hey everyone! I was supposed to update this yesterday but I fell asleep on my laptop -yep. I know. I'm terrible.
But hey! here it is! hope you like it and, as always, sorry for all the mistakes. Enjoy!

She had taken a taxi and came back home, alone. She hadn't had the chance to speak to Robin again after the fight in his office, she didn't even know if he had fixed everything up of if he was just trying to avoid her; all she knew was that she had fucked up. Completely. She had probably made the worst mistake of her life.

When she arrived home, she didn't find him and she was glad: it was going be far easier for her to leave that house without even giving him an explanation. Because yes, Regina Mills wanted to go back at her place. It didn't matter how hard it was for her to revive everything, it didn't matter how much she hated every inch of that house… she simply couldn't look into those blue eyes that she knew she had let down once more.

And yes, probably he had let her down a bit too. Maybe all she had wanted was for him to wrap those strong arms around her and tell her everything was going to be fine, that that asshole was going to be forced to leave the school once and for all… but he hadn't, he hadn't done any of this. He had just jumped off his chair and invited her to leave. And that look in his eyes— God, that look could have killed her if it had lasted a couple of seconds more.

She shook her head, trying to push away that thought for as long as she possibly could. She ran in her bedroom and took her bags from the closet. She hand't spent a week in that house and she already wanted to leave. She had to leave, it didn't matter what she actually wanted. She rushed to put all of her clothes back in her bags and it was when she struggled close them that she realized she was crying again. God, she was a total disaster.

She heard the door opening and closing a second after and her heart lost a beat: he was back. She had to face him; she had to get lost in those blue eyes one last time. She would have to fight with everything that he was to firmly walk past him and leave that house anyway, despite his begs, the words he could possibly say. She had made her decision, and she wasn't going to change her mind.

"Regina? Are you home?" she closed her eyes and took a deep breathe: he was looking for her. Judging by his voice he was worried, almost terrorized. She heard his footsteps everywhere, in every room. He's looking for you. He cares about you.

"I'm here" she breathed out, squeezing her eyes shut. She heard him running straight where her voice was leading him, in her bedroom.

"Christ, Regina! I've been looking for you everywhere! Didn't you see my calls? I was worried!" he wasn't angry. She saw the way his eyes fell on the bag full of her clothes that she hadn't manage to close and this time it was his heart to lost a beat.

"what are you doing?" it wasn't a real question, more like a whisper to himself.

"I—I'm leaving. I've been here for a day and all I did was giving you extra problems. Today I made you risk your reputation… I have to leave. It's the right choice, for everyone." he stood frozen for a second, looking at her walking past him like he was transparent to her eyes. For a second, her scent was all he was able to feel. It was invading him completely, driving him out of his mind, he couldn't think straight anymore.
He grabbed her arm, with delicacy, making sure not to scare her, or hurt her in any way:
"please, don't." no, he couldn't have said that for real. For the first time he was begging her to stay. He was the one to need her and he wanted her close to him.

"why?" her voice was a simple and weak whisper but Robin managed to hear it loud and clear.

"I don't care about my reputation at all; I could fuck it up in a second, for you. I would fight with McKluskey, if you asked me, with anyone to protect you. I would do everything I did today again, just for you, Regina." he wasn't thinking. He just felt his lips —so damn close to her neck, to her smooth skin that he was dying to taste— moving uncontrollably and pronouncing words straight from his heart, that he couldn't even find time to process. He wasn't thinking, it was his heart to take full control of his being. For the first time in forever, his heart was prevailing over his brain.

He saw her parting her lips and closing her eyes little by little at every inch she gained closer to his face.

"why?" she whispered one more time, her heart literally racing in her chest.

"because I…" his fingers closed around her arm —those warm, calloused finger that she wanted to feel everywhere. His palms against her skin and his lips —God, those lips.

He wasn't thinking. She wanted her, she wanted her, every part of her —those lips. He wasn't thinking. "because I care about you."

Then she understand: after all he had said to her, after all the important words he had used… It was the right moment to confess his feelings for her, to give her that kiss they had postponed for so long. But if it didn't happen and wasn't happening there was a reason: it wasn't meant to be. He wasn't ready and maybe she wasn't too; maybe she didn't even love him. It was simple, intense affection for a man who had literally saved her life, more than once.

