Hey guys! i'm so sorry for the delay, I know I promised twice a week but, I have a good excuse, I was at San Diego comic con! and yes I did see the ONCE panel, meaning I got to see our beloved Belle and Rumple in real life! aaaand I got Robert Carlyles signature! and I also got a once themed tattoo! I know this is a bit hard to believe but it's real life! anyway now that i'm back in the real world I will try and post AT LEAST twice a week! sorry this chapter is so short, I just had to get something out quickly! enjoy!
She walked into the office the next day with her head held high. Belle had decided the night before that she was going to be bigger than this new found crush on her boss. There was no way he would be interested in her and any attention he had given her was probably either an attempt to manipulate her of was simply his attempt and being social. So Belle had chosen to ignore it, she was here to do her job, at she was damn good at it. She had even chosen a stylish, all black, outfit to further the idea that no one was getting under her skin today.
Sadly the day was uneventful; she scheduled some meetings with clients, helped Jefferson with the new website and talked to Emma (the other front desk girl) about a book she had lent her. 1:00 roller around and Belle was considering taking her lunch, when she heard a small tap on her office door
Belle looked up to see Mr. Gold leaning casually on his cane on the other side of the glass door. Shocked, she stood and opened the door. "Hello Mr. Gold, can I help you?" she questioned nervously. "Well, perhaps" he began "I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me to lunch". Belles mind spun, he was asking her to eat with him? What was this? "Sure!" she spluttered out. Together they walked out of the office and headed to the elevator. "Where are we eating?" she asked, breaking the awkward silence. "well, they just finished this new hamburger place on one of the lower levels, I heard it was really great". Belle was surprised, she would have never taken the old Scotsman for a hamburger guy.
She followed him out of the elevator on to the bottom floor of the office building. The building held several expensive and trendy restaurants on the lower floors, one of the newer ones being a place simply called BLT. Belle and Gold fallowed the hostess to a table. Belle noted the overall style and hipness of the place, so unlike any burger joint she had been to before. She looked at the menu; all the items had funny unconventional names like "The Al Capone" and "The interstate 80". None of them sounded particularly appealing to her, she wasn't really one for burgers. Finally one caught her eye "The Stipper" it was a burger without a bun, served on lettuce. She blushed as she gave her order to the waitress, the slightly scandalous name sounding juvenile in front of her uptight boss. He gave her a small smile and said "I'll have the same".
As comforting as this small gesture was, the rest of the lunch passed awkwardly. He made very little to no attempt to make conversation with her, simply scanning the small restaurant or staring and his well-kept nails. Any efforts she made at conversation were answered with polite, but short responses. He paid and they left and silently, once again, ascended to the office.