Emma's stomach growled like an angry lion being whipped in front of a circus as she smelled pancakes frying in a buttery pan. Loud sizzling and popping sounds told her ears they were nearly done. She couldn't recall the last time she had a homemade meal, or pancakes for that matter.
Maybe it was sometime four years ago? She recalled eating a microwavable pancake for breakfast at her foster parents house. It tasted like rubber, probably because she overcooked it making the breaded part hard. Nor did they smell nearly as divine as these.
There was one thing Emma failed at, cooking. No one ever took the time to teach her. Fortunately now she can operate a microwave, toaster, and toaster oven. She practically lived on boxed frozen food, which, probably explains why her nails suck, you know, lack of nutrition and all.
Regina stood over the stove flipping the last pancake, causing a homey smell to waft through the air, tantalizing Emma's nostrils. She sat watching the brunette hard at work and pictured mouthwatering tan, fluffy, warm goodness. She imagined just how they would melt into her mouth, such sweet buttery sinfulness.
Emma hummed in appreciation as she could almost taste how delicious they were going to be.
Regina stacked a few of the fluffy pancakes on two plates and walked to where Emma sat. She slid the steamy treat in front of her.
"I hope you like apples and cinnamon, I think the cinnamon adds a bit of a kick to it." She said as she took her own seat next to her. She smiled in anticipation, almost knowingly, that Emma would love her signature breakfast dish.
Emma salivated as she looked down at her plate. Her eyes were almost cartoon like as they mirrored the pancakes. Grabbing the maple syrup, she lathered each buttery layer with the sticky amber brown molasses.
Without pausing to say grace, Emma shoved a forkful into her mouth. The sugary sweetness from the syrup mixed with the cinnamon apple flavor, tasted like pure bliss. She moaned as her tongue's taste buds exploded from the amazing flavor.
"Are you having a foodgasm?" Regina chuckled as she watched the blonde scarf down her food.
"This is possibly the best food I've ever had, Regina. Where did you learn to cook like this?"
Regina loved to cook, it was a hobby for a long time. She loved experimenting and having others taste whatever she came up with. However, in recent years, she never had an opportunity to cook for others as much as she used to. Making breakfast for Emma was a delight.
"My father taught me, actually." Regina smiled in memory of her father, he was once her best friend.
She cleared her throat and continued, "He actually taught me a lot of ethnic recipes initially, but I yearned to learn more so I went to culinary camps as a kid."
"Ethnic? Aren't you just a normal mixed European like the rest of us Americans?" Emma playfully joked as she shoved more of the fluffy bites into her mouth. It wasn't like Emma even knew her own heritage. She could safely assume she was most likely western European.
"No, actually, I'm not." Regina informed the blonde. "I'm actually half hispanic and half Italian. My mom is Italian. So as you can imagine, I love to cook pasta dishes as well."
Regina spoke about her cooking some more and before Emma knew it, all that remained on her plate were just a few droplets of syrup.
"I can't tell you enough how much I loved that." Emma graciously told her new girlfriend.
"Well I suppose it was good for absorbing all of that alcohol you had yesterday." The brunette reasoned.
Scarlet leaked into Emma's cheeks as she nervously looked away. She couldn't hide the red glow and the obvious embarrassment.
"I'm not sorry for coming over and talking to you, but I'm sorry for how drunk I still was when I first arrived. Thank you for giving me coffee and not letting things escalate too far. I really do like you and I think taking things at a slower pace, given our circumstances, is what's best for us, if we want this to last." Emma spoke honestly to the other woman.
Regina dabbed her white napkin at the corner of her lips and sighed, "I'm not sorry for you coming over either. Please understand that I care for you and I don't want you being in that same state of mind again. You never know what could happen and I wouldn't want something to happen to you."
Regina reached across the table and clasped her hand around that of the blondes.
"I think we have a good thing going here if we stick to our plan. You just have a few months left of school and afterwards, we can let other aspects of our relationship unfold." Regina squeezed Emma's hand to further reassure her.
Emma stood and leaned over the older woman. She kissed her cheek and grabbed her plate. "Let me do these dishes. Thank you for cooking for me. No one has ever done that before."
