Spiraled ⚪⭐⚪⭐ (A Brollins Novel)✔

EPISODE TWENTY TWO

Quinn's Mansion. Los Angeles, California.

"Put me down, Colby!!" Rebecca bellows for the third consecutive time, legs kicking wildly through invisible night's breeze, the last remaining shoe on her foot tipping close to falling off.

"Why?" Colby has been asking the same thing over and over, ever since Rebecca started bugging him to set her down. Each time he pauses to listen to her, he only gets a huff instead of explanations, a brief silent seconds which always makes it appear she has nothing concrete enough to say and is purposely doing everything to stall him. Before he'd know it, by the time he'd get a small progress in their stroll to the gazebo, she'd pick up from where she left off and resume vaguely writing off her complaints and just like that, it has taken them almost seven minutes to get to the gazebo. Which shouldn't have been the case in the first place taking into account the short distance it is from the courtyard to their destination.

"We've to go back for my shoe!" Rebecca raises a leg to show him the foot she has no shoe on. "Can't you see I've only one shoe left on my foot?"

Colby certainly hadn't noticed her shoe had fallen off. He stops to check her feet, the only shoe remaining on a perilous spot to falling off as well and glances back behind him to check to see if the other shoe is anywhere to be seen from the distance. But it isn't. As he tightens his grip around her waist and legs, he battles between playing along with her games and quenching down his rising exasperation. He eventually chooses the latter. "You're so childish. What do you expect when all you've been doing is kicking your legs for no good reason?"

"I'm trying to get your attention," says Rebecca, tone defensive, "since you haven't noticed you're walking a bit too fast. I'm also trying to get into that tiny head of yours that we should go to the Tree House instead."

"First of all, every time I stop to listen to you, you've nothing to say. I can see you're doing this to irritate me. Second, I think the gazebo is a much better option compared to the Tree House for I recall you telling me you've no desire to deal with the paparazzi. You want privacy, well then, we've to go with the gazebo."

"I just want my shoe back," she moans, "and the holiday card. It had flew off somewhere in the courtyard. How are we supposed to go to Cancun without it?"

Colby sighs at her with a dramatic shake of his head, smiling in spite of the strain in his arms at the adorable pout on her face. "No one is going to Cancun," he announces, quickening his pace once more. "I don't want to die. I'm so young."

Rebecca snorts, "A moment ago you were saying your heart is mine to decide whether it'd beat or cease to and now you're saying you don't want to die? You're so fickle with that heart of yours, Mr Lopez." Colby only lets out a throaty laugh. "Since your heart is now off limits, I must've my shoe back."

"This is your mansion. I'm certain you'll find it tomorrow and if you don't, someone else will," he explains to her although he has a feeling she'll start complaining any second from now. "Don't expect me to head back considering the amount of energy I'm spending carrying you. You don't want me to die from fatigue and exhaustion, do you?"

"Are you saying I'm fat?"

"I never said that!"

"You implied it," Rebecca insists.

Colby redirects his gaze from the image of the gazebo ahead to gaze down at her beautiful face, "Implying doesn't mean I said it. You're certainly much heavier than a week ago when I carried you to the road seeking help so yeah, you're fat. There, I said it. Happy now?"

She neither reply nor try to bring up one of her numerous, clever retorts he's grown so used to receiving every time during their conversations. She's unusually rendered quiet but he can still feel her gaze on his face, watching him all the while as they near the gazebo. The 'anticipated short walk' has been agonizingly slow and tiring to say the least. He wasn't kidding about the energy he's shedding carrying her or about her weight. He isn't going to admit any of that of course, nor is he going to confess to her he'd been thinking of dropping her to the ground every time she'd stop him to complain. They've delayed enough time as it is and he's quite eager to show Rebecca what he'd been able to set up for her thanks to Ashley's help to start bickering with her again tonight. "Are we ever going to forget that?"