𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 | 𝐜.𝐛

9

Colby

The nurse secures the bandage wrap before patting my good shoulder.

"You're good to go," she nods. Thanking her, I push up off of the bed. "Take it easy though."

"I will," I nod, exiting the room. Derek and Reid are waiting in the lobby. They stand when I walk out.

"What'd they say?" Derek asks, putting his hands in his pockets.

"I'll be okay," I nod, smiling lightly, "It was just a graze."

"Another bad guy behind bars," he sighs.

"You don't sound too happy," I bring up.

"I wish we could catch them before they do anything."

"We can't though," I sigh, patting his shoulder. "Do we need to meet or anything?"

"Not sure," he answers. "Why?"

"There's something I need to do," I explain vaguely. He eyes me skeptically with a small smirk tugging his lips.

"Whatever you say, PlayBoy," he chuckles, "Do you need a ride?"

"No," I nod, "but thank you though."

"Have fun," he teases. Smiling, I flip him off before leaving the hospital. The drive is silent. When I pull up outside of her house, I park and see one car in the driveway. Taking a deep breath, I hope it's hers. My hands sweat and I wipe them on my jeans before knocking on the door. A few moments later, Lia greets me from the other side. She grins at me and leans against the doorframe. She looks relaxed. Her hair is up in a messy bun and there's not a hint of makeup on her face. She's in an oversized shirt and loose shorts.

"What brings you here?" She asks.

"I was thinking about what you said last night," I begin. 

"I said a lot," she laughs, taking a sip of the drink in her hand. "Which part?"

"The part about regrets," I fill in.

"Ah," she realizes, nodding as she turns and goes inside. Following her, we walk into the kitchen.

"And I think I have an answer for you," I explain. She smirks and leans against the counter.

"And what might that be," she whispers. My arms are on either side of her. She bites her lip as her eyes scan my face. To answer her, I lean down. She closes the rest of the distance. Her lips are soft and sweet. They taste like vanilla. She pulls away and rests her forehead against mine.

"Not doing that when I had the chance," I chuckle. She laughs lightly before pulling back. Her eyes land on my arm.

"What happened?" She asks, running her thumb over the wrap lightly.

"Just a little graze," I shrug. 

"You're okay though, right?" She questions, looking up at me.

"Yeah," I nod. My eyes scan the room. "You're a student, right?"

"Yeah," she grins, pushing off the counter and walking into the living room. She sits on the couch and pats the spot next to her. Sitting next to her, I put my arm behind her.

"What do you study?" My fingers rub her shoulder lightly.

"Early childhood development and elementary education," she grins, laying her head on my shoulder.

"That sounds like a wonderful thing to do," I whisper.

"It is," she snuggles into me. "What you do is super badass though."

"You get to shape lives and teach the next generation," I tell her, "I'd say that's pretty damn badass."

"It will be," she whispers. She rests her feet on the coffee table and grabs her laptop. My phone rings and I sigh. "Do you have to go?"

Pulling out my phone, I see a message from Derek. 

Why don't you bring your ass down and get some drinks? Bring Elias too, JJ wants to meet her.

"Would you want to go get drinks?" I ask, turning off my phone.

"Sure," she nods. She shuts the laptop and puts it on the table. "Give me a minute to get ready."

"Take your time," I grin. She disappears up the stairs. Standing, I walk over to a wall of framed photos. Most of them are of Lia and two other girls. One of them I've seen before but can't pinpoint where. A few moments later, I hear heels coming down the stairs. Looking, my lips part in awe. She's in a skintight, white, sunflower halter top with a yellow skirt. "You look..." the words get caught in my throat. She grins, creating dimples in her cheeks. My hand extends to her and she takes it gladly.

"You ready?" She questions, licking her lips and looking up at me.

"I've been ready," I chuckle. She grins before kissing me quickly. When she pulls away, I lean down more to reattach our lips. When I pull away, she grins before leading me out the door.

"Want to take your car or mine?" 

"I'll drive," I offer. She nods and we walk over to my car. I open the door for her and she slips inside with a smile. When I get inside, she has her head tilted back and a small smile on her lips. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she grins, looking at me, "I am."

"Okay," I nod. She smiles and pulls my hand onto her lap. The entire way there, she's rubbing the back of my hand with her thumb. Electric Love is playing quietly.

"This song is always on when I'm with you," she comments quietly. 

"Maybe it's a sign that it should be our song," I tease, making her laugh lightly. My thumb rubs her thigh lightly. 

We arrive and get out. When we go up, the bouncer ID's us and draws two x's on the back of Lia's hands, signaling that she can't have any alcohol. When we go in, music is playing. Derek, Garcia, JJ, and Reid are sitting at a table with two open seats. Leading her over, I pull out her chair and let her sit next to JJ.

"Hey," JJ beams.

"Hi," Lia smiles. 

"Guys, this is Lia, Lia this is JJ, Garcia, Derek, and Reid."

"I remember you all," she nods to Derek and Reid.

"How's Mike doing, by the way?" Derek asks.

"He's good," she smiles. "He talks about you a lot."

"In a good or bad way?" He questions.

"Good," she laughs. "Almost like you're his son. But he sees a lot of people like that. It's what's special about him."

A waiter walks over with a glass in his hand and places it in front of Lia. She looks up at him confused.

"I never ordered this," she tells him.

"Oh, the gentleman over there sent it over," he answers. Glancing over, I see a guy smirking our way. Without thinking, I put my arm around her.

"I can't drink," she replies, holding up her hands, revealing the x's. The waiter nods before taking the drink back. Derek chuckles lightly across from me.

"What?" JJ questions.

"Ah, nothing," he grins. He shakes his head and takes a drink of the beer he ordered.