Things fell back into place the next couple weeks. I mostly stayed in Colby's apartment since there wasn't anywhere else for me to go.
Colby got me some books and more art supplies to keep myself occupied but it wasn't the same as being surrounded by friends.
I was alone most of the time these days. Colby was constantly working and would come home super late every night after leaving super early in the morning.
Although I appreciated the fact that he was taking this seriously and was working so hard to get to the bottom of all of this, I still missed him.
I was on my fifth painting of the day when Colby came home. It was three in the morning and my eyes were burning from the tiredness that was surrounding me, but I wanted to stay up to see him.
"Hi, sweetheart." Colby said with a deflated tone. He was just as exhausted as I was, if not more.
"Hey. How was your day?" I asked as he came over and plopped onto the couch next to me.
"Long and hard." He said causing me to giggle. "That's what she said." I said as he chuckled.
"You're a loser." He said then took the canvas from my hands. "This is nice." He said and admired the painting.
It was an oil painting of a pond with lily pads and frogs. I was losing inspiration on what to paint so I was just winging it.
"Thanks. It's not my favorite." I said then took it and tossed it onto the table in front of me then scooted into Colby's embrace.
"I'm surprised you're awake." Colby said, pulling me close. "I wanted to see you." I said with a yawn.
"I'm sorry I haven't been around much." He mumbled, exhaustion creeping into his tone. "It's okay." I whispered back, closing my eyes.
We sat in silence, wrapped up in each others arms before we both drifted off to sleep.
Most nights we would try to eat least make it into our actual bed but tonight was one of those nights we were so tired that we couldn't.
I woke up to Colby's phone going off, causing him to groan. "Yes?" He answered groggily, keeping one arm tightly around me.
"Alright. I'll be there soon." He said then sighed. "What's wrong?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed.
"I didn't mean to wake you." Colby said then kissed my head. "It happens." I said then finally opened my eyes.
"Do you have to go so soon?" I asked and looked up at him. "I'm sorry." He said as I shook my head.
"It's not your fault." I said as he stood up. "Fuck, this couch sucks." He said, his back cracking a couple times.
"We really need to work on making it to bed." I said and stood up, stretching.
"Heh. Yeah, that would be helpful." I said as he turned to me. "Did you want to come with?" He asked as I shook my head.
"Not today." I said as he nodded. "I'll try to be home early today so we can actually spend some time together." He said then leaned down and kissed my cheek.
"Okay." I said then watched as he went into the bedroom to go shower and get ready to leave again.
It broke my heart that we never got time together.
It felt like we were drifting apart again which was hard to deal with.
Our relationship was always being tested.
If we weren't pushing each other away, there was always something pulling us apart.
I sniffled and made my way to the bedroom so I could get in bed. It was only five in the morning so we each only got a couple hours of sleep.
It gave me little to no hope of actually getting to hang out with Colby when he got home.
He was always exhausted when he got back and after only a couple hours of sleep it would be even worse.
"I'll send some food over for you for lunch. I know we're running low on stuff." Colby said and walked over to the bed.
"Thanks." I said quietly as he sighed and leaned down. "I'm sorry. I love you." He said then gave me a kiss.
"I love you, too. Be careful." I said as he caressed my cheek gently with his thumb.
"I will. I'll be back later." He said then stood up straight and grabbed his phone.
I watched as he left the room, then sighed and pulled the covers over my head. I wasn't ready to have another lonely day with nobody around.
Luckily, I fell asleep quickly which kept me occupied for a couple hours. I was woken up by a knock on the front door.
I knew it had to have been food because it was around one o'clock.
I groaned slightly and threw my hair into a bun so I could at least look somewhat presentable.
When I got to the door, the guy that was usually at the front desk was standing in front of me with a bag of what looked like Chinese food.
"Thanks." I said as he nodded. "Have a good day." He said then walked away.
I closed the door then went to put the food on the counter. I looked at the receipt that was attached to the bag, looking at what Colby got me.
He got me some sesame chicken, a couple egg rolls, crab Rangoons, and noodles.
"Jesus, Colby." I said with a laugh then went to put the receipt down, only for the date to catch my eye.
December seventeenth.
It was my birthday.
"Oh." I whispered, feeling like I was kicked in the gut. I didn't usually care about my birthday but with being so lonely, I was wished I had someone here with me during it.
I unpacked the food then went to sit on the couch.
"Happy Birthday, Jules." I mumbled to myself then ate a piece of chicken.
I knew it was stupid to wish myself a happy birthday but I didn't want to bring up what day it was to Colby.
He would feel awful that he didn't acknowledge it.
I didn't blame him for it at all, since things have been so crazy.
Birthdays were dumb and turning twenty six meant nothing in the grand scheme of everything going on.
After eating my lunch, I decided to read a book on the balcony with a blanket since it was freezing.
It was rare that I got any fresh air because it was so cold but days like today I needed it.
I don't know how long I was sitting out there before the door was opening causing me to flinch and scream.
"Sorry! Fuck, I'm sorry." Colby said as he held his hands up in surrender.
"You scared the shit out of me! You're home so early." I said as he nodded. "Yeah, I told you I would be." He said then came out and kissed me.
"You're freezing. How long have you been out here?" He asked as I shrugged. "I don't know. What time is it?" I asked and closed my book.
"Five." He said as my jaw dropped. "Like three and a half hours." I said as he shook his head. "Inside. Now." He said then pointed towards the apartment. "Yes, sir." I said as he chuckled.
"I got you something." He said as we walked back inside. "Really?" I asked as he nodded and walked over the table, grabbing a small wrapped gift.
"Happy Birthday, Julia." Colby said as my eyes watered. "You remembered?" I asked, my voice cracking.
"Of course I did." He said then took a step towards me, wiping a tear that had fallen down my cheek.
"Hey. No crying on your birthday." He said then kissed my forehead. I nodded then sniffled and looked down at the present in my hands.
"Open it." He said with a hint of excitement. "Okay." I said then ripped the paper, revealing a brand new iPhone.
"Really?" I asked with amazement as he nodded. It was kinda dangerous for me to have a phone because it was trackable so him giving this to me was kind of a big deal.
He also trusted me enough to not get myself a plane ticket and leave his ass which was nice.
"Yeah. I thought it would be nice for you to be able to talk to the girls. I'll give you their numbers and you can call and FaceTime them whenever you want." Colby said as I smiled and hugged him.
"I love you. This is the sweetest thing ever." I said as he chuckled and hugged me back.
"It's the least I can do, Jules. You've been through so much." He said then kissed my head.
"I guess." I said then pulled away from him. "And I'm proud of you always." He said then gave me a kiss.
"Thank you." I said then looked down at the phone again. "We'll get it set up then we can do whatever you want." He said as I sighed.
"I just want to spend time with you." I said then put my hand on his cheek. "Then that's what we'll do." He said then leaned down and kissed me.
So that's what we did.
We hung out all night, just being around each other. Colby ordered us some fancy take out and we ate it in our pajamas on the couch.
I could tell he was feeling bad about being away all the time, but the fact he was trying meant a lot to me.
He was doing his best and that's all I could ask for.