"Did you get lost on your way to the bathroom?" I asked and Colby chuckled, shaking his head.

"I asked Kat if she knew where you were" He shrugged and I nodded, the room falling silent, and I heard him sigh "Can we have our talk now?"

I set down my iPad, scrunching my face a little. "Why now? I thought you were going to watch a movie downstairs?"

"I want to clear the air" he said, sitting down on the floor and I made a weird face. "You can sit in the chairs. I'm not going to force you to sit on the ground" I motioned towards the chairs in front of me, giggling a little and Colby smiled a little, nodding and then got up, taking a seat in the chair across from me.

I reached for my apple pencil again, ignoring his stare. I was sketching out some facial details when he cleared his throat and started apologizing. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I was just worried. You left with someone we didn't know and came back the next morning" He fiddled with his own rings which I smiled softly at.

I couldn't help but wonder if he always had that tick, or if he was picking it up from me.

"Were you worried for my wellbeing or that I was some morning after whore?" I muttered and Colby shifted in the chair as I erased a mistake I made in my sketch. I was working on drawing a couple cartoon characters interacting with each other and I was struggling with poses at the moment.

"Honestly?" He asked and I nodded. I winced when he let out a big sigh, his hand rubbing against his face making me narrow my eyes at him "You thought I slept with him?" I asked, giving him my full attention.

"You came home wearing his clothes Leighton" He spoke in a defensive tone, and I pursed my lips, setting my pencil down.

Why was he acting like a jealous boyfriend? Last time I checked, he hated me?

"Okay hold on, even if I DID sleep with him, why the fuck does that matter? You're not my boyfriend or even my friend for that matter!" I snapped, getting mad at his uncalled-for outburst about my whereabouts and social life.

"I know! I'm sorry! I can't help but feel protective over girls. I've had too many friends get hurt! Guys are dicks" Colby started and I scoffed, crossing my arms and I saw him look back at my tattoos.

Oh, so we're friends now?

Honestly, I was starting to get whiplash.

Did he like or hate me?

"You're the only dick I see" I cocked an eyebrow and I saw him smirk before letting out a cough and pulling his lips into a thin line

"Okay, I see why, and I'm sorry! I don't normally act like that and before you laugh in my face, I truly mean it. I never have girlfriends and I wanted to try going out with this person, and as you can see it wasn't my best choice. I wanted it to work out though. Which is why I figured if I got rid of everything to make it easier and I'm sorry you got the shitty end of the stick. Even Sam's yelled at me about this girl-"

"Colby, you have people over ALL the time. I'm honestly just glad I don't share a wall with you. You got to start making your one-night stands use your own bathroom" I cut him off, tired of listening to the words that were falling out of his mouth so helplessly

"I haven't had that many people over lately!" He held his hand out towards my face, trying to prove a point.

"I've been living with you for like a month. It's noticeable. I'm not trying to control your life Colby, I'm just saying that you can't tell me this was a one-time thing, when you constantly have girls over in your room" I noted and it got silent for a moment before he shook his head, fixing his hair

"We're getting off topic" He chuckled, brushing off what I had said. I tilted my head, squinting my eyes and pursing my lips. "You were literally calling me a whore when I've only slept with one person the past three years, and you've slept with one person basically daily!" I exclaimed, my head starting to hurt from his constant back and forth.

"That isn't true!" He laughed and I bit my bottom lip, trying not to let a smile slip at the way he had laughed, letting him continue "I haven't even slept with them all, a lot of them are just friends" He defended, and my jaw dropped as I yelled "Wow!" my laugh finally slipped out in a playful disbelief.

"What!?" He shouted, laughing a little. I internally grinned at him trying to hold back his own laugh "I haven't slept with them all" I mocked.

"What!? I haven't!" His voice got higher and laughed again, biting my tongue.

"ANYWAY, I didn't sleep with my ex, it was 1am, I was tired, I went to bed. Sue me" I smirked, still basking in him trying to cover himself.

