Always the Opposites {Brollins}

[ Chapter 19 ]

"Goodnight." Rebecca closed Riley's door slowly, only to turn around and see Colby leaning against the wall directly in front of her.

The halls weren't wide by any means, so the position put them in very close proximity. "Hello there."

She chuckled quietly, and he smiled, "Hi."

Riley was drained by the time they got home, and she had every right to be. To her credit, she did put up a strong fight, but by the time they got home, she was done. She barely managed to mumble out what pyjamas she wanted to wear along with her goodnights.

He stood up straight and walked towards the kitchen, "You coming to celebrate?"

"Don't people normally do that in the bedroom?" Rebecca smirked, "I mean kitchen counters typically get a good rep, but-"

"You are something else, Quin!" He laughed, "I meant some food and beer."

"Oh well, in that case, no thanks. I'll pass." She walked into the kitchen, her smile bright.

He handed her a beer, and she shook her head, "I don't think I should. I have to get home after this and-"

"I can call you a ride or get someone to pick you up." He shrugged, "I mean, you don't have to, but we have options."

Rebecca nodded, before ultimately grabbing the bottle. "Fine, but if I have a hangover tomorrow I'm blaming you."

"Deal." He smiled, taking a swig of his beer. Before putting a tray of snacks on the coffee table in front of the couches.

Small talk ensued as the two sat next to one another and enjoyed each other's company. Rebecca was adamant about staying sober, however, that was before she went on to plow back five beers without realizing it.

Colby laughed as she began to get more and more wasted, he was only doing slightly better himself, but he decided to cut her off to prevent anything bad from happening.

"Okay, I know you're Irish, but I think that's enough." He grabbed a bottle out of her hand and pulled it out of her reach.

"What? Not fair." She squinted her eyes at him, "You're still drinking."

"I've had two fewer beers than you, Rebecca." He rolled his eyes, although he was legitimately surprised she was doing so well for the amount of alcohol running through her system.

"So?" She whined, "I'm winning, and you're cheating."

Colby shook his head, "It isn't a competition."

"Oh, I see, since I'm winning, you now wanna pretend like it was never a game." She rolled her eyes. "Fine, if we're cheating, I'll persuade you..."

"How the hell are you gonna..." He trailed off as he watched her move closer to him, placing her hand on his chest before leaning towards him. He immediately froze as she came face to face with him, touching their noses together.

He watched her move her head to his ear, "I win."

The whispered words barely left her lips before she snatched the bottle from his hand and moved back to her spot.

He didn't fight her on it, mainly because his brain was scrambling, and he was trying to push past the alcohol and adrenaline rushing through him. When he finally swallowed and looked over at Rebecca, he saw her standing on her feet with a worried expression on her face as she looked at her phone.

"What- what's wrong?" His voice sounded strained, as he shook his head at himself while standing up.

Suddenly she seemed like she was completely sober, "Our scores are in."

His eyes widened as he grabbed his phone, "Already?"

"I guess so." Rebecca put her phone down, shaking her head, "I'm not looking."

Colby looked over at her, "Rebecca-"

"No." She crossed her arms, "I don't wanna ruin today by ending it off after finding out that I failed."

Colby saw some tears building in her eyes, as she began pacing. He slowly walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

He turned her around slowly so she was facing him, "I know you don't want to, but why delay the inevitable? You're going to have to look at some point."

"But what if I failed?" She looked up at him, and he pulled her in for a hug.

"So what? It's not the end of the world." He murmured, "You have two more to do after this one anyways."

He felt her heart hammering against his chest, "Plus, if you look now and it's a score you don't like, at least we can wash away the pain with booze."

She laughed, and rolled her eyes, "Fine."

They walked over to the couches, and Colby handed Rebecca her phone, and she slowly took it, watching Colby grab his.

"I can't do it!" She laughed out of frustration and shook her head, sitting down and running her hands through her hair.

"Yes, you can." Colby insisted, "And if you don't want to, I can look for you."

"Why aren't you worried?" Rebecca questioned, feeling the couch cushion beside her sink down.

"Because I know I had the best teacher I could ever ask for." He wrapped his arm around her, "I have full faith in her."

She sunk her head down, not wanting her nervousness to come across as a slant to Colby. "It's not you I don't have faith in Colby. You're a great teacher, I just don't know if I-"

"I know, I know." He took her hand in his, "But you're so much more than you realize. Your mark doesn't define you, your character does. And based on that alone, you're already exceeding."