Chapter 8
Emma got up from the couch and grabbed her phone from the mini table and started walking to the door of her apartment. Before opening the door, Emma looked at her phone to see if Regina texted her, telling her she was here. She didn't. That made Emma more curious. If it wasn't Regina and her son at the door, then who? Emma shook her head to get rid of those thoughts immediately because the only person who was supposed to be coming by was Regina and her son. So, Emma slowly opened the door to her apartment, and there she saw a little boy with dark hair standing right next to Regina.
Emma smiled and felt relieved that it was, in fact, Regina and her son at the door and not someone else who just randomly decided to drop by. Regina was wearing a gray button-down shirt that looked like a blouse and black pantsuit pants with black shoes. Emma thought Regina looked beautiful no matter what she wore. After staring at Regina for a few seconds and smiling like an idiot in love, Emma turned to look at Regina's son smiling.
"Hey, there, little one. What's your name?" asked Emma verbally to the kid.
Emma already knew his name because Regina had told her. Although, she figured she'd let the kid tell her as well but, to Emma's surprise, the little boy started signing to Emma. The little boy pointed to himself and then made an "H" handshape on both hands and tapped them together twice near his chest area. Then, the little boy started fingerspelling his name to Emma, and Emma quickly understood what the boy was signing.
"ME NAME HENRY"
Emma smiled widely at this because she was so amazed at how fast the little boy had learned this. Most people take at least a few days to remember how to say their name in sign language, although it only took him one day to learn it. Emma then started talking and signing at the same time so Henry and Regina could both understand and see the signs she was making.
"My name is Emma. It's nice to meet you."
Emma could see Regina smile and just light up when Emma started speaking and signing at the same time to Henry. Henry seemed utterly happy about it, too, and Emma could tell by his facial expressions that he wanted to know and learn more signs. Emma was delighted by this. Emma then looked at Regina, who was still smiling at her and asked if they were ready to go. Regina nodded yes since she knew Emma couldn't hear her. Emma then grabbed her purse from the coat rack by the door and walked out the door. After Emma locked up her apartment door, she followed Regina and Henry out to the parking lot to her black Mercedes. Henry got in the back seat and buckled up as Emma got in the passenger seat.
As Regina started driving to the fair, all Emma could do the whole way was smile. She kept looking at Regina from time to time when she thought Regina wasn't looking and was more focused on the road, althoughHenry definitely noticed Emma looking at his mom. He didn't seem to care.
As they arrived to the fair about an hour later, Henry was excited and wanted just to go inside. Regina had said something to him that Emma noticed but couldn't understand what was said, so Emma just brushed it off. Emma thought that it was just Regina telling Henry not to get out of the car yet as she searched for something in her purse. To Emma's surprise, Regina pulled out her wallet from her bag, and Emma hoped that Regina wasn't planning on buying her fair ticket. Emma had money to buy her own ticket. She was happy that she could be here with Regina tonight and keep her and her son company.
As Regina slowly got out of the car, Emma and Henry followed. All three of them slowly walked up to the ticket booth to get their tickets or wrist band. Emma noticed Henry said something to Regina again that she couldn't understand, but it didn't bother her. Although now Regina got her phone out of her pocket and started typing away, and after a few minutes, Emma's phone buzzed with a text message. Emma looked at Regina, who was now looking at her, smiling in line and then smiled back. Emma then got her phone out of her pocket and read the text.
"Henry just asked me if I am buying him tickets or a wrist band. The wrist bands granted unlimited access to all rides and attractions, while tickets had limits. If I buy him the wrist band as well as you, would you take him on rides that he may not want to go on alone? I don't ride any rides, but I will ride a few, so I'm only getting myself 20 tickets. That'll be enough for me."
After reading the text, Emma then looked up to Regina with an "oh" look for a few seconds, and then she smiled.
"I would love to go with Henry on whatever rides he wants to go on. Though, you don't need to pay for me. I have my own money with me so I can pay for myself."
Emma then noticed Regina's face become serious before Regina started typing away on her phone again. Once she finished, Emma's phone buzzed with another text message. Emma then quickly read it.
"I don't care if you have money with you, Emma. I invited you to come along with us, so I'm paying for your admission. Do I make myself clear?
