You and Me… and Everything in Between
Chapter 12: It's a Celebration, Bitches!
As I get out of bed and brush my teeth to start the day, I can't help but be excited because Christmas is only a few days away. Even though I'm sad that I won't be spending the holidays with my amazing girlfriend, I am looking forward to going back home to see my mom and my sisters. I'm not sure if I'll run into Taylor or not, but if I do… hopefully things won't be awkward. I've only spoken to him a couple of times since I last saw him on the day that my life changed completely. Our communication has only been through texts, mostly short and just asking how the other person was doing. I really hope that he is doing okay. At times, I feel a little guilty for being so happy with Naya when I know he was crushed by our break-up. On the other hand, I can't help but think about how sad and hurt Naya was when I was with him. I guess that's the unfortunate part when it comes to love… no matter how hard you try, there's always a good chance that someone will get hurt. Sometimes people don't always get to find their soul mate. Luckily for me though… I did! I hope one day Taylor will too.
As I make my way downstairs, I spot my flawless girlfriend sitting on the couch, drinking a bottle of water. Naya sits there in her loose sweatpants, a tank top, and her hair in a messy ponytail, without a trace of make-up on. Somehow, she still manages to take my breath away. I guess that's the thing about natural beauty… when you got it, you got it! As I get closer to her on the couch, she smiles at me. Her smile… I can't explain it, but it just does something to me. Ever since I accidently heard Naya's morning confession, whenever she smiles at me now, it means so much more than she probably realizes. Since then, I've been devising my own plan to show Naya that she isn't the only one that feels this way.
Right now, I'm in the holiday spirit so I'm feeling all cutesy and playful. Luckily for me, my target of affection just so happens to be this insanely gorgeous Latina that is merely a few feet in front of me. As I get closer to her, I decide to be a little goofy.
Sweatpants, hair tied, chillin' with no make-up on
That's when you're the prettiest, I hope that you don't take it wrong
I bend down and place several kisses all over Naya's adorable face. She giggles in return before finding my lips with hers. I smile into the kiss.
"Did you just rap Drake to me?" she asks with amusement.
"Maybe…" I say, trying to sound aloof, as I take a seat next to her.
"You are too cute babe," Naya states, pecking me on the cheek.
"You like that, huh?" I say playfully, while lightly placing kisses on her neck.
"Mmm…" Naya hums out, "I certainly do…"
I smile against her skin and continue my assault on her neck.
Baby you the whole package, plus you pay your taxes
And you keep it real while them others stay plastic
"A little B.o.B now, huh…" Naya breathes out. "What's gotten into you, babe?"
"Nothing… can't a girl just be happy to see her girlfriend?" I state playfully, brushing my nose against hers.
"Of course you can," she says, placing a soft kiss on my lips. "I was just wondering."
"I can always stop…" I say teasingly, pulling away from her slightly.
"No…" Naya whines, diving on top of me.
The momentum is so quick that I fall off of the couch, bringing her with me… of course. She lands on top of me and instantly attaches her lips to mine.
"I'm gonna miss you so much," she mumbles out through kisses.
"I'm gonna miss you more…" I moan out as I feel Naya's tongue graze my lower lip. I instantly open my mouth and meet her tongue with mine.
Ever since that night at the club when we almost… you know, I've felt a surge of hormones rush through my body. After expressing my fears to Naya and talking it out with Dianna and Ashley, my mind hasn't really been able to function properly knowing that in the very near future, Naya and I will experience the most intimate part of a relationship that you can share with another person. Since then, it's been hard to even look at Naya without getting lady wood, especially after I saw her in that 2Cellos video. And if that wasn't enough, don't even get me started on her sexy Santa outfit. One word… HOT!
