The Pornstar Martini

Chapter 15

Present...

"You lived in The Alley as a child? No wonder you got so upset during the first council meeting," Regina said and Emma flashed her a glare. "That wasn't meant as an insult. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know if you're familiar with this neighborhood's reputation, but it's not necessarily something to be proud of."

"To be fair, it were mostly your type of people, the popular ones, that had a problem with it. Me, not so much."

"That's because you never had anything to do with it, Regina," Emma said and huffed. "You don't know how shitty it is to grow up in a place like this."

Regina had a difficult moment trying to picture the glamorous Emma here, in this street. Suddenly, everything about Emma made a lot more sense.

Ever since they'd gotten in trouble for theft in the grocery store, Regina had thought Emma liked stealing. She thought it gave Emma a thrill.

That wasn't the case at all. Emma had needed to steal. The girl had told her she was broke that time, but Regina hadn't realized to which extent. She hadn't realized it meant her entire family didn't have any money.

"Tell me," Regina said.

Emma turned her head to Regina and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Tell me what your youth was like. Help me understand you more."

"Why?"

"Isn't that the least I deserve?" Regina asked. She suddenly felt intrigued by Emma. Not the girl she'd pretended to be throughout High School, but the real woman sitting beside her, hiding from the rain and her past.

Emma shifted in her seat and swallowed. "I don't really talk about my past. Killian didn't even know squad about it."

"I'm not Killian. I'm a part of your past and it's easier for me to forgive you when I understand why you did what you did."

"I don't need you to forgive me."

"But I do," Regina replied. "I need to be able to make amends with you. It makes it easier to work alongside you."

Emma frowned. "I can keep my job?"

"We've sat together in your car for quite some time now and not once did I have to suppress the urge to pull out your hair, so I think we're good."

Emma laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her face. "Okay," she said and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. "What do you want to know?"

"You. I want to know the real you after all these years."

Regina saw the unease written all over Emma's face, but she wanted to know. Part of her felt Emma owed her this much, after pretending to be someone else for so long.

"My dad died when I was seven and mom was an alcoholic junkie who used all the money I earned to buy more stuff," Emma hastily said, as if it was nothing.

The rain finally started to lessen, but Regina hoped that wouldn't mean Emma would stop talking. She did, though. Emma looked at her with a slight smile on her lips and tensed her shoulders.

"That's it," Emma said, when Regina kept looking at her. Regina smiled, because part of her adored how Emma was so closed off. She really had to work to get her to talk and it was as though everything Emma said about herself was like a little gift.

"No, that's not it. You and I both know that," Regina said. "It couldn't have been easy living like that."

"You're not my therapist, Regina. I don't like talking about feelings."