Chapter Text
“Shoot! Shoot you idiot!” The whole pub is on their feet and almost everyone is shouting ‘shoot’ or something like it. The ones that aren’t are yelling for the defense to get their act together. Watching soccer at the pub is never boring, that’s for sure. Robin and several others curse the team, when they don’t score. It takes a few moments before Robin and his friends are back in their seats, sipping their beers, but still bitching about the game.
The pub is small, which is something that Robin likes about it. Pubs should be small, it’s one of the main characteristics of a pub. This is a British pub, so anyone with any kind of British heritage like to come here. Either that or just people who see themselves as anglophiles. Whatever it is, there’s normally a great atmosphere in here. Tonight is no exception, the whole pub is buzzing with talk of the game. It’s an important one, it’s the semi finale.
It isn’t until the talk has died down, that Robin notices the low chuckle of a woman, not far behind him. The noise is familiar, but he doesn’t dare to believe that it is, who he thinks it is. It isn’t until she says “Some things never change” that he turns and locks eyes with her. She looks older, hell, it’s been 9 years since he last saw her. It would be odd if she hadn’t changed at all. In reality he knows that she was at Marian’s funeral, but he doesn’t remember much from that day at all. He only faintly recalls the people that were there, bits and pieces from the ceremony, but mostly it’s just a blur. Juliet had arranged it all, with no help from him, apart from the occasional nod or shake of the head.
But it’s in a good way, that she looks older. Regina doesn’t look old, just mature, like he hopes he does himself. She still looks as stunning as she ever did, with her dark eyes and dark brown hair, which is longer than he remembers it.
“Regina” Robin smiles, as he steps around the other tables and chairs, closer to her. He doesn’t even think about approaching her, it happens like some kind of instinct deep in him. Like a moth to a flame. He stops right in front of her, hesitating for a moment, as he takes in her face and all the small changes time has made to her. His smile widens as he takes one final step closer and folds his arms around her much smaller frame. It isn’t until he’s standing there, breathing her in, that his heart clenches in his chest, as he realizes that she’s really here and just how much he has missed her. When she left for LA, he took it harder than he thought he would. It was her choice, her life and he was going to accept that. And yet he had showed up at her door practically begging her to stay. Kissing her in a way he probably shouldn’t have. He had poured out his heart to her and she left anyway. Maybe he should have been angry about it, but he wasn’t, he was just hurt. That was all 20 years ago now, a thing of the past. But she still held a very special place in his heart.
It starts out as a friendly hug, but once he’s there, he can’t stop himself from burying his nose and one of his hands, in her loose hair, while pulling her closer with his other arm. When he feels her fingers digging into his shirt, he relaxes, knowing that it isn’t uncomfortable for her. She has never seemed to feel uncomfortable around him before, but it has been 9 years after all. Things could have changed.
The last time he remembers seeing her, she was married and as far as he could tell, she was happy. Hell, the last time he talked to her, he was getting married. So he was pretty caught up in his own happiness, although seeing her there had made him pause. Seeing her happy with someone else, had been bittersweet. Robin was glad that she was happy, but he couldn’t kill the feeling, that he ought to be the one who made her happy. Even after marrying Marian, he still couldn’t kill that feeling. Maybe it was a good thing, that they had lived so far apart, while Marian lived.
With their timing, she’s bound to still be married, they never seemed to have good timing. When they finally part from the hug, he stays close to her, although the hug alone was enough to make some people look at them. Mostly Robin’s friends. “What are you doing in DC?” Robin asks, staring at her with wonder and happiness written all over his face. To be honest, he’s feeling quite giggly and why shouldn’t he be? She’s here in DC!
“I just moved here, last week” she smiles a bit, moving a lock of hair behind her ear.
“How come?” Not that he’s complaining, definitely not. But she’s been living in LA for the past 20 years. It seems odd to suddenly move across the country for no reason. There must be a reason.
“My dad had a fall, broke his hip. And after the divorce went through I ..” She sighs and frowns for a moment, like even mentioning the divorce hurts her. He only catches it, because he can’t take his eyes off her. And she always was an open book, he can tell she’s hurting. “I needed a change and coming back home seemed like a good idea. I can be closer to dad and help him, if he needs it.”
“You.. You got a divorce?” Robin tries to focus on the surprise and not on the part of him that perks up, ready to sow hope, where Robin thinks there shouldn’t be any. Hope can be a hurtful thing, Robin knows that all too well.
