Runaway- CaptainSwan AU

• Chapter 23 •

It was official. It was really official, and Killian just couldn't contain his happiness. He and Emma were a couple.

He'd thought of the moment so many times, imagined how it might happen in so many ways, but he never could've thought up how it played out. It was perfect. Just absolutely perfect. Her smile, her eyes, her laugh, her lips... her kisses, her hands in his hair, around his neck.

It was perfect.

The butterflies in his stomach still hadn't settled. That was what she did to him. That was the effect she had on him. His heart was still racing as they sat at the dining room table eating dinner.

Smitten looks were being exchanged between them across the table as they ate. Little smiles, the slight lift on of an eyebrow.

Emma was going crazy. Of course, she'd fantasized about them becoming a real couple, but she didn't think the day would ever actually come. She didn't anticipate how wonderful it would feel either. It felt like she was just... in a daze of happiness. She couldn't think of a single moment in her life when she'd felt even half as happy as she felt in that moment.

Sitting across from him, just seeing that adorable, smoldering smile on his face, it was enough to make her entire heart burst.

"How was the game?" Alice asked, biting into a piece of asparagus.

Emma's foot brushed Killian's slightly, a blush growing on her smiling face as she bit her lip slightly.

"Great, Mum. We won," Killian answered with a grin.

A grin that had nothing to do with the win of the night.

Killian in turn brushed his foot against Emma's, more obviously, and sent her a smirk.

Emma suppressed a giggle and shoved a spoon of rice into her mouth. She never thought she'd find it this difficult not to shout out in happiness.

Seeing her blush so adorably, her lip between her teeth, seeing the smile on her face and the happiness in her eyes, it brought the warmest feeling to Killian's heart.

Alice glanced between Emma and Killian. Something was definitely different. Something was definitely going on.

Something had changed.

"Emma, could you pass the salt, please?" Killian requested, a flirty look hiding itself in his eyes.

Emma raised an eyebrow slightly. She knew exactly what he was up to.

"Yep."

She grabbed the bottle, passing it into his hand. Their fingers touched. Killian subtly brushed his thumb over her hand as he accepted it before sitting back down with a smile.

Emma was blushing again. Not that she'd stopped blushing at all, but it seemed that with every second, her face grew to be a darker shade of red.

"Thank you for dinner, Alice. I think I'll head to bed," Emma said politely. She stood up, cleared her seat at the table, then turned to Killian shyly.

"Good night," she said softly.

An adoring smile grew on Killian's face.

"Night," he said under his breath as she disappeared up the stairs.

Emma reached her room and got into bed with a book and book-light in hand. Often times, Emma would read at night until she fell asleep with her book in her hands and glasses still resting on her nose.

Today was no exception in that sense.

What was different was that normally books were an escape. She got to immerse herself into a new world, new people, and make friends with the characters in her books. Her books were her friends.