Emma Swan paced back and forth close to the entrance of the concert venue, chewing on her fingernails and watching the crowds of people moving toward the gates. She tried not to think about the fact that this was supposed to be a special night for her and her boyfriend to celebrate the third anniversary of their first date. The headlining band, Cursed Realms, was his very favorite, and the two opening acts looked promising, too. She had been very excited to give him the tickets as a surprise, but the surprise was on her instead.
Anxious to give him the gift, she had used the key he gave her to let herself into his apartment that day two months ago. Since it was almost a half-an-hour before he usually got home from work, she anticipated having to wait for him. What she hadn't anticipated was to hear moaning coming from his bedroom. Worried that he was home sick, she hurried into the room, only to find he wasn't sick at all. In fact, he appeared to be very healthy as he fucked his co-worker in the bed he usually shared with Emma.
Needless to say, he wasn't accompanying Emma to the concert tonight. The only reason she was there at all, was to sell those tickets to the person who answered her ad putting them up for sale. Now, she was impatiently waiting for the buyer - a guy named Killian Jones - to show up so she could unload them, collect her money, and go back to her apartment to continue licking her emotional wounds.
She was starting to think the guy wasn't going to show when she heard the first warm-up band take the stage. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a dark-haired, slightly disheveled looking man running up to her.
"Are you Emma Swan?" he panted.
She blinked, surprised to hear her name spoken in what sounded like a British accent. She was further taken aback when she turned to face him and saw his brilliant blue eyes and strong jawline covered with an attractive amount of scruff. "Y-yes I am," she stammered.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Emma," he apologized, reaching to take his money clip out of the front pocket of his black jeans.
"That's okay," she dismissed. "but by the time you get in the gate and to your seat, you're gonna miss the first band."
"Oh, um, well," Killian muttered, rubbing his hand nervously across the back of his neck, "I'm not planning on actually attending the concert."
"You aren't? Then why are you buying the tickets?" Emma asked curiously.
"I was buying them because I wanted to bring my girlfriend, but...uh...she's not...we aren't dating anymore," he finished, the tips of his ears turning bright red.
"That's funny," Emma said. Then seeing the incredulous look he gave her, she hurried to clarify, "I don't mean it's funny you broke up, I just...I'm selling the tickets because I bought them to surprise my boyfriend, but I found out he's a cheating asshole, so we're not dating anymore, either."
Killian grinned, then quickly sobered. "I'm sorry to hear that, lass. I guess we've both been unlucky in love. I was unaware that the woman I was dating for nearly a year was married."
"Oh, wow! What a bi-... I mean…"
He chuckled. "It's quite alright, Swan. It wouldn't be the first time she's been called that name and I'm sure it won't be the last, especially if I'm the one talking about her!"
It was Emma's turn to laugh. "Well, since you don't need the tickets either, I'm not gonna make you buy them," she told him.
"I said I would buy them and not to do so would be bad form. I'm sure you were planning on getting your money back from the purchase."
"That's a very gentlemanly thing to do."
"I'm always a gentleman," he smirked.
She raised her eyebrows. Was he actually flirting with her? She was surprised to realize that if he was, she really didn't mind.
"Still, you shouldn't have to pay for something you're not going to use."
"Neither should you."
They both fell silent as the band onstage began another song and Killian noticed Emma tapping her fingers against her leg along with the beat.
"Seems a shame to let the tickets go to waste, doesn't it?" he asked, while adorably scratching behind his ear. "Perhaps we could put them to use?"
"You mean go to the concert together?"
"I don't know about you, but I was really looking forward to seeing these bands and was quite disappointed when I realized I wouldn't be going."
"Me, too. Cursed Realms is my ex's favorite band and from listening to them so much, I became a fan, too." She got a gleam in her eye and smiled slyly. "Did your former girlfriend like them?"
"She's an even bigger fan than I am, which is why I was so excited to find your advertisement for the tickets."