"Okay, I'm sorry for being a bitch about that. Look, I truly don't have a problem with you living with us, I'm sorry for acting out. It isn't because you're a girl, I've lived with girls before. Our old roommate's girlfriend used to live with us. I think I'm honestly just a little intimidated by you. Can you blame me? The two people I hang out with the most, really like you and like you've said, you've only lived with us for a month. I feel like they're both getting really close to you, and I'm just getting left out, which I know sounds stupid, I know! I also know I haven't been the most welcoming to you, but I truly have been busy filming and editing. It wasn't like, oh let me be a dick to the new roommate! That was never my intention, and I'm sorry if I came across like that. I'm honestly just tired from work, which I also know isn't a good excuse for my actions"

It felt like Colby was staring into my soul as he talked, his blue eyes keeping hold of my green ones, causing my heart to race.

I knew he was telling the truth, with how desperately he was trying to keep eye contact, which warmed my heart. If there was anything that pissed me off more, it was liars. But especially pathological liars.

I was still unsure of his intentions, and I felt like he was just as unsure of mine, even if he was full heartedly telling the truth.

"I forgive you; do you still find me sketchy?" I asked, turning my iPad back on

"I mean, after watching you be with your family, not as much but you're still weird" His smirk turning into a full shit eating grin.

"What!? How am I weird!" I yelled, holding back a laugh.

"You do weird shit!" He declared, and my jaw dropped

"How!?" I was beyond flabbergasted

Me? Weird? Never!

I tried so hard to keep a straight face, but it only turned into full belly laughter making Colby's face fill with confusion as he replied "We literally never see you. Kat sees you the most and she doesn't even live with us!" He exclaimed, passion filling his died down laughter. His eyes still creased a little bit.

"Well, I didn't know being your roommate meant movie night was mandatory!" I spoke loudly, but not shouting back, a smile prominent on my face, feeling playful

'Well, it is!" He shot back, grinning yet again at me.

I couldn't help but want to savor this playful encounter, especially since it was so drastic to how I was treated before, Colby coming across as a whole new person in the past 10 minutes. It felt like I watched him change right in front of my eyes. Like I blinked and a whole new person was here.

"I'll try and hang out more. I'm really busy right now though. I know this sounds kind of bitchy but like, figure out with Sam when you want to hang, and I'll try and make it work. I have family stuff to deal with, plus I have a job now that I need to focus on, so I'm not just free tomorrow at 5pm because you guys are bored" I explained and Colby nodded, showing he understood.

Colby and I sat in silence for a little bit, myself focused back on my drawing.

When I looked up at him after finishing my sketch, I found him staring at me.

"What?" I asked, confused why his eyes were locked on me.

"Nothing. It's just fun watching people do things they love. How long have you done art?" He pondered aloud causing me to smile softly

"Since I was in diapers. My dad still has stuff in a folder I colored when I was a baby" I chuckled, fond memories popping up in my head like a movie of my dad and I doing art together.

Colby asked me art questions whilst I started the coloring process of my character, and I found it touching how intrigued he seemed to be. No one ever really cared to ask me questions considering the only one who I did art with was my dad, and I learned from him, no one else took interest in our shared hobby. It was kind of fun to explain why I was using certain colors or why I was shading my character's face the way I was. I always was amazed at the way my dad used colors, and I desperately wanted him to teach me his secret, but he always told me it was all in the eye. Which translated that I was basically a loss cause, but I still tried.

"Do you only do cartoons?" He asked and I shook my head, setting my apple pencil down. "I love doing hyperrealist stuff, I actually very rarely draw cartoons" I let out a breathy laugh, glancing down towards my work. I suddenly felt extremely insecure of my work, now seeing how intently he had been watching me. Cartoons weren't my strong suit, and the idea of him thinking this was the best I had, felt like a slap in the face, even if he was impressed.

"Can I see some?" he asked, and I nodded, pulling out a desk draw and grabbing my purple folder with the label "Leigh's baby drawings" on it, and handing them over to him.

"I drew family and friends' photos from when they were a baby. The most recent is on the top, that's my little sister" I showed him an extremely realistic black and white portrait of Lexi lying flat on top of the stack.

I was a lot more confident in my realism drawings, but it was still scary showing off something to someone that you spent hours working on. What if they didn't like it?

