Twenty-Three Pages

Chapter 1

Robin hit snooze on his alarm for the third time, desperate to cling onto the last blissful moments of sleep before he really needed to open the shop. That's one of the perks of living above your work: it's almost impossible to be late. At 7:30 he finally dragged himself out of bed (the faint pulsing in his head a lot less prominent than he probably deserved), shuffled into the kitchen and slotted two pieces of bread into the toaster.

"Ah, he lives!" Killian was already sat at the table, coffee mug held in hand, a smirk on his face. "I must say, mate, I'm surprised to see you awake at all."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Robin tried to play his late night (or more correctly, early morning) return down with no luck. He turned to the fridge, grabbing the jam from the shelf as Killian laughed and took another swig of his coffee, lifting his other hand in mock innocence.

"Look, I don't care what time you come home at-"

"Killian?" Both heads swung round to the opening between the rooms, Killian's eyes going slightly wide as he flicked his gaze to Robin. He stared back, brows knitting together in the middle, questioning the unfamiliar voice.

"Forgot to say, Emma's here." Killian looked down at the floor for a second, a sheepish grin turning the corners of his mouth up. The question who's Emma began to form on Robin's lips, but she'd already walked into the room, her long blonde hair falling in waves around her face, eye make up slightly smudged from the night before. She was in one of Killian's tee shirts and a pair of his sweat pants, seemingly unfazed, but not unaware, of Robin's presence.

"Hey," she walked towards him and held out her hand. "You must be Robin. I'm Emma." Robin shook her hand and nodded, knowing that his roommate must have told her about him.

"My reputation precedes me." He smiled warmly at her, pushing the nagging thump at the base of his skull to the back of his mind.

They exchanged polite conversation, and Robin found out that they had in fact been seeing each other longer than a night. He made a mental note to grill his friend about it later but headed downstairs to the shop front and switched the closed sign to open.

---

Regina woke to the buzz of her alarm, unsure of whether she'd actually been to sleep, or had just been dozing all night. She sipped her coffee at the kitchen counter, waiting for her toast to pop up, and stared into the open room. Boxes still lined the edges half unpacked, the handwritten sharpie labels harder to make out in the dim light.

By the time she'd got ready, it was just after eight, giving her time to look around before she had to be at the office. A new town with new people was just what she needed. She slipped on her boots and grey coat, which was the only one she owned light enough for this weather, and headed out of the apartment.

Each road seemed distinct, the buildings all framed with painted wood and the ground covered in concrete tiles which produced a soft clop with every step. She turned down the next street and sighed happily, spotting a coffee shop with a handwritten chalkboard sign sat outside. Perfect.

The familiar smell of coffee beans followed her out of the door as she emerged back onto the street, paper cup in hand. She halted in her tracks, cup half way to her mouth, seeing for the first time the bookshop. It's sign was brown and wooden, ornate gold lettering spelling out the words 'Twenty Three Pages'.

Regina crossed the road, pushed the door open to the shop and heard the bell jingle above the door. It was beautiful. Every wall was covered by books, too many crammed onto the same shelf. She moved further into the store and ran her finger along some of the spines, looking over the newer books which sat on round tables in the centre of the room.

In the corner were two large, worn, brown leather armchairs with a table in between. Regina thought she'd hit the jackpot being relocated round the corner from this place, but she was pulled from her thoughts with a tap on the shoulder.

"Hi."

She turned round and saw the smiling man, his blondish-brown hair flopping slightly, a matching colour to the stubble across his jaw.

"Do I know you?" Regina didn't mean to sound rude, she just wasn't much a of a people person. Especially when she didn't know said person. The man chuckled lightly before he spoke, unperturbed by her sharp tone.

"The thing about living in a small town is you tend to know everyone. Given that I've not seen you around before, I'd bet you've just recently moved in." Regina listened and quirked her eyebrow, smirking despite herself. "I'm Robin Locksley." He held his hand out and she shook it, his hand warm against hers.

"Regina Mills. And you'd be right, I moved in yesterday." She eyed him up and down before continuing. "You work here?"

"Yes. I own the shop, actually."

"You own this place?" She was 24 and he couldn't have been more than two years older than her. Not many people in their mid-twenties can say they own a bookshop. "I'm impressed. It's beautiful."

"I took it over after my father...passed." A sadness clouded his features for a moment but he quickly recovered, his eyes almost twinkling at her. Twinkling? Pull your self together, Mills.

"It was years ago." He assured her.

"Doesn't mean it stops hurting."

They both looked at each other for a second, an understanding passing between them. Regina sucked in a breath and smiled, confused and trying to brush over the vulnerability of her previous statement. She didn't even know this man, why was she about to share her life story? Robin cottoned on and changed the subject.

"Well, I'll let you get on, Regina. Give me a shout if you need anything." He smiled, his eyes dancing as he gazed at her. Regina chuckled, thanking him before turning back to the shelves.

Robin returned to his seat behind the counter, opening the order forms on his laptop. He heard footsteps descending the stairs from his apartment, Emma appearing seconds later next to him offering him another cup of coffee.

"Emma Swan."

Robin looked up, yet again confused by what was happening. Regina stood with her arms folded over her chest and a smile playing on her lips. Emma let out a small laugh and ran over, hugging the other woman in a tight squeeze. He stared at the two as they exchanged I missed you's and how have you been's.

"Did I miss something?" Killian had at some point followed Emma downstairs and started leaning on the counter.

"I really wish I knew."

Authors note:
Hello! Thank you for reading the first chapter, I hope you liked it.
I'm going to try and update every Friday/Saturday if I can.
Please let me know what you think, I know not a lot happened but I'm trying to build up to the story.
Thanks again! :)