"Hey," Regina said softly the next morning, as she lifted her head from Emma's chest.

The girl's arm was wrapped around her waist, keeping their bodies pressed each other. Regina blushed when she realized she could feel their legs tangled together again.

When the girl didn't wake, the brunette spoke a little louder, "Wake up. You've got class."

"Not if you don't," Emma mumbled, giving the girl's waist a gentle squeeze.

"You remember?"

Of course, Regina sounded surprised.

"Mmm. Bears. Shh. Sleep."

"Listen, Swan… You've got class, and I-"

"All aboard the Dreamland Express. Time for night-night."

"You're ridiculous," Regina chuckled, giving in to her roommate's adorable protests and lowering her head until it rested on Emma's shoulder.

Even though her heart was pounding, Regina didn't move to untangle their legs. There was something about the comfort of the heat she felt there they lulled her back into Emma's arms. Something she couldn't pull away from.

"Yeah, but you love me."

"Shut up, Swan."

Grinning at the fake irritation in the girl's voice, Emma pressed her lips to Regina's temple. As soon as she felt the kiss, Regina's body flooded with even more heat, and she could feel her cheeks burning.

Reaching up slowly and pressing two fingers to the pulse point of Regina's neck, Emma commented, "Your heart is racing."

In a sudden moment of panic, the brunette pushed Emma's hand away and protested, "No, it's not." When Emma just smiled knowingly and kept her eyes shut, she added, "Why did you do that?"

"Your breath hitched when I kissed your head. Naturally, that's what follows. I was just curious."

"Yeah, well… Whatever," Regina snapped, starting to pull away.

But their legs were tangled too tightly, and Emma's arm was too firmly wrapped around her for her to really wiggle out of the girl's grip, so she simply squirmed as her cheeks grew warmer.

"You could probably cook an egg on your cheeks right now," Emma teased, as she opened her eyes and saw the redness in the girl's face.

"Shut up, Swan!" Regina cried, shoving the girl's shoulder. "I-"

"You look especially pretty in the morning."

The smoothness of Emma's voice caught Regina off guard. It wasn't possible to blush more, so she looked away and tried to hide her face. Of course, there was really nowhere for her to go, so Emma chuckled and lowered her other hand to the girl's side. Using both hands, she tickled her until Regina cried out and tried to slap her hands away.

"Oh, my God! Stop!"

"Not until you say, 'I'm beautiful.'"

"You're beautiful! Jesus fucking Christ!"

"Not me, idiot. You."

Grinning, the blonde continued to torture her roommate as the girl squirmed even more violently in her arms. Their legs were too entangled for her to get kicked, so all she had to worry about were Regina's flailing arms.

It wasn't long before the brunette cried out, "I'm gonna fucking pee myself! Knock it off!"

"Say it, and I will!"

"Oh, my God! Alright! Alright!" Regina gasped. "I'm… I'm…"

In a sudden rush of seriousness, Emma stopped completely and stared into the girl's dark eyes when she opened them.

"Seriously."

"This is stupid. Let go."

"C'mon. Just say it."

"No."

"It's true, and you should believe it. And the first step to believing it is saying it."

"You're being an ass."

"I'm really not. Just say it and I'll let you go."

"For fuck's sake. I'm beautiful. Now piss off."

At first, Emma smiled, but it faded when she saw the distress on Regina's face. Clearly, the girl was far from comfortable with complimenting herself, and it was obvious that she wasn't used to receiving compliments from others either.

"You sure you want me to piss off?" the blonde asked slowly, her voice lowered slightly as she brushed her thumbs over Regina's hips.

Instantly flooded with confusion and a rush of adrenaline, Regina muttered, "I…"

This time, Emma pulled the girl a little closer, until Regina was nearly on top of her, then slid her hands up and over her back.

"You're okay."

There was a long pause as Regina continued to blush brightly, but the girl couldn't tear her gaze away. Instead, it locked onto Emma's bright green eyes and stayed there.

Eventually, Regina managed to squeak out a quiet, "You need to go to class."

Feeling her stomach turn, Emma let out a quiet, involuntary sigh and shook her head, mumbling, "I don't care about class. I care about you, and you're obviously not okay right now. I'm not going to leave you alone when you're suffering."

"I'm not suffering," Regina protested. "I… I just… have to deal with it. It's a reality of life. I knew this was stupid anyway. I'm not even any good. I don't know why I came here in the first place. I-"

"Okay, stop right there. You are extremely talented. And you came here because you love what you do and want to be better at it."

"You're not helping."

"I'm not leaving you alone right now."

"Well, I don't plan to get out of bed for the rest of the semester, so… You're gonna have to leave sometime."

"Nah," Emma teased with a smile. "I'm good."

