The English Teacher ➳ Emison

Chapter 31 | New Beginnings

A/n: I cannot even begin to apologize to you for leaving this fanfic and not updating for so long. It was a conscious break that I had to take after something unfortunate happened in my life, but I slowly got back to writing and would really love to share the next few (and last) chapters of this fanfic. This story had been incredible to write. Thank you for all of your considerate comments, I love you guys so much and hope you're doing well <3 you're the reason I'm continuing to write and loving every second of it. Hope you enjoy these chapters and the way the story slowly wraps up xx

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Emily's feet carried her up the steps to Alison's back porch, using her hand to shield her face from the hot sun rays. It was a beautiful summer morning. The smell of freshly cut grass from the neighbor's lawn invaded her nose and the melodic chirping of the birds echoed in her ears.

Her sleep last night had been only so-so after the inevitable rush that was her prom. She wasn't the slightest bit tired though. Now, standing on this very porch with the knowledge that Alison was waiting for her inside, her heart pounded in her chest. This moment made everything in the world feel balanced again.

Even regardless of everything that happened with Alison, partying with her friends had been great and the memories they made were ones she knew she would never forget. Late-night karaoke with Hanna, listening to Aria's cute drunk spiels, and watching a buzzed Spencer reenact her role from the 7th-grade rendition of Mamma Mia were all only the gist of the matter. These were special moments that would never return and she made an effort to enjoy them as much as possible.

When she reached the party later than everyone else after Alison dropped her off, the girls quickly began needling her with questions regarding where she had been and what she had been busy with. It was unavoidable and she had prepared herself with answers to the best of her abilities. Though she didn't reveal that she and Alison had been hooking up in a car, she did tell them that they left the prom together and went somewhere more private to talk.

That answer seemed to assuage Spencer and Aria, but Hanna, who had precisely guessed from a single look what Emily had been doing when she was away, pulled her aside and asked her for more details. Emily had dodged as best as she could, still cautious. Even though she left Alison's car last night feeling absolutely amazing, she didn't want to get her hopes up. They still had to talk about what it meant.

Just as she had told Hanna, she and Alison needed to figure out where they stood. Yes, they had sex last night, but they barely had time to talk about anything other than their desires when it happened, so today was dedicated to addressing what transpired. Although Emily was a bit hungover and her mother gave her a suspicious look upon seeing the dark circles under her tired eyes before she left the house, the brunette was still highly alert, rocking on the balls of her feet in excitement from her and Alison's much-anticipated reunion.

She lifted her fist, choosing to knock even though she was fully aware that she still had the key to this door on her keychain. She never took it off the chain, even when they were broken up. She simply couldn't do it, same as her not being able to give Alison's clothes back to her or her copy of Great Expectations.

It wasn't entirely obvious to her what possessed her not to begin the actual moving-on process after the break up. Whether it was some optimistic approach in the back of her mind that they would get back together or if it was just something she had postponed doing and never got around to was unclear. She merely stayed in place, not even mildly thinking about other people in the way she still looked at Alison.

Hopefully, the result of the two of them talking today would determine that she would need to keep that key, after all.

She undoubtedly wanted Alison back, especially after last night.