"Why?"
The world tumbled around in the blondes mind.
She slowly lifted her head, looking out at the way the town started lighting up when the sun finally set.
"Because," she licked her lips and swallowed her nerves. "Because, I love you. I'm in love with you."
Regina stared at Kathryn like she was expecting the blonde to say she was joking, or she was waiting to wake up.
"R-Regina, please say something," Kathryn whispered, but it was still loud enough that the brunette heard her.
Regina blinked, bringing herself out of her silence as she cleared her throat.
"Why?"
"Why what?" Kathryn asked confused.
"Why me? Why do you love me?"
"There's so many reasons. Mostly, you make me feel alive. You understand me, you keep me sane… You make my heart skip, and it hurts so much when I can't be with you. When we're at school, it hurts being in a different room. When we're apart, I feel like all the airs being sucked out of my lungs."
Regina set her drink down behind her so it leaned against the windscreen of the car, she then turned back to Kathryn and slid off the hood, moving to stand right between the blondes legs.
"Put your drink down," Regina said, waiting for Kathryn to do as asked.
When Kathryn turned to look back at Regina, the brunette cupped the back of her neck and pulled her in hesitantly, their lips meeting which caused Regina to feel like all weight had been dragged from her body as her heart kick-started and stuttered.
As they pulled back, Kathryn locked her legs around Regina's waist to stop her from going too far, while Regina kept one hand on the blondes neck, the other gripping and bunching within the shirt Kathryn was wearing.
"I-I think," Regina licked her lips, her eyes dragging up to meet kat's. "I think, I love you too. Lately, I've been finding it harder to be away from you as well. I've been finding it harder to resist you when I see you topless or naked."
"Would you, maybe, possibly…" Kat took a deep breath to steady herself, and Regina just stroked her thumb along the back of her neck, letting her know to take as much time as she needed.
"It's okay," Regina said softly. "Speak in your own time."
Kat nodded and looked into the brunettes eyes, the way they searched her own face, the way the moonlight caught them and caused a sparkle within them.
"Would you like to try … dating me? Being my girlfriend? If you don't like it, we can stop, I won't mind… I mean, I'll be okay, you don't have to worry if you don't like it, I'll still stay your friend, or fuck buddy or whatever you need me to be… Even if you want me out of your life, i'll leave."
"Kathryn Abigail Nolan, I will never want you out of my life," Regina said, bringing her other hand up to rest behind the blonde neck as well. "I would love to be your girlfriend, Kat."
Kat couldn't help the smile that grew and hurt her cheeks, it seemed to match Regina's own as they leaned in, kissing again to make the moment complete.
— — — — — — — —
Regina kept her fingers threaded through Kat's the entire drive home, even when they stopped at the store to pick up more coffee and a few tubs of ice cream.
They walked around, keeping their hands joined.
Regina pushed the cart with her free hand while Kat would grab things they wanted.
They only let their hands drop when they needed to carry the bags to the car and to get in.
By the time they got home, most of the house was dark except the living room.
They carried all the bags straight through to the kitchen after taking their shoes off at the front door and put everything away minus a coffee each and a tub of ice cream.
Kat grabbed two spoons and from the drawer while Regina carried the ice cream and a coffee, Kat grabbing the other coffee, they made their way into the den to snuggle on the couch and watch a movie.
As Regina loaded up Netflix on the xbox, Kat grabbed the coffee table and pulled it closer to the couch so they could have their drinks and the ice cream close.
"I'm just going to change into my PJ's and pee," Regina said, handing Kat the controller. "Choose something?"
"I might come change too," Kat said, smiling as she slipped her hand into Regina's, heading up the stairs with her.
"Girls, you're home," Cora said from the bottom of the stairs.
"Yeah, just got here. We're just going to change before we come down and watch a movie," Regina said, stopping at the top and turning to face her mother, a firm grip on Kat's hand to keep her close.
"Everything okay?" Henry asked as he slowly climbed the stairs, meeting them at the tip.
"All's good, daddy," Regina grinned, kissing his cheek.
"Good," Cora said as Regina pushed her bedroom door open. "Oh, Regina. I have some news."
Regina stopped and looked at her mother, raising an eyebrow.
"Zelena is coming to visit for a week, she's taking some time away from college for break."
Regina froze and chewed her lip.
She had never really gotten along with her half-sister, as much as she tried to, Zelena really wanted nothing to do with her.
"Really? Why isn't she spending time with her father, I'm sure he'd like to see her," Regina said.
"He's off with his new wife and child," Henry said. "She's practically Zelena's age."
Regina scrunched her nose in disgust and nodded. "So, should I make sure that I'm at Kat's place that week?"
"Hopefully your room outside will be done by then, she's coming for the last week of the break."
