16:58

Chapter Thirty-Five

My face reddens as I hastily shove the letter into my back pocket, hoping Bryce doesn't notice.

"You're home early," I squeak out.

Bryce smiles as he pulls me into a hug. "I missed you," he says.

"Yeah. Uh, I missed you too," I say, even though it feels a little bit forced.

"What are you doing up so late?" he asks.

"Oh," I say. "I fell asleep on the couch and I woke up when I heard you."

"Okay," he says. I look at him. His blonde hair is styled like it always is and he's wearing sneakers and jeans. At least he's not in another one of his suits. "Are you okay?"

I look at him. "Yeah. Yeah, I am," I ramble. I rub my neck. "I think I'm going to go back to bed."

"Sounds good. I'm gonna shower," he says. I nod. I turn around and walk to my bedroom, slightly dazed. I sit down on the bed and drop my head into my hands. Once I hear the shower start, I jump up and read the letter once last time before I shove it into a random sweatshirt pocket.

"Fuck," I mutter as one tear slips down my cheek. I take off my clothes and change into a tank top and shorts. My hand brushes my ribcage and I can almost still feel Colton's touch.

I shake my head as I turn off my light and crawl under the covers. I need to get it together. I can't let Bryce figure out what happened, or at least for right now. All I know is that Colton's really fucking gone and he's not going to come back for me, even though he said we're perfect for each other. And there's no sense in chasing him right now.

I just need to go to sleep. I can deal with everything else later.

I hear the shower stop and then I hear Bryce's footsteps. He lays down so his chest is to my back and his arms are wrapped around me. I can feel that he's not wearing a shirt and he's still partially wet from his shower.

"How was your trip?" I ask him as I run my fingers along his hand, wondering why it feels different.

"It was fine," Bryce tells me, his breath tickling my neck. "I took tomorrow off."

"That's good." I sigh. Something doesn't feel right and I know why, even though I don't want to admit it. It doesn't feel right because it's the wrong person. The wrong fucking person.

************************

I didn't sleep well. I felt so fucking guilty and confused and restless, and I still do. I know I absolutely should not be doing what I'm about to do, but there's no other choice. I'm so lost.

It felt wrong to be with Bryce. Strange. And it's nothing that he did, he's been so sweet lately. I just don't know what the fuck to do. I can not stop thinking about Colton. I can't stop thinking about how he kissed me or how I feel when I'm around him.

But most of all,  I can't stop wondering how I'm supposed to get on with life without him. He said that I was a hurricane, but he was too. Colton ran into my life again, but it's like he's gone before I even realized it. The only thing I fucking want is him. But he's gone like he was never even here.

And Bryce is here, but it doesn't feel right. It feels bland like everything has gone back to normal, like everything is grey again. I swear I'd do anything to look up into Colton's mischievous green eyes. I miss feeling fucking alive.

I sigh as I shift my phone in my hands. I got a new one, but it doesn't have a case yet, so it feels slightly odd and slippery. "Fuck it," I mutter as I dial the number.

"Hello. This is Christopher Reed."

I smile. "Hey, Dad. It's Andy. I got a new phone."

"Hey! How have you been?" he asks.