The humidity is beginning to seep into her brain, triggering an illusion to create another girl to appear at the plate. She wipes the sweat from her head for the umpteenth time and squeezes her eyes shut in a desperate attempt to regain her focus. Her upper arm is burning with vengeance as her fingers slip around the ball to blindly search for the red thread. She inhales sharply and exhales slowly to calm her nerves and decides her best option is to allow her body to take complete control and pray that muscle memory kicks into play.
"Strike three!" She hears the ump scream before her mind accepts the fact that she already released the ball.
Then the heavy weight of someone crashing into her back and almost knocking her over, snaps her back to reality. She somehow finds the strength to keep her knees from buckling before Lily swings around on Emma's shoulder to land directly in front of her.
"Swan, that was amazing!"
"We still have another inning," she counters as they jog together back to the dugout.
"Who cares, we are crushing them!" Ellie exclaims from somewhere behind them.
Green eyes drift toward the bleachers in search of her biggest fan. Those raven locks are piled high upon of her head, in a messy bun, with a few loose strands attempting to escape. She follows a few water droplets descending slowly against Regina's glistening chest before they disappear into her pure white dress. A light, summer dress, that is perfect for the excruciating heat wave that's torturing their town today. The hem of the dress is mid-thigh, exposing a lot of bare skin since her legs are elegantly crossed. Even though a pair of giant framed sunglasses are taking up half her face, Emma can still feel those dark eyes on her.
Emma plops down on the metal bench without an ounce of grace, and chugs down her now warm water. She can practically feel any energy she had left in her body evaporating from her soul from exhaustion.
"Swan!"
"Yes, coach?" She quickly replies, perking her head up toward the sweaty old man to offer her undivided attention.
"You are done," he coldly orders, prompting her to jump to her feet in fear that she may have screwed up sometime during her game.
"I can finish coach," she vows with conviction, even though her legs feel like jello and her head is spinning at an alarming rate.
"Relax, Swan, I know you can. I just rather save your arm for the next game. You did good Swan, now it's time for your teammates to take some of the heat," he chuckles at his own word play and exits the dugout without further argument.
She falls heavily back down onto the bench, somewhat relieved, and closes her eyes for a brief moment to alleviate the strain tensing in her muscles.
"Hey!"
She nearly jumps out of her own skin from the sudden voice reverberating around her. She whips around abruptly to find her girlfriend beaming with excitement.
"Jeez, Regina! You scared the crap out of me!"
"I'm sorry," Regina apologizes with those thick, seductive lips, morphing into an adorable pout. "I brought you a cup of ice to add to your water bottle."
Her girlfriend dangles the large styrofoam cup in her face, inspiring Emma to jump to her feet. They both stretch on their tip toes to pass the cup over the chain link fence with two matching lovesick grins plastered across their faces.
"Thank you so much," Emma says, opening up her water bottle and pouring the ice into the warm liquid.
"You're welcome very much." Regina presses her body flush against the metal fence, her eyes dancing with love. "So proud of you," she whispers, causing Emma's heart to swell and she's so happy her cheeks are already flushed from the heat, otherwise the embarrassment would be evident upon her face. Emma bites down on her bottom lip to fight back her smile as her eyes drift down to fiddle with her water bottle. "I'm going to head back so you don't get in trouble."
"Thanks again," she calls out quickly and watches those beautifully tanned legs sashay away with all the confidence in the world.
"Man, she doesn't miss a game," Belle points out, sliding onto the bench beside Emma and waking her from her trance on her gorgeous girlfriend.
"That's what friends are for, right?" She shrugs, pressing the tip of her water bottle to her lips and chugging to avoid the conversation.
"I don't really have too many friends. I don't really fit in with all those stuffy girls at my private school," Belle sadly informs her as she kicks at some dirt scattered across the concrete.
"I didn't know that. You are more than welcome to hang out with us this school year. I mean, after school at least or on the weekends," she kindly offers.
Her heart breaks for this girl, because she's honestly the nicest person she has ever met and she would be honored to call Belle, a friend.
"That would be great, Emma." The brunette softly nudges into her shoulder and smiles shyly.
"French! You're up!"
~~~~~~~~
The team really didn't need Emma's assistance at all in the seventh inning. They won, seven to zero and it was actually nice for her to sit back and watch the game for a little bit without the pressure weighing heavily upon her shoulders.
"Swan, your parents had to leave, some animal related emergency," Regina announces, her hand flinging around in the air, expressing just how much she wasn't paying attention to Emma's parents when they explained it to her. "I'm giving you a ride home."
"Perfect." She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively even though she hardly has enough energy to even stand at this point.
"Emma," Lily shouts, grasping her attention. "We are all heading into town for pizza, you coming?" Her teammate invites her, clasping her hand upon Emma's sore shoulder.
Without a moment of hesitation, Regina slips her hand into Emma's and tugs her closer against her side. Emma blinks, peeking down at their conjoined hands in utter shock because she knows her girlfriend would never allow this public display of affection, in fear her mother might catch wind.
"I actually...can't...today," she stumbles on her words, blatantly staring at their locked fingers, but nobody else standing in the circle seems to notice.