It's kinda funny to think about how we ended up here. At first, I blamed my new found horniness for Naya on my lack of physical intimacy with Taylor towards the end of our relationship. In all honesty though, it has nothing to do with that. Even when things weren't that bad between me and Taylor, I never craved to be with him like I want to be with her. Before, I chalked it up to lust and sexual frustration, but it's so much more than that. When it comes to Naya, it's not about when we're finally gonna have sex… it's about when we are going to make love to each other for the first time.
As our kisses become less heated and more sensual, I'm brought back down from my inner monologue and focus on this beautiful creature in front of me. I gently flip us over so that I'm on top of her now. I slowly pull my lips away from hers and place them near her ear.
You like me…
You love me…
You can't stop thinking of me…
I know this cuz I feel the same way
I slightly tilt my head back so that I can look into Naya's mocha eyes. She smiles at me and brushes a piece of my hair out of my face.
"Did you just sing my song to me?" Naya asks with a look of surprise on her face.
"Yeah, I guess I did…" I reply, never breaking eye contact.
"You're amazing…" she says, lifting her head up to place a soft kiss on my lips.
In this moment, everything is perfect. The way that Naya is looking at me with complete adoration just makes the butterflies in my stomach more prominent than before. I've gotta tell her… I don't think I can hold it in and longer.
"Naya, I…"
She's a bad mama jama
Just as fine as she can be, hey
My words die on my lips as Naya's phone vibrates on the coffee table.
"My mom has the worst timing…" Naya says, playfully rolling her eyes.
She's a bad mama jama
Just as fine as she can be
I reach over and struggle to grab Naya's phone before it stops ringing. This proved to be a more difficult task then it should've been, seeing that Naya refused to release her arms that were wrapped around my waist. I think it's sweet. I finally reach her phone and hand it to her.
"Hola mami!" Naya says, greeting her mother.
Have I mentioned how sexy it is when she speaks Spanish?
"I'm good, just hanging with Heather…" she says as she begins to softly stroke my hair. "My mother says hi," she whispers to me. I smile and tell her to return the greeting. "Oh nothing… we're just being our goofy selves," she states with a devilish grin, giving me a tiny wink.
I can't really hear the other end of the conversation, but I'm assuming her mom asked what we were doing. What Naya said wasn't completely inaccurate… I mean, I have been pretty goofy thus far, basically communicating in cute song lyrics for the past 10 minutes. If she would've told her mom what we were really just doing, I think that might have put a damper on the whole "telling our families in person" plan.
"I think my flight gets in around noon," Naya states. "Hold on for a minute and I'll check."
Sensing that was my cue, I push myself off Naya and help her off of the ground. She gives me a quick peck and a 'sorry' as she rushes upstairs, probably to get her flight itinerary.
Naya's mom calling actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise, seeing that I almost spilt the beans. I've been wanting to tell Naya how I feel for a little while now, but after that night at the club, that feeling has only intensified. If I would've told her just now, it totally would've ruined the surprise I had been working on for the past week or so.
After a few minutes passed, my lovely girlfriend finds me in the kitchen.
"Hey babe, sorry about that," she starts off, "my mom wanted to make sure we had everything synced up so we wouldn't run into any problems tomorrow."
"That's okay, I understand. I gotta talk to my mom later and do the same," I reply. "How is everyone doing?"
"They're great! I can't wait to see them!" Naya exclaims. "It's been a while since the whole family has been together."
"Well, you and your siblings are quite talented," I say, stealing a kiss from my girl. She blushes. "Are you nervous about telling them?" I ask.
"Actually… no," she responds. "More than anything, I'm excited to finally tell them why I've been so freaking happy these past few months," Naya says with a mega-watt smile. "Are you?"
"A little…" I state. Naya gives me a sympathetic smile as she squeezes my hand. "Whatever happens though… this won't change how I feel about you," I say sincerely. Naya smiles weakly and places a delicate, but meaningful kiss on my lips.
