"This is exactly how I always pictured waking up in this apartment." The sound of Naya's voice caused Heather to turn around and smile. She was standing at the large windows, looking out at the park, day dreaming. When she turned around Naya was leaning against the wall frame a mug of coffee held tightly between both her hands wearing one of Heather's shirts. Her hair was slightly messy from just waking up but in Heather's eyes she had never been more beautiful. Turning back around to take one last look at the park, trying to remember exactly how it looked with the sun rising over it she felt warm arms wrap around her waist and a soft kiss being pressed against the back of her neck.
"Really?" Naya nodded lightly against Heather's shoulder as the taller woman placed her hands lightly on Naya's. It had been a week since they had their big confession session and neither had spent much time away from the other since then. "What do you want to do today?" She asked as she pulled Naya just a little closer.
"Hmm, I was thinking maybe a walk in the park, a movie or a show, possibly some dancing?"
Heather turned around in Naya's arms. "That sounds an awful lot like a date to me."
"Does it?" Naya tilted her head to the side slightly trying to hold back the grin that was threatening to appear.
Heather thought for a second and just when she was about to respond Zach let out a soft meow from where he sat on the coffee table. "What he said."
Naya let out one of her signature chuckles before backing away from Heather. "I should head home and spend some time with Maurice before he abandons me and eventually it will be a date but we said we were going to go slow remember?"
"Do you have too and I suppose you're right." Heather asked as she wrapped her arms back around Naya's waist, leaning her head down onto the shorter girls shoulder.
"Stop that." Naya laughed as she tried to push Heather away from her. All she got in return was Heather's puppy dog eyes looking up at her. Shaking her head and smiling Naya relented long enough for Heather to let go before she backed away. "You fell for it." She laughed as she moved towards the door to put her shoes on.
"Nay that's not fair, I don't want you to leave, and look neither does Zach." The blonde pointed towards the cat that was staring at Naya, tail wagging.
"I'll see you soon, I'll text you later and let you know what the plan is?"
"Sounds fantastical."
Café – Later that Afternoon
Naya opened the door to the small café and looked around for a certain petite brunette. Spotting in sitting in their normal seats she smiled when she noticed that there was not one but two cups of coffee sitting on the table.
"Hey stranger." She smiled as she sat down, picking up the latte in front of her as she did.
"Hi." Lea grinned as she looked up from the paper she was reading.
"Are you reading reviews again?" Naya asked, taking a sip of her drink with a grin on her face.
Lea scoffed before smiling. "I would never do such a thing."
"Yeah and the sun doesn't shine."
"Not when it's cloudy."
Naya rolled her eyes as Lea folded the paper closed. "Thanks for the coffee."
"You called and said you needed to talk and it's the middle of the day so I'm guessing it's something big." Nodding, Naya took another sip of her drink. "I'm thinking this has to do with you and Heather."
"I figured you'd know about that."
Lea nodded with a stern look on her face. "Speaking of thanks for not calling me and telling me. I know Dianna is in town now but have I really gone back to being second? Or is it third since Jenna knew before me too?"
Biting her lip Naya tried to give Lea her best smile but the other girl didn't seem to be having any of it. "I love you?" Lea shook her head with a slight laugh.
"That we isn't going to work on me Rivera, I don't need raging Hemo on my case. Girls got it bad, always has."
"Okay, whatever."
"No seriously we've all been waiting for her to wake up and smell the coffee. The way she looks at you almost breaks my heart."
Naya raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Almost breaks your heart? Romantic."
"It is actually, its almost breaks my heart because I wish someone would look at me that way.
"I'm not so sure."
"What are you scared of?"
Naya shrugged and sipped on her coffee, pondering her thoughts as she looked out the window. "I'm scared she likes who I used to be, not who I am now. She's never been about money or fame and I have a bit of both. What if she can't handle it and I get my heart broken again? I'm not that simple girl I used to be, I go out to shows and I spend more money sometimes than I probably should. I dress up when I go out and I'm not always in sweats or tights, what if I'm not who she remembers me being?"
Reaching across the table Lea took Naya's hand in her own. "Doll face you're exactly who you used to be, sure you have a bigger house and more expensive clothes. But you still love going to the park and reading a book, you love taking your dog out and being a normal girl. Yes, apart of you has fame and money but that doesn't mean that's all you are. Heather knows that so stop worrying and just be yourself."
