14. Carpooling
A body was pressed against her back and for a moment she freaked out. She hadn't been in bed with anyone in - well, in months. Spooning with anyone at all, well, it had been years almost. But this body felt familiar even without turning around. It took her just that extra second to relax immediately. The calm didn't last, though.
Naya turned nervously, the sleepy body didn't flinch. It merely adjusted, nestling against her side. Blonde hair fell above her erratic chest and Naya had to bite her lips not to gasp at the feeling.
That smell, the soft sweet perfume that followed Heather around as if the girl had just had a fresh morning shower.
She felt Heather's cheek against her collarbone, that unbearable soft skin grazing against her own. Their bodies were covered by the comforter, but Naya could feel every inch of the blonde's legs touching hers.
She was sure it wasn't healthy to wake up like this, to feel her heart beat so fast while her eyes were barely even open yet.
And then it all came back.
Naya heard herself laugh, a mixture of shock and relief in her chuckle. She was sure she looked bewildered. That's how she felt, anyhow.
Was she dreaming? Was this one of those tormenting, long dreams that tricked her and plagued her mind for weeks to come? Was she going to wake up with tears rolling down her face as reality hit her?
She looked around. Everything seemed too detailed, even for her sadistic memory. And then Heather moved, gripping Naya's waist, pulling her impossibly closer. No dream could produce that feeling. Naya was sure of it. She would have spent her days dreaming if that was possible.
Looking to the side with some difficulty, she managed to see Heather's peaceful face. It brought a smile to her lips and warmth to her chest.
Damn Heather and her power over her.
Slowly, she let her hand move to Heather's arm, tenderly stroking it. Her numb forearm behind the blonde's head was still unmovable, but her hand reached Heather's scalp and she ran her fingers against it.
It seemed impossible. It seemed utterly crazy to know she was in bed with Heather right now, holding her like this, without the shadow of guilt above them. More than that, it seemed absolutely surreal that, for the first time in her life, she could be this close to her without suffering the impending doom and the humiliation of not having been loved back.
Naya had to have known it couldn't have been one-sided, but rejection and fear will play tricks on your mind. Time will defeat certainty. But now, even looking back, she couldn't feel the gut-wrenching pain anymore. Even thinking of all the tears she had shed, even remembering the words of love dedicated to Taylor she had learned to listen to, even that couldn't bring her down right now. And it wasn't because they had broken up. That was in the present, and the present was still just as scary and confusing as before. The simple fact that their past had been validated by the only one who could, it meant more to her than she ever imagined it would.
Just thinking about it now made her body shake and her chest clench as it released all the anxiety that it usually carried. It made her jittery and in desperate need of oxygen.
Impulsively, Naya moved to stand up. She didn't make it far, since she wasn't strong enough to lift both of them in such a position. But it woke Heather up, who seemed just as confused for a second, before smiling and then suddenly jolting back.
"I'm sorry." The blonde said, looking dizzy after the sudden motion.
"It's okay. Calm down. You're gonna be sick." Naya joked, pulling Heather back before she could think twice about it.
Suddenly, her chest was perfectly okay.
Heather let her body move back, a smile rising against Naya's neck.
"This is nice." She whispered against Naya's pulse point, awakening old shivers in her body.
"Y-yeah."
Heather seemed to notice so she shifted, letting her cheek fall back to Naya's chest instead.
"Did you sleep okay?"
"Yes. You?"
"I slept great."
Naya couldn't help but smile proudly at that.
"Thank you for last night." Heather continued softly. "It really meant a lot to me."
"Of course. Like I said, I wanted to be here for you." Naya breathed. "It must have been a hard decision."
Heather lifted her head cautiously, turning to look at her. She was frowning and seemed to hesitate before speaking.
"No, not that. I'm thanking you for listening."
Heather's eyes were the most intense shade of blue as they stared back at Naya's. "For listening to what I had to say, even though I was years too late."
Suddenly their proximity seemed suffocating. Naya couldn't possible talk about this with Heather lying partly on top of her. But before she could say something, Heather turned again, letting her head fall back on Naya's chest. The brunette sighed in relief.
