Chapter 6.
- Wednesday -
January 9, 2019
She doesn't speak to Robin until Wednesday morning, until she sees him in the park playing with his son (she recognizes the little boy from the pictures hanging around Robin's apartment, with the same dark curls framing his little face, and those adorable dimples showing on his cheeks). The boy is gorgeous, she notices with a smile, though he seems to take after his mother rather than his handsome father.
Still, they make quite the pair, she can't help but watch them, taking the opportunity to cool off from her run.
Robin looks... good enough to eat, as always. He's in a casual sweater that hugs every curve of his muscles, and slim fit jeans that make his ass look even better from this angle. He bends down to pick up Roland when the boy starts running in his direction, and Regina has to bite her lip at the sight in front of her, blushing slightly when Robin turns around and catches her staring.
His smile widens when his eyes meet hers for the first time that morning, whispering something in the little boy's ear before making his way towards the brunette.
"Good morning," he greets her once he stands in front of her, placing his hands on his hips in the best attempt to give her space, she notices.
"Good morning," she answers with the same words, her smile turning into a smirk when she nods in Roland's direction and teases, "Do you always get him out of bed this early to come to the park?"
"I was hoping I would find you here," Robin admits with a grin, one of his hands moving to scratch behind his neck.
Regina knew there must be a reason to find him here today, at nine in the morning, with a four-year-old in tow. Robin knows she usually runs in the park, and her sudden exit on Monday had left an awkward atmosphere hanging over them, so it's not a surprise that he would try to 'ambush' her to talk to him. Well... he didn't really need it.
"I'm sorry, I tried to give you space, but something seems off since-"
"I know, and you're right," Regina offers, glancing behind Robin at his son before she asks, "Can you talk for a minute?"
Robin agrees without hesitation, walking her towards a bench where he can keep an eye on his son at the same time, but private enough that they can talk without little ears overhearing the entire conversation.
He waits until she's the one to break the silence, her hands fiddling with the fabric of her leggings.
"I thought a lot about our conversation, and I don't mind-" she gets straight to the point, corrects (because it's not like she's doing him any favors), "I want to give this a chance."
She sees a sparkle of hope springing up on Robin's face, a hint of a smile pulling at his lips, though he tries to contain it before he asks, "You do?"
"I do," Regina nods. He lets that smile take over his face at her confirmation, his teeth bite into his lower lip while his hand moves to hold one of hers, "That's why I panicked when I met Belle and you told me how she's like a little sister to you. She won't be happy to know I will have to return to New York at the end of the month, leave you like Marian did-"
"You're nothing like Marian, it's completely different," Robin argues, and that's true, she supposes. It's not really fair to bring his ex-wife to this conversation, she doesn't want to bring back Robin's painful memories, but he needs to know how she feels if they want to make this work, "It's not like you'll run away, Regina, I know you have to return, yet... I want this with you."
His gaze shifts to their hands then, intertwined together, his thumb moving back and forth.
He's waiting, she notices. He's so good, it's so difficult to push him away. Besides, he's the only friend she has in this city, she really doesn't want to throw that away.
"I need to make sure we'll be able to accept it once the time comes. I don't want to hurt you, Robin, can you promise me that won't happen?"
Robin remains silent for a minute, tells her, "No, not really..." just as she was expecting. "But I know you won't hurt me like Marian did and the proof is that we're here now, trying to find a solution. I would be disappointed in myself if I just gave up because I'm afraid to get hurt."
Regina tilts her head to look at him, seeing nothing but determination in his eyes.
He has a point, she knows this. She knows she's not like Marian, she knows the situation is very different.
"We all get hurt, Regina, there's no way to avoid it. But I prefer to regret something I did, and I'm sure it will give us a lot of good memories to cherish, than regret not having given this a chance," Robin continues, sounding determined and sincere, "But if you tell me you don't want-"
"I told you I do, I just-"
"It seems a bit late to try to avoid any type of pain now, I mean..." Robin smiles, admits, "I already hate the idea of seeing you leaving."
