Always the Opposites {Brollins}

[ Chapter 29 ]

Rebecca and Colby spent the next few hours scrolling through tv stations, watching whatever was on.

In that time, Rebecca had almost nodded off four times, and Colby continued to fight her on it. She had originally just sat down next to him, which turned into her laying down on the couch with her head against his chest.

His warmth was at fault for making her so drowsy, the same went for the steady sound of his heartbeat. But he was adamant about her staying awake, so he wasn't left up alone.

Rebecca felt Colby's fingers absentmindedly draw shapes on her back, and her eyelids felt ten times heavier. "Well, you can't do that and expect me not to fall asleep."

She sat up and laughed, poking him in the chest. He had put on some sort of wrestling from what Rebecca could see, and he seemed pretty enthralled.

"How can you watch this?" She laughed, "I feel like I'd just get super aggressive."

He chuckled, "It seems fun."

Rebecca stood up to stretch, watching the tv for a second before standing up on the couch. Colby furrowed his eyebrows with a laugh, "What are you doing? You're not even drunk right now."

She took a second before jumping up and landing on top of him, mocking the tv. He laughed and picked her up, swinging her around and throwing her on the couch.

She covered her mouth to mute her laugh, so Riley didn't wake up, and the two continued to wrestle and fight for dominance on the couches.

At one point, they knocked Rebecca's backpack off of the couch and the belongings inside spilled all over the floor.

Colby, who was hovering over Rebecca at the time, sat up straight. "Crap, my bad."

She sat up on her elbows and shrugged, "It's nothing, don't worry."

Colby only really became curious as to what was in it when he noticed the familiar orange container he had seen a few times before. Around it laid some notebooks, a calculator, an eraser, and other regular school items.

When he stood up and moved towards it, picking it up, he noticed it was a pill bottle. He examined it and looked over at her wearily, "Rebecca... what are these?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and sighed, "They're not- probably not what you think they are."

She sat up and crossed her legs, "They're for my... condition."

His head shot back over to her as he waited for her to continue. "I suffer from stress-induced seizures."

Colby's eyes immediately widened, "How come you never told me?"

"I never thought I'd have to, and I guess I didn't want you to baby me." She fidgeted with her fingers, "I was recommended those about three years ago. There's not really a cure, but they're supposed to help."

He sat beside her, listening carefully. "To be honest, this is all new to me anyway. I only suffered from my first seizure about a week before I got those. I was actually with Pam, I don't really remember what was going on beforehand, but something set me off, and I went down hard."

Rebecca looked at him, "Nobody knows I have meds. I like to think Pam just wrote the seizure off as an anomaly, but I know she's always on the lookout. That's why she wanted me to get help from you, so I didn't relapse."

"Have you?" He asked, "Had a relapse?"

"Nothing yet." She gave him a half-smile, "I always gotta keep my emotions in check, but so far, it's just been that one. I don't know if it really was an anomaly or it's because of the medication, but so far, so good."

"When do you know to take them?" He turned towards her completely.

"I don't." She shrugged, "I take them when I'm feeling more stressed than usual, just as a precaution."

He nodded, putting the bottle down on the table beside them. "Thank you for telling me... I guess this is one of those moments, huh?"

Rebecca turned her head in slight confusion, "Well, you told me one of your big secrets, so I guess it's my turn."

"You don't have to tell me something just because I did." She laughed quietly.

"Well, I kinda forced you into it, so I suppose it's only right." He leaned on the side of the couch, "I don't think it's much of a surprise, but I uh, was diagnosed with severe anxiety."

Rebecca nodded slowly, "So I guess we're both just messed up, huh?"

"I guess so." He smiled, "The uh, hand fidgeting, is something that works a lot of the time for me. So in case you were wondering, no, I don't just have some weird finger fetish."

She laughed with a nod, "It just seems to centre me, I guess? I focus on the contact with you more than the rushing thoughts. The moment before my football game, when Riley mentioned dance classes... all prime examples."

Rebecca took mental notes, trying to remember his tells for potential future purposes. "It started after the whole Sarah thing, and having to deal with a child on my own made it harder."

His smile dropped, "Things that should be easy are hard. Fake scenarios in my head make it hard to sleep. Eating can feel like a chore. Basic things just feel that much worse."

"Is that... what this was?" She looked at the clock seeing it was almost three in the morning.

His nod was small, and she looked into his eyes and could see the hidden exhaustion. She slowly moved forward, giving him a quick yet gentle kiss before hugging him tightly. "C'mon, it's your turn for some rest."

When they moved back to the other couch, Rebecca insisted on switching places. She laid down first, gently running her fingers through Colby's hair while he lay on her stomach peacefully with a smile, feeling himself eventually drift off.