Killian couldn't believe that he was walking out the door of the Occupational Therapy Center with Emma Swan by his side. He had nearly given up any hope of seeing her again, so when he turned around and she was there, it was almost like a dream. Then he heard himself asking her to lunch, which felt like an out-of-body experience for him.

"Where would you like to eat, Emma?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter to me. Did you have a place in mind?"

"I don't eat off base very often, so I'll have to rely on your choice."

"Okay. Well, there's a diner where Ruby and I like to go that makes a great grown-up grilled cheese, or there's a bistro with really good salads and sandwiches."

"Your heart's desire Swan," Killian smiled at her.

"The bistro is usually a bit noisy, but the diner has tables outside. Maybe it would be easier to talk if we go there."

"Sounds perfect. Do we need to drive?"

"Yeah, it would probably take us about fifteen minutes if we walked. My car is over this way."

"My truck is right here." He looked at her to catch her reaction.

She looked at the small, blue Toyota pickup. "Oh! You did buy a truck! Congratulations!"

Killian grinned. "Thanks. Do you, um, do you want to ride with me, or…"

Emma interrupted, "How about I lead the way and you follow?"

"Sounds good."

When they'd each parked their vehicle at the restaurant, he jogged around his truck to open her door while she gathered up her purse.

"Thank you, Killian," she said, then she got out and they started walking toward the diner. "You seem pretty comfortable driving with your prosthesis."

"I took a few private driving lessons until I got used to it."

"That was a good idea."

"It did help," he agreed. Then he looked over at Emma and grinned. "So, grown-up grilled cheese, huh Swan?"

"I always loved grilled cheese as a kid, and I still do to this day. The one they make here has about three different kinds of cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato. It's really good!"

"Do you order fries with it?"

"Onion rings."

"Excellent choice! You can't beat good onion rings."

They went inside and placed their orders, then headed outside to find a table.

"You could've gotten something besides the grilled cheese, you know," Emma teased, leading the way to a table in the corner.

"I trust your judgment."

When they sat down, Emma turned to say hello to someone sitting nearby. Killian was glad that she wasn't looking at him at that moment, because he suddenly understood the term breathtaking. It was the first time that he could really look at her in natural sunlight, and the sight literally took his breath away. Her hair shone like spun gold, and his fingers itched to run through the end of her ponytail to find out if it was as soft and silky as it looked. Her ivory skin glowed and her cheeks were a rosy shade of pink. He didn't think he'd ever seen anything so beautiful in his entire life.

She turned back to him and smiled, which did nothing to restore his breathing to normal.

"You know, I have a feeling that this was all set up by Ruby. She knows how much I enjoyed our conversations during your treatments, and she's been encouraging me to call you ever since they ended, but I'm just not comfortable doing that. It seems sort of unethical to me, seeing as how you were my patient."

Killian swallowed. "I hope I wasn't overstepping…"

"It's fine," Emma said quickly. I'm glad I got to see you again. There's nothing wrong with two friends talking."

Killian took notice of the way that she called them 'friends'. He wondered if there would ever be a chance that they could be more than that.

"What else have you been up to, besides buying a truck and brushing up on your driving skills?" she continued.

"I signed up for a couple of online classes."

Just then, the waitress arrived at the table with their order.

"Thanks Ari," Emma told her.

Killian chuckled. "You must be a regular here, if you know the waitresses by name."

She just shrugged and bit into an onion ring. Then she watched him carefully as he took the first bite of his sandwich.

After he chewed for several seconds, he looked up and realized that she was waiting for his reaction. He swallowed and smiled at her. "This is delicious! You have great taste, Emma."

"Well, I'd like to think so," she replied with a smirk.

They ate in silence until most of their meal was gone. Every once in a while, they would catch each other's eye and share a smile.