"I never expected you to still be my friend after I told you." Heather admitted.
"But you told me anyway."
"I worried sick about it. But I needed to tell you. It seemed wrong not to." Heather spoke weakly.
Naya was at a loss for words. Her heartbeat fastened again and she was sure the blonde could hear it. She hugged her because even if she shouldn't, she really needed to feel the girl close right now.
"I'm glad you did."
Heather sniffed against Naya's chest before burying her face on Naya's stomach. The brunette didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the scene, so she played with Heather's hair instead. Her other hand soothingly rubbing the girl's back.
"I love you so much."
It came muffled against Naya's stomach and in any other situation she was sure she would have missed it, but she didn't. Her whole body heard it loud and clear. The tears were falling from her face and running against the sides of her mouth before she even noticed them.
What did it mean? Did she love her now? Naya desperately wanted it to mean that. But she couldn't ask. She couldn't just dive in after practically drowning in the sea of rejection. As inviting as it was, she had to take Heather's words for what they were. She had been loved. That was enough.
But if she had asked years ago, things could have been different. Maybe she should ask.
As if hearing the commotion inside Naya, Heather lifted her head to face her. Her face turned from curious to afflicted in a flash.
"Please, don't cry." She begged, holding Naya's face in her hands.
The motion made Heather's body fall heavily against Naya's, their chests colliding. Naya was sure that she would die from a heart attack or simply suffocate if she didn't leave the bed immediately.
"I'm not sad. I promise." Naya offered, running her hands against Heather's arms while trying to slow her own heartbeat. "It's just… It's still very surprising."
Heather's pout was so heartfelt; it was certainly the most adorable face Naya had ever seen. The brunette chuckled lightly, genuine glee filling her eyes.
"Have I ever told you you're the most adorable, nerve-wracking, crazy puppy I've ever met?"
Heather's smile was big and contagious. "No."
"Well, you are."
"In that case, you're the sweetest, most gorgeous, understanding, amazing, overwhelming person I've ever met."
Naya took a long breath, her eyes locked with Heather's. The blonde let her eyes wander over her face, a look of adoration softening her features.
"I'm lucky to have you." Naya confessed. "Even if we are the most complicated friends in all the land."
Naya's dramatic tone sent a wave of laughter through Heather, her eyes shone with awe.
"I'm lucky." The blonde corrected. "And yes, we are."
There was a short pause. Heather let her head fall back into Naya's chest, her fingers playing with the hem of Naya's shirt. It was distracting to say the least, but the blonde didn't seem to notice.
"Why do you think that is?"
The question was muttered. It was sort of not there because of the way it had been spoken so quietly, like an after-thought. But it was definitely there by the way it hung above their silence.
"You tell me." Naya let out. "You're the one having all sorts of epiphanies nowadays."
Heather shifted rolling to her belly and crossing her arms over Naya's stomach. It made the brunette hold her breath. The blonde seemed so comfortable, so unnerved by Naya's innocent jabs and also so daring. It was hard to handle this new Heather. She was still the same girl that Naya had fallen for, but the certainty in her eyes was new. What she was so certain of was still a mystery to Naya.
"You always knew?" Heather asked; her expression unreadable. "How you felt?"
Heather seemed genuinely curious to know, but Naya couldn't form words with the dancer's arms weighting on her stomach, and those bright blue eyes staring at her so intently. She nodded, and when Heather didn't move she shrugged the most nonchalantly she could manage. A mumbled "yeah" was also thrown in there. It was getting ridiculous, really.
Heather nodded. She seemed pensive, surprised and even a little angry. She stayed silent, though, almost frozen in place.
"Let's not wallow in the past, okay?"
Heather ignored her. "You must hate me for that."
Naya gaped at her for a second. "Hate you?"
At the lack of reaction, the brunette continued. "I never hated you, Hemo."
"You must have." The blonde insisted with the same blank expression.
It was actually a little scary, like she was empty inside.
"Maybe you still do, a little bit. Even more now that you know."
Naya grabbed her arms almost harshly and that's when it happened. The expressionless look was gone and the blonde looked broken. It made Naya's heart clench.