Regina watched as Emma stood with her back to her over the kitchen sink, washing pans and plates. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and she stood wearing Regina's Harvard tee-shirt tucked into her skinny jeans. She'd worn that shirt many times before back in the day. Regina loved being able to walk around Cambridge representing her school. It was a very typical college student thing to do.
Scrubbing the pans, Emma daydreamed about her girlfriend, who was an angel sent from heaven in the kitchen. She would gladly wash dinner plates for the rest of her life is she continued to eat like that. Emma nearly lost her mind while watching the other woman flip pancakes dressed down in casual clothing.
It was a shame she couldn't have her for breakfast. That would have been even better, she thought to herself.
Regina was dressed in black skinny jeans and a nice blouse, but more importantly she was wearing jeans. Emma practically drooled when she realized earlier how casual the brunette was.
Rinsing off the pan, she set it aside on the drying rack and turned to Regina. "So what are your plans for today?" There was no way she was opting to stay in the house all day with her looking like that. That would be a definite way to screw up their plan of waiting.
Regina looked up from daydreaming, "Well…" She sighed, "Normally, Saturdays I drive up to the barn to care for my horse."
Emma's mouth dropped, "No way you own a horse?" Who was this woman? She was gorgeous, smart, caring, wealthy. She literally was the perfect girlfriend, despite that she was her teacher and all.
Regina nodded, "Yeah, I do. I've had him for a long time now. I used to play on Harvard's Polo club team."
"Wait, you mean you basically played croquet while riding a horse."
"I guess if you want to put it like that."
Emma started laughing, "I'm sorry, I just can't imagine you doing that. That's rather dorky. I mean hot…" Emma fumbled with her words, "What I meant was, that's great, did you win a lot?" Her face was the color pink as she tried to hold back more laughter.
Regina was trying to not laugh too, "We were undefeated and I was the team captain."
"Of course you were." Emma closed the distance between them from the kitchen to the dining area. "I've never even been on a horse before. They're scary." She spoke honestly to the woman a few feet away from her.
"No, they're just gentle giants. Why don't you come with me to the barn? I need to clean up Rocinante."
"Uhm… I… I really don't know Regina. I'm really afraid of horses. I've never been around one and I have some homework and chores I need to do this weekend." Emma said nervously trying to back out of going. She really was afraid of horses. She didn't understand how so many people loved them. They were big, hurt people, and she plus, she didn't lie, she had a lot of homework for her calculus class.
"It's Saturday, you can study later tonight and tomorrow. Besides, my horse wouldn't hurt a soul, especially once he sees you with me. He's very perceptive."
She bit her lip hoping that she convinced her.
Emma didn't want to let Regina down, but she really needed to be home doing her chores and homework. Lily was the biggest turd bucket when she didn't do them on time. She was the biggest brat, always selling her out. She's even surprised that she's lasted this long at her foster house given her foster sisters insistent need to tattle on her.
Despite everything she should be doing, Emma thought about how she really didn't want to be separated from Regina. Not now at least. They just agreed they were going to date and that was huge. Chores could wait and homework could technically be done tomorrow.
"Okay, but you'll be there to hold my hand, right?" Emma asked innocently as she batted her eyelashes at the other woman.
"I'd do more if I could." She said as she closed the distance between them and cupped the younger woman's cheek. "I'll make sure you're okay, promise." Regina leaned in and sealed her promise with a quick, but tender kiss to Emma's pale chapped lips.
The two pulled away. Emma's eyes were still locked on perfectly sculpted lips. She moved forward again, kissing them. She was never going to get over kissing the other woman. "How far's the drive?" Emma asked, still a little hypnotized by Regina's lips.
Emma was picking at her nails as she grew increasingly nervous as they approached the dirt road, covered in snow, to the stables.
She was trying her best to not think too hard about the 'what ifs,' but she was genuinely terrified. She really liked to assess the likelihood of her getting hurt. Horses were huge and she never was exposed to them.
"Re..Regina.. Have you ever gotten hurt before?" Emma asked in a low voice. She was so afraid of getting hurt that she started feeling nauseous. Maybe that was because she was slightly hungover still?
"I have, but years ago." She told her girlfriend honestly. She wasn't going to hide the truth. If she asked, she'd be honest with her no matter the circumstances. People do get hurt when riding horses.
