Butterfly Promises

“Nina, I’ll put the kettle Do you want tea or coffee?’
Emma called out, as she bustled around her best friend’s kitchen. Shopping in the pre-Christmas sales was definitely thirsty work. A brew and maybe a couple of fingers of Kit Kat, whilst they put the world to rights would round off a perfectly lovely afternoon.
What?’ Nina called from the landing.
Emma stuck her head out to the hall and said, more loudly,
‘Tea or coffee, Nin?’

‘Oh, I think I’ll have tea please, Emmy; I’m all coffeed out, what with two espressos at Starbucks this lunchtime, on top of the usual caffeine hit. In fact, make it herbal tea, or I will be climbing up the wall later.’
Nina laughed at herself as she descended the stairs. She knew her own excesses and weaknesses; caffeine, nicotine, chocolate, wine, good sex and expensive clothes. Good job her guy provided five out of the six!
The pair of black strappy-heeled sandals swung loosely in her fingers as she bounced into the kitchen. She had known that she had the perfect pair of shoes secreted at the back of the wardrobe, and that they would fit Emma a treat. .

Emma brought the tea tray over, placed it on the large pine kitchen table, and sat down. It was her favourite room; cosy and inviting with the right amount of clutter and knick-knacks. The warm saffron and sunshine yellow paint on the wall was a welcome contrast to the dull, cold, grey November weather that she could see out of the open back door. Nina had opened it when she entered the room, and proceeded to pull a packet of Lambert and Butler out of her jacket pocket. The wind made the flame of the lighter dance as she sparked up and took a long drag, purring softly
Emma gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes and quipped,
‘If the smoking or pneumonia don’t kill you, your Tony will. Bet he still thinks you’ve quit’.
‘Oh please! What the eye doesn’t see, the husband doesn’t know.’ As her friend was saying this, she was wafting the blue, nicotine-laden smoke out in to the fresh air, stepping further on to the patio. Nina took several more puffs then extinguished the illicit cigarette hiding the butt in the big terracotta plant pot, just to the right of the door.
Emma laughed and poured the tea, now that it had a proper time to brew and offered up the choccy biscuits, as they closed out the chilly late afternoon.
Emma gave a sniff and crinkled her nose as Nina sat down. “Just so you know, you smell of smoke.
“ Yes I know, I’ll change before Tony gets in. A spray of perfume and a couple of extra strong mints and he’ll never know the difference.
“Hmm”
‘What ! Don’t look at me like that, Emma Taylor! I don’t need you to get all preachy about cancer and shit. I’ve had the spiel from my nearest and dearest. It’s not like I am lighting up in public places and inflicting my second hand smoke on everyone”. Then rather pointedly added “I’ve cut down to ten a day I’ll have you know”. (Which for two packs a day was a big achievement.)
Emma made a placating gesture “Hey I’m not getting at you. I didn’t say a word. I just hope Tony doesn’t find out that’s all I’m saying.
Nina looked at her sceptically

“Honest”.

“Mmm I’ve known you for 10 years; and you always have an opinion on the matter so what’s so different now Miss Goody- two-shoes?”

“Anybody would think I nag you Nina Crawford—which I don’t and one if we are going to get this right I’ve known you for 11 years-“.
“Jeeze! Pedantic much?” Nina interrupted

With a sweet smile Emma continued “Two: when have you ever taken notice of what I’ve got to say. And three, I’m not a goody-two-shoes I’m just not as wild as you.”
.
“O pardon! I forgot that time you handed in your essay late and gave your tutor a sob story about your dog dying. Oh wait that was me. Okay refresh my mind - what outrageous stuff did you get up to when we were in uni?”
Emma racked her brains. “I used to use other peoples’ milk from the communal fridge when I stayed in halls.”
Nina started to laugh “Nope. Annoying but doesn’t count. And I know about that time you did space cakes. I said outrageous.
Emma thought long and hard before confessing the one sure-fire secret that would leave Nina speechless “Okay I shagged Dr Watson my history lecturer every Friday for three months before finals.
Nina sat slacked- jawed. “You’re making that up! No way! Oh my God you did? Mr I’m-so-smoulderingly-fuckable-but-serious Watson?! You slept with him?”
Emma’s eyes twinkled. “Well more like every other Friday - we did actually get some work done in the tutorials.”
.
“Well blow me”. Nina considered this in silence before adding more hot water to the pot, eventually saying “Pass your cup, you floozy and have a refill”. Then added “and you didn’t even need to do it to get good grades. Was he a decent lay?

