A/N: Thank you all so much for the response to the last chapter! I'm glad you all enjoyed it. Now, here we go for chapter five...
Chapter Five
As Maya's feet pounded against the ground she didn't know what to think. The usual thought of going home to her family was one that was always welcomed, but right now she was dreading it. The thought of having to go back and face the unspoken tension that they both still had was a feeling that was settled right in the pit of Maya's stomach, making her feet feel heavy and her mind hurt. The idea that Carina was angry with her, mad at her, disappointed in her was not something Maya ever wanted to feel.
They were usually able to keep their work and home life separate, any issues from either realm were kept there and didn't interfere with the other - but this time it was different. This was bigger than anything they'd ever faced before. Carina had told Maya she didn't care and she'd given up and equally Maya had told her to stand-down, something she'd never had to say, nor ever imagined she would say. But she couldn't change any of that now. She knew that they would have to talk about it when she got home, she just didn't want it to get any worse but with both of their high tempers and stubbornness she didn't have much hope in that happening.
Half an hour later, she found herself outside their home. Most of the lights were switched off, from the front she could only see the living room one on, but that looked fairly dim. With a sigh she began walking up the path and took out her keys.
She opened up the door quietly, the ache in muscles really beginning to set in after the call they had, plus her workout at the station then her run home. She had definitely overworked herself and she was feeling the consequences.
She was immediately greeted by Enzo, who managed to get a smile on her face. No matter what she was feeling, the golden ball of fur in her arms would be able to ignite that sense of happiness in her body and she was eternally grateful for him being in her life and couldn't imagine her days without him.
"Hey buddy," Maya happily greeted. "Ah I need that," she laughed as he licked at her face. She listened to see where her wife was but fell short, she stood up from her position on the floor and saw the kitchen empty, as well as the dining room and the living room. She heard some faint sounds from upstairs and took the hint she was already getting ready for bed. She saw her bag next to the coffee table and picked it up before bracing herself to go upstairs.
"Wish me look Enzo," she said.
She took the steps carefully, the movements hurting her legs as they strongly protested the concept of anything that wasn't sitting down.
When she finally reached the bedroom she walked in seeing Carina putting away some of the laundry into their respective drawers and wardrobes.
"Hey," Maya said, not sure what else to say.
"How was your run?" Carina replied, not turning around.
"Good. It was good - my legs hurt though," Maya laughed, trying to lighten up some of the tension.
"Maybe you should have got in the car then."
"Are we seriously going to do this?" Maya sighed.
"Do what?"
"Whatever this is? Meaningless, passive aggressive conversation to avoid talking about it!" Maya argued.
"What do you want me to say?" Carina said, finally turning back around.
"Anything! I don't know! But, whatever is going on is ridiculous - you didn't say one word to me since we got back from that call."
"Neither did you," Carina countered.
"Well, I'm trying now!"
"Okay then. Talk."
"Carina you are being ridiculous," Maya said, running her hand down her face.
"You said you wanted to talk, so talk. I'm listening," Carina replied, her own stubbornness clouding her logical sense of mind.
"Can we try to act like adults at least?" Maya countered, her own stubbornness making an appearance.
Carina let out a sarcastic laugh and walked to the other side of the room. "Sure - we can be adults Maya."
"Really because it doesn't look like it," Maya said looking at the way the brunette was stripping back their bed and throwing down her clothes, each action done with deliberate sharpness and intention.
"Okay I'll just stand-down then," Carina replied, her hands on her waist.
It was at those words, everything seemed to click into place. Everything that had happened since the call made a lot more sense. This wasn't just about the call. This was about her.
"So this is what this is all about?"
"About you disrespecting me in front of the entire team - yes Maya maybe that is what some of this is about!"
"Oh come on Carina - seriously?"
"Yes Maya seriously!"
"I was stressed okay! I had an impossible situation to deal with and you just kept yelling at me!"
"Because you weren't doing anything!" Carina said, both of their voices edging onto the point of shouting.
"How many times are we going to go over this! There was nothing I could do! What don't you understand?" Maya said back.