"What happened?" Emma curiously asked.
"Lots of stuff back in the day. Broken bones, concussions, bruises, cuts. You name it, it happened. Being thrown from a horse is pretty painful. Even dismounting wrong can lead to a broken bone."
She paused. She knew Emma was nervous. Maybe telling her all the bad things wasn't the best idea.
"That was before I got my current horse though." Regina made a point to clarify. "I was just a little kid then and didn't have the proper respect that I have now."
"Jesus woman, that's insane, I'm surprised you still like horses."
"I've had my fair share of injuries." Regina sighed as she parked the car.
"Me too." Emma said, "But not horse related, obviously." She started to feel awkward.
Regina wasn't going to push Emma. It wasn't the time or place. She knew that whenever Emma was ready she'd share more of her past with her. The same would be said for her too.
Jumping out of the car, Regina led the blonde to the stables. "So other horses are housed here too. I pay a fee for Rocinante to stay here. They have a staff that regularly care for him. I come on the weekend as much as I can to take care of him myself."
"When'd you get him?" Emma quickly followed Regina into the the double doors.
"My dad got him as my eighth birthday present. He's fifteen now. He's got a lot of life still left in him though. He's my favorite horse I've ever owned. I got hurt really bad right before I got him. Not once have I been injured with him. He's sort of my good luck charm." Regina opened the latch to one of the stalls. "Stay there for a second." She closed the latch behind her.
Emma heard the horse nicker quietly. Regina's comforting voice was just an octave higher than a whisper, "I've missed you too! I brought a very special visitor with me today for you to meet."
Emma peeked in and saw Regina petting her horse and kissing his long nose. He was huge compared to the other woman, but at the same time, he was very gentle and caring with her. Emma watched as he rubbed his white nose against her cheek affectionately.
"Such a good boy." Regina said sweetly. She was radiant as she slowly stroked his mane completely lost in the moment with her longtime friend. His caramel brown body was a direct contrast to Regina's dark ebony hair.
"Horses are very intelligent creatures, Emma. They can sense your energy and can tell based off your body language what you are feeling." Regina said aloud as she continued to stroke his long and strong body.
"Over there in that bucket are some grooming tools. The bucket next to it are some of his favorite treats. Grab those and bring them to me." Regina directed with her finger from inside the stall.
Emma walked across the barn floor and picked up each of the things Regina asked for. She began to hand them over the top of the door when Regina pushed the stall door open.
Emma took a step back and questioned if she felt safe enough to go in there.
"Do you trust me?" Regina looked into fearful eyes.
Emma looked at her and gulped. Regina kept testing her boundaries. But the truth was, she really did trust her. She'd never given her any reason to not. "I trust you." She confirmed.
Taking a few confident steps forward, she stepped into the stall next to Regina. Her heart was racing and pounding so hard beneath her chest. Her palms were sweating causing the metal handles to the buckets start to slip.
"Okay, set those right here." She motioned next to her on the hay covered ground.
Setting the buckets off to the side, Emma wiped her hands clean against her jeans. Looking at her girlfriend, she took two deep breaths trying to steady her breathing.
"Give me your hand." She reached out and grabbed Emma's hand, who jumped at the sudden contact. Slowly, she placed Emma's hand on Rocinante's nose. Feeling how fast her pulse was beating, Regina took her time and slowly moved Emma's hand up and down the furry nose, not letting go of her.
The horse started blowing out gently from his nose with his mouth shut. Emma jumped as she felt a flutter vibrate beneath her hand from his nose sounding like a snort.
Regina felt his body tense for the first few seconds until he relaxed. Emma's nerves made Rocinante nervous too, up until Emma relaxed from the comfort of Regina's hand. The horse moved forward and nuzzled into Emma's golden hair. The blonde took a few seconds before she finally realized she really was okay.
"He's really soft." Emma commented as she petted his long muzzle.
Regina removed her hand from on top of Emma's and stood back and watched as the two bonded with one another. She wished she could take a picture of this moment. Turning to the side, Regina picked up two of the brushes. "One of the best ways to build a connection with a horse is by caring for it. Every weekend I come and brush him, if I can, I also ride him, and feed him."
