***Author's Note: We get more of R&E in this chapter, YAY! So, I have been thinking a lot of about what's going on between these two women, mostly because I need to continue writing this story, but also because my personal experiences and my past tells me that we all happen to be fools for love even if we don't care to admit it. My question for you is, and please let me know in a message or a review if you're so daring-how likely is it that a casual agreement between two people, actually stays casual without any complications of the heart? Do you see more of yourself in Regina or in Emma?***
"I'm beginning to think that you really aren't as good of a cook as you keep telling me you are." Emma says with a chuckle as she turns her body towards Regina, looking down at the woman who is still currently trying to catch her breath.
Regina smiles and shakes her head. Then she slides her hand from where it is currently resting on Emma's thigh, onto her hip and playfully pinches the blonde. "I'll have you know, I'm a perfectly fine cook. But, you have yet to give me a chance to properly cook for you. You keep interrupting me in the middle of the process."
"Well, what can I say? You've been more enticing than the actual meal. Which you should know, is a huge compliment because I love food." Emma says as she reaches down to tuck away some stray hairs that have made their way onto Regina's face, blocking her view of the woman's beautiful eyes.
Regina chuckles and sits up, pulling the sheets up with her as well, making sure to cover herself. "So, tell me, how hungry are you right now? If I go and make dinner for us now, it should only take about forty-five minutes, or I suppose we can call for takeout if that is what you would prefer. Your call."
"I'm actually starving. I feel like I worked off a lot of calories just now, and I should refuel my body. If you don't mind cooking, I'd definitely prefer your cooking over takeout. Plus, that would mean that I'd finally get to eat something you've made." Emma says smiling.
Regina returns the smile. "I have a lasagna made already, and I just have to put it in the oven. Did you want to join me in the living room or..." She trails off wondering what Emma would want to do while they are waiting.
Emma tugs lightly at the sheets that Regina is holding up against her chest. "You said that it will be about forty-five minutes…?" She asks with a mischievous smile.
Regina shakes her head again, but cannot help smiling at the blonde. "Let me put the lasagna in the oven and I'll set the timer and come back to bed." She does not wait for Emma's answer and instead slides herself off of the bed and walks over to grab her robe from behind her door. As she is putting it on, she catches Emma watching her and winks at the woman.
"Now, that's just not fair." Emma says as she watches Regina walk out of the bedroom. She lays back down onto the bed and stares up at the ceiling for a bit. On her way over to the apartment tonight, she had convinced herself that it would be better to just maintain a non-physical relationship with Regina. She understands why Ruby is worried, and she knows that sex usually muddles things whether or not she wants to believe that it will change whatever it is that her and the brunette have developing between them. But, the second she stepped into the apartment and saw Regina standing before her, she got the overwhelming urge to push her up against the wall and kiss her until they were both out of air. So, that is exactly what she did. And so far, she was not regretting it.
It only takes Regina a few minutes and she returns to the room immediately afterwards. She pulls the covers back and slides back into bed, scooting herself close to Emma before turning towards the woman with her head propped up with her arm. "So..." She says grinning.
Emma tugs at the silk rope tying Regina's robe together, opening it up so that she can slide her hand inside. She slowly brushes at the soft skin and eventually finds a spot on the woman's hip, lightly tracing circles there. "So…"
Regina throws her head back and laughs, her voice still a bit raspy. "So, I was thinking that we should probably leave pretty early in the morning to make our way to the lodge, especially if we want to get a good amount of time on the slopes. I know we haven't really talked about it, but do you just want to stay the night? It may make things easier for us in the morning." When Regina called Emma yesterday to ask if she wanted to join her for dinner, it had occurred to her that traveling the next morning would be convenient for them if the blonde stayed with her overnight. She ultimately left it out of their phone conversation because she did not want Emma to think that she had any ulterior motives for asking her to stay. She would never admit it to Zelena but their conversation the other night really made her reassess her situation with Emma. She really does not want to jeopardize their seemingly growing friendship. That particular notion, however, was tossed quickly after Emma immediately captured her lips in a passionately sweet kiss within seconds of her opening the front door.
"Yes, that sounds perfect." Emma says with a wide smile. "Do you think that you'll be able to try your hand at that eggs benedict again in the morning? That's also something I was told that I would be able to try but didn't get to."
Regina chuckles. "Well..." she says as she gets a little bit closer to Emma. "I can certainly make us breakfast, but that would mean that I would have to get out of bed awfully early."
Emma chuckles but shakes her head. "Oh no, we can't have that. We will just have to pick something up on the way."
"Don't worry, we'll make sure to get you fed before we get you in skis." Regina says and she boops Emma on the nose.
Emma scrunches her face at Regina playfully before biting the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. "Also, just so you know, I haven't been skiing since my grandfather took me when I was about fifteen. So, I might be a little rusty, and hopefully I don't make a fool of myself too badly."
