| i'm still really pissed with wattpad.
Lots of people wanted to comment on my last chap and they couldn't thanks to wattpad. 🔫🔫🔫

This chap takes place on the same day of the presentation, when they're going home (by bus)|

"What's bothering you?"

Only then she noticed that she had been too quiet.

"What?"

"What are you thinking?" He said as he opened a sandwich from its aluminum foil. He was such a 5-year-old.

"Nothing, I'm just tired."

Sitting next to each other in the bus and complaining about school life had become a routine now.

"Hum..."

The thing was... She couldn't stop thinking on what had happened that day.
Not the presentation, really. But more like the comment that guy had made and the answer Killian had given.

"Am I messy?" And the words were coming out of her mouth before she could even stop them.

He didn't seem to react to her question, his eyes still on his food "You want me to tell you the truth, or what you'd like to hear?"

She sighed because that had already answered her question.
She was messy.
She didn't but did want to be messy.
It was complicated.

"You are messy, Swan. Worse than a mathematical problem." And there he was teasing her for choosing economy as her course.

"You didn't think that way today in class."

"And I still don't."

"Hun?" Now she was confused.

"Emma, I admit. The first times I tried to understand you? Bloody hell. Whenever I thought I knew you, you'd just surprise me." He told her, his back slightly turned around to face her on his seat. "But, I love a challenge." And he smirked at that, an idiot grin spreading on his face. "And I see you now, Swan. You revealed to be an open book somehow."

"I am no open book. And that? That's just super cheesy."

"Okay I'll stop with the fancy words and just sum it all up: you decided to open yourself to me, maybe not all yourself but at least a part of you. Admit it."

"I did not."

He chuckled at that and that made her chuckle too because what the hell were they even talking about?
She loved how he could quickly erase her thoughts.

Was she messy? She really didn't care.
She was a challenge, like he had said.
He loved challenges.

---

"How did the presentation go?"

"Emmaaaaa you have to paint! You can't stop painting while you're talking! Momma said dinner is soon and we have to finish this drawing before it because then it's bed time!" Neal would insist and his anger - even though is was cute - was pretty much visible so she just kept coloring.

"It was great. Killian and I make quite the team." Maybe she sounded too happy saying that, maybe she shouldn't even had shared that thought with her father at all. But she didn't care. After today, she felt happy.

He had risen her self-esteem in a way that no other has ever done in a long time.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Neal, enough drawings and go lay the table." Regina came in, after her shower and called Olivia to dinner.

"Tomorrow's night, me and your father would like to go out for a night out and have some fun without children around us." It was the first thing Regina said once everyone was at the table.

"We just need some time to ourselves." David explained.

"Ugh let me guess, we'll be babysitting Neal on a friday night?" Olivia muttered.

"Is there any problem in that?" Regina asked.

"No, mom."

"Emma?"

"Of course not, Mrs Nolan."

"Good to hear that."

---

"So who's calling Killian?" She wasn't expecting it when Olivia came in her bedroom while she was painting Neal's coloring book herself in a way to relax.

"What?"

"Look, I know you two are getting along. Can't you just call him to come over tomorrow night and help your sister?"

"I'm not calling Killian. You can call him if you want, that's none of my business."

Olivia took a loud breath and sat on the corner of her bed.

"Emma, he hasn't been picking up my calls. Come on, you could help me. I really love him, and I'm sorry I treated you that way at the party. I'm sorry I always treat you that way."

All Emma wanted was to just laugh at her face. Olivia Maguire was actually begging her.

"Wow... Aren't people self-interested..." Emma commented without moving her eyes away from her book.

She gasped like in disbelief "So that's the way you want it?!" She walked towards the door and mumbled a "You asked for it." before leaving the bedroom.

---

The day after, she wasn't surprised when Regina called her telling her that Olivia had a school project to do and that she'd have to be the one to stay taking care of Neal.
She knew this had been because she didn't do what she had told her.

Maybe in Olivia's head, Emma would be completely heartbroken and jealous because she'd be spending a friday night alone at home taking care of a baby, but the truth was, she couldn't be more grateful.

Alone at home? Plus Neal? Plus coloring books? Heaven.

Okay maybe less coloring books because she was getting tired of them.

After classes, it was snowing and the officers that were at their bus station informed that they were still cleaning the roads and that it should be ready in 15 minutes.

Killian and Emma didn't feel like walking all that time like the other day so, since they had been the first people getting out of class, the little bench was empty. And that's where they stayed waiting.

"Have you ever consider e-mailing the writer and ask her for a sequel?"

"I've already tried it. That e-mail is still unseen. You can really see that it's never been open."

"When did you try it?"

"Like 2 years ago? I don't know."

"Maybe she's one of those people who has lots of newsletters or spams? Maybe that's why she didn't see your letter?"

That silly thought made her laugh and somehow, they ended up writing a whole new letter with the last mobile data he had to the author on that bench and they continued on the bus.

They told her how much they wanted to know what would happen next in Anna's life.
How much she deserved a happy ending with her son - and a devilishly handsome man in her life (Killian added).

She knew this mail would never be read, but she couldn't help this silly hope that maybe one day they'd be together reading the second book.

When the bus stopped on her station she wasn't paying attention and she had to get off in the next one with him.

They said goodbye with their idiotic intricate series of handshakes and she still had to walk 10 minutes to her house.