It was a rainy Tuesday as all the girls arrived to help Olivia and Eva move into their new house. Lily and Emily giggled and babbled happily in their pram as they watched the bustling activity around them.
"Wow, Liv, this place is amazing!" exclaimed Beth as she entered the house, carrying a box of kitchen utensils. "You and Eva are going to love living here."
"Yeah, it's perfect," Katie chimed in, balancing a stack of books in her arms. "And just think, you'll have plenty of room for all of Eva's football trophies!"
Liv laughed, her cheeks flushing slightly at the playful teasing. "Thanks, guys," she said, grateful for their support. "We're really excited to make this place our own."
"Alright, team, let's get to work!" declared Beth, rolling up her sleeves and setting her box down in the kitchen. "We've got a house to move into!"
"Sounds like a plan," Katie chimed in, setting the books down in the living room. "But first, can we all agree that whoever finds the coffee maker gets dibs on the first cup?"
Liv laughed, feeling grateful for this team being around her. "Thanks, guys," she said, her voice filled with emotion. "This means the world to me."
"It means the world to us, both of us." Eva added with a chuckle, smiling at Olivia as she took the twins out of their pram and brought them into the living room to crawl around. "Now, no one step on the babies."
"I can take them if you want. I probably won't be too much help organising to be honest. I can set up the cots and stuff in the nursery, and keep them in there with me for a little while." Viv offered.
Beth looked at her and laughed. "You're just trying to get out of carrying boxes. And you get baby cuddles as a bonus!" She said jokingly.
"I'll admit it's an upside." Viv responded, not seeming the least bit sorry
Liv turned to them, chuckling herself as she said "If you're willing to sit in a room with 10 month old twins for a couple hours, I'll certainly appreciate it. Come and get us if you need anything alright?"
Viv nodded, picking up the babies, and bringing them upstairs, cooing to them in dutch on the way. "You two are going to be bilingual babies! Do you know what that means?" She cooed to them.
"I can hear you Viv!" Olivia shouted up the stairs with a laugh. "Not that I'm objecting, you just have to teach me too so I don't end up with toddlers asking me for things in a language I don't understand."
Everyone laughed at that, and went back to bringing boxes inside and unpacking them. There was rather a lot of stuff, so it was definitely going to take all day.
As the day went on, Liv and Eva found themselves working together, unpacking boxes and arranging furniture with ease. Lily and Emily, under the watchful eye of Auntie Viv, crawled around the living room, exploring every nook and cranny.
"Look, Lily, it's a teddy bear!" Eva exclaimed, holding up a plush toy for the twins to see. Lily squealed with delight, reaching out to grab the toy with chubby fingers. Emily also looked, but got a little startled and scooted over to Viv for a cuddle.
Meanwhile, Beth, Steph, Kyra, Less, Kim, Caitlin, Leah, Lia, Vic, Laura and Katie worked tirelessly to help Liv and Eva settle into their new home. Between unpacking boxes and assembling furniture, there was more than enough work for everyone, though some good old Taylor Swift helped lighten the mood. Leah had brought a speaker, and was, of course, the DJ. They spent most of the day singing along to some team favourites, including Cornelia Street.
"Hey, Liv, where do you want these?" called out Steph, holding up a stack of picture frames.
"Over there, next to the couch, please," replied Liv, gesturing to a blank wall. "Thanks, Steph!"
Eva, meanwhile, was busy assembling a bookshelf in the corner of the room, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Liv, do you think this looks straight?" she asked, holding up a level for Liv to inspect.
Liv nodded approvingly, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Perfect, Eva. It's almost as straight as you."
Eva blushed, looking back to the level quickly. Liv tilted Eva's chin back up to look at her, chuckling as Eva's gaze met hers, a flicker of anticipation dancing in her eyes. Liv leaned in, her lips brushing against Eva's ear as she whispered, "The shelf is perfect." With a playful smile, Liv closed the distance between them, capturing Eva's lips in a quick kiss. Liv quickly pulled away, chuckling as Eva sighed, and went back to unpacking the box she was working on.
