Bad Taste (Part I) // Colby Brock

22 - Rebecca

          It was the drive back that I started to question everything. How had we gotten here? In about a week, we had met, hated each other, had some strange connection, and then basically started dating — though that was kind of on the fence still. But why was I doing this? I didn't know Colby, only that he was an asshole like me and going to be extremely difficult to work with to make this work. Of course, I knew I was the same, but didn't that just make a recipe for disaster? Asking for two maybe broken hearts, explosions, and backfire? A lot of backfire. That was part of the risk of Colby, I realised when his hand appeared on my thigh. The risk of Colby could be put into a few different categories: danger, assholery, and backfire. All of them tied together, but were slightly different.

Colby was certainly dangerous in some way, which he made very clear when he showed his authority over even his friends. And then there was the easy to rile up, asshole side of him that fed into the danger. Rile him up and he becomes dangerous — more than usual. And, finally, backfire. Anything you did after his breaking point of anger would backfire on you. I didn't know how I knew, I just did. Something about him told me trying to make up was harder than becoming friends to begin with. However, nothing was going to be harder than managing all of that, his lust, and myself at the same time. But this was what I was putting myself through... for basically a stranger.

Colby pulled up at my apartment, then, and I knew I had to make a decision soon that we hadn't talked about all night. His hand lifted from my thigh and he got out, circling the car to open my door for me. I didn't want to mention how the action was soft, but of course I did as soon as I was out the car. "Softie," I teased.

He glared at me more intensely than I expected, but I saw in his eyes that he was a little amused, too. He slammed his car door, grabbed my hand, and pulled me towards my apartment building. I moved quickly beside him without a word, butterflies in my stomach. We went up to my apartment door, and he just stood behind me as I unlocked it with one hand. When I pushed my door open, he tugged lightly on my hand. I turned to him, about to rip away. The look on his face was something I'd seen before and reminded me of that decision again. He stepped up close to me, one hand holding mine, the other reaching out and sliding beneath my ear. He just stood there for a moment.

I was impatient. "Are you going to kiss me or do I have to do it?" I snapped, and so he did. I felt his lips on mine before I even registered that he'd moved. They were lighter than they had been when I had kissed him at the party. The kiss felt amazing still, as if it was more intense than it really was. I couldn't pull away again, I just wanted more. More, more, more.

But his phone buzzed. He pulled back snarling, whilst I was about to whimper. I stared up into his eyes, completely en-tranced by him like nothing I'd ever felt before. And I didn't think he'd felt that, either, because he kissed me again with one, short, meaningful kiss. The same butterflies erupted in my stomach, even at something so small.

"Whoever just texted me is getting a snapped neck," Colby muttered, and I felt myself smile. He looked at my lips before sighing and letting go of me, of everything but my hand. He held on tight, as if he wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon. I watched his face as he read the message on his phone, rolled his eyes, and typed a quick response, then he flicked off the ringer and slid it away.

When he looked at me now, he was impatient. "Are we going in or not?"

I raised a brow. "Since when were you coming in?"

"Since you said 'all or nothing'."

I stared at him for a moment then I rolled my eyes and opened the door, pulling him inside with me. I didn't bother with the light at first, using the light from the hall to find the table by the door and drop my keys. But then Colby shut the door and turned on the light anyway. I flinched slightly from the brightness before turning to him.