Here's the new chapter! Thank you for following and reading! I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Also, I meant to change the rating to M on the last chapter, but it will definitely be changed this time.
G.
UPDATE 10/27/14
A few people were saying that I was straight out copying the story A Baker's Dozen. I don't see how I was, but please if you have an issue with it ignore it because I wasn't intentionally plagiarizing. I think what people thought I was trying to copy was the scene in his room, but I can promise you I was most certainly not. I do not plagiarize, it is low and frankly stupid.
Anyway, I'm debating on whether or not this story should go on, because it is an AU, so will people constantly be thinking I'm copying A Baker's Dozen?
G.
..
...
Saturday morning, Regina sits at her desk with her cup of steamy, 100% Colombian coffee (with a spritz of sweet crème) while grading papers from yesterday. It's the first quiz that her students had for the year, and most of them have been doing pretty well so far.
Her attention is shared, though, between three different takers. One: Henry's cartoons blaring on the television in the living room – that she's already told him once to turn down. Two: the papers that are setting in front of her – one stack of graded and one stack of to-be-done. Three...three is Robin.
She picks up her phone from her lap and smirks, seeing his flirtatious little text. Just three words made her smile so easily: Good morning beautiful is all that it said, but it was more than enough for her. She replied with a blushing smile emoji, then sends back, "Good morning handsome."
The conversation went back and forth, from what are you doing to what about later today.
Regina knew this was a test, one he was giving to see if she remembered their date tonight. "If I recall correctly, I have a hot date at a bar." She sends back, pleased with herself as she smiles and tries to continue grading papers. She only adds one more to the finished pile before he replies again.
"Ah, who is the lucky man?"
Her fingers dance around over the keyboard, trying to decide what she wants to say. Did she want to keep messing with him, keep teasing? Or did she want to give in and say something about Monday night, about the same handsome man who snuggled on the couch with her. She finally decides after a minute or so and types out, "You know him quite well."
She goes back to grading, only getting through about half of the paper before he replies again. She finally decides to just lean back in her chair and focus only on Robin's text that read does he know you well? which made her smile big. "Oh, he's seen parts of me that no one else has..."
"Ahh, well that sounds an awful lot like me. But change of plans, can we go a little earlier? I'm terribly bored and sitting all by myself; a lonely man with nothing to do." He replies.
"Drinking before nine?"
He replies, "No, I was just hoping for dinner at 6:30..." and before she could reply again, "I'll pick you up at 6:15?"
She smiles and bites her lip while typing, "Okay, that'll work. Emma's coming at six, she had planned on me making dinner but I'll just make it earlier." then sends it.
"I'll see you later, then." He says with a smiley face. "And bring your ID, otherwise they may not even let you drink." He adds a winky-face onto that one.
She huffs a little and rolls her eyes, "Mhmm...kiss-up."
"Ooh, kissing."
She rolls her eyes again and laughs. "Men..."
"Kissing men? I'm more into kissing you."
"You know what I meant."
…
…...
By 6:00, Regina has fixed dinner (today's entree is baked chicken with gooey Swiss cheese melted over it, green beans on the side – though Henry protested that one), finished grading all of the quizzes, taken a shower, and now she was now getting dressed after she had already done her hair and her makeup.
She rummages through her drawer to find a black push-up bra with lace trimming the top. She remembers why she has this – because of Graham. He had gotten it for her for her birthday one year, but was so drunk that she didn't even wear it for him. She grabs it and smirks a little, knowing she doesn't exactly have intentions of letting Robin see the scandalous article, but at least it wasn't the plain old, old, white bra she was wearing the last time. She puts it on with matching black underwear, if you could call them such a thing. (The thin material had Regina wondering if it could even be considered underwear, but the piece going up places that she wasn't used to told her otherwise). She heads to her bed and takes the little black dress that she had laid out earlier there. She slips it on and zips the back up. It's sleeveless, coming up to her collarbone, but has a little horizontal, oval shaped hole just above her cleavage.
She steps to the mirror and smiles, feeling beautiful and...quite sexy, instead of having to wear her comfortable and sensible teaching outfits. She slips into her accent red shoes, high-heels that were about three inches tall, showing off her perfectly sculpted muscles in her calves.
Going into the living room, Emma whistles, "Ow ow!" She teases. Henry looks at Emma with a wrinkled up face, his nose scrunched up and his brows furrowed.
"Mom...why are you dressed up?"
