Part Sixteen: The One With The First Date
Regina was in front of the mirror trying on the twentieth dress of the night.
Everything she had put on tonight didn't quite seem to be good enough.
Nothing screamed the level of perfection she wanted for the night.
She wanted to look impeccable!
And that was nerve-wracking for someone who was always impeccable.
Because how could she possibly beat herself?
Regina smirked as she gave a step backward in front of the mirror to take a better look at herself.
She was wearing a crimson-colored strapless dress that hugged her breast perfectly in a heart shape. The dress was fitting, hugging her curves beautifully like a second skin, stopping just an inch or two above her knees.
And a golden belt marking her waist.
The dress was stunning!
It fit her as if someone had drawn the dress on her body.
And yet…
Not as perfect as Regina wished the dress to be.
Regina couldn't understand what was happening to her.
Why was she feeling this nervous about going on a damn date for the first time in… well, ever!
Daniel never exactly asked her out on a date, that wasn't a thing when she was younger.
And after he was gone…
Regina shook her head and pushed the thoughts away from her mind.
If she started to think about Daniel now she would never leave the house.
She didn't want to betray his memory.
There was this small part of Regina that have always trapped her in a cobweb of thoughts that moving forward meant leaving Daniel behind.
Even with the curse, Regina never really moved forward.
Not until Henry.
Until she felt that hole inside her chest that grew so big that Regina couldn't hide it from herself anymore.
And that feeling only lessened when she held Henry in her arms.
Regina had always thought Henry was everything she needed in her life.
That the only reason she endured all of those years of suffering was for the sole purpose of becoming his mother.
And that feeling was true for a long time until … until she met the infuriating blonde woman she was going on a date with tonight.
Regina had no idea how it happened.
She had no idea how Emma Swan warmed her way into her heart.
It was like one day she wanted to kill Emma and chase her out of her life and on the other, she wanted to kiss her desperately.
And that feeling was still very true in this very second as Regina looked at herself in the mirror.
She wanted to kill Emma for making her this nervous. To make her doubt her choice of outfit and for making her have this infuriating feeling of wanting to please.
And yet, Regina desperately wanted to kiss Emma again, feel her body pressed against hers, her hands running freely above her skin.
Leaving goosebumps at every covered inch.
It was all she could think about ever since that day they had in her office.
The day Regina said yes to going on a date with Emma.
The day Regina said yes to herself.
Regina thought about calling it off so many times.
The whole morning her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts of everything that could go wrong if she went ahead with this.
She wrote Emma many texts canceling the date.
In some of them, she even apologized for it.
But she never pressed send.
She couldn't.
It was like her finger refused to obey her brain.
She couldn't deny Emma anymore. She couldn't deny her heart anymore. She couldn't deny what she was feeling.
What her soul wanted.
This was the scariest thing Regina have ever done since the day she brought Henry home.
And just like with him, Regina was determined to follow her heart.
It was so rare that Regina let her heart speak so loud. But every time she did, something beautiful always came out of it.
"Wow, mom,"
Regina looked to the side and saw Henry standing by the door looking at her.
"Are you sure you are only going to a council meeting?" Henry asked suspiciously, looking very much like herself.
"Yes, I…" Regina cleared her throat before looking at her image in the mirror again "I am"
"You look very beautiful," Henry said, entering the bedroom.
"I do?" Regina followed him in the mirror.
"Yes," Henry said, sitting on the edge of the bed "You do"
"Thank you, Henry," Regina smiled at him.
"Are you going somewhere else after the meeting?" Henry asked, tilting his head to the side.
"I don't think so, no," Regina said smoothing an invisible crease on her dress.
She could feel Henry's eyes burning holes in her back.
And she refused to meet his eyes in the mirror.
"You know, something weird happened this morning," Henry said.
"Oh?"
"When I met with Emma, she was asking all kinds of weird questions about you"
"What kind of weird questions?" Regina asked, searching for Henry's form in the mirror, curiosity bubbling on the tip of her tongue.
"What your favorite color was, what kind of food did you like to eat and what was your favorite restaurant in town," Henry said.
"Really?" Regina smiled beautifully.
It almost felt like her heart was dancing inside her chest.
