fic: I Am The Liar and You Are The Saint (12/?)
Title: I Am The Liar And You Are The Saint
Rating: R
Summary: She had become an expert at putting on a face when she was around Heather. Naya just hoped it was enough for people not to realize it, because honestly Heather was wearing her down.
Pairings: Naya/Heather, Other: Heather/OC, Naya/Mark, Side Dianna/Lea
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, this is a complete work of fiction. These two are not a couple… unfortunately.
Spoilers: Season 1 and Season 2
Word Count: ~6,200
Warning: Angst!
A/N: Hi there! I apologize again for the delay… I know I left on such a cliffhanging note. That was rather unthoughtful of me, but life has its priorities. I also wanted to spend the extra time to get this chapter right… I spent many days and weeks contemplating this one, rereading, editing, getting other people to read it… it’s be a process. I want to keep you readers happy and have been diligently working to fulfill what you guys want from this fic. It would be awesome to hear your true honest feedback on this one. I would love to hear where you want this to go. I trust with your comments so far that you won’t hesitate, and I must stress, constructive criticism is always helpful and greatly appreciated.
I have to include that I may have to put a slight hiatus on this fic… I know it sounds dreadful. Finals are coming up and I have been struggling. I’m so sorry to do this to you guys, but I’ll still try to squeeze in as much writing as I can, however don’t be surprised if you don’t get another chapter till late March. I still encourage you to message and comment as I will still remain active on lj. Don’t refrain on feedback, I am open to everything. Stick with me! There’s still much I want to tell! Sorry for the rant. So, here goes nothing! I hope you enjoy this one and it meets everyone’s expectations :) Get ready for some kaboom!
I Am The Liar And You Are The Saint
Chapter 12 (The Sleepover Continues!)
"Some sleep over, hm?"
She raised a chip to her mouth slowly, breaking the eerie silence with her crunches. Both girls couldn’t manage to say anything as Ashley eyeballed back and forth between the two of them. Heather subtly stole a peak at Naya through her eyelashes. Naya was huddled into a ball as she rubbed at her forehead, her eyes wide and frantic. Oh shit… I totally freaked her out. Heather cursed. She clenched her jaw and had to refrain from running back to the broken girl to hug her and explain everything that just happened. Well, she actually wasn’t sure what happened… She had no idea what came over her. What scared her was that she wished Ashley had never walked in. She wondered what events would have escalated if she hadn’t. Heather gulped nervously at the thought.
Suddenly Naya sprang up from the bed, surprising both of the other girls.
“Yeah… some sleep over…” Naya agreed quietly. “This night has just been sorta crazy, right Heather? We’ve just been… weird over work… and… stuff…” she mindlessly babbled as she got up and moved towards the door. Sensing her escape, Heather spoke up.
“Naya?” Heather tried getting the girl’s attention.
“Hey, you know that bowl looks like it’s almost empty,” Naya pointed to the bowl of chips cradled in Ashley’s arms. It was still halfway filled. “Lemme just go downstairs and refill that for you.”
Naya roughly snatched the dish from a stunned Ashley, who had a chip hovering just above her mouth waiting to be eaten. She was already out the door, when Heather looked to Ashley sternly. Her roommate threw her arms up defensively.
“Naya, wait up… You don’t have to do that…” Heather called chasing after her.
“No, no… I don’t mind at all. It’s the least I can do…” she spoke frantically as she entered the kitchen and began to pour the remainder of the chips inside the now overfilling bowl.
When Heather bounded into the room after her friend, she watched as Naya’s hands were shaking uncontrollably, trying her best to prepare more of the dish. She haphazardly emptied out all of the contents into one large bowl, making the amazing snack look like a messy heap of crap. Naya glanced around the kitchen, clearly avoiding Heather. She aimlessly proceeded to clean up around the kitchen, a kitchen that wasn’t hers to clean. Heather instantly recognized Naya’s frazzled state. She slowly approached her, gently reaching out for her hands to calm her down. Naya flinched and abruptly stepped out of touching reach from the blonde whose face crinkled in sadness.