They spent the rest of the day in Regina's bed, lying beside each other and sharing some of their lives' stories. It was something neither of them had ever really done before. For Regina, most of her time was spent alone, and for Emma, most of her free time was spent high or fucking one of her 'friends.' Or both. Neither was used to sharing so much all at once, but for some reason, it felt natural.

"Alright," Emma finally said, when she noticed the alarm clock next to the bed read 5:14pm. "We gotta feed you. You haven't eaten all day."

"I'm not leaving. I'm too ashamed to face anyone. Don't make me go, okay?"

"Oh, we're going. You haven't eaten anything, and your stomach has been growling for an hour. Let's go."

"What makes you think you can tell me what to do?"

"'Cause you're a submissive little bitch?"

"WHOA. HOLD IT RIGHT THERE. YOU-"

"I'm kidding! Kidding! Jesus," Emma cackled. "Jus' playin'."

"Fuck you, Swan. Seriously."

Finally finding the strength to push Emma away, Regina rolled out of the bed and rubbed her temples.

"Alright," she said suddenly. "You're right. I'm starving."

"Cool. Let's go to the dining hall and get some grub then."

"You're not ashamed to be seen with me?"

"You kiddin'? You're a total babe. Besides, I gotta make the ladies jealous. Adds to the appeal, ya know?"

"Oh, nice. So now I'm a pawn to recruit for your little harem?"

"Hey… I was just joking… I didn't mean-"

"Yeah, I know," Regina huffed, slipping out of her shorts quickly and pulling on a pair of jeans.

Emma stared for a while before managing to roll out of the bed and change her own clothes. When they were both ready, Emma grabbed the girl's hand and tugged her out the door and all the way to the dining hall.

"Um… Swan?" Regina asked, staring behind the blonde as they sat down at a table with their trays of food.

"Hmm?"

"Isn't that… Um…"

"Huh?"

When Emma turned around and saw what the girl was staring at, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "So?"

"So… Isn't she going to… Oh, boy."

"Hey, Em," the girl greeted the blonde, putting her hand on Emma's shoulder with a bright smile. "Last night was a blast. You were like… ridiculous. It was hilarious, dude. You wouldn't shut up about-"

"Bears. Yeah, I know."

"You remember that?"

"I wasn't that high, Ruby."

"You were when you left."

"Oh, yeah. By the way… Thanks for making sure I got back to the dorm safe, you fucking asshole."

But Emma was laughing, so Ruby punched her shoulder and laughed too.

"You lived."

"Yep. Did better than that. I had a blast."

"Oh, really?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked past Emma at the brunette sitting across from her, who was blushing and avoiding their gazes.

"Yep," Emma confirmed, looking back at Regina with a smile.

"Uh… So that's awkward. I'm gonna go."

"Kay. Bye!"

"Wow. Really, Emma? That's low."

"If you can't handle me having other friends-"

"Friends. Right. Fuck you, dude. The least you could do is just be up front about it."

With that, Ruby turned and walked away, leaving Regina gaping at Emma in disbelief.

"What?" Emma asked. "What are you staring at?"

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You were provoking her."

"She's fun to rile up. Besides, the… well…"

"Make-up hate sex. I know."

"Yep. Love to get her pissed, man. Love it."

"Apparently, you love getting everyone pissed. And you basically just used me as a-"

"I was kidding, you know. And I really don't care if she thinks we're together. I did have a good time last night. I mean, aside from the freezing rain, the heart attack you gave me, and the fact that you were hurt."

"Uh… Then what exactly did you have a good time with?"

"You, dummy. Just being with you. And the trip wasn't bad either."

"Um…"

"Eat your food," the blonde joked to change the subject, pushing the girl's plate closer to her.

Regina did this in silence, until they were both finished with what was on their plates.

"Let's go watch a movie, yeah?" Emma offered, holding her hand out as she stood up out of her chair.

Hesitating but taking the girl's hand, Regina stood and nodded her head.

Back at the dorm, in the middle of the movie, Regina found herself blurting out, "What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Emma asked, turning to her roommate with a look of confusion.

"This. All this. What is this?"

"I'm… just… I thought I was being nice? I mean… I think you're great. I was just trying to be a good friend…"

"What does that even mean to you? Because from what I know about you, you don't really have friends. You have fuck buddies."

"Whoa, dude. What the fuck."

"I'm just saying."

"Yeah, well, don't. If you wanted me to fuck off, you could have said so twenty-four hours ago."

"Uh, I kinda did."

"Yeah. And I ignored you. Because you needed a friend, and I wanted to be that for you. But obviously, I don't have friends, so that was pretty pointless. Sorry to bother you, I guess?"

"Don't be like that. I'm just… I don't get you. I really don't. Because I know how you are with other girls, and it's just like… I don't know what you want from me."

"You're basically calling me a slut, you know."

