😤🤠😤

EMO #1, PAPA GUNTHER!, DEV LUNDY, SAM✖️, EMO #2,

KAT EH🇨🇦, A DOH, HARLZZ

✖️

i'm calling an emergency family meeting

...what did y'all break now?

brother

nothing

yet

nothing yet **

✖️

we're having a family pizza night tn

🇨🇦

can u explain how that

qualified as "emergency

family meeting"

pizza always counts as an

emergency

back tf off kat

✖️

anyway

it's our last week in the

house so it's our last family

pizza night here

dude thank god

lets get tf outta this house

^^

well that took an unexpected turn

if u had to live here as long

as we have you'd be as excited

better than my tiny ass dorm

🤧🤧🤧

move in with colby in his

new place

no balls u won't

👀👀👀👀

👀👀👀

anyway so pizza night

colby looks like ur girl has no balls

🇨🇦

me lookin for the lie

this is supposed to be about

pizza night

✖️

pizza night @ 7 be there

harlow and kat were currently sat in harlow's jeep outside of the house. kat had been bugging harlow about colby for the past week in an attempt to get her friend to make things official between the two.

"well, obviously you haven't said anything to him because he would've told sam by now and sam would've told me,"

harlow pulled the keys out of the ignition, readying herself to go into the house. "you're right, once again,"

kat rolled her eyes, following her friend through the gate. "you know if you asked him he would say yes, so i don't get why you don't just put a title on it already,"

harlow shook her head at her pushy friend, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it,"

"you're so difficult," kat muttered.

the two girls entered the house to find their group of friends spread around the kitchen. the boys had their backs to the two girls, mixing drinks in plastic cups.

"don't tell me you guys are really pre-gaming for pizza night?" kat asked sarcastically, already knowing the answer.

harlow had learned from previous family pizza nights that the boys would get slightly intoxicated prior, and then even more drunk during. normally, harlow wouldn't be drinking with the group, because she always seemed to have something important due following pizza night. she liked to think she was pretty responsible, but it was the last pizza night in the house, so she made her way over to where jake and corey were standing.

"whatever you're mixing, i want one too."

corey gave her a look of confusion. "aren't you like, a nerd or something?"

harlow jokingly punched him in the shoulder, then grabbed the drink he was making from the counter. "bite me, bitch,"

she felt a pair of arms snake around her torso. "hi harls," colby greeted the girl with a quick kiss, earning quite the response from the group of friends that were around the pair. harlow ignored the boys, pressing her lips against colby's once more while holding up her middle finger to the boys.

"you taste like rum," harlow stated. colby laughed, picking up his half-empty bottle from the island. "so y'all really have been pre-gaming. ok, i see how it is,"

the group of friends eventually all migrated towards the couches, where they continued to drink and talk until the pizza arrived. it was just an average pizza night, lots of laughs, music blaring, way too many drinks, and of course the food. but somehow it was also different because it was the last time they would all be together in the house. she loved the house because it was where she was able to form friendships with the people who sat before her. the building held so many memories for harlow, so it was bittersweet to know that this was going to be their last night like this in the house.

this was where harlow met colby, after all. she couldn't help but wonder after everyone moved out on their own if things would change between the two. of course, it already had changed even though colby had no idea.

harlow glanced up at colby, who was laughing about something stupid jake had said. maybe nothing has changed, harlow thought. the whole week katrina had been pressuring harlow into labeling what her and colby were, and it had harlow really questioning what she wanted to do. she was confident about the feeling she had when she was with colby; it was warm, enveloping her like a warm hug on a brisk fall night. she had feelings, like real feelings for him. so why couldn't she stomach the thought of being his girlfriend?

maybe it was every failed relationship harlow encountered throughout her life, or maybe it was because labels would make everything that much more real. parts of it was true, but she was also wanting to avoid the light that came with colby brock. she didn't want her relationship with colby out in the public eye for anyone to judge, so ultimately, it was just easier to not be in a relationship. no titles, no worries.

harlow rested her head on colby's shoulder, watching as mike and kat drunkenly sang. she couldn't help but laugh at the two who struggled to sing in time to each other. colby wrapped his arm around harlow's torso, pulling her closer to him.

colby really did like harlow, in fact, he was pretty confident that he was falling in love with her. colby loved how harlow couldn't help but sing along to music whenever and wherever. he loved her embarrassing dance moves down the aisle at the grocery store. he loved the face she made when she was intensely focused on writing a paper. he loved the sound of her laugh, and the way her hair smelled of strawberries and cigarettes. he loved her intelligence, and how she would accomplish whatever she set her mind to. he loved how she felt like home. so naturally, he wanted to protect her.

he didn't know if, when he eventually asked harlow to be his girlfriend, he would announce it to the world. he had lots of reasons not to do so, primarily all revolving around what he does for a living. he wanted to act as a human shield, protecting harlow from any hate that would eventually come her way. the best way to do that was to just keep quiet, and that's exactly what colby intended on doing. it wasn't perfect, and it probably wouldn't ever be perfect, but it was okay because colby had harlow. to colby and harlow, it was as perfect as it could be.

at least in the moment.

do i smell a storm coming ???