"I- am...meeting with a friend tonight. A school teacher friend." She replies, picking up her purse and putting it over her shoulder.
He stands up and crosses his arms, "Who is it?"
"His name is Robin."
His brows fly back practically into his hairline as he yells, "A boy?!" in the most disgusted way. "Mom!"
"Henry..." She scolds with a chuckle, putting her wallet in her purse and making sure she really did have her ID, "I'm allowed to have dinner with friends, just like I am allowed to have dinner with Emma. Am I not?"
He scoffs through his nose and furrows his brows again, "But she isn't a boy." He says, still completely revolted.
She laughs and shakes her head as she hears Robin's knocking on the door. "Then why don't you meet him? He's a friend to me, so he can be a friend to you, too."
He thinks about it for a moment, then finally nods after what looked like much hard thinking and long consideration. Regina smiles, glad he approves – in a sarcastic manner. She opens the door for Robin and steps up against him, immediately whispering, "Henry thinks you're my good teacher friend. Not a..." She pauses when she realizes she doesn't really know what they are. He steps in and kisses her on her lips after whisper okay, saving her from further embarrassment of almost calling him her boyfriend. They step out from behind the wall and at a distance from each other.
"You must be Henry?" He asks, seeing the boy standing there and trying to look intimidating. When Henry nods, Robin smiles. "Ah, I've heard much about you. You see, your mother and I have lunch together at school like you do with your friends. She talks about you a lot."
"She does?" He asks challengingly, keeping his arms crossed.
Regina nods and smirks, then so does Robin, "She does. She also says that you're superb at math, and could teach me a thing or two in it."
He raises his brow and plops down on the couch, lightening up a little. "I mean...I guess I can teach you math. But there's gonna be a fee."
That makes all of them laugh, including the blonde sitting next to Henry who ruffles her hand in his hair. "Alright, you little rascal. Ready for dinner?"
He replies with a nod, then they say their goodbyes and head into the kitchen. Regina takes Robin's hand and chuckles, "Yeah...good choice about the math. He likes it when he thinks he's smarter than adults." She teases, taking her coat and phone, adjusting her purse on her shoulder as they walked out of the door.
She bites her lip as she sees his black sporty car, still not knowing what kind it was. She thinks she should ask him, but then decides no to. He walks her to the door and opens it for her, "M'lady." He says charmingly.
She sits down in there and gives him a look, one that was very playful. As he walks around to the other side of the car, she looks around his car. She hadn't ever paid any attention to the insides of it the other times she was in it. It was leather – bright red leather. She runs her fingers over the middle seat, amazed by the beautiful interior.
She startles when he plops in beside her, "Do you like it?" He asks with a chuckle.
She nods, "It's very fitting for your bright personality." She shoots off, teasing him and being flirty.
Something Regina never was: a flirt.
…
…...
Dinner was magical, they ate at their new favorite place to go together: Sonic. Yes, Sonic. Once Regina made him try it, he couldn't stop eating it, accusing her that she's going to make him fat.
"Where is this...Rabbit...Hole...place?" He asks, looking around from plaza to plaza, making sure he didn't miss it.
She points up ahead and to the right, "Right there. It's the neon sign."
He finds it and they pull in, finding a parking spot and getting out. He takes her arm and she felt herself blush a little, so she quickly looks away before he sees her cheeks redden. They go into the bustling place, the lights in the room were dim and it smelled of alcohol – obviously. They walk in further and Regina is immediately turning necks. She doesn't realize it until Robin nudges her side, showing the full table of men who were watching her like a piece of meat. "Revolting..." She mumbles under her breath.
"You're beautiful."
"But I'm not a steak, Robin..." She snaps slightly, making him back off the subject.
They head straight for the bar and take seats beside each other. He looks at her, waiting for her to order. She bites at her lips a little and takes a deep, nervous breath. She didn't want to admit to him that she's never had to order her own drink. Emma or Graham always would, and those are the only two people she's drank with. "I..." She stifles out.
"What? Have you never drank?"
"I've drank..." She corrects him, looking down at her fingers twiddling with each other, "I've never had to order a drink." She states, clearly a little embarrassed about it.
He nods slowly, keeping his chin in the air, "Oh, I see the problem. Well then, let's order a Jack and coke double-tall for the both of us, please." He tells the bartender, who turns and starts working on the drinks.
She looks over at him, "Jack and coke?"
He nods, "Whiskey...haven't you ever had it?"
"Yeah..." She replies unsure, still twiddling her thumbs. "Okay no."
