It was a relief when Colette texted him back, because his text to Ariana went unanswered. As far as he knew, his girlfriend was in a good mood, but if that had somehow shifted to a worse one, it was possible that no matter what color he wore, it was still going to be different than the one she wanted him in. If anyone could put him in a good outfit though, it would be Colette, so after returning the Oreo's container to the pantry, he found himself heading up to his room at a pace that neared a jog.
To: Colette
Omw too
Was it bad that Colette served as an escape for him from not only his family, but maybe Ariana too? He loved Ariana. It was likely clear to everyone that Owen was head over heels for her, awestruck at the idea that a guy like him could get a girl like her. He thought that their relationship was more genuine than she sometimes did though, and was completely in the dark to the fact that she had spent a few nights with her ex while they were dating. He put up with Ariana and all of her flaws, because Owen was convinced that he was lucky to be dating her, even if she was as cold as the ice queen. It wasn't like she was all bad, all the time anyway. There were a lot of times, like last night, when Owen was sure that she loved him too. She seemed comfortable and happy, and it reassured him that maybe she was justified in being extremely opinionated and sometimes unreasonable. Maybe he was as out of line as she made it seem. Over the past few days, it wasn't even just her who was calling him out on his behavior anyway. The fact that he even called hanging out with Colette an "escape" spoke to how unhealthy their relationship could be, though. He didn't want it to be that way, but for now, he was just in a mindset where he savored his time with Ari, and also savored those escapes where he didn't have to be on his toes all of the time, with Colette.
When he made it to his bedroom, he found that Colette was already inside. "You're quick," he grinned, a look that was instinctive upon seeing her. "I hope I'm not cutting into your getting ready time. If you're anything like your sister, I know you can't afford to lose any time on that," he continued, before stepping closer and looking at her face. "Speaking of Ari... you look a little... frazzled. Is everything cool?"