Library of Tears
"What is this place?" David found himself freezing on the spot, his jaw going slack.
He was surrounded from wall to wall with large and sturdy, wooden bookshelves, filled to the brim with different books of all colours, shapes and sizes. He ran his fingers across bumpy and smooth leather and sued bindings. His lips upturning; he took a deep breath in, taking in the must of old paper and tanned leather.
With her posture relaxed and her own fingers loosely tracing across a dozen books, she responded. "My mother's personal library".
David gulped. "It's impressive!"
Regina nodded, "indeed!"
David leant towards Regina, "so… what are we looking for?"
"A book, dear." Her lips formed a thin line.
David rolled his eyes, "I gathered as much." His arms crossed his chest, his hands holding his elbows. "Anything in particular?"
"Yes." Regina's eyes scanned the shelves.
David shook his head slightly, "care to fill me in?"
Regina was silent; her eyes fixated on the books.
"Regina!" David's brows furrowed as his arms dropped loosely to his side.
Her fingers drummed against her leg as she hummed. "Mmmm… what?" She looked towards him.
He just raised a eyebrow in response.
Her gaze returned to the shelf. Her eyes suddenly lit up, her lips turning up."Found it!"
David just stared.
"Portals to another realm," she read as she handed the book towards David.
"You think this will tell us how to find our way home?" He took the book from her grasp.
He followed her as she headed over towards a large, red velvet couch. She sat down, her knees touching as she held out her hand. Her fingers moved back and forth in unison, gesturing David to hand the book over. He did, before planting his own bottom down beside her.
"There are many ways to travel between realms, David," she started. She flicked opened the leather bound book. Her fingers tracing the rough paper pages. "However, achieving it, is much harder to accomplish." Her eyes scanned the pages. "I assume that is why rumplestilskin gave me the dark curse. He needed to jump realms, but wasn't able to accomplish it himself."
His head cocked, "what makes you think that?"
"That Imp never done anything if it didn't benefit himself." Her eyes darkened and lips pursed. "The price for the dark curse was high, David." Her voice lowered. He could see her visibly swallow. "I can only summaries that he was unable to meet the curses demands to enact it himself". She shrugged her shoulders, "it's a working theory dear".
David nodded, "I think I understand".
She gave him a half smile. "Get comfy David. We may be here for while".
His head cocked as he stood tall, "I will find my own entertainment to read."
Her head shook up and down. "Good idea!"
David searched up and down the library, his eyes finally landing on something he may enjoy. The art of love and swords, well he was quite the swordsman if he said so himself, so why not? After reaching for the book, he planted himself back onto the couch beside Regina. She didn't acknowledge his presence, her nose deep into the tome. He relaxed himself against the couch before opening the pages to his own book.
Some time had gone passed, the book he had been reading not as he expected. He thought it would be about sword fighting styles. But instead it was about a knight his on a quest to rescue his damsel. Some of the paragraphs were enough to make his cheeks reddened. His eyes looked over the book to peek at Regina; her head still deep within her tome. His muscle briefly tensed before relaxing as she lifted her legs over his. She rested her back into the arm of the chair. She didn't acknowledge him, it was like she had forgotten he was there.
Her legs were firm against his leather trouser, every time she would shuffle it would cause friction to a area he'd rather not speak about. He didn't want to move her legs and alert her. After all, he didn't want to imagine having explaining to her that the slight shifting of her legs provided just the right amount of friction to stir his arousal. He shuffled ever so slightly underneath her. Pushing himself back into the chair, he forced his eyes shut and attempted imagine something else.
