Chapter 8
I sit in front of Regina in the car while she talks enthusiastically to her family about the promotional tour, the movie, and whatnot and all I can do is stare at her like she is a hologram again that will suddenly disappear. I'm just making sure I don't miss the moment when she does disappear, but she never does, she is just there so close and so far at the same time and she smiles at me when she glances my way and I smile in response because I can't help it, seeing her so happy makes me happy too.
"Enough of me", Regina lets out, "I haven't seen you in forever Robin what's going on with you? Is that girl Alice from school still your crush, or have you made a move yet?", She asks Robin but I catch her looking at me from the corner of her eye as she does so.
"She made the move first", Robin confesses with a bright smile, "she gave me this and we are dating now", she shows Regina the necklace she's wearing "it's an anatomic heart".
"I can see that baby girl, it's beautiful I'm so happy for you, why didn't you tell me sooner?", Regina asks the teenager and from her voice, I can see they are really close and she is trying not to sound hurt by the girl's decision to keep it quiet until now.
"Oh auntie, I tried reaching out, but this week you were impossible to get a hold of, you were either in interviews all day or in wonderland when I called", Robin explains to the brunette, "I tried your manager even but she told me you let Explicit orders to never bother you when you were in Wonderland, I totally understand why though, she's gorgeous. Well-done auntie Reggie!", the girl says, referring to me and my cheeks flush a soft shade of pink.
"Oh baby, I'm so sorry, she should know by now that you are an exception to any order I give, but you are right about something Robin, this one is absolutely gorgeous, I did pretty well if I say so myself", the brunette says, looking at me from head to toe and again I feel the need to pull my dress further down my legs, Regina's tongue flicks over her bottom lip for a fleeting moment and her eyes linger longer than they should on that edge of my dress that I'm so desperately wanting to pull down.
"This one is sitting right here, hearing you talking about her like she's not even present", I complain, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Oh, but you are so very present Blondie, that's what makes this conversation much more interesting, seeing your flustered face in person, that's priceless", Regina winks at me and her laughter fills the car.
She looks beautiful, so carefree. As I think of how lucky I am just for having met her at all, it suddenly hits me that I must look like a flustered little kid from her perspective, since I have been the entire trip from the airport practically in shock, quietly staring at her like my life depended on that and I decide to change that. I'm gonna keep it together from now on.
"Seeing your pretty face in person, that's what is priceless", I reply and she smiles tenderly in my direction.
"Oh, get a room already", Zelena tells us, putting down her phone after being texting for the entire trip, Regina darts daggers at her with her eyes, "Sorry sis, but I mean quite literally get a room," She continues, pointing out the window, "that's your hotel out there, we gotta dash now, I have urgent business to attend at the office, I'm afraid", she shrugs and Regina nods her head understanding.
"I hadn't noticed we arrived, thanks for the ride Sis, and see you two later", Regina blows a kiss to Robin and waves at her sister right before she pushes the door open and steps out. I'm petrified in my seat. So much for keeping it together from now on. I notice that I hadn't thought of our destination even once since we left the airport, sure I wanted to pick Regina up from the airport when she arrived from Seattle, surprise her even, but never thought about what came after that, what a moron, "In case it isn't obvious, you are coming with me, move along blondie," Regina says, peeping her head into the car when she notices I'm not following her.
"Don't make a scene Regina, nobody knows in what hotel you are staying, but it only takes one mistake from you two, to force me to be all afternoon trying to clear the entire New York press from the hotel lobby", Zelena warns the brunette.
"I swear", Regina promises, pulling me out of the car by my hand.
"Good luck", Robin wishes me when I turn around to say goodbye.
"You need it", Zelena laughs.
...
The elevator ride to the room is weird and full of tension, Regina holds my hand, my very sweaty hand I must admit, but she doesn't seem to mind at all because she hasn't let go since we hopped into the elevator, the bellhop stands on the other side of the luggage cart looking straight forward and I feel the tension building up with every floor we leave behind. All of Regina's sideways looks and her lopsided smile every time she catches me staring at her only make that tiny voice in the back of my head get louder and louder.
Kiss her, godammit Emma, kiss her now.
We might not be alone but when you are with a woman like Regina Mills beside you, your priorities change and all the prying eyes around you suddenly don't matter anymore. Besides, being seen kissing by the bellhop hardly counts as making a scene, doesn't it? While I follow that line of thoughts the doors open and the bellhop walks out of the elevator pushing the cart in front of him.
"What is it about elevators that make you feel so horny?" Regina says in my ear, her volume low enough for the bellhop to miss it and then she intends to walk out of the elevator after the young man who is showing us the way to the room, but I stop her pulling her by the hand that I'm still holding and I trap her between my body and the elevator keypad, "Emma!", she exclaims surprised, trying not to hit any of the buttons of the keypad with her back. I don't give her much time to check on that though, instead, I kiss her hungrily, my hand stopping the doors from closing for the short delightful moment that I take to enjoy the taste of Regina's lips.
We are out of the bellhop's immediate eyesight but I know he knows what we are doing back here. I can see that in his evasive look when we finally get out of the elevator. He walks us to the room and Regina tips him before he goes and then there is total silence in the room when the door closes.
