A/N: I wasn't planning on working on this or posting another chapter for at least a few more days, but I'm procrastinating writing an analysis paper for my PhD that's due this weekend, and none of the fics I'm following have updated recently so I was forced to work on my own as a way of avoiding my actual work. So, lucky for you that I'm not being a model student right now :)
Day Two: August 22, 8am
Emma rolled over as she stretched out her limbs, opening her eyes and taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. It took her a minute to remember that she was in Regina and Robin's guest bedroom. She reached over and grabbed her phone from the charging dock on the nightstand, noting that it was a few minutes past eight o'clock. She assumed the boys would be long gone by now, but just in case she pulled on a pair of cut-off sweatpants over the underwear she had slept in and left the room.
She smiled at the smell of coffee that greeted her as she walked down the corridor, and her grin continued to grow when she saw Regina making breakfast. The brunette was oblivious to her presence, with her back to her as she flipped something in a pan on the stove. Emma unabashedly let her eyes roam over the site in front of her, thinking that Regina looked both adorable and sexy in her satin grey camisole and matching shorts. "Something smells delicious," she finally said, resting her elbows on the island as she leaned forward to see what Regina was making.
Regina turned around and smiled, allowing her eyes to fall briefly to Emma's chest, which was amplified by her current stance. "Well, look who is awake bright and early."
"I told you that I tend to get up early. This is actually a little late for me."
"Coffee?" Regina asked, pouring a cup and offering it to Emma.
"Yes, please," Emma answered, pausing to take a sip. "I take it the boys left already?"
Regina turned back to the stove, turning off the heat as she dished up the scrambled eggs onto two plates next to a few strips of bacon and a piece of toast that were already plated. "Yep. They left at six o'clock this morning. I saw them off and then took an hour long nap on the couch. I didn't even make it back upstairs, which had been my original plan," she chuckled, placing one plate in front of Emma at the island and then hopping into the vacant stool next to her with her own breakfast.
"This looks amazing, Regina, thank you."
Regina smiled. "It's my pleasure. Both of the boys are in a Poptarts phase, so I miss being able to cook for someone other than myself."
"They have a world-class restaurateur as a father, and yet they want Poptarts for breakfast?"
"I know, right? I don't get it, but Robin has decided to let them win this battle so I just go with it," she rolled her eyes as she stabbed her fork into her eggs. "So, did you sleep okay? The boys didn't wake you when they were running around?"
Emma nodded. "I slept great and I never heard them. I think I was dead to world…probably some residual jetlag."
They finished their breakfast and talked about their plans for the day, deciding to have a leisurely start before going to the French Quarter for lunch and some sightseeing. They each poured a second cup of coffee before moving to the living room and continuing to relax before heading out. Emma sat down on the couch and quickly did her routine email and social media checks, making sure Killian was doing okay with their company's pre-season tasks in her absence. "Hey, Regina," she called out to the woman who was sitting in the armchair next to her and going through her own emails.
"What's up?"
"Robin was right," she said, handing Regina her phone. "Your fans found the photo that I tagged you guys in last night and reposted the hell out of it."
Regina laughed to herself as she saw that was indeed the case. The photo they had staged to look like a candid the night before, Regina had to admit, was cute. Emma had switched spots with Robin briefly so Regina could lean into his side while he told a story. Robin had wrapped his arm around her while she held her glass of cider and looked up at him as she laughed. When they got home that night Emma posted the photograph, tagging both Robin and Regina and his bistro in the post, along with the caption: 'How adorable are these two? #LocksleyBistro #ReginaMills #RobinLocksley #Robina #FrozenMirror #Montreal #candid #relationshipgoals'. The original photo on Emma's feed had over 1,000 likes and hundreds of comments, and when Regina clicked on her own tagged photos she saw that photo repeatedly in her feed. "Wow. I wasn't sure that would work. I didn't realize people actually stalked the photos tagged of me," she said as she handed the phone back to Emma.