He feels bad for being happy that she finally left Daniel. Even more so, after she basically flinched, just from mentioning it. It must still be very recent.
Regina nods, but looks puzzled. “A few months ago, yeah.. I told Juliet, I thought she would have told you”
Juliet has always been the protective older sister, he knows for a fact, that she and Regina stayed in touch for a long while, after she left DC. But she never told Robin what they talked about. Barely mentioned that she spoke to her at all. He knows Juliet only has good intentions, and that would be why she didn’t tell him. But he’s still a bit miffed, that she didn’t tell him. It’s been years and he’s a grown man, he can handle that kind of information.
“She didn’t” Robin shrugs, wondering why she and Daniel got divorced and who wanted it. “I’m sorry” He means that. Not for Daniel, really, he never did like him much. But for Regina. He would never wish for anything that might cause her pain. Even if it would make him happy.
When someone bumps into Robin, he reaches out to Regina and guides her away from the main path, towards the bar.
Being moved like that, means Regina doesn’t get to reply. But she doesn’t seem to mind, what was she supposed to say anyway?
The buzz in the pub goes up again, when the ball goes somewhere near the goal. Robin turns to look, only to see the team who isn’t his, score a goal. He frowns for a moment, before he looks back to Regina. Suddenly the game doesn’t really matter. Although he had been looking forward to it all week, before he laid eyes on her. “Would you mind getting out of here... get some coffee maybe?” Regina asks, the brown of her eyes resting on him, insecure like she thinks he might want to stay to watch the game.
It’s an important game, Robin knows this. But right now, he really can’t bring himself to care. He hasn’t seen Regina for 9 years. So obviously spending time with her, is far more important than watching some soccer game. He’s sure the others will let him know how it ends. “Yeah of course, I’ll just get my coat” Robin gives her a reassuring smile, before he goes back to his table, excusing himself and getting his coat.
A few minutes later, they’re out in the, surprisingly chilly, early October night. Robin is glad that he decided to wear a scarf, or he might have had a sore throat tomorrow.
For a while they walk in silence. They have so much to catch up on, that Robin doesn’t even know where to start. But he figures that starting with the divorce, might not be the best idea, if she’s still so affected by it. “So.. what happened to your dad? How did he fall?”
Regina buttons the top of her coat and pulls her scarf a bit tighter around her neck, before she looks at him, with a small smile. “Bowling”
“Bowling?” Robin asks, no need to feign surprise at all. That was probably the last thing he expected her to say.
Her smile widens as she nods, the kind of smile that reaches her eyes and makes her look painfully stunning. “I know, it’s so not like him. But apparently there’s this woman in his neighborhood that he’s trying to impress”
“And she likes bowling?”
“She likes bowling” Regina confirms, still smiling. And god it’s good to see her smile. He can imagine that she’s going through a tough time, with the divorce and the move and all that. But at least she still smiles. “He’s happy and after my mother, he should get to be happy”
Robin nods. He knows her mother and she’s not an easy woman to handle. Henry deserves kudos for putting up with her, as long as he did. Before he left her, with the help of his daughters. “Good for him – not the hip thing, but the .. girlfriend?”
“She visited him in the hospital, so he must have made some kind of impression” Her breath is white, as is his. It’s like as soon as the calendar turned to October, nature decided to skip autumn and go straight into winter. It certainly feels that way tonight.
“Good for him” Robin smiles, as they stroll down the sidewalk.
“Yeah” Regina worries her lower lip between her teeth. Even though it’s been 20 years since she lived here, and they spent time together regularly, he can still remember her body language.
So he reaches out and places a hand on the small of her back. “Are you okay?” She takes a deep breath and he swears he can feel her tremble as she does. When she looks at him, she shakes her head softly.
She tries to keep walking, but Robin stops. “Hey, hey.. come here” He opens his arms and after a second’s hesitation, she steps into them, putting her arms around his waist. Folding his arms around her, Regina rests her head against his shoulder, facing his neck, like she used to do. All in all it feels very familiar and he relishes in it, that despite the long time apart, it can still feel like this.
Holding her close, he strokes a hand slowly, up and down her back, as he asks “What happened, Regina?”