"No! I'm not! I just meant-"

"I'm gonna go, okay? Give you some space. Because clearly, you… aren't interested in being friends with a total whore."

"Swan, don't-"

"I'll see you later."

As soon as Emma shut the door to their room, Regina started to cry.

"What the fuck is even your fucking problem?" Ruby snapped, as soon as Emma walked in the front door of the house. "Why do you have to pretend like you-"

She was silenced by Emma's lips, hungrily kissing hers. At first, she shoved Emma's shoulders until the girl stumbled back, but the blonde stepped closer again and repeated the action, this time cupping Ruby's face in her hands to pull her closer.

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked breathlessly, once Emma finally did pull away.

"We're making up. Now, shut up and kiss me."

"Fuck you. You can't even admit that-"

"Ruby. I'm not sleeping with her."

"Bullshit, Emma! I fucking know you. You're sleeping with everyone. Stop pretending like-"

"Let's get high, okay? I'm so fucking done with this. I don't want to fight or argue with you. You won't listen, and I can't convince you to, so let's just drop this and get fucked up."

Ruby raised an eyebrow and searched Emma's face for sarcasm or a joke, but she found neither there, so she shrugged her shoulders and turned to make her way up the stairs.

"What you got for me this time?" Emma asked, shutting the bedroom door.

"Oxy?"

"Yeah. I'm down."

It didn't take them long to find a party on campus. Later in the evening, Ruby finally warmed up and let her hands wander over Emma's sides.

"You done bein' mad?" the blonde asked with a smirk.

"Too high to be mad."

"Good. Does that mean you'll fuck me?"

"Any way you want."

"Ah, fuck, Em," Ruby moaned, once she'd finished, and pulled the blonde down on top of her. "That was…"

Emma lowered her head to the girl's shoulder and rested it there, catching her breath.

"I took way too much," she groaned. "The Captain Morgan didn't help."

"I love it when you're high. You're such a fucking animal," the brunette told her with a smile, stroking Emma's hair out of her face.

"Yeah. I try." Then, Emma started to sit up and muttered, "Should go."

"Em… You're really fucked right now. I don't think you should walk back to-"

Suddenly thinking of Regina and the small spat they'd had earlier, Emma changed her mind and sighed, "You think I should stay?"

"Yeah."

"Alright."

"Besides, I love when we wake up and fuck in the middle of the night."

When Emma went back to the dorm around ten the next morning, feeling dizzy and hungover, she was surprised to find large boxes scattered around the room, and Regina's mattress stripped of its bedding. Even the pictures that had covered Regina's side of the room were gone. There was a note on her desk.

Swan,

No doubt you enjoyed yourself last night. Hopefully you make it to class today at least. Just wanted to let you know I'm leaving tonight. I packed most of my stuff this morning after my parents called. They're picking me up after dinner, around 9. Probably won't see you before then. Thanks for… well… whatever. Good luck.

Mills

"The fuck?" Emma gawked, as soon as she read the last word. She was leaving? And without an actual goodbye? There was no way Emma was going to let that fly.

Ironically, that was exactly when her phone rang.

"Hey. 'Sup?" she said into the phone.

"Hey, beautiful. You wanna grab lunch?"

"Not today, Belle. I feel like shit… I think I'm just gonna hang in the dorm."

"Is your preppy little roommate there?"

"No. Why?"

"Can I at least come bring you some food?"

"Nah. I'm fine."

"C'mon. You know you want company."

"I really don't, Belle. Thanks, though."

"Alright. Listen. I know you hate being alone, so what the heck is going on?"

"Nothing. I gotta go."

"Emma! What the f-"

But the call ended before the girl could finish.

Emma flopped back on her bed and stared across the room at Regina's bare walls. After a while, she found herself at her desk in front of her laptop, furiously typing as she took the only reasonable action she could think of.

Of course, when Regina went back to the dorm that night, the room was empty. She found a note on her bare mattress, though, written in red ink. Beside it was a large pile of paperwork.

Mills,

This is a list of every single scholarship I could find that you'd qualify for, including a couple from our school. Deadlines are all coming up really soon, since the academic year is almost over, but they make their decisions by mid-July, so you'd know if you could manage it by then. There's lots and lots and lots of them. Some of them require the submission of an art portfolio, but I know any one of them would love your work. Please don't give up. At least apply. You belong here. I believe in you. Don't let your parents talk you out of this. You can make it work.

Swan

P.S. I hope you're here when I get back tomorrow. Tonight I'm going to Belle's, to give you your space.

The girl's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, and once again, she started to cry. Her shaking hands dialed Emma's number on her cell phone.

Seeing the girl's name pop up on her screen, Emma moved to answer immediately, but Belle grabbed her arm and gave it a light tug.

"Hey. We're kinda busy here?" she pouted, pointing to her own wet lips.