"Of course they do. They love you," she said as she scrolled through the comments on her own photo, most of which were along the lines of: 'omg you're so lucky', '#Robina #OTP forever', or random emojis, along with a few 'how do you know Regina? Who are you?' and 'See, I told you she isn't secretly gay. She's so in love with Robin.' She ignored their comments and put her phone back on the table, finishing the last of her coffee. "Well, hopefully this is a good first step to getting Gold off your back. If I was anyone but me, I'd believe you and Robin were head over heels for each other."
"Let's hope that's true," Regina said before letting out a groan.
"What is it?" Emma looked over, concerned.
"Gold. He just texted me. He got just called to do a Montréal morning show tomorrow to promote the new season and he's demanding that I appear with him."
"Oh. That seems like short notice."
"Yeah. I guess he had been trying to get on it but they were booked, but it looks like one of the guests pulled out and they asked him if he still wanted the spot."
"Oh. Well, you should do it, then. The more you promote the upcoming season, the better, right?"
Regina nodded and bit her lip. "Yeah. Hopefully it won't take long." She quickly texted him back: 'okay. What time do I need to be there?'
She watched the three grey dots appear on her screen as he typed out a reply and read it when her phone chimed: '7am. We're on at 8:30 and then as long as we're there, we will have another press interview with Montreal Living right after at 9:30."
Regina rolled her eyes. Of course he would rope her into more press during her vacation. She had agreed to the show as a favor and thinking it would be short and sweet, but she was quickly losing her precious morning hours that she would rather spend with Emma. 'Fine. But that's it. No more appearances, Gold. I'm on vacation.'
He answered immediately: 'Yes, I know. By the way, you better come alone tomorrow.'
She typed a quick response indicating that she would be by herself, and then threw her phone a little harder than she intended to onto the coffee table. Emma looked up, startled. "Everything okay?"
"Not really. Apparently we're also doing a magazine interview after the morning show. I told him I would do it but that after that I am done while I'm on vacation. He also made it clear that I should leave you here while I go to the press interviews tomorrow."
Emma shrugged. "That's fine. I wouldn't expect to go, anyway. And it'll give me a chance to take a dance class while I'm out here —one of the companies is bound to have some sort of open company class in the morning."
Regina smiled. "That works. I can drop you off wherever you need to go on my way in, and then we can meet for a late breakfast afterward?"
"That sounds perfect. So, I guess our photo decoy wasn't as great as we thought if Gold is still paranoid?"
Regina sighed. "He didn't say anything about it, so maybe he didn't see it yet. But given how he's tracking all of us online, I'm sure he has. He probably just doesn't buy it because he's not an idiot and he knows the truth since he created my marriage in the first place. I haven't mentioned the larger dance coach story to him yet, but I might bring it up tomorrow if I have a chance to talk to him in private for a few minutes. That might help appease him."
"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help," Emma offered.
"I can think of one thing."
"Yeah?" Emma smirked.
"Yep. I want to get out of here and take advantage of what little free time it seems I'm going to have on this trip, so go get dressed so we can go," Regina said before she ran off toward the stairs to her bedroom to change.
*.*.*
The two women spent the late morning and early afternoon hours exploring Montréal's French Quarter, and Regina pointed out several of her favorite shops to Emma along the main avenue. At one boutique, they found two beautiful patterned silk scarves that were nearly identical, aside from the coloring —one was a stark black and white, while one was a subtle grey and white. They both tried them on, Emma falling in love with the lighter of the two, while Regina liked the contrast of the darker version. "It looks beautiful on you," Regina said as she showed Emma an alternative way of tying the scarf. "It really accents your eyes."
"You think so?" She asked, looking in the mirror.
"Mmhmm," Regina nodded as she adjusted the scarf she had tried on. "I think we should get them. We can match," she winked as she took out her phone and took a quick selfie with Emma in the boutique's mirror.
