Vice and Virtue • Sam and Colby

June 1

The morning of June 1st was a pleasant one. It was a Wednesday, and Juliet opened her eyes at approximately 8:17 in the morning. The group's hotel room was on the eighth floor, and since the curtains were opened, the sunlight coming into the room gave the moment a sense of serenity.

"Mornin', birthday girl." Colby whispered into her ear, clearly half-asleep. Juliet smiled, placing a kiss on Colby's head as he flopped back onto the pillow to continue sleeping. Since she was the only one awake, she turned on her phone to find her name trending on twitter. Thousands of fans posting edits and drawings of her and wishing her a happy birthday. Adding to the pile of notifications were two texts.

Dad - Happy 25th birthday, kiddo. You're halfway to 50 lmao.

Grandpa David - Happy birthday, little Juliet. You have no idea how proud your grandmother and I are of you and your hard work, and good luck tonight!

Juliet grimaced when she read her grandfather's text, remembering that tonight was the night she had been dreading since early May. But, she didn't have time to sit around and ponder her life decisions, because she heard the door slam open. Sam and Corey walked in with the camera and a birthday cake, singing happy birthday. Colby was recording on his phone, and Juliet was still laying in the bed.

"We know you didn't want to be back here, especially for your birthday, so we all pitched in and got you something." Sam announced, sitting the cake down on the table and grabbing a dark blue bag from behind the recliner. Handing it to Juliet, the three boys stepped back to watch. Juliet pulled out the paper, and she was greeted with her most favourite things in the world: liquor and a pair of noise-cancelling earbuds.

"I love you guys, you know that right?" She exclaimed, pulling out the bottle of very expensive bourbon and examining it. Corey zoomed into her face, and she looked up with a smile. "Drink responsibly, and don't drink at 8:30 in the morning." She said, taking a sip of the strong drink. The boys laughed their asses off while Colby walked over to the bed. "I have another present for you, but it's more private." He whispered into her ear, taking the bourbon bottle as he walked away.

"Give that back! You don't even like bourbon!" Juliet whined, getting up from the bed and running after her boyfriend. Grabbing the bottle from his hands, Juliet shoved it into her backpack for safe-keeping, and Colby sent Sam and Corey for a coffee run. After they left, Colby pushed Juliet into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He then shoved his lips onto hers, kissing her passionately. She melted into the kiss, letting the older man grab her waist and lean forward, as if it was a kiss meant for their wedding day.

Colby broke the kiss only to catch his breath, letting Juliet out of his grip. She heard Sam and Corey coming into the room with the group's coffee, and she kissed Colby one last time before running to get her precious coffee.

-

Later in the day, the four adults were gearing up for their investagation, mentally and physically.

Juliet was wearing a black XPLR tank top that exposed the tattoos she kept secret on her arms. She also wore a pair of ripped jeans that Sam and Colby both called her "garbage pants" and her black converse high tops. On her neck was a necklace that Colby had given her for her birthday: a golden chain with a locket that held a picture of the couple.

"Alright, guys. We gotta go." Corey announced, and everyone gave one another a tense look. "You sure you wanna do this, Juliet? We might be able to rid you of the attachment, but it might fail...." Sam told the girl, who just shook her head. "I have to do this. Not just for me, but for my family." She stated, grabbing the car keys and walking towards the door.

She was scared for her life, but she was more scared for the boys. Those three men are all Juliet has to live for. Sam and Corey are her best friends for life, but Colby is her life. Without him, Juliet would not be here today.