"Welcome, students, to this year's annual color run. As this school tradition, today we take once more a break from the ecstatic and, has many students put it "boring"," the principal chuckled "classes to engross in this colorful activity. Don't forget that all the money raised with the inscriptions revert to art programs for those in need. Without further ado, I give this day as officially started. Make your way to the starting line, the run will start in less than 15 minutes. Have fun!" The principal finished and the crowd erupted in cheers.
"Explain me again, why am I here, Rose?" A very grumpy Regina asked her best friend.
"Oh God, don't call me that just to upset me Regina Maria Mills," Tink, as she preferred to be called, said, grabbing her friend's arm and taking her further into the crowd into the starting line.
"Okay, Tink, why am I here again?" she asked, annoyance in her voice.
"You're here because this is one of the most amazing and funny days in this goddamn university and I couldn't let my best friend stay, once again, in her dorm with her head in a book." She said exasperated.
Regina sighed "You know I don't like these things, Tink..."
"Maybe it's because you never tried it! Please Gina, just this time, if you hate it in the end, I'm never forcing anything upon you again!" The blond said with puppy eyes.
"Is that a promise?" The brunette asked teasingly.
"Yes, but you have to promise me you'll try!" She said, extending her pinky.
Regina mimicked her action. "Pinky promise," They both said at the same time.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Tink said, reaching for her back pocket. "We have to take a before picture." Grabbing her phone and already in pose for a selfie. Regina smiled into the camera, finally embracing the idea that this could be fun.
"How the hell are you going to protect that, I could have brought my xpro." Regina said taking her friend's phone in her hands.
"I got this new protection case, and also you take forever to send me the pictures and I want to publish them on snap as we go." Tink said laughing.
"Of course you do." Regina said grinning.
They were almost at the starting line when Regina collided with something, she first thought to be a wall, but quickly dismissed that assumption when she felt strong arms around her petite figure, preventing her from falling into the ground.
"I'm sorry milady. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Are you alright?" A concerned British accent spoke.
She finally looked up to find a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen. She felt herself being absorbed by his eyes, but then quickly took perspective of her surroundings and tried to be back to her own feet.
"I'm fine," She said. "You can let go of me now."
"Oh, of course, m'lady, I just got caught in the moment." He said, helping her to a vertical position once again, but not making any move to increase the small distance between their bodies.
Just as Tink was about to speak, a bell sounded and color erupted in the air, signalizing the beginning of the run.
"Regina, we must go!" Tink said, forcing her friend to break the eye contact with the British, she supposed, guy.
"Yeah, we must... see you around." The brunette said, starting to move away.
"Wait!" The blond said, catching with her once again. "Perhaps I can run with you two if that's alright?" He asked shyly.
"Yeah, that's alright, it's a public run!" Tink said. "Tink and Regina, and now can we go? I would like to actually start this today."
"Yes, of course! Robin!" He said, referring to his own name and thinking that Regina was a beautiful name, it suited her.
They made the run at a slow pace, eventually losing Tink who spotted some friends from a class running ahead of them and left them to their small talk.
Both of them were already covered in paint from head to toe and Regina's cheeks were red from laughing. She wouldn't admit it to Tink, but she was actually having fun.
They finished the run and Robin accompanied Regina till she found Tink.
"Oh, here you are Gina! Have been looking for you!" She said, snapping pictures of her best friend covered in paint. "Had fun or are you going to deny this was a great idea?" She said, putting her phone away.
"I'm not actually, this was a great idea, Rose!" She couldn't pass the opportunity to mess with her best friend, no ever.
"Rose?" A confused Robin asked. "I thought you were Tink..."
"She's Rose!" "I'm Tink." The best friends said at the same time. Tink grabbed Regina from behind, covering her mouth. "My birth name is Rose, but I prefer Tink, and Regina Maria over here knows it!" She said, finally letting go of her.
"Maria?" Robin said, teasing.
"Don't even think about it, Robin." Regina said, warning him.
"I wouldn't dream of it, milady" He said, both hands in the air and then putting the right one over his heart. The three of them laughed.
"It was great to meet you, but I'm afraid I have to go and find my mates, I kind of let them hanging to be with you." He said, passing a hand through is sandy blond hair.
Reaching for her phone, Tink quickly asked, "Wait, can I have a picture of you two?"
Before Regina could react, Robin put his right arm around her middle. "if milady doesn't mind..." he said, flashing her a pair of adorable dimples, she couldn't say no, so she leaned over and kissed his cheek, feeling bolder than ever. Tink recorded the moment with her camera.
"Perfect," She said.
"Okay, so I guess you must go now..." Regina said, letting go of him; Robin did the same.
"Yes, until another day milady." And with that, he walked away.
