𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙂𝙤 - 𝙀. 𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣

[11] TO BELIEVE OR NOT TO BELIEVE

Two seconds.

Regina was gifted two seconds of blissful peace before memories of last night came rushing to the forefront of her mind. Of her date, which was admittedly the best one she'd ever gone on. And of its abrupt end, which she still couldn't quite wrap her head around. It felt like they occurred on two separate nights entirely.

On the one hand she had a night full of laughter and jokes. A night where she truly believed she might've found the one. Everything about Emmett, from his teasing to his caring and from his big goofy grin to his broad muscled shoulders, it all made her feel warm and safe and happy. He complemented her in ways no one else ever had and he brought out the best in her.

Yet, on the other hand, the night was... well, chaos. Regina remembered that she was comfortable enough to trust Emmett with something she'd only told her best friend. She felt emotional and distressed at recalling her nightmares, but she felt Emmett would understand. He told her he would. But then he told her that he was a vampire, and as crazy as it sounded, Regina knew for a fact that that's what he'd said. It wasn't like Waylon Forge, who was sputtering and only said half the word. He flat out told her he was a vampire. It was ridiculous and, frankly, insulting. It was like he was making fun of her.

But then... when he moved... Regina couldn't actually see him move. She just saw him suddenly appear across the street. She remembered vividly how desperate he looked under the streetlight. And even more so when he reappeared right in front of her. His eyes were pleading with her, and Regina couldn't shake them. Every time she tried to dismiss his words, those eyes would drift to the forefront of her mind, begging her to reconsider. There was something in those eyes...

And even if she could somehow write off his disappearing and reappearing faster than she could comprehend, there was also the matter of him literally tearing a bolted bench out of the ground. The only explanation she could give was that her nightmares had taken a drastic turn and created this elaborate dream. She highly doubted it, knew it was all real, but her mind was resisting.

Then she realized. That bench. If it was still there, and if it was still torn from the ground, she had her proof. Proof that last night was real. Emmett hadn't exactly put the bench down gently, so it would be obvious if he'd torn it from the ground.

She pushed the blanket away, put on some sweatpants and pulled her hair up in a ponytail. She was lucky it was Sunday because that was the only day her stepmom slept in. She could make up an excuse easily, but mams would definitely ask her for each and every detail of her date. She was almost as bad as Jessica in that department. Speaking of Jessica, the brunette had already left a couple of messages last night asking about the date. Regina had ignored them, deciding to answer once she knew what to do about her and Emmett. There were many questions bouncing around in her head about the two of them, half the questions she didn't even dare think of yet. She just needed to see that bench before she could even begin confronting them.

She got in the car and pulled out of the driveway as quietly as possible. Once she rounded to corner and she was sure her home was far enough behind her, she sped up and headed straight to Port Angeles. Normally, she would've driven faster and gone over the speed limit, but after the accident a couple of weeks ago, she didn't dare.

It took her a second to remember how to get to the bench exactly but remembered how they'd walked from the midget golf course; she simply retraced those steps. She parked the car across the street from the bench, but even from inside the car she could see the damage. Still, she got out of the car and crossed the street, her eyes only diverting from the bench to check if she could cross safely.

The metal frame of the bench was bend out of shape, making the entire thing stand crooked. Regina found herself poking at it, as if her eyes might be deceiving her. She slight push of her hand was enough to knock the entire thing over, making it fall on its back with a loud thump. Regina jumped and looked around her to make sure no one had seen, but like last night, the street was empty. She looked back at the bench and only now notice the cracks in the concrete pavement. There was no denying it now.