I own nothing. I'm new at this, so reviews are very very welcome!
She's known him for ages.
They'd had riding lessons together as children, had been in the same home room in middle school, had similar classes in high school, had worked different jobs at the same book store in town, had ended up at the same university after high school, and now were starting jobs at the same firm.
She's known him for ages, and yet she never bothered to get to know him. In reality, she hadn't spoken more than five sentences to him in all that time. Crazy, right?
Now, as he smiles at her as their new boss takes them out to lunch, she thinks that those easy smiles of his were probably the deepest form of contact they've ever had. For as long as she can remember, he always greeted her with a nod and a smile, even if it was to be returned with a scowl.
She finds herself returning his smile with a small hint of her own. At that, his grows wider, and she fights the urge to roll her eyes.
He has always been so cheerful and exuberant, so friendly and sweet. She has been quite the opposite; she is known for her snark and realism and has the reputation for scowling and eye rolling.
But now...she figures that she could as well use a friend in this new "adult" world with jobs and taxes and working lunches...
She's broken out of her quiet contemplation when she hears her boss speak her name and ask about her mother.
She replies that she's doing well, thank you, and can she expect to see him at her gala next week?
Leopold chuckles and exclaims, "I wouldn't miss one of Cora's parties for the world! Your mother is quite spectacular, you know, with the amount of money she raises for charity."
Regina notices Robin staring at her with a look of worry, and she wonders if he notices that her smile has turned fake.
He knows what her mother is actually like, of course. Back in those stable days, when her mother berated her incessantly about her inability to "beat that boy," she knew that he had overheard more than one of those reprimands, had seen him around the corner as she walked away from her mother, where he was feeding his horse a sugar cube. Back then, he had looked at her with the exact same expression.
She feels her gut twist and clears her throat.
If there is anything at all in the world that can get her flustered, it is the subject of her mother.
She resolves to put her personal problems with her mother aside for the lunch, is grateful when Leopold turns to Robin as they finally arrive at the restaurant with a query about his older brother's work overseas.
It's as Regina's fingers accidentally brush against Robin's on the edge of the restaurant door that it happens.
A flash of wings. A child's scream. A man sitting by a fire in a forest. Blue eyes, the edges crinkled by a smile. "My Lady?" asks an accented male voice. The thwack of an arrow. Passionate kisses in a dark room. A torn up page from a story book…
And then Regina is back in the restaurant, watching her boss ask the hostess for a table for three, Robin glancing back at her, taken aback by her expression.
She notices that her mouth has fallen open and quickly closes it, looking away from Robin.
As soon as they are seated, she excuses herself and tries not to run to the ladies' room. Her hands grip the edges of the sink as she tries to regulate her breathing.
What the hell was that?
Another shaky breath brings back the memory of the voice in her vision, daydream, whatever it was. Robin's voice was not accented, and yet she has absolutely no doubt that it was him that had spoken.
There's no such thing as past lives, Regina. Don't be stupid, she thinks to herself as she looks in the mirror. And no alternate universes either.
Realizing that she has been standing there for more than a few minutes, she quickly washes her hands in cold water, takes a deep breath, and walks coolly back to the table where Robin and Leopold are perusing the menu.
Robin looks up at her as she sits down, an odd expression still on his face.
She returns his look with a smile that she hopes doesn't betray her inner queasiness. Eventually he looks back at his menu with a completely different expression now, biting his lip in contemplation.
The memory of the passionate kisses flickers in her mind as she tries to concentrate on her menu. Stop fantasizing about your colleague, Regina. First of all, it's your colleague, second of all, it's Robin, and third, it's Robin. The kid you wished would fall off the face of the earth so that you could for once receive an award without having to share it with someone else. He's been the bane of your existence for as long as you can remember. Don't. Even. Think. About. It.
Leopold has apparently not noticed the sudden tension that has flared up between his two colleagues, as he cheerfully peruses the menu and talks about his daughter's first year teaching at the private school that she, Robin, and Regina all attended.
Regina struggles to focus on Leopold's story of Mary Margaret's involvement in the school's new construction project after they have placed their orders, arranging her face in an expression of profound interest. From the corner of her eye, she notices Robins gaze flicking back and forth between her and Leopold. She resolutely ignores him, pretends it is only Leopold at the table as she makes admiring comments about his daughter's efforts in coordinating the renovation of the school's pool. As she thinks that there is not possibly so much to say on the subject, their appetizers arrive.
She takes the first bite out of her kale Portobello salad and can't stop herself from thinking back to Robin looking at her with a confused expression on his face. Did he see it, too?