Regina just smiles. She considers asking Emma about her grandfather again, but in previous conversations, it is evident that any mention of the man will usually cause the younger woman to tense up. She really wants to ask about Julia also, but decides against that as well. So, she goes with the safest person in Emma's life that she knows that she can ask about. "You and Ruby have never gone skiing together?"
"Well, Ruby is more of a summertime sports kinda girl. She does not like the cold weather at all. We do a lot of hiking in the summer, that's really about it. Although, she did make me join a rugby club with her once. That was interesting." Emma says.
"Rugby?" Regina laughs. "I have to say, I can't imagine you or Ruby playing rugby."
"Oh man, Ruby is a beast at rugby. Don't let that tiny frame of hers deceive you. She is very quick and throws some sharp elbows. I, on the other hand, was not very motivated at all to catch the ball or get caught with it. My nickname, given to me by the rest of the ladies on the team, was 'Hot Potato'." Emma laughs as memories of that summer come rushing back. "Needless to say, it was a one time thing for me. So, what about you? When was the last time you went skiing?"
"Hmm…" Regina thinks about the last time she was in the mountains, and realizes that it was when Silas had rented out a cabin for a long weekend. "The last time I went skiing was when Silas and I were seeing each other." She scoffs almost immediately at her own inaccuracy when describing the arrangement with her now-boss. "Well, we weren't exactly seeing each other, but you know." She shrugs.
Emma hums and realizes that Regina's situation with Silas was probably very similar to what her and the brunette are doing now, and she wonders which one of them ultimately ended their casual relationship. Probably Regina. It seems that way, judging from their last interaction. "No, I totally get it. So, how long were you guys together-not-together exactly?"
Regina sighs. "God, too long. And to be honest, I should have ended things earlier. I let myself get too caught up in it and..." She trails off trying to find the right words unsure how honest she wanted to be with Emma about what happened. "And I just lost myself. And I lost control of the situation, which is something that still plagues me more than it should."
Well, that answers my question. Emma gives a slight smile and lightly squeezes where her hand is still resting on Regina's hip. "You're preaching to the choir, so don't worry about any judgment coming from me. But, to be honest, I am rather shocked that you two were, you know…
"Together?" Regina says with a raised brow.
Emma nods with a light laugh. "Because I mean, he's just so..." Emma trails off, trying to think of the nicest way to express her feelings regarding the man without hurting Regina's feelings.
Regina chuckles and tries to finish the thought for Emma. "He's kind of a selfish prick."
Emma snorts with laughter. "Took the words right out of my mouth. Although, I don't know him as well as you do."
"He wasn't always that way. He has changed so much since then. And then shortly after we stopped seeing each other, they gave him that huge promotion, which didn't help his already growing ego."
"Yeah, I can imagine the promotion did wonders as far has humbling the man." Emma smiles. "Well, he definitely seemed very into himself. I dare say you actually dodged a bullet with that one."
Regina smiles. "I do realize now that him and I are quite different in a lot of ways. Take this place for example. All of this, it was his idea. And I blindly went along with it because it made his so happy, and I thought that it would make him want to stay. I'm sure you've probably noticed the mixture of decor in the place, and you probably can tell what items are more his taste and which are mine. I mean, I have a study full of mixtapes and music boxes. All of the other paintings and sculptures that you see in the living room were just a way for Silas to imprint a bit of himself everywhere." Regina shakes her head as she takes a deep breath. "You know, it's not wrong what they say about a woman in love. We do the oddest, most ridiculous things."
Woman in love. Emma remembers the very first conversation she ever had with Regina. On the flight when she asked Regina if she actually enjoyed being alone, and her reply was that she was not very good at caring for other people. She wonders to herself if Silas is the reason Regina thinks that about herself now or if he is ultimately the reason that she has always prefered to be single. "This might just be the hopeless romantic in me, but I think that you just have to find someone that will be willing to do the same for you. And as for this apartment, I think that it's feeling pretty homey, and I do see a lot of your personal touches as well. So, don't be so hard on yourself. And speaking of those mixtapes, I saw those the other day and I was pleasantly surprised. I don't think that I know anyone who still owns a cassette player."
"Well, now you do." Regina laughs. "And anyway, I'm not opposed to finding love. I feel like I'm so absorbed with other things these days that I wouldn't even know love if it hit me in the face. And, I'm just an 'all or nothing' type of person. I don't want it if it's going to be half-assed in any way. I would prefer nothing, if there is a risk of losing it all to someone who does not want it, if that makes any sense."
Emma hums and is about to counter, but is interrupted when Regina's phone rings.
Regina turns and reaches for her phone that is on the nightstand. She frowns whens he sees who it is. "Hello, Harry. Is everything alright? What? Right now? Oh my god. Are Mom and Dad there? Oh, good. Yes, I'll be on the first flight out. Okay. Yes. Please keep me updated. Tell Zee that I love her. Bye." Regina ends the call and immediately starts to get up so that she can get dressed, forgetting that Emma is still there. When she feels the other woman's hand pull onto her hip, she turns back towards her and bites down on her lower lip nervously. "Oh, Emma…"
"Is everything alright? Is your sister okay?" Emma asks, obviously concerned.