Emma secretly loved the way he said 'adVERtissment' in his accented voice. "I think it would be sweet revenge to go see our exes's favorite band on tickets they could have used if they hadn't been such utter and complete asses."
Killian grinned broadly. "My thoughts exactly!"
He peeled some bills from his money clip and handed them to Emma. Reaching to take the money, she held out the ticket in exchange.
The two of them approached the entry gates to pass through security and have their tickets scanned, then began walking to search for the section containing their seats. As they passed a concession stand, Killian remarked, "I haven't eaten yet tonight, how about you, Emma?"
"No, I planned to pick something up on the way home from selling you the tickets."
"Would you like to get something now? The lines will be much longer between sets."
"Um, sure, but I'm buying my own."
"Of course."
After purchasing their food, they located the section containing their seats and climbed the stairs to reach them. The concert was a sellout and Emma had been very lucky to get tickets for it, but they were high up in the top deck of the bleachers, off to the left of the stage. Emma and Killian sat down, caught their breath, and began to eat as they listened to the final song of the first set.
"What do you think of this band?" Emma asked, between licking the salt from the fries off of her fingers.
"They're not bad. I think they could do with a better bass player."
"You can tell that just from halfway listening to a few songs?"
"I used to play in a band when I still lived in England," he explained.
"That's cool!" Emma commented. "Were you the bass player?"
"I was the lead guitarist."
"Lead vocals, too?"
"At times, but mostly back-up."
"Oh, wow! You were a rock star!"
"I wouldn't say that!" he chuckled, before taking another bite of his cheeseburger.
"Why did your band break up?" she inquired.
He finished chewing and swallowed. "After about four years together, things changed. Two of the lads got married, so one joined another band, and I decided to move to the United States."
"Do you miss it? Being in a band?"
"Sometimes. We never played anything more than local bars and clubs, but it was loads of fun. I still play guitar, of course; I'm just not in any band right now."
"Why did you decide to come to this country?" Suddenly she seemed to realize she was asking a lot of personal questions. "Sorry - you don't have to answer that."
"It's quite alright, Swan; I don't mind. One of my best mates who lives here invited me to visit and I liked it so much, I decided to move here permanently."
"How long ago was that?"
"A year-and-a-half."
"Do you still like it?"
"Aye, though the breakup with my girlfriend put a bit of a damper on it."
"What do you do for a living?"
"I repair and restore fiberglass hulls on boats."
Emma began to imagine him working on a boat on a hot summer day, shirtless and tanned, with sweat glistening on his…
Oh good grief, Emma! Get a grip! she silently admonished herself, shaking her head slightly to dislodge the image from her brain.
Killian cocked his head and studied her. "Are you alright, Swan?"
"Yeah," she croaked, then cleared her throat and tried again. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you finished eating? I can take the trash and throw it out."
"Sure, and when you get back, it will be my turn to ask you some questions." She rolled her eyes in mock exasperation and he chuckled.
He helped her gather up the paper wrappers and napkins and she took them to the trash can at the bottom of the steps, giving her time to regain her composure. When she returned to her seat, she nodded to him. "Okay, ask away!"
"Do you live around here?"
"I have an apartment in a town about twenty-five minutes away."
"Did you grow up in that town?"
"I grew up in about a dozen towns." At his quizzical look, she explained, "I was in foster care from the time I was born, so I was passed around a lot."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
She shrugged. "I could choose to be bitter about it, or I could move on from it. I chose to move on."
Killian marveled at her positive attitude. "How long have you lived in your apartment?"
"Five years. I was getting ready to move in with my boyfriend, until he decided to show his true colors."
"I suppose it's a good thing you found out before you made a commitment."
"Yeah, I'm glad I did. I still can't believe I didn't figure it out, though. After all the low-lifes I've dealt with in my job, I should have known I was dating one."
"What sort of job do you have?"
"I'm a bail bonds person."
"That seems like a tough occupation. Do you like it?"
"It can be difficult at times, but it pays the bills."