Emma considered it and agreed. At $150, it was more than she had ever spent on a scarf, but it was exquisitely made and she loved the idea of getting something with Regina while she was visiting. Plus, she was always very careful with her finances, so she could afford a little splurge. As she approached the register and took out her wallet, Regina grabbed her hand, telling her she wanted to buy it for her. "Regina, that's sweet, but you don't have to do that."
"I know, but I want to. It was my idea to get them," she said. She saw that Emma still looked hesitant, so she added, "If it makes you feel better, I'll let you buy me lunch."
"Okay, fine," she chuckled as she handed Regina the scarf. "Thank you."
The pair exited the shop and Regina pointed out a crêpe place across the street. "Are you hungry? This cafe is one of my favorites."
"Let's go. But remember, lunch is on me," Emma said as they crossed the cobblestone street.
"Of course. After you," Regina laughed as she held open the door.
They devoured their savory crêpes over lunch, continuing to talk about their plans for the rest of the week. By that point, the two women had settled into their time together, moving past the surface-level "get to know you" conversations and were able to talk about more in-depth subjects. Regina revealed to Emma more about her strained relationship with her mother, which Emma had picked up on during Cora's unexpected appearance the night before. Before leaving the café, they decided to give in and get some gelato to-go as they walked back toward Regina's car.
Fortunately, Regina was able to remain rather inconspicuous during the afternoon. She had dressed casually in dark jeans and a simple black tank, and she had kept her large-frame Alexander McQueen sunglasses on most of the day. She had also thrown on a grey Abercrombie and Fitch baseball hat she had stolen from Henry, so she was able to blend in with the crowds, who seemed to be more interested in looking at the architecture of the district than at her. She had only been stopped once by a fan on the way back to where they had parked, and she had graciously agreed to take a quick photo with the girl. Emma volunteered to take the photo for the teen, handing her the phone when she was done. "Ten bucks says the girl mentions you in the caption of that photo when she posts it online," Regina whispered as they headed back to the car.
"Seriously?"
Regina shrugged. "Probably. I recognized that girl. I think she lives here. She seems to always find me when I'm in town, and I see her commenting and starting stuff online. She's come to set a few times, too, and to quite a few cons."
Emma frowned. "Why do you agree to take photos with her, then? Why not just tell her you're in a hurry and decline?"
"I try to remain polite as much as I can, and I don't want to sour the reputation I have with fans for being generous with my time. If we weren't about to head home or there were a bunch of fans around I would have said no, because I didn't want to start a trend, but since she was by herself and asked nicely, I had no reason not to. And I kind of worry if I say no to her that she'll just start even more shit online."
"Regina, you can't let yourself be bullied into it. It's your time, and you have every right to decline a photo with fans, especially when you're off the clock."
"You sound like Robin. He says I'm too nice."
"He's right."
"I know. But it makes them happy and if I can let them feel special for five seconds, I'm happy to do it," she gave a half-hearted smile as she got into the driver's seat of her black Mercedes Benz sedan, ready to head back home.
*.*.*
"You owe me ten bucks," Regina said as she leaned against her bathroom door that night, scrolling through her phone.
"What?" Emma looked up from the mirror as she changed into a new pair of earrings she had picked up at one of the boutiques earlier in the day. After they returned from shopping earlier that afternoon, Regina had subtly mentioned that she was going to put the bag with their new scarves in her bedroom and that Emma was welcome to move her things up there if she wanted to since the boys were gone. Emma gladly accepted, and she found it refreshing how shy Regina seemed to be about the whole situation. She was also relieved that Regina was willing to take things slow, given that her previous relationship experience was essentially non-existent. She was still figuring everything out.
