Happy Valentine's Day Andrea! You said awhile ago that you wanted a follow-up to I Just Wanna Be Your Friend where they end up together, so here it is! I really hope you like it!
Regina stared down at a picture on her phone, her finger hovering over the little trashcan icon on her phone. Could she really do it? Delete the last remaining memento of what had once been the best relationship she had had to date?
She knew what Robin would say. He would encourage her to do it. He had helped her pick up the pieces of her life since she and Daniel broke up months ago. When he had encouraged her to go through her phone and delete everything that reminded her of her ex- pictures, texts, his number, you name it- she had secretly kept one or two things for various reasons.
This particular picture had been taken at her cousin's wedding. They were all lined up: herself, Daniel, and the bride and groom. She and Ruby had wanted the photo to be a nice one, but Daniel and Will, goofballs that they were, had decided to sabotage their efforts. The result was the best of both worlds. Regina and Ruby had their arms wrapped around each other, while Daniel and Will had each decided to put bunny ears behind their paramours' heads. To top it all off, Robin even photobombed the picture, sticking his head in just over Will's shoulder. Regina remembered being so thankful to have him and Daniel there that day. As maid of honor, she'd had a lot of responsibilities. Yes, Granny had made sure that the event went off without a hitch, but Regina had seen it as her responsibility as well, and Daniel and Robin had both helped her pull it off.
It was the only picture she had from the wedding on her phone. Granny had made sure that prints were made of a few pictures from the day, like the one of Regina helping Ruby do her hair, but this was the only one Regina had easy access to. It was a day she would always cherish, despite some of the now-bittersweet memories.
She didn't know what she would've done without Robin in the aftermath of her breakup with Daniel. He had been there for her at every turn. The day after it had happened, she hadn't wanted to get out of bed (even though it was, in fact, Robin's bed). The warm cocoon of his blankets was just what she needed after Daniel's heart–wrenching actions. So Robin had gone out to get them food for the day: a breakfast of muffins from her favorite bakery, lunch was subs from her favorite sub shop, and he ran out again later to get the only lasagna that she believed was a remotely acceptable substitute for her own. Not to mention the snacks he grabbed from the store, everything from salt and vinegar chips to a pint of ice cream for each of them and a bag of assorted chocolate. It had been freeing to be allowed a day where the only thing she needed to do was wallow in her despair.
However, that was the only reprieve Robin gave her. Every day without Daniel after that first one, he'd done everything in his power to make her happy, which she had to admit had kept her from falling into the worst kind of pity party. She knew she needed to move on, but had had no desire to start dating again for a while. Instead, she had sought out Robin's company as often as she could. They went to the park, went skating, went on more coffee dates than she could count (which, of course, weren't dates at all), went to the movies… Everything they did led to nothing but smiles and laughter, and she slowly found herself missing Daniel less and less with each passing day. She wouldn't delete this picture, but maybe she could crop him out of it and delete the original…
"What are you doing?"
Regina jumped and spun around. Robin was behind her, a worried frown on his face. "I thought you deleted all the pictures you had of him."
She nodded. "Except this one. It's the only one I managed to get of Ruby and me that day." She tossed a playful glare in his direction. "Someone decided to ruin the picture of the four of us."
"Who might that have been?" he asked, a twinkle in his eye.
"I wonder," she muttered.
"You can't hate it that much, or you would've deleted it with the rest," he pointed out.
She decided the best thing to do was just remain silent. She didn't want him to know he was right, after all. He was already full of himself as it was. The best thing to do was to change the subject. "What are you doing here?"
"Couldn't let the day go by without wishing my best friend a happy birthday, could I?" he asked, clearly not expecting an answer.
She frowned. "I told you, I just want to spend a quiet day here, that's all."
"I can't even take you out to dinner?" he asked, puppy eyes begging her to oblige him. "We can play games here first and then go out, just the two of us."
She sighed. She could never resist that look, and he knew it. "Fine. Under one condition."
"Name it."
"No embarrassing me." She hated the birthday traditions at some places where wait staff would shine a light in your face or shout for the whole restaurant to hear that it was her birthday. She did like the places that gave out free food, though. Who wouldn't?
He pouted. "Are you sure?"