He chuckles and replies, "Well I'll teach you how to drink the non-fruity stuff, then." and says it with a smirk; a grin that only he gave her.
She hands them their drinks, a tall glass of Jack Daniels whiskey and coca-cola. The smell is actually better than Regina thought it would be. She takes it in her fingers and is about to tip it back when he stops her. He lifts his glass up to her and tilts his head forward a bit, wearing that same grin. "A toast?" She asks. He nods and she asks again, "To what?"
"To...a long lasting, great friendship. To teachers." He says the last part with a bit of sarcasm in his voice but it makes her laugh anyway.
She nods and tilts her head forward too, mimicking his position, "To teachers." She teases as they both tip the glasses back.
…
…...
Half a glass in, she notices a brunette who sits down next to Robin. She sets her glass down and leans into him a little, Regina could smell the alcohol on her breath already from all the way over here. Robin has already downed his glass and a quarter of another by this time, and he was getting buzzed.
"Hey." The brunette says, which Regina quickly recognizes the voice to be Ruby, the young lady who works at Hooters.
Robin looks over her way and nods, "Hello."
Regina's bubbling. Not with happiness. Not with alcohol. With jealousy. But she takes a deep breath instead of pulling Robin to her like she wants. She exhales and remembers that Robin is just friendly, very friendly to anyone and everyone he meets.
"Haven't seen you in a long time, Robin. How have you been doing? Or should I ask...who have you been doing?" She asks in a flirty tone of voice, chuckling a little.
Regina's heart is pounding at those words. This slu- woman...knows him? How?!
"No one, lately, thank you." He replies defensively. He tips his glass back and takes a sip, "I've got a teaching job, it consumes too much of my time."
"Even your night times?" Ruby asks, getting dangerously too close to him.
Regina should've expected this. She didn't even know the man. She knew he had a son, and that's about it, so she knew he must've had a wife or girlfriend or something. But for some reason, he was just too appealing to her. She didn't even stop to think about the chances of him being like this. Like...like a hustler of some sorts. She takes her drink and sips at it angrily, trying to make herself stay.
"No, night times aren't as busy anymore."
Anymore?! Anymore?! That was it. There was the line. Regina sets her drink down and puts a tip on her spot at the counter, telling the bartender she didn't want anymore.
Robin sees her get up and stumbles quickly to his feet, "Regina?! Regina, wait!" He yells, running after her. She was already at the door, pushing it open.
"Anymore, Robin? Your nights aren't busy anymore?" She asks, the hurt apparent in her voice. "Don't you think I deserved to at least know you were a hustler? Or are, really, since you were just letting Ruby flirt with you?"
"She wasn't flirti-"
"Don't say she wasn't flirting, Robin. I know what flirting is like. I've seen enough students do it, enough people do it, I've seen Emma do it, and even I was stupid enough to let myself be doing it!" She states, building up until she was angry again.
He shrugs and mutters out, "I'm not a hustl-"
"Oh you're not? Then why were your nights always so busy?"
"Would you let me finish, Regina?" He asks, getting a little irritated. She huffs and shifts her weight to one leg, letting him go on. "Yes, in my time I may have been what you consider a hustler. I worked at a bar, I picked up women that I happened to like a little and think they were pretty, and I spent the night with them. Is that what you wanted to know?" He asks, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
She huffs and shakes her head, looking away from him. She presses her lips together and starts walking off, only to stop about five steps later. "You know, I should've known, Robin. I should've known the second that you flirted with me at that school that you were like this. Because it was way too easy for you. You knew exactly what to say to me."
"But Regina-"
"No, don't talk to me. All you wanted from me was to get into my pants, right? And I was stubborn, I was not giving you what you wanted. So you can go into the bar and pick up Ruby. Hell, take her home for all I care." She hisses, turning again to walk away.
"Regina! I've changed! I am nothing like that anymore." He says, running after her.
She stops and scoffs, "Right, so tell me again why you were letting that slutty woman flirt with you in there?" She demands, her breaths getting heavier as she stood there and boiled with anger.
"I didn't even know she was flirting, Regina, honest. I swear to you I didn't know."
She huffs and shakes her head again, "I thought we had something." She whispers, still appalled. "I let you...I let you do things to me that I don't let people do so easily. I trusted you."
"It's not like I went out and cheated on you the next day, is it? Regina, this was harmless. All I want to do is be with you. I'm different, I don't do that stuff anymore. Why do you think I got the teaching job instead of being a bartender?" He asks, pleadingly looking into her eyes.