“Now that would be telling” Emma added a slice of lemon to her tea. “So is that outrageous enough for you.
Nina stirred honey in hers and shook her head in wry amusement . “That is certainly up there with outrages. Why didn’t I know about this at the time?”

Emma smugly raised her cup “because a girl’s got to have some secrets. Besides you were falling madly in love with Tony at the time and oblivious to all else. ” .
Nina pouted “Not true. If it wasn’t for me meeting Tony you would never have meet Adam. So there now, shut up and eat your Kitkat.” She pushed down the little twinge of jealousy .The elusive Dr Watson had given her a knock back when Nina had made overture and given him her best come hither look and added an other dollop of honey to her cup.

Instead Emma rummaged in the bag by her feet and checked her voice mail. “Nope, no messages from Adam. He must still be at the gym” she thought.
“Don’t worry about getting home Tony will be in around five, he’s good for a lift . TC cabs reasonable rates” Nina quipped.
“That would be great. I don’t fancy standing at the bus stop in the cold”
Emma grabbed a magazine from the stack on the table. She really wasn’t interested in the celeb plastered on the front but flipped through its glossy pages to the hair styles. Taking note of the short sharp hair cuts . She would have to borrow this she thought.

Nina, seeing Em engrossed stopped what she had been saying and gave her a gentle prod in the ribs, ‘Earth to Emmy, wooohoo, hellooo! I’m talking here’

Startled, Emmy blinked her green eyes rapidly , before muttering unintelligibly, “Huh? Sorry I was miles away. Say that again.”
With deliberate slowness, Nina mouthed the words
“Do you think the shoes will go with your dress or what?” and accompanied by an elaborate gesturing of hands and waggling of said sandals.

Emma stuck out her tongue at the teasing, and reached for the designer footwear.
“Yes, I would like to borrow the shoes, please, if you don’t mind! But I can’t promise to return them.” came the cheeky reply. Then, in a rush of breath, “Do you think Adam will like me in my new dress?”
Nina gave a salacious smile as she drawled, “Honey, the man has eyes, doesn’t he?”
With eyebrows arched, she delivered the next line. “He’ll love you just as much out of the dress as in it, and if he don’t, get a new man.” They both burst out laughing at the affected American accent that Nina thought was her sexy voice.
Emma retrieved the garment from the pile of bags by her feet and held the dress to herself. “You don’t think it’s too much?”
When in Meadowhall, Nina had tried to persuade her to get the low cut -front and -back emerald green velvet Stella McCartney dress. Emma hadn’t felt right about spending that kind of money plus it showed too much skin. She had suggested going to River Island. Nina quickly vetoed that suggestion and they bought a more affordable and less risqué dress in Monsoon. Shopping was never straight forward affair when Nina was involved. She liked to vicariously spend through Emma’s credit card at times

“Come on I can see you’re having second thoughts about the frock. Go try it on with the shoes.”
“No it’s alright I’m just being silly”
“Well yes you are, now shift your backside up the stairs girl and you put your mind at rest”
“You’re a bossy cow today aren’t you?”
“What do you mean only today?”

Nina stepped back to admire her handy work Emma’s sleek black hair was in a French braid with soft wisps framing her face. She had on a touch of blusher and tinted lip gloss to add that bit of colour. The classic black dress had broad criss-crossing straps and was fitted at the bust .Beadwork swirled the hem and intermittently on the bodice .
Nina tried hers on too and gave a twirl in her burgundy halter-neck frock sighing “All dressed up and nowhere to go.”
The women’s outfits complimented their disparate looks: Nina’s curvy and hour glass figure and auburn /chestnut hair versus Emma’s lean boyish shape and dark colouring.

“Emma, you look a million dollars in that dress and don’t let anyone tell you different”
Rather shyly Emma said “thanks”
“You’re welcome.”
Nina gave her a kiss on the cheek “That’s what I’m here for, darling: compliments, advice and all of that good stuff yada yada exedra etcetera”. Hiking the garment up and over her head, Nina then hung the dress up before slipping on her kimono just over her knickers and stockings. “I’m going to sneak another fag before my husband gets home, see you downstairs.
Emma took one last look at her reflection and smoothed the silky material over her abdomen then pointed her foot to admire the diamante detail on the sandals. Yep they were perfect for the dress.
The frocks were for the Crawford Taylor Living Design; Homes for Today’s Living dinner dance on the 20th of December. There was a charity dinner a few weeks before it. Emma wondered if it was bad form to be seen in the same dress twice.
The pot of tea drunk, and two cigarettes later, their outfits were planned for both social functions. Nina, now in hipsters and chunky Arran knit, squirted perfume on her person and gargled with mouthwash before Tony got home. It was a quarter past four already.

