Comfort Food

The First Chill

Regina balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder as she checked on her pumpkin pie—a surprise for Robin. "I can ask him, Mother. Next time I see him, I promise. And I'll text you the answer," she sighed into the phone.

Satisfied the pie was done, she took it out and set on the cooling rack. Tossing her oven mitts aside, she took off her apron as her mother rattled off everything needed for Thanksgiving. Regina sighed again. "Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Probably. But I'm still waiting to hear from Granny. I'll let you know once I do."

"Okay, Mother." Knocking drew Regina toward her door and she checked her hair before reaching for the knob. "Robin is here now. I have to..."

"Robin?" Cora's voice brightened. "Put him on. I can ask him myself."

Knowing it was pointless to fight, Regina held out the phone as Robin placed his overnight bag down. At his confused look, Regina explained: "Mother wants to talk to you."

Surprised, Robin took the phone and moved to the couch. "Hello, Cora. How are you?"

As Robin chatted with her mother, Regina took his overnight bag into her room. She dropped it on his side of the bed, excited to spend another night wrapped in his arms. They were spending more nights together, splitting their time between their two apartments and it was time for her to take another step in their relationship.

Regina glanced at her chest, staring at one drawer in particular as her heart sped up. She had never taken this step before in a relationship, never given a past boyfriend what she was going to give Robin. He understood that he was different for her and he appreciated every gesture she made toward him. It made her care for him more and more each day. She was getting close to even using the "l" word, even though it had only been five months.

Five months. Sometimes it felt like she had known Robin forever rather than barely half a year. Part of her believed she should be more nervous about how quickly her relationship was progressing but it felt right. Robin was special. He was, after all, sitting on her couch while talking with her mother on the phone. And it wasn't the first time he and Cora ended up just chatting. No one else ever had that privilege.

"Regina?" Robin leaned against her doorframe, studying her. "Are you okay?"

She smiled at him. "I'm fine. Just got lost in my thoughts."

"Good ones?"

"Of course," she replied. "They were about you."

It was his turn to smile this time and he held out his hands to her. She took them, letting him pull her to her feet for a long, searing kiss. His hands were buried in her hair and hers gripped his shirt, pulling him closer.

They fell back on her bed, laughing into their kiss. He broke it, rolling onto his back. She did the same, their hands still locked together. "Hello," he said.

"Hi," she replied with a laugh. "So, did my mother invite you to Thanksgiving dinner?"

"She did. I accepted, if that's okay with you."

Regina propped herself up on her elbow. "Of course it is. If it wasn't, I would've told her not to invite you."

"Good point," Robin conceded. He rolled onto his side and reached out for her again. "I'm looking forward to having a proper American Thanksgiving."

"You've never had one? And how long have you been in the States?"

He shrugged, staring at the ceiling. "Marian always volunteered to work Thanksgiving and I felt weird crashing someone else's celebration. She always picked up Chinese food on her way home and we'd eat it while watching a Christmas movie."