"Fuck my life," Emma mumbled, staring out of the small windows at the very top of their lecture hall to watch the rain that was washing down over them.
"What's up?" Walsh looked genuinely concerned for her as his eyes roamed over her form, searching for some kind of physical sign of her distress.
"Emma has a date this afternoon, and the rain's gonna ruin her hair."
The woman in question flicked an annoyed glare over to her best friend. She knew that if Ruby had spent as long as she had that morning curling her hair, for a date with the man she loved, she'd be just as annoyed as Emma was.
"Where's your date?"
"It's not too far," she replied vaguely. Emma didn't quite feel comfortable announcing her plans for the day to the rest of her friends. She wouldn't put it past them to accidentally crash the event just to meet the man she was spending her time with. But she didn't like lying to them either. "With the way it's coming down out there, just leaving the damned building's gonna soak me through."
"You could always reschedule," Ruby suggested, with a slight shrug of her shoulders.
Emma really didn't like that plan.
While the tickets she had booked were valid for a year, making it possible for them to pick a day where it wasn't raining, Emma had been looking forward to getting to experience such a huge landmark in the city she loved. It was one of the items that had been on her bucket list ever since she'd first learned the term 'bucket list,' and now that she had the opportunity to cross it off, she didn't want to let something as small as the weather put her off.
She also really wanted to see Jones again. They had only been apart for two days, but those two days had started to feel like two months whenever she climbed into bed alone at night.
"I'm just gonna hope that it stops raining before Mrs. West finishes this lecture. And if it doesn't, then maybe my jacket will save me."
Emma wasn't sure she'd ever been so distracted during a lecture before. It didn't help that Mrs. West was covering the same content that Jones had delivered earlier that year, and in a much less engaging manner. So when the group was finally dismissed, she was relieved to get out of the stuffy room, even if it was still pouring with rain outside.
"Are you sure you don't wanna call him and cancel?" Ruby pressed, following their peers through the corridors as they made their way down to the building's lobby.
"I'm sure. I'll be fine. At least I brought a jacket with me." To make her point, Emma pulled the fabric from her bag and shook it out, before slipping her arms into the sleeves. She did her best to make sure that she tucked all of her hair inside of the faux-fur lined hood, before she zipped it up as high as it would go. She was pretty sure that she looked as far from sexy as she could get in that moment, but if it kept her dry she wasn't going to complain. Emma didn't much fancy a trip up the Empire State Building in soaking wet clothes.
"What are you guys doing today?"
"Just heading to the library, I think. I still haven't finished the edits on that paper due for our Human Rights class. And I am not getting these new boots wet and muddy," Ruby stated, as she lifted the leg of her jeans to show off her latest bargain. Emma gave a hum of appreciation as her friend dropped the fabric back down into place, before she leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek. "Have fun and stay safe."
"I will do. I'll message you later if I'm gonna be late back."
Ruby cocked a brow in her direction that said she fully expected Emma to be late back, before she followed Graham and Walsh down the corridor to take the long route to the library, that would keep her from stepping out into the rain. Emma watched her friends disappear into the crowd before she steeled her resolve and headed for the double doors that would open out into the courtyard.
The moment she stepped off campus and onto the sidewalk she felt a familiar reassuring presence at her side, as an umbrella moved overhead to help shield her a little more from the relentless downpour.
"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, tilting her head back to look at Jones. He was wrapped up warm with a scarf twisted around his neck, and a black pea coat covering his torso. But his hair was a little damp in places, showing that he too hadn't managed to fully escape the elements.
"I was worried you'd have forgone a coat again, for fear that it didn't match your outfit," he chuckled, carefully transferring the umbrella over to his left hand, so that he could wrap his right arm around her waist. "Are you sure you wanna do this today? We can always go back to my place and try again, when the weather's more cooperative."
