A/N: I know I posted a chapter yesterday, buuuuut it was short, and you all are leaving really lovely reviews, so I thought I'd give you a Memorial Day treat! And, I know you're looking at the chapter title and thinking 'PART ONE?!'. Yep, February is so intense that it had to be divided into two parts. And, spoiler, this is not the only month I'm dividing into multiple parts—you'll have to wait to see what other ones are! Anyways, enjoy!
I listened to 'Can't Help Falling in Love' by Fleet Foxes, 'Won't Say I'm In Love' from Hercules, 'Let Her Go' by Passenger, and 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' by Sleeping At Last.
"Valentine's day is tomorrow." Killian spoke quietly, breaking the silence at lunch. Emma glanced up from her sandwich, offering a smile.
"I know."
"Do you have any plans?" Killian asked.
"Of course I don't. You're my only friend, Kill." Emma said (she started calling him that after Liam left).
"You have Mary Margaret, right?" Killian asked, "The girl in your English class."
"Well, yeah, but she and her boyfriend are doing something." Emma replied, finally smiling, "Why? Do you have plans?"
"I was hoping that maybe you'd like to go out to dinner, or something." Killian said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I mean, you don't have to, I just thought maybe you'd like to."
"I think I would." Emma smiled.
"Really?"
"Sure. It'll be fun."
Killian smiled when she took another bite, their eyes not really leaving each other's.
Emma had made the mistake of telling Mary Margaret about her evening with Killian, prompting her to ask a million questions. And to force her to go to the mall with her and find a dress.
Mary Margaret was nice, and Emma had to admit that it was kind of nice to have a girl friend, someone to talk to about things that she couldn't with Killian.
She sounds exactly how one would picture her to be with a name like Mary Margaret. She was petite, with short, raven-colored hair. Her wardrobe was all made of pastels and lacey dresses-she foiled Emma perfectly.
So, dress shopping was interesting, to say the least.
"Oh, Emma, what about this one?" Mary smiled, holding up a dress that was adorned in a delicate floral print.
"Mary, I appreciate it, but that's not really my taste." Emma reminded her.
"Then I might get it." She smiled, then pursed her lips when she saw Emma sifting through the rack, "Emma, you'll find a dress, I promise."
"That's not even scratching the surface of the amount of things I'm worried about." Emma sighed, "But, we're focusing on this now."
"If you need to talk, I'm here, okay?" Mary Margaret smiled, settling her hand on Emma's shoulder.
"Thank you." Emma replied with a small smile.
"Of course." Mary smiled, "Now, let's find you a dress that will make Killian fall at your feet."
"It doesn't have to be that-"
"Will you let me do your hair tomorrow?" Mary beamed, her hands clasped together in a plea, "Please, Emma?"
Emma rolled her head to the side with a smile before looking back to Mary Margaret.
"Sure." Emma smiled.
"I'll just come pick you up-"
"I mean, Killian probably wouldn't mind you coming over." Emma shrugged.
"Emma, can I ask you a serious question?"
"Um, yeah, sure." Emma replied.
"Are you and Killian together?" She asked, causing Emma to sigh.
"I'm not really sure, to be honest." Emma replied, "I mean, we do couple-y things, but... We both say it means nothing."
"Does it really mean nothing, though?" Mary Margaret asked, causing Emma to close her eyes and shake her head.
"It means nothing. We're not together." Emma spoke flatly. Mary Margaret sighed, continuing to sift through the dresses before gasping.
"Emma, I don't know if you'll go for this, but with your boots, this dress will look so perfect." She smiled, holding up a red dress with a small sheer strip near the bottom. It had a tight bodice with a flowing skirt, making Emma purse her lips. It wasn't exactly her style, but she needed a dress.
"You think so?"
"Will you go try it on?"
"Just for you." Emma replied, offering a grin, making Mary Margaret clap her hands excitedly. Emma laughed and turned to go find the changing room.
As soon as she changed into the dress, she stood in front of the mirror, turning a little and imagining what Killian would think. She quickly stopped thinking about him, because she knew that he'd say she looked good if she wore a damn paper bag.
"Emma? Are you in the dress?" Mary's voice asked from behind the door. Emma nervously pushed open the door, revealing herself and earning a gasp from Mary Margaret.
"Emma, you look so gorgeous." She beamed, "Please say you'll get that one."
"Do you like it?" Emma asked, turning a little again, trying to make sure she was making the absolute best decision. It was more money than she had expected to spend on a dress, but it was doable.
"It's perfect." Mary Margaret spoke with a dreamy smile, "He won't be able to resist you, Emma."
Emma couldn't help but smile at her last statement. The idea of Killian's jaw dropping was enough to make her laugh a little, then cover her mouth.
"Okay, yeah, it's pretty perfect." She smiled, then hugged Mary Margaret, "Thank you."
"Of course!" She giggled in response, "Does this mean we can do our prom dress shopping together, too?"
"Sure." Emma smiled, tugging away. Mary Margaret clapped her hands together with a wide smile, clearly unable to contain her joy.