“Naya, stop. You don’t need to do this. You’re our guest. Can… Can we just talk about this?” her voice audibly lowered as she trailed off with her request.
“Th-there isn’t anything to talk about…” Heather furrowed her eyebrows deeply at her. She couldn’t help but feel hurt by how her friend chose to ignore the matter. “And I don’t mind. I enjoy cleaning… and… and…”
By now, Ashley had also stepped in and watched the scene unfold. Naya was aggressively trying to shove the empty chip bag into a crammed garbage bin under the sink.
“Nay, please…” Heather pleaded as she tried to approach her again.
“Don’t, Heather…” the brunette said quietly, pausing her movements as Heather stopped a foot away from Naya. “It’s okay… everything is fine. You’re trash can is full though… I’ll go take it out.”
Naya heaved the overstuffed bag out of the bin and made her way to door.
“Here, let me…” Heather tried to pry the bag from Naya’s death grip on the black plastic, but the Latina protested again.
“It’s fine, Heather. I got it…”
Naya struggled to open the door having to tug several times in order for it to unlatch. She could hear Heather following down the hall, so she quickly made the decision to spring out of the house and close the door behind her. As she stood on the welcome mat of Heather’s household she realized that in her frenzy, she had forgotten her shoes; the cold air biting at her toes.
~*~
Heather stood in front of the closed door, staring at it dejectedly. She contemplated if she should go run after the Latina or if she should just give her some space to think, for both of them to think. She wished she could go back in time to fix all of this. She couldn’t stand Naya acting this way. The problem was if she could go back, she wouldn’t have changed anything. That being said, she had no idea what all this meant.
“You know… staring at it isn’t gonna make her come back any faster.”
“Well, what am I supposed to do? She won’t let me near her,” Heather replied back, eyes not leaving the door. Heather reminded Ashley of her old golden retriever who used to sit next to the door like that whenever her dad went out to get the mail and forgot to take her.
“I don’t blame her… you practically chased her out…” Ashley chirped sarcastically.
Heather folded her arms across her chest and turned slowly to her friend. Her eyes were deathly.
“I’m sorry that I’m worried about my friend?” Heather spoke coldly.
“Hey, now… I’m totally the insignificant third-party in this situation. I’m just saying that you should give her a little space. I mean after the position you two were in…” Ashley referred by positioning her fingers in a way that they looked like they were straddling each other. Heather rolled her eyes. “She may need some air so she could remember how to breathe properly again.”
“This isn’t a joke,” Heather retorted.
“I never said it was! I’m just saying that you probably sucked the life of her thus causing a lack of oxygen reaching her brain. Maybe that’s the reason why she was having a poor time making out her sentences…”
“She was reacting normally… I was the one who wasn’t thinking straight… This is all my fault,” Heather said pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Okay… Baby steps now… Let’s not take all the blame here. Think of the whole situation, Heather. Maybe she wanted it too?” Ashley suggested.
“Ashley, she’s straight… and so am I! Fuck… this is just ridiculous…” Heather threw her arms up in frustration.
“You guys didn’t even kiss. Calm down…”
“But we would have if you hadn’t walked in!” Heather blurted exasperatedly. Her brain was sending her in circles.
Ashley stayed silent for a few seconds as she asked carefully. “Do you wish I hadn’t?”
Heather looked up to her friend as she opened and closed her mouth several times. She was lost for words. She had already asked the question herself and she didn’t have an answer. What the hell is wrong with me?
“I-I don’t know…” she said shakily.
“Ah… I see…” Ashley replied as she approached her friend and placed a comforting hand on her forearm.
“She’s one of my best friends… I don’t want to lose her.”
“How are you losing her? You don’t even know what she’s thinking yet woman! You two really need to calm down and just talk through it. Am I really the only sensible one here? Both of you are such drama queens… you’ll sort it out,” Ashley told the downcast blonde. “And Heather?”
