You and Tequila

Chapter Thirty-One

The heavy drum pounds a single beat that rattles deep inside of Emma's chest as Regina stands out on stage with her best, broad, fake smile firmly set into place. The drummer smacks his stick against the drum once more, creating that same deep vibration as Regina gestures for Outlaw to take the stage.

"Tonight, we have a little surprise for you," Regina playfully announces, her dark eyes glossing over into a vacant stare as she smiles wildly at her boyfriend.

The entire crowd erupts in a roar mixed with shrieks and claps of overwhelming joy just before people start spewing out Robin's name along with Outlaw. The proud man enters from the left side of the stage, resting his bass guitar's strap over his shoulder with Milah excitedly trailing behind on her fuck-me-heels, yanking on Killian's hand to follow.

"Aren't you a part of that band?" Mal's busy-body mouth asks Graham right away when she sees him lingering behind.

"Yeah, but Regina's band is out there," he nonchalantly says, shrugging his shoulder while he slinks back behind the curtain, nervously tapping his sticks against his outer thigh.

"So? The rest of your band is out there."

"I know," the drummer mumbles under his breath just as Ruby chimes in over his quiet voice to swoop in and save him from further confrontation.

"Killian's not playing, he's just singing and so is the rest of the band, it's just their vocals that they are lending a hand on for this specific duet," Ruby justifies, lightly wrapping her arms around Graham's strong bicep, causing the shy man to stiffen in response. "Graham doesn't sing."

"I see," Mal murmurs, her eyes slithering back out toward the stage where Regina, Killian, Milah and Robin are all standing in a line and belting out the first chorus to one of Regina's latest songs that has yet to be released on the radio.

Milah locks those crystal eyes onto Killian's and cups his scruffy cheek tenderly as she sings the start of the second verse. "And you don't know me at all..."

Killian sincerely gazes back into her eyes and sympathetically smiles. "Yet, somehow you know me better than 'em all."

Regina inhales sharply as her sorrowful eyes appear to land heavily upon her boyfriend who is wailing on his bass, but Emma feels the intensity and knows in her heart Regina is peering through Robin to gaze upon her.

"And maybe I should surrender," Regina sings in a soft whisper with such thick emotions that her voice cracks in the sexiest way possible. "Let you inside these lonely castle walls."

Emma smirks to herself and very discreetly nods her head, encouraging Regina to face the audience again and proceed with the song. So, she does, brown eyes wander back out across the wild crowd where glowing cell phones are being raised toward the sky and putting all those stars to shame. Emma's positive that everyone sees this amazing and confident performer, but she sees the slight shimmer of tears in Regina's eyes and the emotions bubbling up to the surface.

They both know what those lyrics truly mean, and when they were created, and just how special that night is to both of them.

And that right there is a type of intimacy that nobody else could ever share with Regina and Emma is over the moon with that realization.

~~~~~~~~

Mal struts confidently through the maze of the backstage area with one place in mind. She glances between the two brunettes leaning on either side of the metal door and furrows her brows in confusion. She shakes off the questions whispering in the back of her mind and steps forward with her fist ready to knock on the door. That is until Ruby jumps in front of the door, startling the newcomer.