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"I found him smoking." she said firmly, while she nervously played with her fingers under the headmaster's desk.

Robin was looking at her with watchful eyes, his chin on his knuckles, an arched eyebrow and a kind smile.

"mh. In the bathroom?"

"no, next to the window, in class, before the bell rang."

"oh. Well, it's a serious thing." while he said so, he riffled through his agenda, scrolling his finger down the phone numbers he had written on it until he found the one he was looking for; then he took his phone. Regina was looking at him with the corner of her eye, careful not to be noticed: he was handsome with the phone stuck between his cheek and his neck, his eyes lost somewhere undefined and that patient and kind smile always printed on his lips.

Regina wasn't expecting to see him again, not that soon anyway. But she kept on reminding herself that that was her job, it was her duty to report a student's infraction, he was the headmaster and he needed to know. There was nothing more. Just the job.

"he'll be here in a moment." he said, hanging up the phone. He buried his blue eyes in hers and his kind smile turned in a sweet one. Regina felt her heart melting in her chest, so she smiled back to him.

"I... I don't think it's necessary to suspend him." she said, trying hard to keep talking about school and nothing else. Robin looked amused:
"In fact I won't."

"good." she looked away, not able to stand that man's blue eyes that were making her feel amazingly strange, like she hadn't been feeling for so long.

"so... it's better for me to go. I have the break now."

"cheese and ham sandwich again?" this time he left himself go to an amused giggle.

"tuna and tomato. And you should stop judging me anyway!" she laughed too. Fuck everything, she felt so good with that man. Fuck the scholastic situation, he was able to light up her never-so-darker days and she didn't want anything to hold her back from enjoying the time she spent with him fully.

"oh but, you know, you make me feel funny." he said between smiles and Regina's heart lost a beat. She found it hard to breathe and, for a second, she worried about blushing definitely too much for such a silly thing he had said.

"mr. Locksley, Mc Kluskey is here." a third voice -the same one who had interrupted her launch the day before- interrupted them. The boy walked in with a smug smile, so sure of himself that Regina felt nauseated. He was dressed in black, his hair dark and curly, his brown eyes were shining with sureness. He was some kind of familiar to her.

The woman left the three of them alone and Robin's eyes slipped out of Regina's to stay focused on the boy:
"you know is prohibited to smoke inside the school, don't you?"

"in fact I was smoking outside."

"your math teacher told me she saw you smoking in the classroom." Mc Kluskey looked at Regina from head to toe, lingering his eyes on her cleavage, arching an eyebrow at how much it was showing. Regina felt the guy's eyes on her and she felt like a piece of meat. Disgusting. She looked down, trying to ignore that devastating sense of nausea that only Victor, until then, was able to cause her.

"my arm was actually out of the window." he chuckled, keeping on staring at her with that smug smile of his that Regina would have been more than happy to slap away from his face.

She heard Robin's voice:
"it's against the rules anyway. This time you'll get just an admonition, but next time you'll get suspended." he said serious, putting on his glasses to read some papers. For a second, Regina seemed to forget about Mc Kluskey's presence and she dedicated her attention to Robin: he was even more handsome with the glasses on, if that was possible. They made him look more like a professor and she loved it. A lot. She found herself fantasising about a man for the first time in years; years during which she had only been scared about having a naked man in front of her. But with him, oh, God... what was he doing to her? Why did she feel like he wanted to see all of him? why did she feel like she wanted to have all of him? It was so wrong, but still, it felt so right.

She smiled when she was sure he wasn't looking.

"Mr. Locksley." the guy nodded to Robin, then he looked at Regina and winked at her: "Miss. Mills."

Robin didn't notice it but Regina did, since Mc Kluskey had made sure his eyes were buried deep in hers. She felt her stomach turning upside down, like when she was at home with Victor. She couldn't even be respected from her students, now.

The guy walked out and she followed him immediately:
"how dare you, Mc Kluskey?" she shouted

"oh, come on, Miss Mills! Don't lie to me, I saw how you look at me during your classes, I saw the way you blush everytime I look back at you!" he got closer and caressed her arm, making his hand fall from her shoulder to her elbow. She shivered. The same horrible sensation she felt everytime Victor touched her.
"Mc Kluskey..."
"oh, please, call me Josh. And give me your number so I can call you whenever I'm bored at night." he chuckled while his hand travelled lower and lower, behind her arm, until he reached for her back. He grabbed her ass hard, making her jump on her feet. Regina reacted, this time: she stepped back and slapped him right on his face.