I think secretly, Naya has been a little worried about my family's reaction. Knowing the small town that I grew up in, there aren't a ton of open-minded people to gain support from. Luckily for me, I don't live there anymore. However, because my family still does, they would be the ones that would have to deal with the aftermath of possible backlash on a daily basis. I would never want to intentionally hurt my family, but I refuse to let old farts stuck in their unchanging ways dictate who I fall in love with. Aside from that, my family's history with Taylor is another possible issue that could make things not go in my favor. Honestly though, their just gonna have to suck it up because what I have with Naya is the real deal.
"I gotta run a few errands and get some last minute things before we leave tomorrow," Naya states. "You wanna come with?"
"I would love to, but I gotta finish up some last minute packing," I respond. "When I'm done though, I'll come back and we'll spend the rest of the day together. Sound good?"
"Yeah… I still can't believe we won't get to spend Christmas or New Years together," Naya says with a pout.
"I know, me too babe," I state, bringing her into a tight embrace. "Look at it this way though… when we do see each other again, we won't have to hide from the media anymore. I can hold your hand and kiss you in public if I want."
"I do like the sound of that," Naya says, flirtatiously. "We'll call and text each other every day?"
"Of course, baby… you know I can't sleep without hearing your voice," I state honestly.
Our lips find each other again. We stay like this for the next couple of minutes until we break apart to carry out the list of things we have to get done before tomorrow.
After I leave Naya's house, I head over to Darren's to get my last practice session in. I know… I may have told my girlfriend a little white lie about my whereabouts, but it was totally necessary. I have been working so hard for the past week or so and will damned if all of that hard work went to waste. You see, Darren has been teaching me to play the guitar so that I can surprise Naya. Although my voice isn't as strong or great as the others on the show, Naya always tells me how angelic it is and how much she loves it. Taking that into consideration, I thought learning a particular song and singing it to her would be a very romantic gesture.
Once I got to Darren's house, I was not at all surprised to find Dizzy there as well. Dizzy has become a very good friend of mine in these past few months. She is also someone that Naya has confided in a lot when it comes to our relationship, for which I am very grateful for. Honestly, I don't know what exactly Dizzy said to her that night to make her finally confess her feelings for me. Whatever it was though, I'm glad because I really couldn't imagine being as happy as I am today without Naya. I'm also happy that somehow through our relationship, Darren and Dizzy were able to find each other and form one of their own.
After I practice my song selection for the last time, I get some positive feedback from my co-conspirators. We sit and chat for a bit, ironing out the final details of my well-calculated plan. After I leave Darren's house, I head home to spend a little time with Ashley before gathering my stuff and heading back to Naya's. We spend the rest of the night together, just enjoying each other's company, until we have to wake up in the morning and head to the airport.
As morning arrives, Naya and I say our final goodbyes before heading to our respective terminals; mine to Arizona and hers to New York. As I board my plane, I can't help but think what the next couple of weeks are gonna be like without my girlfriend by my side. Since Naya and I started dating, we haven't spent more than a day or 2 without seeing each other. I think back on the times when we went weeks without seeing each other before while on vacation and how much I missed her then. Now that we're together, I know this was definitely gonna be a rough couple of weeks.
Christmas day came and went without a hitch. Naya and I talked every single day through texts, calls, and FaceTime. She told me that her family was ecstatic to hear about her and me dating. Naya said that her mom could definitely tell that she had been sporting a glow in the recent months and could not be happier for her. Her mom always liked me so I'm glad to know that my new relationship status with her daughter hasn't affected her opinion of me. Naya stated that Nickayla and Mychal were excited as well, both stating that they totally knew that we would hook up eventually.
My family took the news surprisingly well. My sisters gave me a knowing look and told me that it was inevitable, especially after Taylor and I broke up for good. My mom was very surprised at first, but embraced me with open arms. She stated that she always felt that there was a connection between me and Naya, but that she could never quite pin point how deep it actually was. As things got worse between me and Taylor, my mom said that she wondered if it had anything to do with Naya, but never dared to ask. My mom told me that she didn't care what the small-minded people might think about Naya and me dating. She stated as long as I was happy and Naya treated me right, then that's the only thing that mattered to her. I cried a little after hearing how much my mom supported me. The only thing that would've made it better is if Naya was there to physically share that moment with me.
