The Difference Between Us // Emison AU

Chp. 16

Alison Dilaurentis knew it was wrong of her to care for the fact that her artist was flirting quite hard with the other beautiful blonde who had walked in the front door of Paintbrush Art Store.

After Ezra had arrived in a clean black suit, he pressed his lips to Alison's hand which could only make her roll her eyes. He acted as though the ways of the past was what was considered appropriate. Either that, or he was showing off and acting elegant simply because he had money.

But Emily and Hanna soon became a sight that only hurt her.

Everywhere they went, Emily held Hanna's hand. She couldn't tell if it was as friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time, or if they had reconciled in the time that Emily was picking the other blonde up from the airport.

And what only seemed to annoy her further was that Ezra was completely blind towards her upset. It was as if he didn't seem to care.

At dinner, Alison ordered the strongest wine the restaurant had to offer on the menu. She felt that she should order a hard liquor just to get her over the evening but realized it would look completely unprofessional and undesirable to Emily.

And every single sentence Hanna uttered only made Emily laugh.

"So you two met in college?" Ezra asked.

"Met, yes, and then dated, and here we are. We met again today years later," Hanna joked.

"Hmm. Quite a history," Ezra said as he drank his white wine with a raised eyebrow and a dashing smile.

Alison found herself staring at Emily. It made Emily shift a little in her seat uncomfortably after she met eyes with her beautiful blonde boss.

"So Hanna... fashion?" Alison asked with a twisted grin.

The other blonde smiled back promptly, not realizing Alison's distaste. "All the way! I've had a love for it since I was a little kid. Emily knows that when we were at NYU, I was constantly trying to create my own styles."

"Some were better than others," Emily recalled.

"Hey! You told me they were all great!" Hanna protested as she playfully punched the brunette.

"A passion for fashion. How... lovely," Alison muttered as she circled the rim of her wine glass with her finger so that it made a low hum.

"You bet," Hanna smiled.

"So... were you like obsessed with owning Gucci and stuff growing up?" Alison asked in a tone that came off cold immediately.

Hanna's smile faltered. "Well... if I'm going to be honest, we didn't really have the money at the time for designer brands. My mom bought me similar things though for birthdays and Christmas."

"A fashionista who didn't own designer brands but owned knock offs? Shocking. Isn't that like, against the rules in the fashion world?" Alison said in the sweet tone that mirrored condescending.

Hanna began to grow pale and looked a little uncomfortable which caused Emily to narrow her eyes.

"As you know Alison, not everybody has money and some of us are normal people who can't afford whatever we want," Emily answered quickly, sticking up for Hanna in the process.

Alison wanted so hard to glare at Emily for defending the other blonde over herself but realized there was no reason Emily shouldn't be.