"how dare you?! I'll suspend you!"

He laughed at her:
"you don't have the balls, Miss Mills." as he said so, he ran away.

"MC KLUSKEY!" she shouted in vain. She felt Robin's office's door opening and he suddenly was there, he had her back, he was ready to fight with her, fight for her. But maybe... this time, he was too late.

"what happened?" he asked worried.

Regina swallowed hard. It was her occasion. She could tell him everything, or, at least, just what had happened in that corridor; she could make that guy pay for treating her like a piece of meat.

She could stop being weak for a second and accept someone's help. But she didn't.

"nothing, he was just... running in the corridor." she looked down and he noticed that that light she had a few moments before in his office, had slowly started to fade away. He had to do something to light it up again, he didn't care about the rest:
"you know, for today, my launch break is gone and I have to go back to work. You know whose fault it is?" he said giggling, pretending to look at his watch. Regina finally looked up to him and smiled:
"not mine, Locksley!" she chuckled.

Yeah, there It was. That light.

"oh yes, it appears to be yours, Mills. So, I was thinking... what could you do to be forgiven?" it was crazy how she didn't feel uncomfortable with that man at all, not even for a moment. It all felt so natural, how it supposed to be in a normal relationship between a man and a woman. There was an unexplicable and bizarre complicity between the two of them, a complicity that they had built up in less than 48 hours.

"I won't work overtime, I'm telling you."

"Oh, no no, in fact I'm asking for... a longer break." his smile widened while he pronounced his invitation: "I'd like to offer you launch. And I'm not talking about that odd kind of launch that you like, made up of a sandwich and a bottle of water. I mean a real launch. Here, in my office. I'll order something from the best restaurant I know and I'll make room on my desk. Do you think you can accept my request, Miss Mills?"

Her heart was beating crazily and she couldn't do anything to stop it. She couldn't believe her ears: he had really asked her out for launch! Well... maybe not exactly out. It was actually in his office; but it didn't matter. He wanted to spend his break with her, he wanted to know her better, just as much as she wanted it too.

"yes, of course. I'd love to." she said, trying to stop her voice from getting squeaky. Robin smiled widely:
"so, launch in my office it is. Tomorrow at 12.30. I'm counting on it."

"I won't miss it." she smiled back and, this time, her smile reached her eyes too.

Nothing and no one was going to take that beautiful smile away from her that morning. She woke up feeling absolutely great, for the first time in forever. The only thought of seeing Robin again made her eyes sparkle with joy and made the butterflies fly around her stomach.

They were such wonderful sensations that she hadn't felt in a very, very long time. Sensations that she wanted to feel every single day of her life.

She kept on repeating herself that all of that was wrong. She was a married woman and probably he was married too. And even if none of them was, he was her chief. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn't give a damn about all of that: she wanted to spend some time with him. And her marriage... for all she cared, her marriage was over anyway.

You always have to bow your head, Regina. Marriage is sacred, it has to be honored. Always. No matter what will happen, you'll always have to respect the promises you made to Victor.

Her mother's words resounded in her head like a melody and, immediately, her smile faded away. She asked herself what would she think of that whole situation: would she tell her to save her marriage even if she'd told her her husband beated her up every single day? Maybe if Cora was still alive, she could have asked her what to do.

She remembered it quite well when she said to her that she was still married to her dad because it was what good women do; she didn't feel anything for him anymore, neither did he, they didn't even share the bed anymore, but it didn't matter. To the people, to their friends, they were just as married and in love as ever.

What mattered was to always make a good impression.

Regina knew that there was no escaping that mortal trap she kept on calling "marriage", not even if she wanted to: she had tried a million times to ask Victor for divorce, but the answer had always been the same: a slap right in her face. Maybe, one day, she would find the courage to talk to somebody, maybe for the first time in her life, she would be able to ask somebody for help. And that somebody, maybe, was the man she was going to have launch with, that morning.

She didn't know why but she knew she could trust Robin Locksley. Of course, she wasn't going to talk him then or anytime soon, but maybe, when it was the right time... she was going to open herself up.

