golden;

eleven;

making the best of an awkward situation

x

"I'm gonna miss you Breezy." I said as I hugged Brie. Today was the day her and Nicole flew out to Tampa to be with Bryan and John for the remainder of our break.

"I'll miss you too Dani," she replied as she pulled away. "If there's anything wrong, just call or FaceTime me."

I smiled before turning to Nicole. Even after all the drama with Colby, in still going to miss Nicole and her s'mores.

I hugged her and said my goodbyes before they both went through security.

"Now we wait another 5 months before we see all of you again." My mom said as she dabbed a tissue under her eyes.

I nodded sadly as we walked out the terminal and into the carpark. As much as I loved my job, I hated leaving my parents for months and only seeing them for a short amount of time.

x

Once we arrived back home, I began getting ready to film with Austin. I threw on some mascara and a liquid lipstick so I looked more presentable, and afterwards began packing my overnight bag. I also threw in some face masks and a spa kit I have but never used.

As soon as I finished I got a text from Mercy.

From: Mercy👸🏽💜

Text me when your ready to be picked up, we'll take you to film with Austin xxx

To: Mercy👸🏽💜

We? Who else is coming xxx

From: Mercy👸🏽💜

Fergals coming as well, he says hey btw😊xxx

To: Mercy👸🏽💜

Tell him I said hey as well😂I'm ready now so come when your ready xxx

I texted Mercy the address before grabbing my bag and going downstairs. I peeked into the lounge to find my mom and dad sitting down, watching some TV show about antiques.

"I'm off to stay at my friends for the night. I'll be back tomorrow." I said.

"Ok, have a nice time sweetie." My mom smiled. I said goodbye before leaving the house.

I stood outside the gates, waiting for them to show up. 5 minutes later, and a Mercedes rolled up next to me.

"A Mercedes for a Mercedes." I joked as I got in the back. They both laughed as Fergal began to drive.

"So where does Austin film his videos?" I asked, putting my bag on the middle seat.

"At the performance centre; he uses one of the spare rooms to film." Mercy replied, looking out the window.

"And Paul (HHH) let him?" I asked in shock. I didn't know the company allowed Austin to film there, seeing as it's backstage and no ones in kayfabe.

"Yep. I was pretty surprised at first, but he made some sort of deal to make sure that not a lot of the backstage areas is showed, y'know, keep everything a secret." She explained, and I nodded.

Once we arrived at the centre, we all walked through hallways until we found the room. The door was wide open, and inside was Austin, Ettore and..

Colby?

"Hey guys!" Mercy greeted everyone as she walked in, followed my Fergal, then me.

I watched as Colby greeted Mercy and Fergal, then his eyes met mine. I smiled shyly as did he, but the awkward tension between us could be cut with a knife.

He shuffled closer so he was standing in front of me.

"I'm sorry," He said as he looked down, fiddling with his hands. "For being a dick yesterday."

"It's Nicole's fault, don't feel bad." I reassured him. "She sent the text because she was mad with me. It's not your fault that she put the wrong idea in your head."

He smiled. "So, we're okay now?"

I nodded. "Of course. We have no reason not to be."

He grinned, and he was about to say something until Austin hailed us over.

"Ok guys, so we're going to start filming soon. The game your going to be playing is called Outlast, and because it's a horror game you'll be playing in pairs."

I looked up to Colby to see him looking back. I felt my cheeks warm up, and I quickly looked back down.

"Right, let's get filming then!" Austin exclaimed, and we cheered.

x

3 hours later, and we were finished. My throat was sore after screaming multiple times, but I'm glad Colby was there to comfort me.

It's weird to think how much a horror game session can change a friendship. Me and Colby had started off on not the best of terms, and have ended with a closer friendship than ever before.

We exited the centre with Mercy and Fergal walking hand in hand in front of us.

"That was so much fun." I said, barely making my voice audible. He laughed.

"Sounds like you had fun. You can barely talk!" He joked.

He stopped me on the pavement as I watched Fergal and Mercy walked in front of us. I looked at him, confused.

"Do you wanna go out sometime? Like maybe tomorrow, or something? Only if you want to, if you don't want to then that's fine I just wanted to know if you di-"

"Colby I'd love to go out with you," I cut him off by pressing my finger to his lips. "Tomorrow night is perfect."

He grinned. "Really?" He asked in disbelief. I nodded. "Wow," he said, more to himself. Then he said more confidently, "I'll text you tomorrow."

I smiled and kissed his cheek before walking over to the car. Fergal was standing outside, grinning as I got closer.

"Got yourself a date then?" He asked teasingly. I rolled my eyes as I got in the back. "Yeah, with Colby."

Mercy squealed. "Oh my god! You and Colby are so cute together! I'll have to help you choose what to wear."

I smiled as we pulled out the parking lot. I was happy that I finally got to sit down with Colby and really get to know him, and who knows where this might take our friendship?