The Influence | Colby Brock

Chapter 5: Talking

Fall break passed and I still haven't heard from Colby. We didn't talk about the kiss, nor do we talk in general after it. Maybe it was me? Maybe it was my fault. He probably just got carried away. I'm sure it didn't mean anything.

I walk into the classroom, seeing Colby sitting in his usual spot. I blink and look away from him, walking and sitting down next to him. I can feel him look at me, but I keep my face forward. I don't want to speak to him. I don't want to be embarrassed.

My teach begins to teach, however my focus isn't on her. I can't stop thinking about the kiss. About how he hasn't spoken to me. I just know I did something wrong. I always screw things up.

"Now, Katelyn and a Colby has a wonderful story that showed a lot of unique ideas behind romanticism." I'm pulled out of my thoughts by the teacher. Colby clears his throat, "Um, yeah it was all her though." He chuckles. I don't say anything.

"Could you explain where the idea came from?" She asks us.

I look at Colby, who glances at me. I look back to her, "Well, we wanted to focus on the obsession that comes behind being in love. I mean, we all know romance is about lust, care, desire, but we never consider the side effects. We never consider the guilt, regret," I pause, looking to Colby, "And the constant thought of being near them, controlling them, obsessing over them. We always see sappy love stories, never ones that end in dread. I wanted to focus on that part."

"That's amazing." She smiles and claps her hand. I look around the classroom, the students now staring at the both of us.

"But at the same time-" Colby starts, "We wanted to show how much the characters loved each other, even through the toxicity. At least for myself, I have no doubt that they were so deeply in love with each other that they became attached. It wasn't just about that bad in the relationship, it was a lot about the good."

"I say we have ourselves two little romantics in here." She smiles between us. I feel my face go red, looking down at the desk. Of course she would say some shit like that.

***

I walk to my car, unlocking it quickly. I don't want to spend more time here than I already have to.

"Hey! Wait," I groan and glance behind me, Colby jogging across the parking lot.

"What?" I ask him nonchalantly.

He frown slightly, then leans against my car, "Can I come over this afternoon? Please?"

"Why?" My eyebrows furrow.

"We need to talk. Privately. I know your bro has practice and your parents are at work, so," he trails off.

"I'm not having sex with you. Good try though." I roll my eyes, opening my car door. He shuts it back quickly. I let out a frustrated sigh and look back at him.

"That's not what I meant, you know I don't want that. Come on, Kat, we need to talk about last week." He presses his lips together and looks down to mine before looking back at my eyes.

"Fine. Get there fast though I don't feel like waiting around." I smile softly and open my door back. He watches as I get in, closing my door for me before he leans off my car and walks away.

***

Me and Colby stare at each other from across the room. He said he wanted to talk, but he's not talking. And I don't know what to say, so I'm not talking.

He clears his throat and comes to my best, sitting on the end. "I really really like you, Katelyn." He starts. "And the reason I didn't talk to you was because I was nervous. I've never had feelings towards anybody, and I was scared that you wouldn't feel the same. I'm still scared, but I left you after the kiss with no explanation." He frowns. I bite my lip as I smile, my cheeks becoming redder. "I don't know, I just feel something different around you." He sighs.

"Is that all it was?" I laugh quietly.

"Yeah, I guess." He scoots himself closer, "I'm sorry."he frowns.

"Colby, it's okay." I smile. I lean in towards him, putting my hands on his cheeks as our lips touch. It was a soft kiss, but it felt right. "I feel the same way." I say once I pull away from him.

He smiles and kisses me again, his arm wrapping around my back as he brings us closer to one another. My arms wrap around his neck, closing all space between us. He pulls away for a second, "Are you sure?" He asks quietly.

I smile and nod, "100% sure."