CHAPTER 6
"I'm not sure that this is what my Mother meant when she said we could go out to dinner," Regina raised her eyebrows and looked around at the spread before her. She turned back toward her girlfriend with a small smile.
Emma had decorated her room just as she had the room at the inn they'd never gotten to use. She'd cleaned the place from top to bottom. Then she'd placed candles on every available surface, spread out a picnic on the bed, and she'd hooked up with her 'movie dude' as she called him. He was a guy who sold movie codes for cheap. She loved movies to death. And he'd been her dealer for the past year. She got to watch all the latest movies before they even came out on disk. She had thousands of them.
Regina walked slowly around the room as she inspected all the little parts of Emma that she hadn't yet uncovered. She was a clutter bug. Though the rom looked like she'd made an effort to pick it up, there were still small areas of things just clumped together here and there. She seemed to really love the color red. The place was still tasteful and spoke of wealth but it had almost a goth look. Minus the weird and gore that it is.
She looked around at all the nick nacks on all the shelves and available surfaces. She stopped at the small collection of photographs that lined her nightstand.
There were a few of her and her Mother at different functions. They just seemed to look like they'd been taken at special events. There was nothing personal about any of them. Just the two of them dressed up and wearing forced smiles for the camera.
There were some of her and her grandfather. He seemed the closest thing to a father figure and someone who genuinely loved her for her that Emma had. She talked about him fondly and kept telling Regina that she'd love him as much as she did after she introduced him to her. But there behind all the others, was a large photograph of what appeared to be an attractive man smiling into the camera. It was clear that this was the one she treasured the most.
He was standing in a casual pose. He was just kicked back against a tree. He had blonde hair, dimples, and was very attractive.
"That's my dad," Emma came closer to Regina and stood over her shoulder as she smiled at the picture that obviously had a special place in her heart. She had already told Regina about him dying as a war hero before she had even been born.
For some reason, the picture seemed off to her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. But it gave her a slightly uneasy feeling. Which was why Regina quickly turned away from it and smiled over at her girlfriend, "I'm still not seeing how hanging around your room is a 'date'. We do this everyday at my house," she teased her.
"Hey, I said dinner and a movie," Emma moved to wrap her arms around her girlfriend. "I didn't lie."
Regina giggled. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Emma's neck and the two began to sway from side to side even though there was no music playing. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips into Emma's loving the feel of being this close to her. She hummed as Emma's tongue pressed further to sweep through her mouth.
After a minute, Emma pulled back. Their kisses were moving into a territory that she knew Regina just wasn't ready for yet. She gestured around her then held her arm out for her girlfriend to take. Regina rolled her eyes but played along anyway.
Emma helped her settle on one side of the bed. Then she ran around to the other side and carefully sat across from her.
"I thought there was going to be some homecooking," Regina grumped. But the slurping of the straw of her chocolate chocolate chip milkshake helped take the sting away.
"I told you I can't cook. But I do one mean ordering out," she held up her pointer finger and blew on it. She then grabbed up a fry and bit into it. "Mmm, I've missed you old friend."
Regina swatted at her, "I thought you liked my cooking."
"The word is love my dear. And that goes for everything about you. But I still need a li'l on the side, ya know?" Emma grabbed 3 fries at once. She dipped them in ketchup and then popped them in her mouth. She threw back her head with her eyes closed to savor the taste.
Regina rolled her eyes, "where's my movie?"
Emma's eyes flew open. "Oh, here!" she turned and grabbed the remote off of her nightstand. She tossed it over to Regina.
Regina was only barely able to catch it. She had never been athletic. She stared down at it confused. The thing was huge. It was one of those multifunctional kind that had a keyboard attached to it. She had no idea what she was supposed to do with it.
Emma saw her confusion and held out her hand, "Here. I've got this."
Emma was extremely proud of her bedroom's set up. One of the sweetest parts was her 88 inch 4k smart tv complete with 3d and a surround system that rivaled most cinemas. Sometimes she would just stare at the beauty and might of the thing. It had almost brought tears to her eyes the first time she saw it. And she still got a little emotional over it even now.
