She glances at her phone and curses under her breath when she sees the time. 11:04pm.

That means she only has another forty minutes to try and cram these legal principles into her head for her International Law exam tomorrow before the library closes and they kick everyone out. She finds it impossible to study at home, so these last forty minutes are all she has. She lets out a deep sigh as she leans back in her chair, arms reaching back to pull her hair into a ponytail, but fingers stop short in her hair as she remembers that she'd had her hair cut earlier that week, up to her shoulders, and she drops her hands back to the table as she thinks of her longer hair, how it used to brush against her forearms while she was typing up an essay on her laptop, or when she was bent over her readings. Well, she doesn't miss the annoyance, she thinks, as she moves in her chair and readies herself to get back to work. Better make the most of those last forty minutes…

From the corner of her eye, she thinks she notices that the guy at the table across the room is watching her, as if his attention has been diverted from his own studying by her sudden movement in the still and quiet reading room. It's not a small room, but it`s not a huge room either, yet the late hour on a Thursday during the semester that is nowhere near finals means that it's only her, dude who is watching her, and some other student who looks like an undergrad sitting in a carrel in the corner.

One quick peek in his direction and her suspicions are confirmed. He is watching her. She feels a blush rise in her cheeks as she looks back down at her book, picks up her highlighter and places a hand on her forehead.

How did I not notice him? she wonders.

It's Robin, from her International Law seminar. She's wondering why he's in this library, and not the law school library where most of their year studies, or at any of the other dozens of libraries on campus. She herself had chosen this library because it was where she had spent those late nights of her undergrad career, cramming for economics midterms and writing history essays in the individual carrels along the sides. It's her personal favourite library on campus, filled with wooden tables, wooden accents, comfortable reading chairs and electrical fireplaces that are just perfect to curl up beside with a Starbucks cup and a reading, but she has never seen any other law students in here before tonight.

Her eyes find where she had left off on the page, and she temporarily puts aside all thought of her attractive, scruffy British classmate across the room…

She is concentrating on drilling all of the facts of the Lotus Case into her brain, and almost jumps out of her seat when she hears the PA system announce the library's closure in fifteen minutes.

She looks around, taking in her surroundings, and notices that Robin is looking at her again, this time with a smirk on his face as if he had noticed how the sudden noise had startled her. This time, she responds with a sheepish smile, which she doesn't think could be mistaken for an invitation until he gets up and grabs his books before walking over to her table.

"Hello, Regina," he says, not bothering to whisper since they are the only two left in the room; it appears that the undergrad had left some time ago while she had been absorbed in her studies.

She looks up at him smiling at her, her hands holding up a piece of paper she had been intending on reading, and she doesn't know what's gotten into her that she can't even utter a single word in response.

"Ugh," she clears her throat, "Hi, Robin."

For some infuriating reason, she sees that her response has made his smile grow wider, as he asks, "Studying for the test tomorrow, are you?"

This time her response is quicker, "Yes, that's probably what I'll be doing all night, unfortunately."

"The old bat is crazy for giving us a test this early in the term, don't you think?" he says as she pulls her papers together and slips them into her bag.

"I just can't believe that it's only the fourth week and yet there's so much material to study," she mutters. She knew law school would be tough and that of course there would be a lot of reading, and it had been in first year, but everything they are learning in second year is seriously above and beyond any other course that she has taken before. She sighs, places her bag on the table and stretches out the cramps she's starting to feel in her back. Sitting in one spot for five and a half hours is definitely not ideal.

"Are you done studying for the night?" he questions, quickly looking down at the empty coffee cup in one of his hands before lifting his eyes to meet hers.

She never really thought of him as the fidgety type…"No, I think I'm going to be up for another few hours - there's just so much to know," she sighs again.

He nods at her words, and then says slowly in his lilting accent, "Well, maybe we can study together? Quiz each other, maybe? I've always found it useful to bounce ideas off someone else, especially when trying to construct an argument…."

It seems he stops himself before he begins to ramble.

