"So are we actually going to have a wedding or are we just signing papers?" Normani asked randomly in the middle of breakfast.
"You know, I never really thought about that. We could ask our parents," Ally suggested.
"Well, what do you want?" Normani set her fork down.
Ally stopped eating, "I don't know. First of all, I don't think I've ever put any thought into it. Second of all, the whole arranged marriage is weird."
"Okay, simpler terms. Do you want an extravagant wedding, church wedding, or pen to paper wedding?" Normani questioned, sipping her orange juice.
"I'd prefer not a pen to paper wedding?" the words sounded more like a question than a statement.
"So we can cross that off. How large do you want it to be?" asked Normani.
"I guess larger considering our family sizes," Ally continued.
"Outdoor or indoor?"
"Outdoors," Ally smiled slightly.
Normani chuckled, "so a large outdoor wedding? Perfect."
Ally's eyes widened, "wha- no! What about you? What do you want?"
"Honestly Als?" Normani cocked an eyebrow, Ally nodded, "anything you want."
"But that's not fair," Ally frowned.
"Yeah it is. You're happy and getting what you want, I'm happy seeing you happy. If it's any constellation, I'd prefer a large outside wedding too," Normani offered.
"But you deserve some input," Ally pressed.
"I'll help in some other way, maybe food or decorations or something," Normani said.
"Not decorations," Ally shook her head fervently, "you can't even shop for our house, I won't let you decorate our wedding."
Normani chuckled, "okay, understandable."
"Thank you, Mani," Ally said, sipping her own cup of orange juice.
"For what?" Normani tilted her head.
"For asking, and being you," Ally smiled slightly.
"Don't mention it babe," Normani smiled, getting up and taking her dishes to the sink. Ally's phone chimed,
Everything's finally ready! Took me
five years but I did it
Ally snickered at Dinah's dramatics and shot her a quick 'thank you' text back.
"Hey Mani?" Aly called, getting Normani's attention from the kitchen.
"What's up?" Normani turned to Ally.
"Do you want to go out with me?" Ally asked, a small blush creeping up on her cheeks.
"Is the Ally Brooke asking me out, on a date?" Normani gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, "oh what shall I do? Do I go? Do I stay?" she continued dramatically. Ally rolled her eyes, biting back a smile. Normani chuckled, "sure Als I'd love to."
"Oh phew! Didn't think I'd ever get an answer," Ally teased.
"Do you mind telling me where we're going?" Normani asked.
"Nope," Ally shook her head, "my turn to surprise you.
Normani groaned, "fine. But what am I supposed to wear?"
"A bathing suit, with clothes over of course," Ally said.
"What do you have up your sleeve?" Normani squinted at Ally.
Ally smirked, "I guess you'll just have to wait and see."
= + =
Ally's jaw dropped a little when Normani came down the steps. Though she was only clad in rather short jean shorts and a crop top, Normani managed to make the simple outfit look drool worthy.
The corner of Normani's mouth turned up, "take a picture, it'll last longer." Ally raised her phone and held it up to Normani, the camera audibly clicked, making Normani laugh.
"I was just doing as I was told," Ally shrugged.
"I don't know why you aren't taking a picture of yourself, you look stunning," Normani gushed, looking at Ally. Ally wore flowy shorts over a black one piece with a large v-neck that cut down the middle, stopping in the space between her chest and belly button, her cleavage on full display.
"Whatever," Ally rolled her eyes, "are you ready?"
"I am. Please, take me on this wonderful date!" Normani swooned, making Ally laugh.
"After you," Ally held the garage door open. Normani kissed her cheek and got into the passenger's seat. "Your aux day," Ally mentioned, getting into the driver's seat.
"Oh yeah!" Normani connected her phone as the garage opened. Normani pressed shuffle and Best on Earth came on.
"Oh gosh," Ally chuckled as she pulled out of the garage, Normani dancing in her seat.
"Mind telling me where we're going now?" Normani asked, fifteen minutes into their car ride.
"Nope," Ally smiled.
"What? Why not?" Normani whined.
"It's a surprise, Mani," Ally deadpanned.
"Fine," Normani huffed.
After another thirty minutes of driving, Ally put the car in park in front of the edge of a forest.
"Where are we?" Normani asked nervously.
"Don't worry about it, and no I'm not going to kill you," Ally chuckled, turning the car off and getting out. Normani followed and met Ally at the front of the truck. Ally held a bag in hand.
"C'mon," Ally held her hand out. Normani took it after a moment of hesitation, their hands naturally intertwining as they walked through a slit in the gate.
"Are we allowed to be here?" Normani inquired as Ally led them down a path.
"This is a hike, but we aren't hiking, so don't worry," Ally assured.
"Phew, I was not about to hike anyway," Normani chuckled.
"It's about ten minutes, tops," Ally added.