Heather looked back up to Ashley’s twinkling eyes.
“It’s never good to put labels on anything, just remember that.”
Heather smiled weakly back at her friend and gave a small nod.
“Oh and next time you decide to get all steamy with your girl, put a sock on the door or somethin’… I don’t want to walk into anything more graphic than this because I’m sure she’s way more flexible than Nate.”
Heather swatted her hand away and Ashley crinkled her nose at her, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
“Don’t say these things when I don’t even know what’s going on! And she’s not my girl, Ash…” Heather said, although she now had an awfully dirty image in her mind.
“Okay, okay… Well, I do know one thing. I know for a fact that it doesn’t take more than five minutes to walk to our trashcan and back and that’s if you’re going at my pace.”
“So?” Heather said not understanding Ashley’s point.
“So… it’s been a good eight maybe ten minutes? Naya’s been out there for a while now… just hope she didn’t leave or anything,” Ashley hinted. Heather’s eyes widened with realization as she turned quickly on the pad of her foot causing her to fall clumsily into the door. She managed to grab the doorknob and yank the door open. She ran out into the cold air, forgetting shoes as she yelled out, “Naya!”
Ashley watched her normally poised and graceful friend fumble through the entrance. She gave a little chuckle at how weird it was that everything Naya related made the elegant dancer so sloppy. She made her way back to the kitchen to finish of the rest of Naya’s guacamole dip.
“Ah… love. Certainly a beautiful thing,” Ashley shook her head as a goofy smile played on her lips.
~*~
Naya prodded over to the large trash bin that was at the edge of the driveway. She balanced on the balls of her feet, trying to minimize the amount of contact between skin and cold gravel. She opened the lid and tossed the sack of garbage carelessly. The night air wasn’t icy cold, but it was the wind that made the hairs on Naya’s arms raise with growing chills. She looked back to the warm and inviting glow of Heather’s house as she shivered. She needed to take a few moments to cool off though. If she rushed things, she knew her head would explode and she would do something she would greatly regret later… She paced back and forth along the pearly white of the sidewalk pavement, trying to gain some heat from the little movement she was making.
After two minutes of simply memorizing the cracks in the cement she finally allowed her brain to think again. She was confused… to say the least, but she was going to think through this calmly and collectively. She had to be mature about it… but how could she be mature about it? Her best friend whom she’s loved for at least two years now almost kissed her. Who could be rational during a situation like this? A multitude of emotions were radiating off her body at that moment that she didn’t know which one to embrace. Heather seemed to be pulling her in all sorts of directions that she was making it impossible for Naya to know what she wanted. She had no idea if all the teasing these past couple days meant something, or if it was just another one of Heather’s plots in trying to destroy the little that was left of her heart. What happened in Heather’s room all seemed rather made up in Naya’s head, like it was just another one of her fantasies. She couldn’t remember the events that led up to that moment. But it did happen, because she could still clearly remember the warmth of Heather’s body on top of hers and the tingly goodness of her light breath caressing her lips. It was definitely real…
She tried to kiss me… Naya thought, a ridiculously stupid smile spreading on her lips as her pace had slowed to a glide.
She tried to kiss me… It was all Heather. I didn’t do anything. Maybe… she began to think; she placed a palm over a blushing cheek as her smile grew wider until she heard a voice which eerily resembled that of Lea’s.
Don’t you dare! She has a boyfriend, remember? Why would she give up something so easily for a relationship that is so unpromising? Naya frowned as she sat down on the edge of the curb, her ass numbing on the frozen-like surface. She buried her face into her hands.
But… doesn’t this mean… something?
No, it doesn’t. Do you want to be the cause of the end of a beautiful, healthy relationship? You could ruin her life, her future, her chance at happiness…
Don’t I deserve to be happy too?
Of course. But happiness doesn’t roll on top of you in a moment of vulnerability and sadness. It’s never that simple.
