𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐔𝐌 ✰ 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤

𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞 - 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐭 (𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧)

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 09
3𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐯

__________________

__________________

— PACKING IS HIS WORST ENEMY, Jasper decides as he goes over the hotel room a third time only to find more things he's taken out of his suitcase for the trip and forgotten about entirely. He's about to throw it all in the suitcase, slam it shut, and forget when a knock at his hotel door distracts him. He walked to the door with an... oddly shaped item in hand that he's already forgotten about until he opened the door and finds Colby. With most of his body still hidden by the door, he throws it into his suitcase without looking and hopes for the best as he smiled awkwardly.

"Heyyy, how's it's going?" He drawled with a nervous chuckle that he thought would make Colby look at him like he's crazy but the brunette seems too distracted for that as he wrings his hands anxiously.

"We need to talk." Colby told him sternly before he nervously rushed to add, "I think, I mean if you want to."

"Yeah sure, of course, Bee," the familiar old nickname slips off his tongue before he can stop it, "Come in." He said with a flush to his cheeks that he adamantly ignores and hopes in his distracted state that Colby will too. "I was just uh, packing." He explained, throwing a jacket from the bed onto the open suitcase in hopes of covering anything that may make this conversation more awkward than it already is.

Colby nodded, seemingly too distracted to question this as he sat down on the bed, twisting the rings on his hands anxiously, he glances up from his hands to Jasper as he speaks, "So, I think we should talk about high school, and what it all means I guess?" He said uncertainly.

"We don't have to." Jasper offered as he sat down beside him, "We can just move on." Bury it like he's done with the memories and emotions from it, he gets distracted by Colby's eyes, like always, just like he used to. A certain bitterness filled him that he hadn't felt in a long time, the memory of driving away knowing he would never see Colby again clouds his mind — the way he felt with him before that, hopeful, young and so in love — he pushes these feelings down with a deep breath as he averts his gaze from Colby's blue eyes though he can't help thinking he would drown to death in those blues and say thank you.

Colby looked at him, eyes wide in complete disbelief, like he can't even believe the words he'd just heard, "You want to what- move on? Not talk about it and just — forget?"

"Well," he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he looked away, "Yeah."

The brunette shook his head repeatedly, "No!" He exclaimed before taking a breath, "I- I can't do that, Jasper, you understand that, right?"

"I mean not really?" Jasper responded with a hint of confusion as he looked at Colby, "It was years ago, Colby, you already forgot once, why can't you do it again?" He felt young again, naive and heartbroken because of course Colby had forgotten him, why would he remember some stupid teenaged love after all these years? The familiar thought clouds his mind until he can't see through it.

"Is that what you think?" Colby asked sounding almost defeated or hurt maybe? — Jasper didn't understand any of this — as he stared at him, "That I forgot?" He nodded, thinking that was obvious, "I didn't forget, Jasper. I couldn't forget you— us."

"You didn't recognize me." Jasper argued weakly, not prepared for that answer. He wanted Colby to agree that they should just forget, move on and bury it. It would be easier, less complicated than this. Whatever this even is.

"That doesn't mean I didn't remember you."  Colby protested sternly, "I remember you, I remember everything." His hand reached forward instinctively for Jasper's but he pulled it back just as Jasper's eyes landed on the movement. He breathed deeply, "I didn't recognize you at first because I didn't ever think I'd see you again and you looked different, but that doesn't mean I forgot you."

"Maybe you should have."

"Did you?" He questioned in return, "Did you forget me, us?"

"No." Jasper shook his head without hesitation, "Of course not. I just... it would be easier if we moved on."

"Life isn't easy, Jasper, why do you want to forget it so bad?"

"Because it's not the same anymore, we already moved on. Bringing up the past won't do any good." Jasper said decisively, having settled on this before Colby could argue it, before he even recognized him.

"It's not the same anymore." Colby agreed, "But that doesn't mean it can't be good."

Jasper's gaze landed on his eyes as the words settled in, realizing how close they were he struggled to breath. His body betrayed him as he leaned even closer, eyes flickering from his blue eyes to his pink lips.

Colby leaned in.

Their lips were inches apart, he could feel his breath on his lips and only had the chance to think is this real before a knock at the door interrupted them and made them jump apart.

"Shit." Colby swore, standing up and turning away from Jasper who stayed on the bed for a moment, dazed from shock before he forced himself up and to the door. Pulling it open, he barely restrained himself from slapping the man at the door when he realized it's Sam.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*＊

"SO, the video went pretty well." Sam commented as they all sat around the room, Jasper and Colby noticeably further apart than they've ever sat during the duration of the trip which you'd only notice if you've been paying attention — which Sam has, "What do you think about joining us again in the future?"

Jasper couldn't help his eyes landing on Colby. He lost himself in thought for a moment before pulling his gaze away and shaking his head, "I don't know, Sam."

Sam nodded in disappointed understanding however Colby was not as ready to let the topic go as he spoke up quietly for the first time since Sam had joined them, "Please."

"I mean it would be fun." He corrected, clearing his throat as Jasper met his gaze.

Jasper chewed on his bottom lip anxiously but nodded after a moment, "Okay. Just send me a message with a time and place." He said more to Colby than Sam, "I'll be there." He promised.

Sam glanced between them, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Jasper shrugged, "Why not? Maybe- maybe some good will come of it."

Colby grinned, Jasper's words seemed like a secret message - one Sam did not understand, the brunette spoke with a certain excitement, his eyes only on Jasper as he agreed, "Maybe."

This was more than a simple maybe, this was a compromise. An agreement that this was not the end - that although Jasper was still unsure, he would agree to see what happened and they both hoped good things would come because neither could handle any more heartbreak after all this time.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*＊
1,200 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