I take a moment to take in the place. Only the room is bigger than my apartment, or at least it appears to be bigger, maybe it is because of the great illumination and big windows, there is a king-sized bed in the middle of the room, two armchairs and a coffee table near the biggest window, a desk in the corner and two closed doors that the bellhop boy indicated were the bathroom and the wardrobe respectively. After I finish my inspection of the room I look at Regina, she is looking at me through her long eyelashes.
"Do you like the room?", she asks and I nod my head.
"Very fancy and comfortable", I let out and she laughs, probably because this is not even close to the luxurious lifestyle she's accustomed to having.
"It's cozy, I give you that", she says, dragging her luggage to what the bellhop indicated was the wardrobe.
"Let me help you", I jump into action and grab the biggest of her suitcases, she continues carrying the hand luggage and what seems to be an absurdly large make-up case.
The moment I walk into the reduced space of the wardrobe with the brunette at my back I regret it. I feel like a bunny walking into a death trap at will, with a wolf close on its heels. Or maybe a young woman walking into a blind alley after hours knowing a suspicious man walks close behind her back.
Regina bushes my back with her body when she decides she needs to get something out from the suitcase I was carrying for her. The touch feels almost sinful and I'm certain that she's doing it on purpose since the place is reduced but big enough for two people to coexist in there without touching in such a personal manner. When the brunette finishes extracting whatever it is she needed from the suitcase she grabs my hand and pulls me out of the wardrobe.
"Emma I'm super glad you came to see me with Zelena and Robin, that was a huge surprise, now I know we have like a million things to discuss, but and don't get me wrong I really want to take a nap", she explains apologetically.
"Napping is good", I tell her and I can't help but think that I sound like a moron, "I read once that taking a nap is the perfect idea for a date to bond with your partner, not that we are partners or anything and not that I'm assuming that you are inviting me to take a nap with you, it is just a fact that I read somewhere", I babble defensively.
"Oh, but I was indeed inviting you to take a nap with me, let's make it official and call it our first real date", she smiles, handing me a pile of clothes, "now, your dress is stunning and I would love to take it off of you later today but it looks really uncomfortable for a nap".
"You could take it off of me right now", I offer her, inspecting the joggers and tank top Regina handed me. Her perfectly shaped eyebrow quirks up.
"Hmm—, I could do that, or you could take it off yourself as a special treat for me", she purrs, plopping herself on the bed, waiting to see some kind of spectacle and I decide that I'm going to give her one.
I secretly thank Ruby for convincing me of going braless under the dress when I let the red fabric slide off my shoulders and stand topless and in only my underwear in front of a flustered brunette. The nudity display lasts as long as it takes me grabbing the brunette's tank top and pulling it over my head to cover my torso, but Regina's reddish cheeks are worth every second of it. She was certainly not expecting that the shy blonde girl that had barely directed a few words to her all day would carefreely get naked in front of her. My underwear could perfectly be deemed inexistent, another of Ruby's great ideas, but I still completely discard the joggers Regina gave me on the floor and jump in bed crawling my way into the covers giving the brunette the perfect view of my not at all covered rear area.
"I apologize but I really don't like wearing pants to sleep", I say in the most innocent tone that I can manage, this was not strictly a lie, but I merely used it as an excuse because I wanted to make her feel even more flustered.
"How am I supposed to sleep after that?", She complains, standing up from the bed and all I see in her face is hunger.
"Very comfortably in my arms", I respond still faking my innocent tone, "you shouldn't be surprised if I tell you that I only slept three hours last night so I do need this promised nap".
"I would argue with you and win, believe me, but I'm also fucking exhausted", Regina tells me and starts taking her denim pants off, she replaces them with a pair of steel-gray silk pajama pants, and then off come her jacket, blouse and bra, I smile when she takes a while longer than needed to put on the silk shirt matching her pajama bottoms, "my eyes are up here, Emma", Regina mockingly scolds me for staring.
"So were mine and I didn't see you looking at them when I was topless a moment ago", I reply, shamelessly looking at her naked perfection, until she finishes buttoning her silk shirt and I finally lift my gaze to meet her eyes, "you were saying?"
"You are a pain in my ass, that's what I was saying", she responds, jumping in bed beside me.
"Promises promises", I repeat that phrase that she uses so very often with me and she laughs.
"Shut your trap, Blondie!", she lets out in hiss and pushes her index finger against my lips. I smile, stick my tongue slightly out through my lips and lick her finger, like she did the very first night we spent together in wonderland, "stop it, I'm trying so hard to go to sleep even when I finally have you in a real bed, all to myself and wearing near to nothing. Can't you see I'm suffering?", she begs, pulling her hand away from my mouth, I shrug trying to look innocent.
"Poor Regina Mills, all tired with a hot blonde half-naked in her bed", I scoff, poking fun at her, "I know you are exhausted and I will let you sleep because if looks could kill, Madam Mills, I would be dead already. But it is funny, you know? You are always, language this and language that, Miss Swan, but today you have cursed like three times, you must be dying", I mockingly touch her forehead with the back of my hand to see if she has a fever.
"I am nearly dead", Regina replies, poking her bottom lip out in a pout.
"Then I must save you", I say dutifully, wrapping my arm around her to bring her close to my body, she melts beside me as if our bodies were perfectly shaped for each other and she falls fast asleep in my arms.