Emma Swan was a waitress at a nice, little restaurant; wasn't too fancy but it wasn't a place people could just walk in just to grab something to eat. She has been working there for a year now and in all this time she has had oneregular that comes
in every day she works.
This regular was always alone so Emma always managed to strike up a conversation. She managed to learn a lot about this customer over the year. Her name is Regina Mills, she's the mayor of the small town about an hour away, and she was always on time
to everything.
The more Emma learned about this woman the more she fell. This woman was beautiful, smart, funny, but always alone. Emma imagined there had to be a line of men and women who wanted to be with this woman but Regina always dined alone.
Seeing that it was now six, she knew that Regina had just been seated at her normal table. "Hey there Regina. How has your day been?" Regina looked up at her waitress. "Hello, dear. My day was fine. How about yours?"
Emma gave a nonchalant shrug. "Same old, same old. So, are you getting your usual or going to branch out today?" The blonde gave the other woman a wink as she received a playful eye roll. "Just my usual today, Emma. Thank you."
Chuckling, Emma shook her head as she wrote down Regina's order. "Sure, whatever you say." Emma looked up to see Regina smirking. "Yes, that's usually how it goes, dear." Emma laughed before walking off to put in Regina's order.
After checking on her other tables, and being thankful it was a slow night, Emma made her way back over to Regina's table. "How is everything so far?" Emma watched as Regina took a sip of her wine. "Wonderful as usual."
The waitress bit her bottom lip as she contemplated asking her question that she's been dying to as the woman for a few months now. "Regina, I have a question for you. You don't have to answer if you don't want but, um, you've come in almost everyday
for a year but you're always eating alone. You're a wonderful person and I've been wondering: why are you here alone?"
Emma watched with bated breathe as Regina looked down at her food, seemingly contemplating whether she was going to answer or not. "This place is my getaway from life. If I bring someone here, it's because I'm pretty certain I'm going to spend the
rest of my life with them and therefore I'd share this place with them."
Emma didn't know how to feel about that. On one hand it made perfect sense since she has learned that the woman is fairly private, but on the other hand it made Emma's resolve to ask the woman out weaken even more.
"Makes total sense. Well, I'll let you get back to eating." As Emma went around to her other tables, she couldn't help but keep thinking about what Regina said. This place was the other woman's getaway and by association, so was she. Why would Regina
want part of her getaway from life inher life?
A few months later the day Emma dreaded the most finally came: Regina had brought somebody. And not just anybody, a beautiful, blonde woman. Emma stood there, gaping, as she watched Regina smile the brightest smile Emma has even seen at the other woman.
After being nudged by a fellow waiter, Emma slowly made her way to the table. "Hello ladies. What will you two be drinking this evening?" Regina barely glanced Emma's way. "I'll be having my usual. What do you want Mal?"
Mal.So that's what this woman's name was. What kind of a name was that? Emma subtly shook her head. She couldn't let her thoughts go in that direction. She knew this day would come, but that still didn't make it hurt any less.
"I'll just have whatever you're having." Emma nodded, not trusting her voice to say anything to either woman. The waitress quickly left, not even bothering with writing down their order first.
She couldn't do this. Emma wanted nothing more than anything for Regina to be happy, but she wanted to be the cause of the woman's happiness. Knowing she wouldn't be able to handle the rest of the night without being rude to Mal, Emma asked a fellow waitress
to cover Regina's table.
Tending to her other tables, Emma couldn't help but to keep glancing at their table. Especially when she would hear Regina's rich laughter filling the air. Emma felt bile starting to rise; she wanted to be the cause of that noise. Emma prayed she could
make it the rest of her shift.
The next night Emma found herself wishing that Regina wouldn't show. She contemplated calling in sick but needed the money so she didn't. At six Emma took a deep breath and slowly looked at Regina's table and of course she saw the woman being seated.
But she noticed she was alone.
Before Emma could even greet the other woman, Regina beat her to it. "Emma! I'm glad you're here. They told me you left because you weren't feeling well. How do you feel now?" Emma tried to slow her heart that had quickened from the concerned tone in
Regina's voice.
"I'm ok now. Thanks." Emma gave Regina a tight lipped smile. The waitress wrote down Regina's order and left without another word. She rarely made it back to the woman's table, not trusting her mouth.
When it was the normal time Regina would be getting ready to leave, Emma made her way to the table. "Emma, we need to talk." Emma knew she hadn't been acting normal and didn't know how she was going to explain herself.
"About what?" Regina stood up so she was looking Emma in the eye. "About last night and why I brought Mal. Listen, Emma, I feel really guilty. Mal is a completely straight woman who's married and has a daughter with her husband. It was her idea to come
here with me so she could gauge your reaction. She's my best friend and knew that I told you this is my getaway place."
Emma stared at Regina, not knight what to think. "Wha-what? What exactly are you saying here, Regina?" Emma watched as brown eyes seemed to search for something in her own eyes. "What I'm saying is, Emma, that I have feelings for you and didn't know if
they were reciprocated so Mal came up with the plan to accompany me here and gauge your reaction. She's very adamant that you were jealous. Is she right or are my feelings one sided?"
Emma let out a bark of laughter, more from relief than anything else, and then grabbed Regina's face and brought the other woman forward until their lips met in a slow kiss. Breaking the kiss, Emma leaned back to look the other woman in the eyes while
she slowly stroked her cheeks with her thumbs.
"She was right, Regina. I have fallen for you over the past year you have been coming here but never thought it possible you could love me too." Regina surged forward and kissed Emma deeply. "Well it's possible, Emma. How about Saturday night, since you'll
be off, you come to my house for dinner instead? I never come here Saturdays anyway since you're never here."
Emma's smile threatened to tear her face in two, which Regina easily returned. "I'd love to go to yours on my day off." Leaning in for another kiss, neither woman could wait for Saturday night to arrive.