"I like that the two of you are friends now," Henry said "But that was weird"
"Well, I'm sure Miss Swan was just curious," Regina said.
"She seems to be very curious about you," Henry said thoughtful "Maybe she is searching for answers about how to break the curse"
"Henry," Regina sighed.
"But I don't understand her approach," Henry said not paying attention to Regina.
"I'm sure you don't," Regina looked serious at Henry before walking to the bathroom.
She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, reapplying some of her lipstick and making sure her hair was perfectly in place.
"Do you know at what time are you coming back home?" Henry asked from the bedroom.
"No, I don't," Regina said smoothing some of the lipstick with her finger "Are you sure you can be home alone?"
"Of course, I can,"
"I can still call Sidney," Regina walked out of the bathroom "I can ask him to stay with you until I come back"
"I'm not a baby," Henry said "I stay home alone all the time"
"You stay home alone for a few hours in the afternoon," Regina pointed at him "You have never stayed home alone at night"
"It's the same thing," Henry shrugged.
"Are you sure?" Regina asked softly.
"Yes, mom," Henry rolled his eyes "I have a lot of things to do tonight anyway"
"Like what?" Regina asked.
"Homework," Henry said simply.
And Regina couldn't help arching an eyebrow at her soon.
What a blatant lie!
Regina's phone beeped on the bedside table making her forget about scolding Henry.
Apparently, it made her forget everything else, including how to breathe.
And move.
"Do you want me to see who it is?" Henry asked, already moving in the direction of Regina's phone.
And just like that, all her senses came back to her.
"No, Henry, stop," Regina shouted.
She reached for her phone only one second before Henry did and pressed it firmly against her chest.
"Who is it?" Henry asked suspiciously.
"It's nobody," Regina said quickly.
She lifted her phone to eye level and typed her password, smiling softly at Emma's text.
'I'm outside'
It was almost ridiculous that just reading Emma's name on a text could evoke such a reaction from Regina.
"Nobody makes you smile like that?" Henry asked, making a face.
Regina almost rolled her eyes at herself.
"Henry, I have to go," Regina cleared her throat "Are you sure you are going to be okay alone?"
"Of course I am," Henry said almost offended.
"I'll have my phone with me the whole night," Regina looked down at him "Call me if you need anything, okay?"
"I won't," Henry shrugged "I'll be fine"
Regina nodded at him before bending down to kiss his forehead.
"I love you, Henry," Regina said softly.
"Then tell me the truth," Henry said seriously.
"Excuse me?" Regina asked, blinking her eyes in disbelief.
She swallowed dry as she straighten her posture.
Did Henry know already about her and…
"Tell me the truth about the curse," Henry said.
And Regina let out a breath of air she didn't even know she was holding.
The curse!
Not Emma!
This was probably the first time in her life that Regina was happy about Henry's obsession with the curse.
It was the only thing keeping her bright little boy from the truth about what Regina was doing tonight.
Because right now, Emma was a secret bigger than her curse was.
One that she had every intention to also keep from Henry.
Regina looked down and her little's boy's hopeful eyes and sighed.
How many lies she could feed him until he turned on her again?
If she and Emma were to become something… would he ever accept her?
Or would this be the thing that finally took Henry away from her forever?
"There is no curse, Henry," Regina said almost defeated "I have to go. I'm going to be late for my meeting"
Regina walked out of the bedroom without spearing a second glance at her son's inquisitive eyes.
She stopped in front of the mirror above the sideboard near the door and checked her hair eyes and lipstick one last time before grabbing her purse and walking to the door, heart pounding in her chest as she walked the garden in the direction of the uncertainty her heart couldn't wait to meet.
Emma was shifting her weight from one foot to the other outside the mansion while she waited for Regina.
Her palms were damp and Emma had to clean them every five seconds on the leather dress she was wearing which only made things worse.
Emma Swan was nervous about going on a date for the first time in her life.
Well, at least for the first time where she wasn't planning on arresting her date before dessert was served.
It was ridiculous how Emma spend the whole day going on and on and on in her head about this particular date.
And she knew she wasn't being very subtle when she bombed Henry with questions about Regina early that day, but she couldn't help.
