A/N: I really do hope you all re-enjoy this chapter all over again in Emma's POV. Happy reading! :)
Chapter 25: Emma
Leopold was one lucky son of a bitch. And it angered me that he didn't know it, nor appreciated it. Regina had chosen a pencil skirt to wear along with a purple blouse. She straightened her hair and wore a ruby red lipstick. Suddenly, I found myself feeling very jealous of the pearls that hung along Regina's neck. I wish I could be one of those pearls.
My lips become just as dry as my throat, forcing me to lick them over, lubricating them. "Hi," I breathe out. My eyes unable to blink. If I blinked, I would miss a second of Regina's beauty, and there was no way I was going to let that happen.
"Hello." Regina nods and flashes a small smile my way.
I have to force myself awake, so sure I was dreaming. "Shall we?" I move toward the door and hold it open for Regina. I look at Sidney and wave as he waves back at me with that knowing smile he always carries with him. Walking over to my car, I hold the passenger door open, hearing that loud creak again. I wait for Regina to hop right in before I move to the driver's side and drive off.
I keep the volume of my radio low, although we don't talk much on our drive to the restaurant. However, I couldn't help but keep glancing at Regina out of the corner of my eye, either. Regina always looked beautiful, of course, but tonight she looked far more relaxed and way less nervous than I felt. Stop staring! You'll make it obvious! As if Regina could read my mind, she stares at me and that makes me fiddle with my radio, trying to find something good to listen to on our drive. Of course that was a cover up to cover my nerves. In hopes that Regina couldn't see just how nervous I was.
Why the fuck was I so nervous? Not even on my first date with Audrey did I feel this nervous. Of course, this wasn't a date.
"Do I get to know where we're going?" Regina asks, breaking the silence and straight through the bundle of my nerves.
And now that we would be talking, I had an excuse to look at her without gawking. "Just a little place I found online. No big deal." I flash her a smile as I look up ahead.
I turn toward Regina as I catch her out of the corner of my eye again, fiddling with her purse and pulling out her cell phone, which I can hear vibrating. "It's Audrey." She breathed, looking at me with wide eyes.
I quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road and shut my engine off, in case Chief Irons was anywhere near her. I sit quietly as Regina quickly answers the call.
"Hi, sweetheart. How is Colorado?" Regina answers with a smile I help myself to look at. Her eyes find mine as she stares my way while I can hear Audrey's voice very faintly through her phone. "I can't wait to see it. I'm sure whatever it is, it's lovely, dear."
I hear Audrey's voice again, unable to understand what she's saying.
"What do you mean?" Regina's brow furrows. I hear Audrey's faint voice again, before I see Regina's eyes are on me again. "She must be asleep. I saw her head upstairs earlier tonight, said something about having a headache."
Shit. Audrey must have called my cell and was greeted by my voicemail.
Audrey's voice comes through, clearly giving a long explanation of something, which I can quickly tell by the look in Regina's face that she is not pleased. "Oh," was Regina's response to whatever it was Audrey had said. "Don't be ridiculous, Audrey. Of course, I want you home. I miss you," her eyes look over to me again and I can't help but feel a little sad.
You would think I would feel happy with the fact that Audrey was coming back soon, but the truth was, I wasn't. It's not that I didn't want Audrey back home. I did. I missed her, sure, but with Audrey coming back, that would mean that my time with Regina was over. And I wasn't ready for it to be over.
I reached for my phone from my pants pocket and I looked at the screen. I had ten missed calls from Audrey. I need to remember to call her back once we get back to the house.
"I'm sure I'll love it, dear." Said Regina. Audrey goes on, and then Regina says, "I will." I notice her lips barely curl up into a smile. "Bye." Was she sad, too? As sad as I felt? Regina didn't look at me, but she did speak to me next. "You turned off your phone?"
"I didn't want to be disturbed." I said, in all honesty. Regina's eyes look my way, and our eyes connect. I silence lingers around us for a while that feels more eternal to me. My nerves have left me as I am now overpowered by the same sadness I can see behind Regina's eyes. I hated seeing her sad. I wanted her to smile. "Gina-"
"Why did you invite me out tonight, Emma?" She asked me, her eyes directly on mine.