Emma then looked at Regina and decided that she didn't need to start an argument with her. Emma agreed to let Regina pay her way into the fair as long as Regina allowed Emma to pay for her and Henry's food. Emma explained to Regina that she hadn't eaten yet because she wanted to eat something here with them, and even though Regina didn't seem too pleased with Emma paying for anything, she agreed.
After Regina bought Henry and Emma's wrist bands and her tickets for the rides, they all started walking along the pathway to see what kind of rides Henry may want to ride. Henry didn't care for the kiddy rides. He liked all the other rides more. Like the go-karts, the pirate ship ride, the swing set ride that went around in circles, and a few others. Emma liked them all as well. After going on a few rides with Henry, Emma felt the need to eat before she got sick, especially since she was on an empty stomach. So, Emma then asked Henry what he may want to eat. Henry smiled and laughed and pointed to the hotdog stand.
"You want hotdogs?" asked Emma.
Henry shook his head, yes. Emma then turned to Regina and asked her if she was okay, eating one or two hotdogs. Emma noticed Regina texting on her phone, and after waiting a minute, Emma's phone buzzed. Emma then took her phone out of the pocket that her dress had and read the text.
"I am not much of a hotdog eater, but Henry loves them and can't get enough of them. He will probably order two. Although, they're selling hamburgers too and they're more up my alley. I would like a hamburger with ketchup if you don't mind."
After Emma read the text, she looked up at Regina with a smile and put her phone back in her pocket.
"Yes, you can have a hamburger. I will order me and Henry two hotdogs with ketchup and a hamburger for you. Let's get in line. I will order them, so please do not speak for me when we get up to the end of the line to put our order in. I want to show you what a hard of hearing or deaf person has to do when no one hearing is around to help them." said Emma.
Regina nodded in agreement and told Henry not to say anything as well. As they waited in the line, Emma waited for them to have only one person ahead of them, ordering their food before Emma got her cell phone out and typed something on the screen. Once Emma had finished typing on her phone, it was now their time to order their food. Emma walked up to the person behind the stand and showed them her message on her phone. After the man read the message, he nodded, smiled, and put up all ten fingers to tell Emma how much it was going to cost. Emma understood correctly and handed the guy 10 dollars. Once Emma paid for their food, she put her phone back in her pocket and waited for the guy behind the stand to give them each their food. After getting their order, Emma led the way for Regina and Henry to follow her to a nearby table to sit and eat, which was what they did.
They all ate their food and shared smiles back and forth to each other in silence. Once they finished eating, Henry wanted to go on more rides. Emma knew she couldn't ride any rides for at least 30 minutes to give her stomach time to settle after eating, so she wouldn't puke after a ride, although Henry didn't seem to care about it. Henry still wanted to ride more rides right away and not have to wait, and so he did. Regina and Emma let Henry ride a few rides by himself as they walked with him and watched him go on every ride he chose to go on. Some rides, he went on more than once. Emma couldn't believe how many times that kid could go on a single ride without getting sick, although it made Emma laugh when Henry went on rides and waved at her and Regina from the ride. Emma always waved back, smiling and laughing.
After Henry went on the swing set ride that went around in circles, he wanted to go on it a second time, and so he got right back in the line to ride it again. Emma and Regina just stood and watched him. As Henry was still in the line to get back on the ride, Emma looked to Regina and smiled.
"Thank you for inviting me to come with you here tonight, Regina. I am enjoying myself", said Emma.
Regina smiled back at Emma and then got out her phone from her pants pocket and started typing a message. This one seemed a little bit longer, for it took her quite some time to type in the message. Emma wasn't sure as to why it took longer, but she didn't think about it too much. She was mainly admiring the way Regina looked when she was texting. How the lighting from the Ferris Wheel accentuated Regina's features and made her look gorgeous against the starry black sky of the night. If Emma could have done so, she would have captured that beautiful image with her phone camera. Which of course she didn't do, not only because she didn't want to come across as a creep, but she also didn't want to distract Regina and break the spell. Emma loved how Regina seemed so focused on what she was doing. She just looked so damn beautiful. Emma couldn't help but stare at Regina every chance she could get when Henry wasn't looking. After a few minutes, Emma's phone buzzed with a text. Emma took her phone out from her pocket and quickly read the text.
