This is a story about the bond Colleen and Rachel Ballinger share. When Colleen goes through the hardest moments of her life, who will have her back through everything? Disclaimer: this is a story about something that did really happen. The event...
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I like to call this the picture of death.
I cannot explain how often I think about how everything changed between Adam and me in the blink of an eye. I'll be honest, I was always much closer with Stefanie and Andrew, however, Adam and I were still closer to siblings than cousins. When I had just freshly gotten a divorce, one thing that constantly weighed on my mind was what was gonna happen between us. Either Josh was gonna loose his sister or I was gonna loose my cousin. There was no in between. And somehow, I knew it'd be the latter. It was inevitable. And I cried about it. A lot. I felt like I had let them down. Adam and Erin met at my wedding. Their love story was magical. And now, when someone says, "how'd you guys meet?" they will answer awkwardly, "well...um...you see...we, um..met at...a wedding." And back then, I thought it was all my fault. Now. Now I don't feel anywhere near that. You know why?! Because Adam doesn't try. He doesn't care and he's given up. I haven't seen him for Christmas for a couple years now. His own siblings haven't seen him in Christmas for a couple years now. He spends his holidays in Georgia with my ex husband. He lives with my ex husband. Adam doesn't need my permission. He's an adult. And I would never wish to get in the way of his love life. However, he doesn't ask if he can come around. He doesn't talk about her. He doesn't tell us anything. He just assumes we all hate him. That I don't wanna see him. That I am not mature enough to conduct myself like an adult. Then he goes and hits me like this. I didn't know how far this had gone. I didn't know before the Instagram post. That hit me like a train. And now I'm a train wreck.
Erik's POV I hear a gasp from the living room. "Colleen! What's wrong!" "It's Adam! He's getting married!" she cries, stomping across the house. I run my hands through my hair, not really knowing what to do. Taking a deep breath, I say, "yep, and you know what? So are we. People get married. It happens. This just happens to be a forbidden love. Like Romeo and Juliet." "You and you're frickin Shakespeare references! Erik! You're supposed to be mad about this!" "I...I don't know what to say, Lovey. I'm sorry?" I try, walking on thin ice. To my surprise, Colleen takes a breath and settles herself. "You're right. You're absolutely right. Who am I to...to get involved in someone else's love story? I'm gonna go like the damn picture."
Colleen's POV Rachel shows up out of the blue. I think she could probably figure I'd be a mess. As great as Erik is, he doesn't get *this* situation. I rant from the couch as Rachel screws around in the kitchen, cleaning up my dirty dishes and stuff. "I just, I just wish he would've let us now how serious things were getting. You know? Like, a little mental preparation time? Usually families know about weddings before, you know, INSTAGRAM! And like, how am I gonna do this? A wedding! A wedding, Rach! A wedding! And..." Rachel cuts me off. "Colleen, stop! You're missing something; who's to say we're even getting invited to a wedding?" I stop. I stop crying and hold my breath for a second. Rachel's right. And that's absolutely terrifying. Reality hits me and almost knocks me down. What fantasy land am I living in to assume Adam will invite me to his wedding? My world spins. Today, two worlds are colliding that were never meant to be together. "I...feel like I'm gonna pass out," I say, stumbling to the ground. I feel Rachel grab my wrist. My universe goes mute. My vision tunnels in to the point of being darkness. Rachel's warm hands reach under my cold, limp arms. I feel my body be gently lowered to the cold, hard floor that seems to be miles away from my feet. My entire world is crumbling down.
