64 - First Sight

A/N: I am SO so sorry it took me this long to update. I had the worst case of writer's block, which is why I hope this chapter isn't horrible. Thank you, as always, for reading and reviewing, it means the world to me. 💖💖

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"Ali, let's go!" Hanna impatiently yelled, leaning her back against the side of her own brand new car. She peered down at her phone, checking the time, and then proceeded to roll her eyes at her fellow blonde. She rapped on the side of the car, voicing out, "Come on, lovebird, let's go!"

Alison stood a few feet away, giggling at something Emily whispered in her ear. Deciding to put Hanna out of her misery, she laced her fingers with the brunette's, declaring sadly, "Looks like I have to go, mermaid."

"But I'll miss you," Emily said sweetly, pouting adorably and practically melting the blonde's heart. Alison smiled up at her, ignoring the banging noise coming from Hanna's direction, who was still frustratedly hitting the side of the car, although now the other blonde was face-down against the top of the shiny vehicle. Other students who passed by the three of them in the Rosewood High parking lot gave the bubbly blonde weird glances.

"I'll miss you, too," Alison said, wrapping her arms around Emily's neck and allowing the girl to pull her closer by the waist. When Emily looked down woefully, while also ignoring the noise Hanna was making, she stood on her tiptoes and pulled the girl into a warm hug, burying her face in the crook of the brunette's neck. "Em, y-"

"Oh, my God, Em, you'll see us again in like, two hours!" Hanna groaned loudly, lifting her face and staring at them with the most exasperated expression they had ever seen her pull.

Alison stepped away from the hug, holding her hands up and muttering, "Fine, we heard you."

"Thank you," Hanna sighed gratefully, sliding into the passenger seat and slamming the door with an audible huff.

Before Emily could walk away, though, Alison grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, before cupping her cheek and bringing her into a short kiss. "Don't listen to her. I love you," she shortly kissed Emily's lips once more in finality, stepping away toward the car.

Emily gave her a shy smile before turning to walk away to her own car. Alison tracked her movements with her eyes, and grinned in pleasant surprise once she saw Emily putting her hand over her hastily beating heart, sighing in order to calm herself down.

She got into the car and closed the door, letting out a dreamy exhale. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Hanna utter, "Finally." Alison had forgotten for a second that the other blonde was even there.

"Your PDA is seriously getting out of hand, you know," Hanna declared, pulling a grossed-out look in Alison's direction.

"Han, you practically devoured Caleb this morning, and it was disgusting. You of all people don't get a say in this," Alison smartly commented back, raising an eyebrow in the other blonde's direction.

"Okay, you're the one who wanted to drive my new car, right? So, am I paying you to talk or drive? Let's go, woman!" Hanna sassed back at her, snapping her fingers in a rushing manner for emphasis.

Alison snorted, "You're not paying me at all."

"Whatever," Hanna retorted flatly, crossing her arms like a grouchy child. In response, Alison took her sweet time starting the car, biting her lip to muffle the laughter in her throat at her ridiculous friend.

They reached the beauty salon a few minutes later, although parking the car proved to be a difficulty, since the parking lot was so full that they had to search for a different parking spot. Also, both girls weren't the greatest at parking in general and when Hanna shouted at Alison that she sucked and that she should let her try, the goofy blonde almost ran over an innocent elderly man who was merely walking by. The man then proceeded to chase them for three blocks until he finally gave up and walked away, muttering complaints about his cataract. Eventually, they made it into the store, nearly panting, with their hairs a mess, much to the dismay of the multiple hairdressers and manicurists.

"Oh, sweet lord, I can't look at you like this, darling," a man Alison knew as Pedro called out, horrified, as he covered his eyes with his hands playfully.

"I'd like to see you saying that after trying to escape from a crazy old man," Alison chuckled breathlessly, stepping into his offered hug.

"Oh, honey, I had escaped from a crazy old man before. It was my husband's father," he chuckled lightly, amusement shimmering in his eyes. "And my hair remained perfect even then," he said cockily, running his fingers through the full, silky hair on the top of his head.

Alison rolled her eyes playfully at him, before stepping aside and revealing Hanna.

"Ooh, and who might this be?" Pedro gushed, taking a confused Hanna's hand and giving her a twirl. "Darling, you are simply divine. Just like your friend here," he pointed to Alison, "she's been coming over for years now."

"Pedro, this is Hanna. Hanna, Pedro," Alison introduced, and Hanna gave him a surprisingly polite smile but Alison saw the blush on her cheeks. She knew Hanna tended to appreciate every single compliment she received because she had been used to not getting many of them. The queen bee was also aware of the fact that she was the reason Hanna thought it was so rare for her to get compliments, but before she could drown in her guilt over her past behavior towards her fellow blonde, she felt two pairs of fingers snapping in front of her face.

