Where had the time gone?

Before Regina knew of it, the day of their dinner-date had arrived.

Regina had been very excited about it. She could not wait to see Emma again. Talk to her. Perhaps even kiss her again. The kiss they shared outside the diner had popped up in her head ever so often over the past week. It had been very distracting. But also exceptionally wonderful. It had been a wonderful kiss.

One that Regina would love to repeat tonight. She wasn't even sure how she would resist kissing Emma the moment she saw her.

Zelena had of course teased her. Had claimed that Regina looked 'goofy'.

Well. Regina couldn't care less, to be honest. She didn't care about Zelena's friendly teasing and knowing smiles. All of it disappeared when she thought of Emma and a kiss shared in front of a diner.

She was in love. Utterly and proudly in love. And while that was a bit of a foreign feeling, it was also a very, very good one. She had forgotten how wonderful it was to be in love. She had thought she was not capable of it, but she was.

She was not completely ruined.

Traumatized, but not ruined.

Her budding feelings for Emma Swan was a proof of that.

When she visited Doctor Kristine, Regina of course told her therapist about the very successful date she'd had with Emma. Including the kiss.

Doctor Kristine had looked utterly pleased and proud. Tiny wrinkles of amusement had appeared around her eyes as she had said: "well, I don't think I have to ask you how you feel, do I? You are glowing, Regina. And you have no idea how pleased I am for you. You've come so far already."

Regina agreed.

Emma Swan was the most beautiful progress one could make.

She was so grateful their paths had crossed on that train. She was so grateful she had been brave enough to tap Emma's shoulder. And even more grateful that Emma had been sitting in the wrong seat.

The two of them meeting had literally just been a coincidence.

Thank god she was scared of flying.

Regina smiled a little to herself. This was probably the only time she would be grateful she had a phobia of flying. If she had been on a plane, she never would have met Emma, and if she hadn't met Emma…. Well, then she still would have been stuck in her belief about wanting to be alone with her son for the rest of her life. It wouldn't have been a bad life, definitely not. But Emma was the cherry on top. A hidden gem Regina had accidentally stumbled upon by chance.

She would forever be grateful she had taken the train that day…

Somehow, completely without Regina's knowledge, time ticked by, and it was suddenly time for her get ready for her date.

Exactly like she had done once before, she sat down by her vanity to do her makeup. started with the mascara again. Then eye makeup. Red lipstick. A shade darker than the one she had worn for their coffee date. This was a dinner date, after all. She could wear a darker lipstick for the dinner date.

Then the dress. One of her favorite dresses. God, Regina could not remember the last time she had worn this dress.

But there it was, laying on her bed and waiting for her along with the stockings and high heels. Regina took a breath as she looked at it. Royal blue and very pretty. It had a kind of folded front and strings in the back. She reached out and touched the fabric. Still as soft as she remembered.

She stopped dawdling and slipped on the stockings. Patted them front and back to ensure that she had not ripped them anywhere. She had not.

Then the dress. Regina couldn't help but feel slightly awestruck as she slipped it over her head. She struggled a bit with the zipper in the back, but she managed to zip it all the way up to her nape. She tied the black strings in the back into a perfect ribbon and felt rather satisfied with herself.

She looked at herself in the mirror. She had thankfully put on a bit of weight in the past weeks, so the dress was sitting just as it should. Tightly fitted where it should be tightly fitted. She didn't even have to belt it like she had done with her skirts.

Regina did a little spin. The zipper in the back started in the middle of her back and went all the way down to middle of her thigh where there was a slit. A bit of the back of her legs were exposed, but Regina didn't mind that. The slit in her dress didn't make her feel uncomfortable or unsafe in anyway. Because she was going to spend the evening with Emma whom she felt so safe with.

The dress also exposed her upper back in a kind of reversed triangle shape. That didn't bother her either. Regina had almost forgotten how much she loved this dress. How well it suited her.

She fluffed up her hair. Examined her face in the mirror. Decided that she needed a little something extra. She turned around, went to her jewelry box. Found a pair of dangly earrings she had inherited from Cora. Why not wear those tonight? She snatched the earrings out of the jewelry box and put them on. Then looked at her reflection again. Yes. The earrings definitely complimented the dress wonderfully.

She got lost in thoughts as she stood there in front of the mirror. When was the last time she had worn this dress? When was the last time she had worn any dress? Voluntarily, that was.