While back at home, I did run into Taylor. He asked if we could have coffee before I left and I agreed. Of course, I ran all of this by Naya first and she said she thought it was something I needed to do. By telling her, I wasn't necessarily asking for her permission because I'm an adult, but given the history, I thought she deserved to know. Plus, I wanted to get her honest opinion on how she felt about the situation. Honestly, if she would've told me that she didn't feel comfortable with it, then I would've passed. I know that she trusts me though and knows that our relationship is strong. She doesn't have to worry about me catching old feelings for my ex… how could I when my heart completely belongs to her.
Taylor and I talked for a couple of hours. It was nice to catch up and feel like old friends again. He told me about this girl he's been seeing for about a month now. I was so happy to hear that and to see a little sparkle in his eye that had died a long time ago. He asked about Naya and I told him the truth. I didn't go into much detail outside of us officially being a couple. Even though we're working on getting back to being the friends we were before we started dating, I still felt telling him how in love I was with the Latina would've been a little too much. When we parted ways, we promised to keep in touch.
The last day of the year has finally arrived… New Year's Eve. It's 11:52 pm and Naya has just checked her phone for the 15th time in the past 2 minutes. She's starting to worry because she hasn't heard anything from Heather for the past few hours. The last time she talked to her girlfriend was in the form of a text message she received at 7:39 pm, saying how much she missed her. Over 4 hours later, Naya has yet to hear back from her blonde beauty.
Naya doesn't want to incessantly blow up Heather's phone because she doesn't want to be that kind of girlfriend. However, it is very unusual for her to go this long without hearing back from her girl. I hope nothing bad happened, she thinks to herself. Naya tries her best to not think about it, chalking it up to her phone dying or the fact that there's a 3 hour time difference from where they are. Plus, the cell towers are gonna be crazy busy with the mass amounts of calls and texts people will be sending and receiving in just a few short minutes.
"Hey big sis, why so blue?" Mychal asks.
"It's nothing… it's just been a while since I've heard from Heather," she replies.
"Aww… is someone missing their girlfriend," Mychal teases. Naya shoots him her best death glare, which immediately changes his tone. "Geez Nay, I was just kidding…"
"I know… I just miss her," Naya states honestly. "This is our first New Year's as a couple… we should be together."
"I'm sorry sis," he says sincerely. "I'm sure you guys will have tons more to look forward to in the future."
"Thanks bro!" Naya says, giving him a small smile.
"Anytime!" Mychal says, giving her a side hug while placing a quick peck to her temple. He then retreats back to the rest of his family and friends at the party.
"5 minutes!" Nickayla yells out in warning.
Naya sighs and looks out of the window and takes in the beautiful city lights of New York. As she stands there in her own little world, her phone begins to vibrate. Retrieving her phone from her bra, her face instantly lights up when she sees a picture of Heather appear on her screen.
"Heather!" Naya yells in excitement.
"Baby! I miss you!" I reply back. "I'm sorry I couldn't call you sooner… my battery died. I finally had to steal someone's charger from the house that we're at."
"It's okay, I was just a little worried," Naya says as softly as she can, yet loud enough for me to hear over all of the background noise. "I miss you! I wish you were here!"
"I know, me too baby… me too!" I state, a smirk forming on my face. "Turn around."
"10… 9… 8…" the crowd begins to count down.
"Huh?" Naya responds, slightly confused. "What did you say babe? I can barely hear you."
"7… 6… 5…" the crowd continues.
"I said turn around," I state simply.
"Babe, you're gonna have to speak up," she states again.
"4… 3… 2…" the time winds down.
"I said, turn around…" I whisper into her ear as I sneak up right behind her. I immediately see her face light up in the reflection of the window as she quickly turns around.
