"And Let Us Never Be Parted." A SOAK Holiday One-Shot. Emelia Walton And Celeste Sinclair. SFW.
The idea for this hit the other day at work and I thought, fuck it, why not do this? I am writing a book and thought a little holiday moment with my two main ladies would be fun! Hope you all enjoy it. No warnings other than some casual drinking. Let's get into it!
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The apartment was cold.
Why was it so cold?
Emelia flicked on the light near the front door of her apartment and took off her scarf, hanging it on the hook before stepping forward, starting to unbutton her dark green pea coat with her leather clad fingers. Her eyes scanned over the familiar space she called home, looking for the source of the extreme and unwelcome chill.
The loud click of her high heels on the hardwood as she turned the corner, and she saw that the balcony door was ajar.
Weird.
She always made sure it was locked before she left. She approached the door cautiously and as she got closer she could see something waiting for her on the balcony.
The metal table she keeps out there with the two chairs to have breakfast on when the weather is nice. She has no place to put it during winter, so it stays out there. On the table is a chilled bottle of champagne and a card.
She picks up the card, it is blue and reads, “Happy Holidays” in a fancy glittery script on the front. She admires it for a moment and then opens it and reads it.
It’s from Celeste.
“Dearest Emelia. I know you have plans for New Years and that I have already left you so many gifts this season. But I wanted to get you something to kick the year off right.
Do you remember the first time we drank this together? Of course, you do. I didn’t know it was your favourite when I chose it back then. I got it because I know you can’t get it in America and love it whenever you travel, and because you can’t get to Europe as often as you would like to. So naturally, I thought it would be perfect.
I sincerely hope you love it.
Happy New Year! XOXO-Celeste.”
Emelia hums as she sets the card down and picks the bottle up and inspects it.
She calls out, “I DO have somewhere to be, but I never say no to a little pre-gaming. But drinking alone on New Years is soooo sad.”
She puts the bottle back down and retreats inside. She heads right to the kitchen, humming to herself as she fetches two glasses, and when she comes back out onto the balcony she isn’t alone anymore.
Celeste is there in a tight red-plaid skirt, a leather jacket and a super soft looking white sweater, knee-high boots, thigh high stockings and a cosy looking hat. Her lips are painted red, and she smiles upon seeing Emelia, “Wow! Funny running into you here.”
Emelia laughs as she steps through the threshold and back outside, “On my own apartment balcony? Yeah, thoroughly unbelievable.”
She sets the glasses down on the table and steps forward, next to Celeste, as she looks out on the skyline.
It is quiet for a moment as she enjoys the view. Celeste is still leaning against the railing, looking at Emelia. The light make-up she usually wore, soft pink glossed lips and her long black hair flecked with the falling snow, she was always stunned by her beauty.
“So, did you like the gifts?” She asks and Emelia laughs, a hand over her mouth, head tipping forward before her head comes back up with a sigh, “Yeah they were great. Wholly unnecessary, however. A New Year's gift on top of all of that is truly excessive.”
“I can’t help it. I like to spoil you.” Celeste sighs, “I have no one else to so…”
“You really have no one else to celebrate with?” She asks and Celeste confirms, “No, I don’t. Not like I celebrated much to begin with.”
“No?” Emelia inquires and Celeste says, “No. When my birth mother was still around, she was a nurse and worked a lot. All the holidays are busy times for people in that line of work, a lot of accidents and much worse.”
“No crime family?” Emelia teases and Celeste laughs this time, one hand rubbing the back of her neck, “No, I wish. None of that. Just me.”
Emelia finally looks back at her as she says, “Still, I do feel a little honoured, breaking your parole to see me. Can’t help feeling at least a little important.”
Celeste wants to be so much closer to her, but she can’t be the one to initiate that. She holds herself back and instead says, “What can I say, you are a special lady, Em.”
A beat and this time Emelia is the one to break the silence as she asks, “So are we sharing a drink?”
“If you’ll have me.” Comes the coy reply.
Emelia steps back to the table, and she picks up the bottle and Celeste tries to take it, “Oh let me-”
Emelia holds her hand up, the other gripping the neck of the bottle, holding it away from her, “Hey, hey, you think I can’t handle it?”