"Shh," the blonde hissed, pushing Belle's hand away and answering the call.

"Swan," Regina cried, choking back sobs.

"Mills? What is it?" Emma asked anxiously, hearing the girl crying. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I can't believe you did this for me. This was so, so kind, and I just… Why? Why would you-"

"Because I don't want to see you give up on your dreams, and I know you can get some of those scholarships. There's work studies at the school too. You just can't give up. You can't."

"I won't. Thank you so, so much. No one's ever done anything-"

"Don't mention it."

"But you-"

"No. Really. Don't mention it. It's not a big deal. I'm just trying to help."

"But-"

"Look, I know I'm a whore, but it doesn't mean I can't care about you."

"I…"

"Listen, uh…" Emma started, then looked over at Belle, who was making the most irritated, impatient face she'd ever seen. "I gotta go, but, um… I'll see you around? You won't leave?"

"I already told my parents I'm finishing out the semester. I didn't tell them about the scholarships. If I end up getting any, I'll let them know then."

"So I'll see you, yeah?"

"I'll be here."

"Cool. I'll see you around then."

"Hey, Swan?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Do you think you might… I don't know… be back, like… before ten?"

"Um… probably not. But, I… Well… Do you want me to be?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line as Regina decided whether she wanted to lie or not.

"Doesn't matter. I was just… um… wondering."

"…Yeah. Okay. Well, I don't think you'd ask if you didn't care, so… I'll be back by ten. I'll talk to you later, okay? And, hey…"

"Yeah?"

"You should put those pictures back up."

Emma could hear the smile in Regina's voice as she said, "Bye, Swan."

"See ya, Mills."

"The fuck was that?" Belle snapped, as soon as Emma put her phone back on the nightstand beside the bed.

"That was my roommate calling. Problem?"

"Uh, yeah. We were kind of busy."

"Hey, you know what? You're kind of being a bitch, so I'm gonna go and let you cool off or whatever. Cause getting pissed over a phone call is a little ridiculous."

"Not when you were shoving your tongue down my throat."

"I'll see you around, Belle."

With that, Emma grabbed her phone and pulled her jacket back on, leaving the apartment without another word.

"Hey," Emma greeted Regina as she stepped into the room.

"Oh, shit!" Regina cried, startled as she spun around and dropped the handful of photographs she was in the process of hanging on the wall. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

"Yeah, well. I wanted to make sure you didn't change your mind."

When Emma offered a soft smile, Regina smiled back, saying, "You're amazing, Swan. Really."

"Still a whore, though," the blonde countered, forcing herself to laugh.

"Hey… Listen… I-"

"No. It's cool. I get it. Anyway, I'm glad you're staying."

"Yeah. Me too. Hopefully, I'll nail some of those scholarships so I can come back next year."

"Yeah."

"But, hey… Just think. New year, new roommate. Could be fun for you. Fresh meat, right?"

"Dude. That's not funny."

"Sorry… I was just teasing… I didn't mean-"

"Forget it."

"No," Regina snapped, grabbing Emma's wrist in a light grip. "That was a stupid fucking thing to say, and I'm sorry."

Emma looked down at the way Regina's hand was wrapped around her wrist and bit her lip.

"It's… It's fine, Mills. It's okay."

With a sigh, Regina said, "I'm exhausted. Like, emotionally. I just need to sleep for like a week."

"Alright. Let's do it then."

With a playful smile, Emma grabbed her hands and tugged her closer until she fell onto her bed and pulled the brunette down with her.

"Ah!" Regina cried, laughing as her body crashed into Emma's. "You're crazy, you know."

"Yeah, well. You love it."

"Oh, hush."

But when Emma caught her gaze, Regina couldn't help but blush.

"What?" the blonde asked coyly.

"N-Nothing."

"Your cheeks are awfully pink for it to be nothing."

"Shut up, Swan! Jesus."

"Alright. I'll be quiet. Let's sleep. I'm pretty exhausted too. I mean, I skipped all my classes, but still."

"You what?"

"Well… I was looking up those scholarships, and… it took a while…"

"Oh, Jesus. I'm so sorry. You really shouldn't have-"

"You would've left and given up if I hadn't, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I'd just let you go like that."

"That's so sweet…"

"Nah. Anyway, hush and get under the covers so we can sleep."

"You want me to sleep in your bed…?"

"Might as well. You're already here." With a wink, Emma pulled the girl a little closer, then said, "Besides, you seem to like waking up tangled in my legs."

"Stop teasing me," Regina snapped, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of red.

"Where is the lie though?"

The blonde was grinning, so Regina tried to shove her shoulders, but she found herself in an even tighter embrace in response. Unable to stop the sound form escaping, she let out a soft sigh as Emma reached up and ran her fingers through her hair. Hearing the sound, Emma repeated the action a few times, until Regina's eyes fell shut.