It was there that she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight:
"I'm so sorry" she cried on his shoulder, and him, after hesitating a second —probably half confused and half disappointed one more time by himself— ran his hands down her back, then up, then down again, as if he was trying to calm her down. She had to cry, to let everything out, then he could give her the good news; then he could tell her that McKluskey wasn't going to be a problem anymore, that he had been expelled and she wasn't gonna see him anymore. The only thing he wasn't going to tell her was that he was about to punch his face until his nose bled —because he was capable to kill for her.

But she… wasn't ready to hear about his feelings. Maybe she was never gonna be. If it hadn't happened and wasn't happening there was a reason: it wasn't meant to be. Maybe he didn't even love her. It was simple, intense affection for a woman he had literally saved, more than once.

It was there that Robin closed his eyes, breathed her in, and swore to himself that he was never, ever gonna look at Regina Mills with different eyes, or think about her like she was something more than a friend. They were going to live together, to share special moments like the one they were living right then, but he was never going to think again that those moments could become something else.
It was a promise he made to himself, from the heart.

The next two months passed by so quickly they looked like days. Regina had learned to smile again, to work with serenity, with joy. Every day she took a step forward; she was now able to sleep alone, without the need of feeling Robin's arms wrapped tightly around her. She even managed to spend some nights alone in the house: she put on some music and wandered around the kitchen, preparing something Robin would enjoy at his return. She had really made some enormous progresses, and he was proud.

Robin… well, Robin was the first thing she saw every morning, when she jumped off her bed and walked around, looking for chocolate. He had stopped bringing her breakfast in bed — "you have to take that nice ass of yours out of this bed and start doing something, Mills! I can't treat you like a queen forever!" he had joked, making her laugh till shiny tears were running down her cheeks— but he made sure everyday that she ate before running to work. It was important for him.

"good evening, handsome!" she greeted him wearing her pink pajama, hair tied in two adorable little pigtails and a huge bowl of popcorns. It was Friday night, he was late, but it was their movie night, the moment they both looked forward for the entire week.

"mmh, hello your majesty! you look… elegant!" he joked, stealing a handful of popcorns as he hanged his coat behind the door.

"shut up! it's my favorite pajama and I wore it for you!" she giggled.

"oh, I love it. With those little pink pigs, though, it's adorable!" they laughed together.

"so, what movie did you choose this time?" he ran in his bedroom to change himself, but she still could hear him from there. Regina smiled:
"A Night at The Museum"

"oh, yep, I heard about it… it's so cool apparently."

He disappeared completely, but this time he closed the door, leaving Regina behind him, with a smile printed on her lips. She put the disc in the dvd player and sat back on the couch, with the bowl of popcorns between her legs.
She waited for Robin to get out —wearing soft flannel grey pants and a white, almost transparent, tank top. She involuntarily bit her bottom lip, making him smile:
"ready?"

For a moment, Regina lost herself; the movie! He's talking about the movie, Mills, obviously.

"of course! come on, come here and hug me, Locksley!" she made room for him to sit next to her and so he did, opening his welcoming arms, inviting her to get in between them. She laid there, on his warm chest, between his legs, wrapped in a tight, loving, friendly hug. It was the moment they've both been looking forward the entire week, the one they loved the most; but none of them had the courage to admit it, not even to themselves.

Regina was feeling protected, safe from everything and, as she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, listening to his heartbeat, cradled by his breathing, she was sure that the world could end right there and she wouldn't care, she would've been fine with it.

He heard her laughing a couple of times during the movie, and he laughed too, not for the scenes, of course, but for her: for her face curled in the most beautiful, sincerest of smiles, and that laugh that made her look like a child…

They ended up stealing popcorns to each other, completely ignoring the rest of the movie. It was always like that between them; every time they ended up dedicating to one another and talking for hours.

"and then he told me I was beautiful and gave me a flower!" she smiled, playing with a popcorn "the guys of the first year are really cute. Of course, just a few of them. I remember I had a crush on my teacher during my first year."

"oh, what a lucky man!"
"yeah. You know, to be honest, I was pretty ugly in high school; I was chubby and I wore glasses and my hair was super curly like… nothing like the straight one I have now! God, it was terrible!" she laughed nervously, blushing at what she had just confessed to her best friend.

"I'm sure you were beautiful! I would've totally date you."

"you?!" she burst into a loud laughter "my God, Robin! this is just bullshit! I bet you were the typical football player every girl had a crush on! You would've never ever date me."