"1… Happy New Year!"
As the clock strikes midnight, I connect my lips to Naya's, feeling the familiar sensation that I've been missing over the past 11 days. As our lips move in sync, I hear the fireworks being shot outside, but also feel them shooting throughout my entire body. As our lips pull away from each other, I feel Naya smile against my skin. I smile in return and hug her tighter before loosening my grip. I tilt my head back so I can see her beautiful smile and hypnotic eyes.
"You didn't really think I could start the New Year off without my girl, did you?" I ask, lovingly.
Naya's smile grows wider as she leans in to place a chaste kiss on my lips, letting her lips linger on mine for a few seconds. She slowly pulls back and rests her forehead against mine.
"I was hoping not…" she says bashfully. "How did you know where I was?"
I look over at Mychal and he gives me a head nod. Naya shakes her head in an 'I should've known' manner.
"C'mon… let's go show you off to my family," she says, lacing her fingers with mine while dragging me towards the Rivera clan.
After a few hours of catching up with her and her family, Naya and I make our way back to her hotel. Originally, Naya and Nickayla were sharing a room together. However, after I reached out to her and Mychal and informed them of my surprise visit, she was more than happy to make other sleeping arrangements.
As Naya opens the door of her hotel room, we are instantly greeted by the illumination of the hundreds of tea light candles surrounding the room. As she takes a step in, she finally notices the assortment of rose petals covering the ground.
"What the…" Naya breathes out, still trying to process everything.
As the door closes behind us, I take her hand and lead her to the bed, which is also covered in rose petals. I pat to a spot on the edge of the bed and tell her to sit down. After she does, I grab a stool from the kitchen area of the hotel and place it in front of her. I then walk over to the closet and grab the acoustic guitar that has been patiently waiting for me. I take my seat in front of Naya who is still looking around the room, trying to make sense of what's about to take place.
"I know we said that we were gonna wait til we got back home to exchange presents, but I wanted to do something special for you before then," I state, starting to feel a little nervous. "I hope you like it."
I close my eyes and take a long, deep breath to calm my nerves. Once I feel a little more at ease, I look down at the guitar in my hands and begin to play.
I've been beaten down, I've been kicked around
But she takes it all for me
And I lost my faith, in my darkest days
But she makes me want to believe
I finally look up and into Naya's eyes. It's hard to keep eye contact with her while I'm feeling so vulnerable and out of my element.
They call her love, love, love, love, love
They call her love, love, love, love, love
She's all I need
As I continue to play, I'm trying my best not to think too hard about the notes… just like Darren taught me.
Well I had my ways, they were all in vain
But she waited patiently
It was all the same, all my pride and shame
But she put me on my feet
I think about all of those years Naya waited for me. I feel my eyes start to water and so are Naya's. I have to look away or else I will completely lose it and be too emotional to play after that. I glance back at her every once in a while, making sure not to linger for too long.
They call her love, love, love, love, love
They call her love, love, love, love, love
They call her love, love, love, love, love
She is love, and she is all I need
I close my eyes in preparation for the next part. At this point, I don't care if my voice cracks or if I play the wrong chord. She needs to hear the raw emotion I feel for her… she needs to see my vulnerability. I don't care that I'm singing at the top of my lungs at 4 in the morning. The only thing that's important right now is her.
And when that world slows down, dear
And when those stars burn out, here
Oh she'll be here, yes she'll be here…
I feel the tears slowly gliding down my face. I know that I can't deliver a song like Naya can, but I hope that she can feel everything that I'm trying to convey with this song.
They call her love, love, love, love, love
They call her love, love, love, love, love
They call her love, love, love, love, love
I slowly open my eyes and look back up. I lock eyes with Naya, observing the tears streaming down her face and her hand strategically placed over her mouth. Usually I hate seeing Naya cry, but in this moment… it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever witnessed.
She is love, and she is all I need
She is love, and she is all I need
I take a deep breath and finally bring it home.
