In This Life (Sequel to 'In Another Life')

109

Colby slammed the door behind us, forcing it closed because the wind had gotten so strong. "Should we be worried about a tornado?" he asked, looking out the large window next to the door. "Don't wanna talk about that!" I exclaimed, sticking my fingers in my ears like a child. He laughed, and walked over to me, where I was standing by the bed. "You know you're pretty cute like this," he said, placing his hands on my hips. I rolled my eyes. "I look like a drowned rat right now. It's so unfair." "What is?" he asked, bringing one hand up to brush my wet hair  behind my ear. "That you can look like a damn Calvin Klein model after getting caught in the rain, but I look like a drowned rat," I said, locking my arms around his neck. That smile that I love so much slowly spread across his lips, giving me heart palpitations. "You're the most gorgeous drowned rat I've ever seen," he whispered, then leaned in slowly, pressing his soft lips to mine. I had been cold, wet from the rain with the motel air conditioner bringing the room to a good freezing temp. Now, I felt the heat rise to my chest, then spread out to all of my extremities. I let my fingers tangle in the wet hair at the back of his neck, and opened to him. He tasted of rain, and just purely Colby. His hands tightened on my hips for a second then traveled around to the small of my back pressing me up against his body. His lips moved against mine in a way that tore into my heart with a blinding light. I loved him so much. I would honestly die for this man. Love had never been something that I understood, seeing how my parents were with each other, and my past relationships, just led me to believe that love was a surface feeling that would fade. With Colby though, it was way below the surface, straight to my soul. He was my other half. To think that he used to be what I assumed was just a crush, was a staggering reality to me. I knew that I loved him, or who I thought he was, but when I actually got to know him, I fell harder than I ever could have through the computer screen. He was the one that I wanted to grow old with, to have children with. My eyes popped open at the realization of my thoughts and what it meant. Colby's eyes were still closed, his thick, dark lashes casting shadows on his cheeks. I smiled against his lips and closed my eyes again. After everything, my constant battle with addiction, Justin, the accident and the coma, my recovery, Amber's deceit and then her death, just everything, I realized that Georgia was no longer my home. He broke the kiss, and stared into my eyes. My heart did that little thing where it skips a beat, as I stared back. We were quiet for a few moments, just holding each other. "I love you. You know that, right? I'd do anything for you," he whispered. Fuckin A, he was going to make me cry and I was so sick of crying. "I know," I answered truthfully. Because I did know that now. I might not have known why, and I might not believe that I deserved his love, but I knew that he did. "I love you too. More than life. Thank you for always being there for me." "No place I'd rather be," he answered. A bright flash of lightning lit up the room for a second, followed by a deep, rolling thunder. Somehow, something that always freaked me out, didn't have the slightest affect on me in this moment. I felt safe with him. It continued to storm throughout the night, lighting up the room with flash after flash of lightning but it didn't bother me. We took a shower, and got into some comfortable, dry clothes to sleep in. "We have to get up early in the morning," I moaned against his bare chest, as we lay in the Queen size bed. "Yep, and I still don't know why you couldn't tell Mrs. Gail that we would be there a little later. The wake isn't even going to be open to others until 3 pm," he said, his fingers running through my hair absentmindedly. I leaned my head up to look at, resting it on top of my hand that was on his chest. "I know, but she needs help Colby. We have to set up the food table, and whatever else needs to be finished before people show up. I'm afraid that either no one will show up, or the only ones to show up will be there to talk about how messed up Amber was. Mrs. Gail is strong, but she doesn't deserve to be expected to handle that." He met my gaze, and gave me a small smile. "She'll be okay. She'll have you...and you'll have me." We fell asleep tangled up in each other. When my phone alarm went off at 7 am the next morning, I groaned, only to hear Colby laugh. I cracked my eyes open to see him sitting up in bed, with my head in his lap. "How did I get here and why are you awake?" I asked, sitting up and yawning. "I'm awake because you wouldn't share the damn bed. Every time I tried to move to get comfortable, you would just lock onto me and put those cold ass feet against me. Does the circulation in your feet just not work? They feel like blocks of ice. You got there, because I moved you so that I could go to the bathroom. When I came back, you latched on again," he said, watching me with an amused expression on his handsome face. I looked down at the blanket, a little embarrassed. I remembered having a dream about when he had left me. It woke me up, and when he wasn't in the bed, I panicked. Irrational, I know, but I couldn't help when my brain decided to work against me. I remembered the relief that I had felt when he walked out of the bathroom.