No Escape

Against Reason

It was the kind of day when people decide to go out. The sun shone bright and warm, but the wind was cool, and the leaves of the trees moved with it. The sky was almost clear of clouds, and the few that drifted were enough to make out shapes that was certain to attract little children into guessing what they could be. 

Alison was lying down, head on Emily's lap while Emily ran her fingers through Alison's hair. They were quiet, as they had been for the past few minutes. Emily would occasionally point out something that had caught her attention, like the pair of birds she'd seen flying earlier, wings beating in the same rhythm as if they were just one bird. Occasionally the rhythm would falter, but they would always slide back into a tandem.

Now Emily was watching the family who had settled a short distance from where they were. She seemed transfixed, and a small smile was on her lips, as her eyes settled on the children the couple had. She had no doubt in her heart that she wanted a family like that, and enjoy days like this with her family. If things worked out, she thought, preemting her mind, she wanted that family with the girl lying on her lap.

As if just her thoughts were enough to make Alison turn to her, she felt Alison's warm fingers on her cheek and Emily looked down at her. Alison squinted slighlty up at her, as the spaces between the leaves of the trees let thin ray of sunlight through. Emily shifted so could block the light.

"Thanks for taking me out today, Emily."

Emily only smiled, leaning down to brush her lips against Alison's. It was a brief meeting of lips, short enough so it wouldn't be to showy in public, but long enough for Emily to taste Alison, taste the lipgloss she put on that day, breathe in the same air as her for a few seconds. If it were up to Emily the kiss would have gone on forever. Because really, Emily didn't live for the hot, desperate kisses they shared at night, but for the ones they shared during the day, when there was no urge to kiss, but there was that natural, irrevocable pull to lean in and make that small contact.

"I'd take you anywhere." Emily brushed a lock of Alison's hair from her face, her fingers lingering. "Paris, remember? Someday we'll go."

Despite the dreaded thought of the day ending, Alison felt the corners of her lips lift. "For how long?"

"How about forever?" Emily played along, remembering a day years ago when they had been alone in a classroom. But this time, Emily believed that if Alison so wanted to, they would live there. She would probably take her parents with her, Emily thought. She would uproot her whole family for Alison. She'd do anything for her, Emily thought, and it terrified her.

Alison sat up so she could look at Emily's eyes properly, sink deep into their depths, dive blindly and just lose herself in them. "I love you." The words slipped out of Alison's lips in a breath, and she felt as if it came directly from her heart, simply bubbling up to her mouth. It seemed so natural to say those words to Emily now, as if she'd been saying it her whole life. The truth behind them weighed on Alison's heart, but instead of feeling a crushing pressure, she only felt... filled. As if there had been crevices in her heart before and now Emily was slowly patching them up.

Emily breathed in those words, basked in the reverence that Alison seemed to say them. She didn't think she'd ever hear those words from Alison. She didn't think there was ever going to be a way for Alison to fall in love with her. But she did. And Emily would forever wonder how that happened. "I love you, too." Emily smiled. "Against reason." She kissed Alison's forehead. "Against promise." Her left cheek. "Against peace." Her right cheek. "Against hope." Her nose. "Against happiness." The corner of her mouth. "Against all discouragement that could be."

And Alison's breath caught, before Emily kissed her fully this time, lips warm and slow and it was almost lazy. Had Alison not grabbed Emily's wrist to anchor herself when Emily started to speak, and she would not be able to feel Emily's fast heartbeat on her fingertips, and she would have thought that Emily was completely relaxed. But both their heart rates were raised, and both their hands were shaking slightly. And it felt like the first kiss they ever had, but it was also a kiss that was going to be part of forever.

Just like that, Emily broke Alison's resolve. There was no pulling away from a love like this, Alison thought, sinking deeper into the kiss, forgetting everything else about the world but the girl in front of her, whose arms were not around her. There was no lying to herself that she would be ok without Emily. She wouldn't be. She would be lost. And still be deeply in love.

It was then that Emily felt Alison's tears on her own cheeks and she pulled away. She watched Alison's eyes blink a few times, letting a few more tears escape, before focusing on her. "I hope it wasn't that bad," she muttered.

And Alison laughed. A soft breathy laugh that was only of joy and love and she just felt filled. "I'm just so happy." She grabbed the back of Emily's neck, pulled her for a quicker, firmer kiss. "Just really happy."

Emily's look softened, and she closed the distance between the two of them again. "Good," she murmured, before capturing Alison's lips in a kiss again.

A/N: More Emison in the next chapter to make up for all the negative Alison thoughts. <3 <3 <3 I'm dedicating this chapter to Jewels again because you are entirely too awesome and I'm still not over your comment. :3