Soulmates

23

Colby and I ended up going to bed pretty early so we wouldn't actually kill eachother in the morning. The sun was shining into my room as I woke up. I wasn't really sure when we were supposed to be leaving but Colby was still fast asleep next to me.

"Colby." I whispered and brought my hand to his cheek. "Babyyy." I sang as I grabbed his jaw and squeezed his cheeks. "What?" He grumbled as I giggled. "Gotta go to Montana." I said as he took my hand and removed it from his face.

"Too tired, we'll try again tomorrow." He said as I shook my head then brought my lips to his. He groaned and tightened his arms around my waist and pulled me so I was on top of him now.

I giggled against his lips but pulled away. "That got you up." I said as he kissed my neck. "Colby." I scolded as he nipped at my neck with his teeth. "We're gonna-" I started but was interrupted by someone opening the door.

"Jesus Christ. I TOLD YOU GUYS THEY'D BE FUCKING!" Ki groaned as Colby and I turned our head towards her.

"We aren't fucking, I was trying to get sleeping beauty over here to wake up." I said and gestured to Colby. "Mhmm sure, I'll believe that. Come on we have to go." Ki said as I crawled out of bed.

I didn't even wait for Colby to get out of bed before going to the bathroom so I could get ready. I washed my face then did my makeup and hair. By the time I went back into the bedroom Colby was standing there shirtless with a pair of sweatpants on.

I paused to look at him and take him in fully. He had really been working on his body the past couple months so he was toned and taught which caused the butterflies in my stomach.

"You're drooling." Colby said with a smirk as I rolled my eyes. "Fuck you." I said then got changed into the merch I was supposed to be wearing.

Kat, Ki, and I were wearing black hoodies and joggers that had gold lettering on it them that said 'XPLR'. Sam, Colby, and Justin were going to wear the other set that were red with black text.

"About time! We're gonna miss our flight." Sam said as Colby and I finally came out with our bags. "Relax, Sam. We're gonna be fine." Colby said as we went to the car.

I could feel the nervous jitters starting again as we made our way to the airport. I couldn't really understand why I was so nervous because I've never been this nervous about adventuring before.

Maybe it was because I lost yet another person in my life. It was scary that we were actually putting our lives in danger.

When we got to the airport we went through security and got to our gate. "You okay? You seem nervous?" Ki asked as I shrugged. "I'm alright. Maybe a little nervous." I said with a shrug as Colby came over with water bottles for all of us.

"Seat partner?" He asked and handed me mine. "Aren't we filming?" I asked as he shook his head. "No, not on the plane." He said as I nodded. "Okay, then yeah." I said with a small smile.

When we got on the plane I sat in between Colby and Ki. Sam, Kat, and Justin sat in the seats across from us.

"Are you getting flashbacks to when you came out for the contest?" Colby asked as I took his hand. "A little bit. I'm surrounded by better company though." I said and rested my head on his shoulder.

The flight went by surprisingly fast. Before we knew it we were landing in Montana.

"Are we ready to do this?" Sam asked as we all gathered by baggage claim. "No." Ki, Kat and I said at the same time. "Wow, I'm so glad we brought them." Sam said to Colby as we all laughed.

"We have to go to the store first and get our survival gear." Sam explained. "Do we get to go to Dick's?" Ki asked as Colby rolled his eyes playfully. "Yes, Ki. We get to go to Dick's." He said as she pumped her fist in the air.

"Yes! I love Dick's!" She exclaimed as I laughed. "You're actually seven years old." I said as we grabbed our bags and went to get the rental car.

We had to get a big van so that we would all fit in it with the equipment and stuff. "Are you guys comfortable driving this thing up a mountain?" I asked as we got in.

"I guess we'll find out." Sam said as Justin panned the camera to the backseat where Ki, Kat, and I were sitting.

We all gave a concerned look to the camera as the boys smiled at us from the front seat.

We drove for what felt like forever before we got to Dick's. "Why are we going to a sporting store instead of an actual camping store?" I asked as we walked into the building.

"This was the first place that popped up when I typed in camping supplies." Colby said with a shrug. "Alright, valid." I said as we got to the camping section. It wasn't huge but it was good enough.

We ended up getting two huge tents, six sleeping bags, a shit ton of flashlights, lanterns, and batteries. We got a cooler that was supposedly bear proof, and a bunch of other essential survival things like canteens and backpacks and stuff.

"Oooo! Can we get these!" Kat exclaimed and held up a pair of hiking boots. "What's wrong with the shoes you're wearing?" Sam asked as she shrugged. "These are cuter." Kat said simply.

"They'll actually be more stable too, look at the soles of them. We should actually all get a pair." I said and examined them. "That's my smart girl." Colby said as my eyes widened. I looked to see that Justin was still filming all of us.

"Don't worry, V. We're gonna cut this film up so we'll just cut that part out." Colby said, noticing my panic. "Okay, sorry." I said then turned to the shoes.

I didn't like being so insecure about filming with the guys but it was just how I was feeling.

Colby pulled me aside for a second as everyone else went towards the registers to pay. "You okay?" He asked quietly as he brushed my hair from my face. "Yeah, I just can't shake the nerves for some reason." I said as looked down at my hands.

"I know. You know I won't let anything slip into the video though, we can still interact when the camera is on. We just can't be excessive about it since we need some footage for the video." He explained as I nodded. "Yeah, I guess I'm just not used to this whole YouTube thing still." I said as he took my hand.

"I know, just trust me. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." He said as I nodded. "Okay." I said as he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine for just a second, before pulling away and leading me towards the registers.

Once we paid for our stuff we got back in the van and started to make our way to the campsite that we were going to.

It was essentially just a hiking trail but they had little camping grounds so people could set up camp and stay out in the mountains.

"This is beautiful." I remarked as we drove up the mountain. It reminded me of Colorado only a little different. It was very foggy up here and there was more grass than snow the higher up we got.

I was mesmerized by the beauty so much that I didn't even notice that the car had stopped and we were here.

"Earth to V..." Ki said, breaking me from my thoughts. "Sorry, I'm coming." I said then got out of the car.

When I got out the cool air hit my cheeks causing me shiver. It was cold but it was absolutely stunning out here.

" I think we should set up camp over here." Sam said as we all grabbed a bag from the trunk. "That looks perfect." I said then set down the tents.

"I can't believe how beautiful it is out here." Colby said as I nodded. "Yeah, thanks for convincing me to come I said as he scrunched his nose at me. "You're welcome." He said as I smiled and looked up at the sky.

I could feel the nerves melting away as I looked at the birds zipping by and the wind carrying the clouds.

I was really glad I came along.