This was not her idea of a fun Christmas. In fact, it wasn't her idea at all. Mary Margaret told her, even though she was definitely invited to spend Christmas Eve with her, David and little Neal, to give it a try.
"It could be fun, Regina! You get to meet new people and all have dinner together."
She scoffed, "Mary Margaret, please, I am not a charity case. I don't want to spend Christmas Eve with a group of shiny happy people I don't know."
Mary Margaret gave her a slightly pitiful smile, "Please Regina, do it for me. Who knows who you might meet? New friends –although nobody can replace me as your best friend." Regina tried to hold back a smile. "Or some other kind of new friends…", she said while moving her eyebrows up and down, obviously suggesting exactly what Regina didn't want her to suggest.
"Snow, stop that! You know I don't want to go down that road. How many times do I have to tell you?" she whisper-yelled, definitely irritated but not wanting to disturb the other costumers in the small coffee shop.
"Fine, okay, I rest my case. Instead, you get to spend your Christmas Eve with a lovesick couple and a cry-baby, while eating Chinese takeaway and watching children's cartoons and sugary sweet Christmas movies. If you can't see the charm in that, I would never understand." Snow said somewhat sarcastically.
Regina's face adopted a sullen expression. She thought about her most perfect Christmas four years ago: sitting by the fire with Daniel, on a blanket, while drinking wine and eating a couple of carefully selected French cheeses –which, of course, she knows everything about, after spending a semester studying in Paris. An evening so perfect with a man even more perfect. The memory almost brings her to tears, because the morning after was the day her Daniel died. He died while trying to save an elderly woman who had a car crash. Being a paramedic, he thought he could be a big help to a wailing, scared to death 75-year-old. He lay on his stomach, half in her turned car, and half on the ground. That way he didn't see the gasoline leaking. In the process of calling 911, the car exploded. Daniel died a hero. But Regina knows he wouldn't want her to be miserable. So she changed her mind.
"Okay, fine. I'll go to that stupid lonely-people-at-Christmas thing." Snow –that's what she called her, because winter was her favourite season and she still makes snow angels after the first decent snowfall– beamed: "Yay, you just made me even happier! Trust me, you will meet some nice people, I promise you."
Regina smacked her arm and teased: "But if any of them are weird or stalky or retarded or… God, there are so many negative things a person can be…"
"Yes, a judgy bitch being one of them" Snow said amusedly. Regina smacked her arm again, and if it was a little too hard, Snow should have known she had it coming.
So here she is. Sitting at a round table with 5 other people she has never seen before, who are pleasantly chatting with each other while practically ignoring her. She admits she is not being the most fun guest at her table. The three men, Killian, Archie and Graham (or was it William, Marty and Adam? No, she was right the first time. She thinks.), seem to be interested in the other two women at her table, Emma and Ruby. She was bored, felt she had nothing to contribute to the conversations. I knew it, Mary Margaret, she thinks, I should have just gone to your place for an irritating but un-awkward Christmas. Because, well, about everything would be better than this place. Her eyes roam around the room, spotting everyone at the other tables also deep in conversation. She was sitting at the least interesting table, she was sure of it. After a few moments of staring at her empty plate, she decided to take a walk.
"Excuse me for a minute" she informed the others. No reply. What a surprise.
UMPH
"Milady, I apologize! Are you alright?"
She heard an accented voice apologizing vehemently. She looked up from her place on the ground –because yes, he had just run into her and knocked her over and now Regina Mills was lying on the ground. He stretched out his hand to help up the woman with the bewildered look in her eyes.
"Please," he said, obviously affected by the unfortunate incident. Regina's mind came back to her and she stood up a little too fast, refusing to accept his hand. Her head turning –she would later blame it on the wine–, she was almost on the way back to her dear spot on the floor when she felt two strong hands settle on her waist.
"Oops, better watch out the floor doesn't reclaim you," he said chuckling. "Are you alright? You took quite the tumble. I'm so very sorry. Will you ever forgive me?"
Her head back to normal, she laughed and answered: "I'm fine. Thanks for not making it a hit-and-run. That would've been extra embarrassing."
"Well, I can't run into a beautiful woman without making sure that she's not injured."
"Good to know for you that I'm totally fine then."
"Most definitely, milady."
He gave her the most dazzling smile she had ever seen, complete with dimples and shiny eyes. It was only then that she noticed he hadn't let go of her waist.
"You can stop applying pressure to the wound on my waist, because there isn't one", she said smiling.
He immediately removed his hands and Regina was suddenly sad by the lack of warmth. "My apologies, I just had to make sure, you know?" he teased. "I will let you continue your stroll. I hope to see you on the dancefloor later tonight."
Instantly excited, she told him to keep an eye out for her, since he was the first non-boring person she had encountered this evening.
