Best of friends

Chapter Four

Emma stepped out of her house to greet her date wearing her favourite comfy jeans, a striped top and her famous leather jacket. Ruby, however, took one look at her and started shaking her head.

'Absolutely not, Emma Swan. You can't come on a date dressed like that!' She gestured up and down her outfit. 'I know for a fact that you have a lovely red dress in there. So I suggest that you go back inside and change.'

'You can't dictate what I wear, Rubes. I like these clothes. And anyway, I wouldn't want to be late,' Emma stated firmly.

'Nice try, Swan. I'm more than happy to wait here, as long as you don't wear that. So off you go,' she said, prodding her back in the direction of her house.

Emma sighed and reluctantly headed back inside to do as she was told. She couldn't be bothered to argue with her about it, and in all honestly, she did look amazing in that dress.

Five minutes later she sauntered outside in her figure-hugging dress. It was a bit on the tight side, but all good dresses were. She opened the car door and hopped into the passenger side, as Ruby gave a low whistle of approval.

'Looking good, girl. Now let's get out of here. I've got somewhere nice planned for you,' she said flirtatiously, flashing her a wink.

They drove for a couple of miles to the edge of town before Ruby turned right, just before the exit sign and drove slowly down an off-road track. It was so well hidden that Emma had never even know it was there.

'Where are we going? I've never seen this road before,' she asked.

'That's because not many people know that it's here. In about a mile, there's a lovely restaurant. It doesn't get many visitors but that's why I love it so much,' she said easily.

They pulled up outside of a fancy looking restaurant, with fairy lights covering a wooden arch outside. It really was beautiful here and she couldn't help thinking that it was worth agreeing to this date, just for the pleasure of being able to discover this place.

They even had a nice time at dinner and Emma found that she loved the food there. She would definitely be coming back here. Maybe she could even get Regina to agree to come and try it, if they ever started talking again that was.

Even though she wasn't with the person that she wanted to be with, she found that she enjoyed Ruby's company. The girl was funny. Far funnier than she had ever realised.

A couple of hours later though and they were preparing to leave. She was feeling a bit nervous now because she didn't know how the red-head expected the evening to end. She was already wondering how she could let her down gently. She might not have been who she was looking for as a partner, but she was a damn good friend. She sat in thought on the drive back through the forest.

They pulled up outside of Emma's house fifteen minutes later and Ruby turned to face her, before slowly pulling her forwards for a kiss. It was slow and gentle, but if she was honest, Emma didn't feel a thing. She knew that she should be enjoying it, but it just felt wrong. She kissed her harder, hoping she could force herself to feel something. But still there was nothing.

'Are you going to invite me in?' Asked Ruby slyly, raising a questioning eyebrow.

'Do I need to? I doubt that anyone could change your mind once you've already decided you want something,' Emma laughed awkwardly as the red-head dragged her out of the car and up the walkway towards the front door.

She told herself that she could do this. She needed to do this. Maybe some hot sex with Ruby Lucas would finally wash away all thoughts of Regina Mills. She couldn't help comparing them though. It just felt so easy with the Mayor. They could spend time together and it just came as easy as breathing, but with Ruby, she had to think before she said anything. She was constantly wondering if she was doing or saying the right thing. Maybe if she tried hard enough she would learn to enjoy it.