Cole laughed. “We may be bachelors, but we’re not quite that pathetic!”
They talked as they finished their drinks, and then Cole walked Bri outside.
“Any chance I could give you a ride?” He motioned to his black monstrosity of a motorcycle.
“Um...,” Bri pