Making Exceptions (swanqueen)

Chapter 26: Gnocchi

Hours later, showered and dressed to the nines, Emma and Regina finally arrived at the Sorellina. Every head turned as the pair entered the restaurant, though neither woman noticed. Emma was too busy taking in the beauty that was her girlfriend, dressed in a curve-hugging, purple cocktail dress, and Regina was caught up in the blonde's curls that fell loosely over her black and white suit.

Regina reached out for Emma's skinny black tie and straightened it before smoothing down the lapels of her jacket and leaning up to capture pale lips. When she pulled back, she reached up and cleared the blonde of any excess lipstick smudges on her face.

"I love it when you fuss over me," Emma whispered to the older woman, giving her a dopey, love-eyed, grinning face. "It makes me feel like we're an old, married couple."

"Maybe someday we can be," Regina suggested, leaning into the blonde and wrapping her arms around her. She let the idea play out in her mind, but before she could reveal any details to the main source of her thoughts, the hostess checked the couple in and took them to their reserved table.

Emma and Regina sat across the from one another, separated by a pristine white tablecloth and two glasses of deep red wine. The restaurant was sleek, with black and white designs lining the walls and tables, and waiters dressed to fit the color selection. Emma was grateful that even in a high-class, Italian restaurant such as this, they still offered her a menu in English, though that really didn't help her make her decisions.

"Psssttt... Reggie," Emma whispered across the table, afraid that if she spoke too loud she would disturb the other customers.

Regina looked up from her menu with a smile, "You don't have to whisper, my love." The brunette chuckled at her girlfriend's antics.

"But what if I disturb some other couple?" The blonde asked seriously. "They could, like, kick us out or something and I'd really hate for that to happen because this place is almost as beautiful as you."

The brunette blushed and hid a shy smile behind her wine glass. It shocked her how Emma could still make her feel like it was her very first date with the blonde goofball. It had been half a semester since the two had met, but it felt like they had known one another their whole lives. Regina thought back to the comment Emma had made when they first entered the restaurant, and once again pictured the two of them as bride and bride, living out their days with Henry and maybe a one or two other children in the house.

"Earrrrrth to Reginaaaa..." Emma whispered, a smirk overtaking her features. "Where'd you go, gorgeous?" the blonde asked once she knew she had Regina's attention.

"Nowhere bad," Regina responded, reaching across the table to entwine her fingers with the blonde's. When she noted the look of skepticism in emerald eyes, she reassured the woman, "I promise you I was lost in wonderful, magical thoughts. Now, can you please stop whispering and talk at a normal volume?" the brunette let out a small chuckle, "I promise it won't get us kicked out."

"Promise?" Emma asked, once again shooting the professor a skeptic look. When the woman only looked back with an adoring smile, Emma took that as an affirmative. "Okay, then," she said at a slightly louder volume, "I have no idea what I want off of this menu, and I need help before that waiter guy comes back to take our orders again. I already sent him away once when you were daydreaming over there."

Regina was a little shocked at that information. She knew she sort of got lost in her thoughts sometimes, but she thought she would've noticed the waiter if he had come. Shrugging the odd event off, the brunette decided to help the blonde across from her.

When the waiter came back five minutes later, he found the women conversing over an assortment of italian cuisine, and smiled at the way the two bickered over the which one would make the best gnocchi.

"Reggie, just listen to me. I'm in chef school. I can make pretty darn good gnocchi," the blonde pointed out.

Regina huffed and raised an eyebrow, "You may be in 'chef school' as you so intricately put it, but I have been cooking my entire life, and gnocchi is one of the first recipes my father taught me. I can make better gnocchi than anyone I know."

"Even better than Mr. Hood?" Emma questioned, "because he's like the top chef at school, and he's kind of perfect at everything."

"Even better than Robin," Regina whispered, leaning across the table and narrowing her eyes, begging the blonde to challenge or refute her claim.

"Ladies," the waiter barged in, "with all this talk of gnocchi, I would love to know if that will be on the order tonight."

"Actually, no," Emma laughed, "Tonight I'd like the fettuccine, and my beautiful girlfriend said she'd like to try your radiatori."

"And a little more wine, if that's not an inconvenience," Regina added, seeing the liquid in their glasses starting to dwindle.

"Absolutely ladies," the waiter assured. "I'll be back in one moment."

Once he left, the two women broke out in laughter. As a couple, the two had a tendency to get side-tracked and waste hours discussing trivial matters such as who would make better gnocchi.

Before long, the table between the women held two plates harboring delicious Italian cuisine, and two freshly refilled wine glasses. The couple spent the rest of the meal discussing more important matters, like Emma being accepted as part of Hood's internationally competing cooking team, and Regina telling the board of her colleagues and employees of her relationship with Emma. They even made time to talk about signing Henry up for soccer in the fall, and possibly even teeball in the summer.

When the meal was over and the table had been cleared by the restaurant staff, Emma slid Regina out of her chair and offered the brunette her hand. Regina grasped it readily and leaned into the blonde's side as they made their way to the car, and the brunette drove them to the hotel.

Parking in the front lot, Emma took time to grab the luggage from the trunk while Regina went ahead and checked the couple in. Once all was done at the front desk, Emma was waltzing through the front door, refusing service from the lovely elderly doorman who was offering his assistance.

"I can get those for you, Miss," he offered with a smile.

"I've got it, Sir," Emma replied politely, trying to juggle her duffel bag with the large suitcase and gigantic purse Regina brought along. "As soon as I get a system going, I'll be just fine. Thank you for the offer, sir!"

The blonde bounded off in the direction of her lover, handing over the woman's handbag with a sigh.

"What do you keep in that thing?" the blonde asked as the couple boarded the otherwise empty elevator.

Once the metal doors slid closed, Regina wrapped herself around the blonde, and leaned in, nibbling on the woman's ear.

"Be a good girl, and you might just find out," she whispered, the rasp in her tone sending shivers up Emma's body.