The next morning, when Emma woke up, Killian's warmth wasn't beside her. She sat up, rubbing her face and glancing around for him. She figured he probably just woke up a little early and decided to get something to eat. The noise her stomach made suggested she should do the same.
Emma crawled out of bed, rising to her feet and stretching before going to open the door. As soon as she did, she was greeted by a wonderful aroma. She didn't recognize what it was, making her smile and hurry down the stairs. As soon as she made it to the kitchen, she found Killian leaning against the counter and sipping at his coffee. The table had an array of food on it-from cinnamon buns to fruit. Emma couldn't help but smile.
"Morning, Emma. Happy Valentine's Day." Killian smiled, "Don't be too impressed, I went out and bought all of this."
"I... Thank you." Emma spoke with a quick smile. Killian set his coffee down and opened his arms. Emma hurried over to hug him, her cheeks warming when she felt Killian's rough cheek touch hers.
"This was nothing, love." Killian replied, tugging away with his signature grin. The one Emma secretly loved.
"This is..." Emma smiled, turning to look at the table, then back to him, "Killian, why me?"
"I don't know. Something drew me in, I suppose. Possibly your incredible green eyes, or your beautiful lips, or possibly even your sass." Killian smiled, earning a gentle hit to the shoulder, "I don't know. You're just you, and… I like just you."
"I like 'just you', too." Emma grinned. The two shared a silent moment, their eyes never tearing from each other's. After only a few seconds, Killian cleared his throat.
"Well, um, dig in." Killian smiled, gesturing to the table.
The school day dragged on, each class passing by slower and slower. Emma realized she was more nervous than she thought she'd be. Suddenly, the idea of going out on an official date with Killian was terrifying.
"Emma, seriously, don't worry about it." Mary Margaret spoke sweetly as she carefully curled a lock of Emma's hair, "It's good that you two are finally going on an official, real date. I think... I think you'll find that this is something that you should have done a long time ago."
"Wait, what?" Emma asked, turning in her chair to look up at her friend.
"I mean, it's not really a secret that you two should be a thing... You make him the happiest since Milah."
"I get that a lot." Emma sighed, "Did you know Milah?"
"She was a good friend. I, um, miss her a lot. She and Killian were kind of the 'it' couple. They were attached at the hip, they loved each other so fiercely... Killian would have done anything for her." Mary spoke softly, going back to curling her hair.
"Looks like I've got big shoes to fill."
"You've filled them." Mary smiled, "Believe me. The moment you decided to stay... You filled them."
Emma sighed, closing her eyes. Killian meant a lot to her, but she was nothing like what everyone made Milah sound like.
"It doesn't matter... He and I aren't really dating."
Mary Margaret pursed her lips, causing Emma to smile.
"What?" She asked, "We aren't."
"Emma, if he asked you to, would you?" Mary asked.
"Asked me to what?"
Mary raised an unamused brow.
"Okay, fine," Emma sighed, "I don't know, okay? I don't know."
"Well, when he does ask you, you'll know in your heart what to say." Mary smiled, returning to curl Emma's hair.
"I'm not usually one to follow my heart."
"Don't write it off so easily-it might surprise you." Mary replied.
"You like this idea of love, don't you?" Emma asked.
"A lot. I think about it probably more than I should." Mary spoke fondly, "Maybe it's because I've been with David for almost four years. I mean, finding him felt like I didn't have to search for anything anymore."
"How did you two meet, anyways?"
"I volunteered at the hospital for a while, since my mother was a nurse there. I was able to get pretty close to patients, which was a great experience. Anyways, it had been a really rainy day-there were a lot of car accidents. So, I was doing my best to help my mother process all of the patients. I had to get names, birthdays, all of their vital information." Mary shrugged with a smile before continuing, "Anyways, I was moving onto my next patient when I realized that he went to my school. It was David. I asked him for his information, and he gave it all to me with a smile, despite the fact that he was in a lot of pain. I couldn't get the thought of him out of my head that night when I finished my shift, so I tracked down his room to go see him. He had to have emergency surgery on his leg, so he was unconscious. But, I went in anyways and left him a short note, with my number... He called the next day, and it just kind of grew from there."
"Sounds like it was fate, then." Emma smiled in return.
"Fate's a weird thing, you know. It leads us in ways we normally wouldn't go."
"Tell me about it." Emma sighed.
"It'll guide you in the right direction." Mary grinned, "It seemed to work for me."
"I hope so." Emma sighed, looking in the mirror to see her curls done.
"Oh, Emma, you look beautiful." Mary smiled, "Go show Killian. I think it's almost six."
Emma rose from the chair and straightened her dress.
"You're sure I look okay?"
"Yes. You look stunning." Mary beamed, then grabbed her hand to start down the hall.
Killian was waiting at the base of the stairs, so Mary gently pushed Emma towards the top of the stairs, while Emma protested.
"Emma." Killian breathed, a smile growing on his cheeks. Emma felt her cheeks blush to the match the color of her dress, watching Killian's expression as she walked down the stairs.
