lonely nights | jake & colby

8. unspoken

jake's pov

we arrive in colorado after a long plane ride. sam and corey had slept for most of it but me and colby hadn't managed to. with them resting between us, we couldn't even to talk to each other. so yes, it was definitely long. the only highlight was when we would wave at each other, looking over and making faces while our friends sleep through the flight.

now as we wait for a car to come, i feel myself growing quite tired and irritated. needing to breathe a little, i sit slightly behind from everyone as they talk about what investigations they might do. i really am excited about this trip but i couldn't bring myself to be as involved. i try to snap myself out of it, telling myself i'll be okay. i just have to focus on what we're here for. i put my head in my hands and breathe deeply.

i hear someone walk over and i look expecting it to be sam telling me the car is here, but it's not. it's colby. he sits down and places his hand in one of mine that now rests between us. discreetly comforting me, he looks at me knowing how tired i am both physically and mentally.

"we'll get some coffee when we get to the hotel." he promises, giving me one of those smiles that makes everything seem okay. in this moment, i feel like maybe i'll make it through this trip just fine.

"yeah it'll be okay, we'll have some time to nap right?" i ask, feeling myself smile.

we all pile into the car, colby strategically staying behind everyone so he could sit in the back with me. after that plane ride, i was grateful for this. sam tells the driver our destination, finding that it's quite a far drive. upon hearing this, i settle in and check my phone for the first few minutes but i soon grow bored of social media. i see corey's eyes struggle to stay open as he leans against the window and i decide maybe i should rest my head too.
i fold my arms, sit back and look at colby scroll on his phone before closing my eyes.

-

i feel the car jolt a little as it turns and comes to a stop. i slowly wake and realise i'm now leaning against something warm. lifting my head slightly, i look at where it had been and see colby's shoulder. i gaze up at him but he's peering out of his window. i feel myself blush as i sit up, looking outside as well. we had arrived at the stanley hotel.

sam thanks the driver as we exit the vehicle, grabbing our bags. the camera switches on, filming our reactions to the hotels exterior and our first steps inside. i joke about for the video, trying to take part in the conversation but for the most part i stay quiet. partly because i don't really know how to be around colby, he hasn't said anything to me since before we got in the car. so i busy myself with my phone and pretend to be aloof. it's easier that way.

we walk around the halls a bit, showing the place as we first see it. after that, sam suggests we drop our bags off at the front desk so that we could explore the outside before we go to our room. letting go of my stuff, i know there is no chance of sleep yet and that i'm going to need a lot of coffee in the meantime. i look at colby.

"guys, me and jake need coffee. do you want anything?" colby says, keeping his promise.

sam and corey decline, going ahead to look outside and get their bearings of the grounds. meanwhile, me and colby head to the lounge area to find a coffee machine. once we fill our disposable cups, colby gestures over to a sofa. more than happy to have a moment to sit, i follow his direction.

"you feeling any less tired?" he asks genuinely once we're seated.

"a little bit. i felt better after my nap, sorry if i kept you awake or anything." i say, referring to when i leaned on him in my sleep.

"no it was okay actually, i felt myself dozing off a bit because i was so comfortable." he tells me, making me feel okay about the situation. we sit and talk for a little while until colby suggests we film the lounge because there is nobody else in here but us. he pulls out his phone, turns it to face us and presses record.

"so me and jake needed coffee and we found a machine in this little lounge area. we thought since it's just us chilling here, that we would show you this place."

showing the camera around, we film ourselves looking through the room together. as we do, we joke about and laugh but this time, it doesn't feel forced. i can be myself around colby. once we show everything we can, colby sets his phone down but still records us. although it's still day out, we decide to try and call out to anything that might be in this room to see if we can hear anything.

"if there is anyone here with us in this lounge, please make a sound." colby says into the room. we wait for a noise and then eventually to our right we hear scraping. jumping at that, i feel colby hold on to me and i reach out for him. we look at each other, scared, trying to figure out what we just heard. but then we're just kind of there, colby looking at me as if stuck in thought. i see many different emotions pass his face and then it gets closer and closer. suddenly, we hear the door to the lounge room open and we pull apart. colby sees that the phone is still recording and quickly locks it. i doubt they'll end up using that footage now.

"there you guys are, did you guys get lost?" sam asks rhetorically.

"sorry for taking so long but we thought we would just film this room a bit while we were in here and then we called out to something and heard a noise." colby says, freaking out slightly as he explains what happened.

"no way! let's go and explore a bit and you guys can tell us more about it." sam replies. colby walks ahead as we leave, looking back at me once more. his face was unreadable but i could tell it had many things to say. for now, they would remain unspoken.