In Another Life

64

 "Nooo," I drawled out. "What then? Why are you looking at me like that?," he asked. I shook my head. "No reason," I replied, then went back to my phone. He knew. There was no way that he didn't know. I wasn't sure how he had found out but he freaking knew. He didn't comment on people's posts very much at all, and for him to like one, then comment on one in the same damn day...he knew. And I was going to die of embarrassment. At least he hadn't searched me up on Twitter yet, I guess. I should probably change my handle. He was quiet for a minute then turned sideways in his seat, facing me. "So, I know I asked you a million questions last night, but I forgot one. Can I ask it?" As long as you don't ask me about anything on that fan page, sure. I put my phone down and smiled at him. "Yeah, of course." "What's your middle name? I know you probably know mine, so I think it's only right." My middle name? Why did he want to know that? Whatever, not a big deal. "It's Rayne. Terra Rayne Brooks. My parents said they named me appropriately because I was such a terror when I was little. Like a thunderstorm." I laughed a little, and shook her head. "Was that all?" He nodded, and grinned, a little smirk that made me think that he had just figured something out. "Yeah, that's all. That's a pretty name," he replied, letting his arm drape around my shoulders. I scooted closer to him, because why not? My time living my dream with Colby Brock was almost gone and I was going to take every advantage that he gave me. "Thank you. I think Cole is a pretty name too," I said, laughing a little as I looked up at him. He cocked his eyebrow at me. "I don't know if I would say it's 'pretty' but thanks," he chuckled. We finally arrived at the hotel, and made our way upstairs. We started having a very intense discussion about spicy foods. I loved them, and he hated them so we were throwing their advantages and disadvantages back at each other. "Hot wings Colby! That's all I'm saying. Hot Wings with Ranch dressing." He rolled his eyes. "You can eat any kind of wings with Ranch dressing. They don't need to be hot." I shook my head. "Yes they do! The Ranch counterbalances the spicy leaving a melding of the two in your mouth, which is just..." I sighed. "Amazing." He started to laugh, then we heard his name being called. He had his hand on the small of my back and dropped it, as we both turned. There was a young girl, running up to him, wearing XPLR merch, his and Sam's duo channel. "Hi, I thought that was you! I can't believe that I'm actually meeting you. I couldn't afford the ticket for the meet and greet so this is so great!I can't believe you're still here." He plastered his YouTube face on, that giant smile that could melt your bones and leave you as nothing but mush, and turned on the charm. "Hey, well it worked out! What's your name?" She was gushing at him, and didn't seem to notice me at all, so I turned around and started walking away. There was no reason to stick around and get her to start asking questions about who I was or why I was with him. I walked all the way back to my room alone, and closed the door behind me. It seemed emptier than usual without the noise from the other rooms, coming through the walls. Knowing that no one was here right now made it weird. I sat on my bed and pulled my phone back out, just to go stare at that little black heart. It was strange that it still meant so much to me, even though I was literally hanging out with him, even had his lips on mine. The knock on the door startled me, causing me to jump and drop my phone. I was going to break it on this trip, if I wasn't careful. I got up and opened the door, seeing Colby there, both of his hand bracing on the door jamb, a smile on his face. "You just gonna leave me like that Princess?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes, and opened the door further for him to come in. "Didn't wanna anyone taking pics or asking questions, that's all," I replied dryly. "This whole famous thing has to get annoying for you." We walked back towards the bed and both of us crawled onto it, getting comfortable. "It can be. It's what I wanted though. I guess I didn't realize how much it would affect my normal life, but it's worth it in the long run. I hate that word, by the way." "What word?" I asked, a little confused. What did I say? "Famous. I don't like to think of myself that way. I'm not any different from anyone else. I'm just a little more well known," he replied, running his hand through his hair. A flash from his videos popped into my mind, where he had talked about hating to say that he was famous or popular. But that's what he was, even if he didn't wanna admit it. He lay back on the bed, and grabbed my arm, pulling me so that I rolled into his side. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and let his hand rest on my hip. "So, we're leaving tomorrow," he said gruffly. I nodded, my head against his chest. "Yeah. It sucks." "It does...but I don't want to lose touch with you. Would it be okay if I got your Insta? I know Sam has it, so I can just get it from him. Just wanted to check with you first," he replied, his voice sounding unsure. This whole thing was just strange. Hearing Colby Brock sounding unsure, when asking for my contact info was just weird! "Yeah, of course you can. I'd love to keep in touch," I mumbled. "Cool. I'm not gonna follow you or anything though. You'll get dissected by the fandom."