“Why can’t it be?” Naya mumbled into her palms. She sighed and looked up at the sky and she scowled in frustration.
“What the fuck is going on?” she spoke up to which ever higher power was listening.
“Naya!”
Naya turned her head to the panicked voice that called out her name. She squinted as she saw the tall graceful figure sprint towards her. Heather’s heart skipped a beat at first when she didn’t see Naya near the dumpster, but under the soft glow of the street light the keen eyed dancer spotted the outline of a slouched figure on the curb. Heather’s step was light but filled with importance as she made her way over to her friend, her muscles aching in worry. Please don’t be angry, please don’t be angry… She prayed as she jogged the remainder of the way over.
“Nay…” Heather breathed out, slightly winded. Her heart was beating wilder as she stood behind her friend who looked up at her from her sitting position.
“Did you get lost or somethin’?” Heather asked hesitantly.
“Well, if you’re asking figuratively…” Naya responded half-heartedly, the last of her words getting lost in a large gust of wind. Both of them shuddered from the sudden burst of coldness.
“Come on, Nay. Let’s go back inside, it’s freezing…” Heather rubbed her palms over her bare arms, wishing she had been smart enough to at least grab a coat… She felt like she was wearing nothing.
“Yeah… can I just have a couple more minutes?” Naya answered over her shoulder. Heather frowned. She knew if she left this alone for any longer Naya would isolate herself permanently. She wanted to fix this, she had to. So she went back to what she knew best.
Heather sat herself down gingerly next to her friend, shuffling as close as she possibly could so their body heat radiated off each other. She slipped her right arm through Naya’s left and clasped her hand. The blonde was shocked to find that the smaller girl felt like an ice cube at the touch. Heather made it her goal to melt her. She cuddled close into her side, burying her nose into her shoulder. Heather couldn’t help, but notice Naya instantly recoil. The brunette contemplated on shrugging the blonde off, but she couldn’t help but be thankful when the sensation in her fingers returned. She inevitably gave in and relaxed into Heather as she appreciated the new found source of warmth. It mystified Naya how Heather was a walking personal heater. She instantly felt ten times warmer, half from Heather’s natural body heat and half from the fact that the girl was again in such a close proximity. The thin layer of Heather’s tank top was doing a poor job in covering anything as Naya could distinctly see hardened nipples poke through the material. She simply gulped as the familiar lump returned to her throat.
“Can we please talk about this?” Heather begged into Naya’s shoulder, the words humming at her skin.
Naya was looking at the pavement beneath her feet. She sighed. She wanted answers too and it was no use to avoid the situation or Heather. Both were determined to eat her mind away.
“O-Oka-y-y…” she agreed, a chattering mess.
“God, you’re freezing… Are you sure you don’t wanna go back inside?” Heather asked, as she rubbed at Naya’s thigh with her free hand.
Naya shook her head no, “It was too stuffy in there…”
Heather looked down, guilt building in her chest.
“I’m sorry… that was probably my fault… I didn’t… I didn’t mean to freak you out back there,” Heather spoke in a whisper in Naya’s ear. The brunette shivered again, but this time it wasn’t from the cold. “My brain was just not thinking clearly and I-”
“It’s whatever, Heather...” Naya spat out. Heather was taken aback by Naya’s sharp tongue. She didn’t want to hear Heather say it was all a mistake and that it should have never happened. Naya just wanted to live in her own world a little longer where Heather wanted to kiss her all the time.
“Stop doing that. Can you let me finish?” Heather bickered back as she lifted her head and locked her eyes with the Latina.
“I get what you’re trying to say, Hemo…”
“No you don’t,” she said firmly. “Stop deciding how I’m supposed to feel Naya because you have no idea.”
“Actually I do,” Naya said turning so she was facing the perplexed blonde. “You’re confused. I get it. Believe me I’ve been through it a million times now and I understand the feeling of regret.” Naya remembered back to “Lea’s” words as she closed her eyes and told Heather, “You weren’t in a strong place, and I happened to be there when you needed someone you could trust… someone you could lean on. And I, unfortunately, was stupid and took advantage of that.”
