A/N: Sorry this update took so long—life and all that jazz. But have no fear, for here it is! Let me know what you think!
And also, I cannot thank Nicole enough for being the absolute greatest! I don't know what I'd do without ya. Alright, well, without further ado…
She's late, she always is for these things, it never fails. She doesn't understand the purpose of them. It's not like they won't see each other a few hours later in the conference room at the school. But Regina goes to the stupid brunch anyway, right before the back to school faculty meeting that everyone dreads. It's a dumb tradition that she got roped into her first year, and she's been doing it ever since.
It's Kathryn's thing and it baffles Regina to no end why she must do it, but as her friend she agreed to it, especially, after the whole Nolan/Blanchard trainwreck that occurred a few years ago, now. And so, that's why she's walking up to the table, watching as Kathryn rises excitedly from her seat to greet her. Tinka rises too, just as enthusiastically, and Regina can't lie, saying it doesn't make her feel good. Her presence is desired, which isn't a very often occurrence.
"Hey!" Kathryn calls out as soon as Regina is in earshot.
She greets Kathryn first, hugging her and then giving the same greeting to Tinka. She skims her eyes around the table, nodding to Belle, who is still sitting, as well as, Ariel.
Regina isn't really all that close to either of them but they're good friends of her good friends, and they keep good company, so she acquaints with them and such. Occasionally, she'll go to functions with them, parties, maybe concerts, or the movies, but only with Kathryn or Tinka in tow. And they manage to have fun.
There is a third member missing from her acquaintances though.
"Where's Rory?"
She doesn't know why she bothers asking. Rory always manages to somehow be late to everything because she oversleeps. How she sleeps through any and everything is beyond Regina but Rory never disappoints.
It's actually become a running joke in their group. Every year for Rory's birthday, someone buys her an alarm clock. It goes around in a loop so that everyone else will buy her a regular gift but the designated member will purchase an alarm clock—Rory has an actual pile building in the bottom of her closet. At least, she'll never have the concern of not having an alarm clock, not that they're really all that useful anymore since smart phones can just do it for you. But, in the case of natural disaster, where all newer technology ceases to work, Rory will never have to worry.
Thankfully, it's only a few minutes later when Rory finally shows up. And she comes over nonchalantly, as if she hasn't kept everyone waiting, and greets them all. Regina doesn't understand why they just don't tell her an earlier time and then pick a proper time for themselves.
But it doesn't matter because they never listen to Regina, which is why they still designate a time and then have to wait on Rory.
And, of course, Regina doesn't bother saying anything and just takes her spot at the table as one of them conducts the summer gossip. What's also stupid is that they see each other throughout the summer and everyone (Regina excluded) manages to have piles of gossip to tell at the brunch. Why they don't just pick up the phone and call each other instead is also something Regina just can't understand for the life of her.
But again, Regina's opinion on the matter is entirely irrelevant, which is exactly why she's still there, listening to them gab on and on about who's gained weight, who's having sex and who's not anymore, who got hitched or is pregnant and so on. Regina had hoped that when David and Mary Margaret had begun the whole sordid affair thing, that what they're doing now would've stopped—after all, it's how they all found out about it.
Kathryn had known for some time, and, honestly, Regina had too - the way David and Mary Margaret had batted their eyes at one another wasn't exactly subtle. But no one knew for sure except Kathryn. David claimed it was love at first sight, that something about Mary Margaret was just all-encompassing, 'true love' they said. It was all a bunch of bullshit, in Regina's opinion, to cover up their obvious need to cheat.
Why can't people just admit that they're cheaters and be done with it? Yes, they cheated, so they grow a pair, admit it and move on. There's no need to save face when that happens. And no amount of reasoning is going to fix it.
Maybe Regina just doesn't understand because she's never been cheated on (nor does she plan to be) so she's never had to worry about making things right. Then again, she'd never let anyone in close enough to cheat on her. That's why her whole system works because no amount of 'cheating' can ruin a nonexistent couple. It's as easy as that.
When news broke, they were sitting at a table, just like they are now, and Ariel (or was it Rory?) mentioned that she had incredible gossip—that saint Mary Margaret Blanchard was having an affair. The other girls began chattering about it but Regina knew to look straight at Kathryn, who wasn't saying a word. It all unfolded from there.