"What I understand Maya is that you completely dismissed me! In front of everyone!"
"I said what I had to! That was my scene and you were interfering!"
"Interfering! Maya I was trying to save that boy's life!"
"How?! By shouting at me and making a scene? We are supposed to be professionals - you can't act like that in front of the public! "
"Right so I'm embarrassing you then am I?"
"That's not what I said!"
"Well frankly I don't understand the difference!"
"I can't-" Maya said, cutting herself off before walking out of the room. It felt too hot and Maya needed to get some fresh air into her lungs. The feeling that had been in the pit of her stomach when she'd been running had made itself known again and she had to get out.
She intended for them to have a calm conversation but based on the screaming match she'd just participated in she had been very wrong.
She jogged down the stairs and walked straight into the kitchen grabbing a glass from the cabinet and filling it with cold water. She downed the entire thing and then leant against the sink, eyes closed, in a similar position to how she'd been at the station, taking slow breaths in then out.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
When she opened her eyes back up she felt the walls getting closer, her chest getting tighter and her heart felt as if it was beating twice as fast. Each beat stronger than the last as if it was trying to escape her own body. She needed to focus. She needed to breathe. Her eyes were flickering left and right and her fingers kept drumming against the countertops.
She moved her body back, resting her down and closing her eyes in an effort to shut out the walls and shut out the pounding in her head.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
She could do it. She could. She could do this. One movement at a time. Slowly she felt her body relax. She felt her heart slow and her mind clear, the initial panic and fear that had invaded her body was leaving. With each breath it got a little easier, a little clearer and she felt a little stronger. But she still felt the desire to escape this box she'd built around herself.
She placed her glass into the sink and then walked over to the cabinet closest to the living room and began searching through it.
"Where the hell-" Every second she wasted not being able to find the one object she knew she'd put in there frustrated her. She knew it was in here because that was where it always was. She never moved it from this spot and now it was missing.
"You're not going out on it." A voice said from behind her.
"Where have you put them?" Maya asked, spinning around.
"You're not going out," Carina repeated firmly. "It's late and it's pitch black and you're mad. You're not going out on that bike in the state you are in."
"I can take care of myself, Carina!"
"Maya we are both angry at each other right now - I know that. But that doesn't mean all of a sudden I don't care! So for your own safety please Maya. Don't go, please," Carina asked.
As soon as she come home she'd taken the motorbike keys for this exact reason, regardless of it they fought or not she had a feeling the blonde would want to ride on her bike but the fear that had hit her at the thought of anything happening to her was so strong she didn't want to risk it. She couldn't risk it.
"Fine. Whatever," Maya relented, missing the small sigh of relief that Carina let out as she ran back up the stairs.
"Questo è ridicolo," Carina mumbled as she walked back into the room.
"Yes this is ridiculous. I agree," Maya replied, coming out of the bathroom.
"You could at least act like this bothers you."
"Excuse me?!"
"You don't seem too bothered by what happened today!"
"I can't tell if you're joking or not," Maya scoffed.
"I'm not."
"Okay - whatever you want to think. I can't deal with this with you anymore."
"You were the one who wanted to talk about it in the first place!"
"I didn't have a choice!" Maya yelled, stripping herself of her clothes and throwing them down into the laundry basket.
"There's always a choice Maya!"
"So this is all my fault again? You know what, yeah. I had a choice. I had the choice of sending one of my team into a situation in which they would die as well as having the boy die or not risk the death of one of my team. Our friends. You keep going on about choices so what choice would you have made?" Maya argued, changing into a new pair of jogging bottoms and a grey t-shirt which had been Carina's once upon a time, but after a failed laundry day had stretched and become big enough that Maya had adopted over the years.
"Actually no," Maya continued, wanting to add to her point. "What if I said I'd go into that building? I'm the Captain, it's against protocol but if it was to save a life I would. But that was certain death. So, what would you have said if I wanted to go in there, huh!" Maya yelled, all her anger about this situation coming to a front.
"That's not fair Maya!" Carina replied.