"I am glad you are here tonight as well. Henry seemed to be enjoying himself, and he seems to like you very from that, is that always how you order your food when you're out at a restaurant or a fast food place? I ordered your food when we had lunch with my deaf cousin, so seeing you order food with your phone is something I've never experienced before. Also, I was curious to ask. Is there any way to ever get your attention whenever you're not looking at me or reading a text from me on your phone? There were a few times tonight when we first arrived here, and you went on a few rides with Henry that I wanted to get your attention and tell you to have fun. Then, I remembered I'm not sure how to get the attention of a deaf or hard of hearing person from afar. I also realized I didn't know how to sign "have fun." So, I decided to leave it be and just watch as you rode the rides with Henry."
Emma looked up from her phone and smiled at Regina for a moment before speaking verbally.
"Yes, that is how I order food for myself whenever I'm at a restaurant or a fast food place, only because even though I can speak normally, I can't hear. Some people may tend not to understand that I cannot hear them because I speak so well. Sometimes they just are completely clueless as to what to do after I tell them that I am practically deaf and can't hear them, so writing it down on my phone is a great way to make sure my order is correct. Specially in fast food places, where everyone behind the counter is trying to get the order out fast and ask questions while punching the order and extras into the cash register. I have to get their full attention and let them know that I can't hear. Otherwise I might end up with something yucky on my tray." Regina smiled and nodded in understanding.
"As for getting my attention, that's easy. If I am not looking at you or I'm afar from you not paying any attention to you, stomp on the ground. Sometimes stomp more than once. It'll get my attention. I can hear the stomps' vibrations through the ground." Emma said this while air quoting the word hear, because feeling the vibrations on the ground was how she notice someone wanted her attention. She was very perceptive and could actually tell from which direction the vibration was coming from.
"Then I will immediately look up at whoever stomped. It's one of the easiest ways to get a deaf person's attention. Sometimes, you can just wave your hand in the air trying to get my attention, but that doesn't always work. Specially in a crowded place like this, where there are too many things going on around us and happening at the same time. The stomping works all the time."
Emma saw that Regina's face was one of curiosity. As if she wanted to know more about the deaf and maybe even try to learn sign language. Emma figured she could teach her a few signs little by little while they spent more and more time together. If Regina was interested in learning sign in any case. Though, for now, Emma decided to teach Regina how to sign "enjoy" and "fun", so she could sign both of them to her whenever she wanted to tell her to have fun on a ride with Henry. As for the next time Regina decided to get Emma's attention, she already knew the drill..
The "enjoy" was one flat palm on your chest while placing the other palm flat on the stomach and you move each hand around in circles. That sign was easy for Regina to remember. The "fun" sign was the "H" handshape on both hands. The left hand near your stomach area facing down. The right hand on your nose. Then you bring the right hand down to the left hand and lay the right hand on top of the left hand. That was also easy for Regina to remember.
As Emma and Regina talked some more back and forth, Emma could see that Regina enjoyed every minute. Emma felt that it was a perfect sign, that maybe one day they will be able to go out on a date, just the two of them. Perhaps they could go out to some restaurant or something like that. Anything. Emma didn't care where. She just wanted to be alone with Regina on a date one day.
While Emma and Regina were lost in their little conversation, Henry came running up to Regina saying something that Emma couldn't understand. Emma could see the look on Regina's face go from smiling and happy,to concerned. Emma saw Regina put her hand up to Henry's forehead and say something to him, that again,she didn't understand. However, Emma started to pick up on Henry's body language and facial expressions and automatically knew what was going on.
"He's not feeling good all the sudden, is he?" asked Emma to Regina.
Regina then looked at Emma for a few seconds and then started typing away on her phone. After a few minutes, Emma's phone buzzed with a text message. Emma read it quickly.
"Henry made himself sick from going on the swing set ride for the second time. I guess the spinning around in circles got to him. He said he wants to go home, so it looks like we should get going so I can take him back home and get him in bed. I hope you don't see this as a bad night for leaving so early, and I hope we can maybe do this again sometime soon. I know Henry will be glad to see you again."
After reading that, Emma looked back up to Regina and understood that it was time to go. Emma shook her head in understanding and told Regina and Henry that she had a good time tonight and that she realized why they had to call it a night, though Emma didn't see it as a bad thing. Emma saw it as a mother taking care of her child, and that's all that mattered in her eyes. So, as they all got up and slowly walked back to the car, Emma stole glances at Regina every chance she had. Once they were all in the car and buckled in, Regina started driving off.
