A/N: Emotional chapter! Let me know what you think! :D Only 1 more chapter to go!
"What do you mean what am I doing here?!" the slender brunette shot back. She stood there in short red cotton shorts and grey muscle shirt. Some many emotions flooded my body. "How do you know Emma?" she crossed her arms, guarding the doorway. I could just slap her out cold right now. It had been at least four or five years since I had seen Ruby.
"That is none of your business!" I snapped. "Where is she?"
"Not here." she stated simply.
"How do YOU know Emma?!"
"We worked at Indulge together. Not that it's really any of your business."
"How long have you known her?! Are you fucking her too?!" Rage dripping through my voice. She began to laugh. Seriously laugh…
"Oh, that's rich! Hell no! Emma is my best friend. There is no way in hell I would ever sleep with her." she eyed me up and down, raising a perfect eyebrow. "Are you sleeping with her? You look rather flustered." when I didn't respond, she scoffed as she nodded. "Of course you are. Emma didn't tell me she was sleeping with you. She just said she had met someone. Small, small world, huh?" No shit.
"Can you just shut up and tell me where she is?" I asked sternly.
"Why? She seemed pretty upset when she left the other day."
"The other day?!" I launched forward, grabbing a hold of her muscle shirt. "Where. Is. She?" I demanded. Ruby chuckled once more before removing my hands from her.
"Providence."
"Providence? Rhode Island?" Ruby nodded. "Why is she over there?" I voice calmed slightly, however, it was still dripping in fury. The leggy brunette shrugged.
"Said she needed some time to herself. She is staying at a hotel for the weekend."
"Do you know where she is staying? I need to speak with her."
"Jesus, you haven't changed a bit!" she smirked. "Just charging in, demanding questions and answers. You need to relax."
"RUBY! If you don't tell me where she is right this instant I will-"
"Alright, alright! Calm down. She's staying at the Omni. She'll be back-"
"Thank you." I turned on my heels to turn away from the woman who broke my heart into two…who made me hate love or even want to utter the words to anyone else. The woman who was my lovers best friend. This information was too much for me to handle.
"Wait!" she shouted, gripping my hand to stop me. I only turned to snarl at her, flinching my hand away as quickly as possible.
"You've done quite enough!"
"Regina…I…I just want to say I'm sorry." her expression changed from comical to melancholy. I paused; it was the first time she had ever said those words to me. "I-I'm sorry about cheating on you and never apologizing for it. It…it wasn't right of me. If I could go back, I wouldn't have done it." I rolled my eyes. "I know we weren't the best couple, but you believed in me when no one else did. No one else took care of me like you did. When our relationship took a turn for the worst, I didn't know what else to do. And…I'm sorry I went about it the way I did without talking to you first. Or at all."
"Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago." tears pricked at my eyes, but I blinked them away. "Thank you for your apology." I turned away, not able to look at Ruby anymore. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go see Emma."
"Well…good luck." she offered a gentle smile. I returned her smile somberly as I walked away.
When I got home, I quickly threw some clothes together in my large purse, just incase it was too late to drive home. The drive was only an hour and a half, but still. It was rare that I ever used my vehicle. I either walked, took a cab, or the subway to get where I wanted. I thought of selling it for a moment, but thought better of it since I might need to when I next moved. Thank God I didn't sell it.
The drive was relatively peaceful. I played some classical music to calm my anxious nerves. I breathed slowly throughout the drive. I reflected on what Ruby said to me before I left, how I felt when it ended.
Flashback 4 years earlier:
Today was probably the worst day I've had at work in a long time. My boss was a complete bitch and had chewed me out about how I didn't properly clean up the massage room. Then, one of my clients complained about how it seemed that I didn't like my job. As much as I loved working at Luna's, my boss was such a depictive cunt! It was a stressful day, and yet, I really wasn't looking forward to going home, either. For the last couple of years, my relationship with Ruby seemed to be dwindling down. It wasn't as exciting as It used to be. Ruby just didn't listen to me anymore. She was so preoccupied with her phone these days. I remember when we used to be so good together. She was so young and vibrant…full of life. There was a five year age difference, but it was so refreshing. I had never met anyone so enthralling in my twenty-five years of living.
You could say that I was a late bloomer. I just…didn't care for a relationship. I was so busy with trying to get into law school that I didn't really have the time for a relationship. But Ruby…she made time. She was the only person who could calm me down after my mother had passed. We actually met in school. She was in the cosmetology program; she loved making people feel beautiful. I had entered massage school a month after mother passed. I dropped everything I was doing to get in, doing a complete 180. However, lately, she seemed to be so far away and wanted nothing to do with me. I even bought a new lingerie set just to get a reaction out of her. It worked, but she wasn't all there.