I feel the words get lost somewhere along my throat, I make an unknown sound that I can't even begin to describe. And as I want to speak, I suddenly become nervous again. "I-" I took a moment to collect my thoughts a little better. Why did I invite her out? The answer was simple as I stared back into Regina's eyes that I could distinguish even in darkness. "Because I wanted to show you a good time. What's wrong with that?"
That was the truth. I did want to show Regina a good time. I wanted to show her that not all of the world is cruel and she could still have a good time, despite her situation. But most of all, I wanted to see her smile.
Regina smiled, but it was a sad smile. And it aches my heart. Almost as if my answer wasn't the one she had hoped for. "Look, Gina…" I pause, feeling saddened again and upset that Audrey had to call in this precise moment. The last thing I wanted to do was cancel what we had planned, but if it would make Regina feel better then- "If you want to just go on home, I totally understand-"
"No!" I'm startled by how quickly Regina replied. She didn't even allow me to finish my sentence, and her eyes were wider than I had ever seen them. "I don't." She shakes her head, and I allow a small smile to tug at the corner of my lip as the words no and don't warm my heart as it begins to beat fast again inside my chest.
"Are you sure?" I ask for reassurance. Hoping that Regina's answer would still be that she wanted to go along with this dinner. Although, if she changed her mind, I had no problem in turning back around. Yes, I would feel sad, but I would never make Regina do anything she did not feel comfortable doing. And I wanted her to know that.
"Just drive, Ms. Swan." Her eyes look sternly my way and I smirk at her playfulness.
"Yes, ma'am."
I start my car and drive us off, excited to continue on with our night, and happy that it didn't get ruined.
I parked my car once we arrived, happy that I was able to find a parking spot close to the restaurant. My eyes are on Regina as I quietly watch her stare up at the restaurant through the window.
"Blue Moon?" Regina turns to me and I smile.
"Come on." I exit the car after unbuckling my seat belt and I hurry to hold the passenger door open for Regina. And before Regina could reach the restaurant where we would be dining tonight, I took quick steps toward the main door to hold it open for her, too. I can tell from the blush that settles on Regina's cheeks every single time I hold open a door for her, that no one had ever done anything like that for her before. And I absolutely love the thought of being the first person to have made such a gesture possible for her.
"Thank you." Said Regina, flashing a little smile my way.
"Good evening." A man dressed in an all black suit smiled as he greeted us. "Welcome to the Blue Moon."
The pictures I looked up online of the restaurant didn't do this place justice. It was more beautiful and more quaint in person. Just exactly the type of ambiance I had been in search of to bring Regina to. There were lit candles everywhere you looked, stems of leaves here and there, hanging about the walls and windows. The walls were made entirely of bricks, giving it a feel of a little old Italian restaurant that I knew from back home. Low music was playing, giving the space a tranquil state. I look on to see the patio, which also looks better in person.
"Good evening." I give a polite nod, while I see Regina smile at him.
"Name?"
"Swan, Emma." I said.
"Right this way, please." The man reaches for two menus and places them underneath his arm as he ushers us across the restaurant. He crosses through the doors of the patio, where I know we will be seated.
I can see Regina's awestruck expression and it warms my heart.
The patio was set up with a white trellis wall, wrapped in green plants. A few tables, square-shaped and clothed with white table cloths were set along the walls. A few candles had been placed right in the middle of them. Would this be a date, I would have gotten an A from Regina, I'm sure. And possibly a second date.
"Here you are," he motioned toward our table. I allow Regina to take a seat before taking the other for myself. "May I start you with some beverages? Wine perhaps?" He asks.
"Uh- sweet tea for me, please." I watch Regina's smile reach her eyes and I am the one in awe. Her eyes find mine as she looks to me, as if wanting to make sure that I wouldn't be upset that she chose not to drink wine tonight.
I wasn't, of course. Regina could pick whatever she wanted tonight and every night, as far as I was concerned. I always watched my alcohol intake, anyway, and right now, I didn't want any ounce of it to cloud anything from this moment.
"Make that two, please." I flash a kind smile over to Regina.
"Two sweet teas," he writes down our drinks along his pad that he pulled out of his pockets after settling the menus in front of us. "I'll give you a moment to decide what you'll want for this evening while I bring your beverages." He smiles before scurrying off.
"Thank you." Regina and I speak in unison. Our eyes find one another again once we are left alone.
We reach for our menus, and as I look over mine, I take in the prices, which weren't bad at all. They weren't cheap, but not overly expensive either. After a five minute debate of who would be paying tonight, I finally had won Regina over earlier in accepting the invitation out of my own pocket.
