The Night I Woke Up Beside You

[SEASON 1] Chapter 15: Compromising Situations

"So, you will be doing some of the important props for the coming event that we got scheduled next month."

The very first thing that Regina had expected was... not really this. This morning, she had been mooning about the fact that she was finally going to do something she actually liked for a change. Writing plays and seeing it done on stage was entirely pleasing and very self-motivating for one. Yet, when she entered the club and met John, the drama club's president, his first words had quickly put a halt to all of her preceded imagination and the reality made her feel completely deflated.

"What?" Regina said the word quite a bit more pronounced before she could even stop herself, her mouth agape and her eyes widened in utter dismay that she could clearly hear the very disappointment in her own voice. John gave her a sympathetic smile in return, trying to ease the despondent look that she had because he knew how it must have been a total letdown too. After all, she had initially applied herself to be a story writer not... a production staff.

"I know that you wanted to write for the play," John said meekly and he tried to console Regina by patting her on the shoulder, "But I already got everything planned out before you had joined the club. Jane's the one doing the script."

As he introduced the name, John gestured to a pixie blonde girl talking to a tall brunette from afar and Regina quickly recognized the former to be Jane, one of the seniors. She was a part of the popular group too. That was not what she had anticipated before she showed herself up here and Regina suddenly felt insecure. Yet she still tried to put up a pretentious grin, even though it looked like she was just wincing. John smiled sadly.

"I guess, I just have to wait for my turn, do I?" Regina said in a hopeful voice but she was not really feeling any near hopeful now. She had to take the offer anyway, there was no backing down.

"Don't feel bad, darling. I really liked your work. I read your storyboard, and personally, I totally think it's wonderful," John said to her encouragingly but he knew it was not enough. Regina felt like he was just patronizing her in the nicest way he can by making it sound like it was still for a good cause, "Maybe by the next event, you'll get the spot. Just not this time. Okay?"

Regina held back a sigh and just nodded since she can't really do otherwise. She had already signed herself up for this. John immediately took her compliant response as affirmation and grinned eagerly. Regina just accepted her fate. The good thing about this was she got in. At least, she could start the experience and learn all the basics first while she adjusts to the club. 

Although too bad, her expectations had been cut off short right on the spot. So much for her expecting things would go smoothly as how she had initially wanted them. Of course, she should have known it won't be that easy at first. She got to prove her own worth. But somehow, she was getting the feeling that the worse is yet to come and it would never be a fast promotion. Looking around, she could see the number of people working around her and it made her slightly unsure of what things will be coming for her here. But then again, what could actually be worse?

What mattered now was this opportunity.

There's no time for her to dwindle around any longer. She was already nearing the end of the semester and next year will be the last year of high school for her. She had to figure out what she wanted to do. And as she tried to weigh such things in her mind, she was quickly distracted by John who was now motioning at her with his hands to walk with him.

They went through a narrow path leading to the back of the club room into a door that brought them to the backstage where materials for props had been stored all over the place. Cardboards, glue guns, fabric, clothes, the smell of spray paint, and thinner filled her senses as she followed. As she found herself being surrounded by these things, she started to feel comfortable. She took note of the club members painting and measuring stuff around, getting busy as they got their respective work done. Perhaps, her decision might still be a good thing. She was casually observing the rest of the scene until they stopped right near the small stairs connecting to the stage platform with the red curtains tied to the sides.

She waited and bit her lip, although this all seemed promising, she still did not know what she was supposed to do at the moment. The anticipation was no longer there but she was trying to feel the atmosphere. Then suddenly, John turned to face her, still wearing that huge grin that felt so customary as if he was keeping a pleasing image of his character despite the situation. It was pretty obvious that they were short of staff and there were still a lot of things to finish. The play was going to be next month. 

"You will get to see more of this place in the coming days," John informed her, briefly giving her a tour. "It might be a bit stuffy here but if you ever need anything, you can ask anyone around for it. We got all the resources and funds to produce the event. We also have free snacks in the afternoon."

Regina nodded back, taking it all in. She roamed her eyes around, trying to look upbeat.

"It's musical," John told her, referring to the type of stage they will be presenting. Regina had pretty much guessed that right away when she had noticed the sequined dresses hung on a steel rack that they had passed by just a while ago. "So we need fabulous wardrobes and painted backdrops, colors, and stuff to alleviate the feeling and give more emphasis to the fantasy theme of the play. I will give you a list of tasks you can contribute to."

And soon after saying that, John was quickly pulling out a sheet of paper from the clipboard he was holding in his hands and handed it to Regina. Regina took it, her hand firmly gripping the side of the A4, and she quickly scanned what had been written there. It was a short checklist, with detailed activities that she realized summed up the role she was going to play for the club. Stagehand. She pursed her lips but did not say anything as she just nodded to it.

"Okay," John clapped his hands, sounding pleased that she was not questioning anything. And feeling the need to rush, he waved his hand again for her to proceed with him. They soon entered a smaller room, the smell of paint was stronger in this one. Regina immediately saw another person doing some kind of paint job on the big polystyrene board perched against the wall. He was the only one working alone but she did not look intently at him because her eyes were still focused on John. It seemed like the place was a bit more recluse from the previous one they had just walked through.

