Hi everyone! As I had mentioned, I had been thinking of adding chapters to this oneshot... so here I am!
Please note this hasn't been pre-read or beta-ed, so any mistakes are my own.
Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT or Disney, bla-bla...
The Cab – Chapter 2 – The Date
Having no details about the date frustrates her, as she can't decide what to wear. He'll be here any minute now and she is still standing in front of her closet in her underwear.
She finally relents and texts Ruby.
HELP! What to you wear to a date you have no idea what you'll be doing?
Okay, relax! Go with jeans, flats, and a cute top. Think light layers.
THANK YOU!
;)
She grabs what she needs from her closet. She hears a knock at her door as she is pulling on her cardigan. She takes a deep breath to try and push away the anxiety, and goes to open the door.
"Hello, Emma," Killian greets her with a shy smile, hands in his jean's pockets.
"Hi, Killian," she replies with her own shy smile. "Come in, I'll just grab my shoes and we can go."
She closes the door behind him and goes back to her bedroom. She can feel his eyes on her, but it doesn't make her uneasy. That's a good start, she thinks.
"Okay, I'm ready," she exclaims as she exits her bedroom.
He doesn't move.
"Killian?" she questions.
He flushes. "Apologies. I... You look beautiful."
It is Emma's turn to flush. "Thanks," she answers shyly. "You don't look too bad yourself," she adds, biting on her lower lip.
"Thank you, love. Shall we?"
She nods, and they exit the apartment. Killian offers his arm after she has locked the door. She is surprised – in a good way - at the gesture, but accepts it.
Once they have exited Emma's apartment building, Killian directs them to the nearest subway station.
"You know, I'm a bit surprised," Emma comments after sitting down in a subway car.
"Why is that?" Killian asks.
"Well, in my opinion, there is nothing romantic about the subway, so I'm wondering why you chose it as our date's mode of transportation."
Killian gives her a bright smile. "Well, love, I tried to be efficient. You see, had we taken my car, it would have taken longer to drive everywhere than the time we would have actually spent together. So, I thought that everyone involved would benefit of riding the subway."
Emma ponders over that for a moment, then nods in approval.
"Where are we going?" she asks curiously.
"Alas, it is a surprise, love," he replies with a mysterious smile.
"I hate surprises," she informs him.
"Oh, I believe you'll like this one."
"How would you know?"
"You're like an open book to me."
Emma doesn't comment further, as she somehow believes him. He'd been a complete gentleman the night before with her friends – and her – so he seems to be truly the man he appears to be: an honest one. So, she decides to trust him.
"This is our stop," he informs her as he stands and offers his hand to help her up.
She takes it and follows him out of the subway car and up to the street.
As they turn a corner, she notices a banner hanging from one side of the street to another: "9th Avenue's International Food Festival". She smiles and turns to him, finding him smiling back at her.
"You did not appear to me like a woman that rebukes at the idea of eating," he comments.
She laughs and nods. "Indeed. I love me some good food."
He laughs. "Let's get to it, then."
So, they start walking around, from stand to stand, picking up various foods to taste. A while later, they find a place to sit and eat. They talk in between bites, trying to get to know each other better.
"What's your story, Killian?" Emma asks at some point.
The man has her curious. She doesn't know him, but somehow, she feels like she does, like she can truly trust him. She doesn't feel the urge to run away. Instead, she feels the need to stay close to him.
"Well, Emma," he winks at her – she laughs lightly – with a smile, "I am a humble Irish man that's moved to the United States a few years ago for work. I have an older brother, Liam, also residing in the U.S., with his wife, Elsa, and children, Byron and Cassie. Liam and I both work for the same shipping company here in Manhattan. I find I have quite the passion for sailing. I have my own ship. Small, but still mine. You'll be sad to learn that my mother passed away when I was quite young, and my father abandoned my brother and I just a few years later. Since Liam is 10 years older than me, he was able to take on the role of tutor for me. I owe him a lot."
He is an orphan, just like her. She isn't all that surprised by this revelation. She finds that the connection she seems to have with him appears to be running deeper than she thought.
"What about you, Emma?" he asks softly. "If you don't mind me asking."
If the question had come from any other man, she would have given him a vague answer, just to satisfy him. But as she decided earlier to trust Killian, she can't tell him anything else but the truth.
"I'm an orphan. All I know about my parents is that they left me in some diner somewhere in Maine when I was only a few days old. I tried to track them down when I became a bail bonds person, but to no avail. My childhood was spent being transferred from one group home to another, in between a few short stays with some deadbeat families. I aged out of the system and was homeless for a while, until I met Neal in Arizona. I fell in love with him, but he set me up to take the fall for his crime. I've had a hard time trusting anyone since then, especially men. I met Mary Margaret and Ruby in college, we were roommates." She takes a deep breath. "I feel like I can trust you, which is why I am here with you," she adds shyly.
"I will do everything I can to earn – and keep – your trust," he assures her.
Somehow, she believes him. So, she nods in acceptance of his vow.
"I can't eat anything else," Emma declares after a moment of silence. "Have you planned anything else for today?"
It is the end of the afternoon. She has enjoyed herself so far, and isn't ready for it all to end yet.
"I do," he confirms. "But it isn't until later, so we have some time to kill. What would you like to do in the mean time?"
She thinks for a moment. "I haven't been to Staten Island yet."
"Good," he smiles, "because that's where I wanted to take you next."
"Hitting two birds with one stone, I love it," she replies.
With that, they dispose of their trash and head back to the subway. They get off at the station for the Staten Island Ferry. They embark and patiently wait for the ferry to depart.
The river is calm, there is a light breeze. Emma makes the most of the occasion and sits in the sun. Killian sits with her, but, to her delight, keeps a respectful distance between them. In fact, she is more dismayed than delighted, but she is happy that he appears to be letting her set the pace. No other man has been that respectful with her before. Isn't there anything about this man that isn't perfect? She wonders.
They are quiet while the ferry slowly makes its way to its destination, but it isn't an uncomfortable silence.
They reach their destination at once, and Killian pulls her in the direction of their next activity without actually telling her, wanting to keep the surprise. They stop at some historical locations, grabbing some ice cream in between.
"I thought you couldn't eat anymore?" he exclaims incredulously as he follows her into the shop.
"There's always space for ice cream," is all she replies before placing her order.
He laughs, shakes his head, then places his own order.
Later, when they leave the premises of yet another historical building, Killian informs her it's time to get to their final activity of the day. Emma follows him without a word. When they reach a park sign indicating movies that are playing that night, Emma turns to Killian with a wide smile. He'd seemed to have been watching for her reaction, as when he sees her smile, he seems relieved. Without a word, she runs forward when she notices a good spot and sits down on the grass.
"You were right," she informs him when he has joined her.
"About what?" he asks curiously.
"I like this surprise," she replies with a shy
He smiles back. "Good," is all he says.
When the movie ends and the credits start rolling, Emma lifts her head from Killian's shoulder and looks at him silently for a moment. There is an undeniable connection between them, and she finds she doesn't have the strength to fight it. And so, she lets it pull her to him into a sweet, soft kiss. She pulls away slowly after a moment: his eyes are still closed, but he is smiling from ear to ear. Without even thinking about it, her lips stretch into a wide smile as well before she plunges for more.
Please review? :)