With all of the time she spent on her own, movies were always important to her. They were an escape from the monotonous hell that had been her life before meeting Regina.
There was a movie for every emotion. She had almost every movie that was ever made. And was damned proud of it too!
She turned on the set and clicked the vudu app. Then she handed the remote back to her love. She showed Regina how to scroll through her movie library and told her to choose whatever she liked.
Regina decided to settle on Tom Hank's Inferno. Partly because she had already read the book but still hadn't seen it. She preferred reading to tv watching. But she still loved a good movie every now and again. And she had never seen anyone who enjoyed them more than Emma.
They settled back against the headboard to watch the movie as they finished their dinner. They paused it once to clear up the clutter because Regina just couldn't sit around empty used food containers. She wasn't a barbarian. Then they climbed back into the middle of Emma's king sized bed together. Emma threw her arm around Regina who rested her head upon her shoulder. By the end of the movie, both girls had fallen asleep.
SQ
Loud thumping on the door downstairs had both girls shooting upright. They turned and looked at one another stunned.
"Holy shit!" Emma muttered. Regina stared back at her in shock.
"Emma!" Mulan called from downstairs. They could hear the annoyance at being woken up and the yawning in her voice, "You have company."
Emma's look of shock immediately turned to horror.
Regina groaned and buried her head in her hands. She didn't need to know who it was at the door. She stood and collected her purse and shoes, "I'm so sorry Emma. I really did have a good time," she gave her a small smile.
Emma looked like she was about to be hung. But she still conjured up a smile of her own in return, "me too. I would say we should do it again sometime but I'm sure your Mom's about to kill me now," she gestured down the stairs.
Regina exhaled loudly then squared her shoulders. She made her way down the stairs in front of Emma.
Cora stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and her face pinched. She was tapping her foot repeatedly. She looked past Regina to glare at Emma, "I said that you were allowed dinner and a movie. Not my daughter's hand in marriage."
Emma reddened and began to nervously wring her hands, "I'm really sorry. It's all my fault and - ."
Regina stepped up, "No it isn't. We're both to blame. We fell asleep in the middle of the movie. I'm really sorry for worrying you. But you could've just called. I am capable of making it back home on my own."
"Not at this hour you're not," Cora admonished. "But it won't be a problem for you for a while since you'll be busy being grounded for the next month."
Regina started to protest but caught the fire in her Mother's eyes and knew it would be a losing battle. She turned to Emma instead and apologized again, "I'm sorry." She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to Emma's. She made sure the kiss lasted a good full minute just to rile her Mother before pulling back. "Goodnight my love."
Emma glanced over her shoulder at her Mother's angry face. She was clearly terrified. The woman wasn't dubbed the Queen of Mean for no reason, "good night," she called as Regina made her way to the door. She flung it open and stomped past her Mother out to the car.
Cora threw Emma one last glare before following her daughter out the door. She walked slowly behind Regina who had sped so far ahead that she now had to stand there and wait for the doors to be unlocked.
Cora took her time about walking up to it before she pulled out the key fob and unlocked it
Regina quickly jumped into the front seat and let the seatbelt fold across her chest. She slammed the door before turning to glare out the window.
Cora got in and started up the car. Her anger at the situation was palpable. They drove in silence for a while as she tried to get her temper under control.
"You're not having – relations – with that girl are you?" Cora didn't even bother waiting for an answer from her daughter, "Because you're too young for that sort of thing. She could go to jail for that. She's almost 18. In the eyes of the law she's already an adult."
Regina scoffed. It was bad enough she'd been 'fetched' in the middle of the night when a simple call would've sufficed. But she'd done nothing wrong. And there was nothing going on between her and Emma that she needed to be made to feel guilty or ashamed about, "What I do with my body is my own business. And how dare you threaten us like that?! I love her Mother. And there's nothing you can say that will change that!"
Cora sighed, "You don't have to do this just because you think all the other kids are. There's no shame in waiting."
"If - and I do mean IF - as in not right now, I decide to have sex with Emma that will be my choice. And it will be between me and her. I'm not a baby anymore Mother. You're going to have to cut the umbilical. But no… to answer your obnoxious question I am not having 'relations' with that girl," Regina rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.