I sighed as the subway continued to stop and go. What were we even doing anymore? I am going to be twenty-nine this year, and we were still just…I don't even know. I wanted to marry this woman! She made me feel so alive. Her attitude, the way she carried herself, the way she could make me laugh…and of course the chemistry we had. The first time we ever made love, it was so romantic. She set the mood with roses, candle light, she wore sexy black and white lingerie, soft music in the background. It was just like the movies. She had been so patient with me back then. Now, it was more of out of obligation. We needed to have a serious conversation when I got home this evening.
When I made it home, I unlocked the door, entering the mess of our apartment. I had moved in with Ruby after a year of dating. It was small, but we managed. I heard some rummaging around from the bedroom. I sighed. "Ruby? I'm home." I called out. The movement seized to a halt. What was she doing? I tossed my bag of dirty scrubs into the washing machine. I had taken a shower at work since I needed to clean this shitty day off. I walked towards the bedroom, opening the door to find Ruby in bed…naked…with a MAN! I stood there stunned as she gathered the covers over herself…as if I had never seen her naked before. The man that was with her was very scraggily looking. His hair long and tangled, his scruffy beard.
"Regina! I-I can explain!" she shouted. What. The. Fuck. The naked man beside her, seemed out of breath, just as shocked as I was. He looked at me then at her, then me again.
"What is there to explain Ruby?! There is a man in my bed!" I screamed. I glared at him, walked over, grab him by his matted hair, causing him to yelp in pain. I grabbed his clothes that were on the floor in my other hand and began walking to the door. I flung him out, throwing his clothes at him, slamming the door in his face. I didn't care if he was naked or not, I wanted him out!
When I turned around, Ruby was standing there in a plain white t-shirt; standing there in complete shock. "That was uncalled for Regina!"
"Uncalled for?! You were fucking him! In our bed! THAT is uncalled for!" I was too angry. Too angry to cry, but did I ever want to. "How long has it been going on?"
She was silent for a long time before she responded. "Two years."
"TWO FUCKING YEARS?!" I screamed. "Are you kidding me?! So you fuck him, then me?! Or whatever!" she stood still, staring at her feet in shame. Yet, she didn't say anything. "Are you in love with him? Are you even in love with me anymore?"
"Yes." she whispered.
"Yes what?! Yes you love him or yes you love me?!"
"Both."
"No…you don't get to have both. Who do you want to be with? Me, the one who has dedicated her time, effort, and love into this relationship for the past four years? Or him? Some guy you met and have been keeping from me for the past two fucking years?" There was an incredibly long pause. The silence was deafening in itself. Even though she hadn't responded, I knew her answer was him. "Jesus Ruby…I…I…" heartbreak had ripped through my heart. Ripped through my soul. The only person I had ever loved, who I wanted to marry…cheated on me. Tossed me aside like a used toy. "I wanted a life with you…I wanted to spend the rest of my days with you. What did I do wrong?!" I cried. The intense emotion had knocked me down, falling into the nearest chair.
"Regina…it's been over…for a long time now…" she consoled. Are you kidding me?! She's trying to make it seem like it's okay! "We aren't the same people we used to be. I…I couldn't deal with your depression anymore. It was too much." she confessed, seeming extremely agitated all of a sudden. "I tired to be there for you after Cora died, but you just kept pushing me away. You are so angry all of the time. What was I supposed to do?"
"Are you really going to make me feel bad for grieving over my mother's death?! It had only been a fucking month Ruby when we met! As much of a bitch my mother was, we were close! And you're going to stand here and make me feel guilty about being depressed over that?!" my sobs were taking over now. I just couldn't believe it. My chest began to feel crushed, feeling the air tighten in my throat. I was gasping for air now. Ruby put a tender hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off as if I had been burned with acid.
"That…that right there is the reason. Every single time I try to comfort you, you push me away."
"Do you have no sorrow?!" I yelled, tears flowing like a waterfall down my face. "No heart?! My-my mother…died. And, and-and you were the one who-who cared about m-me." I was a stuttering mess, but I didn't care. "I-I love you Ruby…how could you d-do this to m-m-me?" I fell forward, hands covering my face as my long hair fell over my shoulders. I felt Ruby's shameful eyes bare into me, but she still had yet to apologize for what she did. I felt like I was going to be sick. She just stood there, unwavering, not moving. Just…staring at me.
"I…I can't do this anymore, Regina. I didn't mean to hurt you. I should have let you go a long time ago." she voiced in monotone. I knew her, I knew Ruby. She always apologized, why wasn't she apologizing for hurting me?! She must really hate me…"I'm going to get my things and go to Peter's. after that, I'll be back for the rest of my things. You can have the apartment." And just like that, she was gone.