"If you don't go immediately after him and invite him for coffee with you, I'm putting spiders in your bed today and never letting you sleep again Regina Mills" Tink grabbed her best friend's arms. Regina stared at her for a few seconds and then, taking a leap of faith, she released herself from her friend's hold and run in the direction Robin had previously taken.
"Wait!" She half screamed when she was almost catching with him.
He turned around with a confused expression.
"I don't suppose you would like to grab a coffee with me one of these days?" She was expecting him to say no or to accept her offer out of pity, but the relieved expression that washed over his face made her believe another way.
"Yes, of course, I would!" His dimples once again on full display for her to melt over. "Does tomorrow after classes work for you?"
She smiled, nodding her head yes.
And that's how they found themselves almost every day on the small table by the window of the campus coffee place. In the beginning, it was just coffee and small talk, but neither of them wanted it to stay like that, not that either of them would admit, not even to themselves. Then their coffee and small talk became a routine, they would talk about everything and nothing, from their day in classes, works, exams to their personal lives, family, youth, everything. They were quickly becoming the other confident, he would tell her about the problems with his father and she would speak about her vicious mother.
There was little to nothing about one another that they didn't know.
"So, how was your day milady?" She got to the coffee place before him today, he had to stay a little after class to discuss a work with his teacher. He wasn't even in his chair across from her, but he could already tell something was not alright.
"Oh, hi Robin, it was good and yours?" Robin knew what she was trying to do, she was lifting up her walls again. He reached for her hand across the table.
"What's wrong Regina? You know you can tell me everything." He spoke, voice soft and understanding.
"Sometimes I feel as useless as a white crayon," She said before she could think about it.
She saw something she couldn't quite name flashing through his eyes,was it rage, pain? was he in pain because of what she said?
He knew it must have been something to do with her mother and he hated that woman for making his Regina suffer, how could she not understand the amazing being her daughter was. Just when he was about to say something, she spoke.
"You know what, I don't want to talk about it, tell me about your project, have you finally decided on a color?" She said, trying her best to smile.
He knew better than to push her, so he let it go, but just for now.
"Yeah, I think I just did right now, but no matter how much you ask about it, I'm not telling you." He said teasing her and trying to make her smile, successfully doing so.
He had in fact decided on a color for his art project, white.
The next day Regina got up from her bed in the morning to find an envelope under her door, she got it from the floor and across from it was her name written in a letter she didn't recognize. She opened the envelope to find a beautiful white drawing of a landscape on black paper inside. She had no idea from who it was but it was really an excellent work of art. She made her way to her desk and stored it in one of her drawers, maybe the person would come to her...
That day she made her usual walk to the café where she would meet Robin, and she didn't know why, but that small yet beautiful gift in her morning had increased her mood for the day.
She spent the rest of the afternoon in the coffee place with Robin, he had a writing assignment to finish so she just stayed there waiting for him, not even once speaking about the envelope she got, after all, it was just a draw...
For the following days, she woke up each morning to a different white draw in black paper, not one signed, just with her name. She was starting to get more and more curious, she even discussed it with Tink, who promptly assumed it was a secret admirer, and Robin who said it must be someone who cared for her to have so much trouble doing a different work of art for her each day.
The day after their talk, she woke up and the first thing she did was check under her door. Nothing. There was no envelope waiting for her...Tink was still sleeping so she couldn't have picked it up before her. Trying to push away the disappointment, Regina got ready for the day.
By the time she made her way to the coffee place, she had almost forgotten about it.
She spotted Robin already on their usual table and smiled, lately, she couldn't seem to stop the butterflies in her belly when she saw him, and she blushed from the thought.
She greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and was about to sit when she saw another envelope with her name. She quickly grabbed it. Robin avoided her eyes. She opened and as expected, inside was another beautiful white drawing on black paper, this time it wasn't a landscape or an object, it was a draw of two persons, her and Robin in the day of the color run, the day they met. At the bottom of the draw there was something written: "Sometimes you just need to find someone who prefers black paper, milady." She had tears in her eyes as memories of their talk flashed in her head. He cared for her, so much...
She looked at him, returning the eye contact she enjoyed so very much.
She leaned in and captured his lips in hers in a soft kiss that could have taken a million hours for what they knew because, in that moment, time stopped. Regina put into the kiss everything she wasn't brave enough to express through words. When the need for air made them pulled apart, they stayed in the exact same positions, foreheads touching.
"You know I love you, Regina Mills, right?" He said, looking right into her eyes.
"I think I've known for a while, Robin Locksley." She said with a smile that could light up the room.
"And would you do me the favor of loving me back?"
"I think you know I do," She said, leaning once again to kiss the lips she was quickly becoming addicted to.
She pulled back, "I love you."
"I love you too."