The Best Night of Our Lives (Solby)

Chapter 5

Colby's POV

I'm running through the woods when I hear the sound of Sam's voice calling my name. "Colby!"

"Sam!" I call back. I keep running straight through the woods, but I don't see him anywhere.

"Colby!"

"Hold on! I'm coming!"

I run into a clearing, and there he is, laying dead on the ground. "Oh my God. Sam!" I run over to him, drop to my knees, and take him into my arms. "No," I say, my eyes filling with tears. "Don't leave me. Please. I'm sorry, Sam. I'm so sorry."

I open my eyes only to find that I'm in my room. Sam is sleeping peacefully next to me, and I instantly breathe a sigh of relief. I don't want to wake him up. So I give him a gentle hug, play with his hair for a little bit, and kiss him on the forehead.

And with that, I get out of bed and go to my closet.

I throw on a black hoodie, black jeans, and black sneakers, and then I take one last look at Sam before leaving the room and quietly shutting the door behind me.

The whole house is dark without a single light on. So I use the flashlight on my phone to navigate through the house to the kitchen. I spot my keys on top of the counter, and without hesitation, I grab them and head out the door to my car.

It's pitch black outside, and the air is so cold that I can see my breath. I decide that I need to get away for a while. So I put the keys in the ignition, turn on the engine, and take off into the night.

I drive for almost an hour, thinking about how I haven't been able to get a good night's sleep in a long time. I don't even know where I'm going. I just know that I don't want to be reminded of everything I put my friends and boyfriend through the past year. When I kissed Sam before we fell asleep, I was reminded of that night. The night of the car accident.

The night I almost lost my best friend.

I have to pull over because I have a feeling I'm going to have a flashback. Sure enough, as soon as I pull off to the side of the road, I can clearly see the images in my head.

I sat in the waiting room with my face in my hands, waiting for the moment when I could finally see Sam. "Colby," said a woman's voice. I looked up and saw that a nurse was looking at me. "You can see Sam now."

"Is he okay?" I asked.

"He's stable, but he's asleep," she said.

I got up and went down the hall to his room. There he was, the boy who I'd been in love with since middle school, laying in bed with a monitor beeping softly in the background.

I sat down in the chair next to the bed and looked at him. "Sam," I said. No response. "Sam," I repeated, a lump rising in my throat.

I took his hand and held it in mine. He didn't look like the Sam I'd always known. He looked...like he was on the verge of dying.

My eyes filled with tears, and they ran down my cheeks. "I love you, Sam."

My lips touched his lips.

Then he opened his eyes.

"Colby," he said tiredly.

"It's okay, Sam," I said reassuringly. "I'm here."

"I love you, too," he said smiling. It was then that I realized my feelings for Sam were reciprocated. I'd later find out that he'd always felt the same way.

I kissed him again, smiling through my tears.

"You're a good kisser," Sam said jokingly.

I laughed. "Solby is real."

"One hundred percent."

I stayed there and held his hand for what felt like forever. And I didn't want to let go.

I don't realize that I'm crying until I come out of the flashback. A lot of memories come flooding back all at once, and it feels like I can't breathe. As I'm about to freak out and lose my shit, I remember to control my breathing.

I take steady, even breaths. Then my heart rate slows down. As I start to relax, I get out of the car and take in the scenery of everything around me.

Why am I like this? I think to myself. What happened to me to make me such an emotional wreck?

Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice say my name.

"Colby."

I look up, and there he is. Sam Golbach. The guy I've been waiting for. I feel instant relief as tears run down my cheeks, and he comes to me, allowing me to wrap my arms around him.