Killian had had his rules for going out.

Always wear a dress.

Always wear lipstick.

Always wear earrings.

Never smile at the waiter.

Keep her attention on him at all times.

Well, here she was.

Wearing a dress.

Wearing lipstick.

Wearing earrings.

Because she wanted to.

Regina straightened her posture and walked over to the bed where her purse was sitting. She unzipped it and roamed through it just to make sure she had all the notes she had written earlier. They were all there. Good.

She walked downstairs in the quiet house. She was home alone tonight. Zelena and Chad was hanging out at his place and Henry was at Nick and Ava's. They had a tight program planned that included McDonalds, popcorn and Mario Kart on Ava's Nintendo Switch. Regina hoped that Henry was planning on drinking lots of water with all that greasy food he was going to consume tonight. She would definitely be making something healthy tomorrow night. Something that included lots of vegetables.

He had sweetly said he hoped she would be having a nice time with Emma tonight before he left. Regina had appreciated that. But she had also sensed that her son was a bit jealous because she got to spend so much time with Emma while he didn't. Well, that would soon be rectified. Soon Emma would come over for dinner. They would have to schedule a time and date tonight.

It was silly how much she was looking forward to cooking for Emma. How much she was looking forward to seeing Emma and Henry talk again. She hoped that they would get along as well as they had during the Harvest Festival. That had been a wonderful evening. Regina hoped they could do that kind of thing again in the future. It had been so much fun, attending the festival with Emma and Henry.

Killian hadn't been interested in that sort of thing. He had been more interested in 'cozy night ins' as he had called it at first.

Regina had come to dread those 'cozy nights in' over time. There had been nothing cozy about those nights in.

She didn't want to think about that now. It was time for her to leave. She didn't want to arrive late like the last time. Emma hadn't addressed it, but Regina had seen the relief in her eyes when she showed up. She didn't want to risk having Emma worrying whether she would show up or not. Of course she would show up….

She was not late tonight. The weather was not as bad as it had been the last time.

She arrived in Steveston in good time. Parked in front of Tony's where the date was supposed to take place. They had been there once before, and Regina had enjoyed it immensely. She had a feeling that she would be enjoying it tonight as well. Perhaps even more.

Localizing Emma wasn't difficult. She was standing outside the restaurant, smiling from ear to ear when she saw the car pull up. She was wearing her glasses tonight, Regina noted. They suited her. Regina liked when Emma wore her glasses. The glasses accentuated her magnificent, green eyes.

She looked sexy.

Plain and simple.

Regina was only a little shocked over her thoughts. That certainly was unexpected. And perhaps a bit rude of her. She quickly edited her thoughts.

Emma was an attractive woman.

That was what she was.

Emma was also wearing a big ol' parka. Regina hoped that she hadn't waited for too long.

Regina quickly checked her appearance in the mirror. Checked her purse to see if she had remembered all her notes and her phone. It was a yes to both. She opened the car door and exited the car as elegantly as she could. Crossed the street to get to Emma. She found herself returning the grin Emma was flashing her. It was far too easy to forget her actual age when Emma stood there and smiled so sweetly at her. Right now she was more sixteen than thirty five.

As soon as she was close enough, Regina couldn't wait any longer. She lifted her hands and signed 'how are you?' to Emma. If she didn't understand what it meant, it would be a sweet little tease, and if she did, Regina was sure it would make Emma laugh.

It did. "I'm good," Emma said, looking proud because she had understood it. "And how are you?"

'I'm fine," Regina signed. Perhaps Emma would understand that too.

"Awesome!" Emma grinned. "And are you hungry too?"

Regina nodded eagerly. Yes, she was hungry. Very hungry! She had barely eaten all day because she had been so excited about the upcoming date. Now she was finally here.

"Me too," Emma said with a grin. "Wanna head inside then? It's pretty cold out here."

Regina agreed wholeheartedly with that. But she had missed Emma for an entire week now. She couldn't settle for a simple hello. So she reached out and put her hand lightly over Emma's. She couldn't help it. Part of her wanted to kiss Emma right away, but a bigger part of her was holding her back. There was a time and a place for kissing. And a street where other people was walking, was not the place.

After a moment, she gently withdrew her hand from Emma's. Obviously, she did want to keep holding her hand, but this was the middle of the street, after all. There was no reason to put on a show for any potential curious bystanders.

