Lunch the next day came quickly. The conversation was awkward, he found that Belle wasn't much of a talker, nor was she much of an eater. She poked and prodded at the food on her plate, but she had only taken one or two bites. "Why'd you move to Storybrooke?" he had asked. No answer. "How do you like classes so far?" Still no answer. "I can understand wanting to be private" he told her, "but these are pretty standard questions."
Belle looked up from her tray. "I'm sorry, I just had a bad night. I'm not really in a talking mood." She dropped her gaze back to the pile of mashed potatoes she was playing with. She heard Robert groan as if he was in pain and looked back up to see what caused it. There was a girl walking towards them. She had similar brown curly hair, her eyes were squinted. Her skirt was entirely too short and her shirt too tight. She was drenched in cheap jewelry, and Belle could smell the girl's perfume from ten feet away.
She placed both of her hands on the table and leaned far over towards Robert, letting him get a very good view of her breasts. "You were supposed to call me last night, Robert" she scolded him playfully.
Robert backed away from her, actually looking frightened by her closeness. "Milah, I told you already, having dinner with my parents means nothing. We aren't together, nor will we ever be. So therefore, I have no obligation to call you when my mommy tells me to." The last bit of his short little speech was oozing with sarcasm. "As I'm sure you can see, I'm having lunch with someone, and you're being incredibly rude."
Milah had backed up somewhat, still leaning towards Robert to catch a glance at Belle. She let out a quick laugh. "Her?" she questioned Robert. "You can't possibly tell me that you're interested in that."
Robert gritted his teeth and stood up to be eye level with Milah. "Belle, happens to be a person, not an object. Whether I'm interested in her or not is none of your business! Get away from me, Milah. Stay away from Belle as well, I don't want you filling her head with your rubbish." With that he sat back down. Milah's jaw was hanging open in shock. After one last glare at Belle she moved back to her own table. "I'm sorry about that" he apologized to Belle, who was staring at him with an odd expression. "What?"
She shook her head, "No one has ever stood up for me before." She didn't say anything else, but she did take another bite of her food. Robert spent the rest of their lunch just watching Belle play with her food. There was something different about her. She was certainly like no other girl he had ever encountered. It was obvious that she had gone through something, traumatic maybe. She lacked trust in everyone and everything. She had an amazing ability to zone people out. If she didn't want to hear it, she didn't
They had silent lunches together everyday for two months before Robert built up enough courage to ask her on a real date. He still knew absolutely nothing about her. He went to sit at their regular table, but she wasn't there. Belle was always there before him. He knew that he had seen her in the halls earlier, but where was she now? Forgetting about lunch he went in search of her. He checked her last class, but it was empty aside from the teacher. He knew that she had study hall before lunch, maybe she went to the library?
He walked up the stairs and into the library, and sure enough, there was Belle curled up in a chair, nose in a book. He approached her slowly not wanting to scare her. It wasn't until he was standing over that she noticed him. She had her hood over her eyes, hiding from him, but there was a small flinch that he noticed when he got close to her. "Hey, you weren't at lunch. Is everything okay?" When she didn't respond, he pulled up a chair next to her. "You know, we haven't really gotten to know each other at all, even though we have lunch all the time." She remained silent, eyes downcast at the page she had yet to flip for the past five minutes.
Robert sighed, anger rising at her stubbornness. "You know, I'm just trying to be a friend here" he spat at her. "There is obviously something wrong, you never miss lunch. Why can't you at least pretend to trust me?" Belle shook at his words and that was when Robert realized she was crying. He knelt by her chair, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Belle lowered the book onto the small table beside her and lifted her head, turning to him. Robert gasped at the black and blue circle around her left eye. "Can you leave now?" she asked him softly. Her voice sounded weak and defenseless, not matching her personality at all. Robert realized that this Belle was vulnerable. This was probably how she was when she was alone. He had guessed that the tough-guy attitude was just a bluff, but now he was sure.
Robert knew that he should probably leave, but he couldn't bring himself to. "Sorry, but friends don't leave friends when they are as distressed as you are."
Belle wiped the tears from her eyes and turned from the small, scared little girl back into the defensive and cold woman that she pretended to be. "Are we even friends? Having lunch doesn't mean anything, we don't talk or hang out, or do anything that friends do.."
Robert cut her off, "No, but I'd like to. I know you don't but that's why they invented compromise. I want to take you out" he admitted. "I want to take you to a nice restaurant. I want to share secrets. I want to know you." Belle stared at him for a long while.
"I'm not really the type of girl that likes to go out" she told him. "I'm also not the type of girl who dates."