"I don't hate you." Naya stated firmly. "I never did. Weren't you listening yesterday?"
Heather nodded but didn't quite meet her eyes.
"You were pushing me away for a reason. It doesn't make me hate you."
"How?"
Naya knew she was gripping Heather harder than necessary, but that broken voice was doing bad things to her. She wanted to free them of the drama but it seemed to keep coming back.
"You were doing what you thought was right at the time…"
That wasn't very helpful, it seemed, but Naya was being honest. She had created a huge distance between them, and it had hurt them both too, but it was what she needed at the time. People did what they had to do to protect themselves. It wasn't always right. But life was complicated that way.
"Do you hate yourself for it?"
Heather looked up at her and Naya got her answer before the blonde even answered.
"Yes."
"Well, don't." She loosened her grip and cradled Heather's face instead. "I pushed you away too. I made it so hard for us to remain friends, and yet here we are. You got us through it. You never let go."
"Isn't that bad too? I made a choice, so I should have let you make your own choice as well. I was selfish."
"Were you?" Naya was frustrated by her lack of ability to make Heather feel better. "Why did you want to be friends?"
Heather didn't even pause. "Because I love you."
"And how is that selfish?"
"You know how."
"No, I don't." Naya let go of Heather's face to pull at her t-shirt urging Heather to believe her. "You didn't force me to be your friend. I needed space and you gave it to me, but stayed there even without getting anything from it. That wasn't selfish. And it made it impossible not to love you."
Danger, echoed in Naya's head, backtrack you fool.
"You were a good friend, even if you weren't anything more." Naya took a much needed breath.
"You're making my head hurt." Heather admitted, looking lost.
Naya chuckled. "Then stop finding reasons to be sad. You're making my heart hurt."
That did it. Heather's eyes got wide and she straighten up immediately.
"You're right. I'll stop." She said forcing a smile. "I'm going to make us some coffee. We have two be at work in-"
Heather glanced at her alarm clock.
Just in time it started ringing obnoxiously. Heather hit the off button and smiled. "Two hours."
"Saved by the alarm clock," Naya muttered as Heather left the room.
Breakfast was peaceful. There were no talks about the past or ancient drama, no sad puppy looks from Heather or uncomfortable silences. Actually, it was quite the opposite.
They ate cereal and drank their coffees talking about nothing. It was weird, yet unsurprising, how they could chat so much about the most random things.
Only when they arrived to work did Naya notice how much she had missed this. They used to carpool when Naya lived five minutes away. The morning routine was so easy to get back to. It felt familiar in the most heartwarming way. Naya knew that she couldn't dwell too much on that and she didn't. She would rather just enjoy it.
As they headed to their trailers, Telly and Kevin were the first to spot them. That was also pretty unsurprising.
The boys were quick to join them, already throwing questions at Heather from a far. They were, just like Naya had been, pretty shocked that Heather wasn't in a coma considering she had skipped work the day before.
As soon as Telly's eyes met hers, Naya felt the nerve jitters invade her. His eyes were quick to note Naya's clothes and suddenly he looked not only worried for Heather, but mortified.
When Naya tuned in to the conversation Heather was already awkwardly letting them know she wasn't that sick.
"Are you going rebel? You never miss work."
"I have missed dance rehearsals before." Heather reminded them. "I don't need them as much."
She wasn't bragging but, as always, it came out wrong. Naya could feel the grin rise in her face in all the lovesick tenderness she tried to avoid. And once more Telly's eyes were on her.
"Well, thanks for rubbing that in." Kevin joked. "It's true, though. But next time, don't text saying you're sick and then ignore your phone. We were all worried sick about you."
"Yeah." Telly agreed not looking away from Naya.
"Naya here seemed about to throw up at any minute. That's how worried we were."
The brunette kicked Kevin, feeling a blush rise up to her cheeks. She was never this grateful that her skin didn't let it show.
"Aww, that's cute." Heather said bumping against her lightly.
"Apparently she was so worried she forgot to change her clothes today." Telly said in his intimidating fatherly tone. "Did you two just meet?"