"Feel good?" the blonde asked softly, tangling her fingers in the girl's hair.

"Mhmm."

Feeling a rush of bravery and a sudden impulse to push the boundaries between them, Emma ran her fingers through Regina's hair again, this time gently using her nails. Another sigh escaped the girl's lips.

"Judging by the I'm-so-turned-on face you're making, I'd say you like that," Emma teased.

"Oh, my God! Shut up!" Regina cried, eyes snapping open as she slapped Emma's hands away.

"Just saying."

When Emma's gaze became serious, the brunette blushed, but found herself unable to tear her gaze away.

"It's okay, you know…" Emma said softly, her thumb brushing the girl's cheek.

She knew she was flirting, but definitely couldn't stop. With a beautiful, sweet, considerate, talented woman lying on top of her, it was impossible for her to behave any other way.

"I'm not… I…"

"Lay down. It's okay."

Still warm from the wave of embarrassment she felt, Regina attempted to relax as she moved to roll over next to Emma, but the blonde slipped her arm around her waist and held her still.

"I've been told my shoulder is comfortable."

After a moment of hesitation, Regina took the hint and rested her head on Emma's shoulder.

"There," Emma whispered. "Was that so hard?"

"N-No…"

After a few moments of silence, Emma resumed running her fingers through the girl's dark locks of hair and said softly, "You really are beautiful, you know."

"You… You shouldn't flirt with me like that…"

"No?"

"I'm not going to be your next booty call. That's not me. I'm-"

"Hey. Don't say that, alright? It's not like that."

There was a long pause before Regina asked, "Then what is it like? What do you want?"

"N-Nothing… I was just saying, because it's true."

"You're flirting."

"I'm not." After another bout of silence, though, Emma corrected herself, "Okay. Maybe I am."

"Listen. I'm really not into casual relationships, okay? I'm not even really into any relationships…"

"I'm not looking for anything from you, except your company. It doesn't have to be anything weird. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"It's… It's not that…"

"What is it then?"

"N-Nothing."

"Mills?"

"I said it's nothing!"

"Jeez. I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"Alright. Then relax. I know you're exhausted."

"I… I am, yeah…"

"Just rest. I'll hold you 'til you wake."

"Emma…"

"Yeah, babe."

"N-Nothing."

With a sigh, Emma gently guided Regina's head to her shoulder then slid her hand down to the small of the girl's back. Slowly, she slid her hand beneath the brunette's shirt and gently rubbed the skin there. Regina couldn't help but let out a long, deep breath as she let her body relax against her friend's. After a while, they both fell asleep.

"Swan?" Regina whispered, pressing her hand flat against the girl's collar bone. "Swan."

The blonde woke groggily and muttered, "Huh? What?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"There was a really loud bang."

"No, I didn't hear it. I was sleeping."

"Swan… Seriously. It was loud."

"It's alright, love. I'm right here."

Emma's hand was still tucked beneath Regina's shirt, so she gently rubbed her thumb over the skin there and absently kissed the top of the girl's head. Regina blushed in the darkness and felt a shiver shock her body.

"I…"

"Go back to sleep, honey. It was probably some drunk idiot knocking over a desk chair."

"But I-"

"Shh. I'm right here. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

Regina felt a rush of warmth spread through her as she registered Emma's words. They were too sweet. Too kind. Too intimate.

"Emma…"

"I got you." Emma pressed her hand flat against Regina's back and squeezed lightly, adding, "Get some sleep."

With a small nod, Regina lowered her head to Emma's shoulder once more and shut her eyes, but she found herself unable to fall asleep as the blonde's hand rubbed small circles over her back. It felt too good to ignore. She'd been too tired to stay awake before, but now that she'd be startled out of sleep, she was alert enough that the sensation was highly distracting, and she felt her nerves electrified at Emma's careful touch.

"You still awake?" Regina whispered, a little while later. When Emma let out a soft grunt, she added, "That feels good."

"You need to sleep. Do you want me to stop?"

"No…"

"Alright then. Hush."

"But I-"

"Mills."

Biting her lip, the brunette went silent and finally shut her eyes again. After some time, she finally fell back to sleep, lulled into a sense of security and comfort by the quiet sound of Emma's slow, steady breathing.

In the morning, Emma gave Regina's shoulders a careful nudge in order to wake her. She groaned as she slipped out of her dream.

"You okay?" the blonde asked, stroking the girl's hair.

"Mmm."

"What's the matter?"

"Don't wanna be awake. I was…"

When she trailed off, Emma pressed, "You were what?"

"I was dreaming."

"Was it a good dream?"

"I…"

When Regina slowly started to lean away, Emma's brow furrowed, and she tilted Regina's chin to look into her eyes.

