Lost and Found

Chapter 4

As Emma followed Regina into the fifth apartment of today, she realized that this woman did nothing half assed... She clearly knew what she wanted, which is why the first four had already gotten a hard pass. The blonde looked at the other woman to get a read on how she liked this one so far, and to her surprise Regina actually had a slight smile on her face. That was promising at least.

The realtor showed them around the place. It was minimally decorated to give an idea of what it would look like as they entered the living room. It was spacious but nothing crazy. The view was quite amazing however. The apartment was in one of the more high end buildings in New York and you could see a bit of the skyline which was stunning. They were shown the master bedroom, the en suite, a walk in closet, a guestroom, a bathroom, an office and the kitchen.
"So what do you think?" The man asked and Regina nodded slowly as she took it all in.
"How much was it again?" She asked and the man pulled out a form from his folder.
"There is two options for this apartment. You could rent it for seven-and-a-half thousand a month." Emma already felt a little dizzy as the man said that. "Or you could buy it for one-point-two." He finished his sentence and the blonde tilted her head.
"One-point-two what?" She asked just to be sure.
"Million, of course." The man said politely and Emma suddenly felt extremely out of place.
"Could I, for example, rent it for two months and decide to buy it after?" Regina asked like it was the weather. Not at all talking about serious sums of money.
"Of course! We actually encourage it even. If you don't feel comfortable, it's better to just try it out and find out then. We'd be happy to try and find you a different apartment if that is the case."

Emma made her way over to the balcony, leaving Regina with the realtor as she asked a few more questions. The blonde leaned on the railing and looked down at the busy streets. She was so far up, it all looked like toy cars and ants running around. She was in thought when she suddenly felt a hand on her back.
"You okay?" Regina asked softly and the blonde slowly looked at her.
"Yes, sorry... I just... I'm not used to this." She said honestly. The brunette caught on and nodded.
"It's fine. I don't like to brag about it either." She said and leaned on the railing next to the blonde, bumping her shoulder against the woman. "You must be thinking... Poor little rich girl with her first world problems."
"No!" Emma gasped and shook her head. "That's not what I'm thinking at all." She sighed and closed her eyes. "Maybe a little." She chuckled and Regina smirked.
"I had that one coming." She rolled her eyes and bit her lip. "Look... I was simply clever enough to save up money in case I ever needed it. I just want a fresh start and an apartment is a great way to have some roots again."
"I can understand that better than anyone." Emma said and smiled a little. "It's just that, those prices, I could never dream to afford anything like this."
"It's only a number." Regina said and leaned closer to the blonde, kissing her cheek. "That's all it is, a series of numbers on a piece of paper. It has no real value, not to me at least." She looked into the woman's green eyes. "I value other things much more."

The blonde blushed a little as she somehow understood what the woman was getting at and looked away. She straightened up and tossed her hair over her shoulders.
"So, what are we going to do now?" She asked, changing the subject. Regina let her and shrugged.
"I don't know. I already contacted my lawyer so he can deal with the paperwork." The brunette turned to the blonde and smiled. "Since I dragged you along with me, why don't you take me where you want to go?"

Emma looked into Regina's eyes, considering the woman's words.
"Anywhere?" She asked just to be sure and the brunette nodded.
"Anywhere you'd like."
"Okay." The blonde smirked and took the woman's hand, guiding her out of the fancy apartment.

It took a while for Regina to figure out where they were going, but eventually it became quite clear as they walked hand in hand into Central Park. Emma just smiled to herself, enjoying just being with the other as they were. Regina leaned against her a little, seemingly quite comfortable to be so close to her, which the blonde didn't mind at all. They walked slowly like that till they reached the lake in the middle of the park. Emma gently guided the woman along to a nearby bench and sat down on it with her.
"I like coming here." Emma said and looked out over the lake, the evening sun giving it a nice orange glow. It was still a bit chilly in the evening as it was early spring, but the trees were already showing signs of life as fresh leafs were once again forming. It was quite peaceful. Even if it was in downtown New York, it was quiet. There were only a few people left in the park, the odd tourist here and there and a few joggers passed by, but other than that, they were alone.
"I can see why." Regina said and rested her head on Emma's shoulder. She flicked her eyes up at Emma to check if it was alright, but the woman simply got comfortable and wrapped her arm around the brunette's shoulders while looking out over the water, watching a few ducks swim by. The brunette slid her hand over the woman's thigh, just letting it rest on her knee.