Everything seemed to be taking forever this morning. The ride to his building, the walk to the elevator, the wait for the elevator, and most of all the ride up in the elevator. It was so early in the morning that even the security on the bottom floor was just getting in. Usually, he was there and ready with his wand ushering everyone through. Another thing that made the elevator ride slow was no one was in there with him. Robin thought that would make it quicker seeing as the elevator didn't have to make a half dozen stops before finally getting to the eighth floor where his cubicle sat three rows in and the fifth one down. Finally, the loud ding sounded letting Robin know that he had made it to his floor and the big steel doors opened.
Robin walked out, his heart thudding hard against his chest wondering what this could all be about. He was always nervous because of an incident when he lived in Canada. It made it hard for him to find any jobs around so he had dropped that place of employment right off his resume. It had happened two years ago for a Canadian brand he worked for. They made top dollar things at top dollar price but Robin only had to be a quarter of the market price for this stuff. And when his mother got ill in England, he took advantage of the opportunity by buying this stuff and selling it to people for a half of the retail price. When his boss found out there were no second chances and he was automatically flagged in Canada.
Coming to the States he wasn't flagged, or at least he thought he wasn't anyways, so he just left that company off his resume completely and his credentials were so great, that Nolan couldn't turn him down. Robin stopped by the front desk once he had gotten off the elevator and looked at Ruby Lucas, the secretary, and gave her a warm yet nervous smile. Ruby yawned lightly and then returned the smile towards Robin. "Morning Mr Locksley." Ruby said, "Mr Nolan told me to send you right in when you arrived this morning, so you may go down to his office."
"Thank you, Ruby." Robin said, "And like I said before, you can call me Robin."
Ruby gave a small wink letting him know she understood and then went back to her paper work. Robin turned away from the desk and took a deep breath in through the mouth and out through the nose before walking down the long hallway. At the end of the hall was the biggest office of all, which was David Nolan's office. Robin lifted his hand up to knock on the door but before he could even bring his hand down to meet the wood of the door he heard David call out, "Come in."
Robin reached down for the handle, turned it and walked inside. He noticed the golf equipment laid out along the floor and knew that David had just been playing a game as he waited for Robin. David walked behind his desk and sat down in his big, comfortable leather chair. "Morning sir." Robin said as he closed the door behind him.
David wasted no time getting to the point of why Robin was there. "Do you know who I have working for me, Locksley?" David asked but before Robin could even respond, David continued. "Morons. All of them, morons. Except you! You're no moron and I know that you will do me right. See, I have sent Jefferson and I have sent Killian off to talk to the President of Max Industries. I want to partner with them. Their resources matched with ours could make a hell of a program!"
Robin's heart had finally calmed knowing that David didn't bring him here to fire him but get him to do a job. Although, Robin thought it was an impossible job and the fact that Jefferson and Killian couldn't close the deal had nothing to do with the fact that they were morons, but more because Max Industries was a top name in New York and even New Jersey for a number of years! Why would they want to deal with a small town company such as Vay Industries. It made no sense. "Sir, I appreciate that but Max Industries is a very big business. I feel you are trying to catch a full grown shark using normal fishing gear." Robin said.
David got up from his seat and walked around his desk. He leaned on the front of it and crossed his arms over his chest. "Slice your hand and let the blood drip from your veins in to the water, and you wouldn't even need fishing gear to lure that shark in." David said, "Sure getting him on the boat and not getting yourself killed would be a task but I know it is a risk you are willing to take if you want to stay on the Vay boat."
Robin scrunched his brows up and looked at David confused. "Sir?" Robin asked.
"This could go one of two ways. You can close the deal with George Alan, the CEO of Max Industries and get promoted to partner! Have your own office, less hours, more money, benefits. And you got us this building which tells me you know how to talk to people." David said.
"But these guys were losing money. They were actually gaining by taking my offer." Robin pointed out, but it seemed David didn't even hear him.
"Also, I will forget what I read online about you yesterday and the scam you pulled in Canada." David said as he looked Robin dead in the eyes. Now the constant thudding of Robin's heart returned and he started to become very dizzy. "The other way it could go?" David continued, "You don't get the deal, I don't forget what I read, and I fire you." David ignored the sudden paleness on Robin's face as he finished, "You have one month. Now, get to work."