"Okay, team, time for a quick break!" announced Beth, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. "Who's up for some pizza?"
Everyone cheered, and rushed over to the dining table, which had only been set up 20 minutes prior. Viv set Lily and Emily in their high chairs, and they watched intently as the girls began taking slices for themselves. The twins both started slamming their fists on their trays, asking for their own slices.
"Alright you two, I'll cut some up for you in just a minute." Olivia said soothingly.
"It's alright Liv, I'm not hungry yet, I can grab it for them. You sit down and eat." Eva responded quickly. "You deserve it, please let me do this." She whispered softly into Livs ear.
Liv sighed, and sat down, leaving Eva to grab a slice of pizza, cutting it up into small pieces, then placing it on the twins trays, making sure to put their bibs on too.
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A couple hours later, all of the girls had gone home. Liv and Eva had just put the twins down to bed, and Eva was washing all the dishes as Olivia tidied up the rest of the kitchen.
"I can't believe we did it," Liv murmured, her voice quiet as she glanced over at Eva.
"Me neither," replied Eva, her cheeks flushing slightly as their eyes met. "But I couldn't have done it without you." As Eva scrubbed the last of the dishes, her hands stilled for a moment as she looked over at Liv, a tender smile spreading across her lips. "Can you believe we actually pulled it off?" she murmured, her voice soft with amazement.
Liv shook her head, a warm feeling spreading through her chest at Eva's words. "Yeah, it's been one hell of a day," she agreed, moving closer to Eva and resting her hand on her arm. "But I'm so glad we did it together."
"Me too." Eva responded quietly, clearly thinking about something. "Why don't we go sit down in the living room?" She suggested, pulling Olivia by her hands.
"Okay, okay I'm coming!" Olivia laughed, stumbling over to the couch. As she turned to Eva her eyes filled with concern, noticing her looking a little worried. "What do you look worried for?"
"I'm not so much worried as I am nervous." Eva admitted.
"Why are you nervous?" Olivia asked quietly.
Eva looked to Liv, her heart pounding, "Liv, I, I love you." Eva said, nervously looking for Liv's reaction.
"I love you too." Liv responded quickly, cupping Eva's cheek with her hand. "I've loved you since that first night putting the twins to bed."
"Me too." Eva sighed out with relief.
"I have to admit, I was planning to ask you something tonight." Liv said with a cheeky smile, tilting Eva's head to look at her.
"Oh yeah?" Eva asked, curiosity filling her voice.
"Yeah, I wanted to ask if you would be my girlfriend?" Liv asked quietly, gently rubbing Eva's cheek. Eva's eyes widened with surprise at Liv's question, her heart fluttering with joy. "Yes," she breathed, her voice filled with emotion as she gazed deeply into Liv's eyes. "Yes, of course I will."
Liv's face broke into a radiant smile at Eva's answer, her heart swelling with happiness. "Really?" she whispered, her voice tinged with disbelief and joy.
Eva nodded, her eyes shining with love as she reached out to take Liv's hand in hers. "Really," she confirmed, her voice soft and tender. "I want to be with you, Liv, more than anything in this world." Eva squeezed Liv's hand gently, her touch sending shivers down Liv's spine. "I'm so glad we found each other," she murmured, her voice filled with sincerity. "I can't wait to see where this journey takes us.
Liv leaned in close, pressing her lips softly against Eva's in a tender kiss. As they pulled away, their eyes met, sparkling with love and promise. "I love you," Liv whispered, her voice filled with emotion.
"I love you too," Eva whispered back, before going back to kissing Liv, turning it into a full-blown make-out. Eventually, they made their way up to bed, falling asleep in each others arms.
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This chapter is a bit shorter than my last few. What do we think?