"I'm sure." While she couldn't deny that the idea of spending the afternoon in bed with her boyfriend was appealing, Emma wanted them to enjoy the experience they had both been eager to share. "Besides, once we get to the Empire State Building, most of the day will be spent inside. So hopefully we'll both avoid getting sick."
"Okay," he agreed, tightening his grip on her waist as he helped guide Emma along the sidewalk and towards the nearest subway station. Thankfully, it wasn't a long walk, and by the time they'd made it down to the platform, only the very ends of her hair had gotten damp from the rain.
Jones stood his umbrella against the wall behind them while Emma pushed back her hood and pulled down the zipper on the front of her coat. She might have stayed warm and dry thanks to the fabric, but she felt a little uncomfortable being wrapped up so tightly.
"Hey," Killian whispered softly, sliding his arms around his girlfriend's waist to tug her in for a kiss, when he could see more of her face. He had fully intended for their exchange to be soft and sweet. It was his way of telling Emma just how much he'd missed her, and how much he was looking forward to spending the afternoon with her. But the moment he had his girlfriend in his arms, all of his plans for soft and sweet flew from his mind.
"If you keep that up Dr. Jones, we're not gonna make this date," Emma teased, pulling back to catch her breath. Killian kept his forehead pressed against her own, enjoying the quiet intimacy of the moment in the busy space of the subway station. He'd never met anyone who could make him forget what was happening around him as well as Emma Swan could.
"Would that really be such a bad thing?" He cocked a brow at her that had Emma's sanity wavering in the face of her arousal, and the smug smile that tugged at his lips told her that he was more than aware of the effect he had on her body.
"Behave," she chastised gently. "The train will be here at any moment."
Killian pouted a little before turning them both to face the tracks as he wrapped his arms around her waist and propped his chin onto her shoulder.
Just as she had predicted, their train didn't take long to arrive, and they quickly piled on with the rest of their fellow passengers. It was far too crowded onboard for either of them to get a seat, but Emma wasn't too worried. Jones was a sturdy presence behind her, holding her close to his body as they whispered a conversation about their morning between the two of them, while the rest of the passengers went about their own business.
Emma was grateful that her boyfriend had so much experience with navigating the city, as he was able to get them on and off at all of the right stations, putting them as close as he could to the Empire State Building, without ever needing to head back above ground. So when they finally emerged onto the street for the final part of their journey, she breathed a sigh of relief to find that the rain had stopped, and blue skies were slowly creeping back in overhead.
"Perfect timing," Jones declared, lacing his fingers with hers as they made the short walk down East 33rd Street.
"Wow. It's so… different," Emma remarked, turning her head to take in the large room they were now stood inside of. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"
Jones chuckled a little as he let go of her hand to wrap an arm around her waist. "Did the big building not give it away?"
"It just… it doesn't look like it does in the movies."
"That's because this is a new entrance," he explained, as he pulled Emma over to a line that was forming to collect pre-booked tickets. "It opened earlier this year. The old lobby is still an attraction, though. We can visit it before we leave, if you'd like?"
"I uh… I probably should have read the website a little better before I booked the tickets, huh?" Jones simply shrugged his shoulders in response. Emma knew it was his way of agreeing with her, without actually saying the words.
Killian didn't want to start their date by criticizing her planning skills, but he also knew how important it was for any lawyer to thoroughly read the materials in front of them, before they made a decision. So he was sure this was a moment she'd remember well, when she next booked an attraction online.
While Emma was printing out the passes that she'd bought for the two of them, Killian made sure to step to one side, so that he wouldn't hold up the line for the people behind them. The new visitors center was much more modern than the old lobby had been, but it was still fascinating enough to give him plenty to look at. Killian found the artwork on display to be particularly captivating.
"Are you ready to go up?" Emma asked, startling him out of his appreciation for the King Kong portrait hanging on one of the walls, as she handed over his ticket.
He glanced down briefly at it before he asked, "You booked fast passes?"
"The website said that it was the best way to experience this, and I figured if we were gonna do it, we should at least do it right," she explained.