When they got back to Emma's apartment complex, Henry was already passed out in the back seat. All those rides and the sickness from not waiting 30 minutes after he ate got to him and made him tired. Emma didn't want to go back into her apartment yet and leave Regina, but she knew she had no choice. Regina needed to get sleeping Henry home and into bed.
Emma smiled softy to Regina and whispered, "Thank you" before slowly getting out of the car. As soon as Emma was out of the car, she noticed that Regina got out of the car as well, while it was still running, so the heat could keep Henry warm. It had now become relatively chilly outside. Emma didn't mind this one bit. She felt it was more of a chance to say goodbye to Regina before walking up to her apartment door. Emma walked over to the sidewalk in front of the apartment complex and looked at Regina, who was walking towards her. Once Regina walked up to Emma, she took out her phone from her pants' pocket and started typing away. After a minute, Emma's phone buzzed. Emma got out her phone from her pocket and read the text message.
"I enjoyed spending time with you like this, Emma, and I hope we can sometimes do this again. Please don't be late for my class tomorrow. Be there early so you and I can talk more privately before the classroom fills up. I need to get home and get Henry into bed. I will text you when I get home, so you know I made it home safely."
Emma smiled and nodded in agreement, but before Regina could start walking back to the car, Emma grabbed her shoulder lightly to stop her. Emma looked into Regina's eyes for a minute and slowly walked closer to her, their faces almost touching. Emma studied Regina's facial expressions and body language more for a few seconds, and all of a sudden, Emma couldn't help herself. Her actions had got the best of her, and she slowly kissed Regina on the lips. After pulling away from the kiss, she studied Regina's facial expressions again to see if she liked what just happened, and to Emma's surprise, Regina cupped Emma's face and pulled her in for another kiss. This time, the kiss was more profound and very passionate.
Emma could feel her heart pounding in her chest so fast that she wondered if Regina could feel how fast her heart was beating. Emma couldn't breathe. All she could think about was touching Regina's lips with hers and never letting her go. Though, after about a minute, Regina pulled away from the kiss. Regina looked at Emma and smiled broadly. Then, Regina slowly started walking to the car. Her hand was not letting go of Emma's hand until they were too far in the distance from each other.
As Emma watched Regina getting into her car and driving away, she could feel her cheeks blush. Though, this time Emma didn't feel at all embarrassed for blushing. She felt happy. The happiest she's ever been. When Regina and Henry got so far away to where Emma could barely see them now, she finally started walking up to her apartment door. She got her keys from her purse and unlocked her door to go in. Once in, she squealed in happiness because she just kissed Regina. She. Kissed. Regina. Emma couldn't believe it. She was just so happy. After kicking off her shoes near the door and hanging her purse back on the coat rack, Emma walked into her bedroom and changed into her sleepwear.
It was now 9:30 pm, and she had to be up by 6 am tomorrow for school. Emma set her alarm to wake her up by 6 am, and then she slowly got into her bed with her phone in hand and started playing a game on it to pass the time. Emma wasn't going to sleep until Regina texted her telling her she got home safely.
About 30 minutes later, Emma's phone buzzed in her hands as she played a game, and Regina's name popped up on the top of her screen telling her who texted her. Emma immediately stopped playing the game and read the text.
"I got home safely with Henry. He is now sleeping safe and sound in his bed, and I am about to head to bed. I enjoyed my time with you tonight, Emma, and I would like to do it again sometime soon, as I have stated earlier. Also, you're an excellent kisser! I will see you tomorrow morning. Have a good night. I will text you in the morning."
Emma smiled so widely at that text. She just couldn't believe it. After Emma gathered up her thoughts on what to say, she then texted back.
"I think you're a good kisser as well. I will see you tomorrow, and I will be waiting for your text in the morning. Good night Regina!"
Emma then put her phone on charge, still smiling like an idiot in love. She knew she'd probably be having some wet dreams about Regina that night. That was for sure, and she certainly hoped Regina would be having them as well. Although now Emma knew Regina did like her and she probably felt the same way as she felt about her, which meant good news for Emma. As Emma drifted off to sleep, she thought of undressing Regina in every possible way imaginable.