“Friends don’t do that. I feel horrible for letting it go that far. So just… just do me the favor and don’t say it,” Naya finished, letting go a wary sigh. There was nothing but silence and the low moaning of the wind. Naya basked in it, understanding that the unresponsive reaction from Heather made what she said true.
“You’re wrong, Naya. It wasn’t like that…” Heather contradicted. Naya looked up to her, not being able to hide away that side of her that still had hope. They found themselves in the very position they were in only moments before, except in a much colder setting. That addition just made them cuddle all the more closer. Heather’s face was mere inches from Naya’s, their eyes swimming in each other’s.
“If it wasn’t a mistake, then what was it Heather?” Naya squeaked.
“Listen… I may not know much,” Heather started, “I may not know what’s happening to me, or why my brain is making me feel like I’m a contestant on Jeopardy. Not to mention I am having the worst time trying to figure you out right now… You are making it impossible for me to understand how you’re feeling. I wish you would just let me in,” she said sadly.
Then with a little more confidence she said, “I don’t have many answers, but I do know one thing, Naya.”
Heather’s blue eyes danced like fire flies under the darkness of the street. Her piercing gaze was purely honest as it shot through Naya’s heart.
“I wanted to kiss you.”
The words had rumbled lowly from Heather’s throat and she couldn’t help but let a little satisfied smile slip onto her lips as she said it. It felt comfortable and cozy saying such things to Naya.
Heather watched Naya’s reaction intently. Half of her was nervous that the smaller girl would wrestle from her grasp and sprint to her car and drive away into the night. The other half of her was quite certain that Naya would reciprocate her feelings and she would finally be able to satisfy her need to kiss her… The girl was precariously holding her heart in her hands. She had all the power to make or break her. Heather was anything but sure as to what she was doing. She was purely acting on instinct and on how she’s been feeling for the past week or so now. It was something that she felt was always buried deep inside her gut, but she chose to ignore it. In her head it always sounded like a stupid idea. But whenever she was around Naya she felt so… complete. Her mind hadn’t sorted out all the details yet as she was focused on ‘now’, her full attention was drawn to the woman sitting comfortably in her arms. As she thought on how to describe Naya, she found that it was impossible because there were no words to do her justice.
This can’t really be happening… It was as if the universe had turned upside down and now Naya was the one dealing the cards. Having control, but still having doubt at the same time was puzzling the Latina to no end. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel or react to all of this. In all her years of loving and trying to forget loving Heather, she had not prepared herself for the day that the blonde could possibly return her feelings.
“Heather?” Naya muttered quietly, “This doesn’t make any sense…”
It wasn’t exactly what Heather was hoping to hear, so she tried her best to work with it.
“I-I know… But I just… I wanted to kiss you. I still want to kiss you…” Heather stuttered as she licked her lips and stared at Naya’s.
The Latina was stunned as her brain lacked words for a response. Heather’s words hit her like a warm ray of light that made her whole body feel tingly, bubbly. Take that Lea, Naya thought as an unconscious smile spread to her lips. Heather took this as a good sign as uncertainty vanished and her beaming smile returned back in full fervor.
“I… I don’t know what to say…” Naya said, completely bewildered.
“Then don’t say anything…” Heather whispered huskily her grin growing as she cupped Naya’s cheek and leaned towards her.
Naya’s tanned cheeks inevitably blushed from Heather’s boldness. The way the blonde took command was something Naya was too afraid to ever do, so she was thankful to say the least that she made the first move. Slow and careful, and mostly trying not to disappoint, Heather pressed their foreheads together with their noses caressing as they did earlier. Naya’s eyes instinctively fluttered closed as she fell into Heather’s touch. Heather paused again, but this time it wasn’t from fright or hesitation. Being so close to her friend, she took a quick mental photo of Naya’s features. Her soft and plump, baby-like cheeks, her button nose, the laugh-lines at the corners of her eyes that were always hidden behind makeup, the way her glasses framed her closed eyelids… there was so much for her to take in. All the little details made Heather’s smile twitch higher in admiration. She always thought Naya was pretty, but she wasn’t just pretty… she was beautiful. She focused back on Naya’s slightly parted moistened lips, small breaths of air hitting her own.
