Page 62 of Acting Merry
Cole leaves so that he doesn’t get left.
And I let him. I let him go.
sixteen
Reese
Megan’s mouthstretches into a smile. “You’re going after him, aren’t you?”
My heart hammers. “I can’t. I don’t have a?—”
“Take Brady’s car.”
“Meg, I ca?—”
“I’ll get the keys.” She’s out the door before I can protest more.
I’m too grateful for the gesture to try anyway. I want to go after Cole. I don’t know exactly why he left, but if there’s any chance at all that it’s because he got cold feet and I was too scared to tell him how I feel…
I have to try.
And if I’m wrong, well…it’s like he said. Solid relationships don’t just withstand the truth. They require it. If whatever we have between us can’t handle me expressing my feelings, better to know that now than to wonder.
I stand, then pace for a few seconds, energy buzzing at every synapse, then open the door and just miss colliding with a breathless Megan.
She hands me the keys. “Go get him.”
I make a fist around the cold metal, then hug Megan before hurrying to the front door.
I have no idea where Cole’s going. He’s driving, so he won’t answer a text, but maybe he can answer a call.
I shut the door behind me and get out my phone as I take the stairs down. My fingers shake as I navigate to my text thread with Cole. I slip and barely manage to keep from falling.
I force my focus to my steps, but inside I’m dying with impatience to make the call.
I reach Brady’s car, press the unlock button, and get in. Once I’ve buckled my seatbelt, I press call. I tap the speaker button, then turn my head to check my surroundings as I put the car in reverse.
I freeze.
In the car next to me is Cole, staring at me with his phone in his hand while I stare at him.
He’s…here? I thought he’d be halfway to Seattle by now.
It’s a few seconds before I get it together enough to end the call and put the car back into park.
Our doors open simultaneously, like we’re in a synchronized parking routine. The perfectly matchedactions continue as we stand and our eyes meet over the roofs of the cars.
My heart clobbers my chest as I slowly walk around the back of Brady’s car, and Cole walks toward me.
“You came back,” I say.
Now that we’re just a few feet away from each other, I notice his eyes are red. He’s been crying.
It’s all I can do not to rush to him and wrap my arms around him.
“I didn’t ever leave,” he says.
I force my breath to come evenly and my heart not to leap over reason. There are plenty of explanations for why he’s still here. Maybe the car wouldn’t start. Maybe he realized the roads are still too icy.
