow, smirking again, "Excuse me—you're blocking the door."

Sue still had her arms crossed as she eyed Emily up and down, "You can walk past me."

"I cannot." Emily protested, gesturing toward Sue, "You're literally in the doorway, Susie." She took a step closer and scanned her eyes over Sue intently just like she had just done to her.

Sue put her hands on her hips and looked at Emily's lips as she inched in even closer. Emily's composure was calm, cool, and collected but her breath was shaky as she was only a few inches apart from Sue's face.

"Move it." Emily said, her eyebrow raised and voice low.

"I don't like the way you're speaking to me right now, Emily." Sue said seriously, now crossing her arms again. She leaned her side against the door frame so there was space for Emily to exit the room. She gestured out toward the hallway by nodding her head, "Go."