Well, hi you! I saw this prompt on tumblr and I had to write it. It's sort of an AU - I don't know who the heck I'm kidding, this is a clear AU. I hope you think it's cute and entertaining. For now it's just a oneshot, but it depends whether you people think it's crap or not, haha.
I appriciate all support and love, so thank you :)
He's tired. It's been a long day and it's a little past 5 PM on a Wednesday afternoon. Work's been hell, he doesn't enjoy factories and never has done. It's the only job that allows him to support his son every single day.
Today has been extra harsh, considering it's the big day of love. There's hearts, confetti and boxes of chocolate everywhere. Mind the teddy bears. His colleagues had a long chat about who would be "getting some" that evening. Robin, himself, didn't take much interest in the topic of conversation. In all honesty, he hasn't "gotten some" in a very long time. Not since his deceased wife. It still hurts to say her name - Marian.
His only focus has been their five year old son, Roland. And now it's just sad how long he's gone without someone, someone to love and hold. Roland is everything to him and somewhere along his way through fatherhood, he lost the privilege to start dating again. Not that he feels like it, either. Dating is complicated. John, Tuck and some of his old buddies set him up on some dates over the years. The women are all the same; plain. Never quite the right one.
He swears that sometimes it feels like Roland will eventually move out and he'll grow old alone.
Robin is open to finding someone, he just hasn't found the right one. The one who will take his breath away. The one who will make him forget the world around him. He's stopped searching, though. He no longer knows just what he wants. Deep in his heart, he still hopes she'll appear one day.
February always seems to be the coldest month. The sky over him is grey and it's about to grow dark. Snow has fallen all day, which resulted in some bloody lousy traffic. He's glad to find one of the nearest cafés open. Instead of walking home and to an empty apartment, it feels like something is pulling him towards the doors.
His fingers wrap around the handle and he pulls it open. The hot air-conditioning hits him immediately. The atmosphere inside is calm and cozy. It's nothing like a casual visit in the middle of the day. There's barely any people, but he doesn't pay much attention.
One of the regular workers gives him a friendly smile. The blonde woman walks over to the desk and waits for him to order. He gives her a curt nod and opens his mouth to order his usual; a cappuccino.
"Anything else?" she asks lightly. Robin looks over to counter. The blueberry muffins look extra delicious today. He never really orders anything else, but takes it to go. To hell with it. Roland won't be home before 7 PM after a full day at school and then at John's.
"A blueberry muffin, please," he decides aloud and licks his lips.. The woman is about to put it into a bag, but he stops and tells her he'd like to stay. Valentine's day alone at a cafe somewhere in the debts of Seattle... He's got a clear game.
Two minutes later he walks over to a table by the window and sits down with his cappuccino and a muffin. He removes his jacket and scarf quickly and hangs it on his chair. Robin finds himself sighing, defeated, and takes a careful sip of his cappuccino. The liquid runs down his throat tasting rather lovely. After the terribly long day it does feel good to just relax with a cup of coffee.
He sets the coffee down and folds his hands, staring out the window. Oh, how his life has changed over the past years. He gets by, the money is enough and life is alright. It's not what he predicted for his future, though.
A sound makes him snap his head in another direction. Two tables in front of him, a woman huffs frustratedly and closes the local paper. Robin looks right at her; her face looks slightly defeated - just like his, but she's... stunning in every way. Her dark brown eyes stare down at the folded paper as she strokes a hand over her face. She's clearly distressed, but that doesn't stop Robin from looking. He just can't seem to take his eyes off of her. Her raven locks hangs loosely around her shoulders. She's wearing a blue blouse and a black suit jacket. It brings out her beauty in just the right way.
He has no idea exactly what makes her so unique. But it's like a truck has just hit him and reminded him that there actually are women out there. Something inside him clicks, he wants to know her. He has to know her.
Robin doesn't seem like the only one who's alone at valentine's day, and nevertheless company is always nice. His common sense screams at him. He really shouldn't intrude, but he can't help it. In seconds he has collected his coat and scarf over his arms. He stands on his feet, shaking and realizes he feels like a fifteen year old who's about to talk to a girl he likes. Get yourself together, Locksley.
He takes his muffin and coffee in each of his hands and steadily walks over to the table. Hertable. Her posture is open, but she's slightly tense. Her head is on her chin and she's staring out of the window, just like he was a few minutes earlier.
His cup clicks as it hits the table surface which causes her to snap her head around, wide-eyed and startled. Her eyes find his and she furrows her brow, confused.
"Hi, may I sit?" he questions softly. It occurs to him that he's messed up already as he has already sat his coffee down without her permission, but he can't back down now. The woman tilts her head, stares up at him but nods slowly. Her eyes are still fixed on him.
