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Lucy grabs my hand, a grin plastered over her face. “And?”
“And I’m not interested. Even if I was, he’s too old for me. He’s fresh out of a marriage. And besides that, he’s planning to move abroad! We basically have nothing in common other than, you know, a kiss.”
I’m lying. I know it. Lucy probably knows it. But it feels too dangerous to just openly admit that I want to bang her brother.
No, actually. It’s not the sex that I’m trying to cover up. It’s how Cole makes me feel.
Like I can do anything.
Like I’m the most wanted person in the room.
Like he actually sees me. No one sees me, not really. But Cole… he makes me feel like a person worth listening to. That’s some heady yet scary stuff.
I huff, hauling my bag up to the tent.
“Wait!” she cries.
But I can feel the tears gathering in my eyes. Tears that have no business being there.
I am not interested in Cole. I am NOT.
“I am super done with this conversation,” I rasp. I’m desperate to escape Lucy’s questions. “I need a break.”
Lifting the tent’s flap, I barrel right into a surprised-looking Cole. He manages to steady himself while holding onto me.
Because of course I would literally run into the very subject I was trying to flee.
Cole looks as put-together as ever. He even smells nice. I, on the other hand, probably smell just like the trash bag I’m holding. It’s not good.
Our gazes catch and hold like Velcro. It’s impossible not to be mesmerized by those azure eyes. A crinkle of humor flits across his face as he looks down at my outfit.
“Neon yellow suits you.”
If I kept a journal, my entry today would start with: Dear Diary, today I made Cole smile.
I put that expression on his face. I made his eyes crinkle. It feels monumental.
I swallow, and notice Lucy nudging her way into the tent behind us. It takes everything inside me to step out of Cole’s grasp and put some distance between us.
He notices. I swear, a tiny wrinkle of worry forms between his brows. And then he sees Lucy and moves back, clearing his throat.
“Looking for something warm to drink?” He jerks his head over to the corner. “ Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are over by the snack table. Here, let me take your trash bags.”
He grabs both black plastic bags and ducks outside. Lucy raises her eyebrows.
“Something is going on with him.” She whispers it so that no one else can hear, but I shake my head.
“Go get something hot to drink.”
She just smirks and walks over to the table. It’s piled precariously high with every kind of baked good imaginable. When I turn, Cole pops his head back in the tent. He looks at me and jerks his head outside.
“Come on.”
Curious, I slip outside the tent. We haven’t spoken at all in the two days since we kissed. And now that I’m presented with the chance, I feel butterflies low in my abdomen just from seeing him.
Honestly? It’s so cliché that I could die.
“Should we… talk?” I call out to Cole as I hurry to keep up with him.