"Fair?! Nothing in this life is fair Carina! It wasn't fair that a kid died today because we couldn't save him, because I couldn't save him! But you seemed to be perfectly okay shouting at me telling me to do something but when I propose an actual rescue plan you don't like that sound of that either! So I will ask you again. What would you have done?"
"I don't know but I wouldn't have just watched that building go down! I wouldn't have given up!" Carina yelled, but as soon as those same words left her mouth, again, she knew she'd taken it too far. The first time she'd said that she'd felt horrible but now a second, it felt even worse. "No, Maya...I didn't-"
"Don't you ever say I just gave up. You know I did everything I could to save him and I'm sorry I couldn't. I hate that I couldn't. I hate that his family will have to wake up and realise that I failed him. It was my job to protect them, to get them out and I failed! I let them down, I let myself down and I let you down. I'm sorry." Maya said, her voice now quiet and soft.
She didn't have the energy to fight with her wife anymore, not physically and not emotionally. She hated it. She hated seeing how she was behaving, she hated seeing how her wife was hurting and knowing she was part of that pain.
She snatched up her pillow from the bed as well as a blanket that was draped over a chair.
"Where are you going?" Carina asked, seeing what Maya was doing.
"Sleeping downstairs," Maya answered bluntly, not turning around. "I'll see you in the morning," she added before walking out of the room, their bedroom door shutting behind her.
As the door shut Carina let her shoulders sag, the lone pillow on their bed and the now silent atmosphere enough for her eyes to water.
Maya threw down the pillow and blanket with a deep sigh before pulling open the back door and sitting down on the outside sofa they had.
She switched on the fire and held her head in her hands, wondering how they had ended up in the situation. What she'd said to Carina had been true. She felt she'd failed them and she did blame herself for what had happened on the call. It was probably the reason she'd been so stubborn to admit it. Pride. Deep down she knew she'd made the right call. She knew that and she hoped Carina did too. But, the what ifs were the only thing circling her head. What if they'd got there sooner. What if she'd made Andy check there were no more rooms. Had there been an attic in the window that she'd missed? All these thoughts had been spiralling in her mind and she couldn't shut it off.
It was why she'd come outside. There was too much tension in the house right now and she wanted to have some peace. The crackling of the fire and the moon illuminating various spots of the garden was what she needed. It was slightly chilly and her arms had goosebumps but she didn't care, the fire would soon warm her up.
She felt lost. She'd never been through something like this with Carina before. With anyone for that matter. Sure, she'd had disagreements with her team but they had stayed at the station, they hadn't followed her home. She hated every second of arguing with her wife, it broke a part of her, with every spiteful comment that had been made, with every cold shoulder they'd given, it had hurt. So, she did the only thing she could think of to do.
She pulled out her phone and tapped at it before the sound of dialling met her ear. She waited all of five seconds before the only voice she knew she needed to hear right now.
"Tesoro? Is everything okay? It's late."
"Hey Alberto, I know I'm sorry...I just needed to talk," Maya sighed, leaning back against the cushions behind her.
"Well you know you can always talk to me, plus we were awake anyways so don't apologise. Now, what's on your mind?"
"Me and Carina are in a fight and I...I don't know what to do," she explained, telling him the story of the day's events.
"Well you young people are a lot more stressed than me when I was your age," Alberto chuckled, making Maya let out a small smile. Alberto always managed to make her laugh, he's timeless nature, advice and ability to see the positives in the world no matter what was happening was something she'd always loved about him.
"You got any advice for me?" Maya asked, her eyes trained on the flickering of the flames in front of her.
"Do you remember what I told you on your wedding day?" He asked.
Maya smiled at the memory of the day, which was arguably the best day of her life, closely tied with the day she'd met the brunette in her office. "You said that the love you two have will come above any obstacle you may face. That it will be hard and it will be difficult at times. But to remember how strong our love is for one another then we will never have anything to worry about," Maya recalled. Alberto's speech being one she'd always kept close to her heart.