"What's the matter?"

"It was just… um… weird."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what happened?"

"I don't… I don't want to…"

"Aww, c'mon. It's just me, love. You can tell me anything you want to."

"It's stupid."

"Nothing's stupid."

"You, um… You kissed me…"

Emma paused briefly, feeling her heart stop. Regardless of how she told herself she was feeling, there was an undeniable reaction to Regina's words as she imagined the scenario that might have played out in the girl's dreams.

"And… And what was that like?"

"What?"

"What was it like?"

"What do you mean?"

"Was it good? Bad? Ugly?"

"It was… I…"

Regina was squirming, but her legs were tangled with Emma's, as was typical for when they slept in the same bad.

"Hey," Emma said softly. "It's okay. You can tell me."

But she felt a strange ache in her heart as she waited anxiously to hear Regina's thoughts. What if it was horrible? What if Regina was totally grossed out, and that was why she was pulling away? What if-

"It was good."

"In what way?"

Emma had to struggle to maintain the conversation as she pushed her own thoughts of the situation from her mind.

"I don't know. It just…"

"What happened, exactly?"

"Well, we… I… I was crying… and you picked me up and carried me to the bed…"

"Why were you crying?"

"My parents told me not to come home. They disowned me because I wouldn't leave school."

"What did I say?"

"You kissed the top of my head as you laid down next to me, and then you said I'd always have a home with you… And you touched my cheek and looked me in the eyes…"

Fighting the blush that threatened to warm her cheeks, Emma rubbed her thumb over the skin of Regina's lower back.

"Then?"

"I hugged you really, really tight, and you wiped my eyes. When I finally stopped crying, you pressed our foreheads together, and…" Sighing, Regina abruptly stopped the story, "This is stupid."

"It's not stupid. It's just a dream. It's alright."

"When I… When I kept looking you in the eyes, you bumped your nose against mine and smiled at me, and it made me smile too. You told me my smile was beautiful and touched my cheek again. I looked away, because I was really embarrassed and too shocked to say anything or tell you that you were wrong, and then you lifted my chin and looked at me…"

"Then?"

"You whispered that it would be okay, and then you… you kissed me. It was really slow and sweet, and you cupped my face in your hands for a while."

"Did you kiss me back?"

"I…" When Emma started at her intently, she finally managed to continue, "Yeah. I did. And you let your hand slide down around to the back of my neck and pulled me closer to make the kiss deeper, and then you pressed your other hand against my lower back to get my body closer, until I was completely pressed against you. And you just kept kissing me and kissing me…"

"Sounds pretty sweet," Emma said slowly. "Not such a bad experience."

"Yeah. It was sweet. It wasn't bad at all."

Hearing the girl admit that the dream hadn't been bad, the blonde finally blushed. To her surprise, she found her heart racing as she subconsciously reached up to stroke Regina's cheek with her thumb.

"Was there anything else?" she finally asked.

But Regina was frozen, overwhelmed by the intensity of Emma's gaze as the girl's green eyes pierced through her, so she said nothing and simply bit her lip.

"Tell me?" Emma asked gently.

"You made me moan. When you licked my bottom lip. It was really slow and gentle. It wasn't pushy or… or anything. It was just really sweet, and…"

"Sounds kinda… sexy…"

Unable to face the girl's stare any longer, Regina tore her eyes away and jerked her head to the side, her face turning bright red.

"Was it?" the girl's roommate pressed.

"I…"

"It's okay. You don't have to be embarrassed. You can tell me."

"But I-"

"It doesn't have to mean anything. It was just a dream, right?"

"Um… Yeah…"

But Regina could still feel her heart racing, especially as the heat radiating from Emma's body flooded her own and made her even more anxious than she already had been.

"Was it sexy?"

"Y-Yeah… It was."

There was a long pause as Emma for the girl to meet her gaze again, but when she realized that this wasn't going to happen, she slid her fingers through Regina's hair in an attempt to get her attention. It worked.

Remaining red-faced, Regina finally looked over at Emma.

"I just made things totally weird, didn't I?" she blurted, looking highly flustered.

"No! Honey, no. It's totally fine. It was just a dream. And we were really close last night anyway. I think it's normal to have those kind of dreams about the people you're close to every now and then. Sometimes the brain just kind of works through different scenarios while you're sleeping in order to process… um… whatever's going on in your head during the day…"

Hearing her own words, Emma blushed again. Was Regina thinking about it during the day too? Or was it just a weird, random dream?

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know. Nevermind."

"No, come on. If I have to talk and be honest, so do you."

"Alright. Alright. I guess I just meant… Sometimes people just have thoughts that they push aside during the day that they don't want to deal with, and dreams are a way of working through them without feeling all the intense, confusing emotions."

Regina was quiet for a moment before she said, "Oh."