They went inside and both of them fiddled with buttons and zippers to discard their coats. Regina was the first one to manage, and it did not escape her notice that Emma was looking at her. With pure admiration in her eyes. On the drive to Steveston, Regina had begun second guessing her dress choice. She had worried that the zipper down the back ending in a slit would be a little too much, but judging by the look Emma was giving her, it was not too much at all.

Emma made her feel beautiful.

Regina fiddled slightly with the bottom of her scarf.

Emma flashed her a smile and turned around to undo the buttons on her parka coat. After a moment, she too succeeded.

Regina stared. Unabashedly. Her mouth felt shockingly dry.

To hell with editing her thoughts now.

Emma was wearing a short black dress with spaghetti straps. It revealed a gracious amount of her beautiful, cream colored legs. The neckline on the dress was deeper than the necklines on the other things Emma normally wore, but it suited her. It VERY much suited her.

Regina fought valiantly not to look at her cleavage. Acknowledging that Emma looked beautiful and staring unabashedly at her was two very different things.

But it couldn't be denied that Emma was wearing a very, very flattering dress. Her eye makeup was discreet and tasteful. Emma didn't need much makeup to highlight those beautiful eyes of hers. Her lips had been painted a light shade of pink that complimented the slight rosy tint in her cheeks so beautifully. Her golden hair was flowing freely down her back. It was slightly wavier than it normally was. Regina wondered if it had been braided overnight.

Even if she had been able to talk, she still wouldn't have been able to put into words how beautiful Emma looked tonight.

How utterly attractive and devastatingly gorgeous she was tonight. Or any other night. She could wear a little black dress or a red tanktop and look equally gorgeous in both.

Emma tugged a lock of hair behind her ear. "What?"

Oh, right. She was staring. Most likely in an unnerving manner. She ought to fix that. She reached within her purse and found the note she had written earlier. 'You look so beautiful tonight, Emma', she had written. It did not matter that she had not seen Emma when writing the note. She had already known that Emma would look beautiful tonight. She always did.

She watched as Emma read the note and then flushed. The color spread from her neck and all the way up to her cheeks. It was… awfully appealing. Regina had to look away. But once Emma was looking up again, she took the opportunity to show her a new sign. She lifted her palm, so it was facing her mouth as she wiggled her fingers, then pinched them lightly together.

"And what does that mean?" Emma asked curiously and quirked an eyebrow in that delightful manner she so often did.

As an answer, Regina simply pointed to the word 'beautiful' written on the note in Emma's hand.

"Oh," Emma said, flushing deeply once more. "Thank you. You look... Well, you look stunning."

Regina shook her head a bit at that. Automatically rejecting the too big word that didn't feel like it could be used about her. She was far from stunning.

"You do," Emma said firmly, and her green eyes twinkled a bit. "So stop trying to argue with me, alright?"

Regina was amused. Silent laughter erupted from her chest, but tonight she was not embarrassed about it. Emma wasn't, so why should she?

They walked inside the restaurant where they were greeted by a waiter in black tie. Emma gave him her name and told him that she had booked a table for two, and the waiter took them to said table in a corner. He gave them two menus and assured that he would be back in a moment to take their order.

They sat down at exactly the same time which Regina found a bit amusing. She scanned her menu and quickly decided what she wanted to have. She put her menu down.

"You've decided what you want?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded and reached across the table as she pointed to the "mushroom risotto" on Emma's menu. She had been craving risotto lately, but Henry wasn't a fan of it, and making risotto for herself wasn't that much fun.

Maybe she could make risotto for Emma someday. That could be really nice. She would have to remember to ask Emma if she liked risotto.

"Good choice," Emma smiled.

Regina thought so too. She was awfully hungry tonight. Which brought her to the second pre-written note. She reached inside her purse and found it ('would you mind ordering for me?') she had written on it. She handed the note across the table and gave it to Emma.

"Yeah, 'course," Emma confirmed. "I'll order for you. No problem."

Regina was grateful for that. She hated pointing to the menu. She moved her finger away from Emma's menu but kept her hands laying on the table. Once Emma put her own menu away, Regina couldn't resist wagging her finger in what she hoped was a 'come here'-gesture.

Emma was quick to understand what she was trying to say. She placed her hands in Regina's, and before Regina knew of it, Emma was drawing little circles on her palm with the tip of her finger.