Noticing her well-toned arms on full display in the sleeveless top she wore, he commented with a wink, "I don't think I would want to be someone you were out to apprehend!"
She raised a brow.
The smirk fell from his lips and he sighed. "I hope I haven't offended you, Swan; I don't know what came over me. I'm usually quite reserved around women."
"You haven't offended me. I have to admit it's nice having a conversation with someone. Ever since I broke up with my loser ex-boyfriend, I've pretty much closed myself off from everyone."
"I've done the same. I feel like the biggest fool alive not to have known the woman I loved was married to someone else, so I haven't really wanted to talk to anyone."
"I wouldn't say you're the biggest fool. I walked in on the guy who supposedly loved me for almost three years, having sex with one of his co-workers. Apparently it wasn't the first time they were together, either."
Killian flinched. "Ouch!"
"Yeah, exactly."
He held up his beer for a toast. "Here's to putting the past and all its scars behind us and starting fresh."
Emma tapped her cup against his. "I'll drink to that!"
At that moment, the MC took the stage to introduce the next band. Emma and Killian settled back into their seats to listen, but were soon up on their feet clapping and moving in rhythm to the hard, driving beat. Killian watched Emma discreetly as she gyrated and swayed, lost in the spell cast by the music.
By the time the second band finished their set, Emma had worked up a light glow of perspiration and was out of breath from dancing. One of the hawkers came up the stairs close to them, announcing beer for sale and Killian turned to Emma to ask, "Would you care for another beer?"
"Um, sure - why not? I don't have to drive home for a couple of hours. This will be my last one and then I'm gonna switch to water."
Killian summoned the concession vendor over and ordered two beers, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his money. When Emma tried to hand him some bills to pay for hers, he covered her hand and told her to put it away. "You can buy the first round of water."
As they sat sipping their beer, Emma kept sneaking glances at the man seated beside her. She'd never really had a 'type' when it came to men, but she couldn't help thinking this guy could change that. He was by far the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen, with his dark, messy hair, toned body and ocean-blue eyes. He also seemed to be a genuinely nice guy.
Conflicting thoughts began to run through her mind. She definitely felt an attraction towards him, momentarily causing her to feel guilty, because it had only been a couple of months since she'd broken up with the guy she thought was the love of her life. But she quickly pushed the guilt aside when she remembered he had moved on long before they even broke up.
"Emma? Earth to Emma!" Killian's voice broke through her runaway thoughts.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I guess I was...thinking about something," she finished lamely.
He chuckled. "It's quite alright, Love. I just thought you might be interested in watching how they change the stage between acts."
Emma missed everything he said after he called her 'Love'. Although she realized it was simply his way of speaking, she adored how it sounded rolling off his tongue.
"...And every band brings their own sound equipment, which takes time to set up." Emma once again shook her head to clear it, so she could tune back into what he was saying.
"I, um, I don't really mind the wait in between acts, do you?" she managed to ask, hoping what she said was at least relevant to what he had been telling her.
"Not if I'm in the right company," he answered, lifting one eyebrow flirtatiously.
Emma blushed but didn't look away from his smirking face. "What about the company you're in tonight?" she challenged.
"I most definitely do not mind." He lifted his beer and took a swig, never breaking eye contact with her.
Killian couldn't believe he was being so bold. He wasn't lying when he told her he was usually shy around women, but for some reason, he didn't feel that way with Emma; he felt drawn to her, like a moth to the flame. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, with her sparkling green eyes, sun-bleached blonde hair, and killer body. It was more than her looks which attracted him, however. In the short time he'd spent with her, he could tell she was witty, strong, smart and fun to be around.
And he was hoping to be around her much more in the future.
He supposed he should feel guilty for being ready to move on so quickly after his nasty break-up, but he really didn't. His love for his ex had dissolved like sugar in hot water when he found out she'd been dishonest with him from the very beginning.
The sound of drums being tested drew his wandering mind back to the present. The sun was setting and Killian noticed Emma beginning to shiver.