"Do you… Have you thought about that before?"

Emma felt anxiety wash over her as she asked the question, suddenly and inexplicably finding herself hoping that the answer was yes. What's going on with me? she wondered. What the hell am I thinking?

"I…"

"Mills. It's alright. Talk to me. I'm not gonna judge you. It doesn't have to be weird."

"Fine. Yes."

"Why do you think that is?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think is making you think about that?"

"I… I don't know," Regina replied honestly.

The truth was that the thoughts had simply shoved their way in, intruding on everything she'd told herself she was feeling before. And unfortunately, the sweeter Emma was to her, the more intense the thoughts became. And Emma was only getting sweeter by the day. Every little touch was so tender. Every word was so thoughtful. Every gesture of friendship was so kind and considerate. The girl went well out of her way to help her and support her, which was something Regina had never really experienced with anyone else before.

"Do you think maybe it's because you've heard about me being with so many other women?"

"Huh?"

"Maybe it's just made you a little curious?"

"I…"

Given that she hadn't really thought of it that way, Regina was slightly perplexed by the suggestion. Maybe that was it. Maybe that was all it was. All the talk about Emma with other women. Maybe she was just curious about what it would be like.

"It's okay. I've really gotten around. I guess a lot of women have been… I don't know. I guess you could say 'satisfied?' Maybe that's all it is."

"Swan. Come on."

"What?"

"I wish you wouldn't talk about yourself like that. Who you've had sex with doesn't change who you are."

"And who am I?"

"You're… You're the sweetest, most considerate girl I've ever met."

This earned a loud laugh from the blonde, who shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"You kidding? I'm a total slut. And I do things just to get my girls riled up. For my own benefit. I-"

"You don't intentionally hurt them. You just like getting them riled up. That's not the same. When you hurt Belle, you were sorry, and you felt bad."

"Well… Yeah, but-"

"No. You care about people. You're a good person. Liking sex doesn't change that."

"I guess… Anyway. You think you're just curious?"

"I mean… I've never had sex. So maybe my hormones are just… wonky. I don't know."

This also earned a laugh from Emma, who smiled and playfully poked Regina's nose.

"You're young. Having crazy hormones is perfectly normal. But you really think that's what it is? You're just horny?"

"I'm not horny! That's not what I meant! I just meant…"

"Why are you so ashamed to admit that you have sexual desires just like everyone else? You were so scared to admit that you had a sex dream after I told you about my rough sexual escapades. You don't have to be embarrassed. Especially not around me. If anyone understands, it's me."

"I… I know… I just… It's embarrassing anyway… But I don't think… I don't think it's… Maybe it is just curiosity."

"Alright."

Blinking a few times, Regina commented, "You sound… disappointed…"

"What? No. I just…"

"I was just saying," the brunette told her quickly. "Anyway… Is it ever… What's… What's it like to make new friends and be curious about them and not know if they're into you too? I mean, like… I'm just asking, 'cause I know you have… uh… casual… uh… relations, with people. I… Shit. Nevermind. That was stupid to ask. I'm sorry. I-"

But Emma jumped into her answer immediately.

"I mean, It's weird at first. It's not like I'm into all my friends. Just… you know… a lot of them. I sort of run with a similar crowd. I just sort of end up gravitating towards similar people. But it kinda works out, 'cause, like… I'm a really open person. So I'll talk about my life and kinda like… what I do on the weekends or whatever. Same way I kinda feel out if the other person is into tripping or whatever. You just sort of talk about yourself and what you do with other people and see what they say and how they react. If they're into you, they kinda just show it after that, when they realize what your lifestyle is."

"Oh."

"Why do you ask that, hun?"

"I was just… curious…"

"Is there anything else you want to know?"

"What was your first time like?"

"Oh, wow. Um… It was… It… I mean… It really should have never happened."

"What do you mean?"

"I regret it."

"Why?"

"Because it was with my best friend… and it ruined everything…"

Regina went quiet before reaching up and stroking the girl's cheek and saying, "I'm sorry."

"She was beautiful. It was freshman year of high school. Too early for me, honestly. We'd been friends since second grade. She knew I was gay. One day we were just laying on my bed in my room, listening to music, and she looked over at me and was like, 'Em, I think I'm into girls too.' So I asked her how she knew, and she just… leaned in and kissed me. I'd always been really into her, but I never told her, because I didn't want to ruin anything between us. When she initiated, I thought I was going to throw up. My heart totally stopped and exploded. I didn't tell her I had feelings for her, though. I just sort of let her fool around with me. It went on for months. I knew she was just experimenting with me, but I made the mistake of starting to think she might actually have feelings for me too. One night, she texted me at like three in the morning and asked if I could come over. Of course, I snuck out and went over in a heartbeat. Well… I tried to… I… I didn't want to do anything too heavy, really, but she… she really wanted to… and she pushed… and I was in love with her… so I let it happen. And when we were…"

When Emma trailed off, her voice cracking, Regina said softly, "You don't have to finish. It's okay."