“I don’t know..” Her voice is quiet, but wet with tears. Robin can’t see her face, but it doesn’t take much imagination to picture the tears in her eyes. “One day he just .. didn’t love me anymore”
Robin’s frown deepens as she speaks. He wonders if there’s more to the story than that, or if Daniel is just that big of a jerk. He and Daniel never did get along. Robin was civilized to him, because Regina liked him. But honestly, he never liked him. But he’s not going to tell Regina that. Not now. She doesn’t need him to say ‘I knew it’. No, she needs the supportive friend he used to be, the one he wants to be again.
So he just holds her close and keeps stroking her back. “He must have lost his mind” Robin says with a slight smirk, when Regina has calmed a bit. It’s probably for the best that she can’t see him though, he’s not sure that she would approve of the smirk.
It’s been years, but being with her feels a bit like riding a bike, like they could just go right back to how they had been. Like nothing had changed in the past 20 years. With some people, you just lose touch and it’s obvious whenever you see them. But with others it’s like no time has passed at all. And Robin is happy to say, that with Regina, it’s like no time has passed at all. Even though they’ve been apart for about five times as long as they have been together.
Regina lifts a hand to her face, he can’t see if she’s wiping her cheeks, or moving her hair around. But when she speaks, she sounds calmer. And the hug feels lighter, when her arm returns to rest around his torso. “I missed you”
“I missed you too” He really, really did. But now she’s here, that is the thing to focus on. Robin gives her one final squeeze, before he lets her go. “Now.. Coffee?”
When she looks up at him, there as soft smile on her lips. It’s small, but it’s definitely there. “Coffee” she agrees and turns, so they can walk again.
They walk for a while, more or less in silence. Mostly talking about where they want to go for coffee. And what used to be here and there. For Regina it must be like seeing the town for the first time, all over again. Not a lot is the same as it was when she left. In a town like Washington, things change all the time.
After a while, they find a small café that hasn’t closed up yet. They take a seat by a small table by the window, making sure to order coffee before they sit.
Robin smiles as they’ve both shrugged out of their coats and are sitting face to face, for the first time in forever. It feels odd, like something out of a dream, he can’t quite make himself believe it.
It doesn’t help, when she looks up to meet his eyes, with a smile on her lips. They haven’t aged a day, her eyes. Except for the weight he can see in them, and the charming hint of crow’s-feet in the corners of her eyes. He likes those though. They are proof that she laughed, that she was happy, even if it didn’t last. She is beautiful, age has treated her like fine wine and only made her more stunning. Taken her from the young girl he met, to this grown woman. His heart aches with her beauty and his fingers itch to reach out and touch her. But her need for space and time is greater than his need to touch her. So he restrains himself, well at least his hands, his eyes are beyond his control.
“How’s Mary Margaret?”
Their coffee arrives and it makes a pause in the conversation. Once the waitress has left them, Regina picks it back up. “She’s good, so is David. Their daughter Emma is 3 now and they’re expecting their second child”
“Wow.. I haven’t seen her since.. Since your wedding. That’s great” She had been married then, at Regina’s wedding, but that was the first time that Robin met David. He seemed like a good man though. Mary was definitely happy. And two kids, that sounded idyllic. Good for her. Robin didn’t get to meet Regina’s sister that many times, in the past. Juliet did, but he didn’t. But what he knows of her and with what Juliet has told him. Mary Margaret is a genuinely nice woman, so he knows she deserves as much happiness as she can get. Just like Regina and her father do.
“Are they still living in DC?” As far as Robin remembers, Mary Margaret had said that they lived in the area still. But that was a long time ago.
“Not exactly. They bought a farm an hour outside the city, they’re still there now.” Regina pauses to sip her coffee. “They have been for .. 8 years now I think.”
Robin nods around a mouthful of coffee. “And David’s a …” He can’t remember what he said he did. There were a lot of introductions done that day.
“Veterinarian” Regina helps, watching him with a small smile.
“Right” That definitely rings a bell. Robin knows Mary Margaret is an elementary school teacher. It doesn’t take much imagination to imagine her on a farm with a couple of kids. It seems like the type of life she would want.
“How’s Roland?” She asks in return, lifting her cup to her crimson lips.
Robin is impressed that she even remembers his name. He knows that Juliet shares a lot of pictures of them on instagram and twitter. And so does he, from time to time anyway. So she could have seen him mentioned often enough, but still. Robin can’t imagine Regina stalking any of them, on any of those things. “He’s good. He’s turning four this month and he’s very excited about it”
“I bet Juliet is throwing him a big party” Regina smiles over her cup.