"What are you really scared of Naya, as soon as you're honest with me you'll be honest with yourself."
"That she's going to change her mind again, that she's going to run so far away and never come back. I don't know exactly what sparked her to come back but the day that I saw her standing in the park I felt this weight lifted off my shoulders. The love that I've always had for her started to resurface and even though I had James and I loved him, there's something about her that just brings me back. I was so reckless before, I put so much into it and it never paid off so I guess I'm scared to let myself give into it all again. Most of all I'm scared I can't make her happy."
Lea's smile softened as she shook her head gently. "You make her happier than anyone else ever could in a million life times. I think she's finally ready to give into it, let her be the reckless one this time. I'm not saying let her do all the work, I'm saying let her lead the way because I think she really wants too. Before it was her being scared and you tried to show her that it was okay, now it's her turn to show you that she's not going anywhere. No love is greater than the one that is tested and starved but continues to burn. What I'm getting at is that you need to stop worrying."
Their conversation last a half hour longer but consisted of their typical banter and chit chat. As Naya walked home, she thought about what Lea had said and slowly started to realize that she was over thinking things. It was just so hard with the past being what it was. She knew that in order to move forward you have to let go of the past but the hurt was still there in the sense that it still happened. Her heart was telling her that what she was doing was the right thing but her head was having a slightly harder time giving in.
When they were together it was amazing but the minute Naya was alone her head went around in circles.
After she got home and let Maurice out she went upstairs to change into something more comfortable, sweat pants and an off the shoulder sweater she got at American eagle when she was in high school. After letting the dog in she made herself some ice tea before sitting down on the couch. It was weird for her to not have a million things to do but she thought having a relaxing day to herself was the best choice. Especially with her album release soon approaching she was going to need all the rest she could get.
Somewhere between watching Real Housewives and re-runs of The O.C. she had an epiphany. Looking around at her surroundings she laughed at herself and how stupid she had been. It wasn't that she had entirely changed, it was that she didn't want to be her normal self around Heather because her normal self used to be madly in love with the woman. By being professional Naya she was guarding herself from feeling all the things she used to feel. Except more than that she was trying to keep Heather at arm's length. She knew the girls likes and dislikes, she knew that the girl wasn't crazy about the popularity side of the industry. Setting her beer down on the table she reached for her phone and sent Heather a text message asking her if she wanted to stay in and watch a movie for the night.
A few hours later Naya heard the doorbell ring. Getting up she walked towards the door and took a deep breath as she reached for the handle.
"Hi." She smiled as she opened the door and saw Heather standing there.
"Hey stranger, been a long time."
Naya laughed as she let Heather inside. "Thanks for coming over, I just figured we're out all the time so staying in might be just as fun."
"I think that's a great idea so long as you're not going to make me watch Real Housewives." Heather laughed as she watched Naya blush slightly. "Really?"
"No, but I was watching that earlier."
Heather shook her head, "Of course you were, what else would you be watching."
Shrugging Naya led Heather into the living room. "Can I get you something to drink, wine, beer, water?"
"Naya Rivera still drinks beer? Who knew?"
Picking up a nearby pillow Naya threw it at the blonde who was now sitting down on the couch. "You're a jerk."
"Am not." Heather laughed as she moved the pillow aside. Grinning she reached forward and wrapped her arm around Naya's waist, pulling her down on to her lap. "Not a jerk." She said again as she leaned forward and lightly kissed the girl on her lap.
"Mmm, I don't know I think you're still a jerk."
Raising an eyebrow Heather smiled and leaned forward to connect their lips once again. "Still?" She mumbled, her lips still grazing Naya's.
"You're working your way out of it."
Grinning Heather wrapped her arms around Naya's waist and moved her so that they were lying down. "There's something I've always wanted to do." Heather whispered in Naya's ear before leaning her head down to Naya's neck. She lightly kissed across the woman's jaw before she started to place feather light kisses down her neck to her collarbone. Naya's hands rested on Heather's hips as the slightly taller woman peppered kisses across her collarbone and back up the other side of Naya's neck.
A soft moan escaped Naya's lips as she felt the tip of Heather's tongue brush ever so slightly against her pulse point before she sucked on the same spot. "Definitely not a jerk anymore." Heather smiled against Naya's neck as she ran her hand up and down Naya's side underneath her shirt. It was at that moment that Maurice decided to bark from outside. "Really?" Naya yelled at him with a laugh.
