It's Just Casual

Chapter 30

Regina grabbed the bottle of pills and I stopped brushing my teeth to observe her. I hadn't intended for it to come across as judgemental, but clearly it did, because she sighed and put the pills away.

"You know what, Emma? I'll do you a favor and refrain from the pills tonight. Maybe that'll ease your mind," she snapped and strutted away.

I wanted to respond something, but I didn't know what and I couldn't speak while brushing my teeth. Regina had left the bathroom already, anyway, so I decided I'd talk to her in the bedroom.

Frankly, I didn't really understand what I'd done wrong. I hadn't said anything and I'd only looked at her, so I really didn't think I was in the wrong here. I'd hoped she'd explain it to me, but when I got to the bedroom, she had her back turned to me as she was lying in bed.

"Regina?" I asked softly, as I joined her underneath the covers. She shifted away from me and pulled the duvet higher up her body.

"Sleep well, Emma," she mumbled and I knew there was no way I'd be able to start a conversation with her now. So, I chose to ignore the situation and focus on sleeping.

~~~~~

I woke up in the middle of the night and I didn't know what had awoken me. I checked my phone and the screen lit up to tell me it was 3.46 a.m. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked aside to see whether Regina was still sleeping, only to find an empty spot beside me.

Regina probably couldn't sleep and had left the bedroom, which made me feel guilty. If it hadn't been for me pressuring her about those sleeping pills, everything would've been alright. I didn't even know why I'd gotten myself involved in the whole situation, but it did worry me.

If Regina was prone to addictions, I didn't want to stimulate that. I didn't even think it made me a bad person to comment on her behavior, but maybe she was right. Maybe I was overreacting. I just didn't think I was.

I caught a glimpse of Regina through the window. She was sitting on the front porch and when I opened the door, I noticed she was holding a drink. Water, it seemed.

"Hi," I softly spoke. "What are you doing up?"

Regina was staring ahead and didn't bother acknowledging me. She took a sip of her water and shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

"I'm sorry," I apologized and sat down beside her. She scooted slightly away from me and I felt my heart sink a little. Regina and I had never had a discussion take longer than a day before. We'd always managed to get over it, but this one seemed like it needed a long talk and Regina didn't seem like she was willing to do so. I wasn't in the mood to talk either, to be honest. I really just wanted to sleep. I was actually very tired and now that I'd found Regina and I'd sat down, I realized just how much. "I was only trying to help."

Regina huffed and looked at me. "How many times have I told you that's not necessary?" she asked, clearly rhetorically. "All this is none of your concern. Frankly, I don't understand why it even bothers you. It's not a big deal."

I sighed softly. I could've guessed the conversation would've gone like this. "Well, maybe it is," I said with a shrug. "You've been to rehab be.."

"Swan, shut up," Regina snapped and clenched her jaw. "You don't know shit about me and my past addictions. I'm not addicted to sleeping pills and I'm certainly not going to end up in rehab because of them. It's just the one more. It's not of importance. It's not even worth discussing over."