The Choice (a Painful Past)

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"I did." Colby said, grinning hugely. "Came back for a visit and to surprise Ben at his birthday party. He's a big fan of our YouTube page. Callie and I are just...exploring our relationship for now. I'm trying to talk her into coming back to LA with us, for a visit. Ben, too."

Will's eyes shot to mine, and I saw fire spitting out of them. I flinched back, but Colby's arm held me steady.

"HE went to Ben's party?" He asked, with a hard tone to his voice.

I nodded and cleared my throat.

God, why did I feel like I had done something so wrong and I needed to apologize for it? I had done nothing wrong...but I couldn't shake the anxiety, and the old fear that he was bringing up.

"Yeah, um, Ben talks to Sam all the time and Sam wanted to surprise him. I didn't know they were coming. It was a surprise to me too." I replied, quietly.

Why did it sound like I was taking up for myself?

"Well, babe, since we have been talking for a while, I wanted to surprise you. So, it worked out for everyone." Colby said, smoothly, before he leaned over and pressed his lips to the side of my head.

I couldn't break away from Will's gaze, so I saw them turn as cold as ice, with his jaw clenching so hard, I was surprised that his teeth didn't shatter.

My face grew flushed, as Colby pressed me against his side, and his hand ran down my arm.

"We need to talk." Will said, sternly, reaching his hand towards me.

I jerked back, not wanting him to touch me at all.

"Are you serious?" He asked, like he was astonished that I would act that way.

"Whoa, are you scared of him?" Colby asked me, as he pulled me in front of him, so that my back was towards Will.

I could feel Will's eyes boring into my back.

"No, she's not." Will scoffed. "She's just playing it up for you, apparently. I never put my hands on her."

I closed my eyes against the disdain in his voice, until I felt Colby's thumbs start to rub against my arms, where he held me.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked me, quietly, but with so much malice in his voice, that it seemed to pour through the air, like acid.

"No." I lied.

I didn't want to talk about this right now. Technically, he hadn't really been physically abusive.

There had been the time with the belt, bruises on my arms, and my wrist, from when he grabbed me too strongly, and the time that he had abruptly stopped walking in front of me, and I had busted my lip on his shoulder. We had been arguing that time, but I was sure that it had been an accident. Pretty sure. I think.

Colby's eyes bored into mine, as he searched for the answers again. I poured everything I had into begging him, with my eyes, to please just let it be.

"Can we just go?" I pleaded with him.

His eyes softened for me, as he nodded, but turned to stone again, as he looked over my head at Will.

"Can't say it was a pleasure seeing you again. I want you to know that IF I find out that you hurt her, I will come for you. Since I'm pretty sure that I know what kind of guy you are, I'll probably be seeing you soon." He promised.

I didn't even want to turn back around, so I stood dumbly where I was, in between the two guys.

"Is that a threat?" Will asked.

I shook my head at Colby, but he didn't look at me. Will would take this to the cops, if Colby said yes, or threatened him in any way. That's just how he was.

"Nope." Colby smiled, maliciously. "It's a promise."

He looked back down at me, while Will started to spout off something. I couldn't even hear what he was saying. It was like a low thrum in the back of my mind, that just wouldn't stop, while I held Colby's gaze.

"Let's go." He told me, as he turned and pulled me against his side again, with his arm around my shoulders.

I let him shuffle me away from Will and out the store. He opened my car door, but I was so zoned out, that I just stood there.

"Callie?" I heard him say.

I blinked and looked up to meet his gaze.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?" He asked.

I felt like he had asked me that same question a million times in the past 20 hours, and I had been asleep for at least a third of that time. I sighed and nodded.

Was I so completely fucked up that I couldn't deal with seeing Will around town? I tried to avoid him, unless Ben was with me, or someone else that he would put a show on for. It probably wouldn't have been so bad, if I hadn't heard him talking to Kelly the way that he would talk to me.

That trauma was shoved right back to the forefront of my mind. Trauma. I hated thinking of it that way.

Like I was some sort of victim.

"Are you sure?" Colby asked.

I felt tears start to well up in my eyes, so I looked away and nodded again. I felt so stupid, crying about this.

What was I even crying for? Nothing had happened! I couldn't even hold it together for one stupid day with Colby.

"Fuck this." He muttered, before he turned back towards the store.

"NO!" I yelled, reaching out to grab his arm.

"Yes!" He yelled back, making me flinch.

His jaw clenched, but his eyes softened.

"That! That right there, is why I'm going back in there! What did he do to you, Cal?!" He lowered his tone, and while I was grateful, it also pissed me off that he felt he had to do it.

"It doesn't matter what he did!" I exclaimed. "It's over! Will and I are over! I shouldn't have to relive it, just because you want me to tell you everything that has happened since you left!" My voice cracked, so I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

"Callie, you don't have to tell me everything. You don't have to tell me anything at all, but I wish you would. You know I've never liked that dick, so if you could just give me a reason to go punch him in the face, I'd be forever in your debt." He said, smiling at me.

I knew he was trying to ease the tension and make me feel better, but it wasn't working. Maybe I would get drunk tonight.

I shook my head at him.

"I have to relive it inside my head, every single day of my life, Colby. I don't want to give him even more power over me than he already has." I all but whimpered.

God, I sickened myself. I was so fucking weak.

I wasn't this way, before. Before it all turned bad. I might not have been the most outspoken person in the world, but I never let anyone see my weaknesses.

On some sort of instinct, I looked over to the door of the store, to see Will walking out, with Kelly a few feet behind him, carrying their bags.

Colby followed my gaze and shook his head.

"What a fucking man." He muttered.

Will looked over at us, then stopped walking, letting Kelly catch up to him. When she did, he snatched the bags from her hands, as hard as he could, and stalked over to his mom's car.

"Hurry up and get in the fucking car." He snapped at her, while he set the bags in the backseat.

"Okay, I'm coming." She exclaimed. "Sorry."