"How did you find this place?" Regina asks, and my eyes look up at her.
"I did some searching," I smiled, earning a matching smile from Regina in return that made my heart flutter. I look back down at our menus because if I didn't I was sure my heart would explode. "So, upon the reviews I read, it was said that the steak here is pretty good. New York strip steak to be precise." My finger points down to the list of food names. "Or they have chicken, or salmon, pretty much anything you want to choose from."
I wanted Regina to know that she could choose whatever her heart desired tonight. And I could tell from how her smile grew that she knew exactly that. Damn the cost.
Our teas were brought over to us by a different waiter. I suspected it was possibly because either the restaurant was beginning to become full, or they were short staffed. Either way, I knew Regina appreciated it as much as I did that we didn't have to wait so long to quench our thirst. Hopefully, we didn't have to wait long for our food to be brought over to us, either.
"Thank you." I nod at the waiter, who smiles at me.
"Thank you." Regina smiles at the waiter, who smiles back as she then takes a small sip of her tea through her straw.
"Do you know what you'll be wanting this evening, or do you need another moment?" The waiter asks kindly, flashing us with another smile.
"Um," I look over to Regina, allowing her to order first.
I can see she's taken by surprise, but that she's already decided what she wants as she looks back down at the menu. "Yes, I do, I think I'll have the steak tonight, please. Medium rare." She hands the menu over to the waiter before he writes down her order.
"Excellent choice, ma'am. Our steaks are our most excellent dishes. Will you be having vegetables or mashed potatoes with that?"
"Vegetables, please." Said Regina.
"And or you, miss?" The waiter turns to me.
"I'll have the same, please. Thank you." I hand over my menu.
"Another steak with vegetables, coming up." He scatters away after doubling our order along his pad and once again, Regina and I are left alone to continue to enjoy each other's company, and the soft melody that plays along the speakers.
I look over to Regina, who's smile is gone. I can see she is lost inside of her mind again, possibly thinking about Audrey and whatever she said to her over the phone. Maybe she felt a little bad because I had turned off my phone from Audrey. Or maybe she changed her mind and no longer wanted to be here with me, which I'll admit, the idea of Regina already regretting this dinner saddened me. It frustrated me not to know what was troubling her. Especially when I didn't want anything to trouble her.
"Regina," I called out to her, seeing her slightly jump to the sound of my voice. "Are you okay?" I ask.
"Why do you ask?"
"You looked a little gone for a minute." I said. My eyes remain on Regina's in search of an answer. "Are you- does this make you uncomfortable?" I frown at the thought.
Please say no. "I-" I prepare myself. "This is a first for me." Regina smiles, and my heart flutters. "No one's ever invited me out to dinner before."
"No one?" I can't believe what I'm hearing. My head tilts as a slight anger takes over me. My heart can't help but ache for Regina.
"No." Regina shakes her head. She reaches for her tea and takes a small sip. "It's alright, you don't have to look so shocked." She chuckled. "You've seen my situation, Emma."
I was well aware of her shitty nightmare, and it angered me. I hated every minute of it.
"Would it-" My voice catches in my throat as my frown deepens. I take a large, and much sip of my own tea before continuing, "Would it make me a monster if I said that I wished he would never come back?"
Surprise takes over Regina's eyes. "You?" Regina chuckles again, and I see she becomes a little more at ease with us being here. "A monster?" She shook her head. "That's impossible, dear. You couldn't possibly be a monster. Besides, aren't you the one who once told me that you've had your fair share of dark thoughts before and that it was normal to have them?"
Whatever anger I felt, whatever I frown I currently wore was gone just by Regina's words. And the look in her eyes as she stared at me. "You remember that?" My smile reaches my eyes.
"I remember a lot of things, Emma." Said Regina.
"So," I rest my hand along the table as I give the place a quick look over. "What do you think of the place?" My voice is soft.
"It's very… Romantic?" I knew that wasn't a question.
"I suppose it is," I smile and look around some more.
"Why here?" Regina asks. "You could have picked somewhere else. I mean, this is the kind of place you'd want to share with Audrey, isn't it?"