She needed to be prepared.
She didn't want to give Regina reason to bolt because if she could focus on making Regina stay, Emma wouldn't think about running herself.
Because every instinct in her flesh and bones was telling her to run.
Even now as she waited for Regina outside her house, Emma's brain was telling her to just get inside the bug and drive away.
Far away.
Forever!
Somewhere where she could always wonder what they could have been and always live with whatever fantasy her mind could come up with.
Opening herself up only brought her heartbreak.
Never joy.
Never happiness.
But every time Emma came closer to the precipice, every time she was about to jump, she felt that pull.
That invisible cord between herself and Regina made her give one step back before she was enveloped by the cool air of winter night and apple blossom scent forcing Emma to give another step back, and then another.
No, not forcing.
Choosing.
Emma was choosing this. She was choosing to stay. She was choosing to give her heart a chance, choosing to let her soul sing and dance to this unbelievable feeling that was growing stronger every second inside her heart.
She was choosing Regina.
And most importantly, she was choosing herself.
She was giving her heart a chance to mend. A chance to heal. A chance to love.
At least once, Emma was going after what her heart truly desired.
Emma sighed as she changed the bouquet of flowers to her other hand.
She had stopped at the flower shop in the afternoon to buy Regina some flowers.
She had no idea what to buy. She had never bought flowers for anyone, not even herself.
And she was sure she looked quite ridiculous when she said to the owner she wanted to buy flowers as if they weren't surrounded by them.
Emma followed the owner around the shop, listening to him tell this and that about the flowers he was showing to her, but nothing really spoke to her.
Nothing screamed Regina.
She was about to give up and just buy regular red flowers when she saw at the back of the store this set of dark purple flowers half-hidden in the dark.
Emma walked towards them, touching the delicate petals with her fingers as if they were commanding her to do so.
They were dark and fearless and velvety and oh, so beautiful.
The perfect contrast of the smoothness of the petals and the thorns of the stem.
They were Regina!
Emma bought the roses on the spot against the flower shop owner's protest.
Then she tore her closet apart, looking for something to wear tonight.
In the end, Emma had settled for a very short leather black dress that made her legs look impossibly long combined with the heels of her boots.
She curled her hair to perfection until soft curls were bouncing down her shoulders and after putting on light make-up, Emma exaggerated the mascara until her eyes looked greener than she have ever seen them before.
When she was done, Emma looked at herself in the mirror for a while, admiring her form.
Emma knew she was a beautiful woman.
Even at her worse, she had never failed to catch a head or two turning in her direction.
She never really cared for any of them.
Until tonight.
Tonight she wanted to see Regina's eyes burning with desire, she wanted to see her eyes roaming over her body, admiring her form.
Emma left her room and stopped behind the entrance door of the loft to put on her red leather jacket.
She was glad Mary Margaret wasn't home tonight. She wasn't sure she would be able to explain to her loft mate where she was going dressed like that in a way that didn't sound like a blatant lie.
Emma shifted the flowers to the other hand and moistened her lips before letting out a puff of air.
She was about to fish for her phone to text Regina again when she heard the front door being open and Regina leaving the house.
And she could swear, she heard her heart slow its beating and the air get caught in her lungs as Regina walked in her direction, knowing without a doubt that the feeling she had the first night she laid eyes on Regina was now nesting deep inside her heart.
She was the most beautiful woman Emma have ever seen in her life.
Emma smiled as Regina came closer to her, devouring every movement of her legs, every sway of her hips.
Regina blushed slightly under Emma's scrutiny, even under the make-up, Emma could see Regina's cheek turn a shade pinker.
And Emma's eyes didn't dare to look away.
"Miss Swan," Regina smiled at Emma, standing in front of her.
"Hi," Emma said back lamely.
Regina left her speechless.
The silence stretched between them as Emma stared at Regina, drinking her in.
"Are those for me?" Regina asked.
"What?" Emma blinked her eyes before looking at Regina's hand pointing at the flowers she was holding "Oh, yes"
Emma gave Regina a sheepish smile before giving her the flowers.
"You look stunning, Regina," Emma said.
"I know," Regina said accepting the flowers.
