113

                                    

                                          
"This food fucking slaps." Ki said as she took a bite of her pizza. "Especially when you're stoned. Want another beer?" I asked and pointed to her empty cup. "Well you owe me two." She said then winked at me. 
                          
"That's right. And two kisses on the cheek." I said causing her to laugh. Chad came back a few minutes later then sat next to us again. "Other than all of that drama, do you like LA?" He asked as I ate my salad. "Yeah, it's really different but I love the people and my job is good. Did I tell you I got shot in the chest?" I asked causing him to choke.
                          
"You what?! Who shot you in the chest?!" Chad asked as I lowered my shirt to show him. "Daisy." I said as his eyes widened. "What the fuck?!" He gasped out making me laugh. "Yeahhhh....so that was pretty wild." I said then continued eating. 
                          
"You're so nonchalant about it." Chad remarked as Ki snorted. "Because she's a bad ass bitch." She said then pointed to me. "And don't you forget it." I said then took a sip of my drink. 
                          
We enjoyed the rest of the dinner then went back to the hotel to hang out. Even though I was stoned out of my mind I couldn't drop thinking about Colby. I knew I was going to have to talk to him but I was just nervous. 
                          
I didn't know why.
                          
"What else did you want to do?" I asked and laid back in the bed. "I wanna sleep." Ki said then laid down in the bed, closing her eyes. "Okay, you can sleep, I'm gonna go visit the hospital." I said and stood up, grabbing my bag again.
                          
"Are there hot men at the hospital?" Ki asked causing me to laugh. "No. Goodnight, Ki." I said then waved and left the room. 
                          
I went down to the lobby then went out to my Uber. I was excited to see Rachel so I could tell her all about my new job. I felt like nobody would understand my excitement about it other than her. Obviously everyone was excited for me because I was happy, but Rachel would really understand how cool it actually was. 
                          
When we pulled up to the hospital I could feel the excitement pooling in my chest. 
                          
I went up the cardiology floor then went to the front desk. "Hey, Violet!" The receptionist, Suzy, said with a smile. "Hey! I'm here to see Rachel." I said as she nodded. "She was actually just talking about you the other day. It's crazy that you're here." She said then opened the door for me. "You know where it is." She said then went back to her desk.
                          
I walked down the familiar hallways, feeling the nostalgia coursing through my veins. When I got to her office door I knocked on it. 
                          
"Come in!" Rachel called out as I put my hand on the doorknob. "Violet?! What are you doing here?! I hope you're coming to get your job back! I miss you." She said and ran over tough me. "Unfortunately no, but I came to visit! I miss you too." I said and hugged her. 
                          
"How's LA you have to tell me everything. Did you get a job out there? I'm so happy you're here!" She said and jumped up and down. 
                          
"I'll tell you everything. I love my job, my boss actually reminds me of you." I said and sat down. "What are you doing? Echocardiogy still?" She asked and sat across from me. 
                          
"Yeah, same thing I was doing here. I'm so lucky that I was able to get a job there." I said with a sigh. "That's awesome. So things are going okay?" She asked as I nodded. "Yeah." I said then looked down. 
                          
I could feel my heart aching slightly, remembering why I was here. I shook my head then smiled. "Yeah, I don't know how long I'll be in LA but it's been cool so far." I said as she smiled warmly. "I'm glad." She said with a smile.
                          
We sat and talked for a while before I went back to the hotel. When I got there Ki was still asleep so I quietly got ready for bed.
                          
I never ended up falling asleep though.
                          
I could feel my stomach churning, knowing I was only a couple hours away from going back to LA. 
                          
Ki and I spent the whole day just going around Fort Collins, going to all the shops and just sight seeing since I didn't know when I would be here again. 
                          
"Are you gonna miss Colorado?" Ki asked as we walked down to our Uber so we could go to the airport. "Yeah, I really am. I don't know when I'll be back so that makes it a little worse." I said as we got in the car.
                          
"I'm sure you'll be back at some point. Make sure you bring me though, this place is sick." Ki said then patted my knee. 
                          
I felt even more sick as we made our way to the airport. I was ready to get back to LA so I could face this head on but I was nervous for some reason.
                          
When we got to the airport we went through security then got to our gate. I was still a little nervous, knowing that I was one plane ride away from dealing with this but I think I was ready. 
                          
"Is Kat picking us up?" Ki asked as we stood to board the plane. "Yeah, I think so. I'll text her." I said then pulled my phone out. 
                          
"Yeah, she'll be there." I said then locked my phone and put it in airplane mode. "Awesome. Are you ready to go back?" She asked as I shook my head. "No, but I'm ready to deal with this." I breathed out.
                          
"I'm proud of you, V." Ki said as we sat down. "Thanks." I said then put my earbuds in.
                          
The flight was short, considering it was only a couple hours. When the plane landed I felt my heart beating out of my chest. Maybe I wasn't ready to face this. Maybe I was just trying to convince myself that I was.
                          
No, follow your heart.
                          
We got off the plane then made our way to baggage claim. "How are you feeling?" Ki asked as we waited for our bags. "I'm....okay." I said with a nod. I didn't know if that was necessarily true but I wasn't crying so that was good.
                          
Once we got our bags we made our way to where Kat would be waiting. I knew I was only gone for 4 days but I honestly missed everyone so much. There was something so special about their energy. 
                          
"V!" Kat called out from the drivers seat of her car. "Hey, Kat!" I yelled and dragged Ki in the direction of Kat's car. "How was your trip? Are you feeling a little better?" She asked as we got in the car. 
                          
"Um...sure. I don't know." I said and rubbed my chest. I think I had just gotten used to the emptiness because it didn't ache as much. 
                          
"Well I'm glad you're back." She said as Ki and I got in. I just nodded, not really knowing what to say. I was excited to see her, but I didn't know if I was excited to be back in LA just yet.
                          
Everything still just felt so weird.
                          
Ki and Kat got to talking as Kat drove us to the house. I couldn't concentrate on anything they were saying as my heartbeat beated through my ears. 
                          
After about an hour of driving, Kat finally pulled into the driveway. "Are you ready?" Ki asked as I shook my head. "I don't know." I said but put my hand on the handle and opened the door anyways. 
                          
When we went inside I immediately went to my room only to see Sam packing my clothes up. "Hey, welcome back!" He said and gave me a hug. "Thanks, Sam." I said and hugged him back.
                          
"Um...So I didn't know how much you wanted me to pack but I got started on your clothes." Sam said as I nodded. "Yeah, just some clothes is good." I said quietly. 
                          
"Where are you going?" He asked as I helped him put some clothes in the suitcase. "Don't worry about it. I just have to talk to Colby first." I said as he nodded. "Well he's upstairs whenever you're ready." He said as I nodded.
                          
"I guess I should just do it then." I said and dropped the clothes I was holding. I sighed then left the room, feeling my heart beating out of my chest.
                          
I walked up to his door then took a deep breath. I waited just a second before I knocked on the door.
                          
"Come in." Colby called as I opened the door. He was sitting on the couch, shirtless. My breath caught in my throat at how attractive he looked, just sitting on his computer with his mussed up hair. "Violet.." He breathed out as our eyes met.
                          
"We have to talk." I said then closed the door, walking into the room.