She hates it too... truly.
It takes her a moment to realize what he's telling her, and another second to accept that she might feel the same too.
No. They can't. They weren't supposed to get this deep, they weren't supposed to catch... feelings.
"Honestly, I don't see the point of ending this now. You're alone here, and I want to be here for you, I won't ask for anything more, I promise, we'll take it as slow as you want, you tell me what you want..."
He's rambling, she smiles, chuckles. He won't give up on this, will he?
She leans closer until her forehead is pressed against his, her thumb moving in circles against his cheek.
"That sounds perfect," she breathes, seeing how his eyes light up at her words, his dimpled smile taking over his entire face, "As long as we are both aware-"
"God, yes," he assures, pressing his mouth against hers.
Regina can't help but smile into the kiss, lets herself finally relish in the contact without feeling guilty, without the fear that this will only hurt them in the end. She doesn't have to feel that way anymore, not after the conversation they just had. It's exciting and... freeing.
His hand is soft and warm against her ribs, and she sighs at the pleasant shiver it sends down her body, opening her mouth when she feels Robin's tongue brushing against her lips. She takes him in, deepens the kiss as one of her hands move behind his neck, playing with his hair as she pulls him closer to her.
He smells like pine and is freshly showered, and she has to fight the moan at the back of her throat, aware of Robin's son playing a few meters from them.
Shit. Roland. She doesn't know what this looks like to him, he's only four years old, after all, and they are still in a public park.
"Robin," she breathes, just as he presses a light peck to her lips - he kisses her one time, two... gives her a last smooch before he presses his forehead to hers. He looks damn good after their little makeout session, his teeth are biting into his lower lip in half a smirk, and he looks more relaxed than ever, "Roland," she mutters, chuckling.
He turns around to take a look at the boy, still unaware of the situation as he runs to play in the sandbox. Good... Regina breathes a sigh of relief, imagining a conversation with a four-year-old where she had to explain why she was kissing his papa.
"He seems to be alright," Robin smiles, squeezing her hand, "Would you like to meet him?"
Regina nods her head and lets Robin lead her towards the little boy, watching as he plays with his toys in the sand, too focused to notice the two adults approaching hand in hand.
She can't help but smile at the concentrated look he has on his face, his lips pouting as he tries to make the small train move through the sand.
"Hey, little man, there's someone I want you to meet."
He lifts his gaze at his father's words, dark brown eyes staring intently at her.
She's nervous all of a sudden. He's Robin's child, after all, and she likes Robin. Quite a bit.
"This is Regina, she's my friend," Robin tells him with a smile, running his hand through his curls, encouraging him to get closer to them. She takes a small step in the little boy's direction, but he pulls away and hides behind Robin's legs, his curiosity quickly replaced by a sweet shyness.
He's cute, she thinks with a chuckle, she always had a soft spot for children.
"Hi, Roland," she greets sweetly, tilting her head to get a better view of the four-year-old boy, "It's really nice to meet you."
"How do you know my name?" he asks shyly, prompting a chuckle from both adults.
Robin scoops him up in his arms and presses a kiss to the boy's temple, telling him, "I told her about you," before winking at Regina.
There's something about watching him with his son, something about witnessing this side of Robin, that makes him even more attractive than he already is. She knows he struggled to take care of Roland during his first years, knows how difficult can be to raise a child on his own - her father did it, and she values a man that can honor his duty to his family.
"So, Roland," Robin starts, adjusting his hold on the boy so he can look him in the eyes, "Regina doesn't know the city, so I was thinking we could take her out to lunch and maybe show her around?"
"We can show her the big clock!" Roland tells him excitedly, making Regina laugh.
"You know you don't have to-"
"Yes, we can do that," Robin continues, completely ignoring the brunette's words. And then turning to Regina, "Will you really say no to a four-year-old child?"
Regina rolls her eyes in amusement, knowing very well what he did there. Not that she was planning to refuse their invitation - she just didn't want to impose on their day together- though she does like the idea of spending time with them, it will be a good way to get to know Robin a little bit better.