Her eyebrows lift, "Oh, well…" she regards the expression of…hope? is it? on his face as she ponders his suggestion. She doesn't exactly play well with others…but he is one of the top students in their year, second only to her, so it wouldn't be as if he were leeching off her knowledge, like it had been with that insufferable Sidney during finals last year who spent more time gazing at her than actually reading his notes. She doesn't really know Robin that well, really, had only met him at the beginning of the semester this year, had heard about him all throughout last year, the nice, smart and yes, she must admit to herself as he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth while he waits for her answer, kind of attractive, British student who had scored a summer job at one of the biggest firms in the city. When she had finally met him in her International Law seminar this year, she had seen that everything they said about him was true. Almost as smart as her, smirking at her in class whenever he noticed the frustrated look on her face if he answered a question before she was able to, maintaining eye contact for a second longer than she thought purely platonic; but she had to admit, she was secretly pleased that there was someone in her year who could finally present somewhat of a challenge for her. Answering all the questions could get a bit boring after all. Plus, she really didn't mind being able to hear his accent in class…it was kind of hot, actually. And right now, he is right, bouncing argument constructions off someone else would definitely be helpful…

So she replies, "Sure, why not," and she does not miss how his smile grows wider at that, and she's loathe to admit it but she feels her cheeks flushing the tiniest bit, and so she looks down at her bag instead of looking back into his eyes - his deep blue eyes - and pushes her chair into the table as she puts on her coat. "You are one of the top students in the class, it might actually be helpful," she can't help but add, trying to maintain the stony facade that she is known for.

She hears him chuckle as she starts to walk out of the room and down the hall to the library exit, hears his steps following her as he remarks, "So if I weren't top of the class, you would have said no?"

"You're not top of the class, I am. You're second. And if you were any lower, yes, I would have said no. I don't like to waste my time." she replies breezily, hears him chuckle again at that, can almost picture him looking down and biting his lip at her snark. He's walking beside her now, down the stairs, and he can see from the corner of her eye that he's looking at her and not where he's going.

"It's almost midnight, though, any suggestions for a place where we can study that's still open?" she asks, still not looking at him, as they step out onto the street. She adjusts her scarf as a cool autumn breeze catches a wisp of her hair and blows it across her face.

He turns away from her to throw his coffee cup in the garbage can nearby, and as he turns back to face her she finally meets his gaze and she has to hide the fact that she seems to have forgotten how to breathe for a second as their eyes lock, sky blue on chocolate brown. It's the way he's looking at her that does it, with a sort of early affection that she's only seen in another pair of eyes, long ago when law school was only a dream in the distant future instead of a reality. It's like she's beguiling, like she's this wonder in front of his eyes that he wants to know every inch of, like she's this spectacular creature that he cannot fully comprehend but wants to.

It terrifies her. It terrifies her because though it may not show in her eyes, she feels the same way towards him. Which is ridiculous, she thinks, because he's just her classmate and really that makes him her competition, and she knows what her mother would say, that she should never show any weakness, and that love is weakness, but just in that moment when they lock eyes it's like there's a flash where she can imagine an entire future with him by her side…she shakes herself and looks away as she realizes there is still silence between them since he hasn't answered her yet, as she remembers that there's a test tomorrow morning that she has to ace, that time is running out and if their study date - no Regina, she tells herself, don't even think about using the word "date" - studying is going to happen they better get started soon.

She croaks, "Well? Any ideas?"

She clears her throat and she hates that he has a grin on his face, hates that there's anyone in the world who can get through her mask and make her feel slightly ridiculous at being rendered speechless.

He finally responds, "I've noticed that you're an avid coffee drinker, how about we go to that café near the subway station? I could really use a fix too, and it's open 24 hours."

She nods curtly as she starts walking in the direction of the subway station and responds, "I didn't know it was open so late. Let's go, then."

The subway station is about a five minute walk, and they pass the undergraduate dorms as they walk away from the library, lights and music spilling from the windows, and where the curtains aren't drawn you can look in to see the freshman laughing and chatting, drinking and getting to know each other in the first few weeks of school. It is a Thursday night, after all. A small hint of nostalgia tugs at Regina as she remembers being a freshman living in that same dorm that they are walking past. She wasn't exactly an avid party-goer, but she had frequented a few in her first few weeks before they got repetitive and her classmates became less interesting. She wonders where Robin did his undergrad…

"You cut your hair," Robin remarks as he glances at her as they walk side by side along the sidewalk.

She feels the flush creep back into her cheeks at the fact that he noticed. Don't be stupid, Regina, anyone would notice the sudden disappearance of 7 inches.

She nods. "It was becoming annoying, too much work. I've had long hair for such a long time that it's nice to have it short for a change…and according to my mother," she adopts a strict, scolding voice and lowers her tone an octave, "it was starting to be too long to look professional."

"Is that why you're in law school? Because of your mother?"

