A few months later, a lot had changed. Taylor, Harper, Colby, and Charlie were now best friends. They all pitched in to clear out Harper's old Colby stuff from the apartment. Sure, frat boy could have easily whisked it all away with a flick of his hand, but where was the fun in that?

"I can't believe how much stuff I've collected," Harper said, brushing a strand of hair from her face as she picked up another box full of photos and posters of Colby. "It's really crazy."

Taylor laughed, lifting another box. "Yeah, that's a lot. But hey, at least you see your mistake now."

Colby, watching the scene and proudly carrying four boxes at once, grinned broadly. "But it's kind of flattering. Well, um, at least now that you're not trying to smell my farts anymore."

Harper hid her face behind the box. She couldn't believe how she had been just a short while ago. "Flattering?" She laughed, embarrassed. "It's totally cringe."

"Oh, come on. Yes, you're a crazy nut, but that's why we love you," Charlie replied, rummaging for trash bags. Although he had grown to like Taylor quite a bit now that they had a shared experience, a few things still bothered him. He hated it when he couldn't find something in her apartment. And he couldn't just ask. He always had to first ask Harper or Colby, who then could ask Taylor.

The group continued to work tirelessly, slowly allowing Taylor's apartment to breathe again. Harper diligently sorted through the numerous photos and posters that once covered her walls, while Taylor focused on smaller mementos like letters and little trinkets that Harper had scraped together online. They worked quietly and focused, each immersed in their task.

Colby, always one to seize any opportunity to flex his muscles, effortlessly lifted the heaviest boxes. He carried them through the room without breaking a sweat, skillfully stacking them by the door. Demonstratively flexing his arms, he enjoyed it when Harper or Taylor occasionally cast an admiring glance his way, much to Charlie's eye-rolling amusement. The veins on his arms stood out prominently as he lifted the heavy loads and placed them down with a self-satisfied grin. He was still Colby after all.

Charlie worked silently but efficiently. After finally finding the trash bags, he began filling them with old newspapers, broken picture frames, and other unnecessary items that were no longer needed. His movements were deft and purposeful as he quickly filled the bags and immediately carried them down to the courtyard.

"Can't we keep this one?" Colby asked at one point, holding up a black photo album.

When Harper realized which album it was, she wished she could sink into the ground with her flushed cheeks. "Fuck, that still exists. Shit, this is embarrassing."

"Yeah, it sure does," Colby replied, amused. He found it amusing whenever Harper was embarrassed about her former obsession. "I could have bet you had this one in your collection too."

"What is it?" Taylor asked.

Even Charlie briefly paused his work and joined Colby. He had a feeling what pictures might be inside. "Are those the ones from... you know?"

Colby grinned mischievously, opened the album, and showed the first page to everyone.

On the first page were three photos, all featuring Colby, of course. They appeared to be from a professional shoot. In the first picture, Colby, wearing jeans and an open white shirt, sat on the passenger seat of an orange van with the door open, looking into the camera like a real model. The next picture showed him leaning against an orange VW bus, with palm trees in the background. And the third picture was a close-up of Colby's profile, striking the famous Thinker pose.

"You were a model?" Taylor asked, laughing.

"Why is that so surprising to you?" he asked, slightly offended. "Well, I don't know if you'd call it modeling, but I was approached several times by photographers asking to take my picture. And I made shitloads of cash each time," he boasted.

"And what were the photos used for?" Taylor crossed her arms skeptically, looking towards her three friends, hoping at least one of them had the answer.

"What?" Colby asked casually, nostalgically looking at the pictures.

"You don't know what those photographers used your pictures for?!"

He shrugged, infuriating Taylor with his calm demeanor. "I never asked. Why?"

Taylor clenched her jaw to the left. This couldn't be true. "Why?" Charlie widened his eyes, and even though Taylor couldn't see it, at least he seemed to understand now. "Dude, have you looked at yourself?" she scolded.

The Colby grin made a comeback. "Yeah, pretty hot, right? You're lucky to have a boy like me as a friend. And you said 'I love you.'" He hadn't forgotten.

