Thinking about her real friend Daniel, the man that had thrust her into this life she was living, in turn made her mind turn to think about how absolutely lonely she was. Now that she should be the happiest, because she was doing something quite fulfilling and meaningful with her life she had to lie and say that she was in a relationship with a beautiful woman… and she wasn't
Normally it would be fine, it wasn't like Emma was ever really interested in the people that came around. But if she wanted to do something… she used to have the freedom to go on dates and have sex if she felt like it… now there was nothing, no kisses no sex nothing. And she was getting edgy.
Case in point, she and Rewgina were discussing the logistics for an outing with her sister, when they were interrupted by Regina's manager at the cheesecake factory, so Regina threw Emma into the nearest supply closet, undid a few buttons on her blouse and straddled her, then began to intimately nibble at Emma's ears.
Oh fuck, she thought as she rushed back to her job at the Apple store, now sporting a hickey at the base of her neck. "I could use a cold shower…" she mumbled as she walked in ad grabbed her iPad to take the next customer.
The next customer was this gorgeous brunette, not like Regina. She was white, her hair was longer… definitely younger with a rainbow tattooed daintily on her collarbone. The girl's nails were painted black and cropped short. As if she wanted to express her alternative self, but she was saving it for someone else. She also had a chef's knife tattooed on her inner wrist.
Emma's eyes met the other woman's vibrant blue eyes, and she was awe-struck. When she speaks, Emma is thrown by the urgency in her words because she is enthralled by the voice. "I keep pressing the button and nothing's happening."
Emma blinekd and focused on the words. She looked at the iphone the girl wawa holding up, and furrowed her brows. "Is it fully charged? 'Cause sometimes this…"
"My entire life is in this thing. Okay?" She interrupted. "I got names, places, dates, times, music, photos, recipes…"
"Wow, uh, you-you cook, too?" Emma breathes out smitten. Food is definitely a way into this girl's heart.
"What if I lose everything?" The brunette continued frantically. Something that the blonde was not helping as she was entranced. "You know, I can't start from scratch. I can't be the person that I was before this thing came along. Okay, I'm freaking out!
Emma reached out a hand to calm the woman's snervous flailing. "Listen to me, uh…"
"Lou." She answered
Emma took in the woman's soft butch appearance and nodded. "Lou,this is kind of my world, you know? This is what... This is what I do, and i… I do it pretty good, so… Trust me." Emma paused and squeezed Lou's hand to assure her. "Okay?"
Lou took a breath and nodded. "I know I'm totally spazzing out. I'm sorry. It's just...
A little overwhelming to even consider…"
Emma giggles softly "No, no, no, no, no. Don't go there. Come back." She touches Lou's arm. Emma is interested, and Lou notices and pays attention. "Go to a happy place. Is there something that you think about that quiets the voices that are in your head?"
Lou closed her eyes and breathed. "Turkey, Muenster cheese, Egg bread…Grilled."
Emma wrinkled her nose adorably and Lou liked it. "Was that a, was that a sandwich?" Emma asked.
Lou smiled back accepting the lingering hand on her forearm. "Yeah, they're my passion."
Emma almost drooled, "Uh, the... Sounds, sounds pretty delicious." she stammered remembering that she was supposed to be in a relationship.
"I own a deli in the mall and I often think about meats and cheeses." Lou stated.
Emma pulled back trying to act professionally but chuckling nervously. "Ah, yes. Who doesn't?" She looked around and then down at the phone. The issue was with the display. For the model that she was working with, the display module was in her inventory so she smiled at the brunette. "Look, i-i, uh, I promise you that if you come back tomorrow, your phone will be all fixed up and Good to go. Okay?"
"Really?"
Emma nodded, "Yeah."
Lou breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you. So much." the brunette reached out and squeezed Emma's fore arm, and the blondes eye snapped to Lou's baby blues. "It's been nice talking with you, Emma." The way she said her name, there was no mistaking the interest. Emma's nipples hardened, as she watched the woman walk away.
"Yeah, you too, Lou." she bit her lip at the unintentional rhyme. "I-i-i didn't actually mean for that to rhyme, I'm sorry"
Lou smiled, liking the fact that the gorgeous blonde was tongue tied for her. "It's okay."
"Okay." Emma said as Lou finally left the store.
"Mind-cheater…" Ruby sang in her ear. Emma jumped and turned to her friend. "saw you."
"Saw me what?" Emma asked going back to the ipad and setting up the repair for Lou.
"Saw you what? Dude, are you kidding me?" Ruby asked. "Mind-Fucking the broken phone girl." She face the direction Lou'd gone. "And why wouldn't you? Her hair looked so much like licorice, I wanna chew on it till I make myself sick." Then she turned to Emma. "But you, Ems, you already have hair to chew on."
Emma furrowed her brow and turned to Ruby. "What? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Name Regina ring a bell?" Ruby reminded her. "A hot brunette with two big bells? You know, just because you didn't actually do anything with licorice hair doesn't mean you didn't want to." Then she leaned closer to her friend and whispered. "Think about that. Mind-cheater."
"Stop," Emma stated shooing her friend away.
"saw you." Ruby said pointing two fingers at her own green eyes then pointing them at Emma.
On the outing later that night, Emma felt inadequate. Kathryn and Fred were super loving, and she and Regina just seemed to awkwardly be around each other. With that example of what a real couple was like. She and Regina just looked like best friends.
Then Fredmade a comment that cemented Emma's decision to break it off with Regina. Still remain professionally but just not act as a couple anymore…
"Didn't realize how old-fashioned you were, Ems," Fred said popping an Edemame in his mouth. "Like how slow you guys are taking things. "
Kathryn cringed. "Fred!"
Regina's brown furrowed, "what?"
"I mean you guys are joined at the hip, but that's not where you're supposed to be joined." Fred continued. "I mean it's like the east wing of our apartment has taken a vow of celibacy."
"That is none of our business." Kathryn scolded her boyfriend and then looked for a change in subject. "Um, edamame?"
It was too late. Emma had made her decision she was going to break it off with Regina and ask Lou out. She was tired of not getting any. Was tired of not getting any affection. She needed something Real.
And she was going to do this when their date was done, but Kathryn ran into an emergency, and was taking care of a man that had fallen out in the street. This wouldn't normally worry Emma except Emma flashed on the man's ID… he was a weapons expert… their night had officially become a worknight.