Silence (Silence #1)(26)

“Err,” he started, rubbing the back of his neck. “She’s taking you to a doctor.”

He spoke carefully, worried about my reaction. When I didn’t have any, he frowned.

“You knew about it already?”

I nodded in confirmation.

He thought about it for a minute, chewing on the inside of his mouth.

“Are you going?”

I shrugged my shoulders. What choice did I have? I would go, but it wouldn’t achieve anything except wasting Mum’s petrol.

“Maybe it would be a good idea to go,” he said cautiously.

I clamped my jaw shut in frustration and turned away from him. Why did we have to talk about it? This was supposed to be a good day, yet now I was wishing I had stayed in bed.

“Sorry, I’m ruining this already, aren’t I? I just want you to be okay; that’s all.” He took my hand and interlaced our fingers. The waitress came by so Cole ordered for us.

“Bowling now,” he announced and chucked money down to cover the bill.

We played three games of bowling; I won the first game and he won the last two. I have to admit, my concentration wasn’t at its best with him around.

Cole drove me home so I could change and get ready for the date, whatever it was. Mum and Dad were out so thankfully I wouldn’t have to answer their questions about tonight. “I’ll pick you up in an hour.” I nodded and ran into the house. One hour to shower, do my hair, and pick out something to wear.

With only minutes to spare, I ran downstairs to wait for Cole to turn up. The doorbell rang just as I grabbed my coat off the hook. I took a second to calm down, and then opened the door. Stop being so nervous!

“Hey. Whoa.” His eyes raked over me. I pulled at the sleeves of my jumper uncomfortably. The way he was looking at me made me feel self-conscious. “You look hot, Oakley.”

Blushing furiously, I smiled half-heartedly, suddenly feeling exposed.

“Ready?”

“Oakley,” Jasper shouted from upstairs. I hadn’t even seen him since breakfast. No doubt, he was sleeping in all day so he could go clubbing again. He came thudding down the stairs and leant over the bannister.

“Mum called. She’s on her way back with party supplies,” he warned.

Cole greeted Jasper and quickly added: “We’re just leaving.”

“Good. Have fun on your, it’s-not-a-date-but-it-really-is-a-date-date.”

I hurried out of the house. Cole followed behind, chuckling to himself.

“Your brother’s weird.”

I couldn’t agree more.

We drove for ages, and I couldn’t figure out where he was taking me. When we turned off at a roundabout, with the sign stating the beach was five miles away, I grinned. Cole chuckled at my expression.

“Yeah, we’re going to the beach. I’ve got a picnic dinner in the boot.” He smiled sheepishly and bit his lip.

I couldn’t help the excitement that bubbled up inside me.

“Mum suggested the picnic… And made it,” he admitted. Thank goodness! There would probably be some homemade cakes and cookies. If it had been down to Cole, there would just be packets of junk food.

We parked in the car park opposite the pier, and I turned to look at him: as casual but as gorgeous as usual. Feeling confident, I leant over and kissed him. I could tell he was surprised by it, as it took him a second to respond and kiss me back.

I felt him smile against my lips before wrapping his arms around my back, pulling me closer to him.

He pulled away and gave a surprised chuckle. I blushed and looked down to hide how embarrassed I was. Cole fingers gently cupped my chin and tilted my head, so I was looking at him again.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Oakley. I want you to feel confident around me. You can kiss me whenever you want. Believe me, I won’t mind,” he said.

I pressed my lips to his again, to make it clear I got the message. We walked hand-in-hand along the shore. Both of us were wrapped up in warm jackets. Even in summer, it was still cold right by the sea. The sky was clear of clouds, so the moon shone down brightly on to the ocean, creating a glistening effect on the surface of the water. It looked beautiful.

As we approached a set of stone stairs, I stopped. I was happy to keep walking if he wanted to, but I had a sudden urge to hit the arcades too. Cole turned to me and frowned, wondering why I’d come to such an abrupt stop.

“Arcades?”

I nodded, and he laughed and feigned despair at me.

“Come on then. Let’s go spend twenty quid trying to get a claw to grab a crappy stuffed toy.”

He kissed my lips quickly, taking me by surprise. I was quickly growing to love how my body reacted to him.

“I’ll kick your arse at air hockey.”

We spent a couple of hours in the arcades, wasting money on slot machines and riding the mechanical motorbikes. Cole won me a fluffy grey teddy bear, and it only took him fourteen tries and three pounds.

“You getting hungry?” he asked, wrapping his arms around me. I leant into him and nodded. It was almost nine at night, so I was definitely ready to eat. “Okay. We need to go back to the car to get the picnic basket, then beach?”

Nodding eagerly, I pulled out of his arms and dragged him towards the door by his hand.



On the beach, I sat down beside him and opened the basket. We sat under the pier on a blanket and ate Jenna’s famous lemon cake. I looked out to sea and smiled as the water gently lapped at the shore. The wind had died down, so it was calmer out, much more peaceful. After eating, I snuggled closer to his side and laid my head on his shoulder, wishing we could stay at the beach forever.