Celeste rolls her eyes with a soft smile and says, “No, I didn’t say that-”
Emelia quips, “You kinda did, but I’ll forgive you.” She starts to open the bottle as the other woman mutters, “How generous of you.”
Celeste watches her almost get it open and as an idea hits, she says quickly, “I dare you to pop it off the railing.”
“And risk breaking a neighbour’s window?” Emelia asks with a scoff and raised eyebrows. The other woman leans closer and asks, “Ooo, are you too chicken-”
The shorter woman cuts her off quickly, “Hey! I am not, I’ll show you-”
She repositions how she is holding it and does as challenged, she pops the cork off the edge, they both watch it go sailing off into the distance. “Nice job Em!” Celeste says with a grin, and Emelia thanks her before turning and pouring them two glasses.
She sets the bottle back down and holds out one glass that Celeste takes with a soft, “Thank you.” enjoying the brief contact of their fingers brushing against each other, even through butter soft leather, Celeste loves the feeling of her.
Emelia says, “Thank you for getting it. I know it wasn’t easy, seriously, how did you get it here?”
“I have to keep some secrets for myself.” She says seriously, and Emelia laughs again, “Oh, like you don’t have enough of them already.”
They clink glasses and they both take a sip and Emelia sighs in pleasure from the taste, she pulls the crystal away and looks back out over the city lights.
“So, do you know the story of this?” Celeste asks and Emelia quirks a brow at her.
“Of what champagne? Yeah, yeah, I know about the stars John Green.”
The brunette waves her hand that isn’t holding the champagne flute, “No! No, no about this particular kind.” Emelia shakes her head, realizing what she meant, now caught up, “Oh, no, I don’t.”
“Well-” Celeste then begins to tell the story behind the champagne. “See, there were these two lifelong ‘friends’ whose husbands died of mysterious causes, and they moved in together to help support one another after their passing.”
Emilia nods, she leans closer as she listens Celeste expound further, “They were famously close. Until, one day, one of them died unexpectedly. The other lived for another year and completed the new drink they’d been perfecting, and on the year anniversary of her friends’ death she dies herself, also of mysterious causes.”
“Oh my God.” Emelia says quietly, “Any idea what of?”
“Some say of a broken heart.” Celeste says with a small shrug, “But anyway, that isn’t all. Now onto the name of it. Every year she would make a birthday wish and never share it with her friend for fear of jinxing it. She finally, tearfully admitted her wish at her friend’s funeral to her casket because she always promised she’d tell her one day. That wish was that they were-”
“-Never To Be Parted.” Emelia says, reading the label off of the bottle, “What a lovely and bittersweet story.”
“Isn’t it just?” Celeste muses, “Also you know French?” She asks, and Emelia says with a heartwarming smile that makes the winter chill feel very far away, “Duh. One of my many forced extracurriculars.”
“Shoulda known.” They drink in silence for a moment before, Celeste asks, “What do you think of them?”
Emelia considers what she asked and then says, “I think to have such an intimate friendship and someone who understands you so deeply is truly something special. One can only hope to experience something like that in their lifetime.”
She feels soft around her, always hanging off of her every word. “Well said as always.”
Emelia says then, “I feel bad I didn’t get you anything, even though I wasn’t expecting this.”
“It’s fine. You don’t need to get me anything.” Celeste reassures her.
“I know.” Emelia says, and in short order she gets an idea just then and didn’t hold back.
She leans over, kisses the other woman’s cheek, leaving a pink lipstick mark behind, a small sparkly smudge that causes skin to flush, lingering for a few seconds before pulling back, Celeste stares at her shocked before choking out, “What was that for?”
Emelia sighs with a shrug. “I dunno. Felt your face could use some colour.”
She takes another drink and steers the conversation elsewhere while looking out on the city landscape at night, the twinkling lights among the falling snow, and Celeste touches her cheek lightly where Emelia kissed it.
Neither of them comment on the bright red lipstick Celeste is already wearing. Both are more than comfortable with her excuse.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be? Some big New Year's party?” Celeste asks after their first glass is done and Em pours them both another as she says, “Eh, I’m not in a rush.”
They share the bottle on her balcony as the snow piles higher and Celeste feels inexplicably warm.
