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"You look amazing." Robin said as Regina came walking down the stairs in a long black dress. Her hair was falling in curls over her shoulders, her make-up glamorous but not to much and Regina felt absolutely beautiful. She instantly fell in love with the dress Robin had picked for her and so she decided to wear it instead of finding something else.
"Thank you." She answered as she walked up next to him and smiled. "Our car is waiting outside, are you ready?" She nodded and watched as he offered her his arm. She accepted his offer and walked with him to the car. As a true gentleman he held it open for her and helped her to get in before he closed her door and walked to the other side to get next to her.
"Are you nervous?" She asked when his driver started the car, she hadn't seen the man since the space between the front seat and back seat was closed. "Not really, are you?" Regina nodded. "A little." She confessed. "What for?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, what if people see through it?" It was nothing like her to be insecure about something like that. It was literally her job to pretend something was real and she never heard men complaining. "I don't think they will, I think everyone is so taken by your beauty that they don't even pay attention to me." Regina laughed, until she looked in his eyes and saw that he meant it.
"I think that there are a few people from the news tonight, but I can do all the talking if you want to?" Regina felt how her heart began to beat faster. "News?" Robin nodded calm. "It's a pretty big event so the news and probably some press." She should have known. "I haven't told my family about this.. situation." Her family, but mostly her mother was going to kill her if she found out like that. "But you knew the whole point of this situation was so the world knew." He said, still calm. "I know but Mary told me I had one week to decide if I really wanted this and.." He didn't let her finish. "Of course she did." He adores Mary, trusts her with everything but she really had to stop doing things behind his back. "I'm sorry I thought you knew that." Robin shook his head. "It's okay, I'll ask Roger to drive us back and then I'll go by myself." Regina finally saw his business side and she wasn't sure if she liked that side of him.
"Don't." She said before he called Roger. "I don't really need that week anymore, I'm already sure about this." Robin lifted his eyebrow. "You are?" He asked surprised. "I am, I think we're quite a fake couple." Robin let out a relieved laugh. "I can come with you when you tell you're family?" A warm and tingling feeling spread through Regina's body, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time, a feeling she denied to feel for a long time. "You would do that?" Before he could answer she continued. "I mean, you don't have to it's not really your job to do that." She bit her lip as she thought of how stupid she sounded. "Regina, you are giving up your life this six months, the least I can do is to make it a little easier for you." Regina smiled and before she could say something the car stopped and she could hear people screaming from the outside of it.
She saw a red carpet, a lot of photographers and even more screaming teenagers. "So what, you're a celebrity too?" Robin chuckled. "It comes with the job." Regina stared to the crowd again. "Is this because of your bachelor rating?" Robin laughed."It is isn't it?" Regina continued. "Yeah I think so." She saw how the car before them drove away and theirs moved further to the red carpet, only one car before them now. "Well than this might be the last time there are screaming teenage girls for you." Robin didn't seem to get it. "May I remind you that you're no longer a bachelor." She flirted and immediately catches herself doing it. "I think you're right."
The final car before them drove away and then they were the next ones to step onto the red carpet. "Are you ready?" She asked him. "One more thing." He said as he searched his pockets and grabbed a little box out of it. "Robin..?" Regina asked unaware of what he was doing. "If you are going to be my fake fiancé than I better do it right." He opened the box, showing her the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. A small silver band topped with the most delicate diamond. Regina smiled, unable to find the right words. Robin gently took her hand and put the ring on her finger.
They hadn't much time to enjoy the moment so Robin simply smiled at her and Regina returned the gesture. "I'm gonna walk out, open the door for you and then there's no way back, are you sure you want this?" Regina looked to all the photographers, ready to get a good shot of Robin, unaware of her presence. "I'm sure, just guide me through the night ok?" He nodded, gave her another smile and stepped out of the car. She heard how the crowd became louder and louder, people already screaming his name. And then he opened her door. Reaching his hand out to her and helping her out of the car.
She smiled at him, nervously, ignoring all the people that were now staring at them. "Are you alright?" He whispered, still holding her hand. "I am." She said nodding. He took her hand and they began to walk and walk and walk until there where a dozen of photographers lined up before them, begging them to pose and to answer a million questions.
"We can ignore them, I've done it before." He offered, trying his best to get her comfortable. "Why don't we give them what they want." She said, making sure he was the only one that could hear her. He looked into her eyes, knowing there were already enough pictures taken to confirm his relationship status. "What do they want?" He asked.
Regina turned her body towards the photographers, forcing Robin to do the same, he moved his hand to her lower back and she let her hand rest on his torso, smiling brightly into the camera's. Enjoying the surprised looks on everyone's face, some woman even looked slightly jealous and Regina loved it. "Robin who is your date?!" Some reporter yelled. Robin looked at Regina and she nodded still smiling.