Killian leaned down to brush his lips over hers. Their kiss was nothing like the one in the subway station had been, but it was enough to show his girlfriend just how much he appreciated what she'd done for them. Because the truth was that he'd already looked at booking tickets for the tour when they returned from Las Vegas, so he knew how much those fast passes would have added to her final total. A part of him wanted to protest at the obvious expense she'd occurred for their afternoon together, given that Emma wasn't yet working a fulltime job. But Killian didn't voice those concerns. He didn't want the woman he loved to feel like she wasn't on an equal footing with him in their relationship, just because she didn't have a bank balance as large as his. And he knew that deep down, she wouldn't have booked what she had if she didn't think she could truly afford to spare the money.
"What was that for?" Emma asked, as he pulled back to rub his nose affectionately against hers.
"Just because I love you," Killian told her, tangling their fingers together once more so they could make their way over to the security line that was forming. "I hear it's what people in love do."
"I think you might be right," she agreed, offering him a breath-taking smile as she rocked forward onto her toes to brush another kiss to the underside of his jaw. "And I love you too."
Jones's answering smile was just as wide as her own had been, and Emma was oddly proud that she'd managed to put that look on his face, with only five simple words.
After showing their fast passes, an employee inside of the building ushered them both to the front of the security line. When they were finally given the all clear, Emma and Jones boarded the next available elevator, ready to head up to the observation decks.
"Is this your first time?" An older woman to their left asked. She and her friend were the only other people on board with them, and clearly looked like they'd done this many times before.
"Yeah," Emma confirmed. "For both of us."
"You'll love it. We come every time we're in the city, and it never fails to amaze us both after all these years."
Emma exchanged a small look with her boyfriend, that told her he had no doubts that they'd end up feeling the same way, before they turned their attention back to their fellow visitors.
"Where are you ladies from?" Jones asked politely.
"Wisconsin," the second woman replied, her eyes widening slightly at Jones's clearly un-American accent. "What about you? I know that's not one of ours."
Emma watched as her boyfriend chuckled adorably at the way the other women were watching him, while she rubbed a reassuring hand over his own.
"Ireland, originally. But I've been away from home longer now than I've ever spent there. I travel a lot for work," he explained, at their confused looks.
Jones was saved from elaborating any further when the carriage gently rocked to a stop, before a loud ding signaled their arrival at the eightieth floor. Ever the gentleman, he waved a hand to signal that their companions should exit first, before he took Emma's hand once more to step off the elevator.
The Dare To Dream exhibit wasn't as busy as she expected the observation deck would be, so it allowed them both to take their time looking around the room. Jones was happy to linger over each of the displays, studying the plans and photographs that had been presented as he read the text that accompanied them.
If she were being completely honest, the construction and engineering behind the massive building weren't of much interest to Emma. But her boyfriend seemed to find all the new little tidbits of information being presented to him completely fascinating, so she didn't complain about the way he dragged her from one piece to the other.
As long as Jones was happy, Emma would consider their date a resounding success.
The short ride up to the first of the observation decks didn't take long, and Emma and Jones were soon stepping off an elevator once more, and into a large empty space, with windows that already offered wonderful views of the city. They lingered inside for a moment, just taking in what could already be seen of the New York skyline, before they followed the groups of people disembarking from other elevators to head out onto the observation deck.
"Wow," Jones remarked. His eyes were fixed on a point in the distance that Emma couldn't quite see yet, thanks to his height advantage. But he didn't hesitate to guide her over to a section of the deck that was relatively quiet, so that the two of them could get a better look at the views being offered.
"I see your wow and raise you a holy shit," she mumbled, as she scanned the distance. Her brain was busy trying to catalog everything she could see, while it tried to place names to the different landmarks in the distance.
"Central Park," Jones pointed out, as he crouched down to drop his chin onto her shoulder. "We're going there for our next mid-week date."
