Were it not for the baby screaming, Belinda wondered if she would have stayed asleep for forever. The world was so peaceful, her sleep was dreamless and restful, she felt warm and safe. Belinda felt like she could just stay in the flux between reality and dream-land for all of eternity, were it not for the child that woke her up, screaming bloody murder, demanding to be fed.
But then, the screaming stopped, and Belinda was tempted to believe that it had all been a part of her imagination. Perhaps she could fall back to sleep for just a few more minutes of blissful ignorance, but no matter how hard she squeezed her eyes shut, the motherly instincts within her were already wide awake. She had to go and check on Rose.
Belinda opened her eyes and stretched her joints. A puzzling thought crossed her mind. What the heck was she doing sleeping on the couch, and how had she gotten there? She thought back to last night. She remembered the dream and how frightened she had been, calling Robert, telling him all about her fears. The image of their kiss flooded her mind and she remembered just how intensely the feelings had spread throughout her. Kind of how the warmth was quickly flooding through her entire body at the very thought of it.
It had all been such a lovely dream. But, thank God, it had only been a dream.
She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she got up off of the couch and made her way into her bedroom to retrieve Rose. What she saw next stopped her right in her tracks. She stood stark still, eyes widening, and face quickly growing paler by the second.
Robert was by the window, and Rose was cooing softly in his arms as he rocked her back and forth. He was whispering to her, but Belinda couldn't hear what it was he was saying. Quite frankly, she couldn't really hear anything because the blood was rushing to her ears. She felt a deep crimson blush spread up her neck and onto her cheeks. If Robert was still here, then that meant...
It hadn't all been a dream. It had all really happened.
"Oh my God," she said out loud and Robert turned around, somewhat startled.
When he saw that it was just her, he gave her a small smile that would have been so endearing if it hadn't been for the entire circumstance. "I hope you don't mind, but she was crying, and I didn't want to wake you."
Belinda opened her mouth and closed it. Opened, closed. She couldn't find the words to say.
"Are you alright?" He asked her in concern. "Did you sleep well?"
"Fine," she answered abruptly and he seemed even more taken aback by her abrasive tone.
"Belle?" She wasn't fooling him for one second. "What's wrong? If it's because I came in here and picked up Rose, then I'm sorry. I understand I might have crossed some boundary or-"
She shook her head. "Stop." Mr. Gold frowned and she sighed in exasperation. Her good mood was quickly becoming a very foul one. "No, it's not that."
"Then what is it?"
Belinda floundered for words yet again. What was she supposed to tell him? That their kiss had been a mistake? Yes, tell him that. She squared her shoulders and looked at him, but still found that she couldn't tell him what was on her mind. "I don't want to talk about it," Belinda said instead before she rushed out of the room and into the kitchen.
She made quite a bit of noise as she shifted dishes around in search of a clean mug. She poured herself a glass of milk and downed it in one gulp. If only she had something stronger...her nerves were becoming frazzled and her fingers were shaking. She squeezed her eyes shut so as not to picture the image of her and Robert's kiss in her mind. She wanted to forget, she had to forget. Because it should've never happened.
"Belle?"
She jumped at the sound of his voice, and when she turned around, she saw that his arms were empty. He must have put Rose back into her crib. Mr. Gold was also absent of his cane and so he walked with a stiff limp as he slowly approached her. The action almost seemed cautious, as if she were some frightened animal he feared to spook.
Belinda didn't move, though, and eventually he was standing right in front of her and his hand was softly caressing her elbow. "Tell me what's wrong." She just averted her eyes. Didn't he understand that she simply didn't want to talk about it?! If she did, then she would probably crack or scream or both, and then she would have even more regret than she did at the moment. "You were fine last night, Belle. What's happened since-" his sentence broke off and then he looked at her in realization. "Ahhh. I see."
Wrapping her arms around her body in a weak attempt at comfort, she found the courage to look up at him. His face was as emotionless as could be, but his eyes hid something. It almost looked like hurt. "It was a mistake," she said in a quiet voice.
His face fell and he frowned at her. "That's really how you feel?" When she nodded, he nodded his head too. "Well, then, I guess there is nothing to discuss. Accept my deepest apologies, Belle." Mr. Gold turned around as if to leave, and Belinda didn't know if she should call out and stop him or just let him leave; so she chose to simply watch as he walked away.
Mr. Gold suddenly stopped and sighed as if he was going to regret what he was about to say. "No, you know what-" he turned back around, "I don't think it was a mistake. I don't think our kiss was wrong. And I don't think we should treat it as if it were."