She knew exactly what he was getting at. From the corner of her eye she saw Heather turning to her awaiting her answer. Naya looked back at the blonde daring her to answer for both.
"Okaay." Kevin interrupted the silent conversation. "What's wrong with you two?"
"We came together." Heather announced.
Naya didn't know whether to laugh or hide. Heather always managed to say the things in the worst possible way.
"Oh did you?" Telly threw Naya a look.
"My car got towed." The brunette added avoiding her friend's staring contest. "We carpooled."
"Aww, just like the old days." Kevin said. "So apparently Heather was healthy enough to pick up Naya's calls but not ours."
"N-no." Heather hesitated. "She came over last night."
"Did she really?" Telly asked in his most mocking surprised tone.
Naya would kick him too if she could.
"I was worried." She admitted bashfully.
"How adorable." Telly and Kevin echoed.
The laughter eased the tension for a second before Telly spoke. "Naya, I bought a crazy new nail polish you got to see. Come on."
His tone wasn't nearly high or excited enough for her to buy it. But knowing she couldn't delay this much longer, she let her friend pull her by the arm and followed him to the building.
He didn't even wait long enough for them to reach his office. Instead, Telly cornered Naya behind a stack of costumes. Naya would laugh if it weren't for her friend's worried eyes. He had been her rock all this time, she couldn't help but get emotional at how protective he had become.
"Explain." He stated simply.
"I went to her house because I was worried sick about her." Naya started, feelings his eyes burning daggers in her skull.
"You didn't mention that glorious plan."
"What's there to mention? She's my friend, she was sick, I wanted to check up on her and she wasn't picking her phone."
"Exactly. It was normal to be worried. The fact that you didn't mention it is why you should have. Clearly it was one of your impulsive lovesick moments."
Naya didn't protest. It really was, wasn't it?
"But that doesn't explain why you suddenly don't have a car and are wearing yesterday's clothes."
Naya blushed at the way Telly was inspecting her. She could see where his mind was going and the mere thought, even if on someone else's mind, gave her chills.
"I already told you my car got towed. My choice of parking wasn't the best."
Telly rolled his eyes.
"I was worried." She insisted.
"So worried you slept on her porch?"
"No, she asked me to stay. I said yes. I didn't have a car. It made no sense spending a bunch of money on a cab to have her give me a ride the next day."
"Yeah, because no one else in the world could give you a lift."
"I wanted to be there for her."
"She seems perfectly fine to me." He pointed out. "Which is actually pretty weird considering she's supposed to be sick. There's something you're not telling me."
"If you would let me finish." Naya took a calming breath. "They broke up."
Telly's eyes were so wide the girl worried they would fall off. He put his hands to his face in shock.
"Taylor and Heather broke up?"
"He was moving out yesterday. That's why she didn't come to work. And just my luck, I bumped into him when I got there."
Telly gasped. Naya tried not to laugh at her friend's antics. He looked petrified, discreetly excited, but still mostly worried.
"She told me not to leave and to wait for her. So I did and then she came out with the truth."
The meaning behind those words nothing like Telly could imagine. Naya wanted to tell him everything, but at the same time she was still reeling from the news. And part of her wanted to keep the confession to herself. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep that from him, but suddenly facing him she was afraid that by telling him, her happy bubble would break. He would advise her not to let it get to her. That the past was in the past, no matter the confessions of last night. And he would be right, but Naya didn't want to hear it just yet.
"You must have been so shocked. Were you okay?"
Naya smiled gratefully at him. "Yeah."
"What about her? Is she okay?" Telly eyed the door as if Heather was standing there. "God, I feel like an ass. She was going through a rough time and I kept being an ass to her."
Naya hugged his arm cutely, shrugging her shoulders.
"She knows you didn't know. She kept it a secret, after all."
"Yeah, why the hell did she do that?"
"I don't know." Naya lied.
It wasn't a full lie. She knew why Heather didn't share it with her, but she couldn't say what her motives were not to share it with the others. Although, it wouldn't have made much sense to tell everyone but keep her closest friend on set out of the loop.
"Work was probably her safe bubble." Naya wondered. "The one place where she didn't have to deal with the problems she had at home."