The whole thing had just been embarrassing and Regina expected Kathryn to be strong and independent, telling David to get out, but for awhile she tried to make him stay and then played the victim when she realized that wasn't working. And, naturally, Regina had to be in the center of it, which was annoying to say the least. She wanted no part of the stupid thing, she had thought Kathryn was being utterly ridiculous, and well, she wasn't that big of a David Nolan fan in the first place. And had teaching jobs not been so few and far between in their location, she's sure that she and Kathryn would've abandoned ship.
But thankfully, it all blew over when Kathryn reunited with her high school sweetheart, Frederick, whom she seemed to still be doing well with after a few years and, one can only hope, that remains. Although, seeing as they're now engaged, well it wouldn't make much sense if it doesn't.
Regina has her own opinions on Kathryn and Frederick's engagement. Sure, perhaps an engagement now seems reasonable, based on how long they've been together but Kathryn's sudden engagement to Frederick after the Nolan's announced their pregnancy was no accident and Regina knew that—she's fairly certain everyone knew. Kathryn was always superb at stealing people's thunder, especially when that thunder should have been hers.
"So guess what I heard," Tinka chimes in.
All the others turn to look at her, awaiting her announcement and Regina feels herself already rolling her eyes hard. Why is she even here?
"Turns out the reason the Devil is leaving because she met somebody," she informs them, leaning in close to the center of the table like she's telling the world's greatest secret.
"Who?" Rory immediately asks.
That's when Tinka leans back and shrugs, "That I don't know."
Regina scoffs, "Oh and who gave you this information?"
"Ashley," she answers simply. "Who else?"
Regina's eyes roll again, "That girl is a fountain of gossip, I don't understand what the need to hire her was. All she ever does is waste her time collecting gossip and then telling you. Nevermind that she should be doing something productive like, I don't know, what a secretary should be doing."
"Oh, stop being so pessimistic," Kathryn interjects.
"Sorry that I happen to value education more than the meaningless gossip that you all feel the need to spout," she mutters.
There's a brief silence, one that makes Regina believe that they might be taking her words to heart, for once, thankfully. Maybe, they could finally have a lunch together where Regina doesn't have to sit through an hour's worth of needless details in the lives of the staff at Blanchard Orchard Elementary School. But the dream is only fleeting when Tinka speaks again.
"Wanna know what else Ashley told me?"
Everyone contributes their interest, again, except Regina, but it's also of no consequence still because Tinka proceeds.
"I heard David hired Mary Margaret's replacement," she whispers.
"What?" Ariel's voice comes in first. "Wait, I didn't think she was leaving for good. It's not a sub?"
"Nope," Tinka responds matter-of-factly. "This guy is supposed to be long term."
"Wait it's a guy?" Kathryn jumps in.
"What you wanna bet Mary Margaret had something to do with that?" Ariel jests and has everyone laughing. Even Regina can't help but crack a smile at that one.
"Is he cute?" Kathryn asks.
"Aren't you engaged?" Regina follows up and then glances around the table adding, "Aren't you all in relationships of some nature?"
"What, you want him for yourself, Regina?" Tinka asks.
"No," Regina replies tersely. And she means it; she doesn't care about some new arrival. The new guy probably isn't even all that interesting. Just because he's a guy, that doesn't automatically make him worthy of anything special. They're acting like children with a new toy and Regina would never stoop so low as to throwing herself at some guy just because they're a mystery to one another. Sure, they can reinvent themselves when he shows up, but soon enough, their dirty little secrets will catch up to them.
And as for the guy, he'll eventually be like all the rest, no longer mysterious and just another fish in the pond.
"Well, you should know that I don't know for a fact that he's cute, but Ashley said he's totally gorgeous and—get this—best part," she pauses for dramatic effect, "he's got an accent."
"Ooo, an accent?" Belle finally contributes.
"You have an accent," she insists to her Kiwi counterpart.
Of course, Regina knows that Tinka doesn't really give a shit about his accent but she does know that her friends would eat it up.
Tinka ignores her though and nods, "Yep, he's English."
That's when Regina feels all the blood drain from her face and her pulse quickens as she logically adds up the details in her mind. Kindergarten teacher and English? What are the odds that there is more than one of those in Albuquerque, New Mexico?
