CHAPTER 10

Heaven. Soft plump lips slowly touching hers, quiet moans and an army of butterflies flying wildly inside her belly. Emma was pretty sure her knees were weak, and if she wasn't on the bed, she might have fallen. Firm tongue caressed her upper lip, asking for permission to access her. The blonde easily complied, and a shiver invaded her as well. Kissing Regina was making her feel numb and alive at the same time, increasing all her senses, albeit transporting her away from notions of time and space. A kiss never felt like that before.

As quickly as it begun, it ended. Regina snickered of the dumbstruck face in front of her, slightly pouting. Emma looked at her with big green eyes, as if waiting for an explanation why Regina was now standing. Pulling a robe around her lithe frame, Regina tried to adjust her slightly tousled hair. "Time for a shower, dear. It is Monday, after all."

Knowing well what the implications of the image would cause to Emma, she left the room towards the bathroom, while a very wide-eyed blonde continued to process whatever has happened in this early morning.

xxx

Emma was wandering around the kitchen – trying to find the right cabinet that would content everything she wanted to make breakfast. She was feeling so good, and she wanted desperately to make Regina feel as good as herself. Homemade pancakes seemed the ideal plan for a 'breakfast surprise,' so she went for it.

When she was in the middle of flipping pancakes around, the doorbell rang. Still hearing the shower on, she decided to see who was there.

xxx

A well-dressed man in a gray pressed suit stood at the door.

"Good morning. Is this by any chance Miss Mills apartment?" The man smiled. Emma couldn't explain why, but something about that man was letting her quite uneasy. "I'm Robin Lockhart." The man extended his right hand.

"Emma. Emma Swan. And yes, this is Regina's. She is busy, though…" Emma trailed off unsure of what to do.

"Oh, don't worry. I just came by to give her this." It was a bracelet. Emma held it. "It was in my car this morning, perhaps it fell? I didn't mean to intrude, just let her know I was here."

"Will do." With that, the man left, and Emma was staring at the empty space with the door wide open. What does that mean? His car? So Regina was with that man…

Regina, wrapped in a towel, came to view. "Emma, who is it?"

"Robin Lockhart. He came to give your bracelet back." The blonde couldn't even fake her displeasure. Throwing the jewelry at the counter, Emma started to put her jacket on. She was clearly bitter.

"Emma, wait. There is a reason for this. Clearly it is no what you're thinking…"

"Save it. So he isn't one of your dates? Is that what you're saying?"

Regina was silent. She wouldn't lie, but she also knew that telling the truth would upset the blonde, even if the date didn't mean anything to her. "Emma, plea-"

"Answer me!" Beautiful green eyes were already moist with tears while the blonde paced around the apartment. She was frantic. It was like her heart got squeezed so hard she couldn't breathe. And I thought she liked me…

"Yes. He was my date last night but-"

"Last night? So you were with him the whole night having a blast, and then you called me?" The blonde face was sour.

"Emma, no-" The brunette pleaded, to no avail.

"And there I was, worried about you-"

"Emma, stop! It isn't like that! Let me explain!"

"No, Regina, let me explain something to you. I genuinely thought you'd changed your mind, that you cared about me. Clearly, I was wrong. Tell me, did you laughed at how pathetic I was while enjoying your date with him? The young, naïve girl, who wouldn't leave you alone?"

"Emma-" Her name was repeatedly said, almost like a prayer.

"No, I know that I have no right to expect you'd stop seeing other people. I know we don't have anything. But I thought you wanted to. I thought that maybe-" Emma's voice was weak again as if she was evaluating her arguments. "Never mind. I'd better go." Grabbing her cell phone and keys, she went to the door. Regina tried to follow her, still only in a towel, unsure of what to say to the blonde.

"Emma, I-"

"It's okay. In fact, this is my entire fault. You did warn me. I just was too blind to see it." Emma concluded. "Just tell me one thing: did you ever considered having a serious relationship with me in the first place?" Regina was quiet. Emma was wrong about a lot of things, but she was also right about others. The brunette didn't want a relationship – or at least she didn't think she could have one – and she never expected to have the blonde around. Indulging this morning was due to a longing that she couldn't fight. However she never could truly say that she was accepting it as a relationship. At least not in the way the blonde apparently had. So she remained silent, searching for the right words to say and not make this worse when the blonde spoke. "Yeah, I thought as much. Goodbye, Regina." With that, she closed the door behind her and disappeared through the elevator door.

xxx

"You what?" Kat almost shouted, unbelieving what she just heard.

"Well, it is not this is my fault, Kat, I couldn't predict that Robin would show up at my home that early in the morning-"

"I know, but how come you didn't stop her from leaving? I'm sure you could've explained…"

"Because she's right, Kat. I never deserved her. I never thought of her as a potential partner. I wanted her and still do, but I was only indulging in that. I can't even treat her right! You know I don't do relationships."

"Regina, this speech is old and not amusing anymore. So what if you didn't do relationships until now, that doesn't mean you can't."

"I can't. Because I don't believe in it. I don't believe in happy endings, and I if Emma is around me, she only will end up hurt."

"Oh, honey… For someone so clever you're awfully stubborn. I trust you'll see the truth, eventually."

"I'm seeing my truth right now, Kat." Regina sighed. She hated trying to do the right thing but having this sinking feeling in her gut. "I gotta go. I have a meeting in 5 minutes. Talk to you later, Kat."

"Bye." The blonde couldn't believe what her friend just told her. As it appeared to be, Regina was going to be way more difficult than she first thought.

Ending the call, Regina searched for a familiar name on her contacts list, and before stepping into the meeting room, she quickly sent a text:

I'm sorry. R

On another part of the town, the blonde was lying on the couch, completely ignoring the constant vibration of her phone.

xxx

A soft knock on the door made the brunette look from the plans she was holding. "Come in!"

Kat appeared, holding take out food. "Chinese?"

Regina managed a smiled and signaled for Kathryn to have a seat. It was good to have a friend, especially in days like this, when she didn't even remember eating. The meeting was rather good, and since the design of the museum was already in a very advanced stage, she would need to fly to Boston for a week or so to meet with the contractor. However, even her successful business wasn't being enough for taking her mind of her messy love life – or lack of it. "Thank you, dear."

"No worries. That is what friends are for!" Kat chirped while removing the contents of the paper bag. "Spring roll?"

"Yes, one, please." Regina hummed while tasting the roll, slowly dipping it in the sauce.

"So, how are you?" The blonde inquired, knowing too well that her friend needed to talk about it. And then, Regina decided to be completely honest with her friend, and tell her the mix of feelings she was experiencing since her first date with Emma. The brunette detailed every encounter, every interaction between them, and the way Emma constantly made her feel hopeless and lost. And last, they talked about the fight on that same morning.

"And now, even though I texted her, she won't reply. I think she's really done with me, Kat, for good. And I don't blame her."

"Don't be silly! She's hurt, but she'll come around. I mean, do you realize she truly likes you? You just have to give her some time to process things."

"Well, what choice do I have? I tried to call her immediately when she left, to explain everything. She wouldn't give me a chance to talk, and I thought that once she'd left, she would listen to me. Clearly, I was wrong, since she refused all of my calls."

"Well, it's too recent. Give her a couple of days before trying again. She's a nice girl, this one. I just hope when the time comes, you'll be there to say all the right things this time."

"And what are, according to you, all the right things?"

"Simply put: that you'll never again let her go."