"Well, tonight I'm not even going to argue about your arrogance," Emma said "Because I honestly don't have a foot to stand on"
"Starting the date by insulting me already, dear?" Regina asked.
"I would never," Emma winked at Regina "Shall we?"
They started to walk side by side down the sidewalk, where Emma had parked her car.
"They are beautiful," Regina said softly "The flowers"
"They screamed your name when I saw them," Emma said back.
They arrived at the bug and Emma gallantly opened the door for Regina, breathing in her scent when Regina walked passed her.
Regina stopped in front of Emma as she held the door open and looked at her up and down then down and up again slowly, drinking her in almost in the same fashion Emma did when she saw Regina leaving the mansion.
"I hate this jacket," Regina smiled devilishly "But I love the dress"
Regina entered the bug sitting on the passenger seat, while Emma debated if she should feel aroused or offended by Regina's statement.
The feeling only lasted one second before Emma's lies detector beeped in that particular place on the back of her mind.
"You love this jacket," Emma smiled before closing the door shut and going around the car.
Regina clasped her hands together on top of her thighs and swallowed dry as Emma drove the car around town.
She looked to the side discretely, noticing Emma was gripping the steering wheel with force and Regina wondered if perhaps Emma was feeling as nervous about this whole thing as she was.
Because now that they were inside the car, Regina couldn't think of a single thing to say.
It was almost like all of her confidence had suddenly vanished from her body and every time Regina opened her mouth to ask something to Emma she ended up closing her lips shut again, deciding it was better to save it for the restaurant.
Imagine if they didn't have anything to talk about at the restaurant and had to stare awkwardly at each other while pretending to enjoy their food in front of all of the peasants she cursed into this town?
No!
Regina bit her lower, thinking if perhaps she hadn't jumped too fast into this dating thing that Emma proposed to her.
They hardly knew each other.
There was some attraction… well, more than some attraction and Regina couldn't stop thinking about Emma, or about kissing Emma, or about the way her skin felt like it was sitting on fire when Emma touched her, or even how beautiful she looked when she smiled and how eyes seemed to turn a shade greener when she looked at Regina, but maybe this was happening too fast.
"So," Emma turned her head to look at Regina "How was your day?"
"Shouldn't we save that for the restaurant?" Regina said back quickly.
"Why?" Emma asked confused.
"Because what if we run out of things to say to each other when we arrive there?" Regina asked.
"I very much doubt that would happen," Emma smirked.
"I think you should just drive in silence and save all of your questions for the restaurant," Regina said seriously.
"Are you serious?" Emma asked.
"Yes," Regina cleared her throat "In fact, I demand"
"You demand?" Emma laughed.
"Yes," Regina straightened her posture the best she could "I am not going to be sitting in a restaurant surrounded by people I dislike looking like a fool, Miss Swan"
Emma looked at Regina opening and closing her mouth a few times before smiling softly while turning the wheel.
"Your nervous, I get it…"
"I'm not nervous," Regina lied.
She was!
But how dare Emma simply assume?
Emma stretched her arm in her direction and squeezed Regina's hands that were closed tightly together one on top of the other, while lightly brushing her thumb over her knuckles.
"I'm nervous too," Emma said softly.
"You are?" Regina asked unsure, turning her head to look at Emma.
"I don't exactly go on dates," Emma said.
"Why not?" Regina asked.
The light brush of Emma's thumb over her knuckles stopped and Regina noticed how Emma tensed while looking at the road ahead.
"It's not my thing, I guess," Emma said "I usually only go on dates for my job. It's easier to catch them that way"
Regina knew that there was something more behind Emma's reason and part of her wanted to ask Emma, to pressure her until she said nothing but the whole truth, but when Emma resumed that soft touch of her thumb over her hand again, Regina's questions died on her tongue.
She would never pressure Emma for anything.
"I might be a little nervous," Regina admitted, biting her lower lip.
Emma looked to the side and smiled at Regina opening her mouth to say something, but before any word could come out, Emma's phone started to ring inside the bug.
And Regina barely contained the grunt sound her lips produced when Emma's hand was no longer on top of hers.
Regina watched Emma pick up her phone from inside her jacket pocket and then put it on top of her thighs while she drove.