"The girl from earlier," Regina started as she walked over to Emma, grazing her hand along her lower back as she softly kissed the back of her neck. Regina was suddenly very happy Emma had decided to put her hair up, giving her easier access to it. "You look amazing, by the way. Those earrings were a great choice," she said softly, admiring the dainty gold studs and trailing her finger along her ear. Emma blushed as she started to touch up her makeup while Regina hopped up onto the counter next to her. "She posted the photo and captioned it, and I quote, 'ran into the lovely #ReginaMills in the French Quarter today. Her cute girlfriend Emma took this photo for us,' and then she added the winking emoji. Ugh. Do they really think I'm not going to see this, especially when they tag me in it?"
Emma rolled her eyes as she tossed her mascara back in her makeup bag and walked over to stand in front of Regina, gently resting her hands just above her knees and softly running her thumbs over the black denim Regina had changed into. "First, I owe you nothing, because I did not accept the bet. And second, just ignore it. The girl is probably just trying to get attention. Stop indulging her every time she sees you and maybe she'll go away." She leaned in to steal what she had intended to be a quick kiss, but Regina deepened it, letting her legs part and slipping her hands into Emma's back pockets to pull her closer, not letting up until Emma's hips were pressed against the counter. "This reminds me of when we were in your hotel room at the con," Emma said, breaking apart briefly before leaning into Regina yet again.
"Mmhmm," Regina smiled into the kiss and hummed. "I seem to remember you were just wearing a towel back then, though," she said, moving from Emma's lips to the side of her neck.
"Sorry to disappoint this time," Emma chuckled as Regina lightly grazed the ticklish spot behind her ear. She was grateful that Regina hadn't put on lipstick yet, because she would have had a mess to clean up otherwise.
"I don't mind," Regina said, flicking her tongue once more against that spot before moving back toward her throat. She moved her hands from Emma's back pockets up to her back, sliding them underneath the silk black camisole top and running her fingers along her spine. "You look hot."
"As do you. But, you know," Emma said, becoming slightly out of breath as she tilted her head back, "if you keep doing this we won't make it to dinner."
Regina pulled back and laughed, placing one more quick chaste kiss to her lips before pushing Emma back enough so she could slide off the counter. "You're right. Give me five minutes to finish changing and then I'll be ready."
Emma nodded as she watched the woman head into the massive walk-in closet just outside the bathroom door, emerging a few minutes later wearing a white choker-neck style blouse under a light black leather jacket. She had added a pair of four-inch red suede pumps. "Are these shoes okay or does it make it look like we color-coordinate too much?" Regina asked as she walked back into the bathroom.
Emma finished putting the last bobbypin into her braided bun and turned to Regina. "Honestly? Those shoes are hot as hell. If you're worried about it, I'll gladly change," she said, gesturing to the red skinny jeans she was wearing.
"Don't you dare. Your ass looks particularly incredible in those," she said, lightly slapping Emma's ass as she walked over to take one final glance in the mirror, fussing with a stray curl that wouldn't cooperate. "I'm just overthinking it too much."
"Okay then, ready?" Emma asked.
"Yes. I can't wait," Regina smiled, taking Emma's hand and leading her downstairs.
*.*.*
They arrived at Vin Et Table, Robin's newest restaurant in the center of the city, parking in Robin's reserved spot near the entrance on the busy street. "Not having to deal with street parking or the valet is one of the perks," Regina winked as they exited the car and went inside. The hostess immediately greeted Regina with a hug, commenting that she hadn't seen her since the opening night over a month ago. "I know. I've been so busy filming the new season that I barely made it back for that, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world," she commented.
"Well, we're always happy to have you here. Your husband had mentioned you and a friend might be coming by for a late dinner, so we reserved his usual table in the back. Is that okay?"
"Of course, thank you Rory." Regina and Emma followed the redhead to the back of the restaurant, sliding into a cozy corner booth in the back.
Emma looked around, noting that the restaurant was every bit as sleek as Locksley Bistro had been the night before, but it was a touch more elegant. When the server came over Regina asked Emma if she wanted to split a bottle of wine, and they decided on the top-rated Malbec on the menu.