“I am involved too, but yes, she is the main planner.” Robin nods with a smile of his own. Juliet always likes to spoil the kids. And with something like a birthday, she likes to do something special, like their mom used to do for them. Their mom would have spoiled Roland, just like she did with Maddie. But she died before she ever got to meet her grandson. “She likes to spoil him” he smiles. “Not in a materialistic way just .. She’s good with him, I suppose it’s just in a motherly way.” He doesn’t know, he only got to see Juliet with him, not Marian. And he saw Juliet with Maddie too. So either she likes to spoil kids, or it’s just a motherly thing. Probably the latter, as he has never seen her spoil kids that weren’t hers. Apart from Charlie of course.
“I can imagine that. She has a very strong caretaker gene”
“That she does” He can’t even begin to count the number of times, that Juliet has in one way or another, taken care of him, as well as Roland. Going all the way back to when they were kids. When their mother was off at work and Robin was sick, Juliet was the one to nurse him back to health. He remembers one time when she sat with him for hours, watching cartoons, bathing his forehead with a damp cloth. He had been really sick that time and their mom wanted to stay home from work. But somehow Juliet had convinced her to go, because she could take care of him. And she had. So much more than that one time. “You should come.. To the party. Catch up with Juliet and meet Roland”
Regina looks surprised, maybe even shocked. “Oh I .. Are you sure?”
“Of course” He smiles “Why not?” Sipping his coffee, Robin keeps his eyes on her. “Unless you don’t want to spend the day with twenty screaming kids”
That has her smiling and doing a slight roll of her eyes “Well, who wouldn’t want that?”
“The house is gonna be a mess, but Roland will be happy, that’s the main thing” Robin knows that it will be a great day, but at the same time, he dreads it a bit. Twenty kids high on sugar, running amok around the house. Not to mention all the cleaning up. It’s going to be exhausting and he wouldn’t blame Regina at all, if she would prefer not to go.
Grabbing the napkin that arrived with his coffee, and a pen from his pocket, he writes down his phone number and pushes it across the table, to Regina. “I understand if you don’t want to go. Believe me, even I’m considering going into hiding for the day. But in case you decide that you do want to come. Call me” Robin smiles a bit, finishing his coffee. “Even if you don’t want to go, give me a call.. Let’s not let it be another twenty years”
“It won’t be” She promises, fiddling a bit with the napkin.
Robin didn’t think that it would be, even if she didn’t call him, he would go and find her, one way or another. “Good” He watches her, as she drinks the last of her coffee. “Ready to go?” Regina nods and gets up from her seat. Robin pays for the coffee and leaves a tip too, and before long they’re out on the street again.
They walk mostly in silence, enjoying the quiet of the city. Well, as silent as a city can be. When the sidewalk narrows and they’re forced to walk closer to each other, Robin’s hand brushes up against Regina’s. And he’s surprised when she takes the opportunity to take his hand. She doesn’t make a fuss about it, just glances at him, with a soft smile on her lips, as she keeps walking. Neither of them are wearing gloves and he can feel the warmth of her palm against his, although her fingers are slightly cold. But so are his. Robin’s stomach does a flip and he can’t stop himself from grinning into the cool evening air.
They stop in front of a sandstone apartment building “This is me” Regina says, turning to face him. Her hand is still in his and Robin doesn’t want to let go of it. Not quite yet. So he keeps a hold of it, letting his eyes settle on it, as his thumb strokes back and forth across her knuckles. When he lifts her hand to his lips and presses a tender kiss to her skin, he hears her take in a surprised breath of air and he immediately wonders if he has just messed it all up.
His eyes lift to her face, watching her for any sign of rejection, wondering if she will leave him here, feeling like an idiot for rushing things. When she pulls away her hand, Robin starts to think that he has really just made a wrong move. He is almost about to apologize, when she takes a step towards him, instead of away like he had expected. Holding his breath, he watches as she uses her recently freed hand, to cup his face and look back at him, with wonder in her eyes. For once Robin can’t decipher what she’s thinking. But he finds himself just staring right back at her, letting out a shaky breath that steams up the air between them, for a moment.
Her thumb swipes across his chin, before she takes him by surprise, when she leans in and captures his lips with hers.
