4. Breakfast

Ruby couldn't stop smiling the whole way back home after visiting Victor. She felt a little guilty about it, knowing what Belle was going through, but not so much that the giddiness died completely. Thanks to her idea of bringing him food, she was guaranteed another visit from him no matter how long it took for him to finish his lab. And his invitation to visit his lab sounded a lot like a date.

The last time she felt like this about a guy, it was with Peter. His loss still hurt but she couldn't dwell on that pain forever.

Ruby didn't have to wait long to see Victor again. He came into the diner the very next day. She was a little surprised he went through all that food so quickly, but she wouldn't complain about getting to see him. It would've been safe to assume he was coming from a break at work, but Ruby hardly ever saw him in anything other than a suit and tie.

"The food was delicious, Liza," he told her, setting the empty basket on the counter. She could feel Granny stiffen on hearing him say her granddaughter's real name. "But something was missing... something I can only get from being at the diner."

"Can't imagine what that would be," she mused, eyes sparkling at him. His mouth lifted up into a smile.

"I'm working the graveyard shift tonight," Victor mentioned. Ruby bit the inside of her cheek but it was actually Victor who laughed. "Yeah, I know, I'm really embracing the brand now. Anyway, that means I'll be off work early. I was planning to come by here for breakfast."

"It so happens I'll be working the morning shift," she returned, "so I'll be here."

"See you tomorrow, then." Ruby knew she was grinning like an idiot, and she didn't care. She was just glad Granny held her tongue until Victor had walked back outside.

"Since when do you go by 'Liza'?"

"It's my name." Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "He asked me what it was and I told him." She turned away, taking the pot of coffee and intending to go around freshening everyone's cup. She could feel her grandmother's judgmental gaze following her. Curse or no, some things didn't change.

But when she walked by, she saw that Granny's eyes were more puzzled than judging. "It's just," she said as Ruby came back to brew a fresh pot again, "you never even told Snow White your real name."

Ruby didn't know how to respond. She couldn't explain it without talking about that night on the docks, and that moment was too precious to share. "He asked," was all she could manage.

She really was working the morning shift the following day. It was one of the busier times in the diner, but Ruby was determined to steal a few minutes alone with Victor. She offered to work another server's shift in return for them covering part of hers that day, and to her surprise there was no objection from Granny. Of course Ruby was part owner of the business and allowed to make such decisions, but Granny had to know the reason behind this one. Yet she didn't say a word.

Ruby spent a long time staring at her clothes. What did one even wear to a breakfast date? If this even was a date. It felt like one, but she wasn't sure. Ruby flirted a lot during the curse but didn't have that much experience actually dating. Eventually she settled on one of her favorite outfits. It wasn't too flashy, but it was enough to show she'd made an extra effort for Victor. A subtle way of hoping this was, in fact, a date.

Not that Victor's choice in wardrobe was going to clue her in. He did look damn fine in a suit, so at least he was playing to his strengths. The moment he stepped into the diner his eyes found her. Ruby could swear he was blushing, but she had to be imagining it. Victor finally broke out of his daze and settled into a booth. Ruby got coffee started for them and hurried to claim the seat across from him.

"Good morning, Victor," she greeted him. "How was your shift last night?"

"Quiet. Hook discovered jello, so that's been keeping him busy." She chuckled at that comment. Did he always have such a good sense of humor? "Mendel is healing nicely. He should be ready to leave town in another week or so. And I had a good talk with Belle. With or without memories, she does love to read. I noticed she was going through The Mysterious Island and I suggested she read Around the World in 80 Days next. That one's my favorite."

"Really?" Ruby's eyebrow raised in interest.

"A man who seems to have an impossible dream, whose colleagues doubt his abilities. It's a story I can relate with. Plus there's adventure, traveling, finding love-" He stopped himself too late. Ruby didn't dare breathe. Victor broke the moment first. "It's a good story."

"I'll have to read it."

Victor smiled at that, taking a sip of his coffee. He seemed as awkward and unsure of himself as Ruby felt. But then, hadn't they both been given flirty, confident cursed personas? Maybe, like her, Victor was highly conscious of that persona.

Victor cleared his throat. "So I know you and Mary Margaret are best friends. That means you probably heard about what happened between us."

"I was working the night your date with her bombed," Ruby reminded him. Of course she knew she hadn't helped: she had purposefully leaned over in hopes of getting his attention. She knew what he was really talking about and spared him from saying it himself. "I know you slept with her. I saw David punch you and asked Snow what it was about."

"Ah. Yeah, well..." Their food arrived, briefly pausing the conversation. "I knew I was a rebound but I still went for it," Victor continued. "Yeah, we were cursed but I still felt like I should tell you." They both saved themselves the trouble of more words by focusing on their food for a while. "I always liked you, Liza," Victor mentioned after a while. "And I don't think that was part of the curse."

Ruby swallowed hard. She thought again of that date he had with Mary Margaret and Ruby's efforts to draw his attention, of how when she was running away he reached out to her and their eyes kept meeting. Of how she overheard him asking about the nuns when the curse first broke, and she was stung.

"I don't think it was for me, either." Their food was half-eaten and getting cold, but neither were interested any longer.

"You still want to come by and see my lab?" Victor asked hopefully.

Ruby dropped her hand under the table, finding his and locking their fingers together. "Absolutely. It's a date." His eyes lit up and she felt him squeeze her fingers.

"A date," he echoed. "I'd better get to work finishing it, then."