That night, David walked Regina to her chamber door as had become routine. He would wait for her door to close before making his way to his own, which sat directly across the hallway from hers. Tonight, however, Regina didn't close the door.
"David, I've been thinking," she leaned against the stone doorframe. "Maybe I wouldn't object to us sharing bedchambers...that is if you don't object, of course," she rushed to add.
Outside, thunder rolled in the distance as a later summer storm started to move in on the kingdom.
David nodded with a small smile. "If that's what you desire, my darling, I wouldn't object at all. I'd actually very much enjoy getting to have you in my arms at night." He reached up and cupped her cheek so he could coax her closer for a kiss.
"Do you want to start sharing tonight?" She asked when they parted just as lightning lit up the hallway. Regina wasn't scared of storms. No. Not even in the slightest. In fact, she loved thunderstorms. The thought of curling up with David in her nice cozy bed as a storm raged outside the castle sounded like a dream. Regina hadn't gotten much attention from anyone in her life but she had slowly come to understand one thing. If she had a dream or a desire that involved David, she would almost certainly get what she wanted...so long as it was within his poster to give it to her. It was one of the reasons she loved him so much. He went above and beyond to ensure that she was happy. She briefly stopped to ponder if she would ever stop being such a coward and admit how felt to him. Her mother wasn't around to steal her happiness this time around.
"I'd love to sweetheart," he kissed her again. "Go and get ready for bed. I need to grab a change of clothing for tomorrow. I'll be in in a moment."
While she was alone, Regina quickly removed her dress, jewellery, and makeup and unpinned her hair. She slipped into her favorite cotton nightdress before extinguishing the lights and crawling into bed and beneath the covers. For some reason, she found herself shy at the thought of David seeing her in her natural state.
All her effort in hiding ended up being for nothing when the first thing David did upon entering the room (after being gone an unusually long time) was light the candle next to the bed.
He smiled and pulled the blankets ( that she had pulled up to her chin) down to her waist, "You're beautiful, my darling." He said as he looked her over.
Regina blushed because as he spoke, she realized that he was now dressed in only a pair of loose fitting trousers. His chest was much firmer than she had imagined.
He caught her left hand in his, "Snow returned something to me," he slid a silver ring with a light green stone onto her finger. "There. Right where it belongs." He brought the digit to his lips for a kiss.
Regina smiled at her new ring resting beside Daniel's. Past and present together.
David blew out the candle and climbed into bed beside her. He spooned into her back and laid a gentle kiss on her neck. "I love you, Regina."
Yeah. She was still too much of a coward to dare say it back. She pretended that she was asleep.