Robert swallowed, why did he have to have an illogical obsession with the most frustrating girl in the whole town? "Well we won't call it a date then."
"Just because you don't call it a date, doesn't mean it isn't one." Belle had turned completely to face him. Her body language suggested that she was interested in his proposal, now he just had to get her to say yes.
"What if I come up with a plan for some night in the hopefully near future, then tomorrow we can talk about it at lunch, and then you can say yes." He smirked at her, and to his delight, her mouth twitched upward for a blessed second. Belle nodded, and the warning bell rang, causing them to stand and sit through another two hours of school.
Robert had come up with four different plans for a not-date. Each plan had a rejection stamp on it. He spent his entire weekend thinking of things he could do with Belle. He had already suggested all of the classics. Dinner and a movie, mini-golf, go to a play, walk around the mall. He knew her expectations must be high, or maybe really low. Either way he was struggling to think of something that would both please her and not scare her off. He wanted her to see that he wasn't trying to use her for anything. He wanted her to see that he had grown to care for her, and that he wasn't going anywhere. He wanted her to trust him enough to tell him about the black-eye. Then, it was as if a light bulb went off over his head, the perfect 'not-date' to take Belle on.
That Monday at lunch, Belle was waiting patiently for Robert at their table. He was running a little late, and she was trying not to worry as much as she was. When he finally got to the cafeteria, belle was almost done eating. "Sorry I'm late, but I was busy preparing for our escape" he explained to her.
Belle wore a perplexed look on her face. "What escape would that be?" she asked.
Robert grinned at her. "The escape where all you need to know is that you're going to be called out of your next class because of a doctor's appointment. All you have to do is go to the office and sign out. Meet by my car, and I won't tell you the rest, because it's a surprise." Belle could see how excited he was about his master plan, it was written very clearly on his face. She didn't want him to be disappointed again by her habit of saying no, which was why she said yes.
His plan worked smoothly, she was called out of class, signed herself out in the office, and made her way to Robert's car. He was leaning against the driver's side door, watching her walk over to him. "Hey" he greeted her when she reached him.
She shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Hi" she responded. Robert lead her around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. "Thank you."
He hopped into the car and they were off. At the stop sign leading off school grounds he turned to look at her. "I'm glad you didn't say no to this" he told her. They drove for another half hour before pulling into the parking lot for the beach. He got out and opened the door for her once again. "Come on" he said as he started to walk down to the water.
"Where are you taking me?" Belle shouted as Robert trotted his way down to the beach. She wasn't properly dressed for this kind of location. As she made her way through the sand, the tiny pebbles insisted on pouring themselves into her well-worn converse, making themselves nice and cozy in-between her toes.
Robert turned his head, the sight of her struggling with her shoe laces, trying desperately to get them untied so she could slip her converse off, made a low chuckle get caught in his throat. He didn't want to laugh at her, knowing she was extremely self-conscious. "If you want to find out you're gonna have to keep up." He heard her aggravated sigh and shook his head.
As soon as her shoes were off, she all but ran to catch up to Robert. "Here, let me." Before she could protest, he grabbed her sneakers and proceeded to carry them as they walked further down the beach.
"You know I can carry my own sneakers. I don't need a big strong man like you to do it for me." The tone in her voice was mocking, as she reached for her sneakers.
Robert lifted them up and over his head, way out of her reach. "You know, you could just say thank you like a normal person."
"No I can't." Belle jumped and stretched in every way her body would allow her to, but it was no use. "Because I'm not normal." She placed her hands on her hips and he handed her the sneakers.
Robert kept his hands behind his back as they walked. "So," he began, "may I please carry your sneakers?" He batted his eyelashes like a flirty teenage girl and she just sneered at him.
"Why do you care so much about my damn sneakers?" Belle stopped her walking and anxiously awaited his answer.
Robert kept his gaze focused on his feet. He watched as the sand weaved in and out through his toes. Mesmerized by the various textures he felt against his skin. "Take your socks off." It was more of a request than a demand. Belle only looked at him like he had five heads. "You heard me. Take them off, you can't feel the sand if you keep them on." Belle rolled her eyes at him but decided to humor him and remove the thin material from her feet.
"Now what?" She stuffed the socks deep into her shoes and threw them on the ground, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why did you want me to take my socks off?"
Robert gave her a saddened smile. "You don't like the feeling of squishing your toes in the sand?" He almost looked disappointed, and Belle felt a small pain of guilt, just a small one. "I thought it might cheer you up."