At some point, Emma noticed that Killian was turned slightly in his seat and kept his left forearm under the table at all times. She was a little sad to see that he was so self-conscious. She didn't think that it was because he was trying to hide his scars from her, because she'd seen him when his wounds were much more apparent. She thought that maybe he was afraid that she was embarrassed to be seen with him.

She ate the last bite of her sandwich and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Tell me about your classes."

"I'm taking calculus and physics."

"How are they going?"

"It's been a long time since I've taken any math or science so they're challenging."

"Are they required for an engineering degree?"

"Yes, but I'm not exactly sure that's the degree that I'll be pursuing. These two are general education courses, so they would be part of many different programs."

Emma nodded her understanding. "Have you heard anything about your discharge?"

"No, but I didn't really expect to yet. They said it would take at least three months," he replied. "But enough about me now. How have you been, Emma?"

"I've been fine. There's really nothing exciting going on in my life. Just going to work, then home to Evie."

"Is she a good dog?" he asked.

"She's getting there," Emma answered. "I've finally gotten her crate trained and house broken. She still likes to chew so I have to make sure that I don't leave things lying around."

"What kinds of things does she like to chew?"

"Shoes, purses, socks and...other clothes," she said, blushing slightly.

Killian briefly wondered to himself just what those 'other clothes' might be to make her blush like that. "I think you better get that dog some chew toys," he smirked.

"Oh, she has plenty of toys. She just prefers chewing anything that's mine."

"How old is she?"

"She'll be a year old in July, we think. Since she's a rescue, there's no way to be exactly sure of her birth date. When David helped me adopt her for my birthday, the vet thought that she was about three months old."

"So she's still a puppy then."

"Yeah. She's a lot of work, but it's worth it. I like having her waiting for me when I get home at the end of the day. She's always so happy to see me!"

Killian nodded thoughtfully. Maybe once he had a place of his own, he would look into getting a dog as a companion.

Emma unlocked her phone to look at the time. "I'm sorry Killian, but I have to get back to work."

"Of course," he said, standing and offering his hand to help her up. "You won't be late, will you?"

"No, no. I'm sure you heard me tell Ruby that I had a cancellation at noon. I just need to get some work done before my afternoon starts. I have two new patients coming in and I want to make sure that I have everything ready for them."

"That's why you're an excellent physical therapist, Emma," Killian commented. "You do so much prep work to make sure you're giving your patients exactly the treatment they need. I picked up on that when you were treating me."

She looked away as her cheeks reddened. "Thank you. It means a lot to me that you noticed."

They reached the parking lot and he opened her car door for her.

"You act like such a gentleman," she observed.

"I'm always a gentleman. My mother insisted that Liam and I learn good manners and respect starting from when we were very little. My father treated her that way, and she always said it made her feel like a queen."

"Your mother and father would be very proud," Emma assured him.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "Is it okay if I follow you back?"

"If you want to, sure."

Soon he was pulling up behind her car in front of the clinic, and they both got out.

"Thank you for having lunch with me, Swan."

"I'm glad that you asked me. It was nice catching up with you," she said, giving him a brilliant smile.

Killian smiled back, then looked down as he scuffed his boot on the sidewalk. "Could I, um, could I maybe get your phone number?" he asked uncertainly.

Emma hesitated for a second. "Uh, yeah. Do you have your phone?"

He nodded and pulled it out of the back pocket of his fatigues.

"Okay, type a message into it, then I'll put my number in and send it. That way, we'll have each other's number."

"Oh, right. Good idea." He did as she'd asked and then handed over his phone.

Emma giggled at the text. "Really? A swan emoji?"

"It popped up when I typed in your name, and I thought it was cute, so I included it."

She put in her number, hit send, and handed back his phone. "There. Now you can call or text me if you want. I can't promise that I'll Facetime if you request it because I look pretty rough after a day of work or some time at the gym," she teased.

I highly doubt that's even possible, he thought.

They finished saying their goodbyes, then Emma turned and walked into the PT center. Killian stood for quite a while looking at the door through which she'd disappeared, before finally heading back to his truck. His day certainly hadn't gone the way that he'd expected, but he was very happy with the change in plans.

