Break The Cycle

Chapter 8:

Emma POV:

I spent the rest of that day contemplating on Killian and I. We were together now, I guess. I felt awful about pushing him away, because now that I was letting him in and he was doing the same with me, I was actually sort of happy.

I also felt awful about our "date." I know he considered it to be real, he was trying to woo me. But I just saw it as a way to celebrate putting his annoying ex girlfriend away.

By lunch time, I'd decided to ask him out. He and I both deserved a proper date together. So I ordered lunch from Granny's and took it to him at the docks.

I asked someone else working there about where I could find him, and they pointed me to a nearby boat. I walked to the other side and walked onto it and found him under the steering wheel.

"Killian?" I asked. He sat straight up, so fast he hit his head.

"I'm sorry!" I immediately said to him. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Emma?" He asked, rubbing his head with his hand. Then he smiled. "And what can I do for you?"

I grinned back. "I brought you some lunch." I explained, holding out the bag for him.

"It's noon already?" He asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes. Don't you eat lunch?" I asked him.

"Sometimes..."

"Well today you are." I made to walk off the boat.

"Hang on, we can eat right here." He said, sitting on a bench seat nearby.

"Okay." I said, pulling the food out of the bag and handing it to him. It was a grilled cheese, fries, and a root beer. "I didn't know what to get you."

"Emma, it's perfect. Thank you." He said, kissing me on the temple.

We ate together for a few minutes before I spoke up.

"So I was thinking, we should go on a real date."

He just about choked on a fry.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you out?" He stuttered.

"You did the first time, now it's my turn." I grinned.

"Alright, but I get to plan it."

"Killian, I can plan a date."

"Your friend, Ruby, talked to me a few minutes before you arrived this morning. We talked about you, and how you apparently haven't been on a proper date in years."

"I know how they work, you know."

"No, you know how fake dates work so you can catch a bail jumper."

I huffed and he laughed a little.

"Fine, call me then." I agreed, getting up to leave as we finished our food. He smiled at me and leaned in for a quick kiss. I could feel the blush creeping up my neck.

Killian POV:

I finally had a real date with Emma, and I knew just what to do. Being honest with myself, I knew we were both introverts. A crowded place was not the best option.

So that following Saturday, I called her and told her I would be picking her up at around seven. I packed blankets and pillows in the back seat of my truck along with a picnic basket and a bottle of wine. I had a spot picked out on a nearby beach that seemed to be undisturbed, indicating that no one ever went there.

At six I was at her door. I took a deep breath and knocked. She opened up and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

"Good evening, love." I greeted.

"Hi, Killian." She smiled back. She joined me in the hallway and locked her door before I offered her my arm.

"So where are we going?" She asked.

"Somewhere peaceful. I think we both need it." I explained.

"Sounds blissful. But where in the world did you find somewhere like that?" She asked me. It was true, there weren't many quiet places around here.

"You'll see." I assured her.

The drive to the beach was short, and by the time we got there it was just turning into dark. I backed up so the bed faced the water and turned the truck off. She got out and took a deep breath.

"So you like the beach?" I asked her while taking blankets out of the backseat.

"I love it." She said, letting the breeze blow over her face. I couldn't help it, I stopped and stared. I was mesmerized at how much she was enjoying this.

"Killian?" She said, jolting me out of my thoughts.

I shook my head and continued unpacking the truck. Once I laid out the blankets and pillows I patted one.

"Come and have a seat."

She smiled at me and climbed in while I got the basket and wine.

"Killian, it's perfect." She said.

"Why thank you. A man appreciates his hard work being complimented." I grinned, proud as a peacock.

I poured us both a glass of wine and unpacked the food. While we ate we talked.

"Emma?" I asked shyly.

"Hm?" She responded, staring at the water.

"I want you to feel comfortable with me." I told her. That caught her attention. She turned to me and furrowed her brow in confusion.

"I know my brother told you more about me than I wanted you to know all at once, but I don't want you to feel obliged to do the same. Of course I want to know you, but on your terms. You take all the time you need, I just want you to be happy."

She stared into her wine glass for a few moments.

"I am comfortable." She looked up at me, I could see the sincerity in her eyes. "I know what you've been through, and even if it wasn't your intention, you opened up to me. To know that you're okay with me knowing what I do about you, it makes me feel comfortable."

"Emma-" I started to say, but she stopped me.

"Please, Killian, I want you to know me before we get in too deep." She took a deep breath and continued on. "I'm an orphan. My parents left me at a hospital one night. I had a family until I was three, but they had their own so they sent me back. After that I was never in a foster home for more than six months at a time. And a lot of them were far too much like your dad. I got out when I turned eighteen and I've never looked back."

I could see there was something she wasn't telling me, and I also knew she wasn't ready. That was okay, she could tell me on her own time.

"You didn't deserve that, Emma." I told her. I didn't want to say that I was "sorry" for her, it never did any good for me. She needed to know it wasn't her fault. "You're a beautiful person, inside and out."

I took her under my arm to comfort her. She leaned her head on my shoulder. I know it took a lot for her to tell me that, it's never easy to admit that you've been rejected your entire life.