One moment everything had been moving slow and now everything was moving so fast around him. Robin rushed out the door, closing it behind him without a single word, and rushed to the bathroom. He loosened his shirt that was buttoned just beneath his chin and walked over to the sink, leaning up against it. He tried to calm his breathing but it didn't seem to work even for a second. Robin turned on the cold water and splashed it in to his face a couple of times and it worked for a moment. Then, he heard the chatter outside the door telling him that people were arriving at work. Knowing that some would more then likely come in to the bathroom before starting their day, Robin just went in to one of the stalls and sat on the toilet. Running his hands through his damp hair. "What am I going to do?" He asked himself in a whisper.
Dangerous Kind Of Love
When Robin had left the bathroom he went right to his work in his cubicle. Trying to figure out how to do this all. How to win over this... George Alan? Well, one thing was to learn more about the man. What he enjoyed doing, what he liked to eat, where he was from and his age. Then he could work at it slowly. Win the man over, so to speak. Robin brought up his Google page and wrote the name 'George Alan' in his search bar. His name came up for different sites and he was going to check them all. He clicked the first one that showed up and the image that had appeared above everything made Robin lean back in his chair and cup his hands over his mouth. He wanted to holler out, to curse. George Alan was the older man from the diner this morning. An older man who wasn't too fond of him. Oh, why did he have to give him such a snarky remark? "Hey!" He heard Killian's voice and Robin quickly clicked out of Google as he looked up and saw the man leaning over the wall of his cubicle from across him. "You going to the Deli for lunch?"
Robin looked at his watch and saw that it was already lunch time. He shook his head before looking back up at Killian. "No." He responded, "I found a new place to eat."
"Oh." Killian said with a nod, "Well, if I didn't already make plans with Jefferson and Emma to go to the Deli, I would come with you."
"It's okay." Robin said with a smile as he stood from his chair, "Maybe next time the three of you can join me. It is a really good place."
Killian nodded his head. "Sure! I will bring it up to them at lunch. Later!" Killian said before turning and throwing his leather jacket over his shoulders to leave.
Killian was one of Robin's best friends. No, he wasn't Zelena's brother and he thanked God for that one. He was going to break everything off with Zelena tonight and if she were Killian's sister it would ruin things between the two of them. Jefferson and Emma were his good friends as well although he constantly questioned if Killian had a thing for Emma or not. Zelena was the little sister of Victor Whale. A man who worked here but Robin was not close with. In fact, he quite often just wanted to hit the man. How he wasn't reported to HR yet was beyond Robin.
Robin grabbed his coat off the hook that hung on the wall of his cubicle, and slung it around his shoulders before heading to the elevator. When he had gotten inside, it was pretty crowded which seemed perfect for Robin. Time went by more quickly now. It didn't seem like anything getting from eighth floor to the ground floor. And besides that, he wasn't thinking about his job right now and what he had to do. Wasn't thinking about George. He was thinking about the fact that he was going to Mills Diner for lunch and that put a bright smile on his face. A smile that was momentary because when the elevator doors opened wide, he saw red hair flaming from the waiting area. Robin wondered if he should even get off, but he had to. He needed to eat and beyond that, it almost seemed like he needed to see Regina again as well. So, with a heavy foot Robin walked out of the elevator and as soon as he did he heard her voice echo throughout the lobby, "Robbie!" And the next thing Robin knew, Zelena was beside him with his arms wrapped around his neck and kissing his cheek. "I missed you at breakfast," Zelena said, "So, I thought I would come down to your work and we could have lunch together. What do you think?!"
Zelena had seemed excited about the idea but there was no way Robin was missing out on the diner trip and there was no way that he was taking her with him. "I have a lot of work I need to concentrate on, Zelena. I really should just focus on that as I eat." Robin said. It wasn't a complete lie. He did have a lot of work, and he should be focusing on it instead of a pretty waitress, but Zelena didn't need to know that.
"Oh." Zelena said in a disappointed tone as she followed Robin towards the doors, "Well, dinner then. And I won't take no for an answer! I will have a beautiful roast made for when you get back." Zelena kissed his cheek and then went out the doors, waving as she left.
Robin would have told her no to that as well if she hadn't of done it so quickly. But, perhaps he could tell her during dinner. Or after, for fear of a hot plate in his face. Robin felt bad about having to do this but lying to her was much worse. Avoiding her would have been more painful. No. Robin was one half of the agreement on their hot nights and he needed to be a man and tell her no more. If anything, she at least still had to respect him through the hate he was sure she would have towards him.
