“Would it be too much to ask for a dance?”
Bri turned to see Cole smiling sadly at her. A lump formed in her throat, and tears burned behind her eyes. She nodded and Cole pulled her into his arms.
He held her tight, and she leaned her cheek against his. Closing her eyes, she felt all the tension leave her body. The knot in her chest loosened, and she could finally breath again. A feeling of wholeness and peace flooded her. Bri had been so lost the past few weeks, but she was home now. This is where she belonged, in Cole’s arms. She lost herself in the feel of him, his arms around her, his body pressed against her, the beat of his heart against hers. She knew he could probably feel her heart pounding, but she didn’t care. She gave herself that moment to forget all the reasons why they would never work, and just enjoyed him. When she felt she had enough control over herself not to break down in tears, she spoke.
“How are you doing, Cole?” she asked softly, not moving her cheek from his. She had been worried about him, and didn’t think she’d get another chance like this to talk to him.
“Just fabulous, Bri,” he replied sarcastically. “How are you?”
“I’m miserable,” she replied honestly, a tear slipping down her cheek. She didn’t have the energy to lie to him and pretend she was okay. She didn’t really want to lie to him, anyway. Even though it would probably hurt him even more, Cole deserved the truth.
She felt him tense, but he didn’t say anything. She decided to keep going, to lay it all out there.
“I feel empty, and lost, and like I’ll never be happy again. I feel terrible for hurting you, and confused, and guilty, and sick. And I don’t know how to make it stop,” her voice broke.
Cole pulled back to look at her. His eyes were full of confusion, and a desperate hope that caused another tear to fall.
“What do you want from me, Bri? Tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it.” His eyes pleaded desperately with her.
“I don’t know! I don’t know what I want,” a small sob escaped her. “I just need some time to figure it all out.”
The hope in Cole’s eyes died, and he looked at her, crestfallen. Bri felt what was left of her heart shatter.
“I can’t give you any more time, Bri. We don’t have any more time.”
She reached up and grabbed his cheeks desperately.
“Yes, you can,” she pleaded. “We have all the time we want.” Her face fell as Cole sadly shook his head, his eyes dropping to the floor. “You once told me you’d wait for me forever. Can’t you wait for me now?”
Slowly Cole’s eyes rose to meet hers, full of sadness and disappointment.
“That was when I thought there was a future worth waiting for. But you’ve made it clear that there isn’t a future for us.”
“Cole, please...”
“You can’t even tell me what you want, Bri! And I can’t wait around indefinitely for you to figure it out. Especially when there’s a good chance it’s not me.”
Bri shook her head, unable to speak through the constriction in her chest. Cole leaned in and kissed her forehead sadly.
“Goodbye, Ambria.” He turned and walked away.
Bri stood there, tears streaming freely. As she watched Cole’s retreating form, she was hit by an epiphany. A mind blowing, life changing, earth shattering realization. She finally knew exactly what she wanted. But he had just walked out of her life for good.
Chapter 29
Desperate to get out of there before she completely fell apart, Bri grabbed her purse, and fled the hotel. She sent Layla a quick text saying she was leaving, and then put her car in drive. She hadn’t even made it out of the parking lot before her sobs overtook her. She cried uncontrollably the whole way home.
As she walked into her house, her dad looked up from the book he was reading in the front room. Seeing her tear stained face, he jumped up and pulled her into a hug.
“Shhh, Pumpkin, it’s okay. What happened?”
“Cole...” was all she could get out before another round of sobs racked her.
Connor pulled his daughter over to sit on the couch.
“What happened with Cole? Did you guys fight again?”
“No... well yes, sort of,” Bri sniffed. “We were dancing and talking... and then he asked me what I wanted... and I told him I didn’t know... and then he walked away!” she managed between sobs. “I hurt him, again... and why? Why does it still hurt this badly?” she pleaded, desperate for an answer.
“Oh, Sweetheart,” her dad pulled her in and kissed her head. “You’re in love with him. Of course it’s going to hurt.”