"Say hi to the girls for me," Emily heard her mother, Pam call out just before the brunette could close the door behind her.
"I will," she answered back and smiled softly at her mother, then stepped outside, feeling the fresh air on her body.
She walked over to her bike and began pedaling towards the DiLaurentis' house. The five girls have been closer than ever this summer, spending almost every day together, sometimes even doing nothing other than enjoying each other's company.
There was more than a month left until the end of summer vacation, and Emily never wanted this summer to end. The brunette loved her best friends, they were like family to her. Spencer, with her sarcastic commentary and her knowledge regarding just about everything, Aria, the romantic one of the group and the artistic one as well, Hanna, with her tomfoolery and her loving personality, and then there was Alison.
How could she explain her infatuation with the blonde?
Emily had stayed up long nights thinking about her beautiful best friend, replaying sweet moments between the two of them and blushing throughout the whole process. It had taken a lot of her to admit to herself that she liked girls. It was a direct resolution that came from the fact that... she liked Alison.
At first, she thought her behavior was normal, who didn't feel drawn to Ali? She was the Queen Bee of their school, of Rosewood for that matter. She was teen royalty; every guy wanted to date her and every girl wanted to be her, or her friend. Everyone craved her attention, and Emily was just glad that Alison was her best friend.
The brunette had to remind herself then, that she didn't like Alison just as her best friend, but as more than that. A lot more. She always tended to stare a little too long at Alison, gazing at her pink, heart-shaped lips, her voluminous golden locks that were never out of place, her angelic figure that could even make a mud-stained rag look amazingly fashionable on her. Everything about her was perfect, you name it. And Alison knew that, which made her so confident in her every move.
Emily knew loud and clear that she liked Alison, possibly even loved.
'No, you're taking it too far,' Emily kept telling herself, 'she's your best friend. That's it. Stop thinking differently.'
The fact that Emily had acknowledged her feelings for Alison as more than friendly, made the brunette start acting a bit strange around the blonde. Not in a level that would spark any suspicion, but strange enough for herself to notice. She was glad that no one else seemed to pay attention to it, and everyone was having a really enjoyable time this summer, including herself. Spending so much time with her best friends was thrilling for the girl, and even though they'd known each other for a mere couple of years, she had a hunch that their little circle was bound to be together for the rest of their lives.
Emily pulled her bike over to the DiLaurentis' front lawn and leaned it against the porch. She walked up the very few steps and stood in front of Alison's front door. Knocking on the door a few times resulted in finding a very excited Aria.
"Em! You're finally here!" Aria enthusiastically pulled Emily into a strong hug and Emily smiled as she felt the shorter brunette's arms around her body and returned the favor.
"You saw me two hours ago, Aria," Emily remarked, giggling in amusement.
"What? Am I not allowed to miss you?" Aria defended as she allowed Emily into Alison's house. Emily smiled delightedly at Aria, stepped into the familiar house and made her way into the living room, only to find Hanna and Alison regarding something from Teen Vogue magazine with dead-serious eyes, while Spencer gazed at them from across the room and rolled her eyes playfully.
"Hey, Em," Spencer got up and walked over to Emily. "Please help me," she whispered dramatically, gesturing to the two blondes who were sitting on the sofa.
"I heard that!" Hanna stated loudly, reaching out behind her to throw a pillow at Spencer. Emily chuckled in humor, but when her eyes landed on Alison, her jaw dropped slightly and her heart fluttered in her chest.
Alison was wearing a pink tank top that was partially see-through, and white shorts that were a little too short. Emily swore no one looked as flawless as Alison, no matter what position you caught her in. At any time of the day, every day, Alison just always looked good, it was almost mystery-like.
The blonde in question looked up from the magazine in her hands and directed her gaze at Emily, only to find the brunette already staring straight at her. Emily quickly snapped her chocolate brown eyes away from Alison's ocean blue orbs, looking down at her feet ineptly with blush spreading equally on her cheeks.
Alison plastered her infamous DiLaurentis smirk on her face, displaying her dimples. "What took you so long, Em? You know we can't stay away from you," she winked, and Emily's stomach filled with butterflies.
The brunette didn't answer Alison, but merely sat on the couch with Spencer and Aria and gave her a shy smile that the blonde loved so much.
Emily had always been Alison's favorite. It was clear from the very beginning. Em was her Mermaid, her Killer, her innocent, sweet Emily.
Alison had realized a long time ago that Emily had a crush on her, it wasn't difficult to notice if you really paid attention. She recognized it from the way Emily looked at her and was always so protective of her. It wasn't normal best-friend behavior. But what really gave Emily away, was the way she clenched her jaw every time she saw Alison flirting with some guy, or when people dragged their eyes over Alison's body wherever she walked. Everyone was wrapped around the blonde's little finger, even Emily. Especially Emily.
Alison couldn't put her finger on the reason why, but whenever the brunette looked at her with her caring brown eyes that showed only affection, she genuinely loved it. Emily having a crush on her gave the blonde satisfaction. It wasn't the normal kind of satisfaction Alison usually felt when guys were drooling over her, it was different with Emily. Emily made the blonde feel things that she couldn't quite pinpoint, which was unusual for her.
Her thoughts were snapped back to the present, literally, as Spencer snapped her fingers in front of Alison's face. "Helloooo, earth to Ali," Spencer, along with the rest of the girls, broke into a fit of laughter.
All Alison could do was bring her eyes to Emily as the girl laughed, and the blonde felt her heart warming in her chest. Emily was so breathtaking, it surprised Alison how she was the shy one of their group, but she couldn't possibly complain because she was very fond of Emily's timid personality.
'It's normal to feel this way when your best friend is laughing, right?' she hesitantly dared to question herself.
Alison started to panic as her thoughts drifted back to Emily. She couldn't possibly understand what was going on with her, and she nearly scolded herself as she felt a genuine smile stating to creep on her own lips just from looking at Emily's angelic features.
Alison was reluctant to admit that she had spent a fair share of her time thinking about Emily as of late, even after trying to convince herself to halt. The blonde just couldn't stop thinking about Emily's tall, tanned body, that held no visible flaw on the surface, her silky brown hair that the blonde herself tended to get quite envious of, and her perfectly toned abs that the girl had acquired from swimming, the same ones that Alison had seen so many times before. Simply her overall beauty, inside and out and-
'God, what the hell is wrong with me?' Alison retorted to herself as she felt herself drifting back into the conversation.
The blonde would never show it, and she was extremely afraid to admit it, even to herself, but the thought of possibly liking Emily back terrified her to death, but thrilled her just as equally.