In Another Life

99

"Come inside, oh my God, I can't believe you're here. The rest of the girls will be here soon, but Denise is here. I pulled him inside, and all but dragged him to the couch. That's when I saw Justin standing awkwardly by the open door. "Oh Justin, you know you can come in. Shut the door. Justin, this is Colby, Colby, Justin." They eyed each other warily, like they didn't really know how to respond to being introduced. "Hey man, nice to meet you," Colby said first, sticking out his hand when Justin made his way over to us. "You too," Justin said, glancing at me, after shaking Colby's outstretched hand. "Justin, Colby is...um..." I didn't know how to explain who Colby was. "Uh, a friend from out of town, I guess.It's been a while since we've seen each other. Colby, Justin is a new friend, but he's helped me through some hard times that I've been having lately." I bit my lip, worrying it with my teeth, when I met his gaze. I could tell from the expression in his eyes that he knew why I had been having a hard time. "Yeah...I noticed that you seemed happier lately. Guess I have you to thank for that," Colby said, looking away from me, towards Justin. Justin didn't really look happy at all right now, but he knew who Colby was to me. He knew what he meant to me. He knew that I was in love with him, although he chose to tell me that I was just obsessed and not in love. That was another argument we ended up having. Justin really was one of my best friends now though. I felt comfortable talking to him, just letting everything out. He had even held me, on this very couch, all night one night because I couldn't stop crying after watching one of Colby's videos. I owed him a lot. "Yeah, you don't owe me anything. I didn't do anything but be a friend, and that was for Terra, not you," Justin replied, nodding at Colby. The way he said it was nice, but the words sounded forced. I felt like I needed back up right now, so "Denise! Necee! Come see who's here! And hurry the fuck up, it's time to go!" "Yeah, you're going to that club, right?" Colby asked. "The Devil's Rose or something? That's a cool name." "Well..." I started, but trailed off. "Yeah, we are. Supposed to be there by now actually. I just came to pick up the girls. Gonna meet everyone else there," Justin said, a smug look on his face. Were we really trying to have a pissing contest right now? Fucking guys. Colby just met his gaze head on and grinned. "Sounds like fun. If you're so worried about being late, then I can take the girls. We can meet you all there." Justin furrowed his brow in confusion. "What? No, that's not-" "Cooolbbss!!" Denise came out of the hallway and spotted Colby, then barreled towards him. She literally fell into him, before he had a chance to get up to hug her. Her hair was covering his entire face, but he just laughed, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "Hey Necee, missed you too." I felt my eyes prick a little for some reason. I was just wishing it could always be this way. That he could always be around. She climbed off of him, and sat on the other side of me, leaving me squished in between her and Colby. Colby casually draped his arm around my shoulder, and I didn't hesitate to lean into him. Although, I did notice that Justin still had that sour look on his face, and it just got deeper. I felt bad, but I had made it clear that I wasn't interested in a romantic relationship with him. I knew he was just waiting for me to change my mind but...I didn't see that happening any time soon. "WHAT are you doing here?" Denise gushed, pushing her hair back from her face and putting it into a perfect high pony somehow. My hair never worked that way. "I was in the area for the next series. Thought I would surprise you guys." "A series? Wait, IS COREY WITH YOU?" Necee screamed, then started looking around the room, like Corey was going to jump out from behind something. Colby laughed, and shook his head. "Not here. He's in Savannah with Sam and Jake. I just had to come see Te- you guys." Denise pouted, her face scrunching up in disappointment. "Aw, that means that he's two hours away from me and there's nothing I can do about it. That's so fucked up and not fair." "Maybe you'll get to see him before we go back home. We're here for about four days, maybe five," Colby said, glancing at me, when he did. "When are you going back...to Savannah, I mean? How long did you plan on staying here?" I asked, already knowing the answer, and feeling my heart break again. "Just the night. Didn't want to drive in the dark when I don't really know where I am, so thought I would wait until morning to leave. I just have to find a hotel. Are there any hotels in this town? It's so small," Colby shook his head in amazement. I laughed a little, as my heart steadily splintered. "You don't have to stay in a hotel. You can stay here. It's not like we-" I glanced towards Justin, remembering that he was in the room, before clearing my throat. "Anyways, you can stay here. It's not a big deal." Colby eyes darkened, and I could almost see the memories flitting behind his eyes. "You're sure?" he asked, his voice going deeper than normal. I swallowed hard, that old feeling that made me clench my legs whenever he looked at me coming back stronger than ever. "I'm sure," I whispered, breathing out when that big smile crossed his face. "That'll help a lot actually. Thanks," he said, like it was no big deal now. "So, are we going to the Rose or not?" Justin asked, reminding me again that he was here.