Sorry for the delay in updating this story, I was on holiday and couldn't get this sent to my beta. I aim to update once a week throughout the summer if I can. Thank you for your patience!
All of your reviews have touched my heart and I appreciate them all greatly! I try and reply to each and every one (unless you're a guest because I can't)!
Thank you to my beta (Mo9ja- check her out and our joint account and fic on thequeens0utlaw)!
Enjoy!
"Who?" Kathryn's voice shows her confusion clearly from the other side of the line.
"Handsome elevator man," Regina repeats before furrowing her brow and shaking her head in recollection. "Right... I didn't tell you."
This seems to catch Kathryn's attention; Regina can practically hear the blonde's eyes widening and the shuffle of clothing as she bolts upright in her place, "Where and when?"
Regina chuckles lowly as she heads for the refrigerator, pulling open the door and taking out a cool bottle of zinfandel from the shelf. "Today, in the elevator—I would've thought that part was pretty self explanatory."
"In our office?!"
"In our office," Regina confirms, rolling her eyes at her best friend's tone. "He's a photographer and was visiting HR for the day. He said it was 'just a flying visit'," she sighs, trapping her mobile phone between her ear and shoulder as she pours herself a shallow glass of wine.
There's a silence on the other line as Kathryn digests this new information, until she asks in her most serious, business-like tone, "Out of ten?"
Regina smirks knowing exactly what she is asking and, mimicking her friend's tone, she replies, "Definitely a strong eight, maybe even an eight and a half—his dimples Kathryn, my God."
"Jesus, Frederick we have an eight!" Kathryn shrieks excitedly on the other end of the phone making Regina quickly pull the device away from her ear with a wince. She hears the muffled voice of her best friend's husband in the background before Kathryn is chuckling, "You need to message him, G."
Regina's eyes widen and she almost chokes on her sip of wine after bringing the beverage to her lips, "Are you serious?! We've only just been matched."
"So?"
"So?" Regina fires back, placing her wine glass down on the counter; perhaps a little too forcefully as it clinks loudly and the liquid sloshes out and over her fingers which she is quick not to waste as she brings her digits to her lips.
Kathryn groans aloud, showing her impatience. "It's fate, Regina. You need to message him!" she demands exasperatedly.
"No!" the brunette argues, "Do you have any idea how desperate that looks, Kathryn?"
"No," the blonde counters, "It shows him that you're actually interested in him. What's the worst that could happen? I mean, he's on this site for a reason."
Regina scoffs, "Oh, I don't know... he could read it!" She makes her way into the living room where her laptop lays on the coffee table and, by running her finger along the mouse pad, she wakes the screen back up allowing Robin's beautiful smiling face to pop up in front of her. He really is her type.
Kathryn bursts into laughter on the other side of the line, "Oh, you are dramatic sometimes, G."
"I'm serious Kathryn, I've barely been on this site two hours and we've only just been matched, I think maybe I will wait a couple of days and if he hasn't contacted me by then-"
A message alert cuts Regina off and draws her attention to the small pop-up chat box in the corner of her screen.
Robin Locksley: So, the beautiful woman I ran into this morning goes by the name of Regina?
"-oh my God."
"What?" Kathryn questions.
"He's messaged me," Regina replies incredulously. She reads the message again, her lips parted in surprise.
"Shut the fuck up! What did he say?" her best friend asks eagerly, failing to keep her excitement at bay.
Regina rolls her eyes but she can't help but fight her smile. "He recognises me," she whispers biting her lip. Who would've thought that the man still thought she looked beautiful after running half of the way to work. She groans at the thought—she must've looked dreadful.
"Look who's desperate now."
Regina rolls her eyes at her friends mocking tone, "Shut up."
Robin has been working late on an evening shoot, taking photographs of the setting sun over the River Thames for promotional material that is needed by the London Tourist Office. Yet he was happy to be working past the usual hours on a Tuesday due to the fact that sunsets are one of his favourite things to capture: every minute a different colour is being exposed and spreading amongst the translucent clouds like a drop of watercolour paint to a stream of artfully placed water. Natures canvas; that's what he calls it and a good sunset is like cocaine to the photographers of the world.
So Robin makes his way home in the dark and as soon as he is through the door of his apartment he is toeing his shoes off and making his way to his study (it's just a small room located opposite his bedroom, it's too small for a guest room but big enough to display a few of his favourite photographs and to fit a desk and chair in the far corner). His camera is in his hand as he fires up his work computer and slips the memory card out of its base. He's eager to review his photos in high definition. The computer is quick to load and he slots the SD card into the reader allowing the files to load as he switches his iPod dock on.
Living alone has its pros and cons and though Robin doesn't like to dwell on the negatives that much, he has to admit that he hates the constant silence, the kind that makes his ears ring as they strain to pick up the slightest of sounds. That's why he plays music whilst he works, so that he can allow the smooth melody of Charlie Parker's saxophone to keep him company as he divides his best work from his worst.
This evening he has managed to capture some of his favourite landscapes. The way the purples, reds and yellows reflect and shimmer in the Thames is simply breath-taking and makes a busy and industrial city look peaceful and domestic. Robin picks out half a dozen images and backs them up onto his hard drive before opening up his email to sign into his work account.
