The Choice (a Painful Past)

131

"So, how did you want to start this?" Colby asked, gesturing towards the kids and the other parents.

"Oh, um, well, I guess I wanted to hand these EMF readers out, but they'll have to partner up. I only have enough for the kids though. Sorry adults." I said, laughing a little, as I looked over the crowd to the parents. "Pick your partners!" I reminded the kids.

There was a little bit of scrambling around, but most of them already had their partner picked out.

"You wanna partner with me, Ben?" Sam asked.

I was surprised, but Ben was absolutely shocked. His mouth fell open and I thought that his eyes were literally going to just burst from their sockets.

"Are you for real?!" He asked, looking from Sam, then over to Colby.

He knew that Colby was technically Sam's partner.

"I mean...I was going to partner with my best friend." He looked over to Xander, who was standing off to the side, waiting for him.

"Well, why don't both of you be my partners?" Sam suggested.

Ben looked at Xan, who nodded forcefully, then over to me, pleading with his eyes.

"Is that okay? Will everyone still have a partner?" He asked.

I shrugged.

"Yeah, there's an even number of kids here, so if you and Xander partner with Sam, it will still work out. Besides, it's your birthday, kid. We're here to make you happy." I replied, with a smile.

He was so overjoyed, and it made me happier than anything in the world to see the way his eyes lit up, even in the dark atmosphere.

"Okay, let's do it!" He exclaimed, nodding at Sam.

"That's my man." Sam laughed, then held out his hand for a high five.

Ben clapped loudly, then motioned for Xander to come over to them.

"Well, where does that leave me? I don't have a partner now." Colby sighed.

I looked up to meet his gaze and was instantly struck by how damn intense that gaze was. I swear, a girl could drown in it and be perfectly happy about it.

He poked his bottom lip out and sniffed, like he was about to cry. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"You can partner with me, you cry baby." I laughed.

That big, beautiful grin spread across his face and he bumped me with his shoulder.

"Thanks Bestie." He replied.

"You're such a dork." I giggled.

"Yeah, but you love it." He said.

I bumped him back, with my shoulder.

"I've missed you." I murmured, keeping my head down.

It surprised me when I felt his breath caress my ear.

"I've missed you more." He whispered.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders again, and pulled me into his side, for a quick hug.

"Okay, are we ready? We have a lot of exploring to do!" He yelled to the group, as he pulled away from me.

"YEAAHHH!!" All the kids, plus Sam, cheered.

I watched the way both of them corralled the kids into a line and made sure that they knew how to work their meters. They were really good with them.

The girls blushed every time Colby got near them, and I could see a few staring hard at Sam. God, I missed being that young. To see a cute guy, then immediately discuss it with your best friends, so that you could create scenarios and fantasize about them.

As I was thinking this, I kept my eyes on Colby. I didn't even realize it, until Denise tugged on my elbow.

I blinked a couple of times, then looked at her.

"What?" I asked.

"If you stare any harder at him, he's going to burst into flames from all that heat."

"Shut up!" I whispered, forcefully. "I wasn't looking at him like that. I was watching these little girls get all flustered, and I was just thinking about how much I miss that age and crushing on guys. When you grow up, things just get complicated...and painful."

"Ma'am. I was watching you watch him. Maybe you were thinking that, but those eyes of yours were thinking something else. You were about to drool." She laughed.

"Stop it." I hissed, glancing over to make sure that he hadn't heard any of this ridiculous conversation. "Colby is my friend. That's it! Sure, he's definitely grown into himself and somehow sprouted into this ridiculously, gorgeous guy, but I don't like him like that."

"Whatever you say." She smirked.

"Ugh, you're so annoying." I grumbled, as I turned back towards the guys and the kids.

My eyes immediately landed on Colby again, and I couldn't help but admire his side profile. That jawline could definitely cut glass.

"Besides," I murmured to myself. "He would never like me, like that."

"Oh, shut the fuck up, Callie." She whispered. "You didn't see the way he looked when you jumped him. That boy's flame for you is still burning just as hot as ever. Besides, you don't even realize what you let him do! I've never seen you let a guy pick you up, except Will, and when that happened, you immediately made him put you down! You didn't even realize it when Colby did it."

My face scrunched up in confusion. "I didn't..." I started, but then I realized that I had.

I had literally jumped into his arms, and not cared one bit when he had picked me up. Until now.

"Oh shit!" I gasped. "Why would I do something so stupid?! Ugh, he already knows I'm fat because everyone can see it, but now he knows just how fat I am. I can't believe I did that!"

Her eyes turned into two laser beams of anger, directed solely at me. "I will kick your ass, if you say that stupid shit one more time, Callie! I swear to God!" She exclaimed, and not at all quietly.

I glanced back over to the group and yup, there were quite a few people staring, including Colby.

He walked over to us, with his eyebrows raised.

"Everything okay?" He asked, hesitantly, as his eyes went from my face to Denise's.

She plastered a sickly sweet smile on her face.

"Everything is fine. Just reminding Callie that she's beautiful and that I will kick her ass, if she doesn't' believe it. That's all." She replied to him.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, in frustration.

"It's nothing, Colby." I said. "Just a little disagreement."

He ignored my comment and looked at Denise. "She's always been that way. Never believed how beautiful she was. Not even in high school. Had guys dying to date her, but never gave them the time of day." He sighed, before he looked back at me.

My mouth dropped open.

"That's not true!" I exclaimed. "I never had any guys interested in me! Except Will."

I saw anger flash in his eyes, and I dropped mine to the ground immediately. It was a reflex that I had learned while dating Will.

"Sorry." I murmured.

I felt his fingers on my face, as he lifted my chin up. They caused little pops of electricity to explode where they touched.

"You're not the one who needs to be sorry." He murmured, when that intense gaze of his met mine.

"She hasn't learned that yet." Denise butted in.

"Will you shut up?" I groaned, moving my chin out of Colby's fingers.