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Positive." Clearly, he had had something of the sort planned, and she wanted nothing to do with it. "I just want a nice quiet dinner with my best friend." No fanfare, no boisterous crowds, just her and Robin. She had spent the last few months gradually getting rid of the pieces of her life that reminded her of Daniel, going as far as moving out of the apartment they had shared and finding a place of her own. Then, of course, she had to figure out what to do with her social calendar now that there was a lot more room on it. Daniel had always made a fuss of her birthday, always letting their waitress know and making sure the staff sang to her. Well, not this year. She was determined that this year would be different, and in order to ensure that, she needed to get Robin in on the plan as well.
"All right, as you wish, birthday princess," Robin replied, referring to the birthday sash she had worn every year on her birthday when she was with Daniel.
She looked around for something to throw at him, and he held his hands up, the picture of surrender. "All right, all right, I'm sorry. I promise, no embarrassing you. Just two friends who decided to go out to eat."
She sighed. "Thank you."
They spent the next few hours playing her favorite games. They were having so much fun that the afternoon flew by, several rounds of Clue and card game making the time go by quickly.
Once they noticed the late hour, they headed out. Robin drove, and he refused to tell her where they were going. That would have made her angry if it had been anyone else- after all, as the birthday girl, shouldn't she eat what she wanted? However, she trusted Robin to know what restaurants she liked best- one of the perks of knowing her best friend for so long.
She was relieved when they pulled up in front of Granny's, but to her dismay, the lights were off. "There's no way the diner is closed this early," she mused, looking around the parking lot.
"Let's go try the door," Robin suggested. "Maybe Granny stepped out for a moment to get groceries and is going to be right back.*
It was a possibility, that was true, but she also knew that if that was the case, Granny would have left the diner under Ruby's watchful eye. She knew that the whole situation was suspicious. She had to get to the bottom of it.
The open door made her even more on edge. With all of the lights off, she had thought that she'd need to use the key Granny had entrusted to her.
Robin led her in, saying, "I'm sure she'll be back in a moment, then we can all celebrate-"
She was about to chastise him and remind him of their bargain when suddenly, she heard a chorus of voices yell, "Surprise!"
Her mouth dropped open as the lights in the diner all came on at once and she could see the crowd assembled there: Granny, Ruby, Will, Mal, and John. Some may have considered it a small gathering, but to Regina, it was perfect, since it was a gathering of the people she cared about most.
For a minute, she was flustered, unsure of what to say. After all, she had told Robin that she didn't want her birthday to be a big fuss- but whoever had organized this had made sure that those closest to her were included, and for that, she was thankful.
Granny gestured toward the bar, where an assortment of food rested on the surface. The delectable aroma of lasagna wafted through the diner, and Regina could see garlic bread and salad. No desserts were on display, but if she knew the older woman, she had likely baked something scrumptious that she had hidden in the back. "The birthday girl goes first. After that, everyone can dig in!"
Regina approached the counter and served herself a generous portion of lasagna (it was her favorite, after all), as well as a little of everything else Granny had to offer. Well, as much as would fit on her plate, anyway. She had to admit that the lasagna took up most of the available space, and she had no guilt about it. After all, it was her birthday.
She found herself sitting between Granny and Will, with Ruby right across from her. Will kept them entertained with tales of his various antics over the years (most of which just made Regina shake her head).
At one point, she turned to Granny. "Thank you for doing this. You didn't have to close your entire restaurant for me. You're losing money, that's not fair to you."
The matronly woman shook her head. "No problem at all. When Robin reminded me that your birthday was coming up, I knew he was right: we had to celebrate. Besides, you know I do close down for a few holidays, and as far as I'm concerned, April twenty-third is a holiday."
To her neverending embarrassment, Regina felt heat rush to her cheeks. "Still, I'm sure you're losing so much money…"
Granny shook her head. "It's worth it. Besides, I only closed up shop for the night. I had the lunch hour rush. I'll be fine, I promise. You're worth every penny I'm losing today, Regina, and so many more."
She smiled. "Well then, thank you."
Granny shook her head. "You really shouldn't be thanking me. This whole thing was Robin's idea. He got the decorations, picked the menu- although I did have a few suggestions, of course- made sure you were distracted while we set up… He's the one who deserves credit, not me."
"Not that it's any surprise," Ruby interjected. "He's been in love with you for as long as I can remember. Watching you two dance around each other has been maddening."