However, when the webpage pops up he realises that he has yet to sign out of his personal email and the third subject down catches his eye immediately.
Robin Locksley, we have found you 3 new matches!
A single brow is raised as suddenly the thought of work is pushed far from the photographer's mind. "Already?" he murmurs, and, to be honest, with the hype of this evening he had even forgotten that he had joined an Internet dating website.
Following the necessary links, Robin finds his three matches and scans the photos of each. He is not the kind of man to judge a woman on her looks but he has always felt that he must be at least a little attracted to the female for a romantic relationship to ensue. Blond hair is followed by brunette hair which is followed by another blonde. All three are tremendously attractive women but, "I recognise that woman," he mumbles to himself as his gaze flicks back to the dark brunette. Those dark, chocolate eyes are truly captivating and he feels as if he has been captivated by them before.
Clicking on her icon, her full profile emerges and he is eager to find out about this truly alluring woman on his screen. He reads through her basic information.
Name: Regina Mills
Age: 27
Place of residence: Central London
Interested in: Men
Occupation: Senior Graphic designer at DevilDesign
"DevilDesign, I was there today..." he mutters to himself before scrolling back up to the photo and that's when everything clicks. The woman, dressed in a sleek red dress which hugs her curves in only the sexiest ways as she sits poised on an armchair, is the same senior graphic designer he had briefly shared pleasantries with inside the elevator.
Robin had automatically assumed she was in a relationship when he saw her, a stunning woman such as herself must have men throwing themselves at her, yet here she is, matched up with a scruffy old photographer such as himself. Perhaps he could message her? Or in doing that will he simply make a fool out of himself? The answer is probably yes but what has he got to lose? He may have been at DevilDesign to offer his services but as he told the brunette herself: it was just a flying visit.
He just needs a beer to give him that extra boost of confidence, he decides. Robin isn't a shy man, in fact he is often the holder of conversations at social events, however one thing he is lacking is self-confidence. This means that when it comes to pursuing women he finds it somewhat difficult to know the right things to say at first. He over thinks things. Of course, when the conversation is in flow he can maintain it as he begins to relax, but his number one fear is seeming like a creep by saying the wrong thing when it comes to starting a conversation with a stunning woman. And Regina Mills is a stunning woman.
Moving from his desk he heads to the kitchen and towards the fridge where he pulls out an Ale, the condensation on the bottle making the tops of his fingers damp before he is reaching for the bottle opener and cracks it open, pouring it into a pint glass from the dishwasher.
He wants to talk to the graphic designer, he knows this, but they've only just been matched. Should he wait a while? Taking a sip of his beer, Robin heads back to his study and brings up a new tab on his computer, quickly searching:
How long should I wait before I start talking to a woman?
It was stupid: looking on Google for answers when he knows there is no harm in just messaging her when the worst thing she could do would be ignoring him. He shakes his head as he gets none of the answers that he is looking for and instead turns his attention back to the dating website. A beautiful smile greets him with flirtatious eyes and slightly rosy cheeks to complement, and it's after a few seconds of simply admiring her that he decides fuck it and clicks on the message button.
But what should he say? It seems just a simple 'good evening' holds no purpose, and is perhaps too familiar when he has barely spoken to her before. Robin sighs, why is he making this so hard? He shakes his head and begins to type:
Robin Locksley: Hello Regina, it was lovely to meet you today...
"No, no," he chastises himself as he reads it back over, realising just how cringe-y that sounds and what if she doesn't recognise him? He would sound like a creepy stalker and then all slim chances he initially had with her would be soaring out of the window with his dignity. He quickly erases the message. Perhaps he could subtly compliment her instead. The word beautiful springs to the forefront of his mind but he can't help but wonder if that would be too forward...
Robin Locksley: So, the beautiful woman I ran into this morning goes by the name of Regina?
He reads over his new conversation starter and after a few rereads he decides that it shows his interest, but he still manages to sound like a gentleman. He hopes. Without any further thought, Robin presses sends and—letting out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding—he sits back in his chair.
Now, he waits.
God, if John could see him now he would be laughing at how pathetic this all is, he is, but then again the body builder would most probably have started the conversation off with 'Fancy a shag?' or 'Nice wrack, wanna see mine?'. Robin rolls his eyes at the thought, however it makes him smirk nonetheless. Taking another sip of beer, Robin busies himself whilst he waits for Regina's reply. He returns to his other two matches: Lauren and Charlotte.
Charlotte is a natural beauty and her interests seem to be similar to his own, she's a freelance artist and, out of interest, Robin follows the link to her website from her profile. He browses a few of the galleries displayed on there and has to admit that the girl has talent, taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary with bright colours and exaggerated shapes. Perhaps he could even go along to one of her shows.
However it's at that thought that the message alert sounds and Robin immediately clicks back to the other tab. His heart begins to hammer and he cannot help but grin when he sees the message notification from a certain brunette. He opens it immediately.
Regina Mills: Well, that depends, how many beautiful women did you run into this morning?
