Bad Taste (Part I) // Colby Brock

127 - Rebecca

"You..." I couldn't find the words to respond to that. My heart was pounding in my chest, my blood coursing through my veins and throbbing at my neck and wrists. Colby's nose flared, but he didn't act on whatever he was feeling. I couldn't stop staring at his face.

He hadn't said that. Colby hadn't said that. There was no way that Colby could have said that. It was Colby. He didn't love anyone... right? He didn't. There was no way—

"Rebecca," Colby said, breaking me from my denial, "you can stop staring at me like that." He rubbed the side of my face with his thumb, smiling. "I love you."

"Fuck..." he'd said it clear as day, so I had no choice but to believe it. A smile fought to take over my face. "I-I love you too," I breathed, partially still in disbelief of this whole thing. Colby loved me. Loved me! Of all people, I had managed to get Colby to love me. And it felt so good to finally admit that I loved him too; that those strong feelings inside weren't just stemming from my attraction or some chemical imbalance in my head; they were real.

Holy shit. I was in love.

The emotions flowed uncomfortably over my entire body, sending a surge of energy through my veins. Next thing I knew, I was pouncing on Colby. I pushed him onto his back on the bed, climbing over him to be as close as I could. My lips melded to his in the most passionate kiss I thought we'd ever had. He held me tightly to his body and I pushed myself close to him.

It was both too soon and oh so late. How long had I been in love with him? Honestly, it was anyone's guess. All I knew was that I was and there was nothing that had ever made me feel the same way I did when I was around him. Our relationship was so new—our attitudes were adapting to one another still, and there was no doubt in my mind that we would be fighting soon so hard it'd be hard to believe I'd ever fallen in love with him. Because really, it's hard to believe you can fall in love with someone who pisses you off more than anyone else in the world. Maybe that was why our foundation was so strong: because we knew how to evoke every reaction in each other. Love was just one of them.

I, reluctantly, pulled back so I could see his face. He was smiling softly like I was as we locked eyes. His were purely blue with no sign of even the silver in them. It was almost like he was human, though no heart was beating in his chest.

My voice was a little shaky. "How did we even get here?"

"I have no idea," Colby replied with that big smile still on his face. He sat up and forced me to go with him, seating me comfortably on his lap. "But I like that we're here, so I don't care how."

I smiled. "Me neither."

"How tired are you?"

"Exhausted," I teased as I fell dramatically against him. He chuckled, picking my face back up and pressing a sweet kiss to my lips.

"We both need to sleep," I whined, "but when we wake up, I'm taking you to Tender Greens." My mood very quickly shifted.

"Of fucking course you are!" I exclaimed excitedly, suddenly craving the best food on earth. "I love you so much." I kissed him but he pulled back and threw me to the side onto the bed. He came along with me after a second, curling up beneath the covers. I followed his lead and found myself wrapped once again in his warmth. His fingers tugged through the curls of my hair.

"This isn't a good time to bring this up," Colby whispered, "but do you think we could keep that kind of affection private?"

"Like when we're here?" I asked.

"Yeah."

I breathed out in relief. "I'm glad you said that and not me."

"Hey, you admitted it in front of everyone in the first place," Colby pointed out and I punched him on the arm. He chuckled, kissing my head before he rolled slightly on top of me. Feeling his weight had me sleepy again. "I'm actually glad you did because I didn't know how I was going to tell you how I felt."

"Me neither," I admitted. "I didn't mean to do it in that basement after everything that happened but I guess I was just hyped on adrenaline." I paused, staring at the light coming through the window. "Are you sure we have to go back to the house?"

"Don't you want to sleep in my bed?" Colby teased.

I snorted. "Of course I do, I wouldn't be in love with you without that bed." It was Colby's turn to playfully hit me, only this time he used my momentarily weak moment to roll completely on top of me, his head on my chest. My heart skipped a beat.

We shared a few moments of silence lying in the dim light together. I wasn't sure what there was left to be said besides that we loved each other again, which I wouldn't get tired of saying to him whenever we were alone. However, Colby thought of something that made my heart go faster again, just as I was starting to nod off. "Don't get up until I wake up. I don't like it when you're not next to me."

"Alright," I agreed. I was pretty sure we were both smiling.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

I nodded off faster than ever before.