"We all work on partners here, so you don't have to be a loner, it's better to have some company, right?" John told her brightly. Regina just smiled back. She was just glad to know that she was going to work with someone while doing all of the stuff written on the paper for her. John moved further inside and quickly gestured his hand to the guy who had been busy with the painting, "You'll be with him for the entire preparation, though he isn't really a part of the club. You probably know him already. He's only here as a required help."

"Required help?" Regina found that word odd but when she finally turned to give a fuller look at the guy, she quickly stopped herself and hold her breath. It was Ryan Townsend.

Ryan still had his back turned on them as he brushed some oil paint across the huge board in front of him. He was sitting on a stool, his denim jacket and black short hair, still looking messy and all over the place, made him look like some dark forlorn artist furnishing his masterpiece by splashing the slight swirls of blue indigo on the blank canvass.

"Okay, I take it I'd be working with him until the big day, huh?" Regina concluded lopsidedly and as she muttered this, Ryan finally turned his head around to look at them. He also stopped, meeting her eyes, and when he saw her face he looked totally surprised that the paintbrush he had been holding with his hand slipped from his hold and dropped on the floor in a clatter. Blue paint sprayed all over the floor beneath his feet, staining his jeans and the bottom part of the board. 

"s**t," Ryan hissed with a loud grunt as he ducked right away to pick up the brush from the ground, and stared down at the damage done on his pants.

"Good reaction," John eyed the mess on the floor, and gave Ryan a raised brow, "That's going to add up to your workload later. You better make sure you'd clean that before you get home, Townsend."

Ryan scowled right away and shot John an irritated look. But instead of retorting back when other people chastised him, he surprisingly kept his silence. Regina gawked at him. And for a brief second, she even noticed the strange fleeting glance Ryan had given her before he had quickly looked away and continued with what he was doing before she and John had entered the room.

"Don't worry," John faced Regina again, his tone went much softer with her than how he had regarded Ryan just seconds ago, smiling as he said, "He's tamed. He's just here because he got into trouble with Mrs. Miller."

Mrs. Miller was their drama and art teacher. She had probably forced Ryan to do this job because of his absences. And judging by the way Ryan had been docile even when John had tried to annoy him, he must have no other choice but to oblige and do this. Regina looked at Ryan for a moment, unable to resist a smirk as she crossed her arms across her chest and said, "I'm not worried about him. I could work with Ryan."

"Really?" John said in mild disbelief, slightly scoffing. But the spark in his eyes told Regina that he was impressed by her confidence. He probably just liked teasing and annoying Ryan too.

"See, Johnny?" Ryan said from where he sat, interrupting them with his smug tone, "Not everyone's afraid of me. I'm a harmless human."

John snorted and rolled his eyes, and Regina chortled back. "Well, glad to finally find someone who can tolerate you, Townsend," John said in a demeaning tone, "But don't think you can just boss her around here. She's our new addition to the club so you'd still be under her command."

Regina snickered, "Oh, so he can't say no to me?"

John nodded at her with a playful smile, while Ryan just snorted loudly.

"Count me in, then."

Ryan looked over his shoulder to glare at Regina, and for a moment, Regina felt like they were back to being friends again. The spontaneous feeling of being the receiving end of Ryan's scowl made Regina feel more at ease. Then she heard John laughed at her words as he said, "He's practically your lackey. And if he tries to escape the job, you can just tell me and I'll be the one reporting him. You know him, right?"

"Oh, I know Ryan," Regina said, giving John a mischievous grin, "Who doesn't know him?"

"Ah..." John's mouth curved up as he turned around to shoot Ryan a look even though it won't be seen by him, and added, "The popularity does count, Townsend. She must be a fan."

Regina did not even mind the insinuating remark. She even grinned when John winked at her, feigning humor from his own mocking statement. They both laughed after that.

"Ha-ha," Ryan interjected in a sarcastic way, hearing their laughter, but he still kept his back on them while putting all of his attention towards the asymmetrical strokes he had been making on the board. 

"Then, I'll just leave the two of you here, now. I need to check the sound system first so we could do a rehearsal today. Don't be shy and feel free to ask anyone here for help. You're one of us now, okay?" John said in a reassuring voice as he smiled down at Regina, expecting her to do the rest. Regina nodded her head and let him leave. 

"Thanks," she told John before he walked away, and John returned the gesture by slightly patting her on the back before he left the room. The atmosphere when he disappeared became a little bit chilly though. And Regina, for a moment, did not really know what to do at first. She remained standing awkwardly on her spot, watching Ryan as she waited for something to happen. Probably, something that would urge her to start moving. But nothing happened yet. Silence just settled between them with only the light faint sounds of the brush grazing against the thick polystyrene board filling it.

"Are you just going to stand there until later?" Ryan finally asked out loud after a few minutes of enduring the tension, eventually breaking the ice. He did not really like the discomfort this was giving him and he could just tell that Regina had been almost seconds away from bolting out. She was probably thinking what else to do next, so without much of a thought, Ryan stood up and suddenly pulled another stool from the nearby corner and carried it up with one hand. He carefully placed it on the space beside him. But before he could urge her to sit down, he still consciously pushed it a little further away to maintain a good distance.

