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Beautiful Mess(112)

By:Jennifer Preston


“I’m positive.”

“Okay. But I’m taking you out tomorrow night to celebrate. I want you all to myself!”

“Well, you’ll have to share me with my family for dinner after, which you are totally invited to, but then I’m completely yours.”

“Mmm, completely?” Cole’s voice dripped with innuendo.

Bri remembered Layla’s comment from lunch earlier, and her face flushed. Only half of it was from embarrassment, though. Instead of answering she leaned in and kissed him.

“So, was that a yes or a no?” Cole murmured against her lips.

“Well, it wasn’t a yes...”

“But it wasn’t a no, either,” he grinned wickedly and captured her lips again. Bri felt her resistance beginning to slip, and knew it was time to go.

“I better get going. My dad’s waiting up for me.” She managed to detach herself from Cole, amid his groans and protests. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Good luck with the scouts.” She gave him a quick kiss and headed out to her car.

As Bri drove away, an unexpected sadness hit her. Cole was going away. She had always known that their lives were going to take them down different paths, sooner now than later. But the reality of that fact hit her hard just then, and she was surprised about how much that hurt. She had never expected Cole to follow her to Stanford, but she hadn’t given much thought to what would happen to them after graduation. A cross country, long distance relationship wasn’t going to work. Her heart ached as she realized that she and Cole had a definite expiration date, and the countdown clock was ticking. The ironic thing was that Bri had sent in an application to Duke already, as her backup in case Stanford fell through. And now it looked like that was where Cole would be going.

As she climbed into bed that night, Bri decided that she was going to take advantage of the time they had left, enjoy every minute. Four months was a long time, and she was going to cherish it. As long as they didn’t get too involved, she and Cole should be able to part ways amicably. Sure, she would be sad, and would miss him, but at least she wouldn’t have a broken heart to deal with. Because, let’s face it, heartbreak was just not worth it. She and Cole would have to be careful, but they should be able to enjoy each other without getting too attached.

Bri woke the next morning feeling much better. The Regional competition was held at Santa Monica High this year, so her dad, brothers, and even Summer were in the stands to cheer her on. The day passed chaotically but quickly, and it was almost three in the afternoon before she found Cole in the stands. He and Jimmy were sitting next to Connor and Summer, chatting. When Bri and the team took the floor, Cole jumped up, screaming and whistling. She smiled at him as she took her position.

By five o’clock, the performances were all done, and all the teams sat on the gym floor awaiting the results. Despite what Bri had told Cole, this competition was a big deal. The teams that took first, second, and third got to advance to Divisionals down in San Diego the next Friday. The top two teams at Division got to go to State. So the whole team was nervous, as the awards presentation began. They needn’t have worried though, because they swept first place in every categories and took first place overall. The home crowd erupted, and Bri’s family and friends rushed out to congratulate her.

Liam and Logan reached her first, and she opened an arm for each of them. They rushed her so excitedly, they almost knocked her over.

“You were so pretty, Bri,” Logan said. Then he whispered to her, “That’s what Cole said!”

“You were really shiny,” Liam agreed, remembering her sequins costumes.

“Thanks, Monkeys! I’m so glad you came!” She gave them each a big kiss, before standing to receive a hug from her dad, and then Jimmy. Summer gave her a small smile.

Cole had been waiting patiently for his turn, but as Bri finally turned to him, he pulled her in for a not so parent friendly kiss. There was a very deliberate throat clearing from Connor, and Bri pulled back, breathless and flushed.

“So,” Connor gave his daughter a look. “What sound good for dinner, Pumpkin? Anywhere you want to go. Oh, Jimmy, Cole, you’re more than welcome to join us.”

“That would be great,” Cole answered, smiling at Bri.

Bri chose a local steakhouse, and enjoyed a wonderful dinner with her family. Connor and Jimmy got along great, and where trading jokes back and forth that had everyone laughing.

Afterward, Cole and Bri went out to a movie. Cole had said he wanted to do something “normal couples” did. They settled on a comedy and laughed the whole way through. After the movie, they went back to Cole’s place and took advantage of the quiet house, and their rare alone time. A little before midnight, Cole dropped Bri off on her doorstep.