Heather’s heart hammered against her chest and she felt like she was seven again walking with a Mickey Mouse balloon tied to her wrist. She could feel her ears tingle and redden with heat even in the brisk cold of the night. Heather would laugh if someone had suggested that sitting on the side of a cold, dark street would be a romantic place to have a first kiss, but she couldn’t have thought of any other place at the moment that would set the mood better. It suited them and the atmosphere couldn’t have felt more perfect. The neighborhood was still and calm, with only the faint glow of the street lamp illuminating their figures and the refreshing scent of approaching fall filling their nostrils. It was as if the world had stopped and everything was unearthly quiet. Rather beautifully quiet as it seemed that the wind had died down specifically for this tender moment.
It was all unabashedly romantic and really quite cliché, but none of it mattered to either of the two women as they were too focused on each other to notice. Heather finally closed the centimeter gap between their awaiting mouths. Light, but able to feel every bit of softness from the cushion of Naya’s lips, Heather couldn’t hold back the soft moan in the back of her throat. Their lips melded together perfectly, as Heather paid extra attention to the suppleness of Naya’s bottom lip. It was a gentle kiss, nothing aggressive or rushed as both of them choose to savor the moment. Heather smiled against her friend’s lips, as she thought how incredibly easy and wonderful it felt kissing her. Wanting more, Heather took Naya’s waist and tried to pull her in as close as possible, deepening the kiss.
She felt like she was on fire. Naya couldn’t comprehend all the sensations at once, leaving her wishing that they could stay like this forever. She wanted to smile, she wanted to dance around, she wanted to cry, but mostly she just wanted more of Heather’s lips and she wanted them everywhere. Heather kissed like how she danced. Languid, sensual, smooth, and effortless… Every gliding movement would end with the same finesse as one of Heather’s pirouettes. Soft and heavenly delicious… Heather tasted amazing. As she kissed Heather’s smiling lips, she reasoned that this was probably how it felt kissing sunshine. Heather definitely had it wrong earlier… Nate had to be the bad kisser.
Not really wanting to, Heather reluctantly broke the kiss in need for air. Their faces still remained inches apart as Heather brought Naya forward again to lean her forehead against hers. Both of their eyes were closed and they stayed silent, simply sharing the moment of warm breath mixing together in soft pants. Somehow, Heather had managed to pull Naya’s legs over her lap when she tried to bring her closer. Heather softly squeezed her thigh as she opened her eyes resting her gaze on chocolate brown ones. She smiled sweetly.
“So…” Naya spoke breathlessly, a crazy smile on her lips. It was one of the most genuine smiles she’s had in a long time and it felt good to share it with Heather.
“Wow…” Heather chuckled lightly, making Naya giggle as well.
“Heather, I’ve needed to tell you something since… since forever,” Naya managed out between her nerves and shortage of breath.
Heather nodded encouragingly, eyes lighting up and smile beaming. Naya steadied her breath as she stared into those warm, comforting blue eyes. Those eyes that made her heart melt every time. She thought she knew the feeling of happiness, but she had never truly experienced its full euphoric power until now. Naya Rivera was the happiest and luckiest person in the world at that very moment. She couldn’t believe she was going to do this. It’s now or never, Naya thought as confidence she thought she could never have swelled in her entire being.