"I certainly will", he said with a wink.
An hour later, she was yet to spot the dimpled stranger from earlier that evening. She hadn't seen him sitting at one of the other tables in the room. She wondered who he was. Her question would soon be answered when the room next to the dining hall was opened and the dancefloor was ready to be danced on. She left her tablemates behind –because would they really miss her? No, they wouldn't– and walked into the room, where a live band started playing Jingle Bells.
She was just starting to judge their choice of song –maybe she was a judgy bitch– when she heard a familiar voice say "I want to dedicate this stupid Christmas song to a beautiful woman I met today through a stupid run-in in the hallway. You know who you are", he said into the microphone while finding her eyes in the growing crowd and smiling.
Regina's cheeks reddened a little. She went to the bar to occupy a stool from where she could see her dimpled singer perfectly –wait, no, when did he become hers? She didn't even know his name–. She ordered a vodka-martini and stayed on that stool the entire night, watching the band. Or one particular member of the band…
Two hours later the band were replaced by a DJ. She stayed on her stool because she had a feeling someone was expecting her to still be there.
"Didn't see that coming, did you?" she heard behind her. The Brit approached her with that same handsome smile.
"Well hi there. I have to admit, I did not see that coming. I really liked it, you have a nice voice."
"Why, thank you, milady."
They smiled at each other in silence. Not quite an awkward silence, but they couldn't stay quiet for much longer.
"Do you want to go somewhere else?" she blabbed. He looked at her in surprise. Fearing she had been too forward, she started: "I'm sorry, I shou–"
"Yes. Let's get out of here."
They walked the dark, rumbling streets of the city, arm in arm, happily asking and answering questions about their lives. His name was Robin, hers was Regina. He moved here from Sherwood, England when he was nineteen years old to pursue a study at the city's renowned cookery school, she has lived here her entire life, was a city girl at heart. He had finished his education but has never acted on it, instead he was the lead singer in a cover band; she had studied to become an architect and that is also what she became, one of the most respected in town. His favourite colour was green, hers was red. He remarked that he had already guessed after looking at her figure-hugging red dress and fiery red lips. They both agreed on a favourite food: lasagne. She told him she makes a mean one, and that he should come over and have it one day. He gladly agreed.
They arrived at a 24/7-diner where they were being served by a waitress they suspected would prefer being at home on Christmas Eve. So they didn't say anything when she seemed a little snarky. They drank coffee –decaf for him, regular for her, because caffeine didn't affect her at night: a strange quirk Robin envied– and ate cheesecake. They sat next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, and if Robin's hand was to slide over to hers under the table, Regina would be the last to complain.
He insisted he walk her home, since it was four in the morning and the streets, though deserted, could be dangerous at this time of night. She declined at first, but he stayed insistent, so who was she to deny them a little more time together?
"I had really good time tonight, Regina", he said, when they approached her building.
"Me too. Well, from the moment you were there. The people at my table were quite the boring crowd. At least they found themselves interesting."
He snorted, "Well, I found –find– you very interesting." He wraps an arm around her shoulders for the remaining distance.
"Aren't you the charmer", she teases while resting her head in the crook of his neck. Refusing to let go of him just yet, she suggests he come up for a nightcap, although it's almost the morning.
"As much as I would love that, I don't think I would be able to control myself while sitting on a sofa with you so close, milady. I plan to properly woo you, so this evening –well, night–, I am going to say goodbye to you with simply a kiss, if you'll let me", he said while looking at her lips.
She presses her lips together and wets them with her tongue, watching him as he does the same. The languid looks are killing her, and because she can't handle the anticipation any longer, she closes the distance between them and their lips meet. Her one hand finds residence at the back of his neck, gently pulling his hair, while her other roams his back. He places his hands on her hips and tugs her closer to him. He teases her lips with his tongue, asking for entrance, which she gladly allows. She pulls him closer while deepening the kiss until there's not an inch between them anymore. When they part after a few minutes, they look into each other's eyes and Regina laughs shyly while turning her head away from him.
"You mustn't do that, let me see your beautiful face", Robin tells her, taking her chin in his hand gently and turning her face towards him. "Never hide from me, milady."
She kissed him again, a chaste kiss. He broke the kiss and told her, "I really hope to see you again, milady."
"Maybe…" she teased, knowing that in this moment there was nothing else she wanted more.
He pouted, "You wound me, woman!" She laughed.
"I'm kidding. I would love to see you again, Robin. We'll set something up after New Year's?"
"That's fine with me," he kissed her one last time, while both of them smiled into the kiss. They parted for the night: "I'll hear from you soon, beautiful creature", she heard him call behind her.
She smiled at him and turned around, entering her building while whispering to herself: "You most certainly will."