"Should I talk to her? I feel pretty bad. But she still hasn't told us."
"Let her do it. I'm just telling you because if I didn't you wouldn't let me leave this room, and I have a bunch of scenes to shoot today."
Telly snorted at that. "Still, it doesn't seem like your brightest idea to spend the night right after he left."
Naya let go of his arm and started fidgeting. She couldn't meet his eyes and there was a nagging grin fighting its way to her face.
"I know. But there's a lot I need to tell you."
"Naya Rivera…" Telly warned, his voice betraying his threatening pose as excitement broke through. "Spill."
"It's not what you're thinking at all." Naya assured him. "Actually, I'm pretty sure you'll never guess no matter how hard you try."
Telly frowned.
"What, she professed her love or something?"
He was joking but Naya's stunned look was a deadly give away.
"WHAT?!"
"Be quiet!" She begged. "It's not like that. Look, I'll tell you everything after work. But not now. I won't be able to focus on anything if I go through that rollercoaster now."
"But-"
"No buts. Nothing happened. We just talked. About… stuff. I promise I'll explain, but don't make me do it now."
Telly nodded, his eyes understanding.
"You and your love life will end up giving me a heart attack."
Naya cracked up and threw her body against his for a tight hug.
"I really love you, you know?"
"Ditto, kid." He hugged back. "Ditto."
After shooting all morning, the cast decided to grab lunch together. They ended up at their regular restaurant and were guided to the corner booth settling on the biggest round table.
Naya didn't give much thought to the fact that she had felt disappointed when Heather sat between Dianna and Mark. They had spent so much time together already and still had all afternoon to hang out. It was silly, to say the least, that she would even notice it. She would not think it over. Definitely not.
Realizing her failure at not thinking, she grabbed one of the menus and immersed herself on choosing her meal. It took her about ten minutes to choose her usual order and a glass of water with lemon. It was ridiculous really.
"I want a game night." Kevin announced. "I'll be hosting."
"No way. I know your tricks. You get us playing poker, beat our asses and then buy whatever new toy you're obsessed with. I'm not paying for another ipod." Lea reprimanded him.
"You hurt me with your words. We won't play for money, then."
"For what then? Clothes?" Mark suggested with a wink.
"More like drinks."
"Oh no, not another hangover." Jenna begged.
"Then don't lose." Kevin challenged her. "Seriously though, I just want to have a party. It's been a while and I want to prove Lea I can do it better."
"You can't do it better." Cory intervened.
The group laughed and Naya patted Kevin's head for support. "I believe in you bee."
"We are a sad group of drunks." Dianna stated.
"Drunks, yes. Sad, no." Mark reiterated. "But if we want to keep our livers, I can always throw a barbecue in there. What do you say, McHale."
"I say bring those steaks."
"Wanky." Naya joked earning laughter.
"And we could have karaoke too. I'm not so good with cards." Heather shrugged.
"I want that!" Jenna clapped in agreement.
"And Band Hero!" Chord added.
Mark let his hand fall on Chord's shoulder sympathetically. "That's so last year, bro. But for you, anything."
"So we're set?" Kevin asked.
The group agreed and immediately started concocting forms of entertainment.
"Oh Heather," Kevin called "Is this weekend okay? You think you'll be fully recovered by then?"
"I'm not sick." Heather answered confused.
"Don't play tough. You were sick just yesterday." Lea reminded her.
Heather gulped heavily meeting Naya's glance. The brunette didn't notice she had stopped breathing until her lungs started clenching.
"I'm fine now."
That seemed to be answer enough. But before everyone could continue talking, Heather cleared her throat awkwardly. "I-I actually wanted to tell you guys something."
The silence was so loud, Naya was sure they would be able to hear her heart racing. The blonde was smiling nervously, her hands playing with the fork she kept staring at.
"I wasn't really sick yesterday."
There was a small gasp from everyone. It would have been funny if the blonde didn't look so distressed.
"Uh-Taylor and I broke up. And he moved out yesterday."