"Exactly and right now this is one of those times. You will never live a life where you don't argue with those that you love, trust me tesoro - me and Gianna we still argue to this day. But, we remember what we said to one another and the promises we made and we always come back stronger. We have known you for many years and every time you have to come to us with a problem you've managed to figure it out - this is no different."
"I just don't know how it got so bad - I mean we have argued before but nothing like this. We were practically yelling at one another and it only got worse. I just couldn't keep doing it - I hate arguing with her, I feel terrible and I want to apologise but-"
"You don't know where to start?" Alberto guessed.
"Yeah," Maya admitted.
"Well I can't tell you but what I can say is this. Do you remember the other thing I told you both to do?"
"The letters?" Maya questioned. "But you said that those were only for the worst case scenario. This isn't it - is it?!" Maya asked, getting very panicked.
"No - no it's not. I said you shouldn't give it to Carina unless it's the worst case but I never said you couldn't read it. Sometimes you just need to remind yourself of the love you have for one another," He said, trying to calm the blonde down from her brief panic.
"Have you ever read yours?"
"I have. Once - 48 years ago. We were arguing about whether we should move to America. I wanted to stay back in Italy but Gianna wanted to go. She wanted to have more opportunities and branch out from where she was born. So we argued about it - all day and all night. Hours and hours of yelling and arguing it was terrible. That night I pulled out the letter and I read it and it was then that I realised reading the words I'd written how much I loved her. It wasn't like I didn't already know that already but it just proved to me that she was the love of my life and even though apologising would be hard after everything that had been said - she was worth it. I've never opened the letter since, after all that time and I don't intend to either," he explained - his wise words of wisdom making Maya smile.
"Thank you Alberto, I really appreciate it. What would I do without you?" She said.
"I'm sure you'd be just fine tesoro," he chuckled.
"Ora vai e dille che la ami e trucca!" Another voice cried down the phone. [Now go and tell her you love her and make up!]
"Buonanotte Gianna," Maya laughed.
"Buonanotte!" She replied.
"Sono d'accordo con mia moglie. Vai a fare pace con lei," Alberto said. [I agree with my wife. Go and make up with her.]
"Lo farò. Grazie," Maya promised. [I will. Thank you.]
The call ended and Maya rested back against the sofa, her shoulders feeling a lot lighter than when she'd first sat down. Her eyes cast up towards their bedroom window, the light dim and the curtains drawn making Maya wonder what Carina was doing, wondering if she was okay.
Carina was sat on the floor, her head resting against the bed, her knees brought up her chest as she let out her tears. She hated what had happened and she hated how she knew she had been the cause of it. She hated the way Maya had walked out of the room, just seeing the look in her eyes and the way she was blaming herself.
Carina had experienced a lot of pain in her life, from deaths to verbally abusive fathers she'd dealt with it all. But, nothing had hurt more than seeing that look on Maya's face. Knowing that her words had been the cause of all that pain that she knew Maya was already feeling, and she'd only made it worse.
What happened at the call wasn't Maya's fault, she knew that and she knew that she'd let her emotions cloud her judgement and it had resulted in her hurting the one person she'd vowed never to hurt. Her wife. Her incredible, smart, amazing, generous, romantic, brave, determined wife. The person that loved her unconditionally, through thick and thin, no matter what and she'd hurt her. She'd made her think that she didn't trust her, that she couldn't do her job, that the boy's death was on Maya's shoulders when in fact, she trusted Maya with everything she was.
How was she supposed to go and apologise after everything she'd said?
With a heavy sigh she reached into her pocket and phoned the one person who she knew would tell it to her straight. She held the phone to her ear and waited.
"Carina? It's nearly midnight!"
"I needed to talk to you," Carina said, sniffling as she wiped her tears away with her sleeve.
"You're crying. What's happened? Are you hurt? Is Maya hurt? Are you at the hospital - wait, don't move, I'm coming down to the pit now!" The voice rushed out.
"Andrea! We are not at the hospital - we're fine. Well, we're not but I just need to talk to you," she explained.
"What's wrong?" He asked calmly.
