Snow's words ricochet in her head, that her heart will find its way to happiness, and all she can think about is the thief, her soulmate and the flirtation she can't seem to avoid. That day they first met he had flirted with her, somehow unafraid of the Evil Queen. When he leaned in for that whiskey, she really thought he was going to kiss her, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed he didn't. Then she flirted awkwardly with him over her heart, cringing at her own you can't steal something that's been given to you. But somehow he found it endearing and still wanted to have a drink with her.
She wanted to do more, but she was out of her depth. Regina knew how to seduce a man, but dating, trying to navigate feelings, that she had no idea how to do. She kept telling herself next time, next time she would make a move, whatever that entailed, but it was too easy to continually say next time and let the fear paralyze her.
So she was going to go to his camp, just to talk with him, maybe finally have that drink, to stop running away and see if their flirtation could grow into something more. She poofs herself to his camp, thankful she doesn't have to walk, as having to take that time would only make her lose her nerve.
She approaches nervously, glad that he is alone and she won't embarrass herself in front of his men. He's apologizing, clearly upset over losing her heart and it's sweet but unnecessary.
She got closer to him than she intended, so she's staring into warm blue eyes that look back at her with affection. She can't help but look down at his lips, and wonder what it would be like to kiss him.
They way he emphasizes that he promises her he will get her heart back is so full of care and compassion and only makes her want him more. She thinks back to when he called her bold and audacious and that's what she needs to be. He tries to keep talking but she pulls him in and kisses him hard, pouring all of her longing into the kiss.
She pulls back, afraid, steeling herself for the inevitable what the hell was that, because who could ever want the Evil Queen. He stares at her saying nothing, shocked, and she wants to run away, melt into the ground from mortification, but she's frozen in place.
But then he's kissing her and it's pure bliss, relief floods her as he comes in closer, his hand sliding into her hair. Then he's deepening the kiss, her body flush against his as his tongue tentatively touches her bottom lip before it seeks hers out. A little spark of pleasure shoots down her body as their tongues meet for the first time and she lets out a little moan that spurs him on, and then he's kissing her harder, fiercely, with intention, his one hand tangled in her hair as the other settles on her hip, keeping her pressed up against him. Her hands are doing the same, wrapped around his waist, trying to pull him in closer so she can feel more of him, but their layers of clothing are in her way.
He pulls away for a second, his hand moving from her hair to stroke her cheek, and it just feels so right she can't help but smile. And then he's diving back in for another kiss and she can't say she minds, returning the kiss with equal fervor. It's a good kiss, sends jolts of pleasure through her but they are muted, and in a way she's thankful for that because she doesn't feel that need for more. She wants him, wants more, but it's not the desperate longing she knows it could be if she had her heart.
This time she breaks the kiss, needing a second to catch her breath.
"I- ugh, wow, as much as I would love to continue, I'm on watch and have been neglecting it." He says, his eyes never leaving hers.
She lets out a little sigh, disappointed they can't continue, but knows it's for the best, "I should, um, head home anyway, it's, uh, been a long day."
Neither of them move for a second and she goes to turn around but he says, "Wait."
So she stops, and stares back into those sultry blue eyes as he continues, "When can I see you again?"
She can't help the smile that flickers onto her face at that, she feels almost giddy that he wants to see her again. "Well I have a meeting with the Charmings tomorrow and that could take all day, we have to get back to trying to defeat my sister." She groans at that, not wanting to return to the reality of their impending lack of a future. She just wants to stay here in this moment, where she can forget about all those troubles.
"What time is the meeting, maybe I could see you before?" He looks at her hopefully as he asks and her smile grows.
"11am, so we could have breakfast."
"I'd love that, how about I come by your place at 9 and then we can go to Granny's, unless you'd prefer camp food."
She laughs at that. "Granny's is fine but I can just meet you there, save you the trouble."
"Regina, it's no trouble, I want to spend as much time as I can with you."
