strange and beautiful (I'll put a spell on you)

Chapter Eleven

STORYBROOKE, Maine

"You're in a bad mood," Henry said as he finished the last of his milkshake, a chocolate mustache forming above his lip. Rebekah looked up from her own milkshake and raised her brow. The look she gave Henry must have been humorous because the boy started grinning. "You have some milkshake on your nose," he told her, chuckling now as he pointed.

Rebekah huffed out a laugh and wiped at her nose with her napkin. "Gone?" she asked Henry. He nodded and dug into their shared basket of French fries. Rebekah took one too, looking at Henry as she took a bite. "I'm sorry my mood is so sour, buddy," Rebekah said after swallowing.

"It's okay, Auntie Bex," Henry said with a shrug.

"No, it's not," she disagreed. "In fact, I owe you another milkshake."

Henry's eyes widened in excitement and his grin covered most of his face. Rebekah laughed and made eye contact with Ruby who made her way over to their booth. "You want the check?" she asked.

"Actually," Rebekah said dramatically to make Henry laugh. "Two more milkshakes, please?"

Ruby raised her brow at Rebekah in amusement. "Big spender," she teased before leaving to get their milkshakes.

"Is it because you miss Graham?" Henry asked with a mouthful of French fries.

"Hm?" Rebekah focused on him.

"Your bad mood. Is it because you miss Graham?"

She sighed, pushing her hair behind her shoulder. "Yes." It was partially true. But she was also in a bad mood because of Jefferson. Rebekah had tried to ignore the flash of hurt in his eyes after she was such a bitch to him – he didn't deserve it. Not after he had taken care of her for two weeks. She hadn't even thanked him for that.

But he was so damn confusing! Was he or wasn't he interested in her? Rebekah refused to play games – she was twenty-seven years old, not a teenager. If he liked her, he should tell her. A whisper in the back of her mind told her that she could do the same, too. Why not just tell him you like him?

Right, because that was so simple! He had flat out told her that he wanted to be with someone else. Some mystery woman whose name he had yet to say but was the one he wanted to be with. Rebekah would just be embarrassing herself if she told him how she felt. Rebekah had never handled rejection well, so not only would she be embarrassed but her heart would be crushed, too.

Because she did have feelings for Jefferson. Ones that she couldn't quite explain. But the point was, she had feelings and they were intense. And if Jefferson didn't return those feelings, she must have really read all the signals wrong.

Ruby brought over the milkshakes and set them down on the table. "Can I talk to you for a second?" Ruby asked, motioning for Rebekah to follow her.

Rebekah scooted out of the booth, telling Henry that she'd be back and not to eat all the French fries. "What's up?" she asked once she was finally away from Henry and at the counter with Ruby.

"What's up?" Ruby said dramatically. "You have been MIA since Graham's funeral and your cryptic I'm staying with a friend texts you were sending us all are complete BS. Because I know all your friends and none of them said you were staying with them." She huffed, slapping a rag on the counter so she would appear to be working. Rebekah looked past Ruby and saw Granny sticking her head out of the door only to quickly duck back into the kitchen when Rebekah caught her.

Rebekah sighed when she looked around the diner and saw that most of the patrons were watching the two of them talk only to look away when Rebekah looked at them. "Look, it's not a big deal. And I'm back now, okay? So, the whole town can stop gossiping like a bunch of old ladies and worry about something else," she said loudly enough for the whole diner to hear.