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When he turns to face me, I can see sincerity in his dark eyes. “Listen. Trent never said one word to me about taking you to that dance. I got up the nerve to give it a shot because I wanted to.”
I shake my head.
The story I’ve told myself for so long won’t bend to fit that new bit of information. “No way. Don’t make things up, Cole. I know how it was back then. I was the ugly duckling of the sophomore class.”
I swallow hard, and my heart aches for the girl I was. I used to feel so lost, and so unworthy.
That’s a pretty awful place to be.
“It’s okay,” I say briskly. “I’ve learned a ton since then. My whole world’s changed. But the facts are the facts. I was a motherless mess. Honestly, I’m just glad my teenage years are over.”
Cole won’t stop looking at me.
His eyes soften.
Wait… are those the Lovin’ Eyes?
He’s giving them tome?
“Olivia, you were lots of things back then, but not a mess. You were gorgeous.”
“No, I wasn’t. Would you stop looking at me like that? You’re making me uncomfortable.”
I feel myself blush.
He’s close, and still looking at me with those deep, soft, dark eyes. Now he gives a quick half smile. “How’s it feel, outta your comfort zone?”
Oh, shoot.
“Ha. I guess the tables have turned.”
“Darn right, they have. I’m serious, though, about you back then. I never thought of you as ugly for even one second. It never occurred to me. You want to know what I thought the first time I saw you?”
Do I?
My breath hitches.
“What?” I whisper.
“I thought some celebrity actress must’ve gotten lost on her way to a movie set. I thought for sure you were on your way to some spotlight, somewhere. I figured that’s where you belonged: on a stage, under a spotlight.”
My heart pounds. Is that my heart chakra, swirling like that? Skye would have a few things to say about what’s happening to me right now.
All I know is that Cole’s looking at me with the Lovin’ Eyes, and I feel like I’m melting.
“You actually took my breath away,” Cole whispers, his voice deep and throaty, “‘cause you were the prettiest girl I’d ever laid eyes on, and that’s the truth.”
A giggle parts my lips as a memory surfaces. “Youdidchoke on your sandwich. I remember that.”
His grin widens. “Heck yeah, I did. How’s a boy ‘sposed to breathe, looking at a girl like you? And then I figured out you were smart, too. And funny, and always hoping for the best. Helping people and making them laugh. So, when those bonfire dance posters went up, I knew I had to get up the nerve to ask you. And that took a lot, seeing as you were the star of the show, as far as I could figure it. And I was nothing but a stagehand.”
He’s not making this up.
He’s being honest with me. And if that’s the true story…
My hand flies up and I cover my mouth. “Oh, my gosh. You really put it all on the line. You really did care.”
“A whole bunch.”
