Forever My Girl

Now.

8 Years Later...

Colin had awoken with some blonde singing his song in the mirror. She was obviously a groupie he had picked up last night after the show. He looked around and the sun was blaring in his window, he held his arm up to stop the direct sunlight in his eyes. He was hungover. This was normal. But it seems the raising of his arm had alerted the young blonde that he had awoken, and somehow, she had decided right now was the time to scream and jump up religiously like an idiot.

He heard a crack and looked at the floor.

She had jumped and stood on his phone, the phone he had since high school.

The only link he had to her.

The phone wouldn't turn on.

"FUCCCCCCCK."

He shouted while running his hands through his hair, he continued to search for his clothes on the floor as the young blonde looked confused, he looked up for a split moment and she spoke,

"Colin Bridgerton, will you sign these?"

Colin watched as the blonde lifted her top to display her bare cleavage, he shook his head while getting dressed, picking up his phone and running for the elevator. The blonde was certainly persistent as she ran after him, but Colin had nothing else on his mind but fixing his phone.

"CALL MEEEEE..."

He heard her distant screams as the elevator doors closed. As he reached the bottom floor, he ran towards the concierge. He forgot who he was for a moment as he heard screams and commotion around him,

"Where is the nearest phone store?"

He said demandingly towards the young receptionist, she went bright red at the sight of thee Colin Bridgerton. He had forgot about his superstar status in all the hype, no that he saw himself as a 'super star' but he definitely knew the effect he had on women.

She raised her head and struggled to get out her next sentence,

"It's f-f-four blocks south Mr-Mr Bridgerton, I'd b-b-be happy to call you a car..."

Before she could finish, Colin had made his way out. He realised his mistake of not wearing shoes as his bare feet hit the concrete. Fuck, Michael was going to have a field day about this. He saw the paparazzi and all he could do was run, so that's exactly what he did. Sweaty, hungover, shoeless... this was definitely going to be all over the news.

Booze filled Bridgerton running through the streets of New Orleans.

He could see it now...

Michael was his manager and had been since day one. He had certainly put up with a lot from Colin. His exploits were regularly documented online, from drinking to senseless hook ups. Colin had never been in position for anything long term, not that he wanted too anyway. He knew he could never fully commit to anything; he deemed that he simply wasn't good enough. He never could get over the guilt from all those years ago.

The day he left Ashwell was the hardest thing he ever had to do, but he had to.

He knew it was the right decision.

Right?

He was a mess.

Penelope didn't deserve that.

She deserved the world, not a drunk, insecure, fuck-up.

The only thing that kept him going all these years was the voicemail on his old beat-up cell that he clung on to from high school. It was an old flip phone, and he couldn't for the life of him change it, he couldn't let it go, he couldn't let the last piece of home go.