Title: Silver Lining
By: Bridget McKennitt
Characters: Emily Fields/Maya St. Germain
Rating: G
Word Count: 1074
Summary: Maya is the one silver lining in Emily's tangled web of lies.
Contains: No warnings in as far I know that can't be extrapolated from the header itself. Can fit between 1.02-1.03.
Disclaimer: Pretty Little Liars is owned by other companies. They are used here without permission, and for entertainment purposes only. No challenge or infringement upon the copyright is intended, nor should any be inferred.
Secrets. Her entire life was filled with nothing but secrets and the weight of them were heavy on her small frame. But here, Emily could temporarily forget about 'A' and how those secrets could ruin the lives of her and her friends. Here, she could let go and be herself. Emily dropped her duffel bag and towel on a nearby bench before tying up her hair in a ponytail.
She took a step towards the edge of the deep end of the swimming pool, rolling her shoulders as she stretched one last time. Emily then took a deep breath and dove into the pool.
Her legs propelled her through the water as she swam. She loved swimming, she'd loved it ever since she was a young girl. When she was in the water, all her worries faded away as she focused on moving.
Except this time around, the worries didn't fade away. She could still feel the stress laced within every part of her body, and that only drove her to continue swimming until she could relax.
Emily finished her tenth lap, fingertips touching the edge of the pool, when she heard a familiar laugh. She looked up to see Maya bending low over her.
"Maya!" Emily nearly swallowed water at her surprise at seeing her.
"Emily," Maya said with a glint in her eye. She grinned and gave a little wave. "Fancy meeting you here."
"I think that's my line. What are you doing here?"
"Your mom told me where you were when I stopped by your house. By the way, she says it's okay for you to come and have dinner at my place tonight if you want." Maya sat down on her knees and dipped her hand into the water near Emily's head. "This place is pretty nice. Real quiet too. I'm surprise there's no one else here."
"Uh, yeah. Everyone else prefers the community pool because of the really hot lifeguard on duty there. I like it here though. I can do my laps without any interruption." She chuckled. "Or I could before you interrupted me."
"I can see that." Maya lifted her shirt up and over her shoulders and then began pulling down her skirt. Emily gulped as she watched Maya strip to her bathing suit, a blue two piece that looked good on her. Maya gave Emily a look as she slipped into the water, legs first. "Don't look so worried. I'm just going for a swim."
"Right. Right." Emily pushed herself away from the side and floated in front of Maya. "With all your talk about athletes, I didn't think you cared much for swimming."
"I don't, but I can make an exception just this once." Maya grinned and Emily couldn't help but grin with her.
They floated towards the center of the pool, Maya splashing Emily every so often and making her laugh. It was relaxing and comfortable. It was exactly what Emily needed, and having Maya there did what swimming alone that day couldn't do.
"Thank you for this, Maya. I'm glad you're here." Emily sighed wryly. "This week hasn't been the best and I needed to get away."
"Then we should do this more often. Just you, me, and the water."
Emily nodded. "Sounds good. I could use a break every now and then."
"A break is good, but I was thinking more along the lines of this."
Maya brushed her lips against Emily's as if preparing Emily before deepening the kiss. Emily was ready and she threw her arms around Maya's neck for support. Maya's lips were soft and demanding, and Emily felt like she was drowning. She wasn't though. Maya kept her steady, both in the water and while they kissed.
Though Maya was part of the secrets that kept Emily up at night with fear, Emily knew she couldn't trade her for anything. Not when Maya could make her feel like this.
Emily pulled away, cheeks warming, as she gazed at Maya. "I can go for this too."
"Good, because I don't know about you, but I'm really starting to like you and I'd like to spend more time with you." Maya tilted her head. "I broke up with my boyfriend a couple of days ago. I didn't see any point in having a long term relationship when my heart just wasn't in it."
Emily's heart began to beat faster, or so it felt like to Emily, and she inhaled sharply. "I-I'm dating Ben," she said, though her own words sounded lame. "I haven't even come to grips with this entire thing, let alone making it public. Not to mention my mom's really conservative and it's going to be hard to tell her about this. I don't know what you expect of me, Maya."
Maya shrugged and reached forward to cup Emily's face. "Absolutely nothing. I understand you're going through a lot of stuff and I have no plans to add to that haul. So consider what we do like a break from the real world. And then, when you're ready, you'll figure it out. I'll still be here." Maya kissed her again as if she was trying to reassure Emily. "We'll take this one step at a time. First we'll finish our swim and then you'll come over to my house and have dinner with my family."
"That sounds good. I like that."
"See? And then you can call your mom and ask to spend the night so we can curl up and watch some cheesy movie. I'll even make some popcorn. It'll be fun."
"Okay, it's a deal. Race you out of the pool!" Emily pushed off and laughed as Maya chased after her. Emily pulled herself out of the water and reached for her towel on the bench.
She began to dry herself off while Maya grabbed for her own towel. "Are your parents back yet from wherever they are?"
"Nope! So dinner's either going to be delivery or take-out. Do you like Thai?" Maya asked as she wrapped her towel around her body.
"Love it."
They showered quickly and changed into their clothes before leaving. As they exited the doors, Emily snaked her arm with Maya's. "Thanks for coming here."
"You're welcome." Maya bumped shoulders with Emily. "Don't worry so much. Things are going to be better. Trust me."
Emily smiled and nodded her head. "I hope so. As long as I have you around, right?"
"Right."
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