"You look handsome." Emma smiled as she reached him.
"Thank you. You look unbelievable. You're a vision." Killian spoke softly, almost as if the air in his lungs had been taken away.
"Thanks." Emma replied, rubbing her arm and looking down.
"Ready to get going?" Killian asked, and all Emma could muster was a nod. He took her hand and led her out of the house. He opened her door for her, causing her to smile, then hurried over to his side to start the car.
"You truly are beautiful, Emma."
"Thank you, Killian." Emma replied softly, tucking a curl behind her ear. The two were silent, allowing the song playing on the radio to fill the silence.
"This song reminds me of you." Killian grinned, glancing to her. Emma let out a nervous laugh, shaking her head before meeting his eyes.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Killian nodded, then to Emma's surprise, sang, "Only know you love her when you let her go, and you let her go."
"You're not bad, Killian." Emma smiled, "I'm surprised that's the song that makes you think of me."
"It's because this song is how I felt after Milah died... Then you came along, and I realized that I could move on." Killian admitted, "You made me realize that... What I was doing was going to get me nowhere. I wasn't helping anyone with what I was doing. I was giving up on myself, on life, then I met you, and... Something in the back of my head was urging me to talk to you."
"Killian..." Emma breathed.
"All of that is true. I promise." Killian spoke softly.
"You make me feel emotions I've never felt before, Killian. Emotions that I didn't realize I wanted to feel. So, um, thanks." Emma spoke softly.
"I'm glad." Killian smiled, pulling into a parking spot. Emma glanced up to try and figure out where they were.
"Where are we?" Emma asked as she got out of the car. Killian had already gotten out of the driver's seat and hurried to her side.
"You'll see." Killian grinned, closing her door and taking her hand in his. She blushed at the action, hurrying a little to catch up.
"Killian, wait, is this-"
"Sure is." Killian grinned, leading her inside.
"Kill, this is one of the most expensive restaurants in the city." Emma whispered as they approached the hostess counter.
"Do you have a reservation?" The hostess drawled.
"Yes, the name should be Killian." He grinned. Emma rolled her eyes at his irresistible charm. He took her hand in his, following the hostess as started walking. Emma had never been inside the restaurant before—it was far too expensive for her to so much as walk by and breathe the air. Killian held out a chair for her, making her smile as she sat down. He moved to sit beside her, thanking the hostess as she handed them their menus.
"Killian, I can't—"
"Liam gave me some extra money. He told me to treat you today." Killian smiled, taking her hand, "Don't worry."
"Killian, this is… no one has ever done anything like this for me." Emma spoke softly.
"You deserve it, love." Killian replied, his eyes meeting hers. They were brighter than usual, crystalline as fresh ice.
Their waitress came with a glass of champagne for each of them, causing Emma to widen her eyes at him. He only smiled in return, glancing up to the waitress to answer her question.
"Could we have another moment to look over the menu?" Killian grinned, to which she nodded and walked away, "What will you get, Ms. Swan?"
"You're unbelievable." Emma grumbled, looking up to meet his eyes with a beaming smile.
"Yeah, well, there are things we just can't help." Killian grinned, then lifted his champagne glass, "To us."
"To us." Emma smiled, clinking her glass against his and taking a sip as he did.
"I'm honestly very glad you agreed to come with."
"Why wouldn't I?" Emma asked.
"I don't know. I just… I haven't had someone like you in a long time." Killian sighed, "And I was hoping to ask you something."
"What?" Emma replied, unsure that she wanted him to answer.
"Are you two ready to order?"
"Sure." Killian sighed, then forced a smile, "I'll have the lobster, please."
"And for you, ma'am?"
"I'll, um, have the filet."
"How would you like that to be cooked?"
"Medium, please."
"It will be out shortly." The waitress spoke with a smile as she took their menus.
"What were you going to ask me?"
"Nothing, it was nothing."
"Why are you lying to me?" Emma asked softly.
"Because if I told you, you wouldn't reply."
"You don't know that." Emma replied, pulling her hand from his, "Please tell me so I don't have to sit here and guess."
"I wanted to formally ask you if you would… if you would be my girlfriend." Killian spoke softly, meeting her eyes, "I really enjoy your company, Emma, and… I think about your lips more often than I should. I don't… I don't want someone else to have you, to hold you in their arms. I want to be the man who gets to kiss you every night, I want to be the man who holds you when you cry. I want to be yours, and you to be mine."
Emma couldn't have really prepared herself for any of that. She knew Killian adored her, and liked her company, but… he really wanted her. And she wanted him, too.
Without a word, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his cheek. He smiled at the action, making Emma's tight smile hurt her own heart.
"Killian, you are more than I could ask for, but… I can't give you what you need. I'm not prepared to." Emma spoke softly, "I think that this should stay friendly."
Killian glanced down to his lap, then back to her with a nod and a forced smile.
"Friendly is fine." He spoke quietly. He'd always been a terrible liar.