The directness of the question shocks her, and she can't help that her mouth drops open slightly as she turns to look at him. Why the hell would he make such an assumption? She can't remember ever mentioning her mother in his hearing, the only people at law school who know what her mother is like are Emma and Mary Margaret, since they're old family friends, but no one else knows the pressure she puts on Regina. The feeling of inadequacy that have been her mother's fault for as long as she can remember, which is part of the reason why she tries so hard in her studies in the first place. The motivation to prove her mother wrong giving her the will to study and be the best, to take on law school instead of following another course of study.

He seems to realize how abrupt his question is, opens his mouth to form an apology, perhaps, but she stops him with her own harsh reply as she levels him with a steely gaze, "I'm in law school because I want to be a lawyer."

"I'm sorry, of course, I didn't mean…I don't know why I said it."

She shakes her head as she turns her head forward again, forehead wrinkling as her prickliness deflates, "But…you do have a point."

The words struggle to come out of her mouth as she realizes that she hasn't admitted any of this to anyone, and she wonders what it is about this Robin that makes her feel like she can share such intimate thoughts with him. "My mother wants me to be a lawyer. My mother's a CEO," she explains quickly, "and to her, it's either business or law. I do want to be a lawyer…I just don't want to be the kind of lawyer she wants me to be."

"Corporate?" he asks, and she glances at him and nods before looking down at the sidewalk as they continue walking.

"Yeah, she wants me to be a corporate lawyer, to work at the biggest and most prestigious firm in the country, because why not at least mix some business in if I'm going to out-right reject being a future CEO. But, I don't want that – to be a corporate lawyer."

"Then what kind of law are you interested in?" The way he says it, it's not how her mother would ask the question, with a clear hint of exasperation since it would seem so inconceivable to her that anyone would bother with law school to do anything but what would rake in the most cash. Instead, his voice is soft and kind, genuinely interested in her thoughts.

"International Law," she admits, smiling despite herself. "International public law. It's why I took this seminar. It's what I love, and I want to work for the International Court of Justice, or maybe the UN…I don't know. Something like that." She brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, silently grateful that she can voice her dreams out loud without a fear of rebuke.

She hears him chuckle and looks at him to find him grinning at her as they stop to wait for the light to change at the cross walk.

"Me, too," he murmurs. That makes her grin back. He's the first person she's met in her year that wants to do exactly that. She thought there'd be more, but there weren't…everyone wanted to go corporate, or family, or criminal. He gets it, then.

His eyebrows furrow together, "And your mother thinks that's not good enough?"

That makes her roll her eyes as she adopts a condescending, clipped voice to mimic her mother: "Oh darling, if you're not closing million dollar deals at breakfast, whatever is the point of pursuing a law degree?" She rolls her eyes again, and mutters in a bitter tone, "I don't know, mom, maybe to make a difference in the world? Use the law for good instead of letting white-collar sleazebags get away with breaking the law?" She lets out a huff, then thinks maybe she shouldn't be talking openly with such indignation towards her mother. Reputation is everything, Regina, she hears her mother's voice remind her in her head.

Her eyebrows knit together as she blurts out sardonically, "What about your parents? Are they pushers, too?"

He shakes his head, eyebrows still knit together, "They always encouraged me to do whatever I want." His grin returns as he adds, "Except for when I was four and insisted that I wanted to be a fox when I grew up."

She can't help her splutter of laughter.

"A fox?"

"Something to do with that Disney movie Robin Hood?"

She lets out another chuckle, shakes her head, and then turns serious as she murmurs, "You're lucky."

They're a few steps away from the café now, and what he does next takes her aback.

He takes her hand in his, weaving his fingers between hers.

Her eyes pop wide open, her nerves start to tingle, and her veins blaze with the most curious feeling. A feeling she hasn't experienced since senior year of high school…

She looks up at him, his face gauging her reaction to his move. Even if she thinks things have progressed rather rapidly in the past five minutes since they've walked from the library, she smiles despite herself, and his face instantly floods with joy.

Once they reach the door of the café, he lets go of her hand but whispers in her ear as he holds the door open, the hairs at the back of her neck rising with his warm breath on her skin chilled by the crisp autumn air, "I think your hair looks good no matter the length."

She regains control of herself and as she walks towards the counter to order, turns back to him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her lips, chidingly saying "I've heard people fight dirty in law school, but I do hope you're not putting on this little show to try and distract me from studying so that you can claim the top spot in our class?"

He laughs at that, his teeth pulling his lip between them before he responds, "I wouldn't dream of it," the intensity of his gaze giving her the sense that he's telling the truth.

And there comes the blush again, accompanied by a flip-flopping in her stomach…she's in trouble, and she knows it.