"If you insist," she says through a wide smile, she can't stop smiling and it's so unlike her, but she likes it.
He pulls her in for another kiss, a light lingering peck before he tells her, "Goodnight, Regina, I'll see you in the morning."
And if she keeps smiling as she goes through her nightly routine, well, no one's there to see it anyway.
She wakes up before her alarm, with a nervous excitement coursing through her veins. She just saw him and it's ridiculous, but she cannot wait to see him again. She goes for a red dress, one she's had for a long time, maybe even since Storybrooke's creation, but she never really felt like wearing it, preferring neutral tones with coloured accents. But she saw how he took her in in that blue dress yesterday, even with everything that had happened, he had still taken a second to admire her figure. And this dress is bright and happy, which is probably why she stayed away before, but now it seems rather perfect, and she does look good in red.
She's antsy all morning, almost drops her coffee and has to still her hand before she can apply her makeup. She can't remember the last time she had something to look forward to like this. She almost foregoes a lip colour because she's hoping to kiss him again, but this does look best with a red lip and she has this one that swears it's kissproof, so she decides to give it a chance. If it doesn't work, she'll cheat and use her magic to fix it.
She's ready by 8:30, so sits and waits, looking out the window, trying to pass the time. She sees him approaching at 8:45, and though it's probably too enthusiastic, she gets up to get the door before he reaches it.
She opens it as he was about to knock, clearly startles him a little, but he recovers quickly.
"Good morning, milady, I hope you slept well." He holds out his right hand, which she takes as she shuts the door.
"I did, thank you." She fell asleep to thoughts of kissing him and woke up wanting more, but she keeps that to herself.
They've only made it a couple of steps hand in hand when he stops, his eyes flickering down to her lips, and she wonders if he's thinking of kissing her, if he spent his night thinking about it as well. He brings his left hand to cup her face and tells her, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."
She blushes, looking down, but he uses his hand to tip her face up so she's looking into his eyes, and then he closes the distance between them. Kissing her, by her front door for anyone to see, it's fairly innocent but her cheeks continue to flush as he kisses her, seemingly uncaring that they could easily get caught, and more importantly that he could be caught with her.
"Sorry, I just couldn't wait until after breakfast to do that again."
She lets out a laugh, that sounds like a giggle, but it's not, that's not something she does, she's not some giddy teenager fawning over her first boyfriend.
They make small talk all the way to Granny's and she catches some disbelieving looks at their clasped hands, but if he sees them, he pays them no mind, keeping his focus on her.
They get more stares as they wait for a table and Granny, seeing the stares, gives them one of the more private tables, so they don't see all the eyes on them.
They keep the conversation light at first, he tells her more about his adorable son and she finds herself telling him about Henry and why he doesn't remember her. Robin listens, sympathetic, and doesn't judge her for her past mistakes, or at least hides it extremely well. And because of that, after they eat, she finds herself telling him about last night and what her mother told them about Zelena, and Zelena's plan to take her life.
She feels better having told him, finds comfort his reassurances and that hand that grips hers as he swears they will find a way to beat Zelena, he knows it.
As she finishes her coffee, one Ruby had been keeping topped up nicely, she checks her watch and is stunned to realize almost two hours have gone by and she has ten minutes before she's supposed to meet the Charming clan, just upstairs so she doesn't need to rush off.
They get their bill and he tries to take it, but she's faster and reminds him that, unlike him, she has a job and that she doesn't want him stealing so he can take her out. The Merry Men are getting a stipend for keeping the forest safe, but it's not a lot, and she makes a note to see what she can do to increase it.
She doesn't want to say goodbye, so she doesn't and lets him follow her up the stairs to the back hallway of Granny's, They do technically have five more minutes, so she kisses him. It's meant to be a gentle peck goodbye, but she's rather addicted to the feeling of his lips on hers, and they kiss again and again until she breaks one to ask.
"What do you see in me?"