Their dinner conversation flowed easily, with Regina asking Emma about the plans for her dance company's upcoming season. Emma bounced some ideas for a few pieces off of Regina, enjoying that Regina seemed genuinely interested in helping her work through some of the concepts she had been toying with for the past few months. She found it refreshing to go out with another creative type, because the few dates she had been on in recent years could not have been more uninterested in what she did for a living. Regina even asked her about her choreographic process, wondering if she just went for it in the studio or if she had to sit down and plan things out first. "It depends," Emma said, taking her last bite of the caramel cheesecake they had decided to share. "Sometimes I need to visualize it first and draw out formations and whatnot, but other times I really need to play in the studio and try things out on my body first." Emma looked up at Regina, who had a glint in her eye and smirked as she watched Emma slowly take the fork out of her mouth. "What?"
Regina shook her head, snapping herself out of it and trying not to blush. "Nothing. Are you ready to head out?"
Emma nodded in reply and grabbed her jacket, sliding out of the booth. Regina did the same, but they were intercepted when a man approached their table. "Good evening, Regina, I hope everything was to your satisfaction?"
"Hi Frederick. And yes, it was delicious, thank you," Regina replied. "Frederick, this is my friend Emma. Emma, this is Frederick. He's the social media manager for all of Robin's restaurants."
"It's nice to meet you," Emma said, shaking his hand.
"You as well," he smiled, before turning back to Regina. "Regina, Robin had mentioned that we might be able to get a photo of you two to post on our accounts? I know you haven't had the chance to stop by this location much, and I know Robin would appreciate it."
Regina chuckled to herself, amused that Frederick thought he had to convince her to take a picture and that she would be reluctant to do so, when it had all been Robin's idea to help cover Regina's tracks. "Of course. Where would you like us?"
"If you don't mind, perhaps out in front by the new sign?"
"Not a problem." She let Frederick usher them toward the front of the restaurant, and she noticed a few people trying to subtly take photos or video as they walked past. "I hear congratulations are in order," she said to him as they walked toward the entrance. "Robin mentioned that you and Abigail finally tied the knot a few weeks ago."
"Thank you. Yes, we decided we couldn't wait any longer and decided to elope. Robin has offered to close one of the restaurants one night next month and throw us a reception party."
"You better take him up on that. As you know, he knows how to throw a good party," Regina laughed as they went through the front door and out to the street. "Is here good?" She asked, maneuvering Emma and herself next to the rustic yet elegant chalkboard sign posted on the brick wall of the restaurant under the awning.
"Perfect. Can you move a little closer together so I can get the full sign in?"
Emma looked at Regina hesitantly, unsure if that was wise, but Regina wrapped her arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "Relax. I take photos like this all the time. Just pretend I'm Ruby or Killian," she said, gently rubbing her back to help relax the blonde. They smiled and let Frederick take a few shots, and then he asked Regina to pick one for him to post. She and Emma agreed on one where they thought they both looked cute and casual. "Fred, can you be sure to tag me in this? I want to repost it to help promote you guys."
"Of course. Thanks so much, Regina, and don't be a stranger," he said, kissing her cheek before turning back to Emma. "It was nice to meet you, Emma. We hope to see you again here as well."
They waved as he walked back inside the restaurant. "Do you want to stay out a bit longer or are you ready to go home?" Regina asked as they approached her Benz.
"We can head back," Emma said, getting the sense that despite her demeanor, Regina really was worried about all the cell phones that were whipped out as they walked by their tables inside.
*.*.*
The drive back to Regina's apartment was quick, given that the traffic at 10:30pm on a Tuesday night was never heavy. Upon entering the apartment, Regina immediately walked over to the sideboard in the dining room that doubled as a bar. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
"Sure. Whatever you're having is fine with me," she said, watching Regina pour the amber colored liquid from the decanter into a rocks glass. "Scotch?" She asked as Regina handed her a glass and led her over to the couch.