It felt very nice. Almost as nice as kissing Emma. This kind of touch did not scare Regina. It was… it was a good touch. But before she could get the chance to fully settle into the feeling, Emma's finger stilled on her palm, and she looked up.

"Is this okay?" she asked, voice small and concerned.

Regina smiled and nodded and guided Emma's finger, so it was touching her wrist instead. That was nice too. Very nice. She could get used to having Emma touching her wrist.

For a while, they just sat there and looked into each other's eyes in a very sweet manner that reminded Regina of every single romcom movie she had ever watched. But unfortunately, their little moment was ruined when the waiter came back to the table.

Emma ordered for both of them, and the waiter took off again.

"So, I have a meeting with Robert Gold next Saturday," Emma told her. "At his place. Isabelle's going to be home, so I don't think he's gonna be too bad, but still, you never know."

So she had taken her advice. Regina quirked an eyebrow, silently urging Emma to go on. And told herself to listen carefully to everything she said. Not dream of taking Emma's hand in the middle of a conversation where it did not fit.

"But anyway, I actually have a pretty good feeling about this," Emma continued. "I think I might actually end up with a place to live. My own place."

Regina smiled. Hearing the optimism in Emma's voice made her feel so happy, and she really hoped Robert Gold would rent out the place to Emma. If he didn't…. Well, Regina would have to drive to Steveston and find out why.

"And I was thinking..." Emma said, sounding shy. Her green eyes flickered a bit. "If I get my own place with a proper kitchen..., Would you come and visit me? I could cook for you sometime? My specialty is tacos, but they're actually pretty good."

Oh! Emma was asking her to come for dinner! She loved tacos, and she loved Emma's company. The mere thought of coming to Emma's place for dinner, made Regina feel ridiculously giddy, and she could barely contain herself as she reached within her purse and found her trusted stack of post-its and a pencil. She eagerly began writing the third note of the night: 'I'd love to.' She considered adding an exclamation point but figured that would be a bit TOO much. Instead she simply gave the note to Emma.

"Yeah?" Emma said and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Regina "You really mean it?"

Did she ever! It was quite the coincidence that Emma had asked her to come for dinner when Regina had considered asking Emma the exact same thing. In fact she had considered it so much, she had written a note from home. Now she reached within her purse and found it, ('would you like to come to dinner at my place- Zelena's place- next week? I'll be making lasagna. Henry will be with us, but that's not a problem, is it?') and gave it to Emma.

"No, absolutely not," Emma said quickly after having read the note. "And I'd love to come to dinner."

That was wonderful. Regina couldn't wait to have Emma come over for dinner. There was just one little thing that bothered her. She rolled her eyes slightly.

"What?" Emma asked. She really was quite perceptive. Nothing escaped her attention.

Regina quickly wrote a message on a new post it: 'I just wish that Henry and I had our own place to stay. I've been so grateful for Zelena, and for staying at her place, but now I'm starting to yearn more and more for my own place. And for Henry to have a larger room.' She loved her sister and Chad, and she loved their little family-living-situation, but by all the gods, it would be good to have her own place to live. Give Henry his own room. And have the opportunity to be alone with Emma. Without Zelena's watchful eyes.

"Of course you do," Emma said. "That's only natural. But there was that place you could move into in what, a couple of months?"

Regina grimaced slightly. She had been completely ready to make a serious offer on that place, but at the very last moment, the place was sold to another buyer. The realtor business was merciless. She scribbled underneath the first message: 'I'm afraid that agreement fell through, so now Henry and I are officially house hunting. Again.', then she lifted the pencil so Emma could read the message.

"Oh, shit," Emma said sympathetically. "I'm sorry that it fell through."

Regina shrugged lightly. So was she, but perhaps not as upset as she should have been. She grabbed a new note and scribbled down her honest thoughts. 'To be perfectly honest, I'm actually sort of relieved. It was a penthouse apartment. I don't think I want to live in a penthouse apartment. I'd rather live somewhere with a garden. Somewhere, where Henry can go play outside and where I can grow roses.' She had an amazing garden when they lived in Montreal, and she missed that. Henry had had his own playhouse and swingset and everything too. It had been a wonderful garden. And a wonderful house. But going back to that place was out of the question. She could never live in the house she had been attacked in.

It would be too painful.

Too many dark memories.