It was a tactical move since he was still nervous to be around her. He was not sure if she was going to act coolly about it. So he kept the distance just to control the situation. After all, didn't they already agreed not to interact with each other anymore?

This was so ironic. Having to deal with the very problem he was trying to avoid, Ryan forcefully ignored the occasional sighing that he had somehow acquired from the past few days for being bothered by his own conflicted feelings brought by the strangeness of the situations he had shared with Regina lately. He had been so decided to never come across her anymore. Even at school. He really tried not to see her. He actually thought that he could manage it all until this happened. 

And there she was, a mere five-meter distance, they were breathing in the same hot humid air, and she was watching him as if trying to test his patience. She was very much present and back in his life again. Though figuratively, of course.

Somehow, that thought made him feel very uneasy. He could not think calmly knowing that they were in a small room with just the two of them alone. Together. Space was the only thing keeping them apart now, there was no use in ignoring the existence of one another. They will have to talk eventually. 

Occupied by those musings, Ryan did not even realize that he had been stuck painting more color over color on the same rounded spot he had been brushing on for minutes now. The particular area had already gone darker than the rest of his paintwork forming a noticeable splotch on the entire picture. He was too distracted.

He temporarily set the brush aside and started to compose himself first. He did not even want to look at Regina because he knew it would only cloud his judgment more if he ever saw her stare back or just smile. Her smile could be dangerous too, that's for sure. And Ryan consciously warned himself to watch out for it. It might be best to just act casually and tried to keep his silence as much as possible.

"So what are we painting?" Regina finally let her voice out, sounding nervously unsure as she took the empty seat near him. She stared at the board which was now partially covered in blue, there were still some areas left uncolored, not much for her to fill in for that long. Yet she still could not tell what it was supposed to look like. She waited for Ryan to tell her that.

"It's the night sky," Ryan answered, a little delayed as he took a deep breath.

That explained the slightly indented sketches of small circles seen through the paint that had been put there before it had been coated blue. It was probably marked for the stars.

"Any extra brush?" Regina asked shortly. She glanced at Ryan expectedly. And automatically, Ryan moved from his seat and picked a spare brush from a box placed near the edge of the wide board to hand it to her. He was still avoiding the chance to look her way, but when she had conveniently grabbed the brush from him, he immediately snapped his head to look at her. He felt her fingers brushing against his. He could not deny the tingling effect it had left on his skin as he let his hand froze midair even after the brush had been taken away. He gulped and hesitantly dropped his outreached hand and dipped the brush he was holding in his other hand into the paint can that had been placed on the floor between them. 

"Seems like we'll be doing things together for quite some time now. I hope you don't mind. It's not like we can't talk if necessary, you know," Regina muttered out loud. But from the sound of her voice, it seemed like she was not completely bothered by that. However, in Ryan's case, he was feeling completely erratic. He could not even stop his leg from shaking aggressively as his heel continuously tapped on the floor, indicating his extreme discomfort. But he tried to mask it firmly by getting busy instead. He looked away and started painting again to fix the blotched spot he had made on the canvass by putting another coat to the lighter area around it. He can manage this... It's going to be just a month.

But it felt like it's going to be longer than that. Though it seemed ridiculous that he was the only one knackered about this. Regina looked too relaxed. Ryan had noticed her state when he stole a glance of her from the corner of his eye. She was calm and was even humming as she started to paint on her side. 

"You serious about drama club?" Ryan forced himself to make small talks, it was that or be swallowed by his jittery nerves so he made his mouth move.

"Yeah," he quickly heard Regina replied back, breathing out the word. She sounded surprisingly happy to say that out loud and Ryan subconsciously looked her way again, and mentally smacked himself on the head for doing so. What happened with not looking at her?

But he stayed staring at her.

"Apparently it's the first time I'd be doing something like this," Regina said with a wistful smile, seemingly oblivious of the penetrating look that Ryan was giving her from the side, "I'm starting to finally discover what I really want for my own self. And I think that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah... I guess, it is," Ryan found himself replying back, almost swept away by that satisfied look on her face. She was not extremely glad, but she seemed very eager to be here. Ryan watched her for a little longer, his eyes softening slowly and he eventually forgot all the warnings and that angry screaming voice in his head that kept telling him to look away. He could not keep his eyes off of her.

She was really changing.

Somehow, she looked so real today... And not just real for sitting right beside him. She was real in the sense that he could feel her deep honesty. The way she looked right now was totally different and more confident as if this had been the very first time she actually did something of her own volition. And that made Ryan smile to himself. 

Unaware of his own expression, he did not even realize that Regina had also noticed it. He was changing too.

And he was smiling so genuinely. Confused as to why he was displaying such kind of expression on his face, Regina still did not dare to ask anything about it. But deep inside, she felt so curious. She wanted to know what that soft longing look that he was giving her actually meant. It felt too raw, too endearing, too intimate, too sweet. 

And it made her heart constantly flutter.

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