"I'm glad we sorted out all of the details. Now all you need to do is pack and get on that plane!" Harris stated enthusiastically, putting all of his papers in his office bag. "Oh, and don't forget to have fun. You guys are the first ones I'm flying out to Paris. I opened the place up with my family's money, so I'm really glad to see it's already taking off. Now I'm not just some rich kid with no purpose, I'm the owner of a successful club."
"We'll tell everyone we know about your club, Harris," Spencer said assuringly.
"Yeah, you won't regret flying us out, we promise," Aria added with an encouraging smile.
Harris laughed, nodding to himself as he took in the group of teenagers that seemed more like a bunch of models for a popular clothing store than anything else, before exiting The Brew with his bag.
"You guys, I cannot believe we're going to Paris in two days!" Hanna squeaked cheerfully, showing her dimples.
"Woah, relax, Han, people are staring," Spencer chuckled, nodding her head in the direction of an elderly woman who was looking at Hanna oddly.
"Let them stare, Spence," Hanna rolled her eyes. She turned to the lady, stating, "Hey, take a picture, it'll last longer."
The elderly seemed horrified as she quickly grabbed her bag and exited the coffee shop. "Hanna, what the hell? That was my neighbor that you just verbally assaulted!" Emily all but shouted at her best friend.
"Sorry, Em, she was the one who was staring," Hanna shrugged nonchalantly.
"She deserved it, Han. Ugh, I hate that woman," Alison stared after the elderly in disgust.
"Emily's neighbor?" Aria asked in confusion.
"Yeah," Alison answered simply, dipping her french fry in ketchup and bringing it to her mouth.
"Why?" Ezra questioned with a hint of amusement.
"Well, this one time, I tried to sneak into Emily's room at night through the window, and apparently I was making some noise, so the bitch called the cops on me! Luckily, I was out of there before the police came, but it was a close call." Alison disclosed, leaving everybody's mouths hanging open.
"Wait, that was you? I thought someone was legitimately breaking into our house!" Emily reminisced the horror she was in that night.
"Yup, that was me," Alison answered proudly with a little devilish grin, pleased at the sight of Emily's surprised face.
"You almost gave my mom a heart attack - wait, what were you even doing in my room?" Emily asked suspiciously, turning to face Alison.
"Shh," Alison placed her index finger on her lips and winked.
"Okay, gross. I'm not hungry anymore," Spencer stated, pushing away her plate over-dramatically.
"Oh relax, you prude. We were thirteen, I didn't do anything. I just didn't want to sleep in my house because Jason's beer buddies were there," Alison explained further.
"Well, then why didn't you come to my house? I live like, three feet away from you," Spencer started.
"I wanted my mermaid," Alison answered honestly and shrugged, making Emily smile shyly.
"Wait, I remember that night now," the brunette said quietly as she spoke to Alison alone, the recollections popping into her mind. "I woke up to find you sitting on my bed and you told me my mom let you in."
"Yeah, I had to white-lie it a little," Alison admitted. "I didn't even sleep in your room that night after all, but I guess my initial thought was just wanting to have someone with me that I knew actually cared about me, you know? And I was going to wake you up, but you looked too peaceful sleeping and I didn't have the heart to do it."
Emily's heart warmed at Alison's vulnerability. "I'll always be there for you, Ali. You know that, right?"
Alison's bright eyes searched deep, brown ones, only to find sole trustworthiness and candor. "I know," she whispered, staring into the brunette's eyes intently as she held Emily's cheek softly, getting the brunette to give her a tiny, earnest smile which she returned.
"Hey, we're still going to Noel's pre-season game tonight, right?" they heard Toby ask, bringing up the subject randomly.
"Yeah, I think so," Caleb answered absently, popping another fry in his mouth.
"I can't wait to see them crush the other team," Hanna said enthusiastically.
"Han, it's a pre-season game. Even if they'll win, it won't matter. The score won't count." Spencer explained to Hanna, seemingly a lot less interested in the game than anybody else in the group.
"It will matter, Spence. It'll give them a nice ego boost," Alison sneered.
"Not that the football team needs anymore ego than they already have," Spencer agreed cynically.
"A bit more ego goes up to their heads and they won't be able to fit them in those football helmets," Alison joked and Spencer laughed along, giving her a light push on her shoulder as they chuckled.
The blonde couldn't remember a time when she sat with Spencer and simply laughed. They were known for their usual butting of heads, which was always fun for her, but she loved being plain playful with the witty girl. She could definitely get used to this.