"Actually, it's cider. A friend of Robin's owns an orchard not too far from here, and he supplies us with apples for it," Regina kicked off her heels and propped her feet up on the coffee table, leaning back onto the couch and gently pulling Emma's arm so she would fall into her.
"You made this? It's incredible. And thank you for dinner, Regina. It was amazing."
Regina chuckled. "You're very welcome, although technically you should be thanking Robin."
"I'll be sure to do that the next time I see him," she replied.
They turned on the TV, catching an old Friends rerun that was part of a marathon. After finishing her drink, Regina checked her phone to see if Frederick had posted the photograph yet, hoping that she could repost it before heading to bed. She clicked on the page for 'VinEtTable', and smiled when she saw the photo. He had captioned it: 'Always great to see the lovely 'ReginaMills' come by when she's in town, especially when she brings new friends!" She quickly reposted it, adding a caption of her own: 'Another delicious meal at 'VinEtTable', but missing 'RobinLocksley' lots! Xoxo." She then tagged Emma in the photograph, hoping to appear nonchalant. She set her phone back down on the table and looked over at Emma, who was stifling a yawn. Regina laughed before asking, "ready for bed?"
Emma nodded as she yawned again, pushing herself back upright. Regina stood up once Emma had moved over and she extended her hand out, helping the tired woman up off the couch. "Do you have enough energy to make it upstairs or do I have to carry you?" She asked, only half kidding.
"Up that spiral staircase? I'll manage. I'd rather not fall to my death when you drop me."
"Probably a wise decision," Regina laughed as she started up the stairs.
The two got ready for bed in companionable silence, simultaneously feeling extremely comfortable with each other, yet not quite sure how to handle the situation. Emma decided to err on the side of caution and took her tank top and bike shorts into the bathroom with her to change. While she was used to changing in front of people all the time backstage and assumed Regina likely felt the same way as an actor, she suddenly found herself overthinking all her actions. She realized that eventually they were going to need to have a conversation, not only about the inevitable physical progression of their relationship, but their relationship in general. Emma thought back to the conversation they had the night they spent in Regina's hotel room, where Regina had said that she didn't want to put any pressure on Emma, and she wanted to see what would develop. Emma could tell that she was falling for Regina, more quickly and deeply than she ever expected to, and she hoped Regina felt the same. She knew she only had a few more days in Montréal, and she was starting to worry about what would come next. She figured either they would part ways but remain friends who maybe saw each other once or twice a year, or they would have to really commit to pursuing a real relationship. She knew they wouldn't be able to casually date considering they lived in different countries, so she saw it as an all-or-nothing situation. If it was going to end up falling into the "nothing" category, she wanted to know sooner rather than later so she could prepare herself mentally for it. "Fuck," she muttered under her breath as she walked back into the bedroom and placed the clothes she had been wearing back into her suitcase.
"You okay?" Regina asked. She was sitting on the bed in that same grey satin pajama set she had been wearing that morning, rubbing lotion onto her legs and arms.
Emma forced herself to look Regina in the eyes, even though she really wanted to drift her gaze to the tan legs that were shimmering thanks to the lotion. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Regina raised a skeptical brow, as she pulled back the covers on the other side of the bed, extending an unneeded invitation to Emma. "You sure about that? Or do you always swear at your clothing before you turn in for the night?" she laughed.
"You heard that?" Emma asked as she sat down next to Regina, sliding her feet under the duvet. "I thought I said that in my head."
"Yeah, you definitely said it out loud," Regina confirmed, before her tone turned serious. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I am. I was just thinking…Good God these are comfortable" she said, leaning back against the pillows and temporarily distracting herself.
Regina rolled over onto her right side and looked at Emma, softly brushing a stray piece of hair off her face. "What were you thinking?" She probed.
Emma let out a sigh. "Just that today was pretty much perfect, and that I'm really enjoying my time here," she smiled genuinely. "I like spending time with you."