It isn’t their first kiss. No, there were a few kisses before this one, desperate and mostly drunk kisses, which were either met with equal desperation or a slap to the face. But this time it’s different. In some ways at least. They are both unattached, but Regina is just regaining her footing, from what seems to have been a difficult divorce, at least on her part.
Robin gave up hope long ago, that he and Regina would ever have the chance to be more than friends. They had both gotten married after all and Robin loved Marian, deeply and truly. Now it seems that fate might be kind to them, for once. But he can’t push her, he doesn’t want to.
So when she is the one leaning in, Robin’s heart does a little happy dance, as he entangles his fingers in her hair, while his lips softly gets reacquainted with hers. Regina’s fingers curl against his jaw and into his coat, as Robin places his free arm around her torso, gently pulling her closer.
It’s Regina who ends the kiss. But thankfully not in a sudden way, that might make it look like she regretted it. Her lips just softly slide away from his, but when Robin opens his eyes, her brow is resting against his. She seemingly doesn’t want to part just yet either. “When did you say Roland’s party was?” She asks sweetly.
Robin chuckles at that, smiling like an idiot and tightens his arm around her waist, swaying her softly back and forth, like they’re dancing, although there’s no music. Although Robin’s heart could easily play out a melody, all on its own. “His birthday is the 12th, but the party is this Saturday” God he could kiss her against right now. If he had his way, he would never stop kissing her, least of all when she’s smiling like that.
“Good.. That’s soon” She bites her lower lip for a moment, while she looks at him. It makes his stomach flip once again and makes him want to do all sorts of sinful things to her.
He settles for a kiss to the corner of her mouth, “Not soon enough”
“Now you’re being greedy” She smiles
Robin just shrugs. “I think after two decades, I have the right to be a bit greedy”
~*~*~*~*~
Taking care of a kid, isn’t exactly second nature to James. It isn’t something that he had ever planned on doing. With the way life had been going up until about 5 years ago, he wasn’t really the type of guy you’d marry and have kids with. In many ways, he still doesn’t think that he is. Even if he has a steady, and legal, job now. And he is getting to know his kid too. He wouldn’t call himself a dad, least of all a good dad, but he’s trying, that has to count for something.
Cassidy’s house is big and new. Taunting him, with all its pricy things, letting him know how much better off Cassidy is without him. How unworthy he is of both her and Clementine. But somehow, he has managed to talk Cassidy into letting him see her. Which has now developed into letting him babysit once in a while. It was a big step for him. The only downside is that Cassidy has made him her go-to guy, in last minute cases, when she needs someone to watch Clem. It means he gets to see her more, but it’s hard to just jump when she tells him to. And he doesn’t like it either, that she has control like this. But for the moment he doesn’t have much of a choice. If he doesn’t play by her rules, he doesn’t get to see Clem. And as much as he is sure he’s going to screw up being her dad, he also knows that having any parent, is better than having none.
“Alright kiddo, what should we make for dinner?” Wandering into the kitchen, James opens the fridge and looks around to see what’s there. More than what is in his fridge, that’s for sure.
“Mom was going to make something with a fish” Clem says, following him into the kitchen, in her too-big, colorful t-shirt, her cap turned sideways, and the sneakers she insists on wearing indoors. For some reason, his daughter has a fascination with hip hop. At least the style and the dance moves. He’s not sure what came first, but he knows that she enjoys the dance lessons she’s taking once a week. It’s almost all she ever talks about.
James grunts and pulls a face of slight disgust, when he looks at Clem, he can’t help but smile, when he sees the exact same expression on her face. “How about we do something else?” He asks with a slight grin. Clem nods eagerly, mirroring the same grin.
“Question is .. what?” He knows that Cassidy will probably kill him, if he orders take-away .. again. So that’s off the table.
“Spaghetti?” Clem suggests, tilting her face at him.
He nods, pondering, leaning in over the kitchen counter, down to Clem. “Spaghetti annnd?”
She pulls a thoughtful face, complete with a hand under her chin. “Annnd sauce?”
“What kind of sauce?”
“Tomato” This she’s determined on, that much he can tell.
“Uhm.. right” Cooking has never been his strong side, he’s more a frozen dinner kind of person. But anyone can do spaghetti, right? “Do you know how to make tomato sauce?”
