You and Tequila

Chapter Nine

Two weeks had gone by on the tour bus, which included four concerts and far too many interviews and meet and greets to count. Emma had hoped with all the different cities they were flying through that she would feel just as busy. Except, that was the exact opposite from what she had felt in Europe.

Overseas she felt like she was in a whirlwind, jumping from one plane to the next and barely having a moment to catch her breath. Now, being on the tour bus, there's a lot of down time for their travel and she's forced to be left alone with her thoughts while simultaneously feeling like she's being smothered by a pillow from too many bodies being crammed into one tiny living space.

She misses Henry and her mother too much now and every day she argues with herself if she should stay or throw in the towel and just go home. Her stubborn mind always beats her heart and reminds her how nice her bank account is looking these days.

It's just after five in the morning and again she is finding the task of sleep a foreign concept these days. If she's not wasting the seconds missing her family, she's stressing over her harbored feelings for her boss. And she still cannot wrap her head around the idea of feeling so strongly for another woman.

Emma sighs heavily, tosses the blankets from her long legs and quietly shimmies down her top bunk. She tiptoes through the shadowy hall, passed the sleeping crew and sneaks into the living space. As quietly as possible, she prepares a pot of coffee like she does most mornings and drowns in her thoughts.

Once her coffee is made, she curls up on the black leather couch, tucking her legs beneath her and peers out into the morning sky. The midnight blue is brightening up, the stars slowly burning out while the moon fades into an oblivion and the sun peeks out over the horizon. She sighs, sipping her steaming cup of coffee and watches the splatter of pinks and oranges swirling together just behind the mountains.

This is the part of the tour that she's going to miss dearly, traveling through the cities and admiring the different qualities that make each place so unique and unlike the last. These quiet and peaceful moments are when she thinks about her family and how she hopes one day she can show off all these destinations.

The sound of gushing water tears her eyes away from the window to land upon Regina standing at the kitchen sink.

"Hey, you're up," Emma lamely greets the woman, still as awkward as the first day she met her.

"Thank you for the confirmation," Regina grumbles under her breath. "I didn't think anyone would be up at this hour."

"I couldn't sleep, besides I am kind of in love with the sunrise over the mountains," Emma shyly admits, turning her attention back toward the colorful painting just outside. When she is greeted with silence from Regina, she attempts to fill the void. "I made coffee. You are more than welcome to some."

"I prefer tea during tours like this, for my throat."

"Ah, makes sense." Emma slowly sips her coffee, shuffling through all the files in her head for something else to say. "I'm not a fan of tea, my mom used to force it down my throat whenever I was sick. Hell, who am I kidding? She still does it," she chuckles into her mug and shakes her head.

"I do prefer coffee as well, but I am told tea is better for my vocal cords," Regina explains, tearing open a package and dipping the bag into her steaming mug of water.

Unhurriedly, she trudges across the bus and sinks into the couch beside Emma, inspiring her to eye the brunette carefully, because she's pretty sure they are still not on friendly speaking terms. For the most part, Regina has been doing a damn good job on ignoring her for the past two weeks, unless she's barking orders at her.