"This is Regina my fiancé." The entire crowd became quiet. Regina snuggled her head against his shoulder and before she could say anything everyone was screaming things, question, congratulations. There were so many people screaming that they weren't able to answer any questions. And so Robin took her hand again and lead her inside.
"That was.." Regina started, not sure which word fitted the situation. "I know.." They both laughed. "Is it always like that?" Regina asked. "No this is all on you milady." They both stayed quiet. Robin wondering why he'd called her that, Regina wondering what this meant, why was he calling her that, part of their role-play?
"Why don't we go find our table." Robin said, ending their previous conversation to start a more comfortable one. "Lead the way." She grabbed his hand again and it felt good, natural like they do this all the time. Regina saw everyone staring at them, mostly her. Checking her out, whispering thing to each other as she and Robin passed by. "Everyone is staring." She whispered to Robin. "I told you what your beauty was going to do to these people." She smiled and waited as he hold out her chair for her. She gratefully took place and watched as he sat next to her.
"Do you know these people?" Regina asked, pointing at the name tags on their table. "I do." He said with a deep sigh. Regina stared at him, waiting for an explanation. "Don't listen to anything Mr. Gold says, he's a total asshole." Regina chuckled, finding it pretty amusing to hear him talk like that. "What happened." She asked, curious. "When my father still owned the business Gold tried to screw him over." Regina saw the frustration in his eyes and wasn't sure if this was the moment to get him frustrated. "My father was pretty sick in the end and I was going to take over the company, but Gold tried to convince my father to sell the company to him, he even dug up some dirt about me trying to show my father I wasn't the right person for the job." Regina placed his hand over his on the table. "My father passed away before he officially told Gold the company was mine, so know he's always trying to get to me, telling me how I didn't deserve this." She rubbed her thumb over his hand hoping it would calm him down.
"From what I've seen and heard so far, you're doing an amazing job." She totally wanted to kiss him know, playing his fiancé was already messing with her. He just smiled at her while she continued to caress his hand. "But besides all that, he's pretty important in this deal I think Mary told you about that." Regina nodded. "So I have to play really nice and I hope that he shuts his big mouth in front of you because I won't let him offend you." Regina smiled and watched as a man and woman joined their table.
"Mr. Locksley, so good to see you." Regina immediately noticed the dose of sarcasm in the man's voice. "Mr. Gold, always a pleasure." Robin answered, smiling politely. "And what do we have here?" Mr. Gold turned towards Regina and she already felt slightly nauseous. "This is my fiancé Regina." Robin introduced her while Gold took her hand and placed a kiss on top of it. Regina smiled back and quickly took her hand back. "Where did you hide her? I never seen her with you before." Robin already wanted to snap at him but looking at Regina calmed him down. "We just wanted a little time to ourselves before the world got involved." Gold nodded. Regina wondered if he had a wife, or children. He didn't look like the fatherly type to her but who knows.
A few more people joined their table and every time Robin introduced Regina as his fiancé and Regina couldn't ignore how proud that made her feel. He had reached for her hand many times that evening. Slowly stroking his fingers over hers, checking up during the, mostly, boring conversations, hoping she would smile at him, hoping she had a good time. And most of the times she did smile at him, because she was having a good time. Although the conversations were indeed boring and Regina didn't understand a single thing when they talked about their oh so important deal. She enjoyed sitting next to Robin, she enjoyed how people stared every time he stroked over her hand, how he looked at her every now and then.
"Are you ready to go home?" He asked, when the first people were leaving the room. "Are there gonna be photographers again?" Regina asked, making Robin chuckle. "Maybe there are a few diehards left. "I think I can handle that." Robin smiled and stood up before he offered her his hand again. He wished a few people goodnight and Regina did the same, not knowing a single one of them.
They walked outside and as Robin had predicted there were a few photographers left. They smiled at them while they walked to their car. Robin opened the door and before he wanted to help her in she stopped him. "How about we give the diehards a little something?" She said, not sure if she was pretending or serious. Robin looked at her, wondering if she thought the same as him.
She stared deep into his blue eyes and then leaned forward a little. "Kiss me." She whispered. Robin brought his hands to her back and kissed her, nothing to heated, nothing inappropriate, just a simple kiss. A few people whistled and Regina smiled as their lips parted. He helped her into the car, she waited for him to sit net to her.
And then they drove back, the both of them wondering why they felt so much with one single kiss. The both of them terrified for their own feelings and the both of them, looking forward to the next event, the next kiss.