Emma wipes the bead of sweat trickling down her forehead with the back of her hand as she turns the last corner onto Mifflin Street.
"Almost done," she mumbles incoherently to herself as she continues to jog.
When she finally makes it to the front door, Emma hunches forward and places a hand on each knee to steady herself. She had definitely notbeen the one to propose the idea of running five miles each morning. That had been all her father's doing, saying that 'if we are going to take care of the citizens of Storybrooke, we need to take care of ourselves first'. Emma shakes her head at the thought.
Stupid Snow with her stupid health kick. Now that she has baby Neal, all the woman can think about is making sure he remains perfectly healthy, which apparently requireseveryonearound him to be healthy, as well.
It's not that she loathes working out. No, Emma loves it!She just likes to on her ownterms. And waking up at the butt crack of dawn is definitely noton Emma's top ten favorite things-to-do list.
When she finally gets her breathing back to normal, Emma opens the door and walks inside her new home. She had just moved in with Regina, her girlfriend,a week ago.
Geez, I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that. Well, not until I put a ring on it, of course. Shit, Emma. Don't get ahead of yourself. You're lucky she even is going out with you in the first place! I really hope I don't screw things up like usual.
As she goes through her usual routine of taking off her shoes and leaving them in the foyer, she can hear a soft noise coming from the kitchen. Emma furrows her brows as she makes her way closer to the source, her footsteps almost soundless from the socks on her feet. As she travels farther down the hallway, the sound gets louder and she can almost pick out words.
No. That can't be right. It almost sounds like…singing? Wait, is Regina singing?
She tries to listen closer, then recognizes the familiar tune.
"You got me running on sunshine," she hears Regina belt out. "Ain't no clouds getting in my way!" Emma can't help but snicker at the sound.
Her voice is perfect! How come she never sings? It's beautiful!
"I must be running on sunshine," she continues. "Ain't no rain getting in my way!"
At this point, Emma is leaning on the doorframe to the kitchen, watching as Regina's back is towards her as she's making breakfast. All the while, Regina is dancing and singing, using her spatula as a microphone.
As much as Emma wishes she could stay like this forever, she's dying for a sip of water so she interrupts the woman.
"Morning, Regina," Emma greets cheerfully, adorning a goofy smile. Instantly Regina jumps, turning to face the blonde with red-stained cheeks. Emma notices the blush and smiles victoriously.
The brunette shifts awkwardly on her feet before breaking the silence, "So how was your run?"
Emma takes it as her cue to go get a bottle of water from the fridge and responds, "It was good. Exhausting, but good." Regina smiles at the blonde, still recovering from being caught singing.
"So," Regina begins as Emma takes a long overdue gulp of water. Emma slowly makes her way towards the woman and wraps her strong, muscular arms around her hips, causing Regina to forget how to make words momentarily.
Emma leans her head to Regina's ear and whispers, "Your voice is like super sexy." Regina shivers at the blonde's proximity, then clears her throat.
"I made breakfast," she says, trying her best to sound passive but failing miserably. She tries to take a step back from the blonde but Emma doesn't budge, her grip on her hips remaining firm. Once again Emma leans in, "I'd much rather have dessert."
When Emma brings her head back, she's sporting a wolfish grin and sees Regina's eyes dilate at the implication. Regina bites her lip, contemplating whether or not to give into the blonde's desires, then lets her eyes wander to Emma's lips. Before she could talk herself out of it, she crashes their lips together and revels in the sensation.
When they break apart, Regina stares meaningfully into hazel orbs.
"I love you," she confesses for the first time since Daniel. Emma's lips curl into the largest smile Regina has ever seen the blonde sport. The blonde reaches up and tucks away a loose strand of brown hair behind Regina's ear and replies, "I love you, too."