"Maybe another time," Ellie offers, swatting her glove against Emma's arm playfully.
"See you, Swan," Anna waves as she follows her sister to their car.
"Alright, but we all have to hang out soon," Lily whines before she follows the sisters as well without anymore debate.
"Hi Regina," Belle greets with her perky sunshine disposition on full display behind her beaming smile. Regina forms a tight lip smile, but only nods her head at Emma's friend in return. "Well, hopefully I'll see you guys soon. I should probably catch up with them."
"Bye Belle," Emma softly says, offering a small wave as she jogs toward the rest of the teammates.
Regina immediately drops Emma's hand and starts strolling toward her Benz without a single word. Emma follows her lead, unbuttoning her thick, heavy jersey that's clinging to her body and slowly suffocating her.
"So, what's up with Belle?" Regina scoffs the moment they are inside her car and both doors are slammed shut to ensure their privacy.
Emma's entire face scrunches together, expressing her confusion. She quickly peels her damp jersey from her sweaty body and throws the dreadful thing into Regina's backseat as she tries to understand where her girlfriend is coming from. She blows some air down her tank top in a lame attempt to cool down her soaking wet cleavage and studies her girlfriend's face through her eyelashes.
"What about Belle?" She casually inquires as she fastens her seatbelt.
Regina shoves her sunglasses up her face and rests them on top of her head, revealing her angrily knit eyebrows. "She wants to get together..." she trails off in hopes Emma will finish her sentence, but she's too busy trying to figure out if Regina's jealous or mad?
"Yeah, she doesn't have friends at her private school, she thinks they are all stuck up. I told her she could hang out with us, anytime." Tentatively, Emma leans across the center console while Regina bitterly starts her car. She lightly brushes her nose against Regina's cheek, generating a deep shudder from her girlfriend, despite the insufferable heat. "Are you jealous?" She taunts in a husky whisper.
"No!" Regina reflexively blurts out, shaking her head vehemently from left to right, but Emma doesn't believe her, so she nudges her cheek again to persuade her girlfriend into opening up. "I just, I don't know, I feel this need to protect you..."
Emma falls back into her seat and laughs out loud at the blatant lie. "Protect me, from who? My friends?"
"I-I don't know..." the brunette exhales loudly, choosing not to comment any further as she focuses on pulling out of the parking spot.
Emma reaches across the car and places her hand on top of that smooth thigh she has been gawking at all damn day. "It's okay to be jealous, but I'm not going anywhere."
Her girlfriend leans her upper body toward Emma's and cups her ear, furrowing her brows together in a mocking manner. "I'm sorry what did you say?"
Green eyes roll practically out of her head before she squeezes that thigh in an attempt to tickle Regina. "I am yours. I love you. Is that what you wanted to hear?" She exasperates, pinching that ticklish thigh again and provoking a loud squeal to tumble from Regina's pouty lips.
The girl next door squirms in her seat, trying with all her might to pry away those long fingers from her leg with one hand while still driving, but Emma has her fingers in a death grip around that luscious thigh.
"Stop it, Emma! I'm driving!" She screeches and Emma is in love with the way her girlfriend is failing to suppress her laughter from being tickled, because the poor girl is never allowed any fun.
"No, I didn't hear you say it," she demands as she proceeds with her torture.
"I love you, too!" Regina squeals, persuading Emma into instantly releasing her leg and pressing a sloppy kiss to her cheek. "You smell horrible."
"I know, want to cuddle?" She offers innocently while cocking her head to the side.
"Absolutely not. Shower first, then we will talk."
Emma's phone suddenly buzzes in her lap, distracting her from their flirtatious conversation. She catches a glimpse of her dad's name, lighting up her screen and demanding her attention. She opens the message to find a very thorough explanation about the emergency surgery they had to perform on a dog and that they wouldn't be home for a while.
"I guess that emergency for the animal, is a dog who needs surgery," she lazily explains to Regina while she quickly types out a reply to her dad.
"Aww poor dog," Regina coos, just before she pulls into their subdivision.
"Do you want to come over?" Emma hopefully invites the girl next door over to her place for once, since it would be a perfect opportunity for them to be alone for a little bit.
"Of course."
Regina parks in her own driveway and together they walk next door to Emma's house. They head straight upstairs, because despite Regina's teasing, Emma actually does need to shower. Not only could she smell herself, she felt disgusting with the sweat and dirt clinging to her skin.
"I'm going to jump in the shower real quick."
She grabs her remote and turns on the television for Regina, so she isn't bored while the brunette crawls onto her bed and makes herself at home. Emma sighs and heads for the bathroom, she is so exhausted, and she would give anything to skip the shower and cuddle with her girlfriend instead.
Despite her body being over heated, and the sticky feeling she's been experiencing all day, she still turns the water on extra hot. She needs the scalding water to soothe her aching muscles. She strips away her dirty uniform and climbs into the steamy shower on shaky limbs. She closes her eyes and tries to relax beneath the soothing shower head.
"Hey," her girlfriend whispers, provoking her to jump in fear, her eyes springing to life while her heart hammers against her sternum and she imagines an axe murderer sneaking into her house.