"Me and Maya got into a fight. There was this call today and we didn't realise there was a boy in the attic. When we found out it was too late, the structure was too weak and we couldn't save him," she said, taking a breath so she could continue, her brother patiently listening on the other end.
"I yelled at Maya and told her she needed to save him but she couldn't. Even if she sent someone in - neither of them would have made it. We didn't talk to each other for the rest of the shift but when we were home I made it worse and we shouted at each other and I told her she gave up. I told her she gave up Andrea," she continued, her body shaking as she admitted the night's events.
"Yeah you really messed up," Andrea said.
"I know."
"So what are you going to do now?"
"Well that's why I phoned you."
"You phoned me for advice - wow, I'll remember this moment forever."
"Andrea! This ins't funny, this is serious," Carina cried.
"So am I."
"Andr-"
"Okay - okay. I'm sorry it was just that at least I now know you are just like everybody else."
"What are you going about!" Carina asked, not in the mood for anything other than how to apologise to her wife.
"You and Maya are the happiest people I have ever met - you never seem to argue, or disagree, you manage to fix any minor problems almost as soon as they happen. I have never seen anything like that; I must admit I wasn't sure if you were both robots or something," he chuckled down the phone, which in turn made Carina laugh through her tears. "See, at least I made you laugh."
"Thank you, but can I have some advice now?" She asked seriously.
"Where are you right now?"
"Sitting in our room, on the floor."
"Where's Maya?"
"Downstairs - she said she's not sleeping up here. So, if you need any more evidence of how badly I messed up there's that."
"Okay, well, here's what you are going to do. You are going to stay where you are and take a moment to breathe, just calm yourself down okay? Then go downstairs, and sit with her. She might not want to listen to you right now which is understandable but at least you tried. But, if she stays, and I think she will because she loves you just as much as you love her, you apologise. Talk to her and say you are sorry. You'd be surprised how far one can go. You'll be okay, it's human to have arguments, we've had more than enough and I like to think we've come out pretty good," he encouraged.
Carina was silent for a moment, her younger brother's words sinking in.
"Thank you Andrea, I really needed to hear that."
"You're welcome. Good luck, you'll be fine. I know it."
"We'll be fine," Carina said to herself.
"I'm being paged but I love you okay."
"I love you too Andrea, go and save some lives," She smiled.
The call ended and Carina put her phone back on the bed as she closed her eyes and followed her brother's instructions, to take a moment and breathe.
Back downstairs Maya was now standing in front of the bookshelf where her motorcycle magazines were. Her eyes cast on one specific spot. It wasn't the magazine she was looking at however, but the space between them. Well, one exact space. She let herself stare at it for a moment longer before taking a breath and reaching forward, pulling out a letter.
She ran her fingers over the sharp edges, her eyes tracing over the name written in black ink on the front 'Carina DeLuca'.
She managed to move herself back outside, her eyes not leaving the rectangle in front of her, and sat back down, the fire giving off enough light for her to be able to read it.
She unfolded the flap and slid out the piece of paper into her hands. It felt weightless while being the heaviest thing she'd ever held, because it contained the words from her heart and those didn't come lightly.
As she opened up the paper from its folded form she could see the fire illuminated from behind, the words on the page bringing her back to the moment she'd written them. Sat in this very spot, in the middle of the night, the fire crackling with just a pen, a piece of paper and her heart.
Dear Carina,
If you are reading this - well we've probably gotten into a fight and a pretty big one at that. How? I'm not too sure, but there's a high possibility I've done something, given out of the two of us I am normally the one to mess up and before you do that thing where you raise your eyebrows and shake your head at me I think we both know I'm right. Or who knows maybe your Italian temper has made an appearance and I'm not the perpetrator this time...and now I have realised I am rambling via letter which I didn't think was actually possible, but here we are.
