28. There was nowhere to go #3
He had no idea where he was going, but he was getting the fuck away from Hunter Law.
And Hannah, for that matter. Did she really think it was a smart idea to use Hunter in her next video?
And did he really fucking say yes? Why? What the absolute fuck was he thinking?
Colby moved through the crowded room, dodging furniture and people, gulping his drink as he moved away from the party.
He needed air and a fucking smoke and to be somewhere no one would talk to him.
He should probably just leave. But he did want to be a friend for Kenner if he needed him.
So instead, he moved toward the patio to find Kenner, but Hannah was there suddenly, holding his elbow and guiding him to the narrow doors on the opposite side of the room.
On the other side was a winding path that led to the pool out back.
He inhaled sharply as they stepped through the doors and onto the path.
The air was typical LA air—thick and scented with both jasmine and motor oil.
He dug in his pocket for his cigarettes.
Hannah had one of hers out of her little beaded bag and was holding it up to his lips before he could get his own, so he accepted.
His lips went around the butt, and she flicked her lighter. He inhaled.
Closing his eyes, he tipped his head up to the sky and exhaled. He could hear murmured voices somewhere, maybe farther down the path, through the thick palms and tropical plants lining the way to the pool. They were essentially alone. “Thanks. Also, what the actual fuck, Han?”
“I warned you he was going to be here. And asking him was my manager’s idea.
She saw him at the hotel today too, and it dawned on her that he would be perfect.
And he is, Colby, I know you know that,” Hannah said and lifted her champagne glass to her lips.
She took a dainty little sip. “I thought you two would be happy to see each other. You didn’t sound angry on the phone when I told you. ”
Colby looked away and said nothing. Hannah squeezed his arm. “He’s on fire right now. His Instagram following has jumped to almost three freakin’ million since that movie came out. And those people are rabid, and they’ll watch my video. Plus it’s not hype, Colb. He’s gorgeous.”
“You wanted raw and vulnerable, not just hot.”
“Clearly you don’t see how he looks at you,” Hannah whispered seconds before taking another sip from her drink.
“Shut up,” Colby muttered, and Hannah’s lips lifted in a knowing smirk on the other side of her Marie Antoinette champagne glass. He shook his head and scowled at her harder.
“Why were you guys so mean to each other back there? You were basically in love.”
He took another long drag of his smoke and stared at a palm frond behind her. “We were friends.”
“Tell me you didn’t fuck him,” she whispered with excited eyes.
“I did not fuck him.” Colby glared at her.
Her face fell like she’d just lost a Grammy or something. It would be comical if Colby wasn’t trying to endure an emotional tornado. “Why can’t men be best friends without people being idiots?”
“I’m not an idiot,” Hannah replied, her voice uncharacteristically serious. “I might not be your fake girlfriend anymore, but I’m still your real friend. And I want you to be happy. Being around him used to make you happy. Now you look like someone poured quick-drying cement into your arteries.”
“It just made no sense anymore,” Colby answered and took a sip of his drink. There was nothing left now but melting ice and the chunk of lime. “We both had to focus on our careers. There was nowhere to go.”
“If you didn’t fuck, then there were lots of places left to go,” Hannah said with a small devious smile. He glared at her, which made her smile soften. She touched his hip. “Stop being stormy, Sunshine.”
He cupped the back of her neck and pulled her into a hug because he needed to feel her support—anyone’s really, but she was there, and she was trying to be a good friend.
And that’s when he saw Hunter standing half hidden by a towering palm a couple of feet down the path.
It was the glow of his cigarette that caught Colby’s attention.
He was just a shadow, but Colby knew it was him.
He let go of Hannah as Hunter stepped forward. “What do you want?”
“I should go… do anything but stay here,” Hannah said quietly before she turned and disappeared back into the hotel.
Hunter stared at Colby. There was a break in the plants where it dipped in for an elaborate stone fountain.
Colby stepped into the alcove and glanced up at the fountain, which featured a half-naked man holding a circular dish with little stone birds all around it.
The water filled the dish and cascaded down into the larger well at the base.
Hunter followed because, of course, he did.
Colby dropped one of his ass cheeks onto the edge of the fountain base and sucked in the last of his cigarette.
He dipped the butt into the water to make sure it was out and then dropped it on the ground.
Colby stared. Every second they remained silent made him angrier. “What? What do you want from me?”
Hunter didn’t even try to act cool. “I don’t want us to hate each other, Colb. That kind of breaks my fucking heart.”