Emma pulled her eyes away from the place he'd been pointing to so that she could watch her boyfriend, and she wasn't at all disappointed. He looked completely overwhelmed by the entire experience, and she knew in that moment that the money she'd spent on their date was worth every cent she'd paid.
"You know we'll probably need a few days to explore all of Central Park," she argued, as she pulled his arms around her shoulders to settle back more comfortably into his embrace.
"I have absolutely no problem with that."
The two of them made their way slowly around the deck, pointing out the different sights they spotted to each other, as they snapped pictures of everything that caught their attention. Emma was so happy to see that the dark clouds she'd woken to that morning had almost completely passed, leaving the day to warm up as the sun bathed the city in its warm glow.
"Would you two like some pictures together?" a familiar voice asked almost half-an-hour later. Emma turned away from the view she had of the Statue of Liberty to see the two older women from earlier that afternoon, standing just behind them. "You should have something to remember your first trip by."
Killian flashed his girlfriend a quick look to check that she was okay with the arrangement, before he opened up the camera app on his phone and passed it over.
"Thanks. That's really kind of you to offer."
"It's no problem," the woman assured him, as she lifted the device to center the shot. She must have taken at least twenty images of the two of them together, directing them to step back a little, or to the left a bit more, in her search for the perfect picture.
At one point, Emma stumbled slightly over her boyfriend's foot, and he had to bury his laughs in her neck at the way she censored her cursing when she noticed a small child watching them both.
It really was the perfect way to spend their day together, and they both knew it.
"Here you go," the older woman said, as she handed Jones's phone back to him. "The ones of you two laughing are my favorites."
"Thank you." Killian slipped the device securely into his pocket with the intention of checking the images over later, as he turned to Emma to ask, "Are you ready to head back down?"
"Nope. We're going up again," she told him. "I booked for the whole thing. Go big or go home, right?"
"Absolutely right," their new companions agreed. "We're doing the same thing."
The views from the one-hundred-and-second floor were even more spectacular than Killian could have imagined, and the new friends that joined them made the experience infinitely more memorable, as they continued to snap pictures of the happy couple's first trip.
The observation deck up there was much less crowded than the one sixteen floors below had been. And although it was fully enclosed, it allowed them both to see so much more than they had before. (Especially when Jones wrapped his arms around Emma's waist and lifted her feet from the floor, to give her a better view.)
But for Killian, the best part of the entire journey was watching how Emma's face lit up with every new site that was presented to her. He knew that she had believed this could be her one and only trip to the building, but as he watched Joyce and Julie point out some of their favorite places in the city, he resolved to bring her back the following year.
And every year after that.
"Okay, gift shop and then we can go and get some food," Jones declared, once they were safely back inside the elevator once more.
"We don't need to go to the gift shop," Emma protested.
"I'm sorry, where did you learn to do the tourist thing?" he asked, his tone full of mock-outrage. "You can't come to a place like the Empire State Building without getting a souvenir to remember the trip by."
Emma giggled a little at the look of horror on her boyfriend's face, but she let him tug her out of the elevator and into the store without any resistance.
The shop was busier than the exhibition had been, but not quite as crowded as the observation deck, which made it easy to explore. Jones insisted on examining every item inside of it, holding up some of his favorites for Emma's approval before either tucking them under his arm, or putting them back down again.
When he finally headed for the cash register his arms were full of trinkets all shaped like the building they were currently inside of, and a couple of new mugs that he declared completely necessary to replace the ones he'd broken during his move. He looked exactly how Ruby had always said Emma looked inside of a library, and she was so happy to see how much joy her date had brought to his day.
While she was waiting for her boyfriend to pay, Emma turned her attention to the people making their way in and out of the small store. She loved seeing the excitement on the kids' faces as they were told they could pick one item to remember their trip by, and the look of resignation on their parents features when they realized they weren't making it out without spending another small fortune.
She was completely lost in the moment, enjoying being able to people watch as she kept an eye on her boyfriend's position in the line. So Emma didn't notice the person that had spotted her from across the room.
