The girls have finished their coffee and make their way back to the barn to clean up. Emily notices that Alison is starting to get that uneasy look in her eyes again as she nervously folds the blankets they slept with the night before. Emily watches her girlfriend from across the room and can't help but be worried; she wonders if it is just because she is going to have to face her mother after she tried to bury her alive or because of their new found relationship.
Emily's POV
I'm standing on the other side of the room, leaning against the door frame and watch as Alison nervously folds the same blanket for the fourth time. I cross the room and take the blanket from her and place it on the couch and turn to face her and take her hands in mine, "Ali, I know you're scared but you have me and the girls to help you with whatever you need us to do." She looks up at me with sad eyes, "I know Em, I just don't know how I'm going to face my mom after what she did. What if she isn't happy for me to be back?" My heart breaks for her, I can't stand to see her in pain, "What can I do to help? Do you want me to go with you to see your mom?" She seems to perk up a little with my offer, "Actually I would love that. I always feel better when you're with me, I don't know how you do it." She untangles our hands and brings hers to wrap around my neck while taking a step towards me, "I didn't do anything. I just want you to know you always have someone on your side," I say as I lessen the space between us. She smiles and pulls me in for a kiss, I don't think I will ever tire of her showing affection. When we pull apart I make the suggestion to go see her family, "Let's go say goodbye to the girls and then we'll walk over to your house." I pull her in for a hug and give her a kiss on the forehead and I can feel her relax. We make our way over to the girls and tell them that we're going over to Ali's. Aria speaks up first, "Ali, if you need anything just call. We're here for you, whatever you need." She hugs Ali and returns to her cup of coffee as Hanna makes her way over, "Yeah Ali, we're here for you." Spencer sets her cup down and pulls Ali into a hug, "I echo those sentiments. Anything you need, I'm just next door." Ali finds her way back to my side with a smile on her face and leans her head on my shoulder like it's the most natural thing in the world. She leans up to give me a kiss on the cheek, and I find myself saying, "Let's go before I change my mind and let you talk me into a day full of cuddling and Netflix." She laughs, grabs my hand and leads me across Spencer's yard into her own.
Ali's POV
As I walk across Spencer's yard with Emily's hand in mine, my heart starts to pound as my house comes into view. I make my way up the steps and wonder, should I knock? Is anyone even home? I glance back and see that my dad's car is in the driveway, I decide to just walk in. I open the door and a wave of emotions wash over me; everything is exactly the same as when I left. From the pillows on the couch to the types of flowers in the vases on the end tables. I hear my dad in the kitchen and take the leap with Emily by my side, "Hi daddy..." He turns to face me and drops the glass of tea in his hand, "Alison...You're alive!" He rushes towards me and embraces me in the tightest hug he has ever given me, "My baby... Oh my god... I..." I hear him start to choke up and he starts to cry. This is a first for my father and I'm not sure how to handle it but before I know it, I'm also crying. My dad realizes that Emily is also in the room, "Emily...I... I don't know how you did it or what happened, but thank you for bringing her home." I finally pull away from my dad and make my way back to Emily's side and take her hand in mine, "She's the reason I came home," I see him look back and forth between us a few times before he puts it together when he looks at our hands. She tries to pull away from me at first but I refuse to give her that chance, "Em, it's ok. Dad, I know this is a lot to take in but, if I'm going to come home I'm going to do everything right this time. I chose to come home because, I'm in love with her. She makes me want to be a better version of myself, one that isn't running anymore. I know I was terrible two years ago. I made people afraid of me, I lied every chance I got, and I hated myself. Which is probably what lead someone to threaten me and the people I love. While I was away, I learned a lot about who I was and they type of person I want to be. I wanted to come home and be the person Emily always saw in me, someone worthy of loving her." I turn to face her and I can see her cheeks are flushed from the realization of what I just did; in one moment my entire life changed, I let my family know I was