It can't be, it just can't, because there's no way, after all their run-ins, that he could possibly also be working at the same school as her. It's absolutely impossible. Unless he really is stalking her, which at this rate, she can't really rule out because chances are slim and there's no such thing as fate pushing them together. And, sure, Albuquerque isn't the largest city in the U.S, but it's large enough that she could easily avoid someone if necessary.
She swallows hard as she dares to ask the name of the not so mysterious kindergarten teacher.
"Shit," Tinka says, "I forgot hold on. It's like an animal's name."
"What?" Rory asks.
They all clamor together, then, pitching in random animals. Her favorite was Lion, as if someone would actually name their child that. Although, to be fair, it isn't unreasonable to discount anything because everyone is trying to be creative with names these days, but the suggestions now are laughable and Regina is so overwhelmed by the whole scenario, she thinks to just laugh it off and leave to evade what's to come next, but when Tinka sighs defeatedly, exclaiming that she just can't remember, Regina feels his name slip off the tip of her tongue.
"Robin," she mumbles softly.
Everyone freezes and all of their (suddenly very large) eyes land on Regina with their mouths slightly agape and no sound emerging from them, which could be a good or bad sign depending on the take. But she knows that this silence is deadly, waiting for just the right moment to pounce.
"How did you know that?" Kathryn starts.
And Tinka follows right after with, "Do you know him?!"
Regina can feel her headache blooming in the center of her forehead already.
"Oh my god," Kathryn answers Regina's silence.
This is a nightmare. Hadn't she suffered enough with his presence? Why does he keep popping up? Twice in the apartment complex and once at that disgusting bar. Oh god, and just thinking about the possibilities of her behavior at the club nearly sends her into full on panic mode. Her memory from that night is still fuzzy and she isn't always the most subtle drunk. She remembers him calling her princess and dancing—a whole lot of dancing, but she has no idea about the spaces in between.
She feels nauseous over the thought that he will have access to her friends so that he can tell them all about her escapades and, even if he didn't tell them straight away, he could still blackmail her for it. Given that he's a smug little shit, he'd probably take every opportunity to hang this over her head.
"I don't know him," she finally cuts off their excitement.
But Tinka isn't so easily fooled. "You know his name…?"
"Because I met him once in Graham's apartment complex. That doesn't mean I know him."
"Well is he cute?" Ariel asks.
"No," Regina tilts her nose into the air. "He's revolting. He reeks of distaste and he sleeps with a vast amount of women, meaning he's totally disgusting. Although, I forgot how that's exactly your type."
"If he wants to bed me, then he's totally my type," Tinka jests and the other girls laugh.
"And what about Killian?"
"Oh, I'm sure he'd understand," she answers airily.
Regina just rolls her eyes for what feels like the millionth time. "Can we move on?"
"Wait what's his last name?" Tinka continues.
"I don't know." And that's a lie. Unfortunately, she can't help but remember his stupid name. Locksley. Robin Locksley.
"Damn it. I wanted to look him up on Facebook."
She has to get out or change the subject because they keep getting one step closer to finding out about her bar adventures and she'd never hear the end of it. More importantly, she has to kill this Robin guy before he can tell anyone.
It's not that she cares if anyone knows she went out drinking, it's just that she's always maintained a better reputation than that. And not to mention, even though he's all the way in Colorado, if word got to Graham that could only exacerbate their already growing dilemma. However, Regina isn't all that sure where she and Graham stand, and she hasn't exactly confronted the issue yet so, him being aware of her evasion might just be the tipping point; it's best not to stoke the fire.
"Well, you will get a perfectly good look at him at the meeting, won't you?" Regina reclines, crossing her arms and pursing her lips.
"Fair enough."
They trickle into their own personal drama after that. Kathryn raves on and on about her unnecessary checklist for her upcoming nuptials, Ariel and Rory talk about their marital adventures with Eric and Phillip respectively, and Tinka strikes up a conversation with a rather quiet Belle about her tryst with Killian Jones.
Some things never change.
[:]
The conference room is burning up and it almost makes Regina want to return to her brunch. Of course, Nolan hadn't thought to check on the central cooling system before shoving his entire staff in a tiny room together. But no one else seems to notice or care, as they huddle up and catch each other up on their summer.
