AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"What am I doing?" I muttered under my breath, biting my lip as I fought back the tears. I took a minute, composed myself, and finished my coffee. Sensing my sadness, Anthony came and put his head in my lap, asking for strokes which I was happy to give him. Eventually, I looked at my watch and then checked the train times on my phone. I couldn’t wait three hours for the next train. I had to go—now.
It didn't take me long to gather my possessions. I picked up my backpack and paused a moment. I wanted this to be the last time I ever saw this place. I wanted to forget it all.
"Bye, Dad," I whispered. "Bye, Cole." Then I opened the door.
And I almost walked right into Cole. He was standing with, his arm raised as though he was about to knock at the door.
"Uh . . . Cole?"
But it wasn't just Cole. It was everyone.
Cole, Patrick, Ida, Ethan, Connie, Susie, Lily, and half the town. Joseph the fishmonger, Kelly the optician, and Frank the window cleaner. Even Mrs. Brown the local nuisance. Other people who I didn't recognize or had a vague memory of from my childhood. They were all there, crowded around the entrance to my store.
My heart fluttered like a hummingbird as I tried to understand what was going on. I looked at Lily and she gave me an apologetic smile.
"What the—?"
"I'm sorry to surprise you, Elara," Cole said, his hazel eyes boring into mine. "Didn't want to have to spring this on you." God, I'd forgotten how thick his arms were. For a moment, I lost myself in the way his muscles moved under his tan skin.
"Spring what?" I asked, dragging my eyes away.
"I, no we, didn't want to let you leave without telling you . . . we want you to stay."
"To stay?"
"I should have never let you go," he said, his eyes brimming with emotion. I was stunned to see him like this, talking so openly in front of all these people. I didn't know where to look, so I just looked right at him. "It was the biggest mistake of my life."
I tried to speak, but I didn't have any words.
"Forgive me, Elara. Forgive me for lying to you."
My head was spinning. “When did you lie?”
“When I said I didn’t have feelings for you.”
The crowd was completely quiet, but I could feel their energy, giving Cole support.
Gently, he took hold of my hand. "I love you, Elara. Deeply. Hopelessly."
I could feel the corners of my mouth drawing themselves up into a smile. "You do?"
I swear I saw Lily punch the air behind him.
"I do,” he said. “I need you to know that before you decide what you're going to do. I want to be fair to you, to give you the chance to make a decision based on the truth."
My breath hitched. "How did you know where I was?"
Lily grimaced sheepishly. "Sorry, El, he interrogated me and you know what I’m like with secrets."
"I-I, I think—" I started.
Cole put his finger to his lips. "Just wait. Don't say anything yet. I've got something I need to show you first," Cole said. "Can we come in? We have some plans to discuss." It was then that I noticed Cole was holding a folder. On it, in confident black handwriting, was written, "Plan B."
***
The bar felt a lot cozier with half the town inside. Anthony happily scurried between everyone’s legs, clearly overexcited.
Cole loved me.