"I wouldn't mind taking up a sport," Hanna said suddenly, scrunching her nose in thought.
"Which one?" Emily asked her, suddenly interested at the mention of sports.
"I don't know..." Hanna trailed, then perked up with a smile, "I've always liked Spencer's field hockey skirt."
"You can totally have it," Spencer chuckled humorously.
Alison smiled at her friends. Their conversations were flowing and they felt closer than they'd ever been. These were the kind of mornings the blonde would always cherish - the mornings where it was just her, her girlfriend, and her best friends, all hanging out during the summer time without a care in the world.
XXXXX
Eight people walked across Rosewood High's parking lot in the direction of the football field. There were teenagers everywhere, along with some parents and family members, all rushing around, holding signs, some with their faces painted blue - the color of their school.
The group soon reached the bleachers and sat down in one of the middle rows. The game hadn't started yet, but people were making an extensive amount of noise and it was becoming harder for everyone to hear each other.
"Hey, I'm going to get food!" Emily shouted to the group. They turned to look at her strangely.
"What?" Aria shouted back, a few seats away from her.
Emily pointed at the man in front of her who was holding a bucket of popcorn. "Oh," the tiny brunette replied and everyone made a face of realization.
"I'll come with you," Alison stood up with Emily before the brunette even finished her thought. Sometimes, they each knew what the other wanted without speaking, and Hanna had even mentioned more than once that their "telepathic" communication was becoming really creepy.
Alison and Emily sauntered gracefully out of the stadium and walked towards the food stands.
"You know, this is why I don't usually like football games. Too much noise," Emily stated when she and Alison could finally hear each other.
"Usually?" Alison asked, focusing on that part of the sentence.
"Yeah, I usually don't like going to these, but today it's... different," Emily said in a matter-of-fact.
"Different how?" Alison questioned.
"Well, now Noel is my friend so cheering for him is fun. And, uh..."
"And what?" Alison prompted with a soft voice, though she already had a feeling she knew what Emily was going to say.
"A-And now we're a couple, so everywhere we go together is fun," Emily stated shyly.
Alison smiled sweetly at the brunette, landing a kiss on her cheek. "Em, you're such a little kid sometimes," Alison joked. "I love it."
Emily smiled sheepishly and grabbed Alison's hand. As they approached the food carts, a few kids noticed them and moved to make way for Alison, Rosewood High's queen bee, and Emily, the up-and-coming captain of the swim team. If they weren't popular enough before, they sure were now.
"Two nacho plates and two sodas please," Emily said politely to the man behind the counter.
"Actually, make that one soda, I'm not that thirsty." Alison corrected.
"It's a long game, don't you want to have a drink of your own?" Emily asked, turning to the blonde.
"It's okay Em, I'm used to drinking your juices," Alison said and threw Emily a flirty wink.
Both Emily and the man choked on their breaths. "One soda it is," the guy cleared this throat awkwardly as Alison smirked to herself, squeezing the hand of a very flustered Emily.
The girls paid and walked back towards the field, hearing the crowd's cheering becoming louder and louder as they approached.
"Alison, Emily," they heard a familiar voice coming from behind them.
"Jenna, what a treat," Alison acknowledged sarcastically as they turned around to face the interruption.
"I'm guessing you're here to cheer your boy-toy Noel. You should know, he's been very close to me lately," Jenna told Alison with a self-satisfied smirk, as if she was telling her some big secret.
"Are you blind, Jenna? I'm not into Noel." Alison sneered. 'Doesn't she know I'm dating Emily?' the blonde couldn't help but wonder to herself.
"Got some other poor guy drooling over you?" Jenna mocked in the same mean-girl-fashion she had always carried with her. Alison always thought Jenna was her biggest wannabe.
"No, she doesn't," Emily piped up from beside her girlfriend.
Jenna wore a surprised expression in reaction to Emily's sudden outburst. "Who sharpened your tongue, little girl?"
Emily felt her anger building up. She glared at the other brunette, "Listen, Jenna. Alison doesn't have a string of drooling guys, okay? She's... We're-"
"We're dating," Alison completed boastfully.
"Who's 'we'?" Jenna taunted, her smug expression irritating the hell out of Alison.
"Me and this really hot girl standing next to me," Alison nudged Emily's shoulder and grinned devilishly. Emily blushed faintly as Jenna's eyes landed on her in surprise.