Robin puts his clothing onto the chair and sits down at the opposite side to the woman. His muffin is put in down, as well. Then he pulls the chair out and finds a comfortable spot. Her palms are together, elbows resting on the table. She's obviously still wondering why the hell a random man would want to sit down at her table.
"I'm Robin," he finally says and puts his hands together in his lap. They're sweaty and he hopes his nervousness isn't showing. This really could have gone better. A slight smile tugs at the woman's lip, despite her awe.
"I usually don't give my name away to strange men who randomly sit down at my table, but," she realizes she's rambling and cuts herself off. "I'm Regina."
Regina. That's her name. It fits her perfectly, she looks like a Regina. It feels right on his tongue and already he hopes this isn't the last time he says it. "Good name," Robin points out and she finally smiles, even though it's a careful one.
"So, what brings you to my table, Robin?" Regina wants to know and he shrugs. He really doesn't know what to say in answer. Therefore, he makes a rather swift decision to be as honest as possible.
"I saw you alone, and I thought some company might be nice," Robin answers honestly. He discovers it's the right answer after all as she blinks and looks around the cafe. She's not running yet - so that's a good sign.
"Oh?" she simply utters and looks at him as if there's something unspoken in the air. And there is, because he hasn't told her why he decided to approach her, honestly. She'll think him crazy, if he does. Does he believe there can be a genuine connection between people? Yes. That's probably not the right thing to tell a woman he just met.
"So, what is a beautiful lady, such as yourself, doing here alone?" he stays off the fact that it's valentine's day. Who cares of it is, anyway?
The question makes her arch an eyebrow and purse her lips, amused. She fights the urge to snort. "Cliché, much?"
"Not at all," he keeps smiling, nonetheless. "I just asked you a question I wanted to know the answer to." Regina stares at him for a minute. He doubts his ability to pick up a woman. His skills in this particular area are still pretty dusty, but he just can't give up on her.
"I'm just a woman in a café, waiting for time to pass her by," Regina tells him and the eye contact remains. It's like it's putting him under some kind of a spell. He wishes to see more of those chocolate brown eyes.
"Just a woman?" he asks amused. She is certainly not just a woman. "You seem to be more than that."
She presses her lips together and looks at him unimpressed. But it doesn't rattle him, she truly is something. "And what are you doing here, Robin?" His name rolls off her tongue as she draws out the word. It's like she's teasing him.
"Honestly?" Robin questions and she nods, her lips twitches. He leans forward on the table and his face softens. "It's been a long day. My son won't be home before 7, and I just had this feeling... Like something pulled me into this café."
He leaves the part out, where he thinks she's the reason why he's here. It sounds crazy. Fate.
"You have a son," she states, it's not really a question. He nods and grimaces, a son he loves more than anything in life.
"Roland, he's five," Robin tells her. It's short and simple, probably not things you should tell a person you've just started talking to. However, he doubts, or hopes this isn't the last time he talks to this woman.
"Oh..." she looks down, and for a minute Robin isn't quite sure how they got lost along the way. Somehow the conversation stopped. Her smile has faded. He wants to get that smile back on her face. It's one of the most beautiful things he has ever seen, along with her. So, he decides to keep talking about his son.
"He's been at his uncle's house, after school. He's the cutest little goof and the most important thing in my life. I try to be good enough for him, and I work a lot. To feed our mouths and take care of everything. You know?"
She looks up at him again, with her mouth slightly open. "What about his mother?"
Robin swallows slowly. This is a subject he's never been able to avoid, but he can't hold it in. Either way, this woman in front of him, is crazily easy to talk to. He feels like he can trust her. "She passed away when he was around two," he explains and looks down at his lap.
When he looks up, he meets a pair of understanding eyes. "I'm sorry," she says and he can see that she really is.
"Thank you," Robin responds with a shy smile and she nods her head, of course. For the first time in minutes he remembers his food on the table. The coffee is probably lukewarm now. Not that he cares that much. " Tell me something about you."
"Why?" she chuckles amused and he shrugs carefully.
"You're just a woman in a café, you said. And I would like to know you better."
An hour later, she has to leave, she tells him. They've talked about their lives, work, food and a common love of books. At first she wasn't much of a talker, but once they got into it, she proved to be quite the opposite. He was forced into awe. Robin couldn't stop looking at her.
He hopes he'll see her soon again, but he doesn't say it out loud. He'll marry that woman one day. He just knows it. She is the first one who's brought those type of feelings in him forward since Marian and he's not about to give up. She smiles brightly and gives him the paper, tells him to read it, and then she walks out of the café. Just like that, she's out of his reach, but not out of his mind.
He grabs the paper. Still has about half an hour before he needs to go home and prepare for his son to return. He lifts it and the second it opens, a white business card falls out. Regina Mills, it says. Right under her name, a number is written in the same black ink. He looks around the café and finds himself smiling down at the little card.
He'll definitely call her.
Well, should I continue? What do you think?