AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Barely.”
It’s a wonder we still have time for life outside of our relationship, but I make a point not to cut myself off from the rest of the world. At least not completely.
The next night, I took Cole with me to a bonfire Oscar and Théo were setting up. That’s right. I finally invited Cole to a bonfire. Big steps here, people. I halfway assumed he was going to don his most practical suit and tie and head down to the beach in penny loafers. The whole thing was going to be so awkward, I knew it. I was in the bathroom, finishing putting on my bikini and cover-up, and when I walked out, Cole was in gray board shorts and a T-shirt fitted enough that it wasn’t too loose or too tight, i.e., perfection. A gasp sputtered out of me.
“What are you wearing?”
He frowned and looked down, running a hand over his stomach. “My shirt?” he asked, clearly confused. “Is there a stain or something?”
So it turns out I was wrong about Cole. His wardrobe is far more diverse than I long assumed. And his people skills? Not half-bad either. He wasn’t the biggest social butterfly there ever was at the bonfire, but it’s because he’s reserved, not stuck up. He’s the quieter one out of the two of us, the yin to my yang, but he still chatted with Oscar and Théo,and when they were having trouble with the fire, he stepped up to help them when it was clear no one else really wanted to volunteer for the task. Afterward, with sparks fanning up into the darkening sky, we sat in a circle, all spread out on our lounge chairs, towels, and blankets. It was a smaller group than usual. Just the guys, Lara, Camila, and me. Everyone passed around the small cooler filled with cold, mismatched beers and seltzers. My contribution was snacks: the all-important marshmallows and a few bags of chips. Later, when we were filled with all the white sugary fluff we could handle, I tugged a bag of sour Skittles out of my pocket and secretly waved them at Cole like I was his dealer trying to entice him.
“Now you’re speaking my language,” he said, practically yanking them out of my hand.
I pulled them out of reach just before he succeeded.
“Ah ah ah,” I tsked. “Not so fast. I bought these with my hard-earned money.”
He smiled, falling into character and cutting to the chase. “What do you want?”
My eyebrow quirked. “What are youoffering?”
His gaze raked down my body like he wasn’t the least bit perturbed by the fact that we were in public.
“Cole Clark,” I hissed under my breath, warning him. “You’re looking at me like you’re about to—”
“What?” he said, leaning in, his eyes intently focused on my lips. “About to what?Say it.”
“Eat. Me. Alive.”
His gaze sparked like it was a brilliant idea.
Suddenly sweaty at the prospect of just how far he’d take this in front of our friends, I tossed him the Skittles. It felt like I was trying to escape an angry bull by distracting him with something red and shiny. It worked for a little while. Right up until the end of the night, when the sky was a million stars and the bonfire had burned down to glowing embers. The conversation was lazy and quiet, but no less good.Cole looked over to me and nodded his head toward the path, asking a silent question.
We gave our farewells but insisted that no one get up on our account.
“Should we do this again soon?” Théo called out as we walked away.
“Soon!” we promised.
“Ready to go home?” Cole asked me when we were walking along the pebble path.
His home.Our home.
I smiled. “Let’s go.”
Weeks passed, and though Cole is concretely part of our weird, eclectic group now, my favorite nights aren’t when we’re out on the town with friends; it’s when he and I are building a life together, the steadfast, solid kind—the one that a teenager would find dead boring but that I find absolutely lovely. We’ve decided to take up cooking. We’re working our way through a cookbook by Chloe Ricci—it’s filled with easy summer meals and pastry desserts. We’re not too precious about it, so our finished products barely even resemble the glossy pictures in the book, but they taste amazing, so who even cares?
Believe it or not, we even cooked dinner for Serge and Blaze the other night. It was a double date. And more than that, it was fun!
On our days off, Cole and I explore the island together—hiking, biking, kayaking, snorkeling. We love it all. He’s even helped me come up with some new and exciting excursion ideas, including creative ways to make them slightly less injury inducing, so it’s a win-win for everyone.
This morning, we have an all-staff meeting at the crack of dawn in the Turtle Cove Ballroom. Cole is leading it, and I’m so proud of him, I’m front row center. I was the first person here (mostly because I walked here with him), but I still would have been early otherwise. If it were appropriate, I’d be wearing a T-shirt with his name on it and holding up a little witty sign like I’m a fangirl at his concert. In case it’s not completely obvious, I’m smitten. In love, deeply, obnoxiously,hopelessly. Lara and Camila joke that my relationship with Cole makes them want to throw up, and I get it!Imake me want to throw up, too, but I just can’t stop smiling!
Lara and Camila suddenly look at me, and I try to relax my face, but I can’t.
I expect another eye roll, an audible gag, but they’re smiling too.
“Girl,” Lara hisses, her eyes widening with excitement.