I sat in that chair all night after she left. Crying in loud at some points then in silence. I whispered repeatedly, "Please…don't leave me. I'm sorry…I love you…please don't leave me."
It was like time travel. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I was already in the hotel parking lot. How long have I been sitting here? I checked the time to see it was 5:30. I took a deep breath, regarding my bearings, then headed to the front desk. I wasn't going to let love screw me over this time. I was going to fight for it.
The concierge told me that Emma was in room 206, so I headed there immediately. Tentatively, I knocked on the door. I pressed my ear to the door to see if she was in there…or alone. "Who is it?" I heard from the other side of the door. It was Emma's voice. She sounded close.
"It's me, Regina. Please, open the door Emma." I heard shuffling with the lock. I backed away as she flung the door open. Surprise, awe, and confusion forming onto her face. She looked breath taking. She stood there in a purple plaid button up, cream zip up vest, and skinny jeans with brown lace up boots. Oh, how I've missed her. However, her eyes looked dull and empty.
"Regina, what are you doing here? How did you find me?" she sounded breathless.
I resisted rolling my eyes. "I found Ruby at your apartment." I answered bitterly. "May I come in?" I offered gingerly. Emma opened the door wider for me to enter.
"Yeah, she's watching my place while I'm gone." after she closed the door she continued. "There's been a lot of break in's lately, so I didn't want to leave it unattended."
I eyed the cozy room, however it was a mess. "Did Ruby tell you that she's my ex?" I asked bluntly. Her eyes shot up.
"What?! No, she defiantly left that out! Which one?"
"The first one…she's the one who cheated on me."
"Holy fuck…" stunned, she sat on the queen bed. "I'm sorry Regina, I had no idea. We've been friends for a while now and she's never mentioned you." Ouch, that hurt.
"Not surprising. However, I'm not here to talk about her. I'm here to talk about us. Why are you here?"
"I…I just wanted to get away for the weekend. I couldn't bare being alone." she paused, staring at the floor then back to me. "Our fight has been playing over and over in my head."
"Why haven't you reached out to me?" I sat beside her.
"Because, I figured you didn't want anything to do with me."
"Emma, I know we've only known each other for a little while, but…to think that you didn't believe that I would defend you, really hurt my feelings. As well as me risking my job for you." I spoke calmly, not wanting this to escalate.
"Well…I mean…it's not like we were serious. That's why." her tone when said this was way too nonchalant. "I didn't know I meant that much to you." when we made eye contact, all that emotion and energy flooded back into my system. It was like I had been hit with a revelation.
"Emma Swan, let me tell you something." I took her hand into mine. "You mean so much to me. I want to get to know you. I want to know everything about you. You told me that you won't fight for people who don't want you…well…I want you. I want this…I want us. And I'm willing to risk it all…for us."
I saw her eyes begin to swell with tears. "You mean that? Am I really that worth it?"
"Yes. You are worth my energy, my well being and attention. Let me tell you a story. My parents and I…we never really got along. My parents got divorced when I was ten years old…my mother didn't love my father anymore. They put me in the best school, gave me the finer things in life…however, I didn't have that unconditional love. My father had a heart attack when I was thirteen…he passed away. So, my mother basically raised me. When I came out, my mother basically disowned me. She tried to set me up with men, tell me it was a phase…but I knew who I was. She wanted nothing to do with me." Tears stung my eyes. "When she passed, when I was twenty-five, the last thing she told me was that she failed as a mother and that I was going to burn in hell." I inhaled sharply as Emma gave my hand a tight reassuring squeeze. "The only other person who knows this story is Katherine. I wanted to tell Ruby, but she didn't understand. She had never met my mother, so how could she?" I swiped away the tears in the corner of my eyes. "I am not an easy person, Emma. I have my bad days and I am somewhat anal, but I know what love is…" I paused for a moment, realizing what I had just said. "I'm not saying this is love or true love, I'm just saying that what we have is special. And if it does develop into love, just know that I know how to."
Emma launched forward, engulfing me into a tight embrace. "Thank you Regina. You didn't have to tell me all of that. Just the fact that you came all the way out here to try. That means so much to me. I really want to make this work."
I beamed at her. My eyes flashing to her eyes, to her lips. I saw Emma grin. "I've missed you…" I whispered. "May I-"
I was cut off as she placed both hands on my cheek, bringing me into a tender kiss. Oh, how I've missed her lips against mine. With a soft push, she lay me down, her body flush against mine. We lay there making out like a couple of teenagers until our mouths were swollen and sore.