Maybe. If he's not married. If he still wants to talk to you after a single date, Mills.

"where you think you're going dressed like that?" Victor's sleepy voice coming from the bed made her jump on her feet. Usually, he didn't wake up before noon, he used to spend the rest of the day on the sofa, watching tv and doing god only knew what until she was home to prepare him meals. Jeez, she hated him so much.

"to work." she said, trying not to sound as annoyed as she actually was. She was scared of his reaction.

"on the street?" he chuckled to himself "because that's what it looks like, with that skirt." Regina looked down and for a second she asked herself if he wasn't right. Maybe she had exaggerated. She gave a quick look to the mirror and shook her head: there was nothing wrong with that red knee-length skirt she was wearing, nor with that white shirt she loved so much. Yeah, maybe she had left the first two buttons opened, and yes, her legs were naked, but she tried to convince herself that there was no particular reason named Robin Locksley why she did it.Really. Not at all. It was just... hot. In school. Generally.

"I don't want the other men to stare at your legs and boobs all the time." he said, sitting on the mattress.

Regina kept her eyes stuck on the floor, trying hard not to look at him.

"there are no men in school. Only women." she lied. Maybe, that would stop his questions and allow her to leave that god damn house without being forced to change her clothes. Because he was going to ask for that, she was more than sure.

"oh, well... then I think I should come visiting you at school more often." he laughed "you know, I really need to remind myself how a real woman looks like, sometimes." Regina felt the tears pushing to get out of her eyes. She was sure she didn't give a shit anymore about what her husband thought of her; she didn't love him anymore, she would give whatever just to not see him anymore; but there was something in his words... they felt like a knife right in her heart.

"why don't you get yourself one, then?" she snapped and bit her tongue not even a second after, mentally damning herself, already tasting his slap.

"what makes you think I haven't already?" instead, he laughed; he laughed at her, at her sufferance. Moment after moment, word after word, day after day. He had taken away all the happiness from her, and he was soon to take her life too, she was sure of that.

Regina left her home without saying anything else, while all she could hear were his laughters, and she asked if what he had just said was true.

If he was cheating on her... why was she feeling so guilty for seeing a colleague she barely knew for launch? Was it about her mother's words?

You're an idiot, Regina.

This time, she told herself, the voice in her head was right.

The lesson ended at 12.20 and she arrived at her locker at 12.25, nervous as she'd never been, trying to arrange as quickly as possible all the papers she had in her hands. There, under the register, she found a note, written on a very familiar yellow post-it. To Regina. Her heart started beating so fast, making her feel like one of her students with their crush. She read it and blushed lightly:

Waiting for you. On time. Or I'll fire you.

She wanted to laugh; she swore she could actually hear Robin's giggle.

God, the way he made her feel... in different circumstances, she'd say he was flirting with her, but she kept on telling herself that she shouldn't give herself false hope, her heart wouldn't be able to handle another delusion.

Stop it, she kept on repeating in her mind, as if she wanted to stabilize her heartbeat.

She walked, or better, she ran, as much as her heels allowed her, to the headmaster's office and, once she arrived, she took a long, deep breath. She could do that. She was a grown woman, she had to stop acting like a teenager with her first crush.

She knocked and opened the door with a smile that she thought she had lost years before:
"may I?"

"Miss Mills!" Robin exclaimed looking at his watch "two minutes late. I think you should reconsider your conduct in the future." he wanted to pretend to be angry but he simply couldn't, so he burst into a laughter that Regina couldn't help but return. She was so comfortable with that man, even when he had closed the door and they remained alone... she had always been scared, since Victor had started to beat her up, of staying alone in a closed room with some guy. But Robin was... oh, so different.

"wine? It's the best I had at home." he handed her a wonderful glass of red wine that Regina couldn't help but appreciate. He had done all of this for her.

"should I think that you want me to get drunk?"

"mmh, maybe. But I'm not used to women with a ring on their finger." he pointed at her wedding ring with his index finger and there Regina's face darkened. Shit. She had ruined everything with her own hands, now there wasn't even a little possibility that he could find her... what, Mills? Datable? You knew that there wasn't going to be anything between the two of you, you knew it from the beginning.