"actually I sucked at every sport, except athletics. I had the abs, baby!" he winked at her, making her laugh hysterically "but yes, I must admit I was a really nice guy. I've had… a lot of girls." he smiled bitterly "but I would've been a complete idiot if I would've let go a marvel like you." he was telling the truth, it wasn't just a random sentence to impress her. He was always honest when he talked to her. The sparkle he had in his eyes could lighten the whole room, and that smile, those lips just as red as Regina's cheeks—

"oh, come on, Locksley! that's just not true." she punched his shoulder, making him smile again. Maybe he should have insisted on how really, truly beautiful that woman was; but he had sworn to himself that they had to maintain their relationship as a wonderful friendship, and that he shouldn't have thought about her differently… but he couldn't. Fighting against everything that he was was just useless; that woman was under his skin.

"You're right, I was an idiot. I'd have probably preferred one of that cheerleader girls, mostly whores, stupid and empty to a beautiful -inside and out-, smart, lovely girl like you. Back then, I didn't care. I had needs, I had moods and I satisfied each of them. I used those girls, slept with them once, maybe twice but that was it. I was an idiot, Mills, believe me, you're lucky you haven't met me." she saw the way his face darkened and she felt the need to say something. Something to make him feel better, to help him understand what an amazing, extraordinary man he was.

She put a hand on his cheek, caressing his beard, then smiled:
"any woman would be lucky to meet you now, though. And you may have made mistakes but, believe me, it doesn't matter. I just have to look into your eyes to see what wonderful man you've become." she saw him smiling, finally, and returned his smile, spontaneously.

God, if only they could see themselves from the outside they would have understood how the sparks flew between them, as they could start a fire just by looking into each other's eyes.

"then I think I shall take advantage of it, since someone still asks me out."

"what?"

"Daniels. She asked me out to dinner next friday. To be honest, I think I did, but I'm not sure. It all happened by chance; she walked into my office and… I think I started flirting with her." he bit his lower lip, suppressing another smile, while Regina felt something inside of herself slowly dying. "I only found out when she left that we have been speaking for more than an hour." while he kept talking, Regina's eyes wandered everywhere trying to escape his. No, God, no, it couldn't be. No. No. She wasn't jealous. Christ, she couldn't be! She had made herself a promise, goddammit!

Irene Daniels was the literature teacher at school and, right then, Regina wanted nothing but an excuse to hate her, find even the littlest flaw in her, but the truth was that she was really nice; inside and out. Her olive skin, her green eyes, her full lips, her dark curls… she was stunning. She always brought her coffee during her break and she was always so kind with everyone. She didn't have any reason to be angry at her, or to hate her, it didn't matter how hard she was trying.

"so, what you say? Do you think it's a good idea?"

She reluctantly looked at him into his eyes: the last thing she wanted was for him to suspect she was jealous. Because she wasn't. At all.

"are you even asking?" she forced a smile "of course it is, Locksley! She's probably the only woman crazy enough to ask you out!" she joked, making him laugh. This time it was his turn to punch her shoulder playfully, as Regina forced the millionth laugh. God, she couldn't believe she was literally pushing the man she loved in the arms of another woman…

"yeah, I guess you're right." she saw him biting his lip. For a moment, she thought she'd have died to hear his thoughts, to know how he felt when he was with her, when he wrapped his arms around her, and when he was with Daniels. She'd have given everything to read in his heart.

"I was thinking about taking her at the new hotel-restaurant they opened on the beach."

"oh… hotel-restaurant?! You've quite high expectations, sir!" she tried to keep her playful tone, bu she was really, really dying inside. The sole thought of him holding another woman in his arms, kissing her and making love to her was eating her alive. But she wasn't jealous. The sole thought of another woman tasting those lips she had wanted more than anything else for more than three months was torturing her. But she wasn't jealous. The sole thought of another woman loving and cherishing his body, passing her fingers through the skin she had wanted to feel under hers, kissing him and feeling him inside of her was killing her. But she wasn't jealous. At all.

"I really just want to try to let myself go. Finally, for once."

She nodded. With a strength she didn't believe she had anymore, she faked a yawn, then another: "oh gosh, I'm really tired." she kissed his cheek, then she smiled "I wish you all the best, Locksley. You deserve it." and she meant it, every word.