"Are you cold, Swan?" he asked.
"Just a little chilly. I wasn't planning to stay so I didn't bring a jacket along."
Killian set his beer down and began pulling off the flannel button-down he had on over his white T-shirt.
"You don't have to do that," she said, putting her hand on his forearm to stop him. His sleeves were rolled up and her hand landed on his bare skin, sending a tingle through her fingers. Feeling his muscles shift under her palm, she squeezed his arm slightly then reluctantly let go.
He cleared his throat. "I told you I'm always a gentleman, Love, and a gentleman would never allow a lovely lady to be chilled if he can help prevent it."
Emma felt her cheeks warm and knew they were filling with color. She watched him pull off the shirt and hold it out to her, but she didn't take it immediately since she was too busy admiring his well-defined biceps under the tight sleeves of his T-shirt.
What is it about a guy wearing white? she wondered, making a conscious effort to keep her jaw from dropping. As she pulled on the dark blue button-down, her eyes roamed over the hard planes of his chest which were visible under the skin-hugging fabric and took in the dark hair peeking out of the V-neck opening.
"Better?" he asked, reaching over to grasp the front edges of the shirt and pulling them across her body to wrap her in it more snuggly.
"Hmm? Oh, uh," she stammered, her eyes snapping up to meet his. She saw the humor twinkling in them and realized he knew she'd been checking him out. "Yeah, it is. Thanks!"
"My pleasure, Emma."
He turned to watch the band tuning their instruments on stage and she grabbed the collar of the shirt and brought it to her nose. Inhaling deeply, she breathed in his scent - a thoroughly pleasant mixture of soap and musky cologne.
"How old are you?" she blurted out, then followed it up with, "if you don't mind me asking."
"Thirty. And you? I've been told never to ask a lady her age, but since you asked first…"
"It doesn't bother me. I'm twenty-eight."
"Ah, not quite to your third decade then, eh Swan?" he grinned.
"Not quite! Did you have a party when you hit the big 3-0?"
He rubbed his finger nervously behind his ear. "My, uh, my former girlfriend and I took a trip to Chicago to celebrate."
"Ugh! I'm sorry - we're supposed to be forgetting about our exes tonight!"
"No worries, Emma. I have some great memories of the trip despite who was there with me." He watched the activity on the stage a while longer before collecting their beer cups. "I'm going to use the facilities. Do you need anything?"
"No, I'm good, thanks. I hope you don't miss the start of the show."
"Hopefully I'll be back by then, but if not, I'll still be able to hear it."
She watched him walk down the steps, admiring the way his dark jeans accentuated his assets. Before he went into the tunnel at the bottom of the steps, he looked up at her and grinned. She should have been embarrassed about getting caught watching his very attractive backside, but she wasn't. A form as gorgeous as his deserved to be appreciated.
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Killian didn't make it back for the first song...or the second...or the third. As the fourth song began, Emma was beginning to think he'd taken the opportunity of using the restroom to leave, because he didn't want to be in her company any longer.
But he seemed like such a nice guy, she argued against her thoughts, which unhelpfully reminded her that she wasn't a very good judge of character when it came to men.
She wrapped his shirt more tightly around herself as she made her next internal argument - he wouldn't give me his shirt and then take off. Her doubtful mind betrayed her again, thinking it was a sacrifice he was willing to make just so he could get away from her.
She was debating whether or not she should leave, when she saw the silhouette of Killian's dark head emerge from the tunnel. He quickly jogged up the steps and slid into his seat, completely out of breath.
"Apologies...Emma," he panted. "The queue for...the restroom was rather long...then I went to check out the...band's merchandise, and before I knew it, half-an-hour...had passed. I wanted to let you know...what was going on, but I didn't have any way...to contact you."
Emma eyed him suspiciously. "Is that just an excuse to try to get my phone number?"
His eyes widened. "No, I…" his mouth opened and closed a few times, attempting to come up with something to say. Finally, he reached out and dropped something into her lap.