Regina takes a deep breath. "Yes, she's fine. She's just going into labor, and I have to catch the first flight out to New York." Regina says sadly as she suddenly remembers her plans to go skiing with the blonde.
"Oh." Emma says as she loosens her grip on Regina and sits up quickly. "I should probably get out of your hair then." She feels a bit disappointed that she is no longer going to be spending the weekend with the brunette, but she is not entirely sure why she feels her heart tug at her.
The sound of Emma's disappointment makes Regina frown. "Oh, Emma. I'm so sorry. About the ski trip, can we just-"
"No, no. Don't worry about it. I get it." She nods as she stands up, making sure to hide her face before pulling on her underwear and jeans. As she is looking around for her bra, she hears shuffling on the bed behind her.
Regina thinks for a moment about what she wants to do and once again, before she can talk herself out of it, she crawls over on the bed closer to where Emma is standing and takes a hold of her hand, pulling the woman towards her. "Hey..."
Emma looks down at Regina and sees that she is frowning. She sits back down onto the bed so that she can reassure her that everything is fine. "Hey, seriously-"
"Come with me." Regina says softly.
"What?" Emma asks.
"I know that you hate flying and New York is probably the last place you want to be right now, but I could really use the company and I would love it if you'd come with me." Regina thinks that she has had worse ideas. But, even if Emma is just a friend, in the last two weeks, she has proven to be a very good one. "I mean, I don't know what your schedule looks like next week, but I can just get your ticket for the weekend if you need to be back by Monday."
Emma smiles. "You don't have to buy my ticket, Regina. And I don't have anything going on at all next week at all. I can stay for as long as you need me." When she told Ruby about the ski trip, she got an earful from her best friend. She just could not wait to hear what Ruby has to say about Regina asking her to go to New York with her to see her family.
"Really?" Regina asks with a smile.
"Mmhmm." Emma nods.
Regina sighs with relief. "Great. I'm going to look for our tickets. There might be a redeye flight for later tonight. Would that work for you?"
"Yeah, sure. And conveniently, I already have a bag packed and in my car." Emma laughs.
Regina looks into Emma's eyes then, and notices how green they look when she smiles. She could probably stare into them all night if she wanted to. "Thank you." She says quietly, without looking away. "And I promise that we will try for skiing on another weekend."
Emma shakes her head. "It's fine, really. I know how much it means to you to be with your sister right now. We can go skiing any time. Are you sure you want me to come with you though? I wouldn't want to intrude on your family time."
"You wouldn't be intrusive. If anything, you'd be a very good buffer. This way my parents have someone else to focus on and they can spend less time hounding me about my love life the entire time." Regina says with a smile.
"Oh, I see how it is." Emma laughs. "So, that's the real motive for asking me to tag along, is it?"
Regina pulls on her arm playfully. "Well, not exactly..." She leans in and places a kiss on the corner of Emma's mouth but she does not pull away completely. "You can say that my real motive is that I will probably need a distraction and some much needed stress relief. And you know what they say about orgasms and the associated endorphins…"
Emma smiles and reaches up so that she can touch Regina cheek before gently pulling the brunette in for a slow but passionate kiss. She takes her other hand and slides Regina's robe off of her shoulders tossing it onto the floor.
Regina smiles into their kiss as she lays back onto the bed again and Emma slowly crawls over her. When they separate so they can both catch their breath, Regina reaches down to unbutton Emma's jeans once again.
Emma takes the hint and gets up so that she can throw them off and immediately gets back onto the bed, quickly capturing Regina's mouth with her own. Things between them heat up quickly and they are suddenly a mess of limbs, as Emma kisses down Regina's neck and onto her collarbone sloppily. Just as she is sliding her hand down the woman's stomach, the timer on the oven starts beeping. Emma stops, her eyes wide with shock at first, before she starts laughing hysterically into the crook of Regina's neck.
Regina laughs also as she wraps her arms tightly around Emma's shaking form.
Emma lifts her head and looks into Regina's eyes. "If I have to choose between you and food, you should know that it's probably going to be you. Every single time."
Regina smiles. "I'm not giving you a choice this time because we have to eat. And I need to purchase these plane tickets for us. So, why don't we do that, and depending on how much time we have before we have to be at the airport, I will decide whether or not I will let you join me in the shower."
Emma beams. "No arguments from me." She leans in once more and gives Regina another quick peck on the lips before getting up. Then she reaches a hand out so that she can pull Regina out of bed as well. She watches as Regina slips her robe back on and walks out of the room towards the oven that is still currently beeping at them. Emma wonders to herself if she is making the right decision by going with Regina on this trip. New York is where Julia is, and even though she knows she should keep her distance, she suddenly really wants to see her ex. She runs her hand through her hair and sighs. This is going to be long few days.