Anyways, I am writing you this letter because it is and will be a reminder of how much I love you, even though I don't think I could ever forget. You are the person that came into my life when I least expected it and you brought something into my life that I never thought I would have. Love. It's a crazy thing being in love, because it's something I don't think I could ever turn off or make fade away. When you are in love it hits you, and it hits hard. When you walked into my office all those years ago I knew something was different, it was like the universe had finally shifted into place. You surprised me and you kept me on my toes, you still do. It's one of the many things I love about you, your ability to still surprise me in every which way. I think I know everything about you and then I learn something new...just like that.
I don't know how I managed to have someone like you in my life but I am forever grateful. You allow me to myself with no boundaries, or restrictions and in you I have found myself, my true purpose. To love you today, tomorrow and everyday after that.
I remember one of those late nights we spent curled up in the beanery, hot chocolate in hand while we read The Great Gatsby. Your eyes glowed against the faded lights and as I read over the words your lips curled into this smile and I thought to myself: One day I am going to marry you. I will marry you and I will do everything in my power to make sure you know that every single day. It was like F.Scott Fitzgerald said: 'I love her and that's the beginning and end of everything'. You, Carina, are my beginning and my end and my everything in between.
Regardless of the situation we are in now I want you to know this. I will always love you. No matter what. No matter how much shouting and yelling we did or are doing, no matter what has happened. I will always love you Carina DeLuca - until the end of time. We will seal our lives together in a few weeks and I can't wait. Every day I thank whoever it was looking out for me that brought you into my office for that interview because that was the day that changed my life forever.
You are it Carina. You are my life, my forever and you have my heart.
Whatever we are going though I know we can make it through together - because I am yours and you are mine and I will remind you of that every single day.
Ti amo, amore mio.
Maya x
As she read over the words she could feel the tears running down her cheeks, one after the other, so much so she had to put the letter down and press her palms to her eyes to stop them.
She let out a shaky sigh as the words processed in her brain - everything in that letter was true. She loved Carina with everything she had and it was in that moment she knew they would be okay. Because they had each other, because Carina was her beginning, her middle and her everything in between.
The silence around her was broken when she heard the opening of the back door followed by footsteps. She quickly placed the letter back in its envelope and slid it under the cushion just as Carina stood to the side of her.
"Can we talk? I bought hot chocolate."
Maya stared up at her and could see the tear stains on her cheeks, which probably matched her own but also the desperation in her brown eyes.
"I wouldn't want to waste some good hot chocolate," Maya replied.
Carina's face fell, thinking Maya wasn't ready to talk to her but when she saw the smirk on the blonde's face she let out a small chuckle.
"Sorry - probably wasn't the best time to make a joke," Maya replied - wondering what part of her brain thought that was the right response to have made.
Carina sat on the other side of the sofa, legs, crossed her back resting against the armrest, hot chocolate in hand.
"Do you remember my first week at the station?" Carina asked.
The question threw Maya a bit, not quite knowing where her wife was going, but she nodded. Of course she remembered.
"Do you remember that night where we were sat in the kitchen?"
Maya thought for a moment, her mind going over every thing she remembered from that week. "When you were crying?"
Carina nodded. "We had a house fire call, a family of four. It was a routine call, but when we arrived it was much worse than what we'd thought. One of the boys had a penetrating injury to the chest, the other had serious smoke inhalation. We got them both out but the parents were trapped, the house collapsed and they both died. We couldn't save the boys either - they all lost their lives that day. Being at that call today reminded me of them."
Carina took a short pause to collect her thoughts and wipe away a few stray tears. As she did she watched as Maya shifted closer to her so they were side by side and her hand took hold of her own as she silently waited for her to continue.
Carina squeezed the blonde's hand and gave her a small smile, one that Maya reciprocated.
"I wanted to be able to save him. I failed them last time and I thought that this time I could change that. I didn't want another family to suffer a loss and I took my frustrations out on you and that wasn't fair. I was so cruel to you bambina I didn't mean it, promise you I didn't. I know you did everything you could to save him and it wasn't your fault. I know that you would have gone in there yourself if you had to, which as much as I hate, I love you for it.