She is love, and she is all I need…
After I play the last few chords, I lean the guitar against the wall and wipe away the wetness on my face. I look back at Naya… she still hasn't moved or said anything since we first got to her room. I walk over towards her and take her hands with mine, lifting her off of the bed. I take my hands and start to wipe off the tears from her face, while she looks down, avoiding my gaze. After I get her face as dry as I can without some type of paper product, I tilt her chin up and force her to look into my eyes.
"Nay…" I start off, but stop when I see her shaking her head. She lifts up her hand and wipes a stray tear away. She then wraps her arms loosely around my waist.
"I can't believe…" she mumbles out, her emotions still running high. "No one's ever…" she tries again, but is unable to complete a full thought.
I softly stroke her cheek while telling to just listen. Here comes the moment of truth. Finally, it's my turn to confess to her how I feel. I've replayed this speech over and over in my head a million times, yet I didn't account for the emotions still reeling from that song and our current closeness. We are both breathing deeply, exchanging the same air supply. The longer I stand there and say nothing, the more anxious and nervous I get.
Suddenly, I start to cycle through all of the songs that make me think of Naya when I hear them. Hoping for a boost of encouragement, I replay the lyrics in my head to give me that extra push.
If I don't say this now, I will surely break
As I'm leaving the one I want to take
"Naya…" I start off. "You are so special to me…"
Forget the urgency, but hurry up and wait
My heart has started to separate
"Never in a million years did I think I would be standing here with you," I state a little more firmly. "But as it turns out… I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be!"
A small smile flashes on Naya's face. She starts to look down again, but I stop her, placing both of my hands on her cheeks.
Oh, oh
Be my baby
Ohhhhh
"Nay… you make me happier than I ever thought I could be," I start to choke up a little. "Before you, I thought I knew what this feeling was. But in actuality… I had no idea!" I say, regaining my composure. "What I felt in the past doesn't even begin to compare to what I feel for you!"
Oh, oh
Be my baby…
"Naya, I love you…" I finally say. "I am so completely, madly, and utterly in love with you!"
I'll look after you
Before I had time to wait for a response, Naya crashes her lips against mine. Her grip around my waist tightens as I cup her face, deepening our kiss. After a few seconds, she gently pulls away and looks deep into my crystal blue eyes.
"Heather… I am so, so in love with you!" Naya says with a shy smile. "I've been wanting to tell you that for 4 years…"
I smile back at her, showing off my pearly whites while brushing my nose against hers.
"Tell me again then…" I say softly.
"I love you…" Naya whispers, before reattaching her lips to mine.
We kiss fiercely and passionately for the next several minutes, our tongues dancing and fighting for control. I remove my hands from her face and wrap them around her neck. Naya continues to tighten her grip around my waist, bringing me impossibly closer. As our lips began to swell and I start to fill a little light-headed from the lack of oxygen, I reluctantly pull away from her. Our breathing is ragged and heavy, as I lean my forehead against hers.
"I'm not… scared… anymore…" I gasp out between breaths. "I don't wanna… I don't wanna wait anymore…"
Naya's breath hitches. Taking a moment to collect herself and process what I just said, a look of knowing appears on Naya's face.
"You mean…" she breathes out, cautiously.
"Yeah…" I whisper. "I wanna make love to you..."
Author's Note:
What's up guys? Finally, they both dropped the L word! It's about damn time, right? Sorry to leave you guys with a cliffhanger, but in my defense… I did warn you at the end of last chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed Heather's surprise. I'm about to start working on the next installment, but I'm not sure how I want to write the next scene and if I'll need to change my rating to M. Anyways, thanks again for reading, following, and reviewing. Peace!
Songs used:
Best I Ever Had by Drake
Nothin' on You by B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars
You Found Me by Naya Rivera (aka Me)
She's a Bad Mama Jama by Carl Carlton
She is Love by Parachute
Look After You by The Fray
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!