For the rest of the meal, and all through opening presents and having dessert, Regina couldn't help sneaking glances at Robin, thinking of her cousin's words. Was it possible he had feelings for her? It couldn't be… Could it?
The even better question was: if it was true, what would she do about it? Did she want to do anything about it? She and Robin were closer than she could ever imagine being to another human being- except for her father before he passed, of course.
There was nothing she wouldn't give to have his advice now. She didn't know what to do. Did she take a chance, take their friendship to another level? Or did she not risk that, knowing that without Robin, she'd be lost?
Eventually, the party started to break up as Granny got up to do the dishes. Regina offered to help, but of course, Granny brushed her offer aside. She found herself at the back entrance of the diner with Robin as they threw away trash from the night.
"There we go," Robin said, walking to pick up recycling that had rolled toward the woods and turning toward her. "All set."
She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up into his blue eyes as she started walking toward him. Did she dare do this, take a chance? Granny wouldn't lie to her, she knew that, but still… what she and Ruby had seen could just be their own perceptions of Robin and Regina's relationship. As wise as she knew Granny was, in this case she could be wrong, and the possibility of acting and being rejected terrified Regina.
But then she looked into Robin's eyes and saw his smile as he looked at her. Something about it told her that no matter what, everything would work out the way it was supposed to.
She cleared her throat. "So, Granny told me that this whole thing was your idea. Is… Is that true?"
He nodded, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I know you said you didn't want a big fuss on your birthday, but I had to celebrate somehow, and I knew you wouldn't be too mad if I only invited the people you're closest to." His eyes were hopeful, but worried at the same time when he asked, "Right?"
She couldn't do anything but stare for a moment, a warmth she had never felt before flooding her, spreading to the very tips of her fingers and toes. Making sure she celebrated her birthday with the people she loved was an act of love if ever she saw one. Right?
The next thing she knew, her feelings were overflowing and she couldn't contain them anymore. She closed the remaining gap between them, grabbed the front of his shirt with one hand, wrapped the other arm around his neck, and firmly pressed her lips to his.
Their lips parted and she stepped back, somehow even more apprehensive than before. He hadn't pushed her away, but still- how would he react?
There was only one way to find out.
Was he dreaming?
Surely, he must be. That was the only logical explanation for the fact that he was currently kissing Regina Mills, the love of his life. Her face had been shining with determination when she pulled him toward her, then planted her lips on his. The kiss itself was like something out of his dreams too, the product of his imagination. Never in the waking world would her lips be so soft against his, the sweet yet spicy apple cinnamon scent of her be so intoxicating. This had to be a dream- the best one he had ever had in his life (not counting the times they had done this and more in his dreams, of course), but something out of his imagination nonetheless.
He reached out to touch her, the backs of his fingers brushing her cheek. If her beautiful face was really right in front of him… Did that mean the rest was real too?
"Say something," she whispered in the space between them, her eyes fearful now.
Right. He had been so stunned that he hadn't said or done anything to profess his feelings yet. They couldn't have that. It was about time he fixed that.
His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her in for another kiss, this time giving her all he had. His tongue licked her lips then entered her mouth, finally, finally, claiming what he had longed to taste for so many years, and the fingers of one hand threaded themselves in her sweet-smelling hair.
By the time they parted, they were both breathless, their cheeks flushed. Not wanting to waste another second- they had already wasted too many years, after all- he confessed, "I love you, Regina Mills. I always have."
She shook her head. "Then why did we waste so many years?"
"I believe I was a coward who didn't want to ruin the beautiful friendship we have," he began, unable to resist the urge to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear now that he finally had the right to do so. "And you were seeing someone else, if I recall."
"Oh yeah," she grimaced. 'That."
Unable to bear seeing such a downcast look on her face now that iit seemed she was in fact finally his to love and adore, he pecked her lips and assured her, "However, that is in the past. This is the present, and our future- and all I want is to spend as many of my days as I can with you." He thought about saying the rest of my days, but he didn't want to scare her off, not now that his dreams were finally becoming a reality.
She smiled. "Me too."
He leaned in again and captured her lips with his, thrilled that he finally could. He didn't know what would happen next, but no matter what, he had his best friend, his love, by his side, and that was all that mattered.