She shrugs, "I figured you got fired for having sex in the back room or something." She says bitterly.
He huffs and wipes his mouth down to his chin, "No. I didn't." He replies, clearly a little hurt in his tone. "I quit because teaching was a better job for me. It also keeps my evenings busy with the football. So I'm sorry, but your argument is invalid." He states, still a little irritated and disgruntled.
She sighs and shakes her head, "What are we even, Robin? I mean, are we even anything that I should be worried about you picking up a girl? Because...I don't want to be on a string. We've gone on a few dates and we're always together so what the hell are we?"
He rubs the back of his neck, looking down at the cracking sidewalk beneath them. "We're..." He pauses and sighs, "What do you want to be?"
She just looks at him, silently telling him what she's wanting to be but never saying it. He watches her body language and she does the same for him, "What do you think, Robin? I mean, I've gone on dates with you, I went out drinking with you, I let you..." Her voice trails off after the words get caught in her throat a little.
He sighs and nods, knowing what she was saying. "I want you to know, first of all, before anything else, that I didn't just ask you out to...to have sex with you." He says, and she could sense the genuine tone in his voice so her face lightens up a little bit. "If that were the case, we wouldn't still be able to say we haven't done it yet." He adds on, making her scowl lighten again.
"Then why did you ask me out, Robin? You saw all those guys in there, they were sizing me up like...like they were going to bet on how I looked naked or something. That hurts."
"I know it does." He says softly. He steps toward her, now in her personal space. "I asked you out because I wanted to get to know you. And here you are, knowing more about me than I really wanted to tell. And I'm ashamed of my past, I was stupid and young."
She bites at the inside of her mouth as she tries to gather her next thought, "Roland's mother..."
"She was...yes. A one night thing." He admits, looking down as he says it. She could tell, then, that he really is guilty of his past. "It's not the life I ever wanted for a child of mine. I-I never planned on having children until I was married." He admits, drunk enough that he was feeling the fullness of his emotions, starting to tear up barely.
She cups his cheek and presses her lips together, "Robin..." She whispers, seeing the sadness in his eyes. "You're a good father to him, okay? He enjoys his playground trips, his McDonalds, his games with his dad...doesn't he?"
He nods after a few moments, "Yes...he seems to."
"Then forget this conversation ever happened. Okay? I believe you. I believe you're guilty about what you've been. I haven't exactly been the best all of my life, either. So let's just forget about it and go home, I'm tired of drinking." She states, wiping the wetness under his eye.
He nods and kisses her forehead, "And by the way..." He whispers after a few moments of silence, "I want to be more than just teacher friends." He finally admits, mocking Henry's earlier statement a little as he slides his hands and arms down to around her waist, hugging her.
She smiles against his shoulder and whispers, "Good," with a smile still, "And I'm sorry...for accusing you of every-"
"Shh." He hisses softly, "We said we'd forget about that."
She nods against his shoulder, "Okay..." Regina says in a whispering tone. She swallows thickly and pulls away from him, "I should drive you home, you're a little too buzzed to be driving."
"But my baby..." He says with a frown.
"Your car?"
"Yeah...my baby."
She rolls her eyes and huffs, "I'm a careful driver. Besides, I'm not letting you drive." She says defiantly, taking the keys from his pocket and heading off to the car before he could really stop her. She laughs as she gets to the driver's side door and unlocks it, "C'mon, pokey."
He sighs and walks to the passenger side, opening it up and getting in. "How are you going to get home?" He asks, looking over at her with his head leaned against the headrest.
She shrugs, "I...didn't think about that." She says, picking her phone up out of the console area and dialing Emma's number. It was already 8:30, which was past Henry's bed time.
She asks if he's in bed, and Emma tells her that he's been zonked out since quarter 'til eight. He fell asleep on the couch, and she took him up to the loft. Regina thanks her and tells her that she's staying the night out, asking if she could maybe stay there for the night.
"Ooh, really? You're actually getting to second base? Or should I say...sexond base?" She asks, teasing Regina because she hadn't had a boyfriend since Graham who was too long ago.
She sighs and looks over at Robin, almost as if she was telling him to cover his ears. "We aren't having sex. He's too buzzed to drive me home and I'll just sleep there tonight. It's no big deal, really."
"Mhmm..." Emma says sarcastically.
Regina debates on arguing again, but decides it'll do no good with the blonde. Instead, she just says her goodbye and thanks her again for staying there, then hangs up. "Where do you live?" She asks, putting the phone down again.