She looked at him for a few more moments, then turned her attention to what he had given her. Holding it up, she saw it was a light blue sweatshirt with the headliner band's picture on the front, and the tour dates on the back.
"I thought you might like a souvenir from our evening together," he explained.
Her suspicions disappeared as she realized he had gone out of his way to do something sweet for her. "Th-thank you, Killian," she stammered. "You didn't have to do that - let me reimburse you."
"I won't hear of it, Love. I bought it as a friendly gesture and I would take it as a personal insult if you insist on paying me back," he said, winking at her playfully.
"Maybe you bought it just to get your shirt back," she teased.
"You wear that shirt far better than I do, Swan!"
Emma giggled as she pulled his button-down off and tugged on the new sweatshirt, immediately grateful for the added warmth its heavier fabric provided. Killian slid his shirt back on, watching as she placed the sunglasses she no longer needed on top of her head.
The band was still between songs when Emma looked down at the stage to see four teenage girls there. They seemed to be more than fans as they were each positioned at a microphone.
"Are they going to sing?" she asked Killian.
He shrugged. "I haven't been paying attention, but it appears so."
As they continued to watch, the lead singer put his arm around the shoulders of one girl and explained that his daughter and her friends were going to make their big stage debut that evening. "Since it's her birthday, I promised her she could choose any song she wanted. Naturally, I thought it would be one of OUR songs, but they preferred one from 'High School Musical' instead!"
The audience broke into laughter as he feigned a dagger being plunged into his heart, before hugging his daughter and finishing the announcement. "So for the first and ONLY time you'll ever hear us play this song, we present 'You Are the Music in Me' featuring my daughter Olive and her friends!"
"Aww, that's so sweet!" Emma told Killian as the first notes of the song from the popular Disney movie came through the speakers.
Killian prepared to cringe as the girls began to sing, but he and Emma exchanged impressed glances as the young voices came through the microphones. Obviously, they were talented and had spent a lot of time practicing with the band.
As Emma and Killian settled back into their seats to enjoy the rest of the song, he was pleasantly surprised to feel her leaning against his shoulder. When he chanced lifting his arm and putting it around her, she snuggled into his side, peeking up at him with a questioning look. He reassured her with a happy smile and gripped her shoulder to pull her in even closer.
The lyrics of the song were nearly lost on them as they wondered at what was happening between them, but one line in particular stood out to both of them - "Connected and real, can't keep it all inside…"
Killian felt something between them - a spark, perhaps - that he wanted to explore further. What IS this connection I feel for her? Killian couldn't help questioning himself.
Meanwhile, Emma's thoughts were similar - Is what I'm feeling for him REAL, or is my imagination running wild?
As the song ended to wild applause from the audience, the two of them didn't join in. Instead, they turned to look at one another with uncertain smiles on their faces, realizing that the attraction between them was an almost palpable force.
Finally, after several long seconds, Emma ran her hand up his arm to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. Then she leaned in slowly, stopping just a breath away from his lips for the briefest of moments, before closing the distance. The noise of the cheering crowd in her ears faded away, replaced by the pounding of her heart.
She couldn't believe she was actually kissing a man she had just met; but somehow, she felt more of a connection with him in the few hours they'd spent together, than she had in the three years she had dated her former boyfriend.
She expected him to hesitate before kissing her back, or even pull away from her. She was very pleasantly surprised when he immediately returned the kiss, tilting his head to connect fully with her lips.
Killian hadn't been expecting it, but had in fact been wondering how she would react if he initiated a kiss, so when she leaned in and did it first, he gladly reciprocated. He had never before kissed a woman after knowing her for such a short time, but he'd also never felt an instant attraction to one, like he did to Emma.
Neither of them had ever enjoyed a kiss as much as the one they were sharing at this moment.
When Emma pulled back, Killian's breath caught at the thought that it was over already, so as soon as she sucked in a quick breath, he dove right back in for more.
