Waverly took a deep breath as she heard the three 'knocks' on the old wooden door to the Earp household. Commanding her heart beat to slow down, she smoothed down her dress and walked towards the front door. Wynonna met her at the entrance and gave her a grin full of mischief.
In a singsong voice, Wynonna said, "Waves, your girlfriend's here."
Waverly looked at her older sister. She knew that expression too well. She'd had it the day she'd hidden Waverly's school books under her bed, or more recently when she'd given Waverly her coffee with no sugar in, causing the younger sister to splutter and gag.
She looked up at Wynonna, a pleading look in her eyes. "Wynonna," she began, in a reasoning tone, "please, please, be nice."
Wynonna looked mildly affronted at the implication, perhaps forgetting the time she'd nearly made Champ cry after questioning him about all of his past relationships for almost an hour. Wynonna's lazy grin soon returned, though, and she swung open the door to reveal a shivering Nicole Haught.
Waverly's breath hitched at the sight of her girlfriend. Even after all these months, her beauty was breathtaking. Nicole's auburn hair was loose, a welcome change to the usual braid, and tumbled around her shoulders in gentle waves. Her eyes instantly locked onto Waverly's, as if to say, "Hi".
After a quiet moment, Wynonna stepped aside to let her in from the bitter night air, and greeted the police officer with a gruff, "Nicole, 'sup." She lightly punched her in the arm before disappearing back into the kitchen.
Nicole turned to Waverly, a slightly baffled expression on her face. Waverly gave a slightly exasperated laugh. "She's just being Wynonna."
The taller woman nodded, a smile on her lips, as if that was explanation enough. Waverly's heart began to race again as the red head stepped closer, eliminating the distance between them.
"Hey." Waverly said softly, gazing into Nicole's rich brown eyes.
"Hey." The response was equally as soft, equally as reverent. Nicole smiled as Waverly stepped even closer and reached up to lace her fingers behind Nicole's neck. She pulled her girlfriend down slightly and stood on tiptoes so she could capture Nicole's lips with her own. The kiss was gentle, unhurried, full of care and love. Nicole's mouth was warm and soft, and seemed to fit perfectly against Waverly's, who broke the kiss by smiling. The joy inside of her flooded out, and she didn't mind that she had ended the kiss, because the moment had been too perfect to let go without acknowledging it.
The two women stood still for another few seconds, lips barely a centimeter apart, both smiling in pure elation. Waverly couldn't believe how deeply she was in love with the police officer, despite only knowing her for a few months. She loved the way Nicole would glance down and smile gently whenever she received a compliment, because she was too modest to know how to take them. She loved the way Nicole seemed to know exactly what she was thinking, and could always make her feel better, even if it was just by holding her quietly. She loved the way Nicole's eyes sparkled in delight whenever Waverly made an awful joke or pun. She loved Nicole, every single part of her, fully and unconditionally. When she was with Nicole, everything else ceased to exist. Moments like this, right now, when Waverly looked into Nicole's eyes and found only love... Well, they were the happiest and purest moments of her life.
Of course, the moment was shattered when Wynonna's voice drifted in from the kitchen. "Waverly! Can you come here for a moment?"
Nicole raised her eyebrows, and Waverly let out a huff of air in frustration. Without moving, she called back, "Why, what's happened?"
There was a moment of silence, and then Wynonna appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, holding a wooden spoon and looking sheepish. "I think I burned the casserole."
Loud groans of delight interrupted the silence of the room. Waverly and Nicole grinned at one another, and then turned to face Wynonna. She held a piece of pizza in each hand, and was shoving as much of the margarita into her mouth as possible. The older Earp was sat cross-legged on the floor, hogging the takeout box.
"Tell me again - how exactly do you manage to burn casserole?" Nicole asked, grinning in obvious amusement.
Waverly laughed as her sister blushed and mumbled through a mouthful of cheese and dough, "I've not had much of a culinary education." She swallowed the rest of the food, and rolled her eyes to downplay her embarrassment. "I wouldn't say I'm an awful cook though - you were just here on an unusually bad day for my talents."