"In the Sherwood Apartments." He says, smirking at her.
She ignores it for a few moments, going the route they needed. "Okay, why are you smirking at me?"
"Emma asked if we were having sex, didn't she?"
"Of course she did. She's an idiot." Regina growls, her knuckles turning white from holding on to the steering wheel so tight.
He lets out a chuckle, turning to face out the windshield with his head still against the headrest. "I just find it kind of funny."
She rolls her eyes and just thinks men...
…
…...
She walks into his apartment behind him, her eyes immediately drifting to all of the trophies he had on the walls, some even just in boxes. She guessed from that, that he must've just moved. Which she already knew...duh.
The apartment wasn't very peppy or cheery, instead, it was partially-decorated – only with two pictures of Roland and Robin up on the wall, the rest of the wall was just plain white. He had a couch, a chair, and two bean bag chairs sitting around the living room, and she decided that must be what they sit in when they watch television or something. She smiled when she saw the picture that had Roland's handprints painted on it. She got closer to the paper on the wall and it says (in what must be Roland's handwriting) I love you Daddy. It made her heart immediately warm up.
She was taken from her thoughts by Robin's gravelly voice, "You can have my bed tonight, I'll just take the couch."
"Oh, Robin..." She says, turning around. "I can't kick you out of your bed. Really, I'll just sleep on the couch." She argues, clasping her hands together as if she were nervous. And she was – is. She wasn't sure why, but she is.
"Nah, I sleep on the couch sometimes anyway. It's okay." He answers, taking the blankets that he stored out from under the couch.
She sighs and tilts her head over. She looks down at her outfit, not thinking about this part of it. The skin tight dress was already bothering her, how would she sleep in it? Maybe she should've told Emma to just pick her up.
"And I have some big t-shirts you can sleep in, if you want. I'm sure you don't want to wear that to bed, right?" He says, making her smile and wonder if he read her mind.
"Yes, please. I would definitely rather get out of this dress." She agrees, looking down at it again and picking at it a little.
He spreads the blanket out for himself and then starts heading elsewhere, "Follow me, I'll give you a shirt." He says sweetly, holding his bedroom door open for her. She smiles and rushes to the door, thanking him as she walked by. She goes inside his room, which isn't any tidier than his living room, unfortunately. She decides that she may not get sleep, she may just have to clean his room up before morning.
He goes to the closet and picks out a large tee for her, "There you go, I don't have any pants or anything that would fit you...sorry."
"It's okay, I don't sleep with pants on anyway." She says with a slight click of her tongue, letting herself flirt again and chuckle.
He smirks, "Why do you tease me like that?" He asks sarcastically.
He goes back to the closet and changes with his back to Regina as she slips from the dress and into the tee. She can't help but look back to see if he was undressed yet, and much to her luck, he is. He only has boxers and socks on, but something catches her eye and makes a smile curve up on her lips. She bit her lower lip as she watched him move, seeing the excitement he apparently had.
He turns to her, full-fledged and ashamed of nothing. Which in Regina's mind, he certainly has nothing to be ashamed of. He has perfect ab muscles, his pecks just as perfect, and that arousal that she just can't seem to take her eyes away from. She bites her lip and chuckles in her throat. He looks down, "Oh my gosh." He says, quickly grabbing for pants in his closet.
Regina clears her throat, "I was admiring, dear..." She coos playfully.
He raises a brow as he holds his sweats in front of him. "Oh, were you?"
She nods and raises both brows, "Mhmm." She says, taking a deep breath.
He steps a little closer to her, mostly to straighten and look at her. "And what were you admiring?" He asks.
Damn. She wasn't expecting him to ask that. She plays it cool, though, and calmly walks to him. She gets close to him, holding her body against his. Her fingertips trail like a feather up his naked, muscular thigh and to the edge of his boxers. She breathes out and smiles, then moves closer. "This..." She whispers as her fingers slowly make their way to touch him, making him jolt.
She sees him bites at his lips, and it made her smile a little more. "I...was under the impression...that you didn't want to have..."
"I don't." She quickly interrupts. "But...you pleased me...and it isn't very fair for you to get nothing out of it. Now is it?" She whispers, now rubbing him with her fingers completely.
He tilts his head to the side, trying to hold a moan in. "Okay..." He whispers, "That...is something I can do."
