Chapter 6
Note: The song mentioned below is "Take me home" by Jenn Glynne.
There is something about neon lights, something I love, maybe more than I should. The place Regina brought me to tonight is almost entirely lighted only by neon lights and I think it's magical.
I contemplate the ceiling while standing perfectly still where I am because moving doesn't seem like an option right now.
"What's wrong Emma, I thought you loved skating", Regina asks, graciously gliding towards me when she sees I'm not letting go of the railing surrounding the Roller Skating Rink.
"Did no one tell you that roller skating is not the same thing as rollerblading?"
"Come on, it has to be similar enough—", she trails out, grabbing my left hand to pull it away from the railing, the right one keeps clinging to the edge for dear life, "If it makes you feel safer I can hold your hips and make sure you are not falling in any way tonight unless it is into my arms", she winks in my direction and moves closer to me until her hands are both in my hips, and I'm forced to let go of the railing because she starts skating backward by swaying her hips in an almost sinful manner that I find very distracting.
"Could you be less like you and more like anybody else? I'm trying to focus on keeping my ass off the floor", I tell her and she laughs.
"Whatever do you mean—?", she asks, biting her lip and picking up the pace to make me roll faster.
"I mean that you can stop being so damn hot anytime soon. I'm trying not to die tonight!", She laughs harder this time and I glare at her in response, "I'm being serious I don't want to get an injury".
"You can't get injured in a dream Emma", She tells me, "and besides, I don't think I can turn any of this off", she lets go of my hips for just a moment, separating from me enough for me to contemplate how she's making a motion to show her entire shape with her hands. I swear I feel a shiver go down my spine and I'm not sure if it is because of the view I'm getting from Regina wearing only a pair of denim shorts, a black tank top, and a pair of knee-high socks, or because of the imminent unbalance of my body in these skates as I try to stay with my feet on the ground when she lets go of my hips.
"Don't you dare to let go of me again!", I complain.
She rolls back to me and grasps my hips.
"Never", she whispers, smiling with that sassy smile of hers that I love.
"I want to believe that as if it was a promise", I tell her, wrapping my arms around her neck and kissing her, and for the first time since I stepped into the rink, I'm not afraid to fall because a kiss from Regina is worth every single injury that may come from it, "Okay, I think that's encouraging enough for me to try to skate on my own", I say, smiling after we pull apart from the kiss.
"Let's do this", she says, letting go of my hip to grab my hand instead.
We skate for a while like that, holding hands and I feel so privileged just for being allowed to occupy the same space as the goddess skating beside me.
How in hell did I get this lucky?
"Okay, now you go on your own", Regina says letting go of my hand, when she decides I'm doing good enough by her side, she strolls to the nearest railing intending to wait there until I go around the rink alone. I manage to do it well enough until I'm getting close to Regina again and try a T-stop with my skates as I do with the inline skates. Big mistake, I drag only two of the wheels on the floor because I'm used to having to drag the wheels at a certain angle to make an effective stop, I lose complete control over the skates and end up falling on the floor right at Regina's feet.
"Oh my god! Emma, are you alright?", Regina asks me, squatting down to see if I'm okay.
"So much for only falling into your arms tonight", I reply, sitting up on the floor, "but then again I think falling at your feet is close enough and a much more accurate guess for a fan of yours".
"Oh, stop it, Miss Swan, you know you are much more than just a fan to me, but perhaps, I still am just the gorgeous actress of your dreams to you", she says and I giggle.
"You do know you are a gorgeous actress and that we are dreaming right now, don't you?", She straightens her back instantly, standing tall in front of me, she leans her back on the railing and holds her posture with her bent elbows over the edge.
"Shut up, you know exactly what I mean", she says, looking away for a moment but then she extends her hand for me to grab and get up from the floor.
"I would marry you right here and now if you asked me, is that what you mean?", I question her and she glares at me, "Oh, marry me, Regina Mills, pretty please", I continue with a teasing tone and I know this will make her mad.
"Must you always avoid direct questions, Miss Swan?"
"Must you always call me that, Madame Mills?" I retort although I love when she calls me that, she doesn't reply so I have the need to make a remark, "for your information, I don't recall you asking me any questions".