She broke from her train of thoughts, sending a quick smile in the two people's way, just to let them understand that she was okay.

Pedro laughed lightheartedly. "This one," he joked, lightly pushing Alison's shoulder, "she tends to get lost in her thoughts, huh?"

"Tell me about it," Hanna smirked in return, choosing to ignore the glare directed at her and the stylist's way from Alison.

"Well, what are we starting with today?" Pedro began, clapping his hands excitedly. Alison opened her mouth to answer but instead, he lifted his hand to silence her, "Never mind, sweetie. Hair, we're definitely starting with hair."

Fifteen minutes later, the two girls were sitting on two different leather chairs in front of individual vanities, side by side, both with their hair wet after washing. Pedro was busy with Alison's hair, just like he was every time the girl came over to the salon, while Pedro's friend and fellow hairdresser, Stacy, did Hanna's hair.

After he finished combing through Alison's hair with his tiniest comb, he began talking while he prepared the rest of his tools. "So, I need to catch up on gossip, little lady. But before that, I noticed that I've never met this hot babe of yours. You're always going on and on about her when you come here and I absolutely have to see her in real life or a picture, at least," he complained, sticking his bottom lip out in playfully feigning sadness.

Hanna laughed in the seat next to her, uttering, "Ali, you sap," and Alison couldn't help but blush as the other girl continued to cackle.

"I'm telling you, honey, when you first told me you were dating a girl, I was as shocked as I was when Jay McCarroll won Project Runway. But I gotta say, I have always had a feeling about you..." he trailed off, finishing the trimming of the ends of the blonde's hair.

"He's right. Ironically, it's always the popular girls," Stacy stated, smirking teasingly.

Alison shrugged, "Not to doubt your 'gay intuition', but I'm not a lesbian. And from all the girls, I've only ever been attracted to Emily."

"Shush, stop raining over my parade," Pedro silenced her playfully, a sultry grin making its way to his face, "I'm rooting for you."

"You really do need to meet Em," Hanna piped up, talking to Pedro. "I can already picture her terrified face once Pedro here pulls her into a chair and starts to question her about what shampoo she uses."

The three other people laughed in humor, but Pedro merely nodded and said in all seriousness, "Mmhm, I would totally do that."

Alison reached for her phone that was on top of the vanity while Pedro plugged in the hairdryer. It didn't take her long to browse through her gallery in order to find a pretty picture of Emily. Mostly because Emily was unknowingly extremely photogenic in every picture she took.

She lifted her phone and Pedro eagerly took it, gazing at the picture of Emily and Alison in the debutante fair that they had gone to a while ago. The two were standing at the shooting station with a toy BB pistol each, attempting to win stuffed animals. Alison was playfully aiming hers straight at the camera and Emily was by her side, shooting at one of the targets.

"Sweet lord, that jawline could cut glass," he exclaimed, impressed, and Alison laughed lightly, nodding her head.

"I know," she smirked mischievously.

She swiped right to display another photo, ending up at a picture of her and Emily at the same fair, only this time, they were standing under the Ferris wheel, with Emily's arms wrapped warmly around Alison's waist from behind and the brunette's chin resting on her shoulder, both of them looking happily at the camera.

"I remember taking that picture," Hanna nodded, chuckling, "that's why it's a good one."

Alison playfully stuck her tongue out at the girl, and then watched as Pedro zoomed into the picture using his fingers, gaping at the screen.

"That's your girl?" he asked again for clarification.

Alison nodded proudly.

"Oh, she's simply a piece of art, darling. You better keep her," he encouragingly warned her.

Alison took the phone from his hands, staring intently at the picture for a few moments before smiling tenderly as the memories of that night came flooding back. "I'm in love with her, Pedro. And that means everything."

"Agreed, sister," he gave her a soft smile through the mirror, rubbing her shoulder supportively. He glanced at Hanna, "How 'bout you, girl? With a pretty face like that, you must have a bae of your own."

Hanna showed him a photo of Caleb on her phone and he fanned himself playfully, "Geez, what is with everyone having exquisite jawlines?"

Later on, the two girls were sitting in the manicure corner, tea and cookies laid out on the table in front of them, with their hair freshly blow-dried. Lindsey, the manicurist, was listening intently to Alison and Hanna's tale-telling, keeping her eyes planted on Hanna's fingernails while Alison checked her newly-beautified nails.

"And then our friend, Mona, used her computer codes to open the gate, and we got out and drove home. Then we all finally took Pepe for that walk and went to get fro-yo's after that," Hanna enthusiastically recalled, while Lindsey's mouth stayed agape in shock.