Wading through the miscellaneous crap in the bottom kitchen drawer Nina pulled out a large packet of photos
“Guess what? I lucky-dipped the spools and got these developed the other day. Do you want to look?”
Nina thought of herself as an amateur photographer, and would take reams and reams of photos on her old-fashioned leased camera: people, places, indeed anything that looked exciting and unusual.

The running joke was that she was hopeless at getting them developed. As a bit of fun, friends would look at the photos and see if they could remember the year they were taken.
The first pack had sunsets and zoomed-in images of flowers, and abstract ideas that were staged with drift wood and pebbles.
‘Hey, Nin, we’re getting better, this looks like Bonfire Night, 2004. It’s only waited two years to be developed…’ It was Nina’s turn to stick her tongue out at her best friend’s teasing.
As they were flipping through Nina inquired after Emma’s boss. “So how’s Hanna? Is she still seeing her gentleman friend? ”
“Yeh .I meet him yesterday when he came in the tea shop. She’s been seeing him for a while now; it could even be love (aww)”
“Mmm if the old girl’s still got it, why not”
Emma chewed on a strand of hair. “She sure has. I hope I have half her energy when I’m her age.
“Listen to you! Not even turned thirty yet and got yourself as an O.A..P Already”

Snickering, they opened the last batch of photos. Emma kept a few of the arty ones to the side, if Hanna liked them then Nina could perhaps sell in the shop.
It was sure good to be back at work after so long .

When they got to the party pictures they laughed so hard Emma got hiccups especially at the ones of all four of them dressed up as ABBA for Jane’s thirtieth , turning around in time to catch her friend censoring the remaining photos. Whilst leaning against the sink, sipping her water, Emma tsked with amusement and aped the American accent from earlier;
“Well now, little lady, what do we have here? Incriminating evidence, or just bad camera work?”
Nina flushed pink and asked, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” tucking the photo further under the tea towel. Intrigued Emma said, “So they’re your dirty pictures, then?”

Nina looked momentarily outraged, before her face split into a grin.
“O, you know Tony and I use the Polaroid camera for that. I don’t want everyone at Boots on the high street seeing me in the altogether!”
Nina got up, taking the tea towel and photos with her. She headed over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. “How do you fancy passing the time ‘til Tony comes home, with a couple of glasses of Tesco’s finest? £8.99 for this fruity little red.” With forced brightness, she offered the unspoken bribe of Green and Black’s chocolate.
The girls were relaxing with the second glass of wine, when Emma who had been waiting for an opportunity, got past the defences. She casually leant forward, as if she meant to take more chocolate, and then whipped the tea towel away to reveal photos of all four of them last Christmas Eve, beaming and stood outside in the snow, bundled up in scarves and hats, having a barbeque.
Em quipped puzzled “are you really embarrassed that you had a bad corkscrew perm last year, or that you forgot to defrost the turkey?’

The flush of colour on Nina’s cheeks seeped down to meet the curve in her cleavage.
“I... she stumbled over the words. “I didn’t want you to get upset.”
“Upset?”
“Yeah, upset.”
“Why would I get upset, Nina?”
“You know.” Emma fanned out the photos wanting to put Nina on the spot.
“No, Nina, why would I be upset?”
“Emma, please… I’m sorry; I thought I was doing the right thing. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” Emma’s frown deepened as she stared from the photos to the woman sitting opposite. “For everything” Nina whispered.
“Why? It wasn’t your fault, was it?” Nina winced and fidgeted at the question’s unintentional sharpness. Emma lost patience and through gritted teeth asked, “Can I keep these, please? We don’t have copies”. Her friend started to move the clutter from the table and mumbled,
“Sure”.
Emma gathered her stuff and put on her coat, needing to get out in the fresh air. It wasn’t the pictures that upset her, but her friend’s attitude.
Nina mentally cursed herself. “Way to fucking go and spoil the day”.
“Please don’t go. What about that lift? Tony will be home soon.”
Em faffed with the bag strap composing her features. “No, its okay. I need to get a book of first class stamps from the post office. If I hurry, I can catch it before it closes.” They both knew it to be a weak lie, but it allowed them to save face.
Nina saw her to the door. Em was half way down the path when Nina came hurrying after her and took hold of her arm.
“I am sorry, you know.” Her eyes doing as much pleading as her voice.
Em gave her a brief smile and a hug.
“I’ll give you a phone on Monday night, okay?”
“Okay.” Nina squeezed Emma’s arm gratefully as Emma left

A/N It’s my first fic so please be kind. Constructive criticism always welcome