Page 96 of Emma
Across the table, Vanessa watched them quietly, her eyes soft, her smile small but steady. She didn’t need to say anything; Emma knew she was simply holding space, letting Emma and Freya find their rhythm.
Freya picked at her bread. “I used to wish I had someone to cheer for me. Like, on the sidelines.” She glanced at Emma quickly, then back at her plate. “I know you’ll already be at netball if I make the team full-time, but do you think you’ll ever come to one of my football matches? We have lots of players, but we all get a turn during the match.”
Emma’s fork froze halfway to her mouth. She had to set it down before her hands shook too much. “Of course I will. You won’t be able to stop me. I’ll be the loudest one there.”
“Okay,” Freya said quietly, as though she was storing the promise somewhere safe. “I’d really like that.”
Emma forced herself to take another bite, blinking back the tears in her eyes. She didn’t want to cry here, not now, not when everything felt so fragile yet good.
Vanessa nudged the basket of garlic bread towards Freya. “You’ll regret agreeing to that, by the way. Emma getsverycompetitive. She once shouted herself hoarse at Daisy’s nursery sports day.”
“Vanessa!” Emma groaned and lowered her head into her hand.
“It’s true,” Vanessa said innocently, sipping her water. “And for the record, Daisy is my three-year-old granddaughter. She can just about walk…never mind compete.”
Freya laughed and shook her head. “That’s kind of funny. Maybe it’ll be nice, though. Having someone like that.”
Emma lifted her head again and met Freya’s eyes. “Not someone.Me. You’ll always have me.”
For a second, silence hung between them. Freya looked down, fiddling with her fork as her cheeks reddened. Emma forced herself to breathe. She couldn’t overthink it now. She had to let Freya take things at her own pace.
And then Freya looked back up at Emma and beamed a smile. “I’d like to always have you.”
When their plates were cleared, Freya offered hesitantly to carry them to the sink. Vanessa guided her gently through stacking them and showed her where the dish soap was, as if including her in something domestic might help her feel less like a guest and more like family.
Emma leaned against the counter, her arms folded, just watching. The sight of Vanessa with Freya, side by side at the sink, laughing about the suds, was so simple. Ordinary, even. And yet, to Emma, it felt monumental.
When Freya finally dried her hands and looked back at Emma, her expression was different. Like she’d found a corner of safety she hadn’t expected.
Emma’s heart pounded, but for once, it wasn’t with dread. It was hope.
By the timethey’d moved onto ice cream with sprinkles—something Vanessa had insisted on—it felt as though some invisible wall had crumbled. Freya was talking more easily and had even teased Emma when she’d accidentally dropped a spoon on the floor.
“This is good,” Freya said between bites, her words muffled around a mouthful of vanilla as chocolate sauce dripped from the spoon. “Better than the stuff at school.”
“That’s high praise,” Vanessa said with a grin. “You can come here again if you’re going to keep complimenting my choices.”
Emma leaned back in her chair, watching her. Every little thing Freya gave away felt like a gift. The way she laughed from deep within her belly, the tiny smiles, the way her voice no longer quivered on every other word. It wasn’t perfect—Emma could still see the nerves flickering beneath the surface when something new was introduced between them—but it was better. God, it was so much better than she’ddaredto imagine.
Once they were all finished, Vanessa orchestrated the tidy-up while Emma lingered close to Freya, catching any small comments and answering them as though this relationship had always existed between them.
Eventually, they all drifted into the living room. Vanessa settled on the armchair with her glass of water, while Emmasat with Freya on the couch. The television played low in the background, but none of them really paid attention.
Freya’s gaze wandered around the room, wide and curious, as though she was cataloguing everything about Emma’s life. The photos on the wall, the books stacked on the coffee table, even Daisy’s toys half-hidden beneath the couch.
“You’ve got a nice house. It’s really lovely.”
Emma smiled. “Thank you.”
Freya nodded slowly, then glanced at her again. “It’s…cosy and it doesn’t feel scary.”
Emma wanted to grab hold of those words and never let them go. “I’m glad it feels that way to you.”
“I wish I didn’t have to go home soon.” Freya glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. “Ben will be here in like…ten minutes.”
“Don’t worry. There are a million nights ahead of us. If this is something you’d like to do again, then we can plan for it. Each time, we can eat something different…maybe even head towards the coast for the arcades.”
Freya’s eyes widened. “Like…the 2p machines?”