"I'll go let him in." Heather grinned as she winked and got off the couch.
Naya waited for a minutes but when she didn't hear Heather come back inside she started to wonder. Getting up and heading out to her backyard she smiled and shook her head when she saw Heather laying on the ground with Maurice rolling around.
"Are you two having fun?" She asked, her arms folded across her chest as she stood on the porch. The smile on her face couldn't have been any bigger and the butterflies in her stomach were still in full affect. It felt as though she was floating and it was a feeling she was entirely comfortable keeping.
Looking over at the woman standing on the porch Heather nodded. It was all she could do with Naya standing there in sweats looking more beautiful and more adorable than ever. In that moment she knew that moving to New York was quite possibly the smartest decision she had ever made. She had always felt like she was missing something after Naya left, after she got engaged and this was it. The smile on Naya's face, the feeling that all was right in the world.
An hour later the two were cuddled up on the couch watching The Wedding Planner when Heather's phone started to ring. At first both women tried to ignore it but when it kept ringing Naya laughed from where she was sitting between Heather's legs and reached for the phone. "You better take this."
"Why?" Heather's question was answered when she saw who was calling on the caller i.d. "My mom is trying to face time me."
Naya let out a laugh as she paused the movie and got up from the couch causing Heather to pout. "Talk to her, I'm going to start dinner before you whine about being hungry." She slapped Heather's leg as she stood up laughing evilly as she skipped into the kitchen.
"Hi mom." Heather smiled as she hit the answer button.
"Hi sweetie, how are…who's house are you in?"
Looking up at the ceiling rolling her eyes Heather huffed. "How do you know I'm not at my apartment?"
"You're apartment wouldn't look that nice." Heather gave her mother a look. "I'm sorry but we don't have the same taste."
"Fair enough."
"Okay but really who's house is that, it looks beautiful."
Shaking her head Heather couldn't help but smile at her mother, sometimes the woman could just be so nosey. Before she could speak she saw Naya step into the frame of the camera behind her. "This would be my house." She smiled and waved in front of the camera.
"Naya! How are you my dear?"
"Really well thanks and yourself? How's Abi?"
With the mention of the little games name they saw the phone on the other end of the call start to shake. "Naya! I miss you! Oh, hi auntie hemo. Holy cow, Naya that's your house?"
"Yes this is my house and I miss you too. You'll have to come visit sometime."
"Really?"
Naya and Heather both laughed. "Yes absolutely, you're always welcome here but I need to get back to the kitchen before dinner burns so I hope I get to talk to you soon."
"Me too. Bye." With that Naya walked back into the kitchen letting Heather finish her conversation with her mother.
A few minutes later Heather walked into the kitchen and inhaled deeply trying to figure out what dinner was. "What's for dinner?"
"Kraft dinner, nothing beats the KD and I ordered some pizza and wings. If I need to get in shape soon to go back on tour I need to have all the fun I can before then."
"Sounds perfect to me, lucky for you I'm a cheap date." Heather grinned as she walked up behind Naya and wrapped her arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck.
Three hours, two movies, a full large pizza, a box of twenty wings and a few beers later Naya and Heather laid curled up on the couch fast asleep. Maurice was lying on the floor when his ears perked up from hearing the sound of the front door open.
Dianna opened the door as quietly as possible and her, Jenna and Lea snuck into Naya's house. Like normal Naya had left the blinds open and after peering inside the three women decided to sneak in.
"Shut up." Dianna tried to stop giggling as Lea hit the small table in the hallway.
"Aww, look at them." Jenna whispered as Dianna pulled out her camera. For his part Maurice lifted his head off the floor, saw who was in his house and put his head back down. "Our plan totally worked."
"Now if they can just pull themselves together and keep it that way." Dianna laughed as she took a picture.
"Let's get out of here before they wake up." Lea suggest causing the other two to nod. Their plan had definitely been a success but little did they know it wasn't their plan at all, it was fates plan all along and they just played into it. For now things were perfect just as they were.
To be continued…A/N: Sorry about the delayed update, the next one hopefully should not take this long. Fair warning though this story will be coming to an end soon but not just yet. As always please let me know what you think, and if you want to stone me for lack of updating just remember if I'm dead I really can't update then. Thank you all so much for your reviews and PM's as well as for just reading.