Thank you for such sweet comments! Aww, you're all lovely! Xxx apologies for any random auto correct madness.
Monday finally came. Emma tried applying a concealer and powder to cover the bruise on her eye. She wasn't that vain but she also didn't want people getting the wrong idea about her. She headed to the dance academy beyond excited to see the instructor after more than a full week of only her sneaky screenshot phone picture.
She arrived early to the class and was happy to note there was nobody else there so she sat down on the floor right at the front claiming her spot. Regina walked in and her heart skipped a beat.
"Miss Swan. I must say, I'm surprised to see you here. I thought I'd scared you off."
Emma grinned. "Ah so you do think about me when I'm not here!" She wasn't even pretending anymore. "Glad to know my absence was noted."
Regina tried to hide her smile and raised an eyebrow. "Yes, well, I have to say there have been much fewer accidents this past week so, of course, as an instructor, I do notice improvements in my classes."
"Ooh, are you saying your classes are better without me?! I can totally leave it that's what you want." Emma faked offense.
Regina rolled her eyes. "Well you are here now. It would be a shame if you wasted a journey."
Emma giggled. "Yeah I missed you too."
Regina felt a blush threaten her cheeks. She turned away to find something in her bag and thankfully, a group of younger students walked into the room before she had chance to let the words hang for too long.
"Ok everyone on your feet for the stretches. Let's begin."
Emma stayed square and center at the front of the class despite the complaints of the other girls. She overheard, "that's my spot." And responded,
"Yeah but I'm old. My eyesight is worse and I need to be able to see the teacher up close and personal."
Regina couldn't help but grin. "I would hardly call you old Miss Swan. What would that make me?" She turned around and noticed for the first time the fairly heavily concealed black eye and looked at the blonde with concern. "What happened to your eye?"
Emma bit her lip. "Got the wrong end of a boot." It was as truthful as she could get without going into details.
Regina sneered, "Oh of course, I forgot you live with that clutz Mary is it?"
Emma tried to stifle a laugh. She really didn't like Mary M at all, did she? "Hey, come on! That's pretty low. It was totally an accident and she's mortified."
Regina put on one of her fake apologetic smiles. "Of course, that was unprofessional of me. Please forgive me Miss Swan. It's non of my business whom you chose to share your life with." And she moved into a deep side lunge.
Emma wasn't completely dense. She had put two and two together and hoped that Regina was indeed showing some signs of jealousy. That comment had just confirmed her suspicions. She wasn't sure Regina was gay but her motto in life was all women were until proven straight. She grinned as she herself stepped lower into the side lunge, deliberately going in the opposite direction so she could comment.
"Yeah it really isn't any of your business but she's such a sweety. She makes me pie all the time."
"How nice for you." Regina said straight faced and dropped into box splits.
"We've lived together for almost a year now.." Emma got down as far as she could and leant forward to support her weight in her arms. Regina tried not to look down the blonde's shirt in the reflection.
"Congratulations."
Emma collapsed and Regina rolled her own body over into a sitting position and leaned her head against her knees.
"Thanks. It's not easy. I mean, she gets pretty annoyed if I bring other women home unannounced.." Emma tried to sneak a look at Regina's reaction but couldn't tell with her head down. There was a long pause.
"...I'm sure that would be an uncomfortable position for most people Miss Swan."
Emma stifled a laugh against her shoulder.
Regina stood up and hugged one knee against her chest. Emma and the rest of the class followed.
"Well she got her own back the other week.. I walked in on her and her boyfriend at it like rabbits on my couch."
Regina almost lost her balance and her eyebrows creased in confusion.
Emma couldn't take it any more. She burst into a fit of giggles and doubled over.
"Oh come on! Did you really think I was dating her? She's my roomie!"
Regina blushed. "I apologise for the assumption Miss Swan." She wasn't sure if she was relieved with this revelation or annoyed that Emma was taking such pleasure in her discomfort.
"On the diagonal please girls." She barked remembering her authority.
Emma let the revelations sink in. She performed the steps as instructed and got into the rhythm of the class. After the diagonals, Regina taught the group some new choreography and Emma tried to keep up.
"Ok let me see. And five, six, seven, eight." The group danced and Emma kept up first of it but there was one turn she just couldn't get without losing her balance and messing up the hitch kick that followed it.
She stood back shaking her head as the others finished the sequence.
Regina could see the blonde's frustration and gave her some pointers.
"When you turn, your left leg is going to extend behind you. Keep your weight low and pivot on your right foot like this." She demonstrated and allowed Emma to copy her to catch up. "Don't switch the weight until you get back to your starting point.. which is here." Regina rotated Emma slightly to the left of the room by her shoulders. "Focus on a spot on that wall so that when you turn, you know where to stop to go into the next move." Regina's arm pointed over Emma's shoulder to an invisible point on the wall. She moved back and explained the next move by Emma's side. "So your feet after the turn should be here. Then lift the right knee and as you lower it, kick high with your left leg."
Emma nodded and bit her lip as she concentrated on the movement. Regina noted how she did that whenever she was really concentrating on something. She smiled warmly, "That's it, you got it! Let's go again class!"
At the end of the lesson, Emma stuck around to say goodbye. "So, sorry if I embarrassed you before. I was just messing with you. Didn't mean to take it that far."
"It's fine Miss Swan. No offence taken." She eyed the blonde curiously wondering why she was still hanging around.
"I erm, I'm really enjoying your classes by the way."
"Thank you."
"I had a work thing last week so I couldn't come, but, I really wanted to, I was in New York though, so..."
"Really? What a coincidence. So was I." Regina smiled.
Emma thought back to her drive home on Friday night and laughed.
"Were you driving a black benz around nine last Friday?"
Regina looked shocked and suddenly quite wary of the blonde. "Yes, I was. How did you..?"
Emma quickly explained. "Oh, I was driving back into the city and I thought I saw you but wasn't sure if I was just imagining you."
Regina smiled now. "You were worried that you were imagining me?"
Emma's eyes widened as she realised what she's implied. "I mean, I thought I was, damn it! Yeah. Ok you got me good there."
Regina turned away grinning as she realised that Emma had also been thinking about her. "Well, I will see you next class if work can do without you. I have to run, I've got another, ahem.."
"Oh yeah, sure. I'll let you go. Yeah, see you soon, and thanks for the class, again."