Emma took the brown bristly brush from Regina and mirrored her actions, brushing his fur away from his head. "Are you going to ride him?"
Regina didn't have any intentions on riding him today. With Emma there, it would be awkward if she just left her to hang out in the barn for a while. Emma wasn't experienced enough to ride just yet, maybe after a few times of them coming by and taking care of Rocinante. The two needed to build a connection first, which she was sure wouldn't take long.
"Not today, I want you both to build a friendship and then maybe we can ride together next time you visit with me?"
"That would be a lot of fun. Thanks for bringing me." Emma continued brushing the horses fur, really admiring his muscles and how strong he was. He was beautiful.
It was funny how just an hour prior she was afraid of horses. Regina really took her out of her comfort zone a little, but did so in a very comforting way. She was there the entire time and she really made Emma feel safe, she trusted her.
That night, Emma slipped in the front door of her house, trying her best to be quiet. She knew her foster sister was pissed off because she didn't do all of her chores for the day. It didn't take a genius to know that already.
"Where were you?" A voice from the dark room caused Emma to jump.
Turning on the lamp, Lily sat at a chair by the window.
"Wow, way to be extra creepy, Lily." Emma annoyingly snapped.
She should have expected the fifth degree.
"Look, it's not fair you get to leave all day and night and do everything you want. I was stuck here all day doing your bullshit chores. You can forget me doing anything tomorrow." Lily complained loudly.
"First, I'm way older than you are. I do my chores, and I don't even know why you did them in the first place. Stop trying to be the goody two shoes in hopes that you're going to get adopted by Ms. Tremaine. She's a nut job and doesn't even care about you." Emma yelled back.
"Fine, then I won't do your chores again, but don't think that I won't figure out what you're up to. Besides, I'm not as dumb as you think, nor am I blind. I can totally see that hickey on your neck. I know you're screwing Graham and I'm going to prove it."
Emma couldn't help but bust out laughing at Lily. She was way off. There was no way she was going to figure anything out. She wouldn't allow it.
"I already told you. I'm not dating Graham."
"You don't have to date someone to screw them, I wasn't born yesterday." She snapped.
Emma turned and started to head to their room. "Whatever you think, it's wrong. Accept it Lily."
Emma knew she was going to have to be extra careful with managing her time and making sure that she didn't keep Lily angry. She was the kind of girl who would go out of her way to dredge up the truth to hurt Emma. Better safe than sorry.
She paused on the stairs and told her sister, "Look, to make things fair, I'll do your chores tomorrow. Do we have a deal?"
"Fine, but this doesn't mean I won't find out what you're up to."
"Of course not. How could I expect you not to." Emma sarcastically threw back.
The two went up to their room.
Being forced to share everything only pushed the girls to hating one another more. It was in that moment that she really appreciated her day. She started missing the other woman instantly after stepping out of her car, but she missed her even more now.
She whipped out her cell phone and shot a text to Regina.
I just wanted to thank you for today, I'm really not used to any of this. You're great, Regina. Despite me being embarrassed out of my mind for last night and this morning, you truly made the day a special one. I can't wait to see you come Monday morning.
Emma slid her phone under her pillow, out of sight, and opened her calculus book to the back of the chapter to review the assigned math problems for her test. Only two hundred problems, no big deal, they were all the same after a while. It really was just repetition.
She worked her way down through each problem, making notes, and copying key points down. Her notebook was filled with so many notes and she felt exhausted. She wished that she had toothpicks to prop her eyelids open because they were constantly drooping closed.
Two weekends ago the same thing happened, except she actually did fall asleep in a pile of her homework, attractively. It was fun explaining the water stains, that were actually drool stains, to Mr. Albert.
She felt a slight vibration and lifted her pillow to see one new text from Regina.
Thank you for staying the night and letting me care for you. I really enjoyed cooking for you and taking you to meet one of my oldest friends. Good luck studying. I'll see you Monday! XO
Smiling down at her phone, Emma knew whatever was developing between them was going to to happen at a rapid pace. Regina seemed like the perfect package for her. She was for once in her life hopeful. If she wasn't positive last night about getting into a relationship with Regina, today surely did prove to Emma that it was the right choice.