With a deep sigh, Robin made his way out the doors as well and hailed a cab. Getting in, he told the driver where to go and it took no time to get there. Pretty good for a crowded road. Robin got out of the cab and walked inside the diner where it was busier then this morning but still not bad. Cora was just serving a table their drinks before seeing Robin standing there. A bright smile took form on her features as she walked over to him. "You're back!" She exclaimed happily, "I am so happy. You must have really enjoyed breakfast."
"I did." Robin said, truthfully, "It was very good."
"And maybe you enjoyed a little something something else too." Cora said, "Like my daughter."
Cora had definitely caught the stuttering this morning and considering he was just talking to her two minutes before that perfectly fine, it wasn't hard to piece it together. But of course Robin had no idea what to say to that. So he turned a bright crimson red and began to stutter again. "Well I- She- Umm..." Was about all Robin could get out.
Cora gave him a playful punch to the shoulder still smiling. "Go find a seat and I will send her out to you." Cora said as Robin nodded. As Cora made her way to the back she stopped and turned. "By the way, Robin." Cora said as Robin stopped and looked at her, "She is totally single." Cora smiled and went in to the back.
So, the mother was okay with Robin liking her daughter. That was a good sign. Though, he hadn't met her father yet and wondered if he would feel the same way. Not to mention her brother who was literally in the back cooking. Would be cooking /his/ meal. Robin walked over to the booth he had this morning and sat down.
Cora went in to the back and over to Regina who was just mixing up a couple chocolate shakes. "He's back." Cora said to her with a grin and Regina looked at her in complete confusion. "Robin. He is back." Cora said, as she caught the confusion in her daughter's eyes.
Regina's own eyes had grown wide as she looked out between the counter and cupboards out to the front. And there he was in the exact same spot. Regina turned towards her mother in a rush. "What do I do?" Regina asked.
"Serve him." Cora responded, simply with a small shrug of her shoulders.
"Serve him. Right." Regina said as she quickly grabbed a tray, "But do I treat him like a normal customer?"
It was quite obvious that Robin wasn't the only one who fell this morning. But with Regina it was different. When she moved to New York she was a kid but yet she was always kind and polite. Which meant that at school she got bullied a lot and made to feel smaller then the other children so opening herself up to any man was hard until Daniel came around. The story with him was quite the romance as well. Two years together, engaged but then he had been killed and everyone she tried dating after that were more of a rebound thing, so making sure they were decent enough was on top of her list and she got hurt more times then she could count. Work had been her main priority for some time now. Not guys, and definitely not dating. But when she had seen Robin this morning something had come over her and she didn't need to make sure if he was decent or not. She could just tell that he was. Seeing Regina smitten again made Cora feel better as well. You didn't need love to be happy in this world but it sure did help.
"I would say," Cora said responding to Regina's question, "Treat him normal, but flirt at the same time."
Regina nodded her head as she put the milkshakes on the tray and grabbed a menu from under the counter. Without another word, Regina rushed out of the back and in to the front. She set down the customers drinks and then walked over to Robin with a bright smile. Robin returned the smile and for a second Regina could swear she saw stars in his ocean blue eyes. "Welcome back." Regina said as she set down his menu, "Today's special is chicken pot pie with a hot homemade bun on the side, and a shake to drink, and a piece of homemade cake for dessert."
Robin listened as she spoke of the special and handed her back the menu. "Chicken pot pie happens to be one of my favorite meals. And a milkshake is something different from coffee. Haven't had one since I was a kid. So it sounds perfect to me." Robin said.
"What kind of shake would you like?" Regina asked. She just couldn't think of how to flirt. Was she nervous or was she bad at this?
"Chocolate." Robin replied, "I love chocolate. My guilty pleasure. Anything chocolate is like a weakness to me."
Regina chuckled softly. "Chocolate shake coming up." Regina said as she turned to leave.
"Has anyone ever told you," Robin began as Regina turned to look at him again, 'That you have the most beautiful /chocolate/ brown eyes?"
Regina was speechless at that remark. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. "She froze." Henry said from the back as he and Cora watched out at them.
"Come on, Regina." Cora said, "Say something. The man beyond flirted with you. He basically said you make him weak!"
"Do you think she is reading between the lines?" Henry asked Cora.
"At the moment I don't think she's reading much of anything." Cora responded.
When Regina finally found her voice again all that came out was, "Would you excuse me?" And Robin instantly felt like a fool. He thought that maybe Cora was letting him know she was single because there was a chance but judging by her reaction, the chance was slim.
