Tamina sighs, leaning her head back against the cool tiles of the pool, listening to the wind in the trees surrounding the patio and staring at the Christmas lights sparkling cheerfully from their house, and the neighboring houses. She hums softly, enjoying the warm water washing over her surgerically repaired muscles, but carefully keeps her eyes closed, remains still as the glass doors slide open and familiar footsteps approach.
Lana's hands glide over her shoulders, fingers toying with her hair, and Tamina exhales softly. "What do you want, Lana?" she asks, not surprised when the touch eases away and Lana slips into the water next to her.
"I miss you," Lana decides to answer with after a moment, turning to look Tamina in the eye. "I've been home for a few hours and you haven't even come to say hello." She pouts but Tamina's not ready to be swayed by such things.
"I figured you were busy preparing for your wedding to Lashley," she says dryly and Lana's eyes widen, then ease to the side. "Yes, I heard," she says before Lana could try to find an excuse. "I was watching. So, New Years wedding, huh? Sounds romantic." Her skin glistens in the soft light overhead as she grips the railings and pulls herself out of the pool, suddenly finding no relief in the water.
Lana's eyes follow her, troubled and dark, as she walks over to the lawn chairs and collects her towel, wrapping up tight in it. "Tamina- please-"
"Lana," Tamina says tiredly, holding a hand up. "I'm tired, and I don't want to hear a ton of excuses or explanations about your boyfriend or your husband or..." She laughs. "God, when I say it, considering our... arrangement, it just makes me sound even stupider than I've been feeling already." She frowns at Lana. "People give you way too much control over their lives, and that includes me." She shakes her head and disappears inside.
Lana sits in the water for long, tense moments, pain in her eyes, jaw slack as she reflects over the last few minutes. "Tamina!" Scrambling, she gets out of the pool and chases after the woman. "Please-" Ignoring how she's dripping over the wood floors, she finds herself outside of Tamina's bedroom, pushing the door open in time to see Tamina drag out a bag. "Tamina- please- no-"
Tamina exhales. "Lana, I could go along with before- Rusev had Aiden, you had me- open marriages aren't too out of the ordinary, but now. Now." She waves her hands around, shaking her head. "Fake pregnancies, divorces, restraining orders. What happens if you suddenly grow tired of me too? Will you put orders of protection against me too? Evict me from here? I can't deal with all of that, I really really can't-"
Her words drift away as Lana rushes forward and wraps her arms around Tamina, holding her close. "Please, no," Lana says, burying her face in Tamina's neck. "Our relationship is different- it always has been. You got me in ways no one else did." She pulls back and cups Tamina's chin, staring into her eyes. "Rusev, I... we were good together for awhile, but I was always trying to be something I wasn't for him. It's why I kept always searching for more- Ziggler, even Enzo for a little bit."
"Me," Tamina says dryly, but Lana shakes her head.
"No, you're nothing like the others. I didn't expect this to grow between us the way it did." Lana exhales shakily. "We began as friends, and then... more. I can't say that for a lot of my relationships." She rests her forehead against Tamina's and smiles shakily at her. "Please stay. Please? I'll spend the next few weeks trying to make this up to you. I promise."
"What about your wedding plans?"
Lana rolls her eyes and eases up a little bit, kissing Tamina. "It can wait, there's plenty of time," she mutters. "The only plans I care about right now is spending Christmas with you, and what we're going to do to celebrate it. How's that sound?"
Tamina seems deep in thought for a long moment, and then lifts her arms in a shrug, pressing her lips over Lana's in a lingering kiss. "Sounds pretty great," she sighs, dropping her luggage back in the closet and pushing the door shut with her foot before allowing Lana to grip her hands and drag her back out to the pool.