"What do you want me to say, Robert?" Belinda gave an exasperated shrug of her shoulder. "I regret it!"
"But why?"
"Look. Last night was wonderful. You came over when I needed someone to talk to, and you were there for me. But I was crazy tired, and I was thinking clearly, and...I let something happen that shouldn't have happened."
He approached her and grabbed her arm. "Why shouldn't it have happened?! We're both clearly attracted to each other. Allow me to speak for myself when I say that I've found myself attracted to you for months! So, when you think about it that way, a kiss was just bound to happen!"
"This has nothing to do with attraction, Robert!" She cried out.
"Then, what does it have to do with?" She could see that he was desperately trying to keep himself under control. His voice held an edge, as if he was working extraordinarily hard not to shout.
"You're my employer! In the world of business, that kiss was nothing short of inappropriate. The lines got blurred, and we crossed a boundary that I swore I would never cross."
He shook his head. "Me being your employer has nothing to do with it."
"It has everything to do with it!" Belinda shouted and wrenched her arm free of his grasp. "I kissed you! My bloody boss! How can you not see a problem with that?"
"I don't see a problem with it because I didn't come to you last night as your boss. I came as a friend. Therefore, I did not kiss you as your employer."
Belinda groaned. "You're one and the same."
"Last night I wasn't." He paused and laid a hand on her shoulder in a barely there touch. "Look. There's no denying it now, Belle. I care about you. I really do. I don't regret anything that happened last night. The only thing I do regret is that you regret it."
"I'm sorry, Robert, I really am. But I just can't help but feel deep down that it was wrong. It was all wrong."
He frowned deeper, and – was she mistaken – or were there actually tears in the very corners of his eyes? He moved very slowly as he grabbed both of her arms and came just a bit closer to her. "Please, Belle," it sounded to her as if he was begging. The great and powerful Mr. Gold begging her? But now that she thought about it, this didn't even seem like Mr. Gold anymore. This was someone else completely – someone she had never seen before. "Please," he licked his lips, "Don't say that. Not now."
"Not now?" Belinda asked in confusion. "What is that even supposed to mean?"
He was silent and then shook his head. "It means that for a man who has experienced more rejection in his lifetime than he can count, I don't want to feel that anymore. Please, Belle."
"Is that supposed to make me feel sorry for you? Or guilty?"
"No, just – if you can't accept the kiss, then at least forget about it. Don't regret it."
"I don't think I can just 'forget about it'. People don't forget things like that!"
It was silent and tense. Someone could have cut through the animosity with a knife, it was so thick. Belinda refused to look away, and deep down she could feel that distinct pull that she had felt last night, the very one that had compelled her to kiss him in the first place. For a second, she almost leaned into him and allowed herself to melt. Before she could comprehend what was happening, he was already closing his eyes. His lips touched hers in a touch that was as soft as a butterfly's wing; it was barely there. It took all of Belinda's willpower to pull away from his embrace. Her lips felt cold separated from his, but she forced herself to turn away from him.
"I think you should go now."
"Belle-" he protested.
"Please. Robert." Belinda pressed in a hard tone.
He nodded his head in a less-than-pleased attitude. "Alright." He went to the couch and retrieved his cane before walking over to the door and opening it.
"And, Robert," she called out to him and he turned back around, "I might have to take a few days off from work. I'm sure you'll understand."
"I do. Good day, Miss French." The formal use of her name cut through her heart like glass, and as the door shut, she fell down on the couch and broke out into sobs.
She had the choice of anyone in Storybrooke. This town was filled with plenty of young and eligible bachelors. Why, then, did she have to fall for the man who was her employer? Why was it Mr. Gold that her heart called out for?
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I originally wanted and planned for this chapter to be longer, but then I decided that where I stopped would be a good place to do so. I'm really hoping that the next chapter will be a long one. There should be a lot happening come Chapter 17, so I hope you all will stick around for it!
Also, I just wanted to give a great big shout-out to everyone following this story! You all are amazing! And this story has reached over 12,000 views! I love you all so much, and I enjoy getting each and every one of the reviews you leave me. Thanks!
Lastly, if you have any suggestions for this story, now would be a good idea to let me know! I'm trying to get the entire plot of this story together, and I would be open to anything you guys suggest. So, leave me a review or PM me, telling me what you think. I look forward to hearing your wonderful ideas (I know I've gotten some doozies in the past!)