Out of Breath (Breathing, #3)(29)

I laughed, thinking I would like this girl if I ever did meet her. We’d spent two hours at the restaurant, talking. I eyed the door of the house warily, my nerves twisting – because I actually liked talking to Cole. And worse than that, I liked him. And that couldn’t happen.

I wondered why he never asked me about my family. Or about my behaviour at the party the night before. But I felt like I owed him some sort of an explanation, especially since he had escorted my drunk ass home.

‘I’m sorry about last night,’ I blurted out as he set his keys on the kitchen table. ‘I was –’

‘Coping,’ he finished for me. I laughed softly at his choice of verb. ‘You don’t have to explain. I kind of figured it out.’

‘Oh, so you were listening,’ I teased, recalling his self-proclaimed talent.

‘I was,’ he confirmed without embarrassment. ‘And yeah. I got it. No worries.’

‘I should probably fine-tune my coping skills and not resort to shots.’

‘That’d probably be in your best interest.’ He chuckled.

‘Well … thanks again for putting up with me,’ I replied seriously, meeting his translucent blue eyes.

‘You weren’t that bad,’ he responded, not looking away. Lingering a little too long.

‘Um,’ I said suddenly, breaking the connection and forcing a stretch. ‘Dreary days make me tired. I think I’ll go to bed early and read until I fall asleep.’

‘Okay,’ Cole said with a slight shrug.

As I was opening the bedroom door, I heard, ‘Emma?’

I turned towards him hesitantly.

‘I’ve decided that you’re okay.’

My mouth quirked at his teasing tone. ‘So you don’t think I’m a bitch?’

He smiled wider, his eyes lighting up. ‘I didn’t say that.’

‘Nice,’ I jeered.

‘Goodnight, Emma.’

I bit my lip with a small smile. ‘Goodnight, Cole.’





9


Feeling Again


I ROSE LATE THE NEXT MORNING. IT HAD taken me most of the night to fall asleep. All I could think about was Cole sleeping in the room across from me, and, well … that was all I could think about.

I took my time showering and getting ready, hoping Peyton would arrive any minute. I packed my things so I’d be ready to just grab them and go.

Cole was on the couch when I finally opened the bedroom door. He was engrossed in the puzzle, which was only about a third complete.

‘Good morning,’ he said without turning my way. ‘I’m addicted to this stupid puzzle. Are you hungry?’

‘I can get something,’ I told him. ‘You keep at it. Do you have cereal?’

‘Yeah. But I have eggs and English muffins, if you’d prefer.’

‘I don’t cook.’ I opened the cabinets in search of a breakfast I was adept at preparing.

Cole was quiet. Eerily quiet. I turned towards him and found that he was watching me with a curious look on his face. ‘You don’t cook?’

‘No.’

‘Huh. That’s not what I expected.’ He turned and went back to working on the puzzle. Why did this small fact continue to surprise most people who knew me? Dismissing it, I poured the flakes into a bowl and doused them with milk.

I sat on the arm of the couch, eating and examining the pieces. Every so often, I’d notice a fit and lean over to put it in place.

‘You can sit down, you know,’ Cole encouraged.

‘Uh, I think Peyton will be here soon,’ I stated awkwardly, walking to the kitchen to set the bowl in the dishwasher.

‘No, she won’t,’ Cole countered.

‘What do you mean?’

‘She and Tom went to Catalina for the day.’

Panic began to rise in my stomach. That meant I was staying here … with Cole … again.

‘Come help me,’ he begged. When he noticed the pallor of my stunned face, his eyes tightened. ‘She didn’t tell you?’

I shook my head.

‘If you don’t want to hang out, that’s totally fine,’ he said in a rush, trying to sound unaffected. ‘I mean, I was planning to go surfing in a bit anyway.’

‘I’m sorry.’ I felt horrid for not hiding my reaction. ‘I just had expectations, that’s all.’

‘I’m not sure what that means, but I’m not insulted.’ He smiled and turned his attention back to the puzzle.

I took a breath and tried to relax. Approaching the sliding glass door, I strangled my hands, trying to decide what to do. I looked out at the hazy skies and knew it was too chilly to be comfortable sitting outside, at least not until the clouds burned off and the sun cut through.

I climbed over the arm of the couch and crossed my legs beneath me, leaning as far away from Cole as possible.

‘What’s next on your list?’ he enquired, pressing the edge of a puzzle piece against his lower lip. And for that moment, I couldn’t focus on anything else. He turned his head towards me, and I tore my eyes away from his lips to meet his gaze. His eyebrows rose in expectation.

‘I don’t …’ I faltered. ‘I don’t know. How about you come up with something for me?’ And that wasn’t the best thing to say either.