All by Chance {Brollins}

/ Chapter 11 \

A splash of cold water to the face wasn't exactly needed to wake up Colby in the morning.

He hadn't gotten much sleep after he dropped Rebecca off at her home, and they somehow ended up kissing. That and the fact that Danielle seemed to be fussing more than she usually would.

Colby knew he showed up to work looking like a mess, but he didn't care, it wasn't important. He had time to reflect during his hours awake, and he realized that he was to blame for Rebecca's struggle the night prior. Broaching that topic alone was going to be difficult, he was aware of that, making the idea of discussing their kiss that much worse. 

When Colby got to his desk, Rebecca wasn't at hers, causing him to partially panic. The last thing he wanted was for her to disappear because of him. He wasn't exactly sure if he initiated the kiss, but his conscience was telling him he wasn't the only one who enjoyed it, and he hoped it was right. Worry filled his chest until Colby saw a flash of auburn hair enter his father's office. He saw the door remain open and found it a good opportunity to see if Rebecca was acting normally.

He knocked on the door as he walked in slowly, and his father looked up from a paper Rebecca had passed him. "My boy! Just who I wanted to see, I have something important to discuss on your upcoming status sheets."

Colby's eyes darted between his father and Rebecca, "Actually-"

"I'll leave you to it then." Rebecca smiled at Holly and Ron before tipping her head in acknowledgement to Colby and exiting quickly.

"Becks-" By the time he managed to speak, she was long gone.

"Everything okay, dear?" Holly furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah..." Colby sat down and let out a breath, running his hand over his face. "What about these status sheets then?"

For what seemed like forever, Colby was trapped listening to his father talk, while Rebecca was roaming the office. When he finally got out of the meeting he deemed unnecessary, he noticed once again she wasn't by their desks.

So, Colby walked around, trying to look normal, but it was obvious he wasn't because he was gaining some strange looks. When he rounded the corner, he noticed Rebecca speaking to a colleague he didn't even know existed.

When she accidentally made eye contact with him, her posture stiffened. She said something else and smiled at the guy politely before immediately walking the other way quickly.

Colby felt an unusual amount of jealousy run through his veins, and he was almost tempted to interrogate whoever the guy was. Instead, he ignored his conscience and opted to follow Rebecca as she made her way to the supply room.

"Hey, Becks." He leaned against the door frame as she grabbed random items and stacked them on the counter.

"Hi." She smiled at him for a split second before continuing to rummage around.

But Colby could tell it wasn't her regular warm smile, it was more of one done out of courtesy. "What are you up to?"

"Grabbing some stuff for a few projects." She replied, and Colby nodded.

He stood up straight and shoved his hands into his pockets. But before he could say anything else, Rebecca grabbed the things she had piled up and began to walk out. "Well, it was nice talking to you."

"Rebecca." He shook his head and followed her out, "We sit right in front of one another. You can't avoid me forever."

"Why would I be trying to avoid you?" She responded infuriatingly innocently as she continued to move swiftly.

Rebecca placed some of the items on her desk, before dropping a few off at some desks of the individuals working under her management for her projects. Colby wasn't letting up, however, and she could tell he was uneasy, the dark circles under his eyes were a key giveaway.

Holly spent most of her time in Ron's office, although she had her own. But when she found out Rebecca was already going to the supply area, she asked for some things too. Rebecca walked past Ron's office and saw Holly in there before she went next door. She opened up the door and turned on the lights before placing some things on her desk.

Annoyingly, she wasn't surprised when she turned to find Colby closing the door behind him. "Rebecca, I'm sorry."

"Don't know what you're sorry for but okay." She tried to be dismissive as she tried to keep herself busy by doing some unnecessary organizing for Holly.

"I should've known." He shook his head, "I should've never put you in that position to make you feel obligated to come."

Rebecca sighed, not wanting to broach this conversation topic. "Colby-"

"No, it wasn't fair." He insisted, "I was thinking impulsively."

"It's fine. I've already said it's fine." She stacked a pile of paper on a shelf and sighed. "I don't expect you to change everything for me."

"You can say that, but I'm still gonna apologize." He shrugged, "I didn't think the idea through."

She just shrugged and continued to move around the room, stacking and shifting things that didn't need to be touched. Desperate to find a way out of the room without having to speak anymore.

Rebecca stopped and stared at him from across the room, with a mix of emotions, not knowing which one to tackle first. She had a habit of ignoring how she was feeling, and she knew it wasn't good by any means, but it was easier most days.

She quickly grew tired of whatever it was they were doing, and she made sure everything on Holly's desk was in order before deciding to leave.

However, when Rebecca went to walk out, Colby stood in the way, making her sigh, evidently exasperated. "What are you doing?"

"No." Colby shook his head, "What are we doing?"