The Choice (a Painful Past)

173 (Colby's POV)

"Uh, but you want- I thought that you- You sure you're okay with it?" I stammered out.

She nodded and looked down, while biting her bottom lip.

"Of course. I don't want you sleeping on the floor, because of me. It's not like we barely know each other. It's fine." She said, quietly. "It'll be like the sleepover we never got to have, as kids."

I chuckled, nervously, and picked my pillow back up. "A sleepover sounds great." I replied.

Everyone turned off their lights, as I crawled back into the bed, and pulled the blankets up around both Callie, and myself.

"You guys cool with watching something else, or should I use my laptop?" Sam asked.

I looked at Callie to see what she would say. She shrugged.

"Doesn't bother me. I think I've drank and smoked enough that nothing will keep me from falling asleep tonight." She giggled.

I took in the dark shadows under her eyes and the taut skin of her cheekbones. Didn't look like she had been sleeping well at all recently. I guess that little bit of makeup she used did cover some stuff up.

"I'm actually really tired, man. Do you mind using your laptop?" I asked, looking over at Sam.

"No problem." He replied, good naturedly, as he popped his headphones into his ears and pulled his laptop towards him.

Nate was somehow already snoring lightly, buried into his pillow. I turned over, towards Callie, and met her gaze.

"Goodnight Colby." She whispered, with a small smile.

"Goodnight Cal." I whispered back.

She turned over, so that her back was to me. I watched her shoulders move with her breathing, until I eventually fell asleep.

My unconscious mind went back to the night of that party. The night she kissed me back, without being totally wasted.

In my dreams, it was different though. In my dreams, she didn't push me away.

When Will showed up, she dumped him on the spot. He got angry and I got to punch him out. Then she kissed me again.

It was so real, that I could feel her soft skin under my fingertips. I gripped her hips and pulled her closer to my body. Her mouth was sweet with the taste of strawberries and cream.

Her scent enveloped me, caressing my skin with the smell of sweet peaches. Then, she was pulling away, so I held her tighter. I wasn't ready to let go.

My consciousness climbed to the surface, shoving the dream away. I groaned, wanting to go back to that place.

Then, I realized that I still smelled that sweet peach scent. I still felt her soft skin beneath my fingertips. Her soft hair was under my chin, tickling my neck.

I didn't want to open my eyes and destroy this waking dream. I had never felt anything more real. I pulled her closer to me again and heard her quiet moan, as she snuggled into me.

Wait...was this real? I assessed my situation without opening my eyes. I was in bed.

That's right. The motel. Callie was in the bed with me.

She was actually snuggled up against my chest, with her back to me. My hand was gripping her naked side, under my shirt that she had slept in. I lightly ran my fingers over her side and around to her stomach, relishing the feeling of her pressed up against me.

"Mmmm," She murmured, shifting her ass, against me.

Oh, God. There was no way she didn't feel that. Her moving was making it a lot worse.

Was she awake? Again, she started to move, so I lifted my hand away from her side. She rolled over, so that she was facing me.

When she was comfortable, I let my hand come back down to her side, lightly. My shirt she was wearing was bunched up, leaving her side bare. Her skin was so soft, it reminded me of the petals of the roses in our backyard.

Her face was relaxed and free of the stress that seemed to constantly plague her. The shadows under her eyes were less pronounced than they had been last night, and her full lips were curved into a slight smile. She looked more like the carefree kid that I had fallen in love with right then.

Her face was more filled out, with a maturity that hadn't been there. She was still there though.

As I was taking in every detail, her eyelids fluttered open and rested on mine. Confusion crossed her eyes and her nose scrunched up, just a little. But then, she relaxed and gave me a bashful smile.

"Hey." She said, softly.

"Hey, yourself." I replied, smiling at her. "How did you sleep?"

"Surprisingly, pretty well." She responded, as she stretched her arms over her head.

When she moved, my hand moved with her body and her eyes widened. I slowly moved my hand away from her, like I was scared that she would freak out. I didn't think she would, but I really had no idea how the trauma from her life had affected her.

She sent me a nervous smile and sat up in the bed.

"I should probably call my mom and check on her. What time is it?" She asked, as she looked around the room. "Do you know where my phone is?"

That's when I remembered what I had done and the reason I had done it. Shit.

"Um, yeah, I put it on charge. Here." I said, as I reached over and grabbed her phone from the bedside table.

I placed it in her outstretched palm, with dread filling my stomach.

"Oh shit, it's after 10. She's supposed to take her meds at 10." She muttered.

"It's okay if she's a little late, right? It can't really hurt." I replied, trying to make her feel better.

The look she sent me, let me know that it was apparently not okay.

"No. She's on a blood thinner for the DVT that she got a few years ago. She has to take it at the same time every day, or her INR could get out of whack." She rattled out.

I didn't even know what that meant, so I just nodded.

"Sorry. Didn't know." I murmured.

"It's fine." She replied, absentmindedly.

She was already pulling up her recent calls and tapping the one labeled 'Mom.'

I took the opportunity to finish taking in the little details that made her, her. Her long hair fell over her ear and my fingers actually itched to run through that lock.

"Hey Momma." She said softly, into the phone.

Her face relaxed and that small smile returned.

"I know I'm a little late, but it's time to take your medicine. You doing okay?"

Her fingers found one of the buttons on my shirt and started flicking it, while she held the phone.

Nervous tick? Probably. I remembered talking to her on FaceTime one night, and she found a loose thread in her blanket.

I thought she was going to unravel the entire thing.

"I'm glad." She responded to something her mother had said. "I'll be home within the next couple of hours. I just woke up...yes ma'am. I had fun. Momma! I can't believe you just said that! Stop! Okay, I'm letting you go now." She laughed.

I wondered what her mom had said to her to bring that out. Her face flushed bright red and she sent me a nervous look.