You give up everything to help people and I will always admire you for that. You are incredible Maya and I shouldn't have ever made you doubt that. I love you so much and I hate that we are fighting, and I know that it's my fault we are. I never should have said those awful things to you and I'm so sorry Maya. You didn't deserve any of that and what I said wasn't true. Sono un idiota, for making you hurt, please, please forgive bambina," Carina apologised, gripping Maya's hand and looking into her blue eyes.
Maya was silent for a while, the only comfort Carina had was the fact that Maya's thumb was softly stroking the back of her hand.
"I'm sorry-"
"No, Maya this wasn't you this was me-"
"You said your part, now let me?" Maya asked, turning around to face the brunette who nodded. "I wasn't fair to you either, I shouldn't have shouted - regardless of the situation and I shouldn't have tried to leave so I'm sorry too," Maya replied with an apologetic smile.
"Allora, stiamo bene?" Carina asked. [So, are we okay?]
"Siamo, amore mio," Maya replied, giving her a soft kiss. "We're okay." [We are, my love.]
They sat down on the sofa together, Carina's head on Maya's shoulder as they settled with the silence of the midnight hours, the crackling fire and the moon shining above them and hot chocolates still in hand, which were remarkable not cold although they could be down to the roaring fire in front of them. Their situation was similar to how they'd been all those years ago in the beanery, them, the moon and their 'special' hot chocolate. How far they'd come from that moment was incredible.
"Can we agree not to argue anymore?" Maya asked after some time as she stood up, her body now begging to be under the covers of their bed.
"Definitely." Carina replied, standing up with the blonde.
"Oh thank god - that was exhausting!" Maya sighed with a laugh.
"Right?! I just feel drained of all my energy."
"I know something that might wake you up?" Maya replied with a coy smirk as they walked away from the fire pit, which the blonde had made sure was turned off.
"You do huh?" Carina replied, her own smirk forming. "Care to share?"
"Best to have it as a surprise," Maya replied. She pushed her body into the brunette's who wrapped her arms loosely around the blonde's shoulders.
"You know I love a surprise," Carina winked.
"I do," Maya replied before resting her hands on Carina's waist and giving them a quick but firm push which sent the brunette falling back, the sound of a yelp followed by a splash.
Maya bit her lip to suppress her laughs as she watched her wife's head pop out of the water, her entire body soaked from head to toe.
"Maya Deluca-Bishop," Carina yelled, her eyes shut as she pushed away the hair that had stuck to her forehead.
"I told you I knew something that would wake you up. Plus you deserved it," Maya replied, before doubling over with laughter.
"I hate you," Carina stated, looking at her fully clothed self in the pool.
"Ah I'm sorry, it was too good of an opportunity," Maya said through her laughs.
"You're not sorry are you?"
"Hey - I thought we agreed no more arguing - but to answer your question, no not really," Maya teased.
"That was before I knew you were going to push me in the pool in the middle of the night! It's freezing in here!"
"We can't all be choosers," Maya quipped back.
"At least help me out?" Carina asked, swimming to the edge.
Maya nodded and walked towards the brunette and held out her hand, ready to pull her out only for her arm to be sharply tugged downwards. She tried to maintain her balance, her leg flailing in the air before she came crashing down into the water, essentially landing face first.
"Okay, I deserved that," Maya laughed, repeating her own words as she came up from the water pushing her hair back.
"You really did," Carina replied, wrapping her legs around the blonde. "I'm sorry for everything," she added, resting her forehead against the blonde.
"I'm sorry too," Maya responded, kissing away the water droplets on the brunette's face.
"I love you."
"I love you too," Maya replied, finally pushing her lips onto Carina's, the coldness of being in the water a forgotten feeling as they were tightly pressed up against one another, clothes stuck to their bodies while they reminded one another just how much love they had for one another.
A/N: I wouldn't let them argue for too long! Thank you so much for reading! In the last chapter I asked you all how old you thought I was and I got a bit of a range of answers - with an average (I think) of around 22/23....but to reveal my actual age....
I am 17 - so your answers made me laugh, but I am very flattered thank you think I am a bit older than I am!!
Thank you all for reading!
See you next time!