I focused back on my drawing, starting to get bored of redrawing the same stroke ten times. Shading the hair sucked. At least that was my personal opinion. I always loved doing the clothes on my artwork. I always preferred doing the hair highlights over the shadows, whereas my dad preferred doing shadows because he loved how with one darker line the previous colors could just pop, and make the whole artwork look brand new.

"These are really good Leighton! I have a strange question" he said, making my ears perk up.

He complimented me?

"Okay?" I spoke hesitantly

"Would you want to draw Sam and I? For our house?" He asked and I glanced towards the door and back to him, feeling slightly confused.

Me? Draw him? Why?

"Like, to hang up?" I asked and Colby nodded.

"I think it would be really cool!" He spoke with a reassuring grin on his face.

I narrowed my eyes a little, feeling suspicious of the grin he was wearing. Was he trying to be polite? Convincing? Or did he have something up his sleeve that was going to make my life hell?

I asked Colby what he wanted me to do, and I couldn't help but laugh when he said he didn't know. Which if I was being honest, really eased my nerves on what his intentions were of asking such a daunting task.

"So, you had this grand idea, but no planning?" I asked and I swear I saw him blush slightly.

"It just came to me!" He defended himself and I chuckled, biting my bottom lip as I nodded. He pulled out his phone, focusing his attention elsewhere so I picked up my apple pencil again, finishing up my artwork. It was silent for a moment before Colby's voice bounced off the four walls, startling me slightly since I had gotten lost in my almost completed artwork. "I asked people on my Instagram Story what their favorite photos of Sam and I are, and hopefully we can pick from those," he grinned, setting his phone down. I nodded and turned my iPad around, showing him my finished project. "That looks so good Leighton!" He praised, and I felt my ears heat up before it spread to my cheeks.

"Thank you" I smiled shyly, turning the iPad off and putting it on its charger. I put the purple folder back in the drawer now that Colby was done looking for it. I stood up from my chair and pulled my hair up into a messy high ponytail which showed off a tattoo behind my ear. "Are you going to be transfixed on every tattoo I show?" I smirked, chuckling a little at how his eyes were scanning over the small inkwork behind my ear and down the side of my neck.

"I swear every time you do anything, there is something new to learn! I didn't know you had so many tattoos!" He said, his eyes scanning from my neck tattoo down to my arm where the sleeve was peeking out from my oversized t-shirt

"I have loads" I giggled, opening the door and leaving him behind as I walked downstairs. I could hear big booms from whatever movie they were watching, the sound blaring from my dad's precious sound system. I plopped down next to Aaliyah and Logan, slightly confused why Logan was still here. Colby joined us pretty quickly, taking a seat on the floor next to Sam. I tried to stay awake for the rest of the movie, but when I woke up, I was in an empty dark room with a fuzzy blanket draped over my body. I moaned at how comfy the couch was when I rolled over, wanting to sink back into a deep slumber, and I did just that. When I woke up again, my alarm was blaring throughout the quiet making me grumble "fuck" and sit up, stretching as I grabbed it. I looked at the date and time and a pit formed in my stomach as realization of what was happening today started to hit. When I turned around, I couldn't help but squint at how bright the kitchen light was behind me. I heard some shuffling, so I knew someone was in there.

I walked in the kitchen after I used the bathroom because the second I woke up, I felt like my bladder was going to explode, which honestly was the first time I had felt like that during this pregnancy and I mentally groaned, knowing it was only downhill from here.

I was trying my best to keep notes of things that were happening in my phone, wanting to document them in my pregnancy journal. I walked into the kitchen, typing down this new "symptom" into my notes app when I saw my dad standing at the stove, cooking breakfast and I said a quiet good morning, sitting down at the table. He told me that my mom was getting ready upstairs so we could head out to the hospital. I had work from 12-8 today and my mom went into surgery at 11, so the stress I was feeling was beyond overwhelming.

"Did you plug your phone in?" He asked and I shook my head, thanking him for reminding me, getting up to grab a charger. When I came back I felt my mind spiral at the thought of my mom going under brain surgery and before I knew it, I was sobbing whilst my dad placed eggs in front of me. He didn't say anything to me, but he rubbed comforting circles on my back with the palm of his hand. I wasn't sure how long I sobbed for, but I eventually calmed down and started eating breakfast, knowing we had to leave soon.

