The Choice (a Painful Past)

148

"Colby, it's amazing, but this is a LOT of food. There's only two of us." I replied, as I worried my lip.

I was practically salivating over it all, but I didn't want to act like a pig in front of him.

"We don't have to eat it all, Callie." He laughed.

He finished laying everything out, then moved to sit down.

"Well, that's a good thing, because I'm not sure I can." I laughed. "I mean, I can eat, but damn."

He chuckled and passed me a paper plate. "Help yourself."

I waited for him to get a plate and start to add food to it. "Jesus Christ, are you hungry?" I asked, wide eyed at the mountain of food that he had towering on his plate.

"Just a little." He replied, with a wink.

I shook my head and started to add a little bit to my own plate. Just a few pieces of fruit, some fresh veggies with Ranch, a couple of crackers, a few bites of cheese, and a few slices of salami. Once I had it all on my plate, I started second guessing it.

The entire plate was full, but I had tried so hard to only get a little. It just added up, when you got a little of almost everything.

"You okay?" He asked me.

"Yeah, I'm good." I replied, as I set my plate down on the blanket.

"So, tell me what life has been like for you." He insisted, as he popped a grape into his mouth. "I know we've been talking, but I feel like you don't really give me much. I don't know anything about this version of you, besides the fact that you're a great mom and an amazing daughter. What else is there to Callista Todd?"

I blushed at his compliments but shied away from his question. "I'm a normal person who chose to be a mom, to an amazing kid. There's a difference." I laughed. "And I'm just doing what any kid would do for their parents. I mean, if they had good parents anyway. There's nothing special about me."

"That," He said, as he booped my nose. "is entirely untrue. There is something very special about you, Callie. I've always known that."

I was stuck in his gaze, stranded in that blue ocean, drowning in its depths. Then, he smiled, drawing my eyes downward to the gorgeous grin. I got the urge to just lean over and press my lips to his. To see if he was still just as good of a kisser as he used to be.

He's like your brother, Callie, stop it!

I looked away from him and back down at my untouched plate.

"So, what've you been up to?" He tried again.

I shrugged.

"Not much really. Same old thing, day in and day out. Just a boring routine."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're impossible."

I giggled and shrugged again. "I know."

"Okay, Denise seems pretty cool. She's a good friend?" He asked.

I smiled, thinking about my best friend.

"Yeah, she's a great friend. My best friend. Actually, she's my only friend, but it's better to have one amazing friend that you can trust, instead of 15 that you can't." I replied.

He nodded in agreement. I noticed that his plate was already half empty, while mine was still untouched. Unfortunately, he noticed where my eyes went.

"Is there something wrong with the food?" He asked.

I shook my head and grabbed a strawberry.

"No, it's delicious. I guess I'm just more interested in talking to you."

Well, shit.

Why did I say that? Now, I was actually going to have to talk about myself.

"Good to know, because I'm going to keep asking questions." He said, winking at me.

I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"How did you two meet?" He asked, going back to the subject of Denise.

"At a Cub Scout meeting, actually." I replied. "I knew she was a stoner right when she walked into the little hut. She was there with her nephew, Xan, who you met last night. He and Ben hit it off, then Denise and I did too. I think it was fate."

"Stoners always find their way to each other." He replied, keeping his face and tone very serious.

I laughed and nodded.

"I guess we do. Of course, I'm not that much of a stoner anymore. I only smoke every now and then. I don't feel comfortable doing it when I know that I have Mom and B to look after. Plus, there are certain kinds that enhance my anxiety, instead of calming it down. Since I buy street grade, there's no way of knowing exactly what I'm getting."

"Right, you told me that. Look, I can set you up with someone who can mail it to you, with no threat of it being discovered. She's really good at what she does." He responded.

The only thing that my stupid mind caught was the word 'she.'

I wondered who this woman was.

Was she pretty? Probably. I didn't think that Colby knew too many people who weren't drop dead gorgeous anymore.

His entire life was surrounded by beautiful people.

"Um, maybe. I don't know. That makes me kinda nervous." I replied, as I pushed the food on my plate around with a small floret of broccoli.

"I promise it's safe, but I understand if you don't want to. Let me know if you change your mind though." He said, flashing me a quick smile.

"Thanks." I replied, softly. "So, anyway, yeah, that's how Denise and I became friends to begin with. Then, Will found out that she was a plug, so he started buying weed from her. We went over to her place a lot after that, and we just clicked. I haven't clicked with anyone that fast since...well, since you."

A pleased grin curved his lips, as he met my gaze. "Really?" He asked.

I laughed and nodded.

"Really. You know how it was for us back then. I mean, you were just a kid to me, at first, but then you became my best friend. I talked to you more than I talked to Sherri, after she got with Shawn. You were my rock, Colby."

Silence hung heavy in the air after my proclamation, but I was too afraid to break it.

"You were my rock too, Callie." He responded, huskily.

He reached across the blanket and patted my knee.

"You were my crush too, but also my rock."

I rolled my eyes and smiled, as I pushed his hand off of my leg. "Oh, shut up." I laughed. "You were just a kid, who obviously just wanted an older woman. I'm not sure why it was me, but you always were a weird one."

"Ah!" He exclaimed, as he grabbed his chest. "That hurts!"

I laughed again and shook my head. Silence fell over us again, as a cool breeze lifted my hair from my shoulders. It was a comfortable silence though.

The easy kind, where you didn't have to worry about what you looked like, or what to say to the other person. We were just two friends, enjoying a meal together.

"Thank you for this. For today." I said, as I took his hand. "Seriously. It's been a while since I've been able to just clear my mind and enjoy myself. There's something special about you too, Brock."

He smiled and squeezed my hand for a few seconds. "You really should give yourself a break. You've been through a lot, haven't you? With Will. With life."