XPLR | Colby Brock

~67~

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Colby asked. Elena pointed over her shoulder at Jake, who was talking to some short guy I don't recognize, "He invited me."

Colby looked up at him then down at me, his arm going around my waist. "I thought you were filming a video today?" Colby asked, I could hear the caution in his voice. Then regret. "Well, you were busy. The video idea required you, Colby. So I asked Jake, and he said I should come with him to this party," she said with a hint of a smirk on her face.

What is going on? It's almost like they were having a standoff, Colby seemed annoyed. "Sorry, I was busy. I made plans with Rose and I'm not really the kind of guy to back out," he said. "I'm glad it all worked out for you though," he continued, and smiled. Genuinely. But then his grip on my waist became more firm and he said, "Come on, Rose, lets go find Brennen."

"What is she doing here?" He asked me. "Hell if I know," I said as I looked over my shoulder to see her going back to Jake. "Was she the-"

"Yeah. She called me about doing a video. Are you two fighting or something?" He asked as we sat down on the sofa next to Brennen. "Hey brother!" Brennen said as he gave Colby that half-hug thing guys do. "Rose, you're looking beautiful as always," he said in his charming voice. Colby put his hand on my thigh, "Isn't she? If you ask me, she's the most gorgeous girl at the party," he said with a smirk as he looked over at me.

"Oh shut up," I said, but I was flattered. Good thing it's dark so they can't see me blushing. I don't care how long Colby and I are dating, anytime he calls me pretty makes me feel good. But I don't need to be called pretty to feel good about myself. Unlike Elena.

Woah. Where did that sudden bitterness come from? That's not like me, especially not with Elena... did the sudden news of her phone call subtly stir up emotions in me?

It doesn't matter. Colby likes me. Elena can wish all he wants, but I know that that boy is head over heels for me. And I think everyone around us, including Elena, knows it.

"I won't shut up. Not until every girl knows she's pretty," Brennen said with a smirk. Colby just looked over at me and smiled, watching me for a moment. He leaned in and kissed my cheek and my neck with his arm around me, when someone called him. "Hey!" He said, "One second, Rose, I'll be right back."

Brennen closed the gap between us and looked over at me. "How Long have you and Colby been officially dating?" He asked. "Almost a month," I told him, "Minus about two weeks where he was gone," I chuckled.

"Wow, a month. That's a new record for him," he said with a sarcastic chuckle.

I know Colby Brock wasn't the kind to date girls, tell anyone when we meet them that he's my boyfriend, but I thought he would stay with a girl longer than a month...

Don't think too much about it.

I guess Brennen could see what I was thinking on my face. "I never thought he would date a girl, and if he did, I didn't think he would be near as crazy about her as he is about you."

I pushed my hair behind my ear and smiled at that, then he continued. "I swear. He got home from that silo video and he called me. Started asking me how to get a real girlfriend. What a loser, am I right?" He chuckled and so did I. "Totally a loser."

"Yep. And you should've saw him when he told me he kissed you. He was so proud of himself, and he was so excited because you agreed to go on a date with him. And you said you'd be his girlfriend, he called me the second he dropped you off and told me all about it and all about you."

I could feel my cheeks getting hot, and I glanced up at Colby who was talking to some girl and guy I didn't recognize. "I probably shouldn't tell you this," he said, and I looked over to Brennen's eyes, "He told me something else."

"Well don't build tension," I said after a few seconds of silence. "He said he thinks he's gonna marry you one day. I know it's none of my business, and if you bring it up, you didn't hear it from me."

I pushed my hair back and smiled as I looked at Colby again. He said he thinks he's gonna marry you one day.

Doubtful.

But he looked at me in my eye and smiled. That cute, excited smile I've gotten to know and love.

It's hard to imagine what it was like without him now.