Too many ghosts that could and would haunt her.

And she couldn't see herself living in a penthouse apartment either. She needed more space than that. And Henry hadn't been too thrilled either when she showed him pictures of the place. He had shrugged and said that it looked 'okay', and that neutral 'okay' was one of the many reasons Regina was relieved that the deal had fallen through. But she still hadn't solved her house-hunting-problem.

She stopped musing over it and gave the note to Emma.

"I see," Emma said, nodding and looking very thoughtful for some reason.

But Regina did not get the chance to ask her before the waiter showed up with their food and a "bon Appetit!" in a rather rusty accent.

Regina and Emma toasted, and while Emma was sipping her water, Regina discreetly took a little white pill. Her throat had been a bit sore since the plaster had been taken off and she didn't want to be bothered by throat-pain tonight. Not when she was having such a wonderful time with Emma. She smiled at said young woman, and Emma returned the smile.

They talked a lot during the dinner, and Regina couldn't help but smile when she saw Emma snatch a full post-it note and stuff it inside the little clutch, she had brought with her. She did that many times. So many times Regina had no choice but to roll her eyes at the blonde's behavior.

"What?" Emma asked innocently. "I happen to be a very enthusiastic collector of these."

Regina found herself rumbling with laughter once more as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. Again.

"You should see my drawer," Emma continued with a chuckle. "It's almost full. I might have to move my clothes, so I have more space for the notes."

Regina sighed deeply and took a sip of her water. Emma Swan was quite impossible, wasn't she?

Impossibly sweet.

"And I'm gonna need lots more of them," Emma said softly. "Seriously. A lot."

The sincerity in her voice immediately made Regina stop laughing and rolling her eyes. She flashed Emma a soft smile. Felt warm fuzziness swirl about within her as she acknowledged how helplessly in love with Emma Swan she was. There was no coming back from this, and Regina didn't want to either. She very much wanted to stay right here. With Emma. She was so glad she had confessed her feelings to Emma. It had been the only thing to do. The right decision.

And god, that kiss.

She couldn't stop thinking about it.

It kept popping up in her mind every so often.

Regina didn't mind it at all.

Nor did she mind being told that she was smiling goofily by either Zelena or especially Henry. He had taken great pleasure in telling her every time she 'grinned like Goofy' as he put it.

Regina was completely fine with looking like Goofy.

It had been a long time since she last was this happy.

Her days spent locked away in a darkened bedroom seemed like a distant memory now.

Of course she was realistic enough to know that she would have bad days again, but right now, bad days didn't exist.

"Food's, okay?"

Regina grasped the subject with both hands. Found a new post it note and scribbled a single word. 'Delicious!' yes, she had used an exclamation point. And she was not ashamed of it. She pushed the note towards Emma.

"Happy to hear it," Emma smiled, lifting her glass. "Cheers. Again."

Regina lifted her own glass and smiled as the porcelain clinked together. Licked her lips when a single droplet of water threatened to escape. Then she turned her attention back to her food. Thought about how perfectly normal this was. When she was with Emma, she forgot that she didn't have a voice. It didn't matter. Right now, with Emma, she was just Regina. The same person she had always been. It didn't matter that there was yellow post-it notes on the table. The post-it notes were merely a part of what she and Emma had together. Their communicating. It was actually possible to be on a perfectly normal date even though you couldn't talk. Who would have thought?

If only Doctor Kristine could see her now!

If only her past self could see her now.

Regina wished she could. If past Regina knew that she one day would be sitting in a restaurant with a beautiful, blonde woman who was in love with her, she would have had hope for the future.

"That risotto looks really good!" Emma said.

It was good. Everything was good. Especially the way Emma's eyes gleamed in the candlelight's.

Perhaps Regina would put candle lights on table when Emma was coming for dinner..

The rest of the date was just as wonderful.

They had pie for dessert. Cherry pie. It was absolutely delicious. Regina was thoroughly enjoying it.

Once the dessert had been consumed and they were the only two people left in the restaurant, it was time to go.

"Are you ready to leave?" Emma asked, setting her napkin down on the table.

Regina wasn't. Not really. But she reckoned that it wouldn't be long before the restaurant closed. It was time to go. She nodded.

They found their coats and left the restaurant. Regina was parked quite close by. Which both pleased and annoyed her. It did look like it could start to snow at any given moment, so it was a good thing that she didn't have to walk that far.