Now the gasps were louder. Mark put his hand on Heather shoulder gripping it silently, and Dianna had already grabbed Heather's free hand, threading their fingers.
"What happened, sweetie?" Lea asked, her tone heavy with worry.
"It just wasn't working." Heather stated firmly, lifting her head up and inadvertently meeting Naya's eyes before looking back at Lea. "It was best this way."
"When did you know it wasn't working?" Lea asked again, looking immensely confused.
"Well…" Heather snorted. "I don't think it has ever really worked, but I only realized it when he moved in."
There was an eerie silence and everyone seemed to hesitate on what to say. Jenna ended up being their savior, sharing encouragement words and a comforting smile. Naya felt like hugging her because she had succeeded in giving Heather's eyes a bit of its glint back.
"I'm really okay, guys. It was the right decision and I've had enough time to not be sad about it anymore."
"You have?" Dianna asked softly.
"Well," Heather seemed nervous again. "I did because we actually broke up almost a month ago."
Lea actually shrieked at that. An actual shriek.
"Don't be mad. You know I trust all of you. But it was so draining, the last thing I wanted was to spend even more time thinking about it. And it was complicated, and with him moving out things got kind of stressful. Now that it's over, I finally feel like I can talk about it."
Heather didn't meet their eyes until the end, as if she was afraid they would jump on her throat. When she finished she looked at Naya who was smiling encouragingly at her.
"Are you guys mad?"
"No, obviously not." Kevin was quick to comfort her. "Now I see why you started missing so many of Naya's dinners. It was our ritual. I just thought you were happy at home. I'm sorry I kept asking you about 'married life'. It was stupid of me not to notice you were sad."
"It's okay. I was the one keeping secrets." Heather muttered.
"Everyone has their own way of dealing." Dianna gripped Heather's hand tighter. "You don't have to justify anything. I'm just happy you're ok. You are ok, right?"
"I really am." Heather admitted firmly.
It made Naya's heart warm. Not just because part of her secretly rejoiced in these moments, but because she wanted the blonde to be happy. It broke her heart to see her sad no matter what was causing it.
On impulse, Naya stretched her leg until it reached Heather's. She bumped it softly gaining Heather's attention. The blonde smiled and hooked their feet together with the widest grin she had displayed so far.
The sun was setting, a massive orange ball disappearing on the end of the parking lot. Naya didn't remember it being so big. But then again, the pavement also looked shinier, the clouds whiter and even the steps of her trailer looked cleaner. Maybe the whole world was its best version today.
In no time, Heather was sprinting towards her again, bags of Chinese in hand. Her sun colored hair fought its way out of the high ponytail, making her look both crazy and adorable when she stopped in front of Naya.
"I look a mess, don't I?" Heather asked with an amused smile. "I was running as fast as I could. The food must be cold now."
Naya laughed easily. "It can't be cold. You were like a Velociraptor. It didn't have time to-"
Naya whined as her hand touched the scorching paper bag.
"Did you hurt yourself?" Heather asked quickly, bending to watch Naya's hands.
"Put that down!" Naya willed her, pointing at the food. "How can you not feel it?"
Heather put the bag on the step next to Naya, watching her own hands.
"You touched the bottom. That's the worst part."
Naya shook her head in disbelief. "You're nuts."
Heather shrugged her shoulders, grabbing Naya's hands and slowly caressing her fingers. It numbed the pain. Heather's warm fingers were soothing. The brunette found herself smiling, her eyes set on the freckles around Heather's nose.
The blonde smirked, feeling Naya's eyes on her. When she looked up the smirk disappeared and her expression turned peaceful, almost contemplative.
"Does it still hurt?"
"No." Naya said, letting her fingers play with Heather's.
"Let's eat then."
Naya leaned to the right, letting Heather take the spot next to her. Their sides clung together on the short space, each one holding a different box of noodles and vegetables. Naya watched Heather fiddle with her chopsticks, taking in the dancer's mood.
"You seem okay." She whispered. "I know today must have been rough, with having to explain everything to everyone."
Heather nodded, clutching her first noodle and eating it eagerly. Naya chuckled softly.
