Time Is All We Need

Chapter 20

The small party seemed to be going over pretty well. Alison was relieved of the cooking duties. Her mom, along with Pam and Zoe, who was just begging for some scraps, took over the kitchen so she herself could spend time with the people who came. Alison sat on the couch and started people watching. Although there weren't very many people here, actually there was only both Emily and Alison's immediate family plus Spencer and Toby, Alison always enjoyed it.

Pam and her own mother were laughing and talking about recipes in the kitchen. Wayne and her father were talking about god knows what since everyone arrived. And Spencer, Toby, and Emily stood by the fire place, making small talk. Well, a lot of Emily just nodding her head and the couple standing in front of her doing the majority of the talking.

Alison's eyes fixated on Emily. She watched the brunette's each and every move. She could picture it, just a year or two, maybe even three years from now they would be in the same situation again. But this time with much more people, and for a much happier reason. Emily would be so apprehensive, and probably be sticking to Alison's side like Velcro.

"You ever stop staring at her like that?" Spencer's voice ripped her out of her quick day dream.

"You know, we could've been engaged on the same day?" She still stared at Emily, her eyes unmoving, and a somberness to her voice.

"What? That-"

Quickly, she interrupted Spencer. "I proposed to her." Spencer's jaw dropped, watching Alison as she looked so emotional, and unemotional at the same time. "The night she told me she was sick."

"Wow." Spencer blinked rapidly, trying to shake off the shock. "That's huge for you Ali. That means-"

"I'm in love with her." Ali breathed out, finishing Spencer's sentence for her.

"Well yeah, I know you're in love with her. That's pretty obvious." Spencer smiled, and nudged her shoulder into Ali's a little bit.

"No, Spence. You don't get it. I'm in love with her." Alison tapped the rim of her glass with her finger. Emily turned to meet Alison's eye, sending a cheesy grin her way before she disappeared into the kitchen. Finally she turned to Spencer, her crystal blue eyes holding every ounce of pain, and emotion the blonde was feeling.

"Like before, I don't know. I don't really know how to explain it. I feel like when we're apart for five minutes that it's actually been ten days. I feel lighter, happier, when I hear her voice. I can't breathe without her Spence." Alison cleared a tear drop as quickly as it started cascading down her cheek. "What if I was too late? I should've gone to a game with you like three years ago. I would've caught it by then. I would've had three years with her already, not only one."

"Hey, don't think like that." Spencer put her hand on Alison's arm. "You were meant to happen now, a year ago. Not three."

Alison sighed rubbing at her forehead. The past three days she had so much stuff running through her head, it was damn near impossible to get anything straight; especially after she was done working each day. "I feel so damn guilty for every time I was mad at her."

Spencer went to answer her, but a couple loud crashes coming from the kitchen made Spencer stop and turn her attention to the kitchen. "You don't need to worry, because yours and Emily's story is just beginning." Spencer turned back to Alison, wrapping her arm around the blonde once she heard laughter in the kitchen.

The two best friends stayed like that for what felt like forever. They didn't speak, but after so long of being best friends, they knew how to comfort one another. And this was it. Their silent moment was interrupted by Emily.