I was honestly terrified of losing my mom in this surgery. I couldn't imagine not being able to call her during my pregnancy or having her meet my baby. The idea of her not being here for such an important moment in my life made my chest tighten. I couldn't help but start to self loathe at not having told her sooner. What if she died today? I should've told her sooner! She could've helped me loads!

"Where is everyone?" I asked him, drinking some of the tea he had handed me, wanting to turn off my brain. I smiled when I tasted the ginger, glancing over towards my dad. "How'd you know?" I asked quietly and my dad's back was still turned to me as he replied "Your mother had really bad morning sickness with all you guys. She said this helped the most, along with peppermint oils, but we don't have any of that" I nodded, going back to sipping my tea. I sighed with relief as the nausea went away, the soothing tea filling up my stomach and calming my thoughts.

I smiled at my mom when she entered, getting up to hug her and telling her a good morning.

"Everyone went home but Aaliyah and River, they stole your bed" My dad finally answered, laughing a little and I rolled my eyes.

"Of course, they did!" I snickered back, already planning my attack on them.

I climbed up the stairs, thrashing open my bedroom door and yelling "Morning losers!" Before jumping on them, making them groan.

"Leigh!" Aaliyah shouted and I laughed uncontrollably to where I started coughing from lack of oxygen. "Glad you're laughing at my pain!" She huffed

"Dad made eggs, I gotta go wake the other losers" I pushed off the bed and River groaned.

"Leigh, I have a girlfriend!" River jokingly called out and I was confused until I realized where my hand was placed. I gasped and quickly removed my hand which made me faceplant on the bed.

"I'm sorry!" I yelled, it coming out more muffled as I was laying against my comforter.

"Morning Leighton" River chuckled as I stood up, breathing hard.

"Good morning, dumbass. I'm going to wake up the rainbow child now. Hurry up before the devil spawns steal all of breakfast!" I said, leaving the room and I heard Aaliyah and River laugh.

I opened my brother's door, covering my eyes and yelling "Cover up I don't want to see your dick!" I squeaked, afraid for my life

"Oh my god!" Landon grumbled and I kept my hand over my eyes. "I'm not naked you idiot" He grumbled again, and I removed my hand from my eyes, thanking god he wasn't lying to me.

"Dad made breakfast, get up cause we gotta take mom to the hospital in an hour" I walked out of his room and opened Lexi's door and much to my surprise, she was already up, slipping on a hoodie.

"I like your hair!" I complimented, startling her.

"Morning, it's just braids" She spoke quietly, reaching for Chapstick.

I could tell with how quiet she was that the nerves were eating her up as well. I sighed and helped her get ready, making her bed for her. I hung out with my sister till we had to leave. We all reluctantly climbed into the car, the whole car ride to the hospital was silent.

When we got my mom checked in and met with her doctor, everything started to feel more real.

This morning I could psych myself out into thinking it was just another normal day, but the second the OR nurses came in to prep her for surgery, I felt like I was hit with a giant slap of reality.

This was really happening. We were really doing this again.

I hugged my sister against me as the doctor started explaining the surgery to us. I could hear my sisters' sniffles and felt her teardrops fall onto my hand.

It was now 10:30am and my mother was getting prepped for her surgery, meaning we all had about half an hour to talk to her before she had to go in.

I was starting to get insane flashbacks to the last time we did this, and I could only hope we'd get the same outcome.

My sister went first, then my brother and by 10:50 it was my turn.

My brother kept the door open for me, then shut it as he left. I took a deep breath.

I sat down next to my mom, and she held her hand out towards me, smiling.

"Hi sunshine" She looked me in the eyes and that's when I lost it. "Oh baby girl, don't cry honey. You're mommy's ray of sunshine. Leighton Rae it'll be okay" She squeezed my hand and I audibly sobbed.

I can't believe I was doing this again.

They said the last time should've been it. That we would be all done, and yet here I was, sobbing in a hospital room whilst my dying mother was consoling me.