"Yeah?" Emma said answering the phone.
"Hi, Emma. It's me"
Regina looked at Emma with an arched eyebrow the second she heard her son's voice over the phone.
"Kid, hey," Emma said while smiling nervously at Regina "What's up?"
"My mom went out to some sort of made-up meeting," Henry's voice came over the speaker "Can you come over with pizza? I'm hungry"
Regina opened her mouth slightly, controlling the urge to scold Henry over the phone.
She made sure he had dinner before even starting to get ready for their date not to say the house had plenty of food.
"Sorry, kid, I can't," Emma smirked "I'm busy tonight"
"Seriously?" Henry whined "I was hoping we could discuss operation Cobra while my mom is gone"
"Yeah, sorry. I'm working tonight" Emma said.
"No, you are not," Henry's voice said over the phone "You have the day off today, you told me this morning when you were asking all those questions about my mom"
"Hey, Kid," Emma let out a nervous laugh "Why don't we…"
"You know I've been thinking about your question and I don't think they are key to breaking the curse. I mean, come on Emma, what's my mom's favorite color and food?" Henry asked.
And Regina had no intention to contain the amused smile on her face as she stared at Emma's embarrassed expression.
"Kid…"
"I know you two are trying to be friends but," Henry paused for a second "Oh, Emma you are a genius!"
"I am?" Emma asked.
"Yes! You are trying to bring mom to our side," Henry said "I think mom already likes you. She usually has this dumb smile on her face when I say your name"
"Does she now?" Emma asked, smiling goofily at Regina.
And Regina just rolled her eyes as she shook her head in denial.
"Yep! She looked very pretty tonight," Henry said, "I think she went out to meet with someone"
Regina looked at Emma, who was looking back at her with lips parted and eyes slightly widened.
And Regina knew her own features mirrored Emma's to perfection.
"What…" Emma cleared her throat "What makes you say that, kid?"
"I've never seen her going to a meeting dressed like that," Henry said "And she tired on like fifty dresses, her bed is a mess"
Regina grunted and rolled her eyes again while Emma started to laugh.
"Actually, Kid, I'm going to the same meeting as your mom," Emma said lightly.
"You are?" Henry asked.
"Yep" Emma smiled and looked at Regina "In fact, I can see her right now and you are right. She looks stunning"
Regina felt her cheeks blush and her heart melt as she smiled brightly at Emma.
"Okay, that's weird," Henry said "Are you sure you can't come over with pizza?"
"Yes, I'm sure, kid," Emma said "I have to go now, the meeting is about to start"
"Okay," Henry said "Bye, Emma"
"Bye, kid"
Emma slid her finger over the phone and grinned without looking at Regina.
"Fifty dresses, huh?" Emma asked.
"He was exaggerating," Regina rolled her eyes "What about you and all your questions?"
"I wanted to be prepared," Emma shrugged "You smile every time you hear my name?"
"Again, he was exaggerating," Regina cleared her throat.
"Right," Emma laughed as she parked the car in front of the restaurant.
"He was," Regina said outrageously.
She was going to have a serious talk with Henry once she arrived home.
Emma opened the car door to leave the bug and Regina did the same on her side.
Regina smiled when she realized that Emma had taken her to Magic Water Seafood House. This was Regina's favorite restaurant in town, her little hidden gem that she had personally located closer to the beach and had her personal chef from the Castle in charge of the kitchen.
She even made sure not many people in town could afford to eat there and Regina more often than not came to the restaurant to eat good seafood, drink wine and watch the waves crashing on the sand.
They entered the restaurant together, the waiter already walking in Regina's direction with a polite smile adorning his face.
"Madam Mayor," The waiter greeted Regina "Welcome back"
"Thank you," Regina said shortly.
"Hi, I made reservations," Emma said "Emma Swan. Table for two"
"Of course," The waiter said politely "I'll check your reservation as soon as I attend to the Mayor"
"We are together," Regina said, ignoring how that sentence made her heart leap inside her chest.
"Of course," The waiter bowed his head before showing them inside.
They followed the waiter to the terrace where Emma chose the last table on the edge of the terrace, a cozy little spot where the lights were dimmer and slightly distant from all the other tables.
