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“Don’t do iiit, honey,” Ruby warns, her voice a bit slurred. You’ve been having a girls’ night, you and Emma deciding that after a week of various unexpected events you should finally relax and you definitely earned a drink. Or two.
So, you invited Mary Margaret and Ruby to a club and the four of you are now more or less drunk. And, given that alcohol usually makes it easier to open up, Ruby asked a question about your current love interests.
Mary Margaret only blushed and said she wasn’t interested in anyone in particular. She wasn’t a very good liar but neither of you wanted to embarrass her so you kept your mouths shut.
Ruby confessed that men were more and more boring to her, although she wouldn’t mind hooking up with that cutie sitting by the bar. He was, indeed, good-looking.
Emma mumbled that she had enough of men for the rest of her life and that Henry was her priority at the moment. You’ve never been prouder.
And you… well, tequila definitely went to your head and so, without thinking twice, you told the girl the name of your crush, instantly silencing them all.
After all, nobody would guess that you were head over heels in love with none other than Mister Gold. You can’t tell what precisely made him so irresistible and wanted by you. Maybe it’s his confidence, so close to arrogance? Maybe the way he speaks, that accent of his and smirk, ever present on his face?
Age difference? Please, those trivial things never bothered you. The cane? You don’t give a damn about it. He makes your knees weak, a shiver to run down your spine and a tiny jolt of nervousness to course through you. Never before has a man succeeded in making you both intimidated and drown to him.
Yet your shyness prevented you from showing your affection in any way. You couldn’t build up courage to even suggest that you liked him, not to mention straight up asking him out.
But now? you felt bolder than ever! Damn, you swear you can move mountains, what’s scary in texting your crush? What can possibly go wrong?
“Bullshit, Imma do it. Just one text, let me see if he’ll text me back, right?”
“Alright, but only one text,” Emma points a finger at you in what’s supposed to be threatening manner but it ends up utterly funny when she accidently bumps your nose. You giggle, taking your phone out of your jacket’s pocket.
“Here comes big nothin’”
You unlock your cell, ignoring missed calls. They’re not important now – you’re a girl on a mission, one that demands your full focus and all the creativity you can muster after having one too many drinks tonight.
You open a new message thread, choose Gold’s number and bite down at your bottom lip, trying to come up with something, anything.
“Text him something along ‘hey, I’m having a drink, wanna join?’” Ruby suggests but Mary Margaret shakes her head.
“No, that’s too straightforward. Just start with ‘hi, how are you?’”
You roll your eyes at her and start typing.
Gold, are you busy? Have a minute to spare to talk to me?
Emma hums in approval, glancing at your phone from over your shoulder.
“That’s a good one. And no typos, very good.”
“Let’s drink to that!” you call, raising your glass and girls cheer loudly, all of you downing another shot of tequila. You grimace slightly, reaching for your phone, a bit disappointed that there’s no reply yet.
“Chill, girl. C’mon, drink up,” Ruby urges with a wide grin and you smile back as she fills your glass. Gosh, you really needed it.
Ten minutes later, as Emma’s venting about Regina and her bossing around, refusing to see Henry and overall, how hard it is to be a sheriff, you check your phone. There’s still no text from Gold, so you decide to send another one.
Blinking to focus your gaze on the screen and the keyboard, you let your thumbs click on the letters.
Ive something 2 tell yuo. Gold, mssg m bakc.
After another shot of tequila you’re not 100% certain whether you sent him more texts or was it just your imagination.
_____
“Oh, poor thing,” Granny says with a hint of amusement in her voice as you step into the diner, your pale face and pained expression telling enough about how much fun you had the previous night.
“Can I get a coffee, please? Like, a lot of it?” you ask meekly as you slide into a booth, resting your head in your hands. Thank heavens that Emma called a day off today and that Sundays are usually very lazy. You don’t even want to imagine what a efficient cop you’d make today.
“Coffee, scrambled eggs and bacon.”
A plate is put in front of you, after it a large cup with steaming black liquid joins the party and a feeling of gratefulness rushes through you.
“Granny, you’re an angel,” you say fondly and she flashes you a soft smile before returning after the counter.
You take the cup in your hands and blow off the steam few times before taking a careful sip. You sigh with content, feeling much better and frown when your phone vibrates, notifying you about new message. You take it out of your pocket and, much to your horror, there’s a message from Gold.
“Shit,” you murmur, your eyes growing wide and your skin becoming almost white as you look through the text you sent him the previous night. And there was definitely more that those two you remember.
10:39pm - Why r u not massagin me backc, Gold? Am waitin.
10:53pm - Emma says im a fool but im only a fool for u.
10:53pm - Shit
10:55pm - I didnt mean t tell it. listen can we meeeet? I can explain/
11:12pm - Okaay, u dont wanna talk, I get it. but I need u to kno that ive a crush on u.
11:37pm - Gold, pls, say somethn.
11:41pm – dammit. key, forget it.
1:58am – goodnight, Gold.
9:14am – Did you get home safe, Y/N?
You stare at the screen as if the evidence of your shameful behavior can magically wipe itself from your phone, Gold’s phone, yours and his memory and, overly, the history of the world, but it remains there, unchanged.
You heave out a sigh, take another sip of the coffee and with pounding heart you type a response.
Yes.
Are you still in a mood to talk?
Honestly, I want the Earth to swallow me rn.
That would be an unspeakable loss, dearie :)
“The hell?” you murmur, not really understanding what he meant. Is he mocking you? Having fun with you? You can easily visualize him with a smirk on his face as he toys with you, putting you in more and more misery.
But then again… he doesn’t seem to be a man who’d play with other’s feelings.
Y/N, would you mind if I joined you for a breakfast?
Your heart skyrockets as a cold shiver runs down your spine. You’re both excited and terrified but the mixture somehow makes you bolder and so you reply.
Sure, but I look like crap. Feel warned.
I’ll be there in a moment.
You barely put your phone away when the door opens, the bell rings and you will yourself from running in that instant. You lower your head and squeeze your eyes shut, when a figure takes a seat opposite you.
“You lied,” he remarks, his tone hinted with humor and you jerk your head up to look at him.
“What?”
“You don’t look like crap. Quite the opposite, to be honest.”
“Damn, you’re blind? I have the worst hangover ever and I feel like dying, but that’s really nice of you, mister Gold.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Also, about those messages-“
You groan silently, hiding your face in your hands, too ashamed to even glimpse at him. You hear him sigh but he continues.
“- I’m not going to forget it, as you suggested. I’m fluttered that a girl like you harbored a crush on somebody like me but-“
“No, don’t finish it,” you whine and Gold chuckles, noting that you look absolutely adorable when embarrassed. He gently reaches for one of your hands and reveals half of your face.
“Y/N, I just want to ask if you stand by what you texted last night? You’re sober and we can act as if nothing happened, if what you said was untrue.”
“It was, errr…. It was true,” you say quietly, feeling your cheeks warm up with a blush and, much to your relief, Gold smiles brightly, his eyes wrinkling a little.
“Well then… would you do me an honor and go for a dinner with me tomorrow?”
A grin makes its way onto your lips as you fold your hands on your lap, fixating your eyes on Gold.
“Gladly.”