"And that makes you say 'fuck', why?" She questioned, before realization hit her. "Oh. Are you concerned about what happens after this week?"
Emma looked up at her in shock, rolling onto her left side to match Regina's position as she faced her. "How did you know that?"
Regina let out a sardonic chuckle. "Because that thought crossed my mind more than once today." She reached out and grasped Emma's hand that was resting in between them on the bed, threading their fingers together as she tugged her a little closer so their faces were only inches apart. She looked down at their hands as she used her thumb to trace patterns on Emma's palm, but she said nothing.
Emma watched Regina closely, smiling at the feel of her thumb moving softly against her skin, but couldn't take the silence. "And have you come to any conclusions?" Emma finally asked when the silence got to be too much.
Regina looked back up at Emma, focusing her eyes on the delicate features of the woman in front of her. Releasing her hand, she moved her hand to cup Emma's cheek before closing the space and crashing her lips into hers. Unlike their previous kisses since Emma arrival, this one was not only full of desire but filled with more underlying emotion than Regina knew how to handle. She pulled Emma toward her so their bodies were melted together, her left thigh sliding over Emma's hip, pulling her even closer. When they broke the kiss so they could take a breath, Regina rolled onto her back and wiped away a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye.
"Hey," Emma said softly, propping herself up on her arm and looking down at the woman next to her. She noticed another stray tear and wiped it away before Regina could. She let her hand continue its trail, moving gently down her neck until it ultimately came to rest just above Regina's heart and absentmindedly played with the strap of her camisole.
"I don't want you to go," Regina blurted out when she finally met the green eyes staring back at her. "That's what I was thinking about earlier...how much I don't want you to leave in a few days."
"Good, because I don't want to go, either…but I have to, eventually." Emma smiled sadly as she let herself drop down to the pillow.
"I know that," Regina said, rolling back onto her side and nuzzling herself into the crook of Emma's neck. "I have to leave, too, and go back to Halifax."
"Yep."
"It sucks."
"Yep," Emma sighed. "Do you want to have this conversation now or should we wait until the end of this week?"
Regina pulled back and looked up at the blonde, who looked dejected. Regina was nervous, because she knew what she wanted, but she wasn't sure what Emma was thinking. She was pretty sure, but she had never been the best at reading signals in her previous relationships. "I think it will stress us out more if we put it off…"
"Okay," Emma nodded as she took a breath, terrified by what she was about to admit. "You know that generally I suck at relationships of any kind, which is why I have never bothered with them in the past, and I know we said this week was going to be casual to see how we feel about each other, but all it's done for me is confirm that I want you in my life, and I don't want this to end. I am completely in this," she rambled.
Regina bent down to kiss Emma, smiling into her lips. "I want that, too. I don't know how this will logistically work once you're back in Storybrooke and when I'm filming in Halifax, but I really want us to try. I haven't felt this way about anyone in long time…actually, I don't think I've ever felt this way about anyone else in my life," Regina confessed. "I don't want to scare you off, but I can see myself falling for you."
Emma let out a sigh of relief, pulling Regina down toward her and kissing her yet again. "Thank God," she laughed, settling back into the pillows.
"So does this mean you're officially, like, my girlfriend?" Regina asked with a wide grin.
"I like the sound of that," she replied before yawning.
Regina chuckled. "Okay, you need sleep." She got up to turn off the light switch, and by the time she walked back over to the bed, Emma had rolled over her to face the opposite side and was already asleep. Regina moved over, wrapping her arm around Emma's waist and pulling her against her, placing a soft kiss on the back of her shoulder before falling asleep.
A/N: I had not planned to have them have that conversation this early, but it just kind of happened so I let it. This chapter was a lot of fluff, and ended up being longer than I ever planned it to be.
Too much fluff? Not enough drama? Let me know what you think. (Don't worry, there will be some drama ahead to keep things interesting).