When Emma falls in love

Chapter 12

"Hey, Kid, what are you doing here all by yourself?" Emma inquired, her eyes locking onto Henry as he quickly put his phone down with the display side on the table.

"Mom, hey- I, uhm, I am eating," Henry stammered, pointing nervously to his burger and fries in front of him while shifting in his booth.

"Aha, really?" Emma raised her eyebrows before casually sitting down in front of her son.

He sighed, "Don't you have thieves to catch or evil to defeat?"

"Actually, I'm on my lunch break," the blonde grinned, playfully stealing some fries from Henry's plate.

"The last two math lessons have been canceled, so I thought I'd come here to eat."

"Doesn't Regina expect you?" the blonde wanted to know.

The boy shrugged before pulling his plate of fries out of Emma's reach.

"First, mean! And second, I bet your Mom expects you to eat at home and will have lunch ready. Did you at least tell her you're eating at Granny's?"

"I'm a teenager, Ma."

"Your point being...?" Emma furrowed her eyebrows skeptically, amusement playing in her eyes as she managed to grab two more fries.

"She's busy anyway."

"With work?" Emma inquired.

"Kind of," he mumbled before finally picking up his burger.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the blonde asked, scrutinizing her son's face. It had been a few days since the morning when Emma had thrown out Regina, Zelena, and the Evil Queen. Everything seemed fine between the two women, although they hadn't had much contact since then. Emma had resumed working, a decision Regina wasn't happy about but couldn't prevent.

"Nothing," Henry replied nonchalantly.

Emma narrowed her eyes, watching as Henry took a bite into his burger, sensing there might be more to the story than he was letting on.

"Hey Emma, what can I get you?" Granny called from behind the counter.

The blonde turned to the older woman and offered a warm smile. "Nothing, thank you, I was just about to leave."

"I thought you're having lunch here?" her son asked in slight panic. He really hoped that she wouldn't go over to talk to Regina now after he was being too conspicuous.

"That was before you started to act like your Mom now runs a drug ring at home," Emma mumbled, a playful smirk lingering on her lips as she rose from the booth. She leaned down, planting a kiss on Henry's head. "Next time, don't even try to hide something from me, got it?"

The teenager didn't even get a chance to answer; his mom had already made her way out of the diner.

After sliding into the driver's seat of her sheriff car, Emma retrieved her phone from the snug pocket of her jeans. Unlocking it, she navigated to her chat with Regina, contemplating whether to initiate the conversation. Fingers hovering over the keyboard, she reconsidered and opted for a more direct approach—she wanted answers about what was going on, particularly after that mysterious phone call a week ago.

"Oh my god," the blonde whispered to herself as a sudden idea flashed in her mind. What if the person on the phone really was someone Regina was currently dating? Perhaps Henry disapproved, explaining his reluctance to go home for lunch.

He might be there.

Emma's heart thudded painfully in her chest. She hesitated about driving to the mayor's mansion, the fear that her theory might be true holding her back.