Author's Note:

Hello, lovelies! So so so so sorry that this has taken me so long to update. I kind of lost my inspiration for this story for a minute there. Plus, work has been stupid crazy and I've been dealing with some personal stuff. But don't worry, I'm going to try and update this more often now. Thank you all so much for sticking around!

Xx

Teejay

'So where is it that you're taking me?' Regina asked as she turned to notice Emma was still briskly walking away from the diner.

'Like I said: the best taco truck you've ever been to.' Emma dead panned.

'Doubtful.' Regina laughed.

'I mean I don't mean to presume on our short acquaintance, your majesty, but I do feel like out of the two of us I would probably know where to get the best street food.' Emma said with a scoff.

'Like I said, doubtful, Miss Swan.' Regina replied.

Emma's step faltered slightly, 'So now you know my last name. And here I thought you sad you weren't a stalker.'

'It's not my fault that your boss refers to you as "That Swan Girl"' Regina laughed nervously as her cheeks flushed slightly.

Emma seemed to ponder the other girl's reply for a second and then shrugged her shoulders. 'I guess that does seem like something she would say.'

'So is she a relation, then?' Regina asked.

'Huh?' Emma replied as the taco truck they were headed towards came into view.

'Granny, as you called her, is she a relation of yours?'

'I mean we're not actually related, but she pretty much is.' Emma said as she walked with purpose towards the truck and took in the menu plastered on the side.

'And you and the waitress…'

'Ruby.' Emma finished without looking at Regina.

'Ruby,' Regina coughed her name out, 'yes. So she's your…'

It was then that Emma seemed to grasp what Regina was getting at and couldn't help the wide eyed expression that crossed her face as she turned to meet her newly found companion. 'She's not my girlfriend if that's what you're getting at.' Emma said with a smirk.

'That's not what I meant.' Regina backtracked.

'Sure it's not.' Emma laughed as she raised an eyebrow at Regina, noting smugly the blush that crept across the brunette's face.

Eager to turn the conversation to anything other than that, Regina took in the menu and asked, 'So, what's good here?'

After getting their food, for which Regina tried to pay for, but was effectively cut off by Emma who insisted that she invited Regina and that she could pay for the next date if she wanted to. Regina had blushed again at Emma referring to their outing as a 'date' and had conceded to the blonde. They sat on a bench overlooking the water and finished their food. With a contented sigh, Regina said 'You're right, those tacos are pretty amazing.'

Emma smiled and looked at her. 'I told you! Trust me, I know where to get good, cheap food.'

'So, how long have you lived in LA?' Regina asked as she balled up the foil from her tacos and turned to look at Emma.

'About three years. I moved here right before I started college.' Emma said with a mouthful of carnitas. She swallowed and then continued. 'I honestly couldn't wait to get out of Bakersfield. Honestly, that place is a hellhole.'

'Bakersfield, huh? Do your parents still live there?' Regina asked.

'I…uh…don't really have any.' Emma said plainly, as if this were a question she had been asked so often that her answer was rehearsed. 'My last foster mom still does though.'

'Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—' Regina began.

'Don't worry about it. You didn't know.' Emma assured her. 'Have you always lived in LA?'

'My entire life.' Regina said. 'My father is a record executive and my mother sits on the boards of a few different organisations. When I'm home from school I live with them in Bel Air.' She admitted as if it was something to be embarrassed about.

'Sounds…busy.' Emma laughed, unsure of herself. 'You said when you're home from school. Where do you go?'

'I'll be going into my senior year at Juilliard in the fall.' Regina smiled.

'So you're saying you're gonna just leave me in a few weeks. Damn.' Emma laughed and nudged Regina playfully with her shoulder. 'So do you study voice there? Because not going to lie but you're a beautiful singer.'

Regina blushed. 'Thank you. And no, I actually study cello. Playing guitar and singing is just something I do for fun. Much to my mother's chagrin.'

'Cello. Interesting.' Emma pondered. 'I had a foster dad who used to make me listen to Yo-Yo Ma all the time. To be honest, that's really the only exposure I've had to any sort of classical instruments. Unless, of course, you count that one field trip I went on to go see the symphony when I was six.'

'Haha that counts, yes.' Regina laughed. 'I'm actually playing with the New York philharmonic this term. It's a part of my synthesis. And it helped that mother knows that Chairman of the Board and was able to pull some strings. They were at Harvard together.'

'Your mom sounds like a real piece of work.' Emma surmised.

Regina didn't answer. Instead, she simply looked out at the ocean and took a long, steadying breath. Emma watched her for a second, knowing that she had probably hit a nerve and desperately wanting to make Regina smile again. Though she had only known her for a grand total of two days, Emma found herself wanting to make the other woman laugh. That smile was one of the most beautiful things she had seen in a long while. 'Hey, I've got an idea.' Emma said as she stood up and extended a hand to Regina.

Regina looked up at her with a questioning look. 'What do you mean?'

'You haven't got any plans for the rest of the day, right?' Regina shook her head, so Emma continued. 'Well, then I've got an idea. Come on. Do you trust me?' She still had her hand extended to Regina.

Regina knew instantly that she did. She did trust Emma even though it made absolutely no sense considering their short acquaintance, but something deep in her soul told her that she could and she should trust Emma. So, she reached out her hand and took Emma's extended one, allowing herself to be pulled up off the bench. She noticed, quite happily, that Emma seemed to have no intention of letting her hand go.

'Where are we going?' Regina asked as she let Emma lead her down the street towards the entrance to the Santa Monica pier.

'I told you to trust me, your Majesty.' Emma said as she turned to Regina and winked. For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Regina blushed. How was it that this girl was affecting her so much? 'Don't worry you'll like it. I promise.' Emma punctuated her statement with a light squeeze of Regina's hand.