My Best Friend's Ex (Edited)

Part 5 (edited)

"Hey, Emma," Adalyn whispers, leaning forward and looking over my shoulder.

"What?" I mimic her approach.

She nods behind me. "That guy over there keeps staring at you."

Lifting up, both Logan and I say at the same time, "What guy?"

"Don't look . . . ugh," Adalyn groans when we both turn to see who she's talking about.

Sitting in the corner of the bar, a short glass of what I know is whiskey in front of him, his shoulders slouched, but his gaze fixed on me, is the one and only hometown heart breaker from where I grew up: Colby Brock.

When we make eye contact, his head tilts to the side and he smirks. Right there, that look—a slight smolder in his eyes, the broad set of his shoulders, muscles in his chest no man his age should have, and the scruff that lines his strong jaw—that is the look that broke many hearts.

A few months older than me, he was in a tumultuous relationship with one of my best friends, Sadie. For years they were on again, off again, pushing each other's buttons until it all fell apart. It caused a ripple in our little inner circle as we were forced to choose sides. I was never a fan of their relationship, knowing the kind of strain it put on both of them, but once it was over, I focused my attention on my best friend. It took time and patience, but she needed to move on with her life.

I can still see the hollow look in Sadie's eyes after she lost the baby, after she dropped out of LA University to be a mom. Life as she knew it was flipped upside down and then taken away from her. Smilly, our other best friend and I had to pick up the pieces and luckily, we didn't have to glue her back together, Andrew, her boyfriend, did that.

I grew up in a small town in Kansas, a town where everyone knew everyone. There were ninety-five kids in my graduating class, so small is an understatement. But with a small town, comes strong bonds. To this day, 5/6 years after we went our separate ways from high school, we still get together during the summer and hang out, party, reminisce on all the good times, and create some new ones too. But this last year, Colby was MIA and now that he's only a few feet away, I can't help but think about what he's been doing all these months. Has he recovered from his relationship with Sadie?

Guilt consumes me as the back of my neck starts to flame from my neglect. Should I have offered more support to Colby?

"Do you know him?" Logan asks, whispering next to my ear.

I nod. "I do." I pick up my glass and hop off my bar stool. "I grew up with him."

"Damn," Adalyn says from behind me. "I wish I grew up with him. Hell, I wish he would grow inside me right now."

"Self-respect, Adalyn," Logan chastises. "Christ."

"Be back." With drink in hand, I walk over to Colby who turns on his stool, one arm still resting on the bar, the other gripping the back of his chair. He watches me walk toward him, and I realize it's the way he's always watched women walk toward him: with unbridled attention. It would be intimidating if I didn't know the boy Colby once was.

"Never would I have imagined seeing your tiny ass in a place like this. I thought college girls like yourself hung out else where," he says in greeting, that smirk turning into a full smile now. He runs his hand through the side of his already unruly hair, giving him some amazing sex appeal. It's really unfair how some men can grow hotter and hotter by the minute.

I pop my hip to the side and say, "I'm almost a graduate. I have to start expanding my bar options. Out of town is so last year."

Like second nature, I open up my arms and pull him into a hug, which he returns, bringing me into his familiar arms. Since Sadie is one of my best friends, I've spent a lot of time with Colby, a lot of time talking him down when he and Sadie would get in a fight, and a lot of the time lecturing him on how to handle Sadie who also dealt with her fair share of childhood drama.

"It's good to see you. Where have you been? I didn't see you at Smilly's for her Christmas gathering. You missed out on dirty Pictionary." Smilly is the queen of the group. She throws the parties whereas I watch over the parties, ready to spring into action when needed.

"Wasn't my scene." He shrugs and then takes a sip of his drink.

Wasn't his scene? Translation: he didn't want to see Sadie with her new boyfriend who everyone loves. Hell, Colby even liked Andrew before he knew Andrew was dating Sadie. It's hard not to like the guy. And I would never say this to Colby, but Andrew is perfect for Sadie. He has shown her joy, contentment, and the softer side of life, qualities from a man she needed . . . desperately. Not that Colby couldn't give her those things, but it was as if they were stuck and couldn't find their way out of the quicksand sucking them both in.

Colby has always been somewhat serious and somber, as if he carries the burdens of many on his broad shoulders. He hid this from most, but I spent a lot of time on the outside watching my friends hurt each other, time after time. Looking at him now, he still seems somber and serious, but also . . . melancholy. When he smiled in greeting, it almost looked as though he doesn't do that as often as he used to. Smile, that is.