Regina is next to Kathryn again who is babbling animatedly away with Ariel, who she just saw, so what they still have left to talk about, Regina has no idea. She tries her best to block out everyone's conversations but she can't help but hear a couple talking about the exciting new arrival to Blanchard Orchard.
She's probably the only person in the world, who is just dreading the whole thing, and maybe she should feel bad about that, but she frankly doesn't. All she's worried about is getting to him first and making sure he keeps his gigantic gob shut.
Regina would be lying if she didn't acknowledge the fact that her palms are sweating and her breathing is a bit quicker than usual and it only gets worse when Ashley rushes back from the front office to announce his arrival.
She doesn't get what the hype is anyway but it's very prevalent as Ashley comes bustling in with the announcement and the entire room begins to clamor. She supposes that not enough happens at Blanchard Orchard.
Regina rises with the rest but instead of rushing the door like the rest, she chooses a different path, waltzing over to the coffee pot to make the coffee that inevitably will need to be made—and should have been made but of course, everyone else is far too concerned with drama to do something for themselves. So she pours the grinds into the pot as she hears all the welcoming and chatter.
"Hi, welcome to Blanchard Orchard," she heard Tinka's slutty voice peek through the crowd ruckus.
She can hear him humbly thanking everyone, laughing nervously. Her palms sweat even more as she feels them inch closer to her. Introductions are beginning, with everyone throwing their names at him. But they keep getting closer to her and she feels the need to duck out but then his voice overpowers all the noise.
"And the welcoming committee finishes with coffee. Who's this?"
She freezes and tightens her grip on the coffee pot. She has no idea what to do now because she's cornered. Should she act smug and like she's not worried at all? Or should she feign surprise and treat him like an acquaintance that she's semi-thrilled to see? Or should she pretend not to know him? Scratch that last; Kathryn would see right through that, and he would too, honestly.
She has no choice.
So, she finally takes in a deep breath and turns to face him.
His face is annoyingly predictable when he discovers her identity. It starts with a smile, which shifts into a surprised look and finally lands on a smirk. She wishes to slap it right off of him and she almost does, but instead she muses and feigns a smile.
Silence has fallen on the room, making the whole situation that much more awkward, but she stays steady and keeps her composure. That was something else mother instructed her on, always keeping a good face and staring down the enemy, never letting them think that you're weak for a second.
She wants to speak first, so that she can control the situation, but she finds her words tangled too tightly with her tongue and she finds herself speechless in front of the entire staff of Blanchard Orchard Elementary School. She writhes uncomfortably in her spot, unable to find something clever and witty to say that doesn't give away that they know each other well. And is this suddenly some effect he has, causing her to lose her words to the depths of her subconscious? Surely not, because there's not a single appealing quality that would distract her from rationale. Well, maybe except his eyes, which are much more captivating in broad daylight when the lights hit them, than in the dark and danky setting of The Rabbit Hole.
Perhaps that's what he lures his women in with—not perhaps, she knows that's it—his eyes and his stupid dimples, which only accentuate the charming draw of his eyes, that's how he wins them all over. She's certain with his expression he's wearing at the moment, he's got the entire rest of the room eating out of the palm of his hand.
But not her.
Not even his (beautiful) blue eyes can win her over.
Finally, she finds her tongue again, wit carried along with it, "What terrorizing the women around me wasn't enough? You had to go for the children, too?"
He chuckles softly then and all the while, she's cursing herself because she knows that wasn't exactly something that would make them think that she doesn't know him. However, she is hoping that the disdain in her voice is strong enough to let them believe that she, at least, isn't fraternizing with him or anything like that.
"Well, who would've thought that you would have a soft spot for children?" He muses. "You work here?"
"No, I just really love popping up in our local elementary schools for a visit," she shoots back.
Of course, the iciness doesn't faze him and he only laughs. "Ah, yes, a superintendent is quite suitable for you. The whole controlling leader type, I can see it."
Before she can return any kind of insult, the conference room door is opening once more. She's sure that when David takes in what's going on, he's at least mildly disconcerted over the whole thing, and who wouldn't be when it looks like the entire staff is facing Regina down. But his hesitation is brief and then he's waltzing over to the head of the table, everyone else follows suit except Regina and Robin, who are staring each other down against the counter.
"Miss Mills?" comes David's voice and she looks over to him, his eyebrows raised in amusement mixed with confusion.
