Page 67 of From the Courtroom to the Court
Emily smiles, pulls a hair tie from her wrist, and gathers her hair into an improvised ponytail because she feels hot.
"What I think is that you have a huge heart, Leah," Emily says.
"Yeah..." Leah smiles, "but besides that. Do you think it might affect us? I don't know. Aaron will live with me, and so will Mia. We won't have privacy."
Emily laughs, and Leah watches her with fascination.
"For intimate moments, we have my house, Leah, stop worrying. I'm with you in this and in anything you do, unless you ask me to hide a body," she jokes, making Leah laugh as she hugs her.
"Aaron, come here a minute," says Mia, sitting next to Emma under one of the garden umbrellas.
Aaron, who is sitting with Anne and Natalie, excuses himself and gets up to see his sister.
"What's up?" he asks, sitting across from them.
Mia clears her throat, flustered, and Emma takes her hand to encourage her.
"You see, you might notice Emma coming to Leah's house very often," she explains nervously and begins to smile, "actually, it's not a possibility, it's something that will happen."
"Is she your girlfriend?" Aaron fires, and Mia sits with her mouth open, not knowing what to say.
"Yes, Aaron," Emma responds, throwing the referee a lifeline, "exactly that."
"Okay," the boy responds, shrugging his shoulders. "Can I go back to the table? Natalie says she's going to buy me a new phone."
"Yes, go," says Mia, watching him in bewilderment. "My God, he's a manipulator."
"More like a spoiled kid," Emma corrects her. "Look at him properly. He has four women around him willing to give him everything he needs, and if he's not stupid, he'll get everything he can out of you," the lawyer laughs.
"Give it a few weeks and you'll fall under his spell too."
Epilogue
Two years later
Emily Harris rearranges—for the third time this month—the distribution of a couple of side tables in the living room and all the decorative objects on a large vintage wooden cabinet she purchased last year. She takes two steps back and, with her brow furrowed, evaluates her artistry. She shakes her head and takes a metal plate with three different-sized candles and moves it to the left side. She smiles because she likes the change, but immediately clicks her tongue; now the picture frames aren't aligned the way she wants. She picks up one specific frame and sighs; in the photograph, a very excited Emily wearing a Mickey Mouse hat hugs Leah at the famous amusement park in Orlando. She remembers that getaway fondly as one of those moments that define a couple's life.
Flashback
"Look, Leah, look!" Emily shouts like a little girl when the park's closing show begins.
Leah watches her with tenderness; they've been together for a year and her life has completely changed. Their relationship has flowed with ease, they understand each other well, and whenever they've had disagreements, they've discussed them calmly. The lawyer remains as formidable as ever in the courtrooms but not so much on the court. Practice sessions have become more frequent because they not only play at Walker Elite Sport Club but also at the tennis player's house. Leah has had a somewhat busy but satisfying season; she has given several conferences as the sports icon she is, attended major tournaments as a spectator, and at her club, they host very interesting tournaments that have caught the attention of the press and tennis fans.
"I prefer looking at you," Leah answers with love-filled eyes as the music plays and the light show begins.
Emily's smile widens and she moves closer to kiss her. Fireworks start illuminating the sky with brilliant colors, making Leah's profile shine even brighter. The lawyer observes her and feels a shiver settle in her stomach. Just like that time, during that surprise getaway when the tennis player took her to another theme park, Emily feels that overwhelming need to confess, to tell her once more how much she loves her and how much she wants to keep her in her life. She takes her hand and squeezes it slightly, making Leah turn her head to look at her.
"We've been good together, haven't we?" Emily asks, but doesn't let Leah answer. "Better than expected. I love you, Leah, and you make me the happiest woman in the universe. You're attentive, loving, loyal, you understand me so much that I think you were created exactly for me. I want to wake up beside you every morning, get into bed together after a tough day, and feel your calm breathing when you fall asleep on the couch. I want to live with you."
Leah's teary gaze says many things. Love, excitement, joy. Everything her girlfriend makes her feel, and now she's asking to take another step in their relationship. Before answering, she hugs her tightly because she needs to feel Emily's body next to hers, matching their breathing as had become usual between them.
"Nothing would make me happier," she says, her voice breaking.
Emily shouts, like she does when playing tennis—her notable improvement has allowed her to win some matches against less experienced opponents—and hugs her even tighter.
"Rearranging the photo again, honey?" Leah asks as she passes through the living room and sees her girlfriend holding the picture frame.
The lawyer flashes one of her smiles, the kind that melts Leah.