My heart stopped. Suddenly, I felt a little guilty as if something was going on here, and I was sneaking around Audrey's back. But I wasn't doing anything wrong. Regina certainly wasn't doing anything wrong. And the truth, I didn't want to think about Audrey right now. Most importantly, what was wrong with two friends enjoying a nice dinner in a nice place like this? Just as I was about to speak up our waiter came back with our orders and placed them along our table. I had never been more thankful.
We thank our waiter in unison and we share a look across the table before Regina and I dig right into our meals. As we eat and engrave in small conversation while we enjoy our meals for the night, I wonder the same question Regina had previously asked me, myself. Why did I choose this place? Regina was right. I could have chosen to take her anywhere else. And I wondered, why was my heart continuously rapidly beating inside of my chest every time I looked her way? Or when we danced this morning along the park?
All good questions that choose not to go in search of right now. Because right now, what mattered was Regina.
"How is it?" I finally break our silence between our meals, hoping to God Regina drops her previous question.
Regina nods, chewing through a piece of steak. "It's perfect." She flashes me a small smile, and I smile back. My heart fills with happiness as we continue to enjoy our meals.
As I chew through my steak, I hear the familiar slow intro to the song Fade Into You. I smile at the song, because it's always been one of my favorites. "Not bad for our first dinner outing, huh?" I turn to Regina and smile, happy to receive another smile back from her. She looks more at ease to be here, and I loved that. "I hope I didn't over dress. You seem more casual than me tonight."
Regina chuckles. "Not at all. I actually think you look quite presentable." Her eyes rake over me for a moment. "You clean up nicely, Ms. Swan." She nods.
Another smile explodes from my lips as I chew through another piece of steak. We are silent for a moment, enjoying our meals and the music before Regina speaks up.
"And I must apologize for my earlier comment regarding this place. I think it's actually quite perfect. The music is… Perfect." Said Regina.
Yes, it was perfect. Even Regina was perfect. I thought about that a lot lately. It took everything in me not to voice that out loud, how perfect I thought she was.
"Would you like to dance?" My question takes me by surprise, as it takes Regina by surprise. This place was at fault. And my genes passed on by my mother to me. Surroundings such as these always made me feel pretty romantic.
"I don't think they allow dancing here, Emma." Regina looks around, seeing no one dancing anywhere inside or around us. But I wasn't taking that as a no.
"Sure they do." I wipe my mouth with my napkin before dropping it along the table. As I stand, I reach over to take Regina by the hand.
I'm surprised when Regina doesn't pull back or protest against dancing with me. As Regina steps closer, so do I, taking her hand into mine, and placing my other hand along her waist, leaving an inch of distance between us. I feel my heart flutter as it did earlier when we shared our dance at the park. Dancing and being this close to Regina made me feel as if I were home. No one had ever made me feel that comfortable before and I wasn't looking for an answer as to why that was either. I just wanted to enjoy this moment with her. And I could tell she wanted to enjoy it with me, too.
My brow lifts in surprise as Regina follows my lead without having to step along my feet for guidance.
"I'm starting to learn." Regina grinned proudly.
"I can see that," I grin, silently thanking my mother for teaching me ways around dancing. I step up our dancing a bit, testing Regina's newfound rhythm out for a bit, by spinning her out and bringing her back into my embrace. Her hands land perfectly along my shoulders as my hand lands perfectly along her waist.
"Remind me to thank your mother if I ever meet her. You are one terrific dancer, Ms. Swan." Regina's grin is broad and bright, it tugs at my heartstrings.
"I'll be sure to tell her that the next time I speak to her. I'm sure she'll be eager to meet you."
And just like the flick of a light switch, Regina's smile is suddenly gone, making me question what, oh, what could be crossing her mind. "Hey," I speak in a soft voice, dipping my head to try and find her gaze, get it to meet with my own. "What's going on?"
Regina shakes her head, flicking her imaginary light switch and giving me the most perfect smile. "Everything's just perfect." I watch the movement in her throat, seeing her swallow, and I can't help but wonder what could Regina be keeping from me. "My daughter is right, you are quite the romantic."
Now it's my turn to frown as I then lick my lips, feeling them go dry at the mention of Audrey's name. And what comes out of my mouth next, surprises me all the more. "If you don't mind, Gina… I really don't want to talk about Audrey right now." I whisper, hoping my words fell on deaf ears.
Our dancing slowed down until it came to a halt, and I noticed a slight frown and questionable look draw itself out along Regina's face.