She moves then, behind Robin , and scurries over her seat next to Kathryn, mumbling a yes.
And then the pattern of the meeting picks up and takes off. Each grade head details a vague plan for the school year and discusses the themes. When it gets around to Regina, she does as she always has but she can't stop herself from looking at Robin, who's staring at her admirably and making her all too uncomfortable. Thankfully, she speaks quickly enough to get it all out, and then the report moves onto third grade but Robin's eyes don't leave hers, and instead, scan her up and down. He has a habit of that, she notices, and she wonders what he's trying to see. She hasn't changed from the last few times that he's scrutinized her but every time he looks, it seems like he's seeing something new. What is it that he's able to find each time?
She glances down to her notes because if she keeps up her staring contest, she's afraid someone will be curious, namely Kathryn, and Regina doesn't want to give any reason to have this Robin guy be any more pertinent to her life than he already is, which is far too much in her opinion. But she can't resist peeking up through her lashes to see if he's still looking. For the first few times, he is but after the fourth time or so, he's turned his attention elsewhere. She balks at the twinge in her stomach at the loss of his attention.
Stop being so ridiculous, Regina.
Regardless, she is being absurd with the whole thing. If she'd just stop fretting over this idiot, then her problems would likely evaporate. She needs to simply threaten him once, to instill fear, always an effective tool, and then wash her hands clean. That's just how it's done.
Her chance comes sooner than expected because as soon as fifth grade is done, Nolan offers a break and then they'd reconvene for the partner workshops and general last minute details.
She's pretty sure she hears Kathryn call out to her but her eyes are set elsewhere, locked on her prey. He's talking to one of the other kindergarten teachers, paying no mind to her stalking over. She finds herself hesitating for a moment when he erupts into laughter. Perhaps she should just let him be, let him find his own way. Conceit had seeped in so deeply that Regina hadn't considered that Robin Locksley may not be of any danger to her. He may keep his mouth shut and he may not even care, at all, about Regina.
She sighs and goes to return to her place with Kathryn. She just needs to leave well enough alone and accept that they are going to work together. There is no need to insert herself in his business any further.
But Regina doesn't get too far before she hears a voice behind her, "Hey, Regina!"
Halting in her spot, she listens as his heavy footsteps come up behind her, one, two, three, four, five. A smile creeps upon her lips and while she should be affronted by that, she ignores it and turns to look at him, making sure to wipe off that very smile as to not give away anything.
"What?" she says a bit more shortly than she intends.
He smirks, "So small world, huh?"
"Claustrophobic."
He guffaws and her heart lifts with the crescendo of it. "Why didn't you tell me you were a teacher?"
"Because I was afraid you'd find a way to show up at my school. Seems as if I failed, doesn't it?"
"Seems so. I'm none too offset by it though." He nods his head sideways.
"Well, I guess that makes one of us." She tries hard to look annoyed, but presently, it takes all she has not to smile at all.
He scoffs and places his hand over his chest. "I am deeply hurt. After all we've been through… after all my back has been through."
"Excuse me?"
He shrugs. "Someone had to drag your sodding arse back to your apartment."
"Oh, such a gentleman," she mocks.
"Just call me your knight in shining armour, milady." He beams and pokes his chest out as she rolls her eyes for what feels like the hundredth time today, but this time it's in pure amusement.
"I won't call you anything but a thief, which is what you are." She pauses and then adds, "And a… man whore but that's about it."
He nods in a small movement, taking in a sharp breath. "Yes, I suppose that's fair. But what can a man do when women like you are constantly throwing yourselves at me?"
The gasp that comes from her is accidental but nevertheless warranted. "As if I'd ever throw myself at you."
He does the cutest thing with his face then, twisting his mouth over to the side, nearly meeting his dimple and his eyes, which contain so much laughter within them, tilt upwards as if he's looking to the ceiling. Regina can't stop the corners of her lips from tilting up, though she continues (and fails) to fight it. She should be absolutely annoyed with him at this point but something's changed.
She needs to be serious now and take her chance to make sure that they are squared away as far as their relation to one another and their exchanges. "Look," she starts, "regardless of what happened, I trust that you're, at least, intelligent enough to keep your mouth shut and understand that we aren't friends. We can be coworkers but that's it, okay?"
"Fine, but I want one thing in return," he counters.
