Page 20 of Wasted

"Hey," Kylie chirped, her voice bright through the speaker. "How's it going?"

"Well, I'm currently standing outside Cole's hotel room listening to the moans of two blondes."

"Why?" The amusement in her tone made my eyes roll.

"Because Wyatt thinks Cole will try to leave with the two girls tonight even though he hasn't gone to the bar once since I showed up."

"Do you?"

"No, he really wants his family back together."

"His family." She laughed. "You mean River?"

"No," I corrected. "You were included in that too."

She laughed a little louder. "Taylor, he's fucking with you," she said, her voice tinged with exasperation. "There was never any chemistry between Cole and me. It was just one stupid drunken night. We only tried to see if there could be more because of River, but we both agreed we weren't right for anything more than friends. And do you know why there was no chemistry?"

"Nope," I replied flatly, my disinterest evident. I honestly didn't care. I would rather chew my own arm off than have this conversation right now.

"Because we both found the love of our lives in elementary school, and once you find that kind of love, it's hard to settle for anything less."

My heart constricted, a vise of regret and longing that left me breathless. I exhaled slowly, the weight of unspoken words pressing down on my chest like a physical burden. "All I know is what he told me, so you should probably prepare how you're going to respond if you don't feel the same way."

"I don't, and neither does he," she insisted, her tone leaving no room for argument. "He's trying to get under your skin. Which is why you're standing outside the hotel room. I guarantee he made Wyatt believe he needed to be babysat, so you would have to see him with those girls. He'll do whatever he can do to hurt you the way you hurt him."

Realization dawned on me, my eyes widening. She was right. Cole wasn't going to the bar. He had too much to lose, and he knew it. Hurting me made his pain a little easier to deal with.

"We talked a few nights ago, and I thought we were past that, but I guess not." He was going to try to hurt me as long as he was hurting, but the problem was that he would never admit that hewas still hurt so that we could work through it. The worst part was that none of these stunts hurt me. With everything I'd been through in the last two years, I was numb. His words were what cut deep, and thankfully, he'd stopped that.

"I talked to Wyatt yesterday, and he said that so far, he's seen a huge difference in Cole."

"Yeah, but it's not because of me. It's because of River... And you. He doesn't want to lose the two of you. I was just able to get his attention long enough for him to hear what was actually happening."

"Taylor..."

"Kylie," I snapped. I couldn't listen to her tell me he was still in love with me anymore. He'd made it very clear he hated me. "Please... This has been so much harder than I thought it would be already. I'm physically and emotionally exhausted, and I still have more than a week left. I need to listen to Cole's words because I don't want to confuse my head or heart." Kylie was silent, but I knew she felt bad for me, and I hated that even more. "Anyway, how's Bailey doing?"

"She's a beast," Kylie teased. "Do you really live like this?" I laughed. "When do you sleep?"

"It's not that bad."

"No, it's not, but when I think about you caring for your father and Caleb on top of all this... Well, I can't imagine keeping up with all of it."

"You do what you have to."

"Yeah, I guess. Oh, Bailey said there's been a couple of new people here interested in your land."

"Tell her to throw their cards in the drawer under the cash register. I'll go through them when I get back."

"What? Why?"

"I'm not taking the money from Wyatt. It's time to sell. It's time for me to move on with my life."

"Taylor..."

"Hey," I said, cutting her off. "Wyatt just sent me a text that I'm off duty for tonight." That was a lie, but regardless, I was done, done standing outside his door and done with this conversation. "I'm going to shower and sleep."

"Call me if you need anything."

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