"Why?" Regina breathes out. Her eyes lock into mine as if she is searching for her own answer, just as I am searching for an answer in hers.
"Because right now- tonight- I want it to be about you." I spoke with nothing but the truth as my heart started dancing along my chest, and I quivered with fear. "You have been deprived of so many things, forbidden to truly enjoy anything the way a woman like you should. It just isn't air."
"Life isn't fair, Emma," Regina chuckles.
"You're right, it's not. But that doesn't mean it can't be," I shrug. "I guess that's just what I've been wanting for you, ever since I met you."
My mother always told me I had a way with words. I just never imagined they would hit someone so profoundly that it would cause Regina to shed a single tear. Was it wrong to say these things to her? Because they didn't feel wrong. In fact, they were nothing but the truth, and I wanted- I needed- for Regina to know it. I didn't notice at what moment did my other hand land along Regina's hips as I held her close to me, but it had. Just as Regina's hands remained stone-still along my shoulders without so much as a twitch.
"Emma-" I hear a small gasp escape through Regina's lips as I can't help myself, and I wipe away the fallen tear, carefully with my thumb. I never wanted to see her cry. It pained me too much.
"Do you want to know why I invited you out tonight?" I whispered, waiting for a short minute before my mouth and my voice decided to speak up for me as I found myself suddenly lost in the moment. "Because I wanted you to see that you are perfect. Because you deserve someone who will see you and know how perfect you are."
"Someone?" I nod, and Regina's eyes light up in a way I had been noticing them do when she was around me lately. I loved how they lit up, and truthfully, if I was the cause of that, I loved that idea even more. "Someone… Like you?" She asks. Her question made my heart vibrate inside my chest that it was hard to breathe.
Someone like me? Why not? I feel my eyes light up as something strikes me. A feeling or a realization that I could not deny anymore. My thumb continued to stroke soft circles along Regina's cheek as I felt lost in her eyes. I could feel her pulling me in as I was frozen in place, living in a moment that had unexpectedly become our own. And before I know it, I feel Regina's lips on mine, and as I do, my heart ignites in a way it never had before. My eyes grew wide by the surprise of the kiss Regina had dared to give me. And I knew the right thing was to pull away, but damn it all to hell, if I hadn't been thinking about kissing her myself.
I give in as I feel the world around us slip away, my eyes slowly close and my lips begin to move ever so slowly, following Regina's guidance that only deepens our kiss. And as our kiss deepened, I felt free to ever so cautiously wrap my arms along Regina's waist, and pull her into me, closing whatever little distance no longer existed between us.
My head slightly dips forward as I feel Regina abruptly pull away and break away from our kiss and my embrace. "I'm sorry-" There's fear in her voice and in her eyes as I blink myself back into the now. "I want to go."
Go? No. "Why? Regina-" Regina interjects after me.
"Emma, let's just go. Please." I see she is on the verge of tears as I look into her eyes.
"Regina, hey, listen-" I grab onto her arm to stop her from leaving as she whirls around to leave. Regina yanks her arm away from my hold and I take a step back. And finally, as I look into her eyes again, I realize what that spark in her eye meant. My question was, for how long did Regina feel this way about me?
"Please, Emma. Let's just go." Regina wipes her tears away with the back of her hand and quickly scatters away, through the doors we had been escorted through, all the way across the restaurant.
"Wha-?" I follow Regina with my eyes but I can't move. To say I am shocked by the fact that she kissed me was an understatement. I didn't even give of a shit of the people eating outside, around us, staring at me wondering what had just happened.
Regina kissed me! My hand came up, my fingers gently touched my lower lip as the burning sensation of Regina's lips still lingered there. I could still taste the sweetness of her tea in her mouth, I could feel the softness of her lips and lipstick pressed against my own lips. "Holy shit," I breathed and smiled. I smiled so widely that it hurt my cheeks.
Whatever surprise I felt before had vanished and was replaced by the answers to so many asked questions about myself lately. Kissing Regina was like waking up from a realization that had been staring me in the face this entire time that I did not and could not see before. But it was clearer now. All I knew was Regina couldn't get away without talking about this. Because I wanted to talk about it. And truthfully…
I wanted more of it.
With that mindset and determination, I rushed through the glass doors and hurried my way through other tables from inside. I paid for our meal, which had been completely neglected, and hurried to meet Regina, who was waiting for me by my car.