love, or the lack thereof (p. davidson)

six

Grabbing the bottles of water off of the kitchen counter I dragged my feet to the living room where Megan had returned to her spot on the couch next to Colson, and Pete was sitting in the bean bag across from them.

Avoiding eye contact I set the waters down on the coffee table and returned to my seat on the couch.

I looked down to my lap and picked at my fingernails purposely not looking up.

"Shae!"

Megan's voice ringing through my ears caused me to look up from my lap and in her direction.

"Yeah?" I said

"Mind handing me a water?" She asked pointing to the water bottles that were near me.

"Oh, yeah sure." I stumbled picking up one of the plastic bottles and throwing it to Megan.

As I began to look back down my eyes caught glance of Pete and he was looking directly at me. Before I could tear my gaze away, he gave me a small smile making his presence to me known, though I was very much aware he was here.

I listened as Colson and Megan engage in conversation with Pete. I was thankful I wasn't part of the conversation as I hated making any sort of small talk.

"Shae Pete tells me you two both go to the same therapist?" I heard Colson ask from across the couch.

Well forget not being part of the conversation.

I looked up at him and then to Pete giving him a small scowl, and then shifting my gaze back to Colson.

"Well the same office, not the same therapist." I corrected him.

"Ahh I gotchu." He said smiling

From the corner of my eyes I could see Pete staring me down with a deadly smirk that I wished I could slap off of his face.

"So what's your story?" Colson asked me.

"My story?" I questioned giving him a confused look.

"Yeah like where you from? What do you do?"

Looking back down to my lap I bit my lip. I barely had shared my "story" with Gretchen so I wasn't super comfortable sharing it with Megan's boyfriend and his best friend.

"Or just share what your comfortable telling." I heard Pete say causing me to glance up at him. He must have noticed I had become uncomfortable.

"Okay well... there's not much to share. My parents divorced when I was pretty young leaving me to live with my dad and two younger siblings. In high school I ended up getting pretty heavily into drugs leaving me to drop out my senior year and my dad ordering a court order against me, leaving me to come live here with Claire. Now I really only smoke weed and vape and just get through life I guess." I shrugged hearing myself began to ramble.

The three of them didn't say much and Colson only nodded taking a swig of the alcoholic beverage he had brought with him.

The entire time Pete's stare had been glued to me and I could feel my cheeks began to burn up.

"Alright what about you Colson?" I finally asked clearing the awkward silence that had surrounded.

"Well to start I grew up in Cleveland Ohio and my mom left when I was little leaving me with my dad but then I ended up moving in with my aunt cause I had become to much for my dad to handle. Like every young fucking idiot I got into to some trouble here and there and after graduating I moved here to New York to try and kick start my music career."

I perked up once he said that.

"You sing?" I asked him

"Yeah I'm not very good but I'm in a band and we're just trying to make it big." He simply shrugged.