When they pulled up to the house she jumped out of the car before it had even completely stopped. She stood staring stoically ahead as she waited for her Mother to unlock the door.
Again, Cora followed at a slower pace. When she reached the door she muttered, "I just don't want you thinking that you have to do something that you're not ready for. You're only 15 Regina. And I know that your feelings right now seem overwhelming but believe me when I say you'll have plenty of time for this sort of thing later in your life. You don't have to rush into something because of peer pressure."
"Exactly! It's my life Mother. And my body," she pointed to her chest. "MINE!" she shook her head emphatically. "Not yours. We did nothing wrong. We were watching a movie and then we fell asleep. It was an ACCIDENT. It certainly wasn't on purpose," she swiped a frustrated hand through her hair. She knew she was getting loud but she didn't care. Her Mother was treating her like she was some stupid sex crazed teen who didn't have an ability to use her own brain, "I'm not stupid you know. I'm fully capable of making my own decisions for myself without following a mindless herd."
Cora finished unlocking the door and turned to her daughter, "I just don't want you growing up faster than you have to."
Regina shook her head lightly, "I know that! But you do need to realize and respect the fact that I'm already more grown up than you give me credit for." She looked at her Mother's sad face. She instantly deflated. She never liked arguing with her parents. They'd always been close. That is – until Papi's illness. She leaned over and gave her a hug, "I love you Mother. Nothing will ever change that. But I also love Emma. And when we decide we're ready to take that step, it will be between the two of us. But absolutely NOTHING happened tonight. We were both just more tired than we realized is all."
Cora's eyes were glistening with tears but she managed to swallow them down before nodding. She knew she was telling her the truth. And maybe she had overreacted.
Regina was a good girl who did her proud. But she was also her baby. It was hard as a Mother to let go of your children when you'd spent your entire life swearing to never allow anything to hurt them.
They walked into the house together and started to go their separate ways. Just before she made it to the stairs, Regina turned back around. Cora waited expectantly to hear what she had to say.
"I love you Mother. And I don't want to fight. Can we please maybe talk about this more after we've slept on it?"
Cora stared at her babygirl. When had she become so grown up? She swallowed thickly and nodded because she wasn't sure if she could trust her own voice.
Regina smiled and ran back over to her Mother. She threw her arms around her and hugged her tight. Cora squeezed her back equally hard.
Regina started to pull away but Cora held her closer. "Just a couple of minutes more," she begged.
Regina sagged into her Mother's arm and allowed the familiarity to comfort her.
RQ
"So what happened?" Kathryn cornered Regina as soon as she walked into the school the next morning.
Belle walked up beside her, "yeah. Your Mom sounded really pissed the other night when she couldn't find you."
Regina's cheeks colored at hearing this news. She knew she that had worried her parents but this was really embarrassing, "I'm really sorry she did that."
"So?" Belle waited expectantly.
"So what? Emma and I fell asleep watching a movie and my Mother overreacted."
Belle and Kathryn shared a secretive smile that Regina just barely managed to catch. "What?"
"Sleeping as in with no clothes on?" Kathryn peered at her friend suspiciously.
Regina rolled her eyes and threw her head back, "Oh my god. No wonder my Mother thinks I must have sex on my brain," she muttered. "We were sleeping as in nighty night," she gave them a patronizing wave just as a child would. "We were more tired than we thought we were so we ended up passing out." Her cheeks colored as she finished explaining to her friends, "We haven't had sex yet. We've never done more than making out."
Both girls frowned at their friend, "I don't get it. Why not?"
Belle nodded, "you two have been together for a few months. It's really weird that you haven't done anything with her yet."
Regina's cheeks flamed as she closed her locker and they began to head toward their classrooms. "It's my first time. I want it to be special, ya know?" she shrugged sheepishly.
As they settled into their seats before the bell rang Kathryn leaned over toward her and whispered, "just don't make her wait too long. I'm not sure Emma's the waiting type."
Regina frowned before she spent the next few hours mulling this over.