Jenna burst into abrupt laughter and Emily and Alison exchanged wary looks. Jenna stared at them inquisitively and her laughter subsided significantly. "Wait, were you serious?" she asked, genuinely interested.
"Yes, slow-brain, Emily and I are dating." Alison confirmed to the girl in a tired tone that made it sound like she had gone over the same sentence for a million times. The blonde noticed the girl's skeptical stare, sneering sarcastically in her face, "Did you need me to repeat?"
"I don't believe you," Jenna stated simply.
"Oh, really?" Alison mocked coyly. She didn't wait for an answer as she turned and pressed her lips against Emily's with a sure force that sent chills all the way to Emily's toes. Jenna stood in utter dismay as Alison pulled away after a few seconds with a smirk and looked over at her expectantly.
"Wow, I could've seriously gone my whole life without seeing that," Jenna said in disgust. "I mean, Emily, it was obvious you were helplessly in love with Alison, but I didn't know she was wishing to taste your cherry chapstick, too," she mused.
"I'm surprised you didn't know yet. Pretty much the entire school knows by now," Alison ridiculed, raising her eyebrows. "Guess everyone's just tired of telling you things, Jenna," she shrugged dryly and grabbed Emily's hand, leading her away from the scene and towards the stadium. "Oh, and by the way," she turned her head back, informing brutally, "Noel is seeing someone now. It's serious, and she's prettier than you."
Jenna was about to respond with some smart-ass comment, but Alison stepped closer to her, letting go of Emily's hand as she stood face to face with Jenna, her head held high. "If you ever talk to me or Emily like that again," she paused for effect, noticing the girl clenching her jaw, "I'll bury you." Alison sauntered away in sickening triumph, leaving Jenna speechless with hatred in her eyes and her mouth slightly agape.
Alison and Emily walked back quickly and sat with their friends. They shared their food and even though Alison didn't understand a thing from the game, she couldn't keep her eyes off of Emily. The brunette was cheering loudly and she had a spark in her eye. Emily was undeniably the love of Alison's life.
XXXXX
"I can't believe they won!" Aria shouted excitedly as the group exited the stadium.
"Not only did they win, but they also won by 15 points," Spencer added in an impressed voice.
"Victory party at my house!" Noel's voice was heard somewhere behind them. He ran to the group when he recognized them, and wrapped his arms around Caleb and Hanna's shoulders. "You guys are coming to my party, right?"
Hanna looked around the group before nodding, "Sure, Noel."
"Great! See you there!" he ran from the group to his car. Mona was leaning against Noel's white Porsche - no doubt a gift from his extremely wealthy parents - and he spun her in the air giddily before kissing her soundly. The two got into the car, driving off into the distance.
It wasn't long until they were all at Noel's house. As they approached the driveway, they noticed the house was more populated than ever - there were kids everywhere, occupying every inch of the notably large house, and it seemed that you couldn't go a step without getting lost.
"We should split up," Caleb suggested.
"Wow, it's like we're recreating our time at zoo, isn't it? Not just the splitting up part, but the fact that all of the drunk guys look like monkeys," Spencer sneered in a cynical voice as they exited the cars, earning laughter from her friends.
"Em, stay close to me, okay? I've been to these kind of parties before, and if we don't wanna get lost, don't let go of my hand," Alison said somberly.
Emily nodded in agreement but deep inside, the wheels in her head started spinning. She suddenly remembered who's fingers were laced with hers. Alison DiLaurentis, the queen bee of Rosewood High. Of course, Alison's been to parties as wild as this one, and probably even bigger ones, college parties, for example, with her older friends. Involuntarily, an unpleasant shiver ran down the brunette's spine as she imagined Alison before they started dating, flirting with some drunk frat guy. She forced her mind to stop it, but that didn't fully work.
No longer than ten minutes later, it was only Emily and Alison in a crowd of people. They found a couch in the backyard and sat down with a huff after finally finding a semi-calm corner.
"I'm going to go get us some drinks, okay?" Emily asked the blonde.
"Okay, babe, I'll be here," Alison nodded and the girl left in the direction of the house.
Alison pulled out her phone and stared at her screensaver. She smiled at the picture of her and her girlfriend from a few days ago.
"Alison? Alison DiLaurentis?" she suddenly heard. She picked up her eyes and found a familiar blond guy.
"Duncan," she said in what was probably the most unenthusiastic tone to ever leave her mouth. Duncan Albert used to be her very own flirting machine, and the two had even made out once, but it was so long ago and she didn't care about anyone in that way anymore, except for Emily.