"N-No… I… It's okay. She… I sort of said I love you while I was cumming. I couldn't stop it. It just… happened. She just got really quiet and then finally said, 'Yeah.' She stopped talking to me after that."

"Oh, shit, dude. That's horrible. I'm so sorry…"

"I guess that's why I don't really do relationships. I just ruin them."

"Hey… That wasn't your fault. You-"

"If I hadn't said anything, we'd-"

"She could have just been honest with you and told you she didn't feel the same way and moved past it. She could have stayed your friend. But she didn't. She bailed on you and abandoned you. That's fucked up."

With a sigh, Emma fell back against the pillow and shut her eyes, saying, "I guess so. Still feels like my fault. Some days I wonder what it would be like to still be friends with her. If I could go back, I wouldn't have done anything with her, and I wouldn't have told her how I felt. I would have stopped her and just stayed friends."

"There's a chance she wouldn't have wanted to stay friends without the benefits. From what you're saying, she sounds like that kind of a douchebag."

"Yeah… We were so close though…" Rubbing her temples, the flustered blonde added, "Anyway. I pretty much detached after that. Started throwing myself around. I let people use me. Now, I'm in control of my sexuality. I do what I want, with who I want, and it works for me. I don't let people walk on me. I don't get attached either. I'll sleep with my friends like I slept with her, but I won't let myself have feelings."

"It's not really something you can control. If you have feelings, you have feelings. You can't just decide not to."

"Well, I haven't had them since then, so…"

But looking into Regina's eyes, Emma felt her stomach flip as she questioned the truth of her own words. Something was different with Regina, and even though she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was, it worried her.

"Alright. Then maybe you just haven't met the right girl. When it's time, I think you will."

"Yeah. Doubt it."

"You'll find the right girl, when it's time and you're ready, if you decide that you do want a relationship."

"I don't think I ever will be."

"Swan. Seriously. It'll work out."

"Alright, listen. I know you're just trying to be nice and everything, but, like… Who would want to be in a serious relationship with someone who's been passed around as much as I have? I'm good for a ride and that's about it. Any girl looking for a real relationship wouldn't want damaged goods."

"WHOA. You are not damaged goods! You are a lovely young lady, and having sex does not change that!"

"Yeah. Alright. Tell me you'd be with someone who fucks anything that moves."

"I would be with someone I cared about and trusted and loved and admired for their kindness and strength, regardless of their romantic or sexual history."

Looking more than surprised, Emma asked, "Really…?"

"Yes, of course. I don't judge people based on who they have sex with."

Something in Emma's stomach flipped, and her heart stopped as she heard the sincerity in her friend's voice.

"That's… That's really admirable. Most people are quick to judge others for that kind of thing. If you mean what you said, that's a really amazing thing."

"I do mean what I said. Although, to be honest, I'd be intimidated, 'cause I'm scared I'll be horrible in bed. If I ever end up with a lover, anyway. Which I probably never will."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're fucking gorgeous. Anyone would be scoring the jackpot if they had a chance to be with you…"

"Don't say that," Regina sighed. "I'm-"

"You're perfect, Mills. Absolutely perfect."

"Like Hell I am."

"You are. You're gorgeous and smart and talented and sweet, and-"

"Stop it," the brunette snapped, suddenly sitting up.

"But it's t-"

"Enough."

"Hey. What's the matter? I was just-"

"It's not true, okay? If it was true, I'd have met someone by now."

"You're not even out of college yet. You have plenty of time to find the right girl. Just like you said to me."

"Except that you don't believe it either."

"Of course not. That's because-"

"Alright. Let's just drop it. Clearly, neither one of us is going to agree that we're worth anything more than a piece of gum on the bottom of someone's shoe."

"That's true." When Regina sighed, Emma opened her arms and added, "C'mere. Let me hold you."

After a moment of hesitation, the brunette nodded her head and wiggled back into the girl's arms, resting her head on her chest. Emma smiled slightly, unable to hide her reaction to the feeling of Regina's body curled against hers, and stroked her hair.

"We'll be okay," she said after a while, earning a slow, reluctant nod from her friend.

"I hope so."

"Do you want to go back to sleep?"

"We should go get breakfast."

"Good point. And I need a shower. I reek."

"Yeah, man. Gross."

Emma finally laughed and gave Regina a gentle shove.

"Alright. I'm gettin' up."

Regina nodded and rolled onto her back. She stared up at the ceiling as Emma climbed out of the bed, grabbed her towel, a change of clothes, and her shower caddy, then headed out towards the bathroom.