The Piano || 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬

|28| Come on, you'll look like a hot biker!

The next few weeks stayed almost as hectic as the Sunday after the party. Their fans loved the drama, hated Derek, and were indecisive about whether they supported the "relationship" or not. Ashley guessed she would just have to live with it until they would stage the break-up. Maybe she would be able to go back to normal afterward.

She hadn't talked about it with Colby yet. They hadn't talked about almost anything. It wasn't awkward, but in some ways all the attention on their relationship made her avoid contact. Without letting the fans know, of course.

After the first stream she did since the video was leaked, she and Colby posted a picture on their stories. They had met at her place, discussing how to continue this. None of them had talked about how they would have to end things, but it had been fun to make up more details to the story.

In the end, they concluded that Ashley had been at a Starbucks, wanting to buy a Macha Frappuccino but she had forgotten her phone and not brought the wallet with her. So, Colby, who was fortunately waiting to get his coffee at the same time, had offered to buy it for her. Ashley had assumed that he knew who she was – even though the story wasn't real, she was ashamed of this part – and flashed him a smile before thanking him and walking off.

Colby was left standing in the Starbucks, and because he apparently didn't know who this girl had been, he asked one of the employees if she was a regular. He nodded and grinned, guiding him to her YouTube channel. From there, Colby found her Instagram and texted her. Later, he orchestrated the collab, not telling Sam that he already knew her.

They dropped parts of it occasionally, when people asked, never telling the full story. Ashley insisted that it would be too suspicious. He chuckled softly at her excitement, without knowing what it was that made her so invested in it.

She didn't know it herself, simply doing what felt good. And spending time with Colby did, even if they weren't actually dating. She had to remind herself of that all the time.

Sam and Colby went on another investigation. Colby asked Ashley if she wanted to come with them, but she rejected, the memory of the Hoffman Hotel still fresh in her memory. She still thought about it every day, and several times almost took the ring out of the drawer of her nightstand. It was somewhere back in there, stuffed in between tissues and hair ties. She hadn't touched it since she put it away. And still, she felt the need to do so.

Everything that had happened felt like a dream far away, something unreal. Looking at the ring would make it all real again. Did she want that, though? She shouldn't want it. She should want to forget it all and bury it somewhere deep in her mind, just like she had buried the ring in the drawer.

Life went on like it had before. She followed her schedule, streamed regularly, and posted YouTube videos, the normal business. The regular meetups and "dates" with Colby were new, though. A welcome change from her everyday life, especially because he regularly brought her to parties she would never go to without him. They recorded a short clip or took a picture every time to post and keep the fans updated – at least that was the plan. Sometimes time went too quickly, and the "date" was about to end when one of them remembered to do it. Sometimes they would forget it completely.

Ashley didn't mind. She was happy.

Hanging out with Colby was fun. Talking about their relationship, the fans, and life not so much, but she enjoyed it anyway.

They kissed on several occasions. That was fun too. He was a good kisser, and she didn't doubt that that was visible from the outside. The fans went absolutely crazy over pictures where they even held hands or slightly brushed each other's shoulders or thighs. Ashley knew exactly what she was doing. How to make it seem like they really were in love.