Clem shakes her head slowly, but looks amused, like she has never seen a clueless adult before. Lifting her from the floor, James sits her on the kitchen counter. “Alright, you can help me make it then.” James slams his hands together, trying to gain some momentum, before he starts. Not that he has any clue what he’s doing. Then he starts opening cabinets to find a couple of pots and whatever they would need for the sauce. “So what do we need then?”
“Tomatoes” Clem suggests and James nods, finding a can of peeled tomatoes.
“Onions, garlic” James picks them out and places them on the counter. Those are pretty basic, even he knows they go in tomato sauce. “And..” He looks to Clem, who just shrugs. “Improvisation it is”
“What does that mean?” Clem looks at him, her legs slowly swinging back and forth, banging softly against the cupboard below her.
“It means, to make things up as you go along” He explains patiently, but with a smile. Just glad that there’s some things that he can teach Clem, even if he did drop out of 9th grade.
“Oh .. you really can’t cook”
James laughs at that “I really can’t. But maybe I can learn”
“Can you teach me too?”
James would be the first to admit, that he was surprised over how well Clem was taking all this. Having a strange man show up and claim to be her dad. He could only imagine what kind of things her mom would have told her about him. But she had taken to him, like she had longed to have a dad. And maybe she had, but god knew that she deserved better than him.
But having her ask him to teach her something, was more than he had expected. So he smiled. Despite not knowing anything about cooking, he was already determined to get better, if only so he could teach her. Plus cooking her good, healthy, food would score him some points with Cassidy.
“Tell you what. How about we learn it together?”
“How do we do that?”
“Well.. If this turns out to taste awful, at least we know one way not to make a tomato sauce”
Clem giggles at that. “Okay” She agrees with a smile, that makes something warm flutter in his chest. Maybe it’s pride, or maybe he’s falling in love with his daughter.
~*~*~*~*~
Two days later, thoughts of Robin are still hanging around her head. His hand in her hair, the brightness of his smile, his lips. He makes it hard for her to concentrate, even when he’s not around. Regina can’t help but feel like she’s been set back twenty years, to her college years. Back when she had a crush on him, but he was the one who was with someone else. She knows it’s too soon to get involved with someone new, even if that someone is someone she knows as well, as she knows Robin. But at the same time, she doesn’t regret having kissed him, just a few nights ago. The attraction is still there, whenever she’s around him. And in her vulnerable state, she simply can’t stay away, from the comfort she gets from his embrace. Whether or not that’s a bad thing or not, only time will tell.
For now, Regina knows there is one person that she has to see, before Saturday. By now, Robin has probably told her, what happened, or at least that he saw her. And since Juliet is the one that she stayed in touch with the most, of the two, it seems wrong to not go and see her, before the birthday party.
It’s surprisingly easy to find her way back to Georgetown, considering how many years it’s been, since she’s been back. Finding Juliet’s office though, is quite a bit harder. She knows which part of the campus it should be in, but the buildings there are foreign to her. Regina walks around the place for about twenty minutes, before she finally decides to ask a random student for help. After that, it’s relatively easy to find. And soon Regina’s heels are clicking against the stone floors, the sounds echoing up against the tall ceilings of the hallway. Leading her right up to the wooden door, with the glass window, that has Juliet’s name written on it. Regina smiles at the sight, thinking back on one particular night, when they had had a bit too much to drink, for a school night. And had talked about their hopes and dreams for the future. She remembers Juliet say that she hoped to work as a teacher and have an office with her name on the door.
Since the door is slightly ajar, Regina carefully pushes it open. What she sees, when she does, doesn’t surprise her at all. Juliet is sitting at her desk, scribbling away at something. Not much different from what she did, when they were at college. She looks focused and determined, like she’s at an exam. At least that’s what Regina would think, if she didn’t know, that Juliet always looks that focused, when she’s working. Whether it’s just the daily studying or it actually is an exam.
Tapping her knuckles lightly against the glass, Regina smiles as Juliet looks up from her work. The look on the blonde’s face, changes from concentration to surprise and joy, when she spots Regina. And she smiles, one of her characteristic grins, that even makes her eyes smile. “Regina!” She greets her and gets up from her chair, to round her desk and pull her into a warm hug.
Regina smiles into it “It’s good to see you”
Juliet chuckles, holding her a bit tighter, before letting go. She keeps her hands on Regina’s upper arms, as she says “It’s good to see you too. Robin told me you were back in town”
Regina knew that Juliet would probably already know what happened. But still, she feels heat spread in her cheeks, as she looks away. “He told you then?”