"If I slip and fall you're going down with me," Normani mentioned.
Ally rolled her eyes, "you'll be fine, Mani," Ally tugged the girl along, the pair still holding hands.
The rest of the walk was in a comfortable silence, allowing both girls to take in the nature around them. Normani hadn't known this forest existed, she felt like she was in a whole new world. The waterfall got louder as the couple drew closer.
"Oh my god, stop it," Normani gushed, hearing the waterfall.
"Stop what?" Ally smiled up at Normani, they'd finally reached their destination.
Normani's jaw dropped in adoration, seeing a picnic blanket with a speaker and cooler. Dinah added her own touch and ironically left a condom. Luckily, Normani hadn't seen it first, so Ally quickly snatched it off the blanket with a nervous smile, cursing Dinah out in her head.
"It's so pretty," Normani said quietly, looking from the picnic to the waterfall. The falls gushed down into a fairly large pool, one fit to swim in.
"Not as pretty as you, let's sit," Ally said slyly and sat down, placing the bag on the corner.
"How did no one steal this stuff?" Normani snorted.
"Not a lot of people hike around this time, they either go super early in the morning or in the evening to catch the sunset. A lot of hikers don't know about this pool either," Ally explained.
"It looks so pristine," Normani said dreamily.
"You're talking about yourself again," Ally sang. Normani looked down, heat rising to her cheeks.
"You think you slick, huh?" Normani turned to Ally.
"I know I am," Ally scoffed.
"Whatever," Normani rolled her eyes playfully. Ally connected her phone to the speaker and began playing a softer, more chill playlist rather than their normal rap and R&B. Ally opened the cooler to reveal a fruit platter, pasta salad she'd cooked the night before, and a six-pack box of Normani's favorite red velvet cupcakes from the bakery down the road.
"Is this what you were cooking last night?" Normani inspected the container of pasta salad.
"Yeah," Ally smiled sheepishly.
"You didn't have to cook, you know? You could've picked up McDonald's and I would've been a happy girl," Normani explained, smiling when Ally giggled.
"That's what I was thinking of doing, not McDonald's but some place else. But then I got scolded by Lauren, said it'd ruin the aesthetic or whatever," Ally said.
"Damn girl and her aesthetics," Normani muttered, shaking her head, making Ally laugh once more.
"I have dessert as well, but that's for later," Ally added. Normani raised a suggestive eyebrow. Ally's eyes widened, "oh, um, n-no not that," Ally blushed fiercely, avoiding Normani's gaze.
Normani laughed at how flustered the Mexican was, "I was kidding. For the most part," she winked, making the girl blush harder. "You know, I wish we were friends in high school," she mentioned. She was having a good time with Ally, and it sucked that she didn't get a chance to get to know the sweet blonde any earlier.
Ally bit her lip, "about that," Ally scratched the back of her neck and sat up a little straighter, "I wanted to formally apologize and say that I'm sorry for putting you what I put you through. Your high school years were probably miserable because of me. I regret it, God I'll regret it for the rest of my life" — Ally held a finger up when Normani opened her mouth — "there's no excuse for bullying, and I'm not in any way dismissing my actions, but I wanted to let you know that I was in a bad place mentally and didn't know how to cope with it properly. That doesn't make up for the fact that I made your life a living hell, but I hope it's at least some sort of explanation." normani began to put the pieces together. She remembered Ally mentioning how her mother was when she was younger, but she didn't know that it went all the way through high school.
"I know sorry is just a word. After you pointed out that we should probably just accept it and start to get along, it made me think how I could've done this so much sooner, even without the arranged marriage. I truly am sorry, normani," — Normani grabbed Ally's hand, which she abruptly pulled away to wipe a tear falling from her eye as she chuckled — "I also hated the fact that you were mad pretty and I couldn't do anything about it." This made Normani laugh through her own tears.
"Ally," Normani grabbed Ally's chin, "I accept your apology. I know you understand that it was kind of a douche move" — Ally nodded vigorously, making Normani laugh lightly — "and that you probably shouldn't have done so. But, we all make mistakes and we're all human. We learn and grow from our past, that's why it's in the past. As much as I would've wanted to be friends in high school, I'm glad we are today. Quite honestly you're the second person to worm their way into my heart so quickly, Lauren being the first. But, I'm okay now and we're okay now, and that's all that matters," Normani smiled and reached to wipe away the tears falling on Ally's face. She could tell the blonde meant wholeheartedly what she'd said and how badly she regretted it.
"Thank you," Ally pulled Normani into a hug.
"No thank you," Normani rubbed her back. They pulled away after a minute or so, not wanting to but knowing they had to.
"Now that that's over," Ally wiped under her eyes one last time, "we can eat!" Ally exclaimed, making Normani laugh.