"Why do you care so much about me?" Belle asked as she fell backwards into the sand, sitting indian style and facing the water. Robert joined her, leaning back on his hands and stretching his legs out.
"Why wouldn't I?" Robert asked cautiously. He watched her expression fall as she stared out into the water, watching the waves crash onto the shore, hugging the sand for one blissful second before retreating back into the deep.
"Nobody ever cares about me, why would you?" Her voice was shaky and everything about her body language screamed despondent.
Robert wasn't sure how to respond. He had dozens of reasons why he cared about her, but he didn't want to overwhelm her. He had spent an entire week just trying to convince her to go out with him, and he wasn't even allowed to call it a date. He needed to choose his next words carefully. "Because unlike everyone else in this town, you're worth caring about."
She turned her head to meet his eyes, a small flicker of hope shined brightly at him and he smiled charmingly at her. "You don't even know me."
"No, but I'd like to." He wasn't going to let her shut him out, not when he had worked so hard to get to the point he was at now.
"Yeah? Well, once you knew you'd never stick around." She looked so defeated. Robert tentatively reached for her hand and he wasn't surprised or offended when she instinctively pulled away. "What's the point in getting hurt if it's so easily avoidable?"
"Not everyone is out to get you. You need to learn how to trust." Robert turned his attention to the ocean, "I'd never do anything to hurt you."
Belle stared at him, hope coursing through her veins. She wanted nothing more than to believe him but could she take such a huge risk in unlocking the door to her heart and inviting him in? She knew that being vulnerable around this boy would only end badly. At the same time, could she take the risk of pushing him away?
"Wanna go for a swim?" she asked timidly. He turned his head to face her and his smile made her heart swell with joy.
"I'd like that." His voice was soft and almost shy. Belle stood up and offered Robert her hand. "Are you gonna swim dressed like that?" He gestured to her choice of apparel.
Belle gasped in mock offense. "It's not like I was warned as to where we would be going." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Technically you're to blame for my unfortunate choice of clothing." Robert grinned at her before pulling his t-shirt off. He threw it aside without a second thought and quickly made his move, throwing Belle over his shoulder and running to the shoreline.
His feet splashed through the water, ignoring the initial shock of the icy temperature. "Robert!" Belle screamed as she was thrown down into the gentle push and pull of the ocean's waves. Robert dived in after her, pulling her body flush against his. Her hands were clasped behind his neck, holding onto him for dear life. She blinked the water out of her eyes and coughed up the little bit that she had inhaled.
Robert wiped the hair out of her face, worried that him throwing her had been too much of a surprise. "I'm so sorry," he said to her, "are you alright?" His free hand rubbing calming circles on her back. Belle took a deep, shaky breath, keeping her fingers locked behind Robert's neck.
Belle blinked again, and finally looked at the worried expression on Robert's face. She smiled at him, genuinely smiled for the first time in years. "I'm perfect" she whispered to him. Her eyes seemed to light up at the confession, and Robert took that as a cue to lean in and kiss her. He let his eyes close as his nose brushed against hers, but she pulled away.
"I thought you wanted..." Belle cut him off before he went any further.
"I think I do. I just, I've never kissed anyone before." Robert's eyes widened in surprise as she continued. "I don't want you to be disappointed" she shrugged.
Robert chuckled despite himself, "You could never disappoint me." She was about to protest, but he brought a finger up to her lips to silence her. Removing his finger, he proceeded to lean into her again, this time, she didn't pull away. The kiss was soft. Lips on lips for only a few seconds, but for Belle, those few seconds were the start of a huge step forward.
Belle was the first to pull away. Her hands still clinging to the back of Robert's neck. Her chest heaving as beads of water dripped off of her forehead. "This still isn't a date" she told him, trying not to laugh as she did.
Robert leaned in again to place another chaste kiss upon her lips. "Whatever you say, Belle." She only smiled at him. He carried her out of the ocean, bridal style and gently placed her on her feet. She wrapped her arms around herself immediately, shivering. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms trying to warm her, "I have towels in the car." She nodded in relief and after grabbing their shoes and his shirt they made their way back to his car. He dug out a towel out of the backseat and wrapped it around her. "Better?" he asked.
Belle smiled at him and nodded her head. "Much better" she said. They stood by the car for a few moments, not saying anything, just enjoying each other's company in silence. "Will you... will you kiss me again?" she asked timidly.
Robert smiled brightly at her, and cupping her face in his hands, he pulled her in for another kiss. As soft as the last, but it felt different at the same time. Robert felt closer to her. He felt like she was letting him in. Now he had to make sure that she knew the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, and then maybe the next time they went out, he could actually call it a date.