still alive and admitted my feelings for Emily. At first, I don't know how my dad is going to react but he makes his way over the to the both of us and looks to Emily, "We always knew there was something different with the two of you. Jessica said once that she couldn't have picked anyone better to love Ali, better than you. If you make my daughter happy and she's home for good, then I'm happy." He takes one step further and pulls Emily into a hug; "I know I wasn't exactly father of the year, but I know I can do better. Alison, I may not know all of the reasons behind you choosing to leave home, but I'm so happy you're back," and he embraces me in another hug. My father was always so cold towards me before, I mean, I know he gave me whatever I wanted but I think he was mostly afraid of what I would do if he didn't. As we pull apart, I glance around the room for any sign of my mother, "where's Mom? Is she out back?" I can see the look on his face instantly change, "Alison, your mother and I split up a few months ago. She decided she wanted to go up to your Aunt Carol's for a few days, so I said I would stay here for when Jason comes home. He's been going to AA meetings recently and we wanted to make sure someone was home to keep him on track, he should be home in a couple of hours." I can't help but feel a sense of relief that I don't have to see my mother just yet. Does that make me a bad person? She did try to bury me, for reasons I may never understand. I take a step back from my father and find my way back to Emily's side, "is it alright if I go up to my room?" He looks at me with an adoring look, like he never thought he would hear those words again, "of course sweetheart. I'll be in my office if you need anything. Once Jason gets home we'll have dinner and you can tell us everything. I grab Emily's hand and make my way up the stairs. I open the door to my old bedroom and I can't help but feel a sense of dread, but to my surprise, everything is exactly the same. I step further into a shade of pink that I so desperately missed; my vanity still holds my favorite perfume, my ballerina music box, and a picture of the five us the summer before I ran away. I walk over to the dresser and open it to find all of my clothes neatly folded and smell as though they were freshly washed. I turn and see my Paris bedspread and I look to Emily and smile, "do you remember the last time we had a sleepover here?" A rush of pink finds its way to Emily's cheeks, "of course I do. I still replay that night over and over in my head, it's one of my favorite memories."
Flashback
Emily and Alison decided to have a sleepover for the start of their summer vacation, just the two of them. Alison had been wanting to get Emily alone for weeks now, ever since their kiss in the library. She couldn't understand why she felt her heart race every time she looked at her now or why she couldn't stop thinking about the way her lips tasted like a mix of strawberries and coffee. They had spent the night watching movies, doing each other's hair and playing games just like every other sleepover. But, when it came time to go to sleep, Ali became extremely nervous.
Alison's POV
So far our sleepover has gone exactly the same as every other we've had, except for the fact that I find myself glancing at Emily's lips and the way her pajama bottoms fall low on her hips... why is this happening? She's your best friend Alison, snap out of it! It comes to that point in the night where all we have left to do is go to sleep. We lay down in our normal spots with me on the right and Emily on the left, only I'm wishing that the space between us was non-existent. I've been lying awake for what feels like hours when I hear, "Ali? Are you asleep?" I freeze for a second and wonder what to do. Do I turn around? Maybe she just wants to ask me if we can go downstairs and get a snack, she's probably not thinking about that kiss as much as me. It was just for practice, right? I take a deep breath and turn to face her so that we're only inches apart. Her gorgeous brown eyes look at me with a million questions and I can feel my heartbeat in my ears. I give her a weak smile and before I know it, she's leaning in. Before I can even think about what's about to happen, my body is leaning in to meet her halfway. This kiss is so much different than the one in the library, I realize that I really wanted this. We both start to sit up to get better access, Emily's hand finds its way to my cheek as she brushes hair from my face and looks at me to make sure what we're doing is ok. I decide to show a little more confidence to ease her mind and I start to roll myself on top of Emily. I have no idea what I'm doing but this is the most amazing feeling I have ever felt.
