rayemma oneshots & other

Keep It Hidden

• Oneshot

Spoiler warning for chapter #181: mentioned events, mentioned character

Note: for RayEmma week 2021, day 8, secret/free day. This is the secret prompt
Note that they're several years older in this one
I was going to write day 6 and 7... but my motivation levels said no

She didn't know if it was Emma's old feelings from her old life somehow hanging on by a thread and re-entering her heart, or if it was her own experiences and feelings that had made her like this. She'd had a crisis at first trying to discern which one it was. But at this point, she didn't care anymore, because the end result was all the same and just as true. She liked Ray, and Ray knew, and Ray liked her back, and they both wanted the same thing right now.

He'd come over today for once, stayed the whole afternoon instead of being occupied with Norman and the kids as he typically was. He said he wanted to spend a day together, just them, because he missed her. And that was it. It started out as something innocent with no other intentions.

But it didn't end that way. And Emma was starting to think that he never actually intended for it to be innocent, because that look in his eyes and the way his lips were slowly quirking up told her that this was all according to his plans, and he was proud of it. And boy, did that make her heart rush. Alex wasn't kidding when he talked about how exciting it is when you're young and you love somebody.

Right now, it was all quiet. They were standing out on the porch of Emma's house with their arms crossed over the wooden railing, facing the red and violet sunset of December, and they'd caught each other's eyes. A long and meaningful stare. Emma knew the moment she looked at him that this wouldn't end up being just a stare. She knew that she was looking over his face too much, and that Ray's eyes kept dropping to her lips, and the way their faces were red wasn't just from the cold. They weren't saying anything. They were just standing and staring. It was just them, and they were both feeling the same whirl of emotions, and no one was going to see it or know it. 

The whole reason they never got closer wasn't because they were avoiding each other, or that they didn't want to, but because they were constantly surrounded by people. Observing them. 

But the kids weren't back from school yet. Everyone was out. Alex was sleeping inside. There was no one on the mountain to watch them, to know they were looking at each other like this. 

They both realized at the same time and with the same amount of excitement, 'This can be a secret.' 

And knowing that, inch by inch, they started to get closer. 

Ray started out by patting her head for no reason, testing the waters, where he learned that arm could go around her shoulders instead. Then Emma pressed her side against his chest and picked up his arm, guiding him to the place she actually wanted it to be, which was tightly curled around her waist. Now they both knew what they wanted, and they were becoming more confident.

Slowly, slowly, through small actions, moving each other's hands, they were eventually tangled between each other's arms and their eyes were locked again, directly facing each other.

Emma's heart was thundering now. When did he start looking at her like that? When did his face get so close? 

Ray's hand suddenly snuck under her chin and lifted it up.

"What are you thinking about?" He murmured. 

Emma averted her eyes. "...Nothing."

He smiled, a genuine one that wasn't a smirk, and she'd never wanted to kiss those lips as badly as she did right now. "You're hesitating," he remarked. "Don't want to? I won't rush you."