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51

Taylor's pov

"Well, Taylor, truth or dare?" Alex asks, knowing what I would choose.

"Dare," I said with a shrug.

"Okay," She dragged out her words, looking around the circle of people. I had no idea what her dare would be, whether it would be something sexual like the other dares or not.

"Kiss anyone playing the game," She said with a shrug, as if it was no big deal.

I was very surprised with the dare she gave me, seeing as I'd obviously kiss Colby, being that he's my boyfriend.

Or not. Instead of turning to Colby like I probably should have, I went to finish something I should have minutes ago.

I swung my leg over Angelina's crossed ones, grabbing her face with my hands and pressing our lips together. I could feel her mouth smirk under mine as she grabbed my waist.

Her mouth tasted like her drink, lemon lime, and I only paused for a moment to take a breath and carry on. She smelled of cigarettes and perfume, and for the first time I felt as if nobody else in this world was with us.

It was ripped away from me the second I remembered it was a game and this would mean nothing to her. It was supposed to mean nothing to me. I knew I was right when she started laughing as I sat back on the floor, and just for everyone's enjoyment, I laughed too.

Everyone's faces were a mixture of shock and amusement. I didn't want to look at Colby, to see the mixture of anger or disappointment in his blue eyes.

I did the same thing he's doing to me. And instead of feeling good like how he probably did, I feel like shit.

It was smarter not to look at anyone quite yet, so I spun the bottle while taking yet another sip from my White Claw.

It landed on Brennen, and I set my can down, swiping my tongue across my mildly swollen lip, "Truth or Dare, Brennen?"

"Dare,"

I rolled him an unopened White Claw from behind me, "Shotgun this,"

"Outside," Sam butted in, "I just got this place cleaned, and I'm enjoying my time with a clean house,"

"You know what?" Colby said abruptly, grabbing my hand, "It was fun playing with you guys, but we're going to head off to bed I think. Jet lag," He explained quickly when his friends shot him a weird look.

"We are?" I asked him quietly. We were only in Texas for three days, and with only two hours difference that wasn't bad enough to be excused as "jet lag" I don't think.

He didn't answer me, and without looking at me he waved to everyone, pulling me out of the room and towards the stairs.

I tugged at my wrist, worry setting in my stomach, "Colby, let me go,"

He turned back around, getting in my face. Without speaking, he shoved me in front of him, his hand rather forcefully on my back as he pushed me along.

Once we got to the top of the stairs I swatted his hand away from me, "Don't lay your hands on me like that," I snapped.

"But it's perfectly fine for you to go kissing other people?" He tried keeping his voice quiet, I could tell. But the moment we were in the bedroom with the door shut, that changed.

His friends couldn't hear us anyways, the music downstairs was too loud. Hopefully.

"It was a dare, Colby," I threw my arms up and let them fall to my side, facing him.

"What's your point?" Colby asked, "That changes nothing. Alex wasn't specific on anything,"

"The kiss meant nothing," I defended with a sigh.

"You're lying," His voice dropped down to almost a growl, "I saw it in your eyes. You're a fucking liar,"

"Fuck you!" I shouted without thinking, "Who the hell do you think you are, calling me a liar? You're the one who's been cheating on me with my own fucking-"

I was silenced when he erupted, running his fingers through his hair as he shouted, "That was before we were together! Get over yourself, Taylor!"

"All you've done throughout our relationship is accuse me of cheating! I have the right to have doubts about us!" I crossed my arms, lowering my voice, "Tell me I'm wrong,"

"Look," He admitted, "I know I might have been a little out of it in Texas, but I saw you kiss her, kiss her," Colby spat like it was a nasty piece of food in his mouth, "Right in front of me and a room full of people. That's cheating, is it not?"

I'm sobered up now, but I was drunk or at least close to it then. "I know I fucked up, okay? But what if the cameras were on us, huh?"

I felt my eyes get teary with my lame excuse, "If someone recorded it and put it on their story like we all have been all night, what do you think would have happened to you? Or to me, or to us? Or your career and mine, huh?"

Colby seemed to take this into consideration, staring at the floor with his hands on his hips, "I know, I know. But you don't see the way she looks at you when you aren't watching,"

He looked up at me, seeming to be more calm than before. The blue I loved was returning to his eyes, the caring, kind ones I loved.

"Aryia would be so angry with all of us if he would have seen that," He continued, "I can't do that to my friend. And she's probably going to tell someone, but eventually the word will get back to him. And it'll be my problem. For not being able to control you,"

I was completely understanding him until the last words came out of his mouth, "You don't control me," I contradicted, "I am my own person. I live my own life, I do my own things, I accomplish things on my own. You are just a benefit to all of that. And if you can't understand that then we can't be together and I'll take my shit and go home,"

I felt like this was all being rushed, and I instantly regretted the last part of what I said just in case he agreed.

But his face fell, and I knew that thought never occurred to him, "I'm sorry. I don't want anything bad to happen to us but we keep doing this," He motioned back and forth between us, and I shrugged once again.

"It's bound to happen, Colby. We aren't perfect people, and until we figure everything out then we're going to keep fighting," I knew I was bullshitting around what I really wanted to tell him, or what I really wanted to do.

Though I loved him with every ounce of my body, I wasn't in love. It was all a distraction, something to keep me occupied until I was truly happy.

"I love you," He murmured, walking up to me and hugging me, hiding his face in my neck, "I'm sorry for everything and i love you,"

I couldn't help but smile. I felt bad for manipulating and lying to him, but it's said and done, now,

"I love you too,"

"Now can we actually sleep now? I did really want to go to bed," His bottom lip stuck out in a pout, causing me to giggle.

"Is that what you want?" I asked, looking down at my outfit. I was wearing comfortable enough clothes to sleep in, and he was already taking off his own clothes, leaving him in his boxers as he crawled into his bed.

I flipped off the lightswitch to the bedroom before turning back to the direction of the bed and making my way there.

I crawled over to where Colby was, laying on his back with his phone above his head, typing away. He was probably texting Sam and filling him in on what happened. I would too, if my friends weren't partially the reason I was in this mess with me.

I pulled the blankets up to our waists, resting my head on his chest on the tattoo that I never really understood.

Maybe one day I would.

One day.