She smirks a slightly and then gently pushes him to his bed, he falls down backwards on it and lays on his back, looking up at her like a deer in headlights. She smiles and runs her fingertips softly down his toned stomach, down to his underwear hem. She tugs at it a little, teasing and playing with him a little before slowly taking them down. She bites her lip and so does he when his erection springs free from the confined space. She takes a deep breath, taking in how large he is.
She looks in his eyes and grins, somewhere between deviously and innocently. She licks her lips and stops before she ever touches him, resulting in a dirty look from Robin. She reaches for the bottom of her shirt – his shirt – and pulls it over her head. It turns out she is letting him see the naughty lingerie after all. She bites her lower lip, seeing he's doing so too. "You- you're...stunning." He whispers, not able to take his eyes off of her beautiful body.
She blushes again and steps close once more, staying silent but thanking him by wrapping her fingers one-by-one around his member. He groans and she smiles, realizing she's bringing him all that pleasure. She takes it back and spits in her other hand, rubbing it into the one she was using. "No dry handjobs..." She says with a smirk, rubbing again.
His eyes closes again, and she knows he's pleased with what she is doing now. He opens his eyes just barely, enough to see her almost naked body in front of him, seeing her hand move a little more vigorously now. She knows it won't last long, he's already sound wound up just from the sight of her (which made her stomach and chest absolutely, undeniably bubble because of it).
He moves his hands to her thighs and halfway to her ass, rubbing them slowly as her hand works it's magic. She's sitting between his thighs on her knees, rubbing his stomach with her fingertips again on her free hand. She looks down between them, rubbing her thumb over his tip gently and his thighs squeeze against her. She takes that as a I like that, and does it again.
He breathes out, almost like a stifled moan. She looks up at his face, it was contorted all in pleasure and lust. She couldn't help but think for the umpteenth time that he was so good looking. He had everything, the muscles, the stubble, the dimples...all of it. A low moan emits from his lips and she watches him as his brows furrow and his teeth clench. She watches him and watches, loving every move she made has an affect on him.
She works him until his fists clench at the sheets underneath him. "Mmmm...Regina..." He moans. Just that made her feel her wetness between her thighs, feeling how hot she was. "Regina..." He moans again, pointedly this time. Only then, she realizes, he has nothing to let go on. She sighs quietly and reaches down for what looked to be a random washrag (which isn't surprising in his messy room), wadded up on the floor beneath them. She holds it over his tip carefully, letting him come with her names on his lips, "Regina!" He cries out, taking a harsh breath in and screwing his eyes shut.
She smirks and feels his warm juice drip down her fingers, still holding his cock in her hand. She slowly and carefully wipes the tip, then wipes her fingers with a clean part of the rag. She takes a heavy breath and looks up at him, laying the rag on his lower belly next to his softening member. "How was it?" She asks, hoping she did it right in his eyes.
"Beautiful." He mutters out, making her smile.
"Now if you go with some other woman, I'm making a promise here and now to cut that off. Personally." She threatens playfully, now climbing up beside him and lying in his arms.
He smiles and shakes his head, "I told you, Regina...you're the one I want." He rasps, still on his back.
She cuddles next to his warm body, enjoying the comfortable silence for a few moments. Did he mean it? She was scared, now (and rightfully so), that he was just telling her these things. That he was just doing this to her for nights like this, and nights more passionate eventually. She was scared that he would tear her heart in two, but she liked him enough that she had to take that chance. She sniffled a little to break the silence, "So...is this...is this what we are?" She asks, unsure of herself which she absolutely hates. She likes to be authoritative and know what she's talking about.
She feels his chest expand beneath her head, taking a deep breath in before answering, "No...I want more than this."
Her heart fell to her spine, she was sure. She closes her eyes to keep the tears at bay, "You want more? I told you, Robin...I'm not giving myself away to-"
"No...I want more. I want...us to be more." He interrupts her in a whispering tone, still slightly rasping. He turns to look at her on his arm. "I want...a relationship. A real one."
She looks up at him, the tears still shimmering in her brown eyes, "You do?" She gasps quietly.
He nods and turns more toward her, "Yeah. I want to try, and to succeed. Can we...can we do that?"
She nods desperately, a little too desperate than she meant for it to look. "Yes...yes." She says, calming herself down.
He smiles and kisses her forehead, "Then...I guess that's that. Right? Girlfriend?" He asks in a whispering tone, a grin gracing his lips and making him look even sexier with those dimples.
She smiles back at him, kissing him passionately as a yes.
…
…...