The perfect spot.
They sat at the table and the waiter quickly left to fetch them the menu.
"Henry said this was your favorite restaurant," Emma said shily.
"It is," Regina smiled "I had no idea he knew that,"
"He knows a lot about you," Emma smiled.
"And you know that because of your interrogation session with him?" Regina arched an eyebrow.
"I didn't interrogate him," Emma rolled her eyes playfully.
"That is not what he says," Regina smirked.
"I know," Emma said "So, hearing the name Emma makes you smile, huh?"
And God damn it, Regina tried not to, but her lips simply refused to obey her command as they moved up smiling fondly at Emma.
"You do have a beautiful smile," Emma said truthfully.
"Thank you," Regina nodded.
The waiter came back with the menus and they both placed their drinks order. White wine for both of them.
It took him less than a minute to come back again with their drinks.
Regina sipped her wine as Emma scanned the menu, without bothering to look at it.
After twenty-eight years, she knew that menu by heart.
And exactly what she wanted.
Regina turned her head to look out the dark ocean, closing her eyes for a second when a soft night breeze touched her cheeks and blew her hair back.
She had never come to this restaurant with anyone but Henry.
They used to come together all the time when he was younger, Henry absolutely adored the lobster spaghetti.
But lately, Regina only ever came to the restaurant alone. Henry refused to come with her and she never had any interest in bringing Graham here with her.
It almost felt like she was saving this place for someone different.
Someone special.
"You okay?" Emma's gentle voice asked, pulling Regina out of her thoughts.
"Yes," Regina nodded, smiling softly at Emma "Do you know what you want yet?"
"I'll have what you have," Emma said "I figure since it's your favorite restaurant you already know what is good here"
"And what if you don't like what I do?" Regina asked a hint of challenge in her voice.
"I trust you," Emma said, her eyes never averting from Regina's.
Regina felt her breathing get caught in her throat, her heart leap inside her chest, and her eyes water.
When was the last time anyone told her that?
Regina could hardly try to control her emotions, she felt like her body was betraying her, showing a weakness that did not belong to her anymore.
This vulnerability that she was only willing to show to Henry and even with him, she had some restrictions.
Luckily, the waiter came back to take their order and Regina felt her body pull itself together, almost like all the strings were falling back into place, rebuilding her completely again.
Regina placed their order, the shrimp pasta with butter, garlic, and lemon which was one of her dearest dishes. One that now she would always associate with Emma's grin as she looked at Regina when she finished placing their order.
Damn her!
It was infuriating and so unexpected the way she came into her life and made her feel so alive again.
Made her see something beautiful.
Emma was beautiful!
"So," Emma sipped her wine "Can we talk now, or do you have any other no questions demands?"
"We may talk now," Regina nodded solemnly.
"How was your day?" Emma asked.
"Uneventful," Regina sighed "Too much paperwork. How was yours?"
"I had the day off today," Emma said.
"Yes, I know," Regina smiled mischievously "You interrogated my son about me"
"You will never let go of that, will you?" Emma asked.
"I must admit, it does amuse me," Regina sipped her wine, barely hiding her grin.
"Yeah, well, I needed information," Emma gestured with her hand "And the kid is a wonderful source"
"I still think it's amazing how he knew this was my favorite place," Regina said "He has been refusing to come here with me for months now"
"I'm sure it's just because of the whole fairy tale thing," Emma said simply.
And Regina looked down, feeling an unwelcome sting in her heart.
One that felt different from when Henry started reading that book but that hurt just the same.
"I'm sorry," Emma reached for Regina's hand over the table "I shouldn't have brought it up"
"It's okay," Regina shook her head.
"No, it isn't," Emma squeezed her hand "The things he thinks about you… it's not right"
"Emma…"
"You are his mother," Emma said "And a damn good one. You deserve more than this ridiculous Evil Queen title"
"And what if I am that?" Regina asked, looking at Emma "What if I am this Evil Queen?"
"Were you ever evil to Henry?" Emma asked seriously.
"No," Regina shook her head "Of course not"
She would rather die than harm her son.
