All by Chance {Brollins}

/ Chapter 10 \

The class got started, and Rebecca sat alongside Colby and Danielle as she watched the two play. The instructor gave out toys and props, demonstrating some activities for the children and adults to do together. She tried to stay involved, but most of the time, Rebecca just found herself watching Colby and Danielle.

She saw the little girl clap with a giggle when Colby played peek-a-boo with her, and she had to turn her head for a few seconds to blink back some tears building up.

The class ended after about an hour, and Colby offered to drive Rebecca home. He immediately noticed the shift in her demeanour. At first, he chalked it up to the annoying mothers, but after a while, Colby wasn't so sure.

"Hey, how you feeling?" He looked over at her for a split second while driving. "I know I wanted you to come, but I didn't realize how hard it actually could've been-"

"Good." She stopped him, "I'm good."

He pulled up to a stop sign and watched her stare at the raindrops rolling down the window. "No... really?"

"Good." She nodded, obviously quieter than her usual self.

"Okay." Colby sighed as he pulled into her driveway, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

She looked over and smiled, "You know it."

Colby watched Rebecca to make sure she got inside safely, but when she reached the door and just stood in front of it, he wasn't sure what to think.

"Rebecca?" He rolled down his window in confusion, "Are you okay?"

"Yup." She answered quietly, and he put the car in park and stepped out.

"So why aren't you going inside?" He walked towards her front steps.

"It's louder out here." She left her back turned towards him as she felt tears begin to prick at her eyes.

She knew the quietness of her home could be alluring on her best days, so the thought of it now seemed overly daunting.

Colby thought to himself before speaking again, "Come home with us for a bit."

"This is different." She shook her head, "It's not something I can just move on from or run away from forever. Believe me. I keep trying."

He sighed, "Becks-"

"No, Colby." She interjected, "I know you're trying, and I know your heart is in the right place, but it isn't that easy."

Rebecca turned towards him slowly, "It's been how many months now? And nothing has gotten better. And I'm so happy for you and everything that's happened recently. Because your life is all coming together. But mine has been falling apart."

She tried to keep her composure, but it was near impossible. "And I don't know what to do with myself half of the time because everything reminds me of her!"

"You're allowed to grieve, Rebecca." He stepped towards her slowly, "It's okay."

"I don't want to." She shook her head with tears falling down her face. "I don't want to."

"I know." He nodded with a sympathetic look, "And that's okay."

"It just makes me feel more alone." Her voice broke, "I've tried... I have. But then I think about what my life could've been. The classes, the firsts, the joy."

"I'll never know how hard it is... hell, I can't even begin to imagine it. But I do know that you've never been alone." Colby insisted gently, as he grabbed her hands. "When I say I love you, it's because I mean it."

His hands cupped her cheeks, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "You're stuck with me. I'm here through thick and thin. Whether you like it or not."

Colby knew she was consistently trying to hide how she was feeling and wanted to solidify the fact that she didn't have to. "There's nothing I could ever say or do to help get rid of the pain, or I would, without a second thought."

She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes. "Your world was ripped away from you. And it's shitty and unfair. But you and Danielle... you're both my world. And I don't wanna lose you."

He lowered his hands, "I'm here for you, and I know it sucks to hear because people only do if something bad has happened. But I am."

She looked up at him, and he smiled, "I love you, Rebecca."

"I love you too." She nodded, and he pulled her in for a hug.

They stood there as the rain rolled off of the roof above them and onto the ground. As the two held onto each other, something in both of their minds and hearts clicked, and everything that seemed so uncertain was suddenly clear.

Something in the way they both said it seemed different from previous times. When they began to break away from the hug, Colby's hands absentmindedly stayed on her hips as Rebecca's stayed against his rib cage.

They barely separated, before the two looked at each other in their close proximity. Something in the eyes of the other told an unfamiliar story, and whatever it was, compelled them both to lean in.

When their lips touched, the world around them turned into a blurred haze. It was soft and slow, laced with layers of vulnerability and understanding. Just as quickly as it began, it ended, and it was over before either of them was subconsciously ready for it to be.

Rebecca stepped back, and she immediately crossed her arms over her chest in shock. Her eyes darted between both of his as he cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Uh, thank you..." Rebecca nodded and took a deep breath in, before stepping back to reach her front door. "For the drive."

He shifted his weight from foot to foot, "Yeah... no problem."

He watched her turn around and swiftly unlock her door, noticing a slight pause in her movements before going inside.

Colby let out a long slow breath when she closed the door. "No problem."