In Another Life

43 (Colby's POV)

I inwardly groaned as I felt her naked skin burn through my thin t-shirt. Sam was definitely going to have to check those pictures before letting her see them. This was getting hard to fight. Just let me get in the water somewhere. Maybe it won't be as hard...okay, bad choice of words. I put my arm around her back, letting my hand rest lightly on her hip. I heard her suck in a light breath, and that did nothing to help the state that I was in. Knowing that she was attracted to me too, just made it that much worse. I let my fingertips tighten on her exposed flesh, just a little, and held my other hand up in a peace sign, while sticking my tongue out. Next pose, I lay my cheek against her head, and smiled, pulling her a little closer. After a few variations, Sam walked back towards us, and I let her go quickly so that I could see the photos before she did. He gave a low laugh as I met him halfway, and slightly shook his head. "You're good. The pictures are fine." I bit my lip in worry, as I met his gaze. "You're sure?" I asked. Honestly, it wouldn't have mattered if I didn't know for a fact that these pictures were going to end up online with millions of people zooming in, and picking apart every detail of my body, face, the way I stand, or hold my hands. It can make a person go crazy honestly, trying to make sure that everything is perfect all of the time. I would even get inside my own head sometimes, unable to escape the concept of trying to be perfect, even when I know that's not achievable. Sam nodded, and put his hand on my shoulder, flicking his head so that his hair fell into place. "Yeah man. They're good. Don't worry." I trusted Sam with my life, but he knew I still needed to see the pictures without me telling him so he held Terra's phone out to me. I took it and swiped through, making sure that everything was...in place. I heard someone clear their throat and I looked up, meeting those aqua eyes again. She stood there, holding her hand out for her phone. I guess it did look really weird that we were going through her phone. "Sorry," I replied, placing it in her palm. "I just wanted to make sure the photos looked good." I flashed her a smile, and noticed how her eyes went slightly out of focus when I did. Huh. That was interesting. "You look good in every photo," she said, staring into my eyes. I felt my cheeks heat up a little and I didn't understand why. People complimented me all the time, especially fans. Jesus, the stuff they say online was enough to make anyone get a huge ego. I tried to not let it get to my head though. I didn't want to be one of those guys that thought they were the shit just because their fans thought they were hot. Besides, I knew that I had plenty of flaws. So, why was I blushing because SHE said I looked good in pics. It didn't make sense. She cleared her throat, and looked at Sam, smiling slightly. "You both do. You can't take a bad pic. It's actually disgusting and I kind of hate you both for that." Sam laughed, while I grinned and ran a hand through my hair. "We've put plenty of pics out there that are not attractive," I replied, thinking about all of the horribly embarrassing things that were on the internet with Sam and I. She just smiled shyly and shook her, looking down. "No, those are just really cute too. Because you're real. You're being you and you don't care what others think. Those might be the best ones." Her cheeks tinted a little as she looked back up at me, and bit her lip. I narrowed my eyes, and dampened my own, as the memory of the kiss popped back into my mind. I wanted to kiss her again. Right now. I probably would have honestly, if Sam hadn't patted my back. "Well thank you, but we're going to run out of time if we don't get going. We'll head in and you guys wait about ten minutes. We'll make sure that they let you through." She nodded a little, and smiled, letting it light up her whole face. "Okay. I'll go let the other girls know." Sam waved, and sort of pushed me in front of him, so I just lifted my hand and walked with him. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" he asked, as we made our way to the VIP gate. I shook my head. "I have no idea," I murmured. "Snap out of it Colby, she's a fan. If you plan on messing around with her, then you know you need to make it clear about your intentions from the start," he scolded me. I rolled my eyes, as we held our badges up to security. "That girl," Sam pointed to Terra, and two of her friends will be joining us shortly. Can you let them come on in?" The guy nodded. "What's her name?" "Terra," I said automatically. "Her friends are Denise and Kenzie." "Okay, I'll be sure to let them in." We walked past him, into the closed off area. "Cooolbbbbyy!" I heard Brennen's voice automatically. My eyes found him in the hot tub, with Sarah sitting next to him in that skimpy little bikini, kind of hanging on his neck. She was hot, for sure, but even showing more flesh that Terra, it didn't do it for me like she did. I spotted Jake and Tara in the pool over on the other side, next to the bar. I held my finger up to Brennen, and stopped the waitress that was walking by. "Hey, can I just get a White Claw? Grapefruit?" She nodded, and walked away. Sam and I walked over to the hot tub. "Join the fun, water feels great!" Brennen said, wagging his eyebrows at me. I chuckled at how he tightened his grip around Sarah's waist. I was honestly jealous of the fact that he was able to do that, without fear of repercussions. Sam and I stripped our shirts, and lowered ourselves into the hot water.