"That's not fair, I can't say no to those dimples, can I?" she can't help but tease. She's fairly certain he knows she's talking about Roland, but she can't help but feel a warmth in her belly when she notices the blush growing on Robin's cheeks.
...
She agrees to meet Robin an hour later, after taking a bath and get ready for the day, excited to spend time with both Locksley boys. They have lunch in a small place near the Jubilee gardens, Roland stealing all their attention, though she can't help but love when Robin's hand ventures underneath the table, softly caressing the brunette's thigh.
It's intimate and domestic. Roland is blissfully unaware of her close relationship with his father, happily rambling about school and how his friends want to go to their house someday to play with their puppy. Regina chuckles at the little boy's request, squeezing Robin's hand and muttering an 'it's seems you're due for a playdate soon,' before focusing her attention back on her food.
It's... amazing. How she feels so comfortable with them, so... happy.
They agree to share the bill and make their way towards the Westminster bridge - they stop to take a few pictures, a lot of Regina posing with the London Eye in the background, then with the Big Ben, though her favorite is definitely one Roland took of both her and Robin, his arms around her body, one you can definitely say it was taken by someone 4 feet tall.
It's been a while since she had so much fun, she has to admit. Roland is such a perfect and adorable little boy, and Robin... it's like they've been dating for years now, it's familiar.
She's so happy today that she finds herself on Robin's couch, later that evening, with Roland propped between the two adults, Lady at their feet, the three of them laughing as they go through the photos they took of each other during the day.
"Papa, you were not looking at the camera," the little boy complains, pointing at one of the pictures Regina took of them, where Robin is looking at something on the floor.
"Do you know what, not everyone can look as good as you two in all the photos," Robin says in mock offense, prompting a chuckle from his son and smiling when he lays his head against his chest. He changes a knowing look with Regina when the boy yawns a few minutes later, his dark eyes fighting as he tries to stay awake, "I'm going to put him to bed. Wait for me?"
...
Regina feels his fingers brushing her cheek, opening her eyes to see that Robin is back, smiling that smitten grin at her. She pulls him closer to place a soft kiss to his lips, taking advantage of their proximity to bury her head in the crook of his neck with a satisfied sigh.
"Are you tired?" Robin asks in a whisper, already knowing the answer when she yawns at his question. He laughs and pulls her closer to his body, his hand moving up and down the brunette's arm.
"It was quite a day," Regina tells him, pressing a gentle kiss to his neck, "I loved it, thank you."
"It doesn't need to end."
Regina pulls back to look at his face, a confused frown taking over her features.
"You don't need to go," Robin tells her as if they had done this a million times, as if it's not the first time he is asking her to spend the night at his house, "I mean, it's late and I can't drive you to the hotel because Roland is asleep. And you can take his bed, I didn't realize it could fit an adult when I bought it."
"I... I don't know, Robin-"
"We will just sleep," he promises, "I would never make you do something you don't want to."
She knows that, of course she trusts him. She knows Robin would never push her to be with him on that level, knows he's not only with her for that, but... what if they are getting too comfortable? Sleeping at his house, spending time with his son...
"It's not that, it's just... don't you think it's too soon?"
"I'm just a friend offering you a place to stay so you won't fall asleep in the middle of the subway," Robin teases, reaching for her hand and giving it a comforting squeeze, "I have no second intentions, Regina."
The brunette smiles and bites her lip, but still looks unsure when he adds, "Unless you think my second intention is cuddling with you on this couch, then I definitely want to do that," she chuckles, can't help it. She's falling in deeper, but she can't bring herself to stop when it comes to the blue-eyed man, "So, what do you say?"
She pushes him back and urges him to lie down on the couch, cuddles against him as an answer, as she lays her head over his chest. They stay like that for a while, trading lazy kisses and gentle caresses, none of them with the intent to part ways anytime soon.
I hope you liked it and I'm sorry for taking so much time. Please tell me if you liked it :)