"Good to see you, Ali. I see you still look hot," he declared as he scanned her body, obviously more than a little intoxicated. The old Alison would've loved to soak up the attention the guy was serving her on a silver platter, but this Alison just felt like he was undressing her with his eyes, and it almost made bile rise up her throat.
"Thanks, Duncan. I wish I could say the same," Alison replied dryly. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the stare Duncan was giving her sent chills down her spine.
"How about you-" he smirked as he pointed at her and then at himself, "-and me... get out of here?"
"Ali?" Emily's sweet voice reached Alison's ears and the blonde sighed in relief. The brunette sat the cups she was holding on the nearest table, but didn't make a move to sit down next to Alison on the couch, which, in the moment, offended the blonde more than she cared to admit. "Um, hey," she awkwardly greeted Duncan as soon as she noticed him.
"Damn," Duncan shamelessly checked Emily out, making Alison enter a stage of rage as she glared harshly at him. Emily stared at him, clearly embarrassed.
"Duncan, this is my girlfriend, Emily," Alison introduced to the guy as sharply as she could.
"Girlfriend? No way! Alison DiLaurentis... a dyke?!" his eyes widened dramatically and he dropped his cup. He was drunker than Alison had initially thought.
"Don't call me that," Alison hissed through gritted teeth as she stood up. She grabbed Emily's hand and was about to walk away from this mess, when Duncan abruptly called out to her.
"What's the matter, Alison? Making out with me wasn't good enough so you went for a chick?" he spat the words drunkenly, a smug expression resting on his face.
Hurt appeared all across Emily's face a second later as she let go of Alison's hand. "You... Y-You kissed him?"
Alison stood there speechless, trying to think of the right thing to say. She didn't appreciate being ambushed like that. This was exactly what she had been afraid of ever since the two began dating, of Emily meeting people from her wild past. She didn't want to be with anyone other than the brunette, but everything she had done in the past had been in the back of her mind for a long time, and she didn't know what Emily would think of her when she found out about it.
"It was one hell of a night, huh?" Duncan swooped in. He laughed obnoxiously and picked up one of the drinks Emily had sat on the table, drinking it himself.
Emily trudged away angrily, and Alison was quick enough to catch a glimpse of a tear scrolling down the brunette's cheek. She felt her heart crack in her chest at the sight. She tossed Duncan a sinister glare, picking up the second drink that was left on the table and throwing its content on the guy. He only started laughing like a maniac and she grimaced as she left him there and followed Emily's steps quickly.
Emily entered the house and went up the stairs quickly, pushing her way through people as Alison followed close behind. "Em! Emily, wait!" Alison called out to her desperately above the loud music. She finally caught up to the brunette, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the bathroom. Alison hastily locked the door behind them and turned to Emily.
"Em, let me explain, please," Alison begged, her eyes pleading helplessly.
"Explain what, Alison? That you had a carousel of guys last year and I had to see it all and pretend it didn't hurt me?" Emily raised her voice and Alison flinched, not expecting those harsh words to come out of her mermaid's mouth, leaving her to look away shamefully.
Emily took one look at Alison's woeful face and sighed heavily, all the fight leaving her. She shook her head and exhaled once more. "God, I don't even have a right to be mad, it was before... before we were even dating and I can't hold it against you. I guess what he said and what Jenna said earlier added up in my brain and I just..." she sighed and sat down on the closed toilet seat, sinking her face in her hands for several moments. She picked up her head softly and took a deep breath, "I just can't believe his hands were on you and his lips were..." She huffed in frustration. "I knew I wasn't good enough for you," she said in the quietest of tones.
Alison instantly broke out of her state of shock and inched closer, kneeling down in front of Emily. She grabbed both of her tanned girl's hands in her own. "Emily, look at me," Alison commanded in a gentle yet commanding voice. Emily tentatively did as she was told and Alison let out weakly, "You think you're not good enough for me?"
Another tear slid down Emily's pretty face and Alison wiped it away with her thumb. Emily looked away and nodded timidly at the blonde's question.
"What are you talking about, Em?"
Emily looked up into Alison's eyes and felt a wave of shame wash over her body. To the brunette, this sensitive conversation reminded her somewhat of their old relationship. Well, friendship, to be exact. Their bond hadn't always been butterflies and gumdrops, it used to be nervous, angsty. It was back when the blonde hadn't been sure of what she wanted and Emily had followed her like a lost puppy.