“Of course he did” Juliet smiles “He’s over the moon, to have you back in town.. And so am I” she says, as she finally lets her hands fall off of Regina’s arms.
Regina can’t help but wonder, if that means he told her about the kiss or not. Would Juliet mention it, if he had? She knows Juliet cares a lot about her brother and she will always take his side, including if Regina and Robin got into a relationship and things didn’t work out. She wouldn’t just lose Robin as a friend, she would lose Juliet too. That is a scary thought and with their past, she wouldn’t blame Juliet, if she wouldn’t be completely happy about the kiss. Neither of them want Robin to get hurt again, but Juliet probably least of all. “Are you free to go for a coffee?”
“Yeah, just let me finish this” Juliet walks back to her desk and sits back down to finish the scribbles she was working on.
While Juliet works on that, Regina takes the chance to take a closer look around her office. Like she had thought it would be, the wall opposite the window, is lined with bookcases, filled with everything from the classics to current bestsellers. And quite a few books that Regina has never even heard of. In between all the books, in the few free spaces, there are pictures of who she guesses is Maddie, Roland, and she recognizes Robin and their mother. As her eyes wander, she even spots a picture of herself and Juliet, from a summer when they went to a music festival. She can’t help but laugh at the picture of the two of them, sunburned and drunk, looking like a pair of hippies. “I can’t believe you have this on display” She chuckles, picking up the picture and showing it to Juliet.
Juliet looks up with an instant smile on her lips. “It’s a great picture” She argues, “And it’s a good memory of a great summer.” Regina nods in agreement. It was a great summer, one of those summers you wished would never end.
“We did have a lot of fun” Regina smiles softly, thinking back on it. “We should have worn sunscreen though”
Juliet chuckles, “We really should.” Regina remembers a couple of nights, where the only reason she could lie down at all, on her burned shoulders, was because of the alcohol she had in her system. And despite all that, it had been a great summer. Putting back the picture, Regina looks around for another couple of moments, before Juliet puts down the pen and gets up. “There, let’s go”
The clouded weather has gotten darker, as the two women make their way outside. Regina pulls her scarf a bit closer around her, it might only be early October, but it is already getting colder by the day. The air is moist, like it’s already raining, although no drops have fallen yet. Regina and Juliet agree to go to the coffee shop on campus, so that if it starts to rain, they won’t have far to run, to get out of it.
The café is in the same building as it was, when she and Juliet were students here. But that’s where the similarities end. Everything else has changed, the façade, the interior, the people, everything. Especially the menu, although that is a good thing. When she and Juliet were students, all that was really on the menu, was black coffee and some questionable cakes and sandwiches. The coffee was good, very strong, but it was common knowledge, to stay away from the food, unless you were very desperate.
Now the selection of food looks delicious, almost tempting Regina to buy something. “This place has really gotten a makeover”
“Probably more like two or three, since we were students” Juliet argues, as they get in line for coffee.
“Since when did we get so old?”
Juliet chuckles, reminding Regina of her kind spirit and her infectious laugh. “Relax, you don’t look a day over 30”
Regina smiles and rolls her eyes at Juliet. “Liar .. but thanks” She pretends to be vain, as she brushes her hair back. She does care about her looks, but not overly so. “And you don’t look a day over 43”
“I am 43!” Juliet gasps and places her hands at her sides.
“I know” Regina grins.
“Ugh, I hate you” Juliet says, still smiling though.
“No you don’t” Regina pulls her into a hug, chuckling as she does. “And you look gorgeous, as always, my friend” She can hear Juliet chuckle back, as she folds her arms around Regina’s waist.
“I missed you” Juliet says, shortly before pulling away “It’s good to have you back”
Regina smiles and can’t help but feel like she has come home, that this is where she’s meant to be. “It’s good to be back” And then it’s their turn to order.
Once they’re seated, the skies have broken and rain is falling heavily against the windows of the façade of the building. Regina and Juliet take a seat at the slim table that lines the window, on two of the barstools that line the table. Getting seated on them, is a bit awkward, but once they’re seated it’s very comfortable. And the view of the rainy street outside, is oddly calming, although the thought of going out into the rain, is definitely not.