"This isn't a negotiation and besides, I don't negotiate with criminals."
"Oh so now I'm a criminal because I stole a ten dollar Starbucks gift card?" There is laughter hidden in his voice. It's remarkable that he knows just how to dig under her skin.
"Criminals steal, so yes, by the rules of logic you are." She crosses her arms over her chest.
"Better that than an alcoholic," he retorts.
She's affronted this time, honestly, only because she doubts now if he really can keep the secret. Perhaps, he is just too thick to understand the concept of silence and solidarity.
She should've gone with the threats.
"I'm not an alcoholic and can you shut up?!" she hisses in return.
He smirks again and Regina decides working with him will actually be impossible because she can't look at that all day without nearly killing him. She knows he's not going to budge on this and that, ultimately, she will have to suck it up and yield to his wish, but she takes her sweet time, glaring at him to see if he'll dare to back down. He doesn't, though, so she sighs furiously. "What?" she capitulates.
His smile grows wider and if looks could kill, she'd murder anything within a ten foot radius. "I want you to be my partner today."
Her laugh is automatic, flying out of her long before she can bottle it up. "You want me to be your partner?"
Anything short of fate couldn't have intervened next because, of course, none other than David Nolan managed to be coming from behind her to catch her last question. "That's great!" he exclaims.
"Oh, Mr. Nolan, I—" she stammers out.
He smiles and places a hand on her shoulder, "I'm so glad to see you're taking an initiative like this. It looks great for, you know…"
He's referring to the opening assistant principal job at Blanchard Orchard. Ella Feinberg, not- so-beloved vice principal, and often deemed 'the Devil,' is finally leaving, apparently because she met someone but Regina has no clue on the validity of that. But it would make sense after her whole nightmare with her fraudulent husband. She does know, however, that this time Ella is certainly leaving.
Regina has always had her eyes set that way. She loved education but she knew she was destined to do something else. Although, Regina is sure that complex has something to do with the way she was raised. In fact, if she isn't mistaken, she swears that she can hear mother saying, "Regina, dear, you are destined for great things. Rise above being a measly school teacher. You could do so much better. You have the potential for greatness, never forget that." At that time, Regina brushed her off and ignored it but then she did what she always does and takes her mother's words straight to heart, letting them influence every decision she makes.
Naturally, then, she went back to get a master's in administration, and one day, she plans on using it. It's not like she really does think so lowly on teachers, she is one for god's sake, but there's nothing wrong with aspiring past that, right? Being a teacher is great, and a really tough ass job at that, but she just has something else to do.
Now, her chance has come and Mr. Nolan knows that she's got her eye on it, which presently also leaves her in a predicament. Having to choose between Mr. Nolan seeing that she is anything but willing to work with this guy or actually just sucking it up and working with him, neither will fare well with her, she knows. But she decides the former is the worst of the two so she resigns.
"Of course, Mr. Nolan, I couldn't think of anything I'd rather do than to help Mr. Locksley out." She shines her best faux smile as Mr. Nolan nods his approval.
"Well done, Regina."
She responds with a business like nod as he walks away and subsequently returns her eyes to her newest problem.
"Looks like you're stuck with me," he grins mischievously.
Instinct kicks in and she grabs hard onto his arm, glaring hard at him. "Listen to me. We're going to do things my way whether you like it or not."
"Getting a little handsy there, Your Majesty?" he says as he looks down at her arm.
She hadn't consciously registered that she was touching him until his comment but he needn't say more because she rips her hand away and scoffs. "Must you be so annoying?"
"M' mum told me that's one of my more outstanding qualities," he teases.
"Ostentatious, maybe but not outstanding in a good way."
"You saying she lied?"
"No," she answers shortly, "I'm only saying you let your ego do the listening."'
He feigns offense once more, "You wound me."
"Good."
He goes to reply but then David is calling them back to order and Regina nearly jumps at the chance to stalk away.
The meeting readjusts and Mr. Nolan begins delving out workshops and other miscellaneous 'need-to-do's before the first day.
"Okay, onto our mural. Our art teacher isn't here today, so are there any hidden artists in here that would like to give a crack at it?" he asks.
Regina watches as Robin perks up, head rising and eyes alight. "I can." He nonchalantly raises his hand.
"Great. Don't worry, you won't have to do any drawing, really, we'll leave that to her, but if you've got imagination and can come up with an idea, that would be great."
