Lost in the Game {Brollins}

| Chapter 44 |

The truck slowly pulled into the driveway as Joseph gently woke Rebecca up from her short nap.

He watched as she looked out of the window and realized where they were, immediately snapping her head towards him with wide eyes.

"What are we doing here?" The grogginess in her voice quickly waned and Joseph could see the range of emotions flash through her eyes.

"Well, I live here." Joseph quietly chuckled, "Never actually got rid of the place."

"But I-I saw other people move in." Rebecca furrowed her eyebrows.

"Renters." Joseph smiled, "Mom never told me she kept the house, as far as I knew, it had been sold. Until we came back."

Rebecca's jaw dropped before she let out a huge smile, one that Joseph hadn't seen in a long time. 

Meanwhile, Colby turned and saw the look in Rebecca's eyes, feeling warmth spread through him. She looked genuinely surprised as she sat there at a loss for words, and he couldn't help but let out a smile of his own, before unlocking the doors.

He also couldn't remember a time where he wanted to see a smile stay on someone's face more than that exact moment. Knowing it wouldn't last forever, he made sure he thoroughly studied her expression, taking in the way she bit her bottom lip, and how her dimples became more prominent.

A part of him was disappointed when her smile returned to its small and more common state, and he would've given anything to see it in its full form again.

Colby then saw Rebecca look towards him and Jonathan, and was unmoving when they made direct eye contact. He expected her to immediately look away or roll her eyes, but she just looked back at him, the smile on her face never leaving.

They only made direct eye contact for a few seconds before Rebecca eventually broke it, yet for Colby, time froze.

"Okay pretty boy, slow your roll." Jonathan broke the silence with a chuckle as he made a move to leave the truck.

Colby only then noticed that Rebecca and Joseph had already made their way out, and he had just ended up watching her the entire time. "You're not allowed to call me that."

"I can, and I will." Jonathan laughed, before gesturing towards Rebecca, "You let her do it."

Colby looked at him, before getting up and leaving the truck, "That's different."

Jonathan just let out a scoff and an all-knowing smile, while Rebecca eagerly waited by the door, happily fidgeting, unable to contain her excitement. Joseph saw her from the corner of his eye and chuckled.

However, when he opened and unlocked the door, suddenly Rebecca was unable to move. Her happiness turned into fear, as she became unsure whether or not she wanted to re-open old wounds.

Joseph lightly rubbed her back, coaxing her forward slightly and when Rebecca surrendered and finally went in, her eyes darted everywhere. Flashbacks arose as she saw younger versions of herself and Joseph running through the halls while laughing hysterically, and struggling to climb up the couches with their little legs as they chased each other around.

"It's the same. Everything's the same." She whispered to herself before looking back at Joseph who was just watching her intently.

Rebecca's feet involuntarily moved her body through the halls, and she came across a photo on the wall and immediately stopped. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at a photo of Joseph and her when they were children, laughing in his backyard as they blew bubbles.

She crossed her arms over her chest, reminiscing about the past, while Joseph approached from behind, placing both of his hands on top of her shoulders. She quickly moved her right hand and placed it on top of his, keeping the other crossed.

"If only I had known what my life would become." She shook her head with a sad laugh, "I wouldn't have taken those moments for granted."

"Nobody ever knows." He spoke quietly, "Becks, you can't keep blaming yourself for every little thing that's happened."

Rebecca let out a sad laugh, purposely keeping her eyes on the photos to stop herself from dumping everything on Joseph.

"Listen Becks," He squeezed her hand gently, "About last night-"

"Joe, don't do that to yourself." She turned quickly and cupped his cheeks, "It wasn't your fault."

"It was," He nodded with disappointment written all over his face, "I'm supposed to protect you, I promised that I'd always be there for you, and I wasn't. I wasn't then, and I wasn't now."

Rebecca knew better than to continue to try and sway Joesph's view on the whole situation, and there was no way that she could remove the pain he felt, but soothing it for a while seemed to be possible.

Instead of saying anything else, she simply wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. She quickly felt him relax, and nuzzle his face into her neck. "I'm so sorry."

It was obvious to her that he was already consumed with guilt, and he had convinced himself that the entire thing was somehow his fault, and she knew that he wouldn't feel the same unless it was acknowledged instead of denied. "It's okay Joe, I forgive you."

"I love you," He whispered, breaking Rebecca's heart. His tone was shaky and underlined with worry, almost as if he wasn't expecting her to say it back.

She quickly shifted her hand, wiping away a tear that managed to spill from her eye, before tightening her arms around him, "I love you too."

Rebecca went to open her mouth again but quickly stopped to listen when she heard a knock at the door, hearing Colby talk to someone.

The peaceful environment she and Joseph had managed to create, quickly diminished when she heard Colby's voice again after a few silent seconds.

"Hey Red," Colby quickly yelled out, "Mercedes is here."