"Was that why you brought me out here? To apologize?" Normani raised an eyebrow as she and Ally began eating.
"Well, yes and no. Yes because I obviously wanted to apologize. And no because I wanted to show this beautiful place my beautiful girl," Ally smiled. Normani's heart swelled with happiness, it was the first time Ally had called Normani any kind of term of endearment, and it made Normani blush fiercely.
"So you come here a lot, then?" Normani asked, biting into a pineapple square.
"Not anymore. But back in high school, yes. This place was my safe haven when I needed to get out of my house," Ally looked around, "I've brought Dinah here a few times. In fact, she was the one who set the blanket up and stuff."
"Remind me to thank her later," Normani said, shoveling a forkful of pasta salad into her mouth.
"I owe her too. She's going to dangle it over my head," Ally shook her head in dismay, making Normani giggle.
The girls' conversation flowed easily as they finished the pasta salad and fruit platter, occasionally feeding each other a fruit and laughing. Once the food was gone, Ally turned to the cooler once more.
"So I happened to get," Ally brought the box of cupcakes out. Normani gasped, knowing the pink box all too well.
"No way!" Normani squealed.
"Yes way. A little birdy told me you like red velvet cupcakes," Ally smiled, watching Normani light up as she opened the box to reveal six perfectly placed red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
"Oh gosh I do!" Normani clapped, her mouth watering at the sight of the cupcakes.
"Are you just going to stare at them?" Ally chuckled, grabbing a cupcake for herself. Normani grabbed one and bit into it, moaning at how good it was. Ally bit into her own, "oh shit wait these are really good."
"Well duh, have you never had these before?!" Normani exclaimed.
Ally shook her head, "no I haven't. But now I see why you like them so much."
"Thank you!" Normani threw her arms around Ally. Ally laughed.
"Of course, be sure to thank Lauren later," Aly said, crumpling the cupcake wrapper up.
"This is quite possibly the best day I've had in a bit," Normani beamed, finishing her cupcake.
"Wait til you get in the water," Ally smiled. She stood and stripped her shorts, revealing a very high cut one piece and her hips. Normani stared until Ally began to turn around, raising her eyes quickly, "are you coming?" Ally asked, turning back around and diving gracefully into the water. Normani could see through the crystal clear water, so she watched Ally swim to the other side of the pool.
"Hell yeah," Normani got up, shimmied quickly out of her clothes, and dove in. Ally chuckled when Normani resurfaced with a yell, "holy shit it's freezing!"
"Feels good," Ally nodded, wading in the water. Normani doggy paddled to Ally.
"So what do you do when you come here?" Normani asked.
"You really wanna know?" Ally raised an eyebrow. Normani nodded, "follow," Ally led her towards the waterfall. Ally turned to Normani and smiled, her back to the waterfall. Ally went under and when she didn't resurface, Normani panicked and began frantically searching the water.
"Ally!?" Normani called, feeling and looking around in the water.
"Yeah Mani?" she heard over the loud roar of water.
"What? Where'd you go!?" Normani looked around for Ally, but she was nowhere in sight.
"Go through the waterfall, idiot," she heard Ally. Normani did as she was told. When she resurfaced, she was looking at Ally in a small cave. Ally was sitting above the water on a rock, the middle of her calves in the water.
"Whoa," Normani said, her voice echoing, making her giggle.
Ally smiled, "I come in here to just listen to the waterfall and clear my mind. Or if I need to, cry, think, or even scream." Normani saw a rock a few feet away from Ally, but decided against sitting on top of it, knowing she'd be cold if she got out. Ally, on the other hand, enjoyed the absence of warmth.
"So you just, sit?" Normani asked.
Ally nodded, "pretty much. I've only ever seen a few people who know about this cave. So even if there's people in the pool, which sometimes there is, I can still be alone."
Normani turned from the waterfall and looked at Ally, meeting her gaze, "you're really pretty," she murmured. Though Ally could barely hear her, she understood what she was saying. She also thanked the Lord the cave was dark, otherwise Normani would be able to see how red her cheeks were.
"I don't compare to the girl in front of me," Ally said smoothly, watching Normani. Normani began moving closer to Ally, resting her hand above Ally's knee.
"Despite what you think, I believe you are the prettiest woman to walk the face of this earth," Normani had no issue complimenting Ally. Ally could feel herself getting flustered as her thoughts clouded.
Normani moved Ally's knee outwards, creating a space large enough for Normani to fit in between Ally's legs. Ally stayed silent as Normani was now eye level with her, dangerously close. She could feel Normani's breath on her lips and chin, ahd she couldn't help but look at the plump lips presenting themselves before her.
"I wish," Normani pulled away, Ally almost letting a whine fall from her lips, "we had gotten to know each other in high school."