"Telly hasn't stopped apologizing. I got a text from him when I grabbed our food." Heather informed her. "It's better this way, though. Now it's out."
Naya sighed. It was good to see Heather take the break-up so well. She didn't want to upset the blonde my bringing it up, but she worried, as always. She didn't want her friend to hide her sorrow, if there was any. She was sure the blonde felt sad, in some way.
"You don't have to pretend you're not sad, you know." The brunette hesitated, looking at the blonde.
Heather met her eyes and smiled.
"I don't want you to feel like you have to. It's all so recent. If you pile up those emotions, they'll end up hurting you more." Naya breathed. "Believe me."
"I'm not pretending."
Naya believed her and that confused her even more. Wouldn't someone be sad after breaking up with a long-term boyfriend that had just moved in? She was still a little lost in all these changes, but she didn't need answers. It was Heather's life and as long as she was okay, nothing else needed to be said.
"It hurt before, but ever since we broke up, it stopped hurting as much. It's sad, obviously. But I know it was the right thing to do, so I'm good."
Heather spoke so firmly, Naya could only nod.
"I know everyone thinks it was really sudden." Heather said lowly, staring at her food. "But it wasn't really. And I've been single for a month already."
"Right. I keep forgetting about that."
When Heather looked at her she probably expected to see some resentment in Naya's eyes like the day before, but when she found the girl smiling, she grinned back. Suddenly the atmosphere turned playful, and Heather bumped against Naya for no reason in particular.
They ate their noodles, sharing looks and chuckling at each other. It was silly to be laughing at nothing but it made them relax completely.
The breeze picked up as the sun disappeared from view and the electric blue sky turned darker. The girls had finished their food but were too comfortable to move. When the wind started to prickle Naya's skin, Heather put her arm around her shoulders, bringing their bodies even closer together. Naya let her back nestle against Heather's torso, breathing in the smell of sweet perfume.
The loose strands of Heather's hair tickled her neck when the blonde rested her chin on Naya's shoulder. It made the brunette chuckle softly, capturing Heather's attention. The blonde realized what she was going so she gripped Naya tighter, blowing a soft puff of hair against Naya's neck. It was supposed to tickle her more, but instead it flared her stomach like a volcano. She fought to break free but Heather just held tighter, and truth be told, Naya wasn't putting much of a fight.
They laughed contently, and the brunette shifted on Heather's arms. Now her back was being held by Heather's left arm, while her right side still nestled on Heather's front. The blonde smiled at her gingerly, leaving a soft peck on Naya's forehead. Her lips retracted soon after, but she kept her face there. Heather's warm breath hit Naya's temple softly and it was worst than dizzying, it was paralyzing. Naya could say like that forever.
"Actually, this day was pretty amazing." Heather admitted softly.
The brunette was about to get lost in that moment when a thought entered her mind.
"We forgot about my car!"
Heather chuckled. "I didn't."
Naya gaped at her in amusement. "Why didn't you say something?"
"Don't worry. I called the company. I told them we would drive by tomorrow to get it. It's all taken care of."
Naya frowned, but the besotted smile didn't leave her lips. "But why didn't you tell me before?"
"I guess I wanted to be your driver for a bit longer." Heather was blushing, but her smile was confident. "I loved when we used to carpool."
Naya shook her head. "You really are nuts."
She acted impulsively when she inched forward and left a kiss on the dancer's chin. As soon as her lips made contact both girls turned three shades redder, if that was even possible. Naya felt her body buzzing with energy, but watching Heather she couldn't help but crack up.
"You're so red." She couldn't help but note, making the blonde look away bashfully. "You look sun-burnt."
"Shut up." Heather demanded, jerking Naya on her arms. "Just be ready for me to pick you up tomorrow at 6."
Naya's eyes bulged. "So early? We only need to be here at 8."
"I know. That way we have breakfast on our way."
Naya's grin was about to rip her face in half when she whispered, "Deal."
A/N: Thank you so much for not giving up on me! I can't explain how much the support and the reviews mean to me. Also, rest assured that this chapter ends the break-up drama. I'm already working on Chapter 15 which is actually a special one for me. Until then, enjoy! :)