"Yeah, exactly. Look at yourself. And now think about it. Random people on the street approach you. They want to take photos like those of you." She pointed at Colby's bare chest in one of the pictures. "And then, buddy, you got paid. And never found out what those people did with your pictures."

"I don't know what you mean," Colby countered, confused.

Harper slapped her forehead and buried it in her thighs.

"Colby, bro," Charlie put a ghostly shoulder on his best friend. "You got photographed for pervs."

"What?! No, yeah, exactly!" he exclaimed in disbelief, laughing.

"What? Did he tell him?" Taylor asked frantically, pointing to where she suspected Charlie was.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Harper rocked back and forth in fetal position and let out a tortured "Mhm." It was all too embarrassing for her.

Colby frowned as he examined the photos more closely. "Why do you think they were pervs?" He turned to the next page.

In these three photos, Colby stood in a green garden in front of a tropical summer house. In the first picture, his shirt was unusually buttoned down to just below his chest, and he looked sideways into the camera, next to a cactus on a pillar. In the next one, he gazed innocently into the distance. But in the third picture, his shirt was completely open again, and he looked slightly bent over with a serious expression into the camera.

Taylor sighed. "Because you're semi-naked there, Colby! And those aren't normal photoshoots; these are men who approached you to take such pictures. Normal photographers on the street don't pay you for that! Either they do it for free because they really see the star in you, or they ask you for money!"

"Well, it's not semi-naked, just an open shirt," said the Ghost Boy after a long pause.

"To be honest, I already found those guys weird back then," Charlie chimed in again. "But this one here was actually the most normal of them. Much worse was the guy who took these photos." And with that, he turned to the next page for Colby, who was now speechless looking at the next four pictures. "Sorry, but even fully clothed, these could be thirst traps; be honest with yourself."

Taylor suppressed a laugh. Then she glanced briefly at Harper, who would crush her head against her knees if she kept up with her attitude.

These four pictures clearly had a theme. And Taylor couldn't hold it in anymore; she laughed harder than ever. He was wearing ridiculously short, bright yellow gym shorts and an old camp shirt. In two of the pictures, he even wore a red cap. It all looked like a retro shoot.

"I wonder what's written on the front of that cap?" Taylor couldn't stop; she was laughing hysterically.

Colby didn't understand, but seeing his laughing girl made him grin along.

"Make America Great Again wasn't a thing back then, don't worry," explained Harper, who by now was also smiling a bit.

In the first picture, he grinned falsely with his infamous Colby smile into the camera, his hand at his crotch. In the next photo, he proudly showed off his biceps. In the third picture, he was apparently told to look serious, as he gazed into the distance again with his hand at his crotch. And in the last photo, he showed off his arm muscles again, but this time he flexed them downward.

"Where did you guys take these pictures?" Taylor looked at the dark background and the many columns in the sand.

"Under the pier," Colby chuckled now too.

"Under the pier. And that didn't seem strange to you? At all?" Taylor asked incredulously.

"It does now. Especially since I got 50 bucks per picture."

Taylor burst out laughing unbelievably. She was getting stomach cramps from laughing so hard.

"If she's enjoying this so much, she should check out the last picture," Charlie said, flipping to the last page.

The first two black-and-white pictures were still normal. Colby sat fully dressed on a pile of rocks in the first one, and he stood in the second. But the third picture was over the top. He sat on a garden chair in the driveway of a suburban home, only wearing swim trunks and a small cross on a chain around his neck. His body even glistened.

"Please tell me you oiled yourself up and it wasn't the creepy photographer," Taylor quipped.

"Don't worry, that was me," Colby laughed. "And the first two pictures aren't that spicy, are they?"

Taylor raised her eyebrows skeptically, with a playful sparkle in her eyes. "So you wouldn't suspect anything with the third one?" Everyone laughed now. "I mean, sure, we could all be wrong. They could really just be photos. Or you were the face of some ad campaign. But especially that last picture... sorry, Col-Col."