Robin grins at her reply. She's sassy and has character, he likes that.
Robin Locksley: Just the one.
Her response is almost instant, making Robin chuckle when he reads it.
Regina Mills: Then I suppose, yes, that woman does go by the name of Regina.
Robin Locksley: I'm glad to hear it. I was worried my search would have to continue.
He presses send and he has no idea whether what he is saying ticks any of the right boxes. He is new to this, talking to women online. He feels as if he should tell her this, so he quickly types out another message.
Robin Locksley: I must admit I am new to this website and have only been on it for a day, so I'm not terribly sure how the process of 'internet dating' works...
Regina Mills: You and me both, I'm afraid. My best friend signed me up, so I had very little choice in the matter... How did it go down in HR?
Robin smirks at the similarities, so peer pressure is a thing. He cannot help the smile that doesn't seem to want to leave his lips as he talks to this woman. She's asking him questions, that shows she is somewhat interested right? Well, it means that she isn't desperate to end the conversation before it has even started, at least.
Robin Locksley: Ah, so you have a stubborn best friend, too? ;-) It went well, thank you, I was meeting with your head of HR to discuss how some of my prints can be used as the basis for a new logo. The one for the new London brewery opening up next year?
Regina Mills: Unfortunately I do, yes. Oh, I know the one...I will be picking out and composing my favourite design at the end of this year. It's one of our biggest projects. I shall look forward to seeing your photographs!
Robin smiles, pride blooming in his chest. This is all just one huge coincidence but he doesn't find himself minding one bit—in fact he is rather excited about it all.
Robin Locksley: I'm sure the project is in the best of hands. Hopefully they will be what you're looking for. I shall look forward to seeing the end result!
Regina Mills: I'm sure they will be just great. Thank you.
Regina Mills: How long have you been living in London?
Robin Locksley: 6 years. I moved here after I graduated from the University of Bath. The city is beautiful there, have you been?
Regina Mills: No, unfortunately I haven't had much time to explore England. I've only been living in London for a few years, I come from Brooklyn.
So that explains the accent he had picked up on (but didn't dwell on, though it was husky and rather sexy if you ask him). He has been to New York before and he had loved it there and even though he hasn't been to Brooklyn he has heard it's a fantastic place for photography. A colleague of his was out there last week photographing the Brooklyn Bridge.
Robin Locksley: I thought I heard an accent! I've only heard good things about Brooklyn. Do you miss it?
Regina Mills: There are parts of it I miss, but for the most part I am happy for the change of scenery. London is just such a different city to Brooklyn.
Robin Locksley: Yes, I agree. I flew out to America a few months ago for a project and it was so much different than I had imagined.
Regina Mills: Really? Where did you go?
Robin Locksley: New York City, San Jose, Chicago and Seattle. The project was on cityscapes, if you couldn't guess!
Regina Mills: Sounds like quite the trip! So you travel a lot with your work?
For a moment Robin wonders whether the fact that he travels for work could be a deal breaker for them (is there even a 'them'?). However, he rushes to subtly reassure her that he stays in London for the most part of the year.
Robin Locksley: About three times a year, sometimes more but I wouldn't say a lot. Have you flown back to America since you moved here?
Regina Mills: So not too much jet lag then! I did once, for my first Christmas since my departure.
Robin Locksley: I've heard Christmas in America is something else!
Regina Mills: Mm, that depends on whether or not you can tolerate spending time with your family.
Robin frowns upon reading her reply as he can easily pick up on the undertone of sadness . He almost wishes that he is close enough to her to offer her his ear but alas he does not wish to pry and instead he feels a dash of sympathy towards the woman. Christmas at the Locksleys has always been such a huge deal and, as an only child, his parents would always make sure to have the entire family around from as long as he can remember—to keep him entertained and happy as they played games, opened presents and sat down to an amazing feast at midday. Even as Robin grew older Christmas never lost it spark, instead of telling myths of Father Christmas and his reindeers on Christmas Eve they would all sit down to reminisce over the year that has passed, catch up, drink wine and beer and count down the minutes until it was officially the 25th of December.
Robin loves Christmas and he loves spending it with his family. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to not get along with his own blood. He cautions how to answer her message but he decides to try and keep it light-hearted, not to make a joke out of her obvious misfortune, but to remind her that Christmas doesn't have to be miserable if you spend it with the right people... or beverages.
Robin Locksley: Well I suppose if you can't, that's what alcohol was invented for! ;)
Regina Mills: Haha, very true, Robin! Speaking of, I've just finished my glass of wine and I should head to bed, I have work tomorrow and I trust you do too?
Robin Locksley: I do. It was lovely speaking to you Regina and I hope we can again soon, sweet dreams.
Regina Mills: Goodnight.
Robin smiles at the animated smiley sticker Regina has sent after her last words and he's tempted to send one himself, however he decides against it as he signs out of the website and closes the tab which takes him back to his emails.
He goes to sign out of that too, when suddenly his eyes widen as realisation strikes, "Oh shit! The photographs!"
Let me know what you think, I would love to hear your opinions so please review!