"We've been over this," Ally let a shaky breath out as Normani drew circles on her thigh. Normani knew exactly what she was doing, and how slowly she was killing Ally, and she liked it.
Normani looked away, "oh I know. But the thing is, I don't think it'd be different today if we'd known each other as friends rather than anything else," Normani's eyes scanned back to Ally's, who was already looking at her. "I think we'd still be here, same place," Normani got close to Ally again and she could hear her suck in a breath, "at this very moment," by now, Normani's eyes were flickering back and forth between Ally's eyes and lips.
Ally rolled her eyes, "shut up and kiss me already," Ally grabbed Normani's face and finally connected their lips. Normani laughed into the kiss and gladly kissed back.
Normani pulled away a few seconds into the kissm Ally groaned at the absence of contact.
"You're such a fucking tease," Ally growled, grabbing Normani and pulling her in for another kiss, Normani smiling against Ally's lips.
"You're a good kisser," Normani said lightly after pulling away when air was needed.
"Damn right I am," Ally huffed.
Normani threw her head back in laughter, "aw, is baby upset because she got teased?" Normani fake pouted, making Ally cross her arms.
"If this is how it's going to be, I don't want it," Ally turned her head, Normani laughing more.
"It's fun, I like getting you fluster," Normani smiled, grabbing Ally's chin and turning her head back to her.
"Grr you, Mani," Ally had no comeback. She hated how Normani had so much control of her, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it.
"Oh grr you too, Als. you love it," Normani chuckled, leaning into Ally. She was still standing between Ally's legs, making it easy for Normani to rest her head on Ally's chest. Ally sighed softly, resting her chin on Normani's head. She stayed silent, not wanting to admit it out loud.
Normani listened to Ally's rapid heartbeat, smiling slightly because she knew she was the reason it was beating so fast.
"I like it here," Normani said softly.
Ally chuckled lowly, "I'm glad. This place likes you here."
"What about you?" Normani looked at Ally. For once, Normani didn't mind looking up at Ally.
"What about me?" Ally tilted her head, her hand finding its way into Normani's wet hair.
"Do you like me here?" Normani inquired.
"Of course I do, I'd stay like this forever if it were possible," Ally nodded.
"Good thing we have a whole house," Normani mumbled, making Ally laugh.
"We should go, it looks like it's getting late and I don't want to be here when it gets dark," Ally said solemnly. She truly didn't want to move, but knew they had to leave.
"Wait," Normani sat up and kissed Ally once more. She pulled away with a smile, "okay, now we can go." Ally laughed at her antics and followed her out of the waterfall, back to their belongings. Ally handed Normani a towel and began drying herself off with another.
"Thank you for today, I had a lot of fun," Normani said as they walked back to the car, hand in hand.
"My girl only gets the best," Ally said, heat rising to Normani's cheeks.
"Can we put the windows down?" Normani asked innocently, looking at the sunset as they drove on the highway. Ally complied and put the windows down.
"This reminds me of that one super cliche Tumblr quote, 'she thought the sky was pretty but I thought she was prettier.' Though it hits a little different when the words turn out to be true," Ally said, glancing at Normani, who had her chin rested on the door. Normani sat up and laughed.
"That was really cliche, but that's okay because I like it," Normani said.
"Good, get used to it," Ally said, putting her right hand in Normani's.
When the pair got home, they showered and wore their normal pajamas. Ally had stolen one of Normani's large hoodies and waddled around the kitchen in it, making the pair bowls of ice cream. Normani came down the stairs in pajama shorts and a sports bra. She smiled when she saw Ally with her hair in a towel and Normani's hoodie draped over her body.
"I see you're in the hoodie stealing business?" Normani asked, coming into the kitchen to give Ally a kiss on the head before making two glasses of water.
Ally giggled, "I'm actually president of the company," Ally said, making Normani laugh and shake her head.
"Okay boss lady, what movie are we watching tonight?" the two moved into the living room.
"How about Clueless?" Ally suggested, sitting next to Normani and crossing her legs. Ally handed Normani her bowl of ice cream as she scrolled through the movies on their television. Normani finally found said movie and pressed it.
A quarter into the movie, Ally and Normani put their ice cream bowls down.
Halfway through the movie, Ally put Normani's arm around her as she snuggled into Normani's side. Normani had smiled.
Three fourths into the movie Normani could hear Ally's light snores. She rolled her eyes with a smile on her face, recording a short video because as Ally would say, "I don't snore!"
When the movie was finished, normani carried Ally up the stairs and into their bedroom. Normani laid the girl down carefully and got in beside her, pulling the sheets over both of them. Normani pulled Ally close into her chest.
"Thank you Als," Normani whispered, planting a kiss in the golden locks in front of her and closed her eyes. Ally smiled slightly, nuzzling herself more into Normani.
a/n: hiiii normally makes me soft