“So ..” Juliet begins, “Robin mentioned that your divorce was finalized .. How are you doing?”
Regina keeps her eyes at her cup. She knew that this would be a topic they had to touch upon, but that doesn’t make it any easier. “I’m .. getting better, I think It’s all so new with the move and all that”
Juliet nods in understanding. She reaches out and puts her hand on top of Regina’s. “If you need anything, just ask. I know both Robin and I will want to help you, however we can.”
Regina nods softly, glancing at Juliet “I know” A small smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, because she knows that Robin will want to help her, should she ever need anything. And just the mention of him, makes her mind flash back to the last time she saw him. It must show, because Juliet looks at her, with a slightly tilted face, and the small smile on her lips, which Regina knows is her ‘resting face’.
“What?” She asks, blue eyes watching her closely.
“I.. When I ran into Robin I .. I kissed him” Regina decides to bite the bullet and just tell the truth. Juliet is bound to find out sooner or later, and if she doesn’t already know, Regina would want her to hear it from her. The smile on Juliet’s lips fades and her expression changes into something she can’t interpret. She definitely didn’t know. “Maybe I shouldn’t have” Regina sighs quietly and looks out the window again.
“Do you regret it?” There are so many things Juliet could have asked or said just then. Regina knows that she will be worried for Robin, that he will get himself hurt again. And honestly, she had thought that, that would be the first thing Juliet said something about. Instead she shows herself for the friend she is, and takes her side first. Although Regina is sure that they will get onto the other topic soon enough, where Juliet will get to show off her protective side.
She could say yes, because in a way, she wishes that she hadn’t done it, so that they hadn’t crossed that line. So Regina could pretend that they could just be friends. But at the same time, she can’t make herself regret it, because it was good. And despite everything, she wants it, whatever it is, and however unready she might be for it. “No.. I don’t “ Regina looks down for a moment, before she gathers up the courage to look at Juliet. “I just .. I’m not sure I’m ready and I just don’t want to hurt him” She looks back at the rain, before adding a quiet “again” Leaving him once was bad enough, but what if she gets in too deep, only to find out that she isn’t ready. What if that scares him off for good? What will she do then?
Regina can feel Juliet’s eyes on her, she hears her soft sigh, but when a moment or two goes by after, without her saying anything, Regina almost thinks that she’s not going to say anything.
“Look, we both know that I don’t want Robin to get hurt again either. The last time he was a mess for a long time, after you left for LA. But he still…” Juliet sighs again, which makes Regina look at her, anxious for what she might say. “He still loves you, Regina. He never stopped. I don’t think he ever will”
“Maybe he should” She says quietly, looking down at her coffee. Regina regrets the words as soon as they leave her mouth. But if it would be better for him, maybe he should.
“Hey” Juliet reaches for her hand again, to make Regina look at her, which works. “Just be honest with him. He has already waited 20 years. He will wait for you, if you need time. Just tell him that.”
“You think so?”
Juliet’s smile is back when she says “I know him, he’s very patient. If he knows you want him too, he’ll wait forever”
“I don’t want him to wait forever.. I don’t want to wait forever either.” Hadn’t they already wasted enough time? 20 years. If Regina had known how things would go with Daniel, she might have chosen differently back then. And if she had, her life could have been so much different by now. “I just .. I don’t want to get in too deep, only to find out that I’m not ready” That would be bad, for the both of them. Robin might say he understood, but wouldn’t he be hurt anyway? “And I guess we could take things slow.. but we’ve known each other for so long, how much slower can we get?.. And then there’s Roland. I mean, it’s not just Robin and I, who would get used to each other. And how do you explain something like this to Roland?” Not to mention, what if she got attached to him too? Regina had longed for kids for such a long time now, how could she not fall in love, with a boy that was Robin’s? And if she did, and they got along, how hard wouldn’t it be to put on the brakes? If she suddenly felt the need to put some distance between them.
Juliet just watches her as she talks, sipping her coffee and looking far too calm. “Do you trust him?”
“Yes” Regina replies, without even hesitating, because she does. Robin is one of the few people in her life, that she knows she can always count on, and who always has her best interest at heart. He let her marry Daniel, for god’s sake, just because he wanted her to be happy.
“Then I guess the only question is, if you’re brave enough to trust him with your heart”
Regina looks from Juliet and out into the rain again, wondering if she is that brave, if she dares to trust Robin with everything.