"Yeah." Robin responded as he sat back in his seat.
Regina rushed to the back and put the menu back under the cupboard. "What was that!?" Cora exclaimed and Regina shot a look towards her.
"Were you watching me?" Regina asked.
"Yes and you failed. Big time!" Cora exclaimed.
"What was I supposed to say?" Regina asked.
"Ahhh... how about, 'Thank you.' For starters and maybe followed up by, 'The ocean is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. And by the way, you have beautiful ocean blue eyes.'?" Cora replied.
"If you're so good at this, why don't you go flirt with him then?!" Regina asked with a sigh as she started on his milkshake.
"I'm sorry, Regina." Cora said with a gentle sigh, "I am not meaning to pressure you, I just want to see you happy with this guy. He really likes you."
Regina looked up from the shake she was making and towards her mother. A hopeful look gleaming in her eyes. "You really think he likes me?" She asked.
"Regina," Cora said, "He has been here twice in one day, he just said one of the most romantic things I have ever heard in my life. And I see the way he looks at you. I don't /think/ he likes you, I /know/ he likes you."
Regina took in a deep breath and hugged her mother who in return hugged back. "Thank you." Regina said and then pulled back from the hug, "Oh and Henry? He is having the chicken pot pie special."
"Yeah about that." Henry said, "You said there was a free piece of cake with it. That's not part of the deal."
"I know." Regina said as she grabbed Robin's milkshake and left the back.
Henry looked at Cora as Regina left. "Mom!" Henry exclaimed, clearly not happy about this.
"Oh leave her be. A free piece of cake for the man she likes isn't going to hurt a thing." Cora said.
"Oh, but if I gave a free piece of cake to women I liked, you would say no." Henry pointed out.
"That's because you like every other young thing that comes in here. If I were to let you do it, I'd be bankrupt!" Cora responded.
Henry thought about that for a moment and without admitting defeat he just went back to his work. Regina walked over to Robin's table and set down the milkshake in front of him. "Thank you." Robin said, politely.
Regina bit her bottom lip as she watched Robin for a second. She clearly was no good at flirting. She never really did it. And the only time someone flirted with her was because they wanted a one night stand and that just all felt so different with Robin. He wasn't just there to try and get in to her pants but because he actually liked her. Regina sat across from Robin in his booth and that made Robin look up towards her. "I'm sorry for just bolting like that." Regina said as she looked in to Robin's eyes. "I didn't know what to say but I do now. Thank you. It was really nice and if I am to be honest, I may have blushed really hard when I went in to the back. That aside, I am not good at this." Regina took in a deep breath and Robin had no idea what she was going to say next. It made him just as nervous as he was when he went to work this morning wondering what David wanted. Only he knew this time, it would only take a few seconds and not a whole day to know what it was she was going to say. "My family and I." Regina continued, "We run this place all on our own. We can't afford to hire help so there is just the four of us. So on weekends, we close down the place. One weekend we do our own thing and then the next we do something as a family. This weekend we are going to Connecticut to a cabin. A ski lodge. For the entire weekend. I know you and I just met but, I was wondering, if you would like to come with us?"
That was a great deal off Robin's shoulders as he listened to her each and every word. He smiled towards her. He always had the weekends off and Regina was right. They had /just/ met but this was only to the next State and her family would be there. In Robin's mind, he would be a fool to decline especially after the crap week he had, had so far. Which he was sure would get even worse. "I would love to go." Robin responded to Regina, and now Regina returned that bright smile.
"Great!" Regina exclaimed, "What time do you work until on Friday?"
"4pm but I can probably get off by lunch. Friday is a day where my boss doesn't give a shit." Robin chuckled.
"Well, we were going to leave at 11am but I am sure we can wait until lunch. Meet me here and just knock on the door. I will let you in." Regina said.
"And, I will definitely be back tomorrow for breakfast so maybe have a list for me on what I need? I have never been skiing before." Robin said.
Regina smirked at him. "Well," She said in an amused tone, "Looks like I get to teach you."
"I guess you do." Robin said to Regina.
For a moment both of them just stared in to the other's eyes. Wondering what each was thinking but both thinking that this weekend was going to be beyond magical. Soulmates existed, both were sure of that now because this type of intense feeling for one another this soon was not something that happened often. And when Robin had walked in here this morning he was only looking for a new place to eat but ended up finding a connection that he felt would last a lifetime.