"Emma? Is that you?"
She turned instinctually at the sound of her name, but froze when she recognized the person who had called it. It was the same person who was currently making her way through the crowds, and over to where she was stood, with a wide smile on her face.
"Belle? What are you doing here?" she asked, trying her best to act completely normally.
"Oh, it's my friend Dotty's birthday today, and she's never visited before. We decided to bring her as a surprise. What about you? Is Ruby here with you?" Belle scanned the store behind them as if the brunette would suddenly jump out at her, but frowned a little when she realized that she couldn't see anyone else she recognized.
"Uh… no. Ruby's with the guys. I'm um… I'm on a date."
"Oh!" Belle looked more than a little surprised by the information. Ruby hadn't said anything about Emma dating when the two girls had spoken over the weekend. "Where uh… where is he?"
"Paying for his new haul of goods," she explained, with a slight chuckle. Emma's mind wouldn't stop supplying the image of that giddy look on his face when he began holding up the things he wanted to buy. She was certain that had been the kind of moment the phrase, 'like a kid in a candy store,' had been coined for.
"Ah." Belle's eyes immediately flew over to the line of people waiting to pay inside of the small gift shop. Emma followed her gaze and sighed a little when she spotted Jones. He was already handing over his credit card, which meant he'd be heading back her way soon. And to make matter worse, he was the only guy over the age of ten in the line. Which meant there would be no doubts about who she had been referring to.
When he finally turned away from the cashier, Emma watched Belle's face carefully for any signs that she might have recognized the man. But her friend's face remained a mask of neutrality.
"Is everything okay?" Killian asked, as he slipped an arm around Emma's waist and leaned in to drop a kiss to her hairline.
"Yeah. Uh… Killian, this is my friend Belle… from law school. Belle, this is my boyfriend, Killian." She really hoped that Jones would pick up on what she was trying to communicate, without her needing to actually say the words.
The last thing Emma needed was for Belle to reveal the identity of her sugar daddy to Ruby, before she could. While Ruby had been patient enough about waiting until Emma was ready to share all of the details about him with her, she wasn't sure her friend would forgive her if she found out that Belle had discovered everything first.
"It's nice to meet you," he offered, giving the brunette a small smile. It wasn't quite as easy or as breath-taking as the one he saved for Emma, but it still had the other woman's knees weakening slightly.
"You too," she told him, tilting her head slightly to survey the man more carefully. "Do I um… have we met before?"
"Possibly. I live quite close to campus," he explained vaguely, while Emma sighed with relief.
"Ah, I've probably seen you around then," she reasoned. "I'll let you guys finish your date. Have fun." Belle gave them both another bright smile and a small wave before she made her way back through the crowds and over to a vaguely familiar group of girls, that Emma was sure she'd seen in her lectures before.
"Are you okay?" Jones worried, tightening his arm around her waist.
"Yeah. I just… that went better than I thought it would." She let him tug her along in the direction of the elevator once more, so that they could head back down to the lobby before finishing their day at the bar and grill Emma had reserved a table for.
"Most people don't tend to think there's anything wrong with our relationship, Emma. I mean, you only have to look at how Joyce and Julie treated us earlier to see that. And we're certainly not breaking any laws. David was just being an arse. I doubt any of your friends would react the same way that he did."
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right," she agreed, as she turned to rest her head against his firm chest. His jacket was a little scratchy under her cheek, but Emma forgot all about her discomfort the moment his arms came up to hold her close. "Maybe when we get back from Vegas we could uh… we could go to dinner with them? Ruby wants a decent steak."
Jones chuckled into his girlfriend's hair before pressing a firm kiss to the top of her head. "I'm sure I could find somewhere in this city that serves a decent steak. And I would love to meet your friends, Emma."
Emma pulled back a little to meet his eyes as she whispered, "I love you," before pushing up onto her toes to brush a light kiss over his lips.
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