Alison hated thinking of that time, when she'd flirted with all those different guys just to push her feelings for Emily away and convince herself that she wasn't abnormal. At first, Alison had thought she was just getting a good kick out of it, watching the brunette clench her jaw in jealously every time a guy approached her. But after a while of thinking, she realized the reason she did what she did was that she had been silently prompting the brunette to take the leap and make a move on her, since she wasn't brave enough to do it herself, and only tease the girl about it.
She'd wanted to be with Emily for a very long time, but she hadn't realized it until the swimmer had started becoming a person of her own, with her own opinions, no longer her little rag doll. Alison then had finally understood what people were talking about when it came to being in love. She had fallen in love with Emily every day since and she still did, and that was why she wanted to make a very clear point come across.
Emily let out a small sob and Alison couldn't help but lean forward and connect their foreheads, trying to offer some kind of comfort, but the blonde quickly leaned away when Emily sniffled once more and Alison understood that the girl needed a bit of space to gather herself.
"It wasn't always just the two of us, Alison. Up until a few weeks ago, I was so sure you would never be interested in me like that. I had never... I never thought you loved me in that way. I thought you only liked guys," Emily explained, her breath catching in her throat as she finally addressed the elephant in the room. "This is why it's so hard for me to see guys from your past."
Alison couldn't take anymore and she knew that any second from now she was bound to explode with words that she'd wanted to say to Emily. The blonde placed her index finger under Emily's chin, tilting it up and forcing the brunette to look nowhere but her ocean blue eyes.
"Em, you are the most amazing, beautiful person I've ever met. You're the only person who makes me feel like I'm loved, like I'm worthy to be loved, the only person I can spill my entire soul to. I love you so much, Emily. You can't understand the amount of love I have inside my heart for you.
"I know our past wasn't always clear, and that the fact that I played you like a bitch for a long time doesn't really let me have a right in the say, but I need you to understand something. Yes, Emily, I've kissed some random guys in the past, but I don't care about them anymore, nor have I ever cared about them. And yes, I've been to a lot of parties, some of them were way too wild for a girl at the age of 13 or 14 like I was. I'd gotten involved with the wrong crowd, but you, along with the girls, you were - and still are - the only people who keep me grounded. That means everything to me."
Alison couldn't stop her word vomit even if she tried, a fresh tear sliding down her cheek, "I need to say this just as much as you need to hear it. I know you're a girl, and I know that there will be a lot of bigoted people out there who are going to judge us for loving each other, but I don't care. I'm not - I can't let that stop me from loving you, Em. You have to understand, you are plenty good enough for me, you're the only one for me. The question is, am I good enough for you?"
Emily swallowed as the gravity of the blonde's words settled in the pit of her stomach and gently cupped Alison's cheeks. The blonde sighed in relief as she eased into Emily's touch. "I hope you can forget my past, Em, because you're my future," Alison said in a quiet, genuine tone.
Emily's eyes softened for a second, before she crashed her and Alison's lips together in a bruising kiss, pouring her feelings into it freely. Alison stood up quickly, and the brunette followed suit, never breaking their liplock.
Emily spun Alison around, pinning her against the counter. The blonde loved it when another side of Emily took over her, a not-so-innocent side that left Alison always wanting more. Emily lowered her head and kissed Alison's neck relishingly, earning a low moan from the blonde.
Emily couldn't believe she was going to hook up with Alison in the bathroom at Noel's cabin, especially right after their meaningful conversation, but with all the emotions swirling in the air, she needed to show Alison that she understood her and believed her, that she forgave her and that she wasn't going to let things from the blonde's rocky past come between them. After all, everything they did, kissing and sleeping together or even the simple act of holding hands, none of it had ever felt wrong with Alison.
She couldn't help but place her hands under Alison's thighs, swiftly lifting onto the counter in one smooth motion and the blonde moved to kiss Emily's neck hungrily, alternating between kissing, sucking and biting gently.
Emily groaned quietly as she lost her hands in Alison's blonde hair, the blonde no-doubt giving her a hefty mark that she would have to hide later, but she truly didn't care.
Alison soon dropped from the counter, walking forward with her hands on Emily's hips. Emily was forced to walk backwards, and the blonde pushed her gently and slowly into the spacious bathtub, gingerly climbing on top of her.
The girls' breathing was labored and heavy by the time Emily spoke up sincerely, "You're my future too, Ali. You're my everything."