Page 13 of Wasted

Kylie gripped my shoulders, her gaze intense. "Look, I can't make you tell him, and I can't say for sure that he would understand if you did." She gave me a gentle shake. "But don't let him talk to you like that. You do not deserve it."

My eyes drifted to the luggage behind Kylie. "Are you leaving?" Kylie nodded, her hand resting on the handle of her suitcase.

"Yeah, I'm going back to Bridgewater with River, and I hope I'll see you home in two weeks..." Her gaze flickered towards the stage. "...with Cole."

I crossed my arms, a wry smile playing on my lips. "I think you all underestimated what he would do for River."

"I hope so." Kylie's voice dropped to a whisper. "But honestly, I think unless you two both come clean..." She trailed off, her eyes tracking Cole as he strolled onto the stage. After a moment, she turned back to me, her expression grave. "He's never going to change."

I blinked rapidly as I tried to process Kylie's words. “What do you mean?” I tilted my head slightly.

Her gaze shifted back to mine. "How he really feels about you to start."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I ran a hand through my hair, tugging slightly at the ends. "Trust me, he's been real clear about that."

Kylie's eyes flashed with intensity. "No." She shook her head emphatically, her blonde hair swishing with the movement. "Hate that strong comes from something a hell of a lot deeper." She leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. "And unless he comes clean and tells you how bad you hurt him and that he's still in love with you, nothing will ever change."

My eyes widened as my gaze flashed out to Cole on the stage. She was wrong. Cole wasn't still in love with me, but maybe she was right about one thing. Maybe he did need to tell me how bad I hurt him. I just wasn't sure he was ready yet. "Maybe," I muttered.

Kylie glanced at her watch, her eyes widening slightly. "I have to go." She hefted her designer luggage, the wheels clicking against the floor. "My plane leaves in a few hours."

I chewed my lip, hesitating, before adding, "Have a safe trip, and... Do me a favor?" Kylie quirked an eyebrow, waiting. "Check on Bailey and make sure she's not running the bar into the ground."

A smile spread across Kylie's face as she nodded. "Sure." Her expression softened, and she squeezed my arm gently. "And call me if you need to talk. This probably isn't going to be the easiest two weeks."

Blowing out a heavy sigh, I shrugged. "Nothing about my life has been easy since I made that deal with Caleb."

Chapter Seven

Taylor

The arena was sold out. Thousands of fans packed into this massive stadium all to see Cole perform live. Sucking in a deep breath, I took it all in, realizing this was why I had to let him go, and I was a little excited to see him perform live. I'd never been to a concert, much less watched from backstage.

Shoving my hands into the pockets of my black jeans, I watched Kelly Mitchell, the opening band, belt out the lyrics to 'You're Gone' with 5,000 fans singing along with her. Kelly was new to the industry, but it wouldn't take her long to take off because she was a talented singer/songwriter, and she was beautiful—tall and thin, with long legs and big boobs. She had long blonde hair and big blue eyes. She was the kind of woman I thought Cole would end up with. Someone with as much talent as him. Someone as beautiful as him.

I froze; every nerve in my body suddenly electrified. The familiar heat of his body radiated against my back, a bittersweet reminder of what we once were. My heart thundered in mychest, each beat a painful reminder of the fight between us. His hand slid around my waist, his palm pressing against my stomach. I sucked in a sharp breath, holding it until my lungs burned, terrified that the slightest movement might shatter this moment – or worse, make it real. Every cell in my body screamed in recognition of his touch, a cruel juxtaposition to the anger and hurt that now defined us.

He dropped his mouth to my ear, and my eyes closed as the heat of his mouth feathered across my skin. A rush of memories flooded back, taking me back to when he was mine.

He leaned in close, his breath hot on my ear. "When you were fucking him, were you thinking about me?"

Anger coiled through me, and I shoved at his hand, but his grip only tightened, pulling me tighter against him. "You have no idea what you're talking about," I snarled.

"Was it me that was making you crazy?" His free hand slid around my throat, gripping my jaw and holding me in place. "When you closed your eyes, was it me you saw?"

"Cole," I growled.

"Don't worry, darlin', I've never given you a second thought."

I tugged at his hands again, fighting against his grip, and this time, he released me, and I whipped around. I decided at that moment that he didn't want to know the truth. He needed to hate me to make himself feel better. "Tell yourself whatever you need to so you can sleep at night, Cole."

He stepped forward, a menacing glint darkened his eyes, and I fought the urge to step back. "What do you tell yourself so that you can sleep at night?

Nothing.

I hated that I hurt him, but if I hadn't, he would still be stuck in Bridgewater and not doing what he was born to do. So, I slept fine most nights.

"Look, I get it," I said. "You hate me, but are you going to punish me every day for the next two weeks? Or can we move past this?"

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