"Then the title is unworthy in his lips," Emma said "The rest of the world may think that of you, but he is the one who was never supposed to"
"And what do you think?" Regina asked.
"I think that you are this infuriating beautiful woman who has challenged me since the first day I arrived in this town," Emma said "You are tough and you know how to annoy the shit out of someone…"
Regina arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms at Emma who just smile back at her.
"But once you let someone in, you show your true colors," Emma continued softly "And all I know is you are not so black and white as everyone in this town seems to think you are"
Regina smiled at Emma, feeling her eyes water and her hand slightly shaken as she reached for the wine in an attempt to distract herself from the turmoil of emotions rushing inside of her, all at once.
It was the second time that night that Emma made her feel something Regina wasn't even sure what it was but she knew she longed for it for far too long in her life now.
Regina drank the wine, savoring the dry bitter taste on her tongue in the hopes that the tight pull she was feeling in the pit of her stomach could somehow settle with the alcohol.
She blinked the tears away from her eyes and by the time she put her glass down, Regina was enveloped by that wildflowers scent, so unique and intoxicating that belonged to Emma. She could almost feel that scent crawling under her skin, calming her nerves, slowing her heartbeats.
Telling her she was safe.
Telling her she could trust.
"I suppose I'm not," Regina said softly after a moment.
Emma smiled at Regina again and blinked her right eye, making Regina's stomach tight again, but for a whole different reason now.
And then there was that pull.
That invisible string between herself and Emma made Regina bite her lower lip and curl her toes inside her shoes.
God, she wanted Emma!
She wanted Emma more than she have ever wanted anyone in her life.
The waiter came back with their orders, placing equal plates in front of one another, breaking the spell of thoughts inside Regina's mind.
At first, she thought she was content with the interruption, otherwise, Regina feared she might do something completely reckless like pushing Emma against the nearest wall and kissing her lips until they were swollen and marked with her lipstick.
Then on second thought, the idea wasn't such a bad one, and Regina couldn't think of a single reason why shouldn't she do just that.
"Oh my God, Regina," Emma moaned "Oh, this is so good"
Regina looked at Emma feeling her cheeks burn and her stomach clench at the sounds Emma was making while savoring the pasta.
Regina licked her lips while staring at Emma, wondering what else could make the beautiful blonde woman in front of her purr and melt like honey.
Regina couldn't think of a single scenario where her tongue wasn't involved.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Emma asked, sipping her wine while looking at Regina.
Who was forced to snap out of it and smile at Emma while picking up the fork and eating the first bite.
Emma was opening the door of the bug for Regina to get out, already dreading the moment they would say goodbye to each other.
She didn't want their date to end just yet.
It had been so great.
Emma had no idea going on a date with someone could feel so good.
Then again, she wasn't on a date with just about anyone.
Emma had been on the edge of the cliff for half of the night.
More specifically, the moment their dinner arrived and suddenly Emma was hit by that scent of apple blossoms and winter, mixed with a heavy lust mist.
Emma felt her stomach tighten deliciously as every hair of her body shivered.
And when she looked at Regina, the lustful gleam in her eyes made Emma curl her toes inside her boots and a small moan escape her lips.
It was very hard for Emma not to take Regina by the hand and pressed her body against the nearest wall while she let her tongue do the rest.
Unfortunately, Emma couldn't do that at the restaurant so she settle for asking if Regina wasn't going to eat while sipping her wine.
And fuck, the way Regina licked her lips after eating the pasta, nearly made Emma jump off the damn cliff with Regina right beside her, above her, under her.
Emma had no idea how the hell she managed to behave.
And Regina too if her scent was anything to go by.
But the only thing worse than not being able to ravish Regina at the restaurant was parking the bug one house down and opening the door for her to get out.
Because it meant the night was over.
And Emma didn't want that at all.
Emma stretched her hand to Regina to help her get out and felt that familiar shock wave ran through her body the second their fingers brushed.
Regina smiled shyly at Emma, thanking her for the help and Emma could hardly contain her own smile.
Or the way her stomach flipped at the sight of Regina in front of her.
She was so far gone for this woman already that it was nearly ridiculous.
