Page 118 of One Eye Open (The BlackWater)

Maddie woke groaning with her face buried into the pillow and her head feeling like she’d done ten rounds with Mike Tyson.

“Drink some coffee.” Cole said putting something down beside her and she opened her eyes wincing at the brightness of the room.

“I think I’m dying.” She moaned.

“I’ve seen you close to dying Maddie. Trust me you’re not right now.”

Maddie groaned again forcing herself to sit up and her hands wrapped around the hot mug.

“Take the pills, they’ll help with the hangover.” Cole said and she pretty much grunted at him before swallowing them down and ignoring the chalky aftertaste they left in her mouth.

“What happened last night?” She asked. “Why are you back?”

He smirked. “My meeting got cancelled so I decided to come back early and from the looks of it I made the right decision.”

“How so?” She asked.

“Because you looked like you were making a bed out on the landing.”

“Urgh.” Maddie groaned before taking a mouthful of coffee.

“Do you remember what else happened?” He asked. She narrowed her eyes looking at him. He was standing in just a pair of joggers and damn did he look good.

“What?” She said. She had a horrible, horrible feeling all of a sudden.

“You cried Maddie.”

“What?” She snapped. “No I didn’t.”

“You cried about your leg. About being broken. About me not loving you when I found out what you’d done.” He stated.

Her stomach dropped. Had she actually said that? Used those words? Fucking hell.

“You’re making it up.” She said.

“I’m not Maddie.” He said climbing into bed next to her and taking the mug from her hands. “Tell me what you meant by it.”

“I didn’t mean anything.” She said. “I was really drunk. I was probably just spewing any old shit.”

“Maddie.” He began.

“Can you just drop it? Please?”

He sighed. Half of him was tempted to force it out of her. To dominate her, to make her talk the way he used to but the way she’d been, the way she’d reacted last night and all the nightmares she’d been having made him think there was something more at play. Something deeper and he didn’t want to force her into telling him what was going on when she was clearly so all over the place.

“Do you need to see someone?” He asked.

“Like who?”

He shrugged. “You tell me.”

She shook her head. “I’m fine Cole. I’ve just got a lot on.”

“Yeah a lot of secrets.” He said and she snarled.

“Like you haven’t.” She said. “You want me to tell you all mine, to drop all my walls and yet you won’t for me.”

“Alright Maddie. You wanna play that game.” He said getting up.

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