"please, have a seat." his voice woke her up from her thoughts and made her focus on what usually was his desk. Until that moment, she hadn't noticed the way he had organized it perfectly, with a blue table cloth, two plates that contained what definitely appeared to be fantastic food, a bottle of wine and the bread basket in the middle. Everything was so intimate, and cute, and perfect.

"I brought the bread, in case you want to prepare yourself a sandwich." he made fun of her and she laughed.

During the whole launch, they talked about them, silly questions, silly answers, they were laughing like crazy idiots, they couldn't stop smiling for a second. Regina was feeling great, she won't even think about what he had told her before, it was in the past. Ok, maybe they weren't going to be more than friends, but she surely wanted that man to be a part of her life.

They chatted, he asked her how many years she had been teaching, If she liked her job; Regina asked him if he had children. He didn't.

"me and my... ex-girlfriend tried hard, years ago, but... nothing. It wasn't mean to be, probably."

"well, you're still young. Maybe you can... try again. With... with the right woman." she bit her lip as she blushed like an idiot and her eyes slipped into Robin's. Oh, God.

"yes, maybe. With the right one." he repeated, as if he was charmed by her eyes. A shiver ran through both of their backs, completely shaking them, forcing them to look away.

Robin cleared his throat and asked his next question:
"what about you? Do you... have children?"
Regina shivered again, but this time it wasn't a pleasant shiver. She remembered it perfectly, because that was the exact reason her marriage had turned to be so miserable, three years before. She and Victor had tried so hard to have their own child, but it didn't work out. He kept on blaming her, saying he was absolutely healthy and she wasn't; so he forced her to make some blood tests and... he was right. She couldn't have children. And there it all started; the first fights, the first slaps, the first tears.

"no, I... I don't." her face darkened but this time he noticed it and put her hand over hers.

"hey... I didn't mean to upset you. I'm so sorry." Regina didn't wince at his sudden touch. It was all so natural between them, all so comfortable. She felt his warm hand on hers, cold as ice, and she smiled at him. Like she had never smiled to anyone.

"it's okay. It's just... you know, bad memories. That's it." he only smiled back when he had made sure she still had the spark in her eyes that she had had during the whole launch.

"So..." he exclaimed, removing his hand from hers to stand up. Regina couldn't deny she was sorry for that: she was already missing the contact between their skins. "I brought the dessert too, Miss Mills. I won't let you go away thinking that I'm horrible at organizing launches."

"I never thought that. Not even for a second. Everything was delicious." she stood up too, helping him packing the dishes to bring them back home.

"I'm assuming this will be our first and last launch together, won't it?" she watched him biting his lower lip, hesitating. Robin didn't want to sound so eager to see her, most of all because she was a married woman and he wasn't used to flirt with married women. But there was something so different with her; something that simply felt so right.

"absolutely not. Next time, it's on me. But in a real restaurant." Regina giggled.

"oh no, milady. I won't allow you to pay me launch, ever."

Milady. While her heart kept on looking for a way to jump out of her chest, Regina took a deep breath:

"it would be a pleasure, Robin, really. I have to return the favor. Please, just... tell me when you're available." Oh, God. She couldn't believe she had actually said it. The only thought of seeing him again, that he actually wanted to see her again, made her feel a grip around her throat. Yes. It was really happening. "if you want, you can give me your number, so maybe we can..." she constantly bit her bottom lip, nervously, as if she was scared of the words that could come out of her mouth.

Actual five-years-old, Mills.

"absolutely." he replied with a smile that was, at the same time, able to calm her down and to make her heart beat faster. She loved that man's smile, quite a lot.

Robin bent over his desk to write his number on one of his yellow post-it's, making her smile, then he handed it to her. Regina took a moment to focus on the long fingers that were holding the piece of paper: she asked herself how they would feel against her skin. They would be delicate, a delicacy that she didn't know anymore, they would caress every single inch of her body, healing every wound, filling all the gaps.

Stop it, Mills.

She shook her head and took the post-it: "thanks."

"thank you for this wonderful hour. I hope I finally found at least one friend in this school!" he giggled and Regina tried to convince her heart that the only reason he kept on considering her a friend was because of that goddamn wedding ring that she kept on wearing. If only there wasn't Victor...

"my pleasure." and she smiled.