16:58

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The door opens. I open my mouth to say something, but I stop when I see Alex. She smiles at me. "Hey! What are you doing here?" she asks, smiling. "I thought you were leaving today."

I force a smile. "I am," I tell her. "I was just wondering if Colton's around."

Her smile fades a little bit. "He left twenty minutes ago. I'm not sure where he went," Alex says. My stomach drops a little. "I can call him if you want."

"It's okay," I tell her. "It was nice to see you again. It was nice to see my dad happy."

She blushes a little bit. "It was nice to see you too."

My smile fades as I start walking away. I don't even know how to describe how I feel. "Fuck," I mutter. Of course he wasn't there. It was a stupid idea.

"Shit!" I swear louder. I'm so frustrated. And now, I don't have time for anything else besides going to the airport.

I'm leaving Colton here. I'm leaving my feelings here. I'm leaving whatever did or didn't happen here. And I know it's going to haunt me in New York, but I can't stay. Maybe I wasn't meant to say anything to Colton. "Damn it!"

I don't have time. I can't chase Colton around. I have to get on my flight. I'm such an idiot. I backed myself into a corner.

I shake my head as I walk towards the elevator. I see someone holding it for me, so I walk a little bit faster. "Thanks," I say without looking at the guy.

"What are you doing here?" the guy asks. I realize it's Colton and I almost fall over.

"Oh, god," falls out of my mouth.

Colton frowns. "Is something wrong?"

"No," I say quickly. "No. Nothing's wrong."

"Why are you here?" Colton says. "I thought you were leaving."

"I am," I say. "I'll be on my way to New York in less than two hours."

Colton frowns. "And you're here because?"

I shake my head. "Are you stupid?" I ask. "I'm here for you, asshole."

"Oh," he says. "Why?"

I stare at him. "Are you for real?" He doesn't say anything. I sigh. "Look, Colton, I don't have a lot of time right now, so I need for you to not play stupid."

Colton sighs. "Why are you here?"

"I don't have a clue. I've been trying to convince myself over and over again that you're wrong for me, that I should just get on the fucking plane and leave you behind. But I can't for some reason," I tell him. "I don't know what I'm doing, or if it's the right thing, but I don't give a fuck right now. You said what you had to say and now it's my turn."

Colton just stares at me. His face his blank. I almost want to stop and walk away, but I know I'll regret it.

"I don't want to say any of this. I'm so fucking scared of getting hurt and being vulnerable," I say to Colton. "But it's not worth it. You have to know."

"I have to know what?" Colton asks. His voice, like his face, is emotionless.

"This past week has been the best fucking week. You make me so happy, it's ridiculous. And I keep telling myself that I have to be fair to Bryce, even though it's not fair to me. I've been a disaster this past week, but I wouldn't trade any of it," I tell Colton. "And I know it's safer to believe that you don't mean anything to me."

Colton stares at me and then says, "I don't want you to miss your flight."

I stare back at him. "Fuck you, I'm not done yet," I say. "I've tried so hard to write off my feelings for you, just like I did in high school."