The Challenge

Chapter Twenty-Five

She is drenched in sweat, huffing and puffing but she's fully proud of herself for running five miles this evening. She wobbles a little bit as she climbs off the treadmill and then collapses to the blue mat to stretch out her aching muscles. Graham plops down beside her, just as sweaty and beet red.

He chuckles, running his hands through his damp curls. "Welp, you and I are going head to head tomorrow."

"Yeah," she sighs, leaning heavily onto her right leg. "I hate it."

"I guess it's a little too late to ask if Regina is interested," he awkwardly says, and even though his cheeks are burning scarlet from exertion, she can tell he's blushing.

She clears her throat, trying to remain impassive as Kenny zones in on her face. "Yeah, about that...I spoke to her..."

"You did?" He hopefully inquires, perking right up.

"Uh-huh," she murmurs, switching to stretch her left leg. "Umm, she's not really looking for anything right now. I think she has a lot going on with her sister, you know? She said, it's nothing personal and you are so sweet but she's not in the right headspace to start something."

"Oh," he weakly mumbles, dropping his head to his lap as he mulls over her words. Then he shrugs like he really doesn't give a damn. "Well, at least she doesn't hate me and think I'm an idiot," he laughs lightly to cover up the sting. "That's not technically a no either. It's just a...not right now," he beams, falling onto his face to stretch out his back.

Emma swallows, mindlessly nodding along and staring aimlessly at the back of his head. God, she wants to tell him so badly that she's been screwing Regina every chance she gets but then again, just because they are hooking up, doesn't mean that she has any claim to the woman. Who knows? Maybe when this season is all over and they head back to their regular lives, Regina might call up Graham and give him a shot and completely abandon Emma?

"Em?"

"Huh?" She startles, rapidly blinking back to reality.

"Keep stretching, you ran a lot and you don't want to tighten up. Get your back," he kindly instructs, even if she is the enemy and he shouldn't be helping her at all.

Her mouth curls into a depressing pout. "No matter what happens tomorrow night, Graham, I hope we can still remain friends."

"Always," he easily concedes but unfortunately, he doesn't have all the information.

~~~~

She decided to turn in early and get a good night sleep so she's well rested for elimination tomorrow. Except, her body is all jittery and buzzing with a lethal combination of anxiety and adrenaline. She huffs, annoyed with herself for not falling asleep just yet and turns onto her side to face the wall. She closes her eyes and begs for her body to surrender to the Sandman.

Not even a minute later, she feels her mattress dip behind her back. The comforter is lifting up, sending a rush of cool air into her cocoon right before warmth drapes across her back. A strong arm wraps around her midsection and squeezes her especially tight as a firm kiss presses behind her ear. She hums in appreciation and scoots further back into Regina's safety and security.

"You're going to kill it tomorrow," Regina husks, sending a strong aroma of margaritas to tickle Emma's nostrils.

"You're drunk," she deadpans, squirming against her pillow. "You really want Ruby to win."

Regina tugs her closer and thrusts against her backside and Emma hates her heart for hopping around in circles like an excited little puppy.

"I'm loyal to my friend and I wish her the best of luck but I know your strength and willpower. You've got this," she vows, licking the shell of her ear, generating a shiver that ripples through her blood from her toes all the way to the base of her skull. "How about a pre-celebratory gift?" She insinuates, bucking against Emma's tight little bottom.