"Why do you always have to scare me?" She gasps as she attempts to slow down her breathing.
"Why are you so jumpy?" Her girlfriend mocks, slowly sliding her arms around her neck. Gently, she connects the tips of their noses and sighs in content. "You were so amazing today," she praises, lightly pecking her lips. "I am so proud of you," she continues with those plump lips brushing against Emma's again for a lazy kiss.
"Thank you, that really means a lot to me," she mutters while sliding her arms around the naked waist before her, pulling that silky skin flush against her own.
Never once have they ever taken a shower together, but Emma is already enjoying this more than she ever expected. She presses her lips more firmly against Regina's while her girlfriend's nimble little fingers lightly rub against her sore neck muscles. She hums in appreciation as her eyes flutter closed once again. She trails paths up and down Regina's back with her nails, lightly marking her flesh with faint red lines to claim her as hers, temporarily.
"I'm exhausted," she mumbles, resting her forehead against Regina's with a heavy sigh.
"I know, let's finish up and cuddle in bed. Sound good?" The girl next door sweetly suggests, making Emma realize how much she does care for her.
Regina knows her, inside and out, and everything she does is always for her and her best interest and in this moment, she is overwhelmed with how in love she truly is, and she refuses to believe that it's just some puppy love.
Emma quickly shampoos her hair and scrubs her body clean, in a haste to yank the brunette closer to her body and admire the way the water trickles down her gorgeous face. She kisses Regina passionately, not wanting to pop their intimate, little bubble because who knows when they will ever have an opportunity like this again. Hidden from the pressure of the outside world, where it's just the two of them, her favorite place to be in this world.
Regina cups the back of her neck and deepens their kiss, pressing her warm tongue possessively into her mouth. Emma knows she's silently claiming her as hers, prompting her heart to swell again. She is head over heels for this girl and she adores every time Regina shows her possessive side over her, because there's nothing she wants more in life than to be hers.
Regina stretches on her tiptoes to gain more power over Emma and pushes further. Emma's back arches, bending backwards as Regina declares her as her own. Her perky chest smashes into Emma's, creating a deep groan in pleasure to fall from pale lips. It's a whole new experience for both of them to be fully naked, because they always leave their tank tops on when they fool around.
Regina hums into her mouth right before she drops back on her heels and breaks their kiss. "Let's go take a nap."
Emma nods along, still swooning from the kiss and slightly delirious from the heat. She follows her girlfriend's hot body out of the shower. A shower, she will never be able to look at the same way again.
Regina slips back into her summer dress while Emma lazily tosses on some shorts and a tank top. Her limbs are extra heavy, and her muscles are tight as she slowly crawls into her bed. The beautiful brunette curls into her, tangling their limbs together as one. Emma's eyelids droop closed, and she falls asleep instantly, barely registering the loving kiss placed delicately against her lips.
~~~~~~~~~
The faint sound of repetitive clicking resonates in her mind, persuading her heavy eyelids to flutter back to life. She discovers Regina sitting up in her bed, typing away on her laptop which instantly produces a sappy grin. She stretches her sore muscles before cuddling further into Regina's side.
"How long have you been awake?" She mumbles through her hoarse voice, against Regina's warm hip.
The clicking desists and then dainty fingers are running gently through her hair. "About an hour. Your parents are home. Luckily, I woke up just before they came up here, otherwise they would've found us in a very compromising position," she chuckles softly.
Emma groans, burying her face even further into her girlfriend's side, attempting to hide her blush. Regina laughs even harder, still continuing to methodically stroke the long blonde curls.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking at colleges around the Boston area for you."
Her fingers suddenly disappear from her tangled locks and focus back on the computer. Emma slides up in her bed, into a sitting position and leans her head against Regina's shoulder.
"Did you find any good ones?" She questions through a yawn.
Regina sighs dramatically but nods her head. "I know you can get into Boston University, easily," she hesitates for a moment and Emma just knows there is a but coming. "I think you could receive a scholarship for softball to Dean College."
"Okay, so what's so bad about that?" She sits up a little straighter to focus on what this girl is about to explain, knowing there will be some debate.
"Dean is in Franklin, not Boston."
"Well, then I'll go to Boston University," she reassures her girlfriend, but by the way Regina's face falls, she knows she's about to fight her on the subject.
"No Em, I think you could get a great scholarship with Dean and it's a great private school. I know you haven't really decided what you want to do with your future, but they have great programs for associates and bachelor's degrees."
"But we agreed, we wanted to be close," she pouts, portraying her biggest puppy dog eyes to help ease the tension building between them.
"I know, but it's only forty-five minutes away. That's not that bad, right?"
She is so blatantly trying her best to convince her, but her last sentence wavered, and Emma knows deep in her heart, this is killing Regina. They have never been more than thirty seconds away their entire lives.
"I'll think about it."
"Seriously, Em, please do. This would be a great opportunity for you." Regina insists, leaning forward to peck her lips with a gentle smile on display, even though her heart is aching.
"Thank you. You're so adorable for doing this."
"You're welcome." She smiles proudly before connecting their lips once again for a more passionate kiss.