Emily's POV
I've slept over at Alison's a million times before, but somehow this one feels different. We've done all of the same things that we usually do with the girls but Ali has never looked at me like this before, like she's actually checking me out. I notice her eyes lingering a little longer on my lips and glancing down to my hips more often. When we decide to finally go to sleep, I have an uneasy feeling in my stomach like I need to do something. I finally had the courage to kiss her when we were in the library a few weeks ago and it was the best thing I've ever done. I always knew I felt something for Ali but was never sure what it was until my lips met hers. In an instant, I knew that I was in love with my best friend. I have that same feeling in my stomach now as we lay next to each other and I can't seem to shake it. After what feels like hours of staring at the ceiling, I take a chance and whisper, "Ali? Are you asleep?" I start to think that she is actually sleeping but before I know it, I feel Ali shift to face me and I do the same. God, she's beautiful. I glance down at her lips and think... this is it, I'm just gonna take a shot. I start to lean towards her and before I know it, she's leaning in too. Our lips finally meet and fireworks explode, it's like they were made for each other. Both of us shift and try to get a better angle because God knows, I can't be close enough to her. I brush the hair off of her cheek and look into her eyes for confirmation that this is something she really wants and that it's not just me. As I go back in for another kiss, I feel Alison start to gently push me down onto the bed. She's actually taking charge and not pushing me away... am I dreaming? Alison pulls away and takes a breath before she starts to leave kisses from my jaw down to my neck and all of a sudden, it's like every nerve in my body is on fire. My hands find their way into her hair as one of hers finds its way to my breast and gently starts to massage it. Both of us have no idea what we're doing, but I can't imagine anything feeling better than this. I bite my lip and try not to make a sound but I can't help it as, her name escapes my lips, "Alison..." She brings her face back to mine with a smirk on her face before she starts kissing me again with more intensity than she ever has before. She bites my lip and another moan escapes my mouth, I feel her shift as she starts to straddle me. Alison looks down at me, her eyes darkened, asking for permission to go further. Before I know it, I'm fiercely nodding my head. She returns to kissing me and her hand sinks back to my breast, followed by the other. I have no idea what's about to happen, or how I'm supposed to feel but, dear God I don't want her to stop. She takes another breath, "tell me if this is too much, ok?" I just nod my head as she starts to kiss my neck. My hands are grabbing at her hips and they travel to the edge of her shirt, I pull back and start to lift the hem over her head. I've seen Alison in her bra more times than I can count, but this time, it's not just me stealing glances at her. She mirrors my actions and removes my shirt. I find myself leaning up so that I have access to her neck and begin leaving kisses up and down. I know it has an affect on her because her hands grasp a little tighter as they tangle in my hair. A moan escaped her mouth, "Emily..." The intensity is almost too much for me, to hear Alison coming undone and saying my name in the sexiest tone I have ever heard. As my hands run up and down Ali's back, they settle on the clasp of her bra and they start to shake, without warning. All at once, the severity of what we're doing hits me and I realize that we have no idea what we're doing or even if Alison wants to be anything more than just practice. I guide my hands back down to her hips and I pull away from her and look into the darkest shade of blue, "Ali, you have no idea how much I want you right now..." she smiles, "I know Em, you don't have to say anything. We'll just sleep now, I promise." She slowly removes herself from my lap and finds her shirt, I instantly want to have to her near me again. I find my shirt and lay back down, only to find Ali snuggling up to me. I smile as I wrap my hand around her waist, "goodnight Ali." I can feel her smile into my shoulder, "goodnight Em."
End of flashback
Alison's POV
The look on Emily's face and the notification that she has thought about that night, often, is enough to make a girl blush redder than a tomato. I look into her eyes, "you have no idea how hard it was for me to stop myself that night. I had no idea what I was doing but I knew I wanted you. That was the night that I knew I had real feelings for you." She looks nervous, " I wanted you so bad that night, but I was afraid that you were just using me for practice again. I remember, the next day you were so mad at me, for no reason. Now that I know what you were struggling with, I understand why. We were really young, neither one of us knew what we were doing or what it would've met if we actually went further." The smile slowly fades from my face; I remember the day after our make-out session, I was so mean to her. I made sure to make fun of or put her down every chance I got. In my mind, I was justifying the fact that she was just for practice and nothing more than my best friend. "I remember the way I treated you, I'm so sorry," I say as I take a step towards her to close the space between us. "You know, I'm glad we didn't go any further," I say as I wrap my arms around her neck. "Oh yeah? And why is that?" she says and she places her hands on my hips. I think about it for a second, "because, I want my first time with you to be the most special night of our lives. I don't want it to be when I'm confused with the way I feel about you, I want you to feel the love and passion that I have for you and be confident in it. When that time comes, it'll be amazing and totally worth the wait." She smiles, "I love you, Ali. It took me so long to finally get here with you, I know you're worth the wait." God I love this girl. I lean in and kiss her slowly and passionately, there is no doubt in my mind how amazing it's going to be whenever we do decide that we want to take it a step further.