The Attachment

Chapter 10

Colby's p.o.v
I look over at Sam and Kat as Ellie goes inside. "Should I have not asked?" I'm not good at these things.

"Maybe it's just a touchy subject, you couldn't have known." Katrina says.

"Look I didn't mean to sound like I was being a dick." Sam says apologetically.

"No man, I'm just defensive. I like her...and I want her to like me." I say quietly. Corey had stuck his headphones in his ears and didn't seem to be able to hear our conversation anymore. Sam and Kat were the two people I felt most comfortable talking my feelings with so I didn't feel nervous about expressing myself. When Ellie came back out she didn't seem as upset as before.

"Do you guys wanna watch a movie?" Kat asks as she gets out of the pool and towels herself off.

Everyone around us agrees and we go inside to get dressed in dry clothes. "You can change in my room," I tell Ellie when I see her pick her bag up off the couch. She awkwardly looked around for Oakley who was busy laying with Katrina and Tara's dogs Kiwi and Sugar.

"He's okay, come on. Let's get into something warm." She follows me up the stairs and into my room. I let her go into the bathroom first while I go into my closet for a clean pair of sweats and a hoodie, when I get out she's packing her things back into her bag. I go into the bathroom and make changing quick before meeting her in my room once again. She's looking around at the awards and champagne bottle from the Streamys that I had sitting on my fire place. "This is really cool," she runs the tip of her finger over the bottle before turning to me, "thanks for inviting me...and for taking care of me last night," she walks over and picks her bag up, "and I'm sorry I was so awkward this morning."

I shrug then rest my arm around her shoulder, "let's go watch that movie."

***

Ellie's p.o.v.
Their movie theatre is dark and cozy when we all settle down with blankets. Sam chooses a horror that was recently released on Netflix that none of us had ever heard about before. The dogs were all playing in the living room with one another and I...well I was sitting close to Colby under the same blanket. Jake and Tara were cuddled up on one sofa and Sam and Kat were cuddled up on the other. Corey had decided he'd meet up with a few of his friends so it was just the six of us. Just at a jumpscare my foot, from where it's folded under me, twitches when I'm startled and bumps into Colby's leg. "Sorry," I mutter. He looks over at me and just smiles and then fidgets a bit to get more comfortable. I notice him scoot a bit closer to me until our shoulders are pressed firmly against one another. I look over at him but his eyes are locked on the screen while a smirk plays on his lips. Was he flirting?

Some time during the movie I fell asleep, getting lost in the plot line and bored by the poor computer graphics. When the ending credits roll up the screen the song plays loudly waking me I realise  my face is pressed into Colby's chest and he has an arm around me. We weren't sitting anymore but lying side by side while my hand laid comfortably on his stomach. He felt warm and safe and I wanted to never get up but the fact that we barely knew each other and that four of his friends were in the same room made me sit up. When I look down at him I notice he's very much asleep. His chest rising and falling steadily.

"That movie was ass." I hear Jake remark making Tara laugh. "We're gonna go get some food, you guys wanna come?"

"No we're just gonna order in," Katrina answers from where she was still cuddled up to Sam. "Are you staying for dinner Ellie?" she breaks me from my staring at a sleeping Colby.

"Uhm, no, I'm gonna head home, I gotta feed Oakley and do some stuff." She and Sam gets up and Sam looks over at his sleeping best friend.

"Good luck with waking him up." He laughs as he and Katrina head out of the movie room. I'm trapped between a man sleeping like a log and the back of the couch. I look to see if there was any way I could cross over him without waking him up. He looked so peaceful and I didn't want to disturb that, but the blanket was tucked under him and there was no way for me to untangle myself from him without him having to get up.

"Colby," I say softly.

He hums and nuzzles his face closer to where mine was a few minutes before. "Hey Colby, you gotta get up."

"Five more minutes." He mumbles turning onto his side and throwing an arm over my waist. He's very clearly unaware of what he was doing, too drunk with sleep. I pick my phone up from the crease of the couch and check for any new messages. I had a couple from clients who thanked me for a job well done and one from a couple who was interested in my wedding package. I answer a few messages and then look back to Colby. "Hey, Colby. Five minutes are up."

He takes a deep breath and then turns over onto his back letting his eyes flutter open. He looks up at me with this drunken look which I know is impossible because he was sober. He smiles lazily. "The movie wasn't very good." He mumbles.

I chuckle, "Yeah, in the wise words of Jake Webber...it was ass." He laughs and sits up.

"Wanna grab dinner?" He asks rubbing at his eyes and throwing the blanket off him. Why didn't he seem more bothered that he woke up cuddling with a girl who he's only met a couple times, who blacked out until she had no memory of the night before and who told him she basically sees ghosts?

"I gotta get home to give Oakley dinner and I have some work emails to catch up on."

He nods disappointedly, "Okay, yeah."

"Wanna get lunch tomorrow?" I ask instead. He smiles and nods, "It's a date."

I blush and gather myself off the couch. When I get all my things and clip Oakley to his leash I head out. Colby leans against the front door frame as I get in my car and looks at me with this sleepy look that makes my heart melt. I like this guy, and I'm falling faster than I think he'll be willing to catch me.