"Sir, I work with kindergarteners, all I have is imagination," Robin quips and has the whole room, David included, chuckling.
"Wonderful, then you and Ms. Mills can proceed with that." He gestures to the conference room door and holds up the packet with the information about the mural, which Regina is sure to snatch up before Robin can and then they file out.
[:]
Regina can't believe she got sucked into this stupid thing and had she not attempted amnesty with her 'partner,' she might have chosen to strangle him by now. She's actually so enthralled with her irritation that she's failed to pay mind to the fact that Robin is leading them to wherever they are going to work. Great, all he needs to do is lead them somewhere secluded so that it'll be all the more tempting.
But she's following him anyway.
He takes them to the art room and she's rather impressed that he didn't get lost on the way there.
When they reach the door, he holds it open for her and points inside. "See, I am a gentleman."
"Shut up and let's get this over with."
Once they're situated, he's the first to speak once they've settled, "So've you any ideas?"
"No."
"Wow, you're such a help."
"I also didn't ask to do this." Her arms cross over her chest.
His voice shifts into one that sounds like what a parent uses to patronize their child when they're acting childish. "Well sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do. Besides, why do you dislike me so much?"
She doesn't miss a beat. "Because you are an affront to womankind and therefore, as a woman, I should be offended by you."
"Not all women seem to be affronted by me."
"And therein lies the problem."
"Hm," he muses, "an affront to womankind—that is not a name I've gotten before."
"Well now you have."
"I'll add it right beneath 'Oh god, oh god,'" he moans the last bit and then smiles at her. "That one is my favorite."
"Scum of the earth shouldn't compare themselves to gods."
"Scum of the earth, now that one I have heard," he chuckles to himself.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, this girl—" he pauses, "oh, I've forgotten her name—probably why she called me that in the first place."
"Have you ever considered that that might be a problem?" she inquires.
"Well, of course, I know it's a problem."
"Then why do you do it?" she presses.
"Why do you?"
She stops, takes a breath, and then proceeds. "We've been down that road before."
"Have you called your little boyfriend back by the way?" he shifts the gravity of the conversation.
"That is none of your business."
"You surely made it my business at the bar."
"No, no," she negates. "You approached me at the bar. And even when you left, you scared off my present company and then reinserted yourself back into my life."
"Fair enough," he concedes. A stretch of silence goes on and then he continues. "You should call him, you know. Tell him how you feel, no matter what, even if that means ending it. Might as well be honest."
"You're giving me relationship advice?"
"Mhm."
"And what makes you qualified to do so?" she interrogates.
"The fact that I may be the only person who knows what you're going through."
She grimaces because, unfortunately, he's right. She hasn't told anyone besides him about what happened between her and Graham and she doesn't really plan on it. So she mulls it over, flipping between taking his advice and admitting he's right or defending her own pride. But she chooses not to tell Robin what she's going to do—it's none of his business anyway.
"Okay, let's get to this." She nods to the packet.
"So stubborn," he mutters, laughing to himself, and she doesn't answer. He rights himself, then, and comes over to stand next to her and look at the packet.
His proximity doesn't go unnoticed, especially when his shoulder settles on hers, but instead of telling him to move, she lets him stay, pressing slightly back into him.
"So, any ideas Mr. Creative?"
"Yeah, okay, ready?" He doesn't wait for her verification. "An orchard."
A thunderous laugh erupts from her chest and she looks over beside her. "An orchard? Out of all that imagination you were boasting about, what you came up with was an orchard for Blanchard Orchard Elementary School? Wow, such an original take, wherever did you get the idea?"
"Hear me out," he cries.
"Fine."
"Okay so imagine a really big apple orchard. And off to the right side, in the background, there is a group of children and up above them is an adult—a teacher, who is handing them apples. And it's all metaphorical, you see, because the apple is representative of education and the children are excited to receive their learning."
"Oh, is that the artist in you talking?" she teases.
"You bet it is… now, what's to go into the forefront?"
"A horse," she says automatically.
And she wishes she could take it back, especially when his next question comes, "You like horses?"
She thinks to lie to avoid the rest of the conversation she knows will follow, but she can't resist the way her secrets slip off her tongue in his presence. "I was a champion rider, as a matter of fact."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, my dad," she pauses briefly then recovers, "my dad, he owned a ranch and taught me when I was young."