"Alright then, as you know perfectly well we are going to meet tomorrow in the real world, I mean, what I really want to know is... and here goes your question—, Am I just another item to check off your bucket list? Just a person you want to meet, get an autograph from and then proceed to let wither away in some notebook?", She lets out hurriedly and for the first time since I know her, I don't see the confident woman she always seems to be when she's around other people and I understand this is something that's really concerning her.
"Regina Mills, you need to know that before I met you I would have died just to cross paths with you even once, but now that have, I know for sure that if I ever have to leave your side I will certainly die", I tell her, pulling her close to me, "if anyone is ever walking away from this, that's gonna be you".
"Not a chance", she smiles and pecks my lips, "you are a catch".
"You know what? Fuck everything and dance with me, Regina Mills", I say pulling her away from the railing.
"You can barely stand in those Emma, I think dancing is asking too much, don't you?", she asks warily but smiles anyway as I drag her to the middle of the rink.
"Look down", I whisper and she does as I tell her, "didn't you notice I grew a good three inches right in front of you?", I ask her when she notices I magically changed my rental roller skates for my inline skates, the one hundred millimeter wheels of my rollerblades making me look much taller than Regina.
It is me who grasps Regina's Hips now and her arms are the ones wrapping around my neck. I want to save this moment forever in my memory although I know I'll forget as soon as I wake up, I save the song sounding in the background in my dream drive and try to store every single touch and sensation in there too, from the swaying of her hips, the feeling of her warm skin and the color of her dark eyes now reflecting the neon lights above our heads.
"You are so beautiful", she lets out, stealing my exact thoughts. I feel a single tear rolling down my cheek and I know it's a tear of pure bliss, she cleans it with her thumb, "this song is so sad, but I think I love it", she says then and I cannot do anything but agree with her.
"Will you take me home?", I ask after the Song ends and Regina gives me a sad smile in response.
"Only if you let me, little Swan", she replies, "not today though, I have somewhere better to take you", she adds, and in a blink, my view changes, and I'm sitting over Regina's Mercedes hood, she sits beside me and there is a blanket wrapped around our shoulders, she's hugging me and her face is buried in my neck, "I want to stay like this forever", she says and her warm breath cuts the chilly air of the night and crashes against the skin of my neck.
The overlook we are in sits above the Hollywood Bowl amphitheater and gives us a complete panoramic of the city, with the traffic and city lights contrasting beautifully with the dark sky.
"You can't, there is a plane you have to catch", I tell her, and I can almost feel her smile against my skin.
"It's almost time for you to wake up Gina".
"That's the first time you call me that," she points out, "I like it".
"Then I shall use it—", I start, "against you", I finish and she laughs.
"You are an idiot", she says, slapping my arm.
"Thank you".
"For calling you an idiot?".
"No, for making this the best week of my life", I answer, "It's been the best".
"Don't make it sound like you are saying goodbye", she complains, slapping my arm again, this time harder.
"It's just in case", I shrug.
"I case of what?" she asks warily.
"In case you are only a dream I have to wake up from. I still can't believe I'm gonna meet you tomorrow for real", I tell her, she punches my arm this time.
"You better believe it!", she exclaims, "juro que a veces eres una idiota, Emma Swan!".
"Oops, I must have made you get really mad this time if you are yelling Spanish nonsense in my ear", I say and she pulls back to look daggers at me.
"Just because you don't understand what I'm saying, it doesn't mean I'm talking nonsense, alright?".
"Just so you know, you look so gorgeous when you are mad", I tell her and she glares at me.
"I know, shut up, you are infuriating sometimes", she frowns.
"Phew, thank goodness you noticed, I was trying so hard to hide it from you, but now that you know I feel so relieved", I tease her and she tries to avoid the smile that is threatening to peep out the corner of her mouth, but she can't.
That's the last look I get from her before her skin starts glowing a golden shade.
"Time to go", she says.
"Time to wake up Gina, see you soon", I whisper and she disappears, "hopefully".
AN/: This one is a little shorter than the others but I hope to make it up for it in the next one.