Keeping it Professional

Chapter 2

She walked into work the next day tired as all hell. She had been tossing and turning all night, wondering what she was going to say to Neal if he asked her to move in with him. Her coffee hadn't even hit her bloodstream yet, but she knew that either way, it wouldn't help making her decision any better. One part of her wanted to accept, but the other part wanted to deny. She didn't know how much time she had, but she gathered that it wouldn't be much.

"Hey you." Neal said when she got to her cubicle. He kissed the corner of her mouth and she kissed him back, not knowing how else to respond.

"Hi."

"So I was thinking that I could take you out to dinner tonight?"

'No! I need more time!' She thought. Inside, she was panicking. She would break his heart if she said no. "Yeah. Sounds great. Pick me up at seven?"

"Wonderful."

They both got to work and Emma buried herself in work to try to distract herself. It didn't help anything that her friends hated him. It didn't help that her brother wanted to beat Neal to a pulp every time he saw him. But, he was sweet. The spark definitely wasn't as strong as it had been before, but it was slowly flickering back to life. But, Emma found herself often questioning if that was what she really wanted. Did she want to move in with Neal? Did she actually want the relationship to continue? Maybe it was losing its fire because they weren't taking steps in their relationship.

One of the reasons Emma was still with Neal was because she didn't want to go through the trouble of dating. It had been a pain before, but with her busy work schedule and demanding boss, it would be hard to find a guy. Let alone the perfect one.

"Miss Swan, can I see you for a moment?" She heard Killian ask from above her. She looked up and he was towering over her with his hands on his hips. She stood up and followed him to his office. "Yesterday, someone screwed up the calculations on one of the most important deliveries that we've had." He slid her a piece of paper on the desk and she picked it up, skimming over the text.

"So why are you calling me in? I didn't do this."

"I know." He folded his hands in front of himself and leaned forward on the desk. "I want you to go through it and fix it." He handed her a flash drive. "All the information is on here."

"Why are you telling me to do this?"

"Because I trust you the most. You may think that I don't notice you around here, but I do, Emma. I want you to become the best employee ever. You are certainly better than anyone in this office."

Emma blushed but hid her face with her hair so he wouldn't see. "Really?"

"Aye." He leaned back in the chair and smiled. "I trust that this will be between us only?"

Emma bit her lip and nodded. "Absolutely."

She walked out of the office with the paper and the flash drive. A smile on her face as she walked back to her desk and sat down in the chair, sighing loudly.

"This is the first time you've ever come out of there with a smile on your face. What did he say?" Neal asked.

She shook her head. "I'm not allowed to tell you."

"Emma, come on. I won't tell anybody."

"Sorry, but it's top secret information."

"Cmon. Just tell me."

"I said no. Stop asking."

Neal left her alone after that and went back to work. Emma waited until she got home to review the file. She was shocked to see that it was Mr. Gold who had asked for two trucks filled with explosives. The distribution company shipped almost anything. Explosives were one of them. She didn't have any time to make corrections because of her date with Neal, so she took out the flash drive from her computer and hid it in her purse for safe keeping. She then got up to get ready for her date.

Neal picked her up at seven on the dot. She grabbed her purse and walked out to his car with him. They pulled up to a fancy restaurant and Neal opened the door for her. They walked in and got seated. The first thing Emma noticed was that near the window, none other that Killian Jones sat at a table alone. He was drinking some kind of alcohol that was in a tumbler, and his eyes were unfocused.

Over the years, Emma had grown attracted to Killian. She just figured that it was a small crush, and that it would go away, but it hadn't. She could easily tell anyone that he was hot because anyone with eyes would agree. But, she knew that Killian wouldn't want anything to do with her. She worked for him. They had to keep things professional. But, nothing would ever happen. He always flirted with her, but it never meant anything. At least, that's what she had always told herself.

"... So? Will you?" Neal asked.

Emma shook her head. "Sorry, what?"

"I said that because we have been dating for a while and we've grown pretty close, I wanted to know if you wanted to move in with me."

She hadn't noticed until now, but her hands were in his. Neal had a hopeful look on his face. She glanced to the corner of the room and saw Killian's blue eyes on hers. She slowly brought her hands back to her sides and grabbed her purse from the table.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I've been wanting to tell you for a while Neal, but I think we should go on a break. I just need some alone time."

And she did what Emma Swan does best. She ran. She ran from the restaurant and as far as she could, just so Neal wouldn't catch up to her.