The next day, she woke up with the sheet tucked up over her shoulders, in his tee again. She looked at it, confused as to what had happened, knowing that she fell asleep in his arms with only the lingerie and blankets. She sits up in bed and realizes it's only laying over her, not on her. She smirks a little, knowing he did this for her. She lies back down and takes a deep breath in, smelling the scent his pillows have. They smelled like him, like a masculine...woodsy smell. Like forest.
She sits up after a while and reads the note on the headboard that she'd just noticed was taped there:
"I had to get Roland this morning. Sorry, I didn't wake you up because you just looked so peaceful. I'll be back around ten, but until then, you can help yourself to anything that's in the kitchen."
She smiled to herself and stretches out with a loud yawn. She pulls the t-shirt over her body, then realizes Roland is coming and she has no clothes. Surely she can find something to wear, right?
She gets up and rummages through his closet, feeling like she was violating his personals but she needed something. She finally finds a pair of sweatpants. They were a little big, but so was the t-shirt. She goes into the living room and sees the blankets all mangled up from where he had slept there. She smirks a bit, realizing he was a true gentleman last night.
She goes to his kitchen and just grabs an almost rotten banana. She just "grins and bears it", so to speak, and eats it on his couch.
At precisely 10:00, she finally hears his car in the parking lot. She never realized how loud it was until just now, but she loves the way it sounds – the echo, the loud hum...beautiful. She had finished her banana earlier, and now was just sitting and playing on her phone, checking her Facebook, her Instagram...all of those things.
"Where is she?!" Roland shouts as he goes into the door. Regina looks around and smiles, seeing the most beautiful, curly haired boy bopping in. "Are you Regina?" He asks as if he's been a thousand miles just to find her.
"Roland...manners." Robin warns, coming in behind him with a Thomas the Train suitcase – clearly for Roland.
The young boy nods at his father, "Sorry daddy..." He says, but then turns back to her and awaits her answer.
She smiles and gets up, "I am...you must be Roland?" She asks.
He nods, "I'm this many!" He states, holding four fingers up, hiding his thumb in his palm.
She laughs and so does Robin, "Well, that's awesome. My little boy is this many." She says excitedly, over-dramtically holding ten fingers up.
His eyes widen, "Whoa! I want to be that old. What's his name?"
Regina carries on the conversation with the babbling boy, sitting down, and eventually him joining her on her lap with Robin beside them. She cackles and laughs through the whole conversation as he babbles away about his cars, one that was just like his daddy's – a Ford Mustang. It made her happy that she finally learned what car he drove. Not only about his cars, but about his trains, his books, his coloring books...
By the end of the conversation, she had decided that Roland's parental life may not be perfect, but he certainly was one blessed and loved little boy.
…
…...
Monday's good morning text consisted of good morning, girlfriend with a kissy face emoji, Tuesday's was the same thing, but with a heart face. Wednesday's was a mixture of the two, and Thursday morning, she was up earlier than usual – 6:00. She takes her phone out and decides to text him first, typing out to Robin: Good morning, boyfriend complete with a kissy face and a heart eye emoji.
She gets ready for the day, getting dressed and then puts her phone in her pocket. At 6:45, she feels it vibrate in her pocket. She takes it out and sees, "Ugh...good morning, girlfriend. Boyfriend is sick, really, REALLY sick."
She sighs as she sees what he replied. Instead of texting back, she calls, "Hey babe...what's wrong?"
"Other than the horrible fact that I've been sick literally all night, I have a fever of 101.3." He says groggily.
"Oh...Oh no. I'm sorry. You aren't going to school today, right?"
"No, the sub will be there and the assistant coach is doing practice tonight." He says, ending in a cough.
She sighs again, not liking that he was sick at all. "After lunch I'll swing by and bring you something to eat, okay? Make sure you keep a cool rag on your forehead, it'll help a little." She says, becoming all motherly.
"Okay..." He says.
They say their goodbyes and hang up, but Regina has that gloomy feeling over her all day until her lunch break. She gathers her things and decides to not prepare her work for another day, deciding that Robin needed her more.
She stops by Sonic and gets his favorite meal – six piece chicken tender (with honey mustard), a side of mozzarella sticks, and a root beer float. He always got that ever since they first had it together, and she thinks that maybe will cheer him up a little bit.
She drives to his apartment and knocks on the door. She doesn't hear an answer, but instead receives a text: My voice is pretty shot. I said come in, but you can't hear me. I'm in the bedroom.
