You and Tequila

Chapter Twelve

Thunder cracks viciously outside, but that doesn't bother the unconscious brunette beside her. Emma glances down to her left, where raven locks in disarray are spread across a pure white pillowcase. Emma groans inwardly, her body still on edge since the ass crack of dawn this morning. Her head thumps back against the headboard, her back rigid, her arms folded angrily against her chest, her legs crossed at the ankles just so she can uncross them to repeat the same damn action again and she's fuming.

After the debacle from that morning, the crew ventured downstairs into the lobby of the hotel to be escorted to the meet and greet. Regina sashayed through the room effortlessly, with a practiced smile gracing her face and all the elegance of a true queen. And Emma wanted to push her down. Everyone around them acted like nothing at all happened that morning. That Regina didn't just blow her sobriety because the new girl didn't know any better and easily followed her commands. Regina was in her element, playing her roll as the superstar and not at all the still half drunk mess that she was.

Emma so wanted to trip her and watch her fall.

Because Regina Mills is a damn good actress, even Emma was taken back and started guessing her own memories, like maybe Regina doesn't have a drinking problem? Maybe she isn't half in the bag right now and only running on an hour of sleep? And all of that just squirmed its way into the back of Emma's mind and planted horrible thoughts.

If Regina is this great of an actress then maybe she played Emma like a fiddle last night. Now, Emma has no idea what's real and what's not between them. She thought Regina was this strong, independent woman who had complete and utter control in her life, but as it turns out, Cora has all the control and drives her daughter to the brink of sanity, where she needs to lose herself in a bottle of alcohol to even breathe.

Emma's jaw sets while her eyes trail back down to the sleeping beauty. Regina's back is to her, but if she just leans a little further, she can make out Regina's delicate features. Her swollen lips, free of makeup are parted, inhaling soft breaths as her long thick lashes flutter and fuck-she's adorable.

Adorable. Out of all the ways to describe Regina Mills, adorable would be the last one to ever cross Emma's mind. Sexy, of course. Gorgeous, yes. Stunning, absolutely. Smoking hot, damn straight. But, adorable?

Emma peeks over Regina's shoulder to catch a glimpse of this rare moment where the superstar is finally at ease, relaxed and at peace. And yes, she's fucking adorable. Emma rolls her eyes to herself and grunts under her breath.

It's three o'clock in the afternoon, but in this hotel room, the atmosphere says midnight. All the black out shades are drawn, the bedroom door is closed and not a spec of light is seeping through. They returned to the suite at eleven, with Regina teeter-tottering on the fine line between passing out and asking for another drink.

Since Emma was the one who started this mess, everyone agreed that she should be the one to stay with Regina and make sure there isn't another secret stash laying around. However, Regina was interested in sleeping, so Emma helped her into bed and tucked her in.

"Are you leaving now?"

"No, I told you, I'm not going anywhere."

Emma can still hear their whispers right before she climbed into bed beside Regina and the singer passed out within seconds. Her heart still aches from the insecurities curling maliciously around Regina's voice when she thought Emma was going to leave her.

Why the hell is any of this bothering her as much as it is?

Out of nowhere, the brunette's wild mane pops up from the pillow like a Jack-in-the-box, her hands stuffed under her pillow and her arms shakily supporting her upper body. Emma freezes, her head slowly turning to watch the back of Regina's head and neither one mutters a single sound. Sluggishly, Regina cranes her neck to meet Emma's blown wide eyes. Dark eyebrows furrow, disoriented, puzzled, lost in a foggy haze.