"I had a great time tonight," Emma said without breaking eye contact with Regina while she closed the door.
"Surprisingly, me too," Regina laughed softly.
"Do you think we can talk while I walk you to your house or do you want to save the conversation for our next date?" Emma asked cheekily.
"Someone is hopeful," Regina smirked.
"Well let's just say I have a feeling that we will most certainly have a second date," Emma winked at Regina.
"So confident," Regina said as she started to walk.
"You say that as if you weren't undressing me with your eyes during dinner," Emma said walking beside her.
"I did no such thing," Regina said offended.
"Your eyes said otherwise," Emma laughed.
"My eyes said nothing Miss Swan," Regina said seriously.
"Maybe not," Emma smiled "But your cheeks certainly did"
Regina looked at Emma and scoffed before running her hand over her hair.
And all Emma could think about was how desperately she wanted to tangle her hands on Regina's hair and lightly pull it back while scratching her teeth on her neck.
"Oh, look who is blushing now," Regina said teasingly, smiling devilishly at Emma.
"What?" Emma blinked her eyes, feeling her cheeks burn.
And Regina's laughter didn't help with one or another thought.
They arrived in front of the mansion, and Emma voiced her protest in the form of a grunt when they stopped in front of the black gate.
"You think Henry is sleeping by now?" Emma asked.
"He is better to be if he doesn't want to be grounded," Regina said half-seriously.
Emma smirked and took Regina's hand, pulling her a bit to the side, closer to the plants' wall.
"What are you doing?" Regina asked, an eyebrow arched.
Emma took a step closer to Regina, lightly pressing her body against Regina's, close enough for their lips to brush when she talked.
"I was thinking if I could kiss you goodnight," Emma whispered.
"We are on the street," Regina swallowed dry "Somebody could see us"
"The street is empty," Emma smiled "And I'm pretty sure you are the only one who can afford to live in this street"
"What if Henry sees us?" Regina said, her breathing heavy.
"His lights are off," Emma whispered "I'm pretty sure the kid doesn't want to risk being grounded,"
Regina's hands reached for Emma's waist, sinking her fingers into the fabric of her dress.
"Emma," Regina breathed out.
And Emma leaned forward, capturing Regina's lips on a kiss savoring everything that was the brunette woman in front of her, feeling the soft skin of her cheeks against her palm and the warmth that irradiated from Regina's body directly to her.
Emma could kiss Regina all the time, everywhere, until her lungs burned for air.
The world could collapse all around her, it could burn to the ground until there was nothing but ashes and Emma still wouldn't move an inch from where she was right now.
From what she was feeling.
From this kiss.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing heavily but neither one of them moved away from the other.
The cold air Emma was breathing was mixed with the warmed air of Regina's breath and Emma barely got her own breathing under control before leaning forward to kiss Regina again.
A shorter kiss this time, one that Regina responded with the same breathless air as Emma.
"I should get inside," Regina said out of breath when they pulled away a second time.
"I know," Emma nodded, breathing heavily as well.
Emma gave one step back, ignoring the pain in her heart when she stepped away from Regina.
Regina looked at Emma and smiled, a smile so beautiful that Emma wasn't sure she would ever be able to let Regina go.
"You have a little something…" Regina said, pointing at Emma's lips.
"What?" Emma asked.
Regina smiled and put her hand on Emma's face, softly rubbing her thumb on Emma's underlip.
The touch made Emma turn her head slightly and kiss Regina's finger as Regina brushed her thumb against Emma's lip.
"I have to go," Regina bit her lower lip, her voice unsure.
"I know," Emma nodded "I'll see you at the party tomorrow?"
"You will," Regina smiled before moving forward to kiss Emma's cheek and whisper seductively in her ear "Goodnight, Miss Swan"
Emma curled her toes inside her shoes and felt that cold tight in the pit of her stomach as she lost her breath.
Regina smirked at Emma and opened the gate, entering the dark garden.
Emma watched Regina walk until she closed the mansion door behind her.
Only then, Emma's feet moved again as she walked back to the bug with a smile on her face that she feared was permanent now.
Emma entered the car and start to drive back home.
If this was just their first date, Emma couldn't wait to see what the rest of their lives would be.