“Heather, I lo-”
Moments like these always seemed too perfect. Being able to kiss Heather and tell her she loved her was too much to ask for in one night. So Naya shouldn’t have been surprised when Nate’s car rolled up the driveway, bright lights hitting the two girls blindingly. But she was surprised. She was being pulled aggressively out of the ‘Happiest Place On Earth’ and back into the hell of reality. Naya felt like she was being caught by the police in the act of some drug trade, Heather’s lips stronger than any narcotic or hallucinogen that ever existed. Nate’s presence made Naya wary as she remembered who she was and how close she was to Heather. Heather… who had a boyfriend and who couldn’t go around kissing her best friend. She reluctantly swung her legs off of a distracted Heather who was confused and pissed at Nate being back so early. Naya scooted away from the blonde who noticed the lack of warmth in her arms.
She tried to seek out Naya’s eyes, but she wouldn’t look at her. She stared at the pavement, her hands clutching the curb. Heather reached down to cover her hand over Naya’s and as she did so she could see a pained expression crumple her beautiful features. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit down at her quivering lip as she shook her head no to Heather. This is so wrong. It shouldn’t be like this, Naya kept repeating in her head.
“Naya, please look at me…” Heather whispered desperately as she heard Nate step out of his car and close the door. Footsteps were heard soon after as her boyfriend approached them. Naya swallowed and finally looked back up to Heather.
“What does this mean?” she asked in a hushed and saddened tone. “What the hell does all of this mean?”
Heather wanted to give Naya an answer, but she didn’t have one. When she didn’t reply, she could see Naya break before her, disappointment written on her face. Like she said before, she didn’t know what was happening to her. Did this mean she was gay? Or bi? All these labels were freaking her out as she was beginning to delve into a situation she was preached to never consider. All she knew is that she cared about Naya and that kissing her was the most amazing thing in the world.
“Hey, ladies… Why in God’s name are you sitting out here on a night like this?” Nate asked as he stood behind the two girls who were still staring at each other intently. When neither of them responded to his question, he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Um… am I interrupting something here?”
“Yeah, sorta…” Heather spoke back, her eyes never leaving Naya’s.
Naya had to break the eye contact as she looked up to Nate and gave her best fake smile yet, “But it’s okay. Moment is gone anyways…”
It literally was…
“Are you sure? Cause whatever you guys were discussing is way more important than me… really,” Nate said, still hoping that Naya was working her ways to sort out Heather.
“Yup, we’re all done,” Naya said simply, slipping her hand from under Heather’s and standing up. Heather slowly followed suit.
She turned to Nate and asked quite pointedly, “Why are you home so early? You said you were going to stay over at your cousin’s place?”
“Well, yes dear I missed you too,” Nate chuckled jokingly, but stopped as he saw he was getting no such reaction from his humor. “Uh… Don’t be mad, but I lost everything. I was getting dealt the worse hands babe I swear. I was just in no mood to stay the night there, sorry…”
Be a good girlfriend… you owe him that much.
Heather sighed and feigned a smile, “It’s not a big deal…”
Nate released a smile of relief as he walked over and engulfed his girlfriend in a big bear hug. He leaned down and pressed his lips against Heather’s. Naya had to look away, instantly jealous that Nate was able to kiss Heather whenever he wished. When they parted, Heather had to hold back a frown. Nothing. No thrilling rides, no Mickey Mouse ears, no magical fireworks, no desire to come back for more. She felt horrible. She looked over Nate’s shoulder at Naya who was kicking at a pebble on the ground.
Nate turned around to acknowledge Naya as he exclaimed, “Don’t I just have the best girlfriend in the world?”
Heather felt a pang of guilt tinge in her heart, and she saw that Naya had noticed her face falling as well. Naya looked at the perfect couple. She couldn’t ruin this. She would not be the cause to the end of such a wonderfully easy relationship. If she were, Heather had to make her choice logically. Nate could give Heather everything she’s dreamt of. Simplicity, happiness, kids… love. What did Naya have to offer?
“You certainly do,” Naya confirmed, as Heather looked to her sadly. Nate gave a quick peck to her temple.