Emma cursed the need for oxygen when she had to break the connection between their lips, but Killian's response let her know he felt the same way she did. If it weren't for the fireworks going off behind her eyelids, she would have opened them to see if actual sparks were flying.
Killian boldly ran his tongue along the seam of her mouth, hoping to venture inside its warmth to see if it was as sweet as her lips. He was happy to feel her open immediately and welcome his exploration.
Their tongues tangled and slid against each other as they breathed one another in, until their short gasps of air were no longer enough to sustain them.
"That was…" Killian panted.
"Wonderful...and real," breathed Emma, voicing the answer to her earlier question.
"Unless we were both having the same amazing dream," he grinned.
"I, uh, I want you to know that I don't make a habit of kissing a guy just a couple of hours after meeting him."
"Not to worry, Swan…"
His voice was drowned out when the band began their next song, so they shared a smile, then settled back into their seats. Killian wrapped his arm around her and Emma laid her head on his shoulder, with her left arm resting on top of his right thigh.
The band played several more songs, then most of the members took a break while the drummer played a long, loud solo. After a couple of minutes, Killian shouted over the noise, "Would you be interested in going somewhere a little quieter?"
She nodded and gathered her purse from under her seat, then he gestured for her to go ahead of him down the steps. Halfway down, she turned and smirked at him, knowing that, even in the semi-darkness, he was probably checking out her backside like she checked out his earlier.
Once they reached the outside concourse, the noise level dropped a bit. Killian tentatively reached for Emma's hand and she accepted the offer, squeezing his hand to reassure him. They walked out the exit gate and found a bench along the sidewalk. Emma took a seat and pulled him down beside her.
They could still hear the music, but the decreased volume allowed them to talk. Killian cleared his throat before saying, "Just so you know, I do not think you go around kissing random men, Emma. But I do suspect you feel the same attraction to me as I do to you."
"It's...it's like I have a connection to you, Killian. I can't really explain it, but I...I would really like to get to know you better."
He smiled brightly. "I would like that very much, too."
She squeezed his hand again, then reached into the pocket of her jeans to pull out her phone. "Can you put your number in here?"
Before taking it, he winked at her. "Aren't you going to give me some sort of excuse for needing it?"
She shrugged. "Would wanting to ask you out on a date be good enough?"
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Two years later, Emma was hurrying through the crowd at the concert venue which held so many fond memories for her. As she tried to squeeze between two people blocking her path, one stepped sideways into her, knocking her off balance and into the person behind her.
A pair of vaguely familiar hands gripped her upper arms to steady her, and when she looked around to thank the person, her breath caught. She hadn't seen her ex-boyfriend since that fateful day in his bedroom, and as she looked at him now, she wondered how she ever thought he was attractive.
The years since their break-up evidently hadn't been kind to him. Gray streaks ran through his shaggy hair and scraggly beard, and his face was creased with more lines than she remembered.
"Wow! Hey, Ems! Long time, no see, huh? You look amazing!"
"So d-...um...what are you doing here?" she sidestepped.
"Oh, me and some of the guys didn't have anything to do tonight, so we decided to come check out the bands, even though we don't know much about them. I kept waiting for Cursed Realms to return to this place, but they haven't been back since that time a couple of years ago. I tried to score tickets then but wasn't lucky enough, so I've kind of given up on ever seeing them. Guess I missed my chance!"
"Yeah," Emma snickered, "I guess you did!" She couldn't help thinking about how his missed chance led to her meeting the love of her life.
"What are you doing these days?" he continued. "Maybe I can give you a call and…"
Just then, the first notes of a guitar being tuned came through the speakers. "Sorry, but I really have to go. My fiancé is the lead guitarist for the first warm-up band and I need to get this bottle of water to him. See ya around!"
She turned and dashed off toward the backstage area, bursting with laughter. She couldn't wait to tell Killian that her former boyfriend had a talent she didn't know he possessed; the idiot had just done an excellent impression of a fish out of water.
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