"Okay, so a few old dudes may have jerked off to me. Honestly, I don't care," he grinned again. "I hope they at least had good material for their fantasies."

"You really don't mind?" Taylor asked.

"Nah. Why would I? Just look at my body, can't blame them. Plus, they're probably dead already, I think."

"Conceited asshole," Charlie joked, lightly tapping him on the head.

"Yeah, I've decided, we're keeping these," Colby teleported them safely into the kitchen, ensuring no one accidentally threw them away.

After a while, the group settled down on the couch, exhausted but satisfied. The apartment looked much better now, and the remaining boxes were neatly stacked, ready to be disposed of or stored elsewhere.

"I think we did it," Taylor murmured wearily.

"Good job, guys," came from Colby, who raised his fist in the air, completely sweaty.

"I'm gonna crash for the next two days," Harper rubbed her eyes.

"And I could really use a vacation. I don't want to go to work tomorrow," Taylor admitted, still unwilling to reveal what she did for a living, but everyone accepted that. Through the brain bridge, as they liked to call it, Charlie naturally knew, but he kept it to himself.

Then Colby's eyes lit up.

"What?" Charlie asked.

"I just decided I'm taking my girl on vacation," Colby announced.

"Wait, what?" Taylor quickly sat up on the couch.

"We deserve it. And you just said you don't want to work tomorrow," the ghost reasoned.

"Colby. I never want to work," Taylor retorted.

"So it's settled, we're going on vacation," he looked at Charlie and Harper. "Are you guys coming?"

Harper quickly shook her head. "No, thanks. Before I can think about vacation, I need to find a new life goal. You know, something that has nothing to do with you," she grinned and then yawned immediately.

"Even though that sounds really tempting..." Charlie began. "I think you two deserve a vacation just for yourselves. I mean, you guys were never really alone before. Now you can make up for that."

"Colby, I can't just take off for a vacation. Not again," Taylor protested.

"Then quit your job, Living Girl," he shrugged.

"Huh? No?"

"Look, I get that you don't want to talk about your job. That's okay. But from what I've gathered overall, you seem to hate it. Quit. When we get back, you can find a new one. If need be, I'll help you, jump into a few people's heads. I can get you a great job, but only after our well-deserved vacation."

Taylor sighed and leaned back, contemplating Colby's arguments. The idea of relaxing for a while sounded appealing, but she knew it wasn't that simple. Obligations, bills, all had to be considered. Still, a vacation with Colby might be exactly what she needed to clear her mind.

Harper stood up, stretching slowly and wearily. "Well, I'm heading to bed now. This cleanup has completely wiped me out," she walked to the door and waved to the others. "Good night, guys."

Charlie also got up. "I think I'll head out too. Thanks for the evening and enjoy your spontaneous vacation planning."

He smiled mischievously and added, "And remember, don't overdo it."

Colby grinned back and watched as his best friend disappeared into Taylor's apartment's spare room. It was really generous of her to let him stay here. But all the better, it meant he could keep sleeping with her in Taylor's bed.

Once they were gone, a quiet calm settled over the apartment. At least, until Colby spoke up again.

"I understand it's not easy to leave everything behind," Colby finally said, wrapping an arm around Taylor. "But sometimes you just have to give yourself a break. You deserve it."

Taylor rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I do need a break."

Colby smiled and gently kissed her forehead. "Then it's settled. We're going on vacation. And we're going to enjoy it, I promise."

Taylor smiled weakly and nodded. "Okay. But we need to plan it properly. I can't just drop everything. And I still need to muster the courage to call my boss. To... quit." She smiled sheepishly. That was really daunting.

Colby nodded understandingly. "Of course, Tay. We'll do it your way. But first, let's sleep in tomorrow. The world might look different by then. And then we can plan as much as you want."

With one last smile, they snuggled closer together and left the exhausting day behind. The thought of a shared vacation brought a certain peace to their hearts, and they soon fell asleep on the couch.