Page 48 of Don't Leave
“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”
He reaches out and takes my hand with his own before gently squeezing it. “If Cole loves you as much as you think he does, he’ll understand. It’s that simple.”
Silently, I turn his words over in my head.
Maybe Luke is right, and it isn’t that big of a deal.
A tentative smile lifts my lips.
Luke’s perspective has made me feel so much better about the situation. “You’re right. I’m going to talk to him about it.” The sooner I can get this out in the open, the better off I’ll feel. Maybe then I can even stop in and see Dr. Thompson.
At least say goodbye to her.
Finally. I have a plan. It’s like a huge weight has been lifted from my chest and I can breathe again.
He smiles in return before releasing my hand and grabbing his phone. “I wish there was more time to talk but I’ve got to get going, it’s almost six. I still have to eat and get over to the arena.”
Wait…what?
Six?
It can’t be that late already!
I gasp and search my bag for my phone. Once I’ve found it, I hit the screen only to see that Luke is right. It’s six o’clock. All those good feelings surging through me dissolve, leaving panic and dread to fill their place.
Crap!
I was supposed to meet Cole at the Union at five thirty. I remember glancing at my phone, and it was only five o’clock. How did a whole hour slide by? It doesn’t even feel like Luke and I were talking for that long.
A groan escapes from me when I realize there are three missed calls and a slew of unanswered text messages. I didn’t hear any of them because I’d silenced the ringer. I jerk to my feet and shove everything into my bag.
“Cassidy?”
I glance up only to find that Luke has always risen to his feet. His brows are drawn together, and concern fills his eyes.
“I was supposed to meet Cole for dinner at five thirty and I completely lost track of time.”
“Okay,” he says calmly. “I’m sure he’ll understand. It happens.”
I pause before taking a deep breath.
He’s probably right.
At least, I hope he is.
I feel terrible about getting so wrapped up in our conversation that I missed my dinner date with Cole. As muchas I hate to admit it—even privately—Cole and I are a little out of sync right now and I don’t understand why.
Or maybe I do.
There are a lot of obstacles that have cropped up.
And Luke is right.
We need to sit down and talk. As much as I want to clear the air right now, there’s no time. This isn’t the kind of conversation I want to have with him before he goes out on the ice for a game.
With a quick nod, I give him a hasty wave before literally running off. As I’m racing down a flight of stairs, I call Cole, praying that he answers and isn’t pissed that I accidently blew him off. We’ve both been so busy lately. Him with classes and his hockey schedule and me with classes, hockey, and working at the tutoring center. It’s becoming more of a challenge to carve out time for one another and when we do, I end up missing it.
“Cassidy?” Cole’s tone is full of concern when he picks up the phone. “Where are you? Is everything okay?”