“I think we should head back inside. You being out here in your pjs will do nothing, but give you a horrible cold,” Nate said as he led Heather back to the house, Naya in toe. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep out of your little sleepover. On the drive back I already came to the conclusion that I’d be sleeping on the couch so it’s all good…”
As they stepped back inside the entryway, Naya spotted her keys on the side table and realization hit her. She made a quick move to grab them which did not go unnoticed by Heather. The blonde looked at her, panicked.
“You know, I actually think you two deserve a night to yourselves,” Naya suggested, catching the couples attention. Heather glared at her and shook her head frantically ‘no’. What the hell is she thinking? Heather thought. Naya just ignored her pleading look as she continued.
“It’s been a long day. You guys should just take a moment and spend of the rest of the evening together. I’ll just get out of your hair while you situate things…” Naya said, directing her words towards Heather who simply stared back at her with furrowed eyebrows.
“You sure? I really don’t mind-” Nate started.
“Yah, it’s totally fine. I’ll just see Heather tomorrow. Besides, we have plenty of time to talk,” Naya said slipping on her shoes and inching towards the door.
But I want to talk now, Heather thought as she followed close behind Naya. The brunette reopened the door and made her way out.
“I’ll see you two later. Night guys,” she said quietly as she walked out to her car.
“Night!” Naya heard Nate call, but she didn’t care as she was already at her car door, fumbling with the keys to unlock it. She hastily got in and placed the key in the ignition, but before she could start the engine there was a knocking at her window. Naya jumped in her seat as she turned to a fuming Heather. She nervously rolled down the window. Once it was completely lowered, Heather leaned in dangerously.
“Stop running away from me,” she said heatedly.
“I’m not running away from you,” Naya choked and cowered slightly, obviously intimidated. It always felt odd when Heather was angry.
“Oh really? What the hell does this look like to you then?”
“Heather… please…” Naya whimpered desperately. Heather couldn’t help, but soften her cold demeanor slightly. “I… I promise I’m not running anymore. Just everything that happened… I… I don’t get it… Heather, you’re making me run in circles and I want to know why the hell you’re doing this.”
“I told you I don’t know-”
“See? That’s the thing… I need to know, because… because I’ve been waiting for answers, Heather,” Naya murmured sadly.
“Naya, please… tell me what’s going on? You need to fill me in,” Heather pleaded as her clutched on to the side of her car desperately.
“I feel like you need to think this through. Both of us do. We don’t know what we’re doing.”
“I don’t want to lose you because of this,” Heather told her worriedly.
“You’re not. I’m not going anywhere. We have all the time in the world to figure this out, Heather. It’s going to be okay… but first you need to be with Nate.”
“How is that going to solve anything?”
“You need to know where your feelings stand with him first. People don’t start second guessing solid relationships that have lasted years for just one kiss… It doesn’t work like that. You can’t rush things like this… Besides, how do you know it actually meant anything? You could wake up tomorrow morning and forget everything that you’re feeling right now. Then you’ll be left asking yourself why we let it go so far…” Naya explained.
“Naya, stop…”
“No, for the first time I’m actually right,” she spoke knowingly as she started her car. When she did Dashboard Confessionals blared from her sound system from earlier and she reached down to adjust the volume, cheeks flushing slightly from embarrassment. It had been a really long drive…
“Just think… okay? Then we’ll talk.”
Heather sighed as she gave in, “You promise you’ll wait?”
Naya looked into Heather’s eyes. Those eyes that were pleading, wishing Naya would just stay. How she wanted her to stay, so she could talk this over with her and so she could kiss her again… She hated all this chasing and uncertainty. It was driving her crazy, but all she could do was look to this girl and hope that she would be able to keep her afloat as she dove into uncharted waters.
“N-Naya?” Heather choked out nervously in fear when her friend didn’t answer immediately.
“I’ll do my best…” Naya replied.
She wasn’t able to muster up the strength to tell Heather what she truly wished to say. Naya promised with her eyes, the words having the ability to shine through the night sky.
I’ll wait forever for you Heather.