troubled teachers

Chapter 16

Regina sucked in a breath. She may have asked the question but until that moment, she didn't know what she had wanted Emma's answer to be.

"I'm not sorry either," she murmured, her eyes flicking down towards Emma's lips as she spoke.

The tip of a pink tongue darted out, seemingly unconsciously, and Regina swallowed as she noted the glistening moisture it left on Emma's lip.

"What ... what does this mean?" Emma asked, her eyes wide and questioning.

Regina hesitated before she moved forwards. Her lips brushed softly against Emma's once more. The kiss was slow, careful, testing. But it set every nerve ending in Regina's body on fire. She groaned as Emma's hands drifted to her waist again, tugging their torsos closer on the sofa. The angle was uncomfortable, their knees knocking together, but neither one of them cared. The delicate kiss continued, each content to be experiencing the other in a new way without feeling the need to escalate the intensity.

Regina's hands cupped Emma's cheeks, her thumbs stroking over the soft skin as their lips continued to caress one another. She had never experienced a kiss like this before. There was no agenda, there was no sense that the kiss was just preamble to sex, there was no desire to change or deepen the movement. It was just, perfect.

After what felt like an age, but in reality was just a couple of minutes, they broke apart. Emma's chest was heaving despite the tender exchange and Regina's eyes were darker, wider, more intense than Emma had ever seen them.

"That was -,"

"Yeah," Regina nodded, knowing there wasn't a word to describe what they had just experienced together.

Their fingers interlaced in the narrow space between them, the familiar gesture now taking on a whole new meaning. Emma looked down at the tanned skin woven between her own pale fingers and smiled slightly.

"I'm not sure what this is, Regina, and I'm not sure what's going to happen. But what I do know," she raised her head to look straight at the woman before her, "is that right now I am very, very happy."

Regina chuckled. "Me too," she said, leaning forwards and placing a chaste kiss to Emma's lips, marvelling at how naturally the movement came to her.

"We should go to bed," Emma said after a pause. Regina's eyebrows shot up her forehead. "Not like that," Emma quickly amended. "I mean it's almost three in the morning and I don't think either of us are quite sober enough to have a proper conversation about what has just happened, do you?"

"No, you're right," Regina nodded. "We should both sleep, separately, and then we can talk in the morning."

Emma nodded and stifled a yawn. Regina smiled and stood from the couch, holding out a hand to help Emma to her feet. Their fingers stayed intertwined as they walked silently up the stairs. Outside Regina's room, the brunette turned towards Emma.

"Well, goodnight Emma," she said, looking up into the face of her best friend.

"Goodnight Regina," Emma replied.

Both women hesitated, no longer sure what was appropriate given what had just transpired between them. In the end it was Regina who wrapped her arms around Emma and pulled the blonde into a tight hug. Emma hugged her back, her heart swelling with affection for the woman she was embracing. Eventually, the hug ended. Turning back to her door, Regina opened it and stepped inside. With a little wave to the younger woman, she closed the door and disappeared from view.