Emily knew they were talking about her before she and Aaron even turned back towards the house. She had a gift for reading behaviour, something she'd picked up over too many years with her mother's politics. She'd been able to pick out the jealous and catty girls in the house upon meeting them for the first time so she was very much aware that there were people in that house who were going to hate her simply on principle. It was why it was so easy for her to ally herself with Shaena and Kathleen. They were non-threatening. She didn't trust most of the other women in the house. She wasn't going to kid herself into letting her guard down around just anyone.
So she almost willingly allowed Haley to pull him away from the hold he had on her hand. She willingly faded into the background as Aaron's attention shifted to the rest of the women. Emily stepped away, watching as they all seemed to spring for his freed attention. She found herself once again sitting between Shaena and Kathleen, watching as each girl tried to get their five minutes of private time with Aaron.
"They're like dogs with a bone," Shaena whispered to her. "What do you think it feels like? To be a piece of meat."
"You've obviously never been a single woman at a political function," Emily replied with an inelegant snort of laughter.
"Is it that bad?" Shaena asked. "Seriously?"
Emily chuckled. "Worse some days. It depends on how vindictive my parents are feeling for that particular function."
"What does that mean?" Kathleen inquired, watching as a couple of women led Aaron from the room.
"If my parents were feeling mean, I was surrounded all night by eligible single men. Sometimes only my mother was upset with me and my father would rescue me from time to time..."
"How many of those have you been to?" Shaena asked with a little bit of a laugh.
Emily grinned. "Way too many."
"Way too many what?"
Emily knew the woman standing over her shoulder was Kate, the blond Brit that seemed to have found a new best friend in Haley. "Functions," Emily replied evasively.
"We were talking about meat markets," Kathleen piped up. "How Aaron's on the auction block."
Kate glared. "He's more than a piece of meat."
Emily felt better knowing she'd been right about Kate's superiority complex.
The blond leaned in close to Kathleen. "Good thing you won't be staying around. It would be a shame for Aaron to find out you only look at him like a piece of meat on an auction block." Kate didn't give Kathleen a chance to reply before turning her gaze on Emily. "And don't think because you got a rose tonight that you stand a chance. This is a competition. And I play to win."
Emily's eyes turned hard and determined. It was a good trait and one of her faults that challenges weren't things she'd ever been able to turn down or back down from. So she leaned forward, right into Kate's space while still making sure that the blond could see that all-important First Impression Rose. "If you think words are going to make me roll over and play dead, you've got another thing coming."
It gave her a hidden thrill to see the surprise and offense in Kate's eyes. It made her even more sure she'd made the right decision in staying.
Emily stood at a corner of the line of women, spinning the stem of her rose between her fingers. Kate and Haley had been glaring at her since Aaron had led her back into the house laughing. Emily had managed to avoid them both and found Shaena. Thank goodness there were some women in the house that weren't shallow man-hunters.
"Emily, you have a rose, you are safe tonight," Chris said, bringing her attention back to the present.
She couldn't stop the wide smile that blossomed across her face at the idea. Everything about this situation seemed stupidly surreal and she wasn't exactly sure what to do with herself. So instead, she now watched and observed the women get more and more anxious as the rose ceremony continued. Emily admittedly breathed out a sigh of relief when Aaron called out Shaena's name – she was going to need an ally in the house now that both Kate and Haley's names had been called – and found herself really relaxing for the first time since she set foot in the house.
She sighed as Chris came out just before the last rose. "Ladies, Aaron…. This is the last rose of the evening."
Emily found herself trying not to roll her eyes at the uselessness of that statement.
"Taylor," Aaron called.
Emily grinned as the woman in question all but collapsed in relief.
"Oh my gosh."
"Taylor, will you accept this rose?"
"Of course."
Aaron smiled as he watched Taylor walk back to the line of all of the other women. He hoped to everything he'd picked a good group of twelve.
"Alright ladies. To those of you who received a rose, congratulations. For those of you that didn't, I'm afraid it's time to say goodbye," Chris spoke up.
Aaron watched the girls congregate around Kathleen, Chastity and Wendy, putting n his stoic FBI face as Chastity burst into tears. He hated making women cry. And his gut told him Chastity wasn't going to be the first woman to cry in the upcoming weeks. A few moments and some awkward hugs later, he was standing between Kate and Haley, both of whom pressed against his sides.
Nevertheless, he smiled as he met Emily's eyes and raised his glass of champagne. "To?"
"To you," Kate proposed immediately, her British accent unmistakable. Everyone spoke up then, throwing out suggestions and ideas almost faster than Aaron could track.
"To adventure," he heard Emily say and grinned.
"To adventure," Aaron agreed, raising his glass.
Twelve glasses followed.