She's certain he can tell that it's a sore subject for her by her tone, because he doesn't pry. Instead, he dodges, taking a new route. "So are you gonna teach me how to ride?"
She turns to face him with raised eyebrows.
"Horses, I mean," he corrects. Is that a red tint to his cheeks?
She smirks and saunters closer to him. "I'll teach you to ride anytime."
He steps even closer, closing the gap, "Yeah, I think you'd like that."
She scoffs and rolls her eyes, "Okay so are we done here?"
"Did you have a favorite horse?"
"Rocinante, my very own horse."
"Can you describe him? Close your eyes."
"Yeah right. I don't trust you so my eyes will stay open, thank you very much." She turns back around to face the table.
"Oh will you stop being so bloody stubborn," he sighs and then he shifts behind her, pressing his whole body into her backside. He's warm and she can't help but relish in it momentarily, letting the heat encompass her. Despite the fact that it's six hundred degrees outside (and inside right now), it's still comforting and, admittedly, she rather likes it, although, she'd never, ever readilu admit that. His arms are snaking around front and she watches as his hands cover her eyes. She protests, but to no avail, because he whispers in her ear for her to relax and to trust him, just this once. It's annoying just how easy that proves to be and she does relax; her shoulders stop tensing up and she lets her eyelids flutter shut.
He must notice because she feels a void return to her back as he steps away from her. "Now, describe him to me."
And she tells Robin about Rocinante's milk chocolate color, his short brown mane and the white strip that trails down the center of his face, and lastly his white hooves. When she finishes, he tells her to keep her eyes closed and she lets out an exasperated sigh but he promises that he just needs a few more seconds.
More than a few more seconds pass before she's instructed to open her eyes, and when she does, she glances down in front of her to see a pretty rough sketch of a horse, but one that nevertheless reminds her of Rocinante. She smiles warmly at it and she feels a strong urge to hug Robin for it, she doesn't though because that would be ridiculous, because they are not friends.
So she straightens herself up and gives a terse thank you and then, "C'mon, we should get back."
[:]
Mr. Nolan loved the idea, ate it straight out of Robin's palm, whom Regina let have the honors of telling them the idea. She has no idea why she did it, but she had, and it was a great feeling watching him grin like an idiot as everyone commended him for it. If she's honest, it is a really great idea and, truthfully, she thinks that it'll be a great display for Blanchard Orchard. She never has to tell him that, but it is true.
David later congratulated Regina on a job well done. Of course, she humbly admitted that it was all Robin (another thing she'd never tell him), but David still praised her for her excellence of the day and that the position was opening even wider for her. She was so ecstatic and nearly did hug Robin for that one but refrained again, knowing that there are boundaries -there have to be with him.
But when she finally gets home, she decides that she has to share her news with someone.
She picks up the phone and on the third ring, she hears panting on the other end.
"Hello?" she starts.
"Regina?"
"Graham? Hey," she greets awkwardly.
"Hey," he pants again.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just… uh, ran up the stairs to answer my phone," he continues to breathe heavily.
"Oh," she laughs nervously, "and you made it on the third ring? That's impressive."
"…Yeah."
"Well I was just calling to say I miss you and tell you that I had a really great day at work today."
"Yeah?" He sounds distracted and Regina begins to feel foolish about the whole thing. Maybe calling Graham wasn't a great idea.
"Yeah, but we can talk about it when you get home." A sad smile dances across her face.
"Uh huh, sounds good. Look, Regina, I gotta go but I'll try and call again soon. I'll see you in ten days okay? Goodnight."
"Ten days," she reiterates, "goodnight."
And then the line goes dead.
She sighs, defeatedly, and peeks in her refrigerator for food but she isn't all that hungry. So she decides to forgo dinner and just go to bed early. When she returns to the table to collect her things, her school bag catches her eye, a piece of paper hanging out of it. As she approaches and pulls it out, she discovers it as the sketch of Rocinante, bringing a genuine smile back to her features.
She immediately knows what to do with the piece of paper, then. She walks over to her refrigerator, once more, lifts a magnet and slips Robin's drawing underneath, knowing that it'll bring her, at least, a little bit of joy every time she passes by it.
Just because Rocinante, of course.