Waverly scoffed, her eyes twinkling with laughter as she sat forward and began to speak. "Come on Wynonna, as if!" She turned to her girlfriend, grinning ear to ear. "Okay, so this one time, Wynonna tried to cook breakfast for me. She - "
Before she could get any further through the story, a cushion hit her face with a thump and cut her off mid-sentence.
Wynonna looked smug at the accuracy of her aim, and at how effectively it had shut her little sister up. "Waves, you know you pinky promised never to tell that story." She used her stern tone, to impress upon her sister the importance of a pinky promise.
Waverly sighed dramatically, rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Fine." But as Wynonna turned back to the remnants of her pizza, Waverly leant in close to Nicole and whispered in her ear, "Later".
This close to her girlfriend, she could smell her shampoo (coconut?) and soap, a combination which she now associated with Nicole. Waverly realised she still hadn't moved away, and Nicole seemed to notice at the same moment, for her breathing seemed a little heavier than usual. The red hair turned to face Waverly, their lips once again almost touching. Their breath mingled, and Waverly was having trouble tearing her gaze from the depths of Nicole's eyes. Just a little closer, she thought. She managed to close her eyes in anticipation of the kiss, then...
"Oi! No making out on the couch!"
Waverly exhaled heavily, silent cursing her sister for ruining the moment. Nicole drew away from her, flushed red. Waverly wasn't sure whether it was because of the embarrassment or the ‘almost-kiss’, but she knew that it made her girlfriend look absolutely adorable.
But couches are our special make-out place, Waverly was tempted to say, just to get Nicole even more flustered with the memory of their first kiss.
However, she held her tongue and turned to face Wynonna who was smirking at her. Then, the older sister shifted her gaze to Nicole, and a more serious expression came across her face. Waverley felt a small flutter of butterflies at what she knew was coming next (though desperately hoped she was wrong).
"So, Nicole," Wynonna started. Waverly felt dread pool in her stomach. Here it is, she thought. "What are your intentions with Waverly?"
Waverly groaned and buried her face in her hands, then glanced up to see Nicole staring at Wynonna in bewilderment.
"My... What?"
"Your intentions. With my sister. Just what exactly are you on this relationship for?" Wynonna was merciless. She had taken it upon herself to do the speech that all prospective significant others get from the loved ones of their partner. Sometimes it was the best friend that did it, sometimes the father, but it was always the same speech.
"Erm, her?" She glanced at Waverly for help.
"Wynonna, you really don't have to do this." Waverly said, though even she could hear the resignation in her voice. When Wynonna was set on doing something, nothing could persuade her to do otherwise.
Wynonna ignored her. "Nicole, me and Waves look out for each other, because we love each other. Now, it - "
Nicole cuts her off as realisation sets in. "Ohhhh - so this is the conversation where you tell me 'not to break Waverly's heart or else'?"
Wynonna grumbled, "Something to that effect". She was obviously a bit disgruntled that her planned speech that she had been so looking forward to had been cut short. Nicole laughed - a sound that was quickly becoming one of Waverly's favourite things - and spoke earnestly to the the older Earp.
"Look, you have no need to say anything. I know how precious Waverly is to you, but I don't think you've fully grasped how precious she is to me. I could never, ever, hurt her." Here, Nicole tuned to face her girlfriend, who felt tears burning in her eyes. "I love her. I love her so much, and to see her hurt in any way would hurt me too." She paused a moment. Waverly could barely contain her emotions at such a declaration of love. They'd said the words before, but to hear Nicole explain everything so eloquently and simply to her sister... It was overwhelming.
Nicole continued, looking back at Wynonna. "So you don't have to worry."
There was a moment of silence, and then Wynonna nodded, eyes shining and a soft smile on her lips. She then cleared her throat and stood up. "Okay - so now that's out of the way... Who's up for shots?" She practically skipped into the kitchen, ignoring her sister's groan of protest.
Waverly looked at Nicole and reached a hand up to gently trace her girlfriend's lips. "Everything you said... It's the exact way I feel about you too. You know that, right? I could never hurt you."
This time, there are no interruptions as their lips meet in a tender kiss, full of promises and possibilities.