She sighs and lets herself in, clutching the bag tightly when she sees how messy his whole apartment is. She has to take a heavy breath to keep herself calm and not scream, so she goes into his room and tries to ignore it all. "Sweetie?" She says, rustling the bag, "I brought you some lunch and a root beer float. It may help your sore throat a little..."
He groans from the bed and sits up, "Thank you." He says, sounding like a growl but it was just that his throat was so scratchy. "I...I appreciate it so much."
She nods and hands the food to him one-by-one, talking to him and trying to make it to where he doesn't have to talk, "I got your usual, and I got my usual. Can I join you for lunch?" She asks, holding her burger out in her hand with a hopeful little grin.
He nods and cracks a small smile, letting her know it was a yes. She crawls up on the bed beside him and snuggles into him, not caring that he was sick. He needs her, and she'll be here. At least she likes to think he needs her, though he hasn't really said it. Why else would he tell her he's sick, though?
…
…...
"You're pregnant?!"
Emma shakes her head, "No! Not that kind of news!" She snaps to Regina, who is still cackling away.
She tries to get serious and crosses her legs, leaning back on the couch and crossing her legs, "Oh, oh. I see." She says, taking a sip of her lemonade and watching Emma playfully over her glass. "Then what kind of news is it?"
"Definitely not that I'm having a baby. What kind of girl do you think I am?" The blonde asks, narrowing her eyes. Regina huffs and takes another sip, raising her brows and letting Emma know she wasn't going to say anything. "Well, anyway. No...it's...I got a job!"
"You what?!" Regina exclaims, spitting out some of her lemonade in a shocked manner. She grabs at her chin, trying to absorb the drip with her fingers. "You..."
"But don't worry!" Emma interrupts before Regina could say anything else, "I can still pick Henry up after school Fridays, and I can still babysit whenever you need me to just about, since you don't need me in the day. I got a job at the sheriff's station, I finally got it. So he can come with me, even, in the summers if-"
"No." Regina states, standing up and setting her glass down. "No, no, no. He is not going and spending his summers with convicts."
"Well anyway..."
"Congratulations." Regina says, calming down only a little.
Now she didn't know what to do for summers when she still had to be at the school, she did summer school jobs and she tutored, too, to bring students' grades up. She would have to find someone else, now.
She takes her phone out as Emma goes off to play with Henry, and she texts Robin who was feeling much better after he took some allergy medicine, determining that his fever wasn't anything dramatic. "Emma just got the job with the sheriff. Now Henry won't have a sitter during the summer." and then adds a sad face.
After a few minutes, he texts back, "I'm sorry, love. But if it's during the summer, I can help out with the little scamp. He's taken to me quite well, I think..."
She chuckles and bites her lip as she texts back. "Are you busy today? We're all just hanging out at the apartment, you could come over if you want."
"Nope, I have Roland. Is it okay if he comes too?"
She shifts in her place for a moment, a little nervous to really meet and be around the infamous Roland that he's talked about, now, for about a month. For her family to meet him, for Emma to meet him. It was all like it was building up for something really...really great. Her fingers dance over the screen a lot, "Yeah, that's good. Henry would have a good time with him, I think."
"Alright, when shall we be over?"
They make their lunch plans, Regina says that she'll make some cheeseburgers and broccoli, even though Robin sends back a "sick face" which makes her laugh.
Afterward, once everyone ate, Regina and Robin were outside on her staircase.
"Your son is such a sweetie, Robin. He's nothing like you." She teases, making it known with a wink.
He gives her a look that he only gives her; the one which he squints his eyes, purses his lips, and tilts his head forward to almost give him a double-chin. "Ha-ha...very funny. I hope you know he is a lot like me. Manners and all."
"No, he has manners, you..."
"I have manners!"
She give him the look, the one that only he gives her, "Robin, when I went in your apartment Thursday I saw the deli wrappers from the day we went to the park." She says, still keeping her head tilted over a little.
"Okay...well...I never said I wasn't sentimental."
"Sentimental?" She asks, raising her brows, "About...deli meat?"
He chuckles and rubs her cheek after bopping her nose playfully, "No, silly, about you and me. Our first kiss, our first actual date..." He says, which makes her smile and blush. He chuckles, "I love it when you blush."
"I am not blushing." She replies defensively, looking away from him and fixing her hair.
He laughs a bit and pushes her hair out of her face, cupping her cheek in his rough palm. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, it's quite cute."
"Cute?" She asks challengingly.
He smirks and kisses her lips, "Cute."
...
...