But it also meant that she had one excuse less to keep hanging around.

"I would have suggested that we went for a walk together, but the weather is so bloody cold," Emma said and rubbed her hands for emphasis.

Regina agreed with that. A walk was out of the question. It was definitely going to snow. And her heels were not meant for walking. They were very pretty and everything but not very practical. As in not at all practical.

She almost laughed. They were both sort of hovering awkwardly by her car. Both of them reluctant to leave. It was comical.

"Well..." Emma said. "I've had a really great time tonight."

Regina thanked the higher powers they were standing underneath a streetlight. That should make it easier for Emma to read her lips as she formed the words 'me, too.'

"I'm looking forward to having dinner at your place next week," Emma said earnestly, eyes gleaming with excitement. "And I'm looking forward to hanging out with Henry again!"

Regina nodded, but to be perfectly honest, she wasn't focusing very much on the words. She was busier looking at Emma's lips. Remembering how wonderful it had been to kiss Emma the last time. She would very much like to do that again.

"What is it?" Emma asked softly.

Was Regina barking up the wrong tree, or did it sound like Emma already knew what she was thinking? She wouldn't be surprised. Emma had proved to be perceptive so many times already.

Regina saw no reason to be coy about it. She reached within her purse and found the third pre-prepared note of the night. The same question she had asked the last time she was about to leave. 'Can I kiss you?' she gave the note to Emma.

Emma read the note. Folded it and carefully slipped it inside her pocket. Then she flashed Regina a big, beautiful smile and gave the same answer as last time: "as much as you want."

Regina eagerly stepped forward and kissed her. Exactly like the last time. The only thing that was different was that she took Emma's hands and guided them to her forearms. That was an okay touch. Emma tasted of cherry pie and smelled of vanilla. Perhaps she was using it in her lovely hair. Either way, it was Regina's new favorite scent.

Her heart fluttered in her chest. The door that had already been pushed ajar, opened another few inches for Emma.

It was easy to kiss her.

Nothing was bad when she kissed Emma.

No memories.

No fear.

The angle was perfect. It did not matter that Emma was wearing glasses tonight. Regina had admired them all night. Had marveled at how lovely she looked when wearing glasses.

They fitted so well together when they kissed.

Emma had such soft, perfect lips. Wonderful lips. Kissing anyone had never felt as perfect as did this.

The very soft pressure from Emma's lips against her own was perfect.

She was supposed to kiss Emma Swan.

There was no doubt about that.

And Emma was being so considerate and good to her.

This was the second time they kissed each other properly, and Emma stayed exactly as she was. She was letting Regina lead. Not trying to wrap her arms around her or touch her in any way.

Not everyone would have done that.

Emma truly was a wonderful woman. A beautiful, special woman Regina felt so lucky for having met.

A most pleasant warmth spread through Regina's body and travelled all the way up to her cheeks. She would never get tired of kissing Emma. In fact Regina suspected that she would discover new things every time.

Emma Swan was so goddamn perfect.

In every single way.

That was the message Regina was hoping to pour into this kiss.

After a moment, Regina pulled back. This kiss had lasted longer than their previous kiss. And she was very happy with that. She was also out of breath. For reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with fear.

Oh.

Well.

It had been a very long time since that had happened.

"Wow," Emma said plainly and flashed her a beaming smile.

Wow indeed. Regina nodded once and flashed her what she feared was a rather wobbling smile. It was so difficult for her not to get overwhelmed when kissing Emma. It was a privilege to be eased back into dating with someone as kind and caring as Emma Swan by her side.

It was also almost impossible to say goodnight to Emma tonight, and Regina had to remind herself that it wouldn't be long before she was going to see Emma again. She could not wait to have Emma over for dinner. She had a feeling that would be another wonderful evening.

Every evening spent in Emma's company was a wonderful one.

When Regina drove off, she was grinning to herself like a silly schoolgirl. She had even switched on the radio and had found one of her old favorites. 'One Mint Julep. It fitted her silly mood nicely. She didn't mind feeling silly. Or feeling like a schoolgirl.

She quite fancied when Emma made her feel like a silly schoolgirl. She hadn't felt like that in a very long time. Hadn't experienced the excitement over being in love for a long time.

Emma was making it all come back to her. Bit by bit.

Kiss by kiss….

To Be Continued…