Regina nodded and sighed, stepping into her room after bidding goodnight to her parents. "If it's not, I might just put a tent up out there so I don't have to be around her," she said, looking at Kathryn.
"Please, we could totally just stay in here and have really loud sex," Kat said, causing Regina to laugh loudly.
"Tempting, oh so tempting…" Regina smiled, pressing a kiss to Kat's lips before nudging her playfully. "Get dressed, I really need to use the bathroom.
"God, you've been peeing so much lately," Kat laughed. "You've been drinking way too much water."
"Gotta keep hydrated so I can fuck you senseless," Regina said with a shrug before pushing the bathroom door shut behind her.
Kat smiled, feeling her stomach flutter as her brain clicked, reminding herself that Regina was now her girlfriend.
Changing quickly into boxers and a sports bra, Kat threw her dirty clothes into the hamper before standing at the small vanity mirror and san her hands through her hair a few times so she could tie it up.
"Imma wait for you downstairs," Kat said, and heard Regina agree before she made her way downstairs.
— — — — — — — —
As luck would have it for Regina, her outdoor area wasn't finished when Zelena turned up two weeks later.
But, Kathryn stuck to her promise, and as soon as Cora and Henry had gone to work, they had very loud sex, in Regina's room, in the den, even out by the pool seeing at the workmen were off for the day.
When Regina came downstairs to get some waters for her ant Kat, she smirked as she saw Zelena in the kitchen preparing her lunch.
"Zelena," Regina said nodding in her direction.
"Regina, coming up for air I see," Zelena said as she glanced up from making her sandwich.
"Well, what can I say… When you have a girlfriend as hot as I do, you'd want to spend as much time with her as possible."
"Hmm… Sounds like the girl I ran into at the Diner yesterday when I was getting lunch on my way to the house. Had sex in the back lot," Zelena said, making Regina freeze and look up at her half-sister.
"You're gay?"
"I have no label, as long as they're good at sex," Zelena smirked.
Regina laughed and nodded.
"Hey, when I left for college… I was an ass to you," Zelena said. "I'm sorry."
Regina blinked and tilted her head. "What?"
"I said, I'm-"
"No, I heard you… But why are you sorry?"
"Because, I wasn't exactly the best sister I could be. Back then, I was very," Zelena paused, trying to find the right word. "I was eighteen, Regina, I saw the way you looked up to me, but the thing is, I was high… All the fucking time. I didn't want you to think that that was who you needed to be, I was always out getting drunk, and god, whatever hit I could get was it for me," Zelena said and Regina's eyes widened.
"You were?" She asked softly.
"You didn't know?"
"No, I never knew. I just… I always thought you were focussed on studying and trying to get as far from here as possible," Regina said.
"No, I started college a year late because mum forced me into Rehab. That's why I never spoke to you for a year. I wasn't ignoring you."
"Mum knew?"
"Henry too," Zelena said. "My dad too, funnily enough, his new wife was actually in rehab, he came to visit me one day and met her."
Regina scrunched her face up, shaking her head, holding a hand up. "God, why didn't you tell me?"
"I always thought you refused to bring it up to spare me the embarrassment," Zelena said as she looked towards the doorway. "Hey Kat," Zelena said, making Regina turn her head and look at her girlfriend.
Kathryn threw her a hesitant smile and nod as she slipped her arms around Regina's waist from behind. "Babe, the beds cold," Kat said with a light whine in her tone.
"Sorry, babe. I got talking to Zelena," Regina said and looked towards her sister once more. "We're planning to watch a movie, do you maybe want to join us?"
"I was going to go meet up with that chick from yesterday again, maybe we can talk tonight?" Zelena offered as she took a bite of her sandwich.
Regina nodded and smiled. "Yeah, tonight sounds good."
Zelena looked at them both, smiling. "You're cute together, glad you finally got together, actually. All those years I thought you were just hiding your relationship from mum and Henry."
"No, she knew the moment we had sex for the first time, I swear she was fucking proud or something, cause she kept looking at me, like she knew something was up…" Regina shook her head.
Kat cleared her throat as she grabbed one of the waters Regina was holding and took a long drink, thankful that Cora never told Regina that Kat had told her about their first time together.
"Anyway," Zelena said, looking at the two of them. "Have fun, don't forget to come up for air every once in a while." The redhead smirked and made her way out of the kitchen.
Regina turned to face Kathryn fully, running her hand down her girlfriends front lightly before hooking her fingers in the hem of the blonde boxers. "Movies in bed?"
"Sounds like a plan, babe. Want me to make you something to eat, though? You didn't have breakfast this morning."
Regina shrugged and grabbed a bag of baby carrots from the fridge along with a jar of peanut butter before heading upstairs, her water bottle hooked in the crook of her arm.
"Waiting on you, Kat," Regina said from the top of the stairs, already stripping her robe off and tossing it beside her bed as she waited for Kathryn.
— — — — — — — —
By the time the movie finished, Kat was feeling like she had pent up energy.
She looked to Regina who was staring at the credits rolling on the screen of her laptop and poked her in the side.
Yelping with a laugh, Regina moved away slightly as the blonde went to do it again.
Kathryn moved the laptop to the bedside table, pouncing onto Regina, assaulting her sides in various places with tickles, causing the brunette to laugh loudly and squirm beneath her girlfriend.
"Kat," Regina panted, laughing as she tried to grab the blondes hands. "Stop, please!"
"Since you said please," Kat said, smiling as she stayed straddling Regina's waist, her hands planted firmly by Regina's shoulders.
"I love you," Regina said softly, looking up into Kathryn's eyes, her hands slipping to the blondes hips to keep her close.
"I love you too, Regina."
Kathryn leaned down, pressing light kisses all over Regina's face, causing the brunette to laugh softly and try to meet the blondes lips.
The sound of the doorbell made both women groan as they pulled from the kiss.
Maybe they'll go away," Kat said hopefully.
"It could be one of the contractors," Regina said as the chime of the bell rang through the house again.
Sliding off Regina's lap, Kathryn reached for her water whilst Regina moved to pull her robe on.
"Back in a sec, babe," Regina said before making her way downstairs.
— — — — — — — —
Kathryn got bored of waiting, throwing a shirt on over her sports-bra, she made her way downstairs to find out where her girlfriend had gone.
"Ri?"
"Sorry, one second," Regina said to someone as Kat saw her come through the back door. "Sorry, honey. Was looking at paint samples. Want to help?"
Kathryn, nodding, moved to stand beside Regina and look at the different shades of red that was on the swatch wheel.
"I like that one," Regina said, pointing to one. "But I also like this one." She pointed to one a few sheets behind the first one and showed them to the blonde.
"Ruby Red, or Candy Apple?" Kathryn looked at the two before shrugging. "I have no idea."
"If you want my opinion, miss," the worker said hesitantly. "The Candy Apple has more of a shine, so any source of light hitting it, it'll give it slight a sparkle."
Kathryn nodded, finding her mind made up, "Ri?"
"Yeah, I like it. That's definitely the one," Regina said, slipping her hand into Kathryns.
"Would you like to come look the progress? We've followed your plans as best as we could, but just in case?"
"How about, if I don't like the finished product, I'll hire your crew to come back and fix it?"
The man nodded and cleared his throat before pulling his tablet out of a large pocket in his tool belt.
"We're just waiting on the bench tops that should be here tomorrow, but-" he swiped his screen before turning to show Regina the image. "These were the ones, right? Just double checking."
Regina covered the side of the screen to get the sun's glare off it before nodding. "Yeah, the ash one."
"Great. I'll let you know as soon as we're finished with everything," the worker said before smiling at the couple and he headed back over to the other workers who were having a small lunch break. "She picked a colour, I'll run out and order it, who needs me to pick anything up?"
Regina looked down at her watch and her eyes widened as she saw the small temperature marker in the corner of it.
"Fuck, it's a hundred and ten degrees, the AC isn't installed yet in there, they'd be roasting."
"What're you going to do about it?" Kat asked and Regina smiled.
"Go grab my phone?" Kathryn let her hand fall free from Regina's and made her way upstairs as Regina moved across the lawn to where everyone was trying to huddle in the shade.
"Alright, I have an option for everyone right now," Regina said, gaining all the worker's attentions.
"It is fucking hot, one-ten, and barely at the hottest of the day according to the weather report i saw this morning. So, for those who would like to cool down, you can jump in the pool. For those who don't want to get wet, I'll go get the annex from the garden shed so you have more shade until the guy comes next week to make the over-head shade for this area. There is a rule to this," she said when she saw a few workers getting excited.
"What's the rule?" A few asked at the same time.
"You can go back to work after this if you so wish to, but, it's three in the afternoon, I suggest you just cool down and relax and pick up your shift tomorrow. You'll still get paid for today's work, don't worry. I'll make sure it's a full pay for the day also."
The workers cheered and high-fives each other, thanking Regina in chorus.
"Babe, here's your phone," Kat said, stepping beside Regina.
"I've just gotta make a quick call, but, have fun everyone."
With that, Regina made a call as she headed inside, hearing everyone compliment Kat on her being with Regina.
— — — — — — — —
Kathryn had helped a few men set up the annex to keep the area shaded for those who didn't want to get in the water, and by the time Regina came back outside, she was in a swimsuit and had an over-sized t-shirt to keep as much of her body covered from the harsh sun as possible.
"What was the call for?" Kat asked as Regina moved to sit on her lap beneath the shade.
"You'll see," Regina said, smiling as she kissed Kathryn. "In about twenty minutes."
AN: PLEASE, review... it makes me want to continue writing.