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The next evening, Killian sat at his kitchen table looking at his phone screen. He was trying to figure out whether he should text Emma or not, while at the same time checking to see if she'd sent a message to him yet.

He had replayed their lunch together over and over in his mind. She seemed to have a good time, but he couldn't help doubting whether she truly did or not. He was afraid that she'd been uncomfortable, even though she had assured him that she wasn't, and had given him her number. His insecurities started creeping in regarding his handicap and worthiness to even be friends with someone like Emma. The elation that he'd felt yesterday afternoon was wearing off, and he couldn't work up the courage to try to contact her again.

He laid his phone down on the table and went to take a shower.

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Emma sat on her couch, trying to focus on the book that she was reading. After every other paragraph, she would check her phone for any incoming messages. Finally, when she realized that she'd read through two full pages and couldn't remember what had happened on either of them, she stuck her bookmark in and closed it.

She still had a hard time believing that she and Killian had seen each other again, and had actually gone out to lunch together. Remembering it immediately brought a smile to her face, but it faded quickly when her mind automatically switched to whether or not she was walking the tightrope of being unethical. She was torn between wanting to hear from him, and hoping that she didn't so that she wouldn't have to make a decision on continuing their friendship.

Even though she was no longer treating him, he had been her patient previously. Because of that, she didn't think it was prudent to contact him. If he sent her a message, she would respond, but she felt uneasy about being the one to make the first move.

She reached over and scratched Evie behind the ears. Then, she laid down her phone and picked up her book again, determined to concentrate on reading it this time.

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Nearly a month had passed since Emma and Killian had gone to lunch together, and Ruby was getting frustrated with her friend's excuses for not calling him.

"He hasn't been your patient for almost six weeks!" Ruby hissed.

"Rubes, just let it go, okay? I'm not comfortable being the one to text or call first. He's got my number. If he wants to contact me, he will. Why are you making such a big deal about this?"

"Because I know the two of you are attracted to each other, and DON'T," she said over Emma's protests, "try to tell me that you're not. I have eyes and I saw the way you looked at each other at his OT session. Plus, when you were telling me about your lunch date…"

"It wasn't a date," Emma pointed out.

"Well, whatever it was then, when you were telling me about it, your eyes were all dreamy and you couldn't stop smiling. You were on cloud nine!"

"I was not!"

"You're kidding yourself, Emma, and I don't understand why. He's a good guy and you deserve to be with a good guy."

Emma sighed deeply. "Even if I did want to...um, see him again, he's not gonna be around much longer. He'll be discharged soon and will probably move away."

"Not if he has a reason to stay," Ruby said with a smirk. She could tell that her friend wasn't amused. "Look, he told me himself that he doesn't have any family or anywhere to return to when he gets out. He has friends here, and I'm sure the right person could persuade him to stay."

"Can we please talk about something else? I'm not calling him, and that's final!"

Ruby huffed. "Fine! I just wish you would explain why you won't give yourself a chance to be happy."

"What makes you think I have to be with a man to be happy? I'm perfectly content with my life just the way it is."

"I'm not saying you have to be with a man to be happy, I'm just saying there's a man that you could be happy with."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm not discussing this anymore. It's time for me to go back to the clinic."

Ruby threw up her hands. "Okay, I'll let it drop...for now. Please don't be angry with me, Ems. I just, I don't know, I guess I see the potential for you to find love and I'd hate to see you miss your chance."

"You know I can't stay mad at you," Emma replied with the hint of a smile. "Now, I really do have to get going. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Her friend stood up to give her a hug. "Yeah, sounds good. Take care."

As she watched Emma walk towards her car, Ruby muttered to herself, "Guess it's time to pull out the big guns for Operation Help Emma Get Her Man." She unlocked her phone and pulled up her contacts, then tapped the one labeled 'Mary Margaret'.

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