I Needed You

24

Colby's pov

I let Stas take my hand, walking me back out of the house and over to the car we used to get here.

"Uh," I rubbed my hands together, trying to get this talk done and over with, "What did you want to talk about?"

"I've just been thinking," She sighed, a sad smile on her face as she glanced at me, "I miss you,"

"Huh?" I looked at her in disbelief, "What are you talking about, Stas?"

"I was just thinking, you know?" Stas repeated, ignoring my question, "Do you ever," She paused, staring at the gravel below us, "Wonder about me? About us?"

"I think the fans are getting to your head," I scoffed, "We're friends. That's it. Period. I came here to investigate, not talk about getting a girlfriend,"

"But it's different with her?" She didn't need to say the name to know she was talking about Taylor.

"Our past is complicated. You know that," I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to fight the annoyance bubbling up in my chest.

"Yeah. But wouldn't you rather be with someone who didn't have problems?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing. I couldn't tell if she really didn't know or just was trying to get me to say something I didn't mean.

I loved Stas, in a friendly way. She was fun to drink with and play beer pong with. But that's it. I didn't realize she thought I had an attraction towards her.

"Taylor has been through a lot.  It's not her fault," I defended, and it was true.

Most of this was my fault, everything except for her dad dying because I didn't kill him, clearly.

"We'd be so much better together," She pointed out, but I honestly couldn't see what she was trying to get at.

"What's your point?" I asked her, letting my impatience show.  All I wanted to do was go inside and investigate with everyone.

I had a bad feeling about tonight and I just wanted to get whatever it was done and over with.

"Look, all I'm trying to say is she's just a shell.  A ghost. There's nothing there. She hardly said anything on the plane or car ride, she just sat still and looked out the window," Stas whined, "She doesn't function well with us,"

"Stas, please stop talking. I feel like I'm going to puke and somethings going to go wrong and I know it. I can't deal with you complaining about her like that," I closed my eyes, letting my hand rest on my forehead.

"So that's it? It's over?" She asked, and I could clearly hear the sadness in her tone.

"There was nothing there for it to be over," I said, and trying to lighten the mood, I laid my hand on her shoulder, "Please, let's just go inside,"

"You're crazy, you know that?" To my confusion, she was now smiling at me, sliding her hand underneath the one on my shoulder and lacing her fingers through it.

"I've heard that once or twice," I gave her a half smile, though my hand in hers felt wrong.  Illegal, almost.

Stas swallowed once, as if she was swallowing her nerves, "Look, I may not be fully on board with you chasing after Taylor.  But I'm here to make you happy, and that means being supportive of you, you know?  So if you ever need to talk, I'm all ears," As if to make a point, she pretended to brush her hair behind her ears though it was all pulled back in a clip.

"Thank you Stas.  You're a great friend. Now, shall we?" I waved to the Conjuring house, and without waiting for a response I led the way back to the door we had been using, holding it open for Stas and listening to see if I could pinpoint any of our friends.

We found them in one of the many tiny rooms, leaning over a box and when I went to look at it I saw that they were looking at an Annabelle doll.

"It's not real, by the way," Cory said as I opened my mouth to ask that very question, "It's just something somebody made for us,"

We continued the tour that I'm assuming everyone else had been on while Stas and I were outside.  He showed us the baking room, the basement and a room that a dark entity apparently liked to hang.  Oh yeah, Sam and I would definitely be checking that one out later.

"This was like a really happy place in the home, huh?" Amanda asked as we walked into a dining room, "I love it in here,"

"Really?" Sam asked, pointing our camera in her direction.

"Me too," Taylor agreed quietly, studying one of the many paintings on the walls.  Time seemed to slow as she turned to face me, her dark eyes meeting my bright ones.

Just by looking at her I could tell she felt the same thing I did: fear and caution.  The calm before the storm, per say.

"You're probably feeling happy because of all this stuff that's hung up," Cory explained, pointing to the herb-looking things on the ceiling, "Frankincense, Mur, sleigh bells, and stuff like that.  That's why a lot of people use this room as a command center, if you will because they feel fine in this room,"

As he spoke, I also began looking at the things on the shelves and bookcases.  Taylor pointed up to a sign she was too short to read properly, "What's that say?" She whispered to me, clearly not trying to interrupt our tour guide.

I didn't answer, except for saying, "It's a rule sign," I raised my voice, turning my head to meet the eyes of Cory, "With reaching out and talking to spirits, is there any rules you don't want us to break or can we reach out freely?"

"Oh absolutely!" Cory clapped in delight, almost as if he was grateful I asked the question, "The only thing, just be respectful. That's the biggest thing. A lot of people have the inkling that if nothing's happening just to shout and though you might get something it's not going to be what you want.  You provoke something in here, and it gets pissed off, you guys leave and I'm like, well thanks," 

As we moved to go up the stairs, I looked over my shoulder, holding my hand out for Taylor like I did back home when we couldn't sleep.

"You okay?" I asked her, giving her a comforting squeeze of my hand and a small smile.

"You feel it too?" Taylor said with no explanation, "There's something here.  I can feel it, and it doesn't feel good,"

Those words sent chills down my spine.