"Are you serious? You broke into a school?" the pedicurist asked, turning to Alison for confirmation.

"True story," Alison smirked, chuckling at Lindsey's flabbergasted expression.

"And you guys also flew to Paris with plane tickets and a budget from a karaoke club! I mean, in what world would that happen?" the woman questioned in amazement, putting her finishing touches on Hanna's nails.

Alison shrugged cheekily, "In ours, apparently."

Her phone dinged with a new message and she glanced at it, looking at Lindsey pleadingly.

"I'll check it," the manicurist said dismissively, understanding that Alison couldn't use her fingers until the nails turned dry. She picked up the phone, glancing at the screen. She chuckled, "Uh, 'Mermaid XOXO' says, 'I'm on the way rn. My mom was so happy when I told her I was going to a beauty salon, until she found out I was only there to pick you up XD'."

Alison giggled wholeheartedly, shaking her head in amusement. "She's so adorable," she said, gazing away dreamily.

"She sounds adorable," the woman nodded with a small grin as she finished with Hanna's nails, putting her products and tools away.

Ten minutes later - that Hanna and Alison spent by gushing over their beloved nails - the glass door of the salon was pushed open and Emily walked in, immediately making Alison's heart beat ten times faster.

"Em," she called so the brunette could see her. Emily's eyes shifted in Alison's direction and she smiled softly at her.

She approached, leaning down to peck Alison on the lips. "Hey," she greeted with a sweet smile.

"Hi, baby," Alison answered, grinning like a fool. Emily blushed furiously at the pet name.

The brunette took the time to scan Alison entirely, noticing how glowing she seemed, especially after getting her hair and nails done. "Ali, you look so beautiful," she let out quietly in the most genuine of tones.

Now, it was Alison's turn to blush at the girl's compliment, her face beaming.

"Oh, my, my! Is this the famous Emily Fields aka Mermaid?" Pedro asked from right behind the brunette, making the startled girl jump.

She gave him a shy smile, glancing weirdly at Alison. "Nice to meet you," she reached out her hand hesitantly, unsure what to say to the overzealous man in front of her.

"Oh, honey, we don't do any of that here. Come on, give ol' Pedro a hug," he opened his arms, pulling her into a bear hug before she could even comprehend his actions. After he squeezed her of all air in her body, she gave him a hesitant smile.

"Oh, you're too cute!" he squealed, pinching one of Emily's flushed checks. "And can I just say, you are absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you," Emily let out a nervous chuckle, her tanned cheeks turning an unbelievable shade of red.

"God, leave the poor girl alone, can't you see she's nearly hyperventilating?" Hanna chuckled lightheartedly, making Emily revert to herself as she swatted at Hanna's arm.

"Aww, look at that blush," Lindsey teased, nudging Emily's shoulder.

"That's enough, guys," Alison stated seriously, noticing the beginning of Emily's slight discomfort. The girl was fidgeting on her feet, and even though nobody had said anything remotely bad about her, Alison could tell when Emily has had enough of the spotlight for the day. She could read the girl better than ever nowadays.

"I'm so sorry if I'm making you uneasy, honey. Trust me, I was a very shy little boy, I absolutely get it. I just want you to feel comfortable. This is a safe space," he said over-seriously, making Emily flash him an amused, soft smile. "Well, take a seat!" he urged playfully, nudging her in Alison's direction.

"Han, Caleb said he's waiting for you at the mall," Emily informed her best friend as she sat down between the two blondes.

Hanna's eyes lit up as soon as she heard her boyfriend's name and she quickly flew out of her seat as if the room was on fire. Alison stared at her, offended.

The girl gathered her things, turning back at the doorway and yelling at the other blonde, "You're paying for me, right, Ali?"

"Wha- No, I'm not!"

"Bye, Em!" and with that, the bubbly blonde exited the salon quickly, leaving Alison befuddled while Emily struggled her hardest not to laugh at the bubbly blonde's antics.

Emily finally relaxed next to her girlfriend, reaching her hand to gently lace their fingers together. She was lucky that Alison's nails were already dry, otherwise, she would've created a whole Sodom and Gomorrah situation in the salon. "Guess who I saw on the way here?" the brunette excitedly asked after a few moments.

Alison stared blankly at the door for a few extra moments, just in case Hanna decided to come in and apologize. Finally, she deemed Hanna apologizing as an unrealistic situation, and turned back to her girlfriend. "Who?"

"Harris, from the karaoke club," Emily smiled widely. That club reminded her of bright, festive memories. "He said the club was doing better than ever and that they're doing raffles every month."

"That's amazing," Alison grinned genuinely. "It's so great that -- Pedro, what are you doing?"

Emily averted her eyes to said man, who was now kneeling with one knee on the shiny marble floor, with his phone camera pointed at the couple, snapping away.

"This is too cute! I've been telling queen bee over here that she's got a real shot at being a model for years, and now I'm saying the same to you. Seriously, I even saw that fashion show Jessica put up, it was incredible," he complimented copiously.

"Of course it was, Emily was a part of it," Alison answered, gazing at the brunette in adoration.

An amused Emily watched as Pedro exchanged a high five with her girlfriend, and the man excitedly exclaimed, "Ooh, girl, that was slick!"

It took further twenty minutes to drag Alison out of the building, and even though Pedro protested adamantly, they eventually paid and took off in the direction of Emily's car.

As soon as they reached the vehicle though, a look of realization crossed Emily's face and next thing Alison knew, the brunette was standing in front of her, preventing her from entering the car.

"Wait here," Emily said nervously, "I-I have something for you. A surprise."

Alison frowned her eyebrows and waited while Emily quickly opened the car door and retrieved an item, keeping it hidden behind her back.

Alison's hand automatically flew to the last surprise Emily had given her, and she grabbed the pendant around her neck, grinning expectantly at the girl.

Emily bit her lip anxiously, then brought her arm forward, revealing a group of pink, white and purple gloxinia flowers tied together with a string. Alison exhaled in wonder, taking the bouquet from Emily before her shaky hand dropped it.

"I was on the way here and I heard a story on the radio t-that got me thinking," Emily nervously rambled, glancing at Alison. The blonde released a fond smile, and Emily grinned shyly back, continuing, "It was about a woman who injured her husband because he admitted to her that he wasn't in love with her on the first sight."

Alison's smile turned slightly confused, and Emily rushed to clarify.

"So then, weirdly enough, I started thinking about us, and I realized that, even though I've never thought that much about it, I understand now that I have fallen for you on the first sight, even if I didn't know what it meant back then."

Emily pointed at the flowers which were still clutched in Alison's hand as the blonde planted her feet in the ground in order to stop her from tackling the brunette to the ground with kisses, "These flowers, I searched them up and found out their meaning is 'love at first sight'. I guess I just wanted you to know that... that it's always been you."

When Alison's eyes met Emily's, the brunette gave her a doubtful smile, but the blonde couldn't help but pull the girl into a tight hug, hand still clutching the bouquet. When Emily held her just as closely, dropping a kiss to the side of her head, Alison felt her throat tighten as her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears. "I don't know where I would be without you, mermaid," she whispered, silent tears escaping her eyes spontaneously. She knew that, physically, they were simply flowers, but she found the way Emily expressed herself and displayed her love so special. The brunette would never shout it from the rooftops, she would never need to, because anybody could just see it. Alison found it to be mesmerizing.

Emily's nervous smile transformed into a self-proud one and she squeezed Alison tighter, holding her in such an intimate, affectionate way, that the blonde thought she absolutely wouldn't mind staying like this for the rest of the day.

They only let go when Alison's phone rang, and the blonde sniffled, smiling timidly as Emily used her thumbs to wipe her tears. She reached for her phone and declined the call, making a mental note to call Spencer back later. She couldn't really talk right now, after all.

"Spencer?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. Probably just wanted to make sure we're all meeting at the same time for the charity 5k," Alison shrugged.

"Oh," Emily said, then her face was taken over by a smile that Alison could only describe as mysterious.

"Why are you smiling like the cat swallowed the canary?" Alison chuckled, cupping Emily's cheek with her free hand as the brunette let out a small giggle that warmed the blonde's heart more than ever.

"Your ringtone," Emily finally said quietly, leaving Alison to ponder what she meant.

"My ring - oh." Alison laughed, biting her lip as she recalled choosing 'Brown Eyed Girl' by Van Morrison as her ringtone merely a week ago. She stood on her toes, leaning forward and planting a kiss on Emily's forehead and then on her lips. Emily tenderly kissed her back, one hand holding Alison's cheek and the other on the small of the blonde's back, pulling her close.

Emily then rested her forehead on Alison's, remaining quiet for a few moments.

"You know, Ali," she finally said in a velvety voice, "maybe that show about our lives that we were talking about, shouldn't be just action and thriller, some romance should be put into it too."

"I think that could be arranged," Alison mumbled against her lips with a mischievous smile, stealing a few more chaste kisses before stepping back and entering the car, closing the door behind her.

Emily stared at the open space for a moment as the cold air cooled her burning cheeks. Finally, she smiled peacefully to herself as she walked around the car and entered through the driver's door.