Killian and Emma had broken up. She'd been the one to call it off. It was hardly a first for her; in fact it was practically a routine at this point. She'd feel herself getting close to someone, thinking about moving in, lazy Saturday mornings together, a future for the two of them, and that was when she'd run. She'd never been one for stability or commitment, bouncing from one home to another, one man to another, all her life.
For a while, she'd thought this time might be different. Her relationship with Killian was nothing like the others she'd had. This was more than one night stands, more than a few hookups. With him, it didn't feel the same, it felt better. They spent as much time on casual coffee dates talking about anything and everything as they did on fancy nights out often landing at one apartment or the other. They had favorite dinner spots they frequented with ease. But none of that stopped her from feeling the urge to bolt. And one night, she finally gave in. she ran.
She thought about that night constantly, the look on his face as he finally began to grasp what she was saying, the way the light left his eyes as she pushed herself off of his couch to leave, the way he didn't try to stop her. It had been almost a month but she still thought of nothing else, especially once she'd finished work and come home. That was when she would normally have called or texted him to see which of their favorite places he felt like going to that night. She still reached for her phone as she walked in the door every day.
But this Friday night, she finally decided she'd had enough wallowing. She knew that the only way she'd be able to move on was to get him out of her head. And that meant replacing him with someone else. She changed quickly and refreshed her makeup before heading right back out the door.
She hadn't even realized where she was going until she was there. Somehow, led either by her heart or her memory, she'd ended up at his favorite bar, the place he'd picked every Friday night. She stopped herself once she realized where she was, the memories flooding her mind. She saw them meeting for the first time, his pickup line making her laugh, the perfect mix of cheesy and charming. She saw the countless nights they'd spent there dancing out on the floor after a few drinks, inching closer as the nights dragged on. She saw the smiles and kisses, the look in his eyes that made her melt each and every time.
She sighed loudly. She knew the smart thing to do would be to leave. How was she supposed to forget him if she was surround by his ghost? But something in her made her get out of her car and go inside. She definitely needed a drink and there was nowhere else nearby.
She found a seat at the bar far from their usual table and ordered a beer, wondering if this had all been a good idea. It wasn't long until some guy tried to talk to her. He was hardly the kind of guy she normally even acknowledged but tonight she'd decided she didn't care. She let him buy her another drink and even followed him out on the dance floor. And that was when she saw Killian.
She'd spun around and ended up facing the far corner of the bar, their corner. And there he was. His face was downcast and he was obviously alone, and drinking rum which was a sure sign that he was not enjoying himself any more than she was. She turned back around to face her dance partner and briskly excused herself mumbling something about the ladies room. She made her way slowly through the crowd of intoxicated dancers toward where he sat in the dark corner.
"Hey" she said as she came to stop just close enough to sit down if she wanted to. Her short greeting was enough for him to notice causing him to look up.
"Look, love, I'm not interested-" he paused once he saw who had spoken to him, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. "Emma." He said her name slowly, almost as if he didn't want to scare her away with the sound. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question. I would also ask what you're doing back here in this corner instead of at the bar. It's far less lonely out there." How could she be so casual about this?
"This is my favorite table at my favorite bar. Where else would I be on a Friday night?" he paused a moment before deciding to continue. "And if I remember correctly, this was never your favorite place so I feel as if I should be the one asking questions. For starters, who's that?" he asked motioning with his drink to the guy she'd left stranded on the dance floor.
"His name's Ian but what's it matter to you?" Was he jealous or did she just wish that he was?
"I was just wondering about my replacement" he said taking a long drink from his glass.
When had this happened? When had their relationship become so tense?
"Are you jealous of him? That's not like you."
He scoffed at that and once again lifted his glass, downing the last of his rum before offering an actual response.
"Like you'd know."
Emma tensed at this. Could he really think she didn't know him, that she hadn't cared about him, that she didn't care about him even now? She stepped closer to him then, her fighting instinct taking over.
"Damn it Killian! Of course I'd know!" her emotions were taking over now, overpowering the sensible side of her that hated making a scene.
At that Killian stood and stepped toward her, shrinking the space between them even more.
"And how would you know anything about me? Because you cared so much about me and what we had? But no, that can't be right because you left! You left me with no explanation. Now I see just how much you cared about me!"
That was too much for Emma. She finally let herself feel the emotions she'd been trying to ignore and gave in to what she wanted to badly to do. She took one more step forward, closing the distance between them as she reached up and took a firm hold of his leather jacket and pulled him fiercely toward her so that she could kiss him.
The kiss was unlike any other she'd ever experienced, even with him. It was both so familiar and so new, their heated emotions pushing it to a new level. She felt him relax out of the shock and almost immediately his arms moved to embrace her. She leaned into him as he moved his hand to her face. A moment later, he pulled away ever so slightly. He didn't step back, she could still feel his breath as they both struggled to regain their normal breathe.
"What the bloody hell was that, Swan?" he whispered.
"That was to get you to shut the hell up."
"What you don't like hearing the truth?" he responded his voice still harsh.
"Killian, don't. Please." she pleaded.
"Don't what, Emma? Don't be hurt by what you did or don't let you see it. Would you rather I go find some other pretty blonde to spend the night dancing with?"
"Fine, Killian. If that's what you want. Just do it. You've already shown I don't care." Emma spat out as she turned away and headed to the bathroom.

She emerged from the bathroom ready to for her night to be over. She'd let him get back inside her head and when it hadn't turned out the way she wanted, she'd run away again and cried. She was heading for the door of the bar when she spotted him again. This time, he was in fact dancing with some blonde. She knew she should leave but once again, she ignored her head and listened to her heart. She made her way to the bar and ordered another drink and scanned the room for the guy she'd been dancing with before. It was petty and spiteful. But if Killian could move on, so could she. She'd show him just how little she cared.
This was easier said than done to be sure. She may have spent the next hour flirting and dancing with Ian but she couldn't stop glancing around the bar in search of Killian. She watched them dance. She saw as they returned to the bar for another round. She lost them for a while but she looked up bored at the story Ian was telling to see them sitting at the table she had shared with Killian so many times.
That was it. That was too much. Emma stood up from the bar without even saying goodbye and headed toward the door. She paused at the door to retrieve her jacket from the coat rack and risked one last glance at the back corner, this time catching Killian's eyes. Emma thought she saw a spark of something in his eyes but he quickly turned his attention back to whatever his new drinking buddy had been saying. Emma searched her purse for her keys and finding them, she headed outside. She had just opened the car door when she heard the door of the bar slam shut again as someone called her name.
"Emma!" She turned around to see Killian chasing after her.
"What Killian? What could you possibly have to say to me now?" she yelled as he took the last few steps to reach her.
"Nothing. Now shut up and just kiss me."
"Wha-" she didn't have time to finish before his lips cut her off. This kiss was slower than the last, sweeter and deeper. It made her head swim even after he pulled away too quickly again.
"You and I both know this isn't over. I don't want to give up on this yet and I don't think you do either. So what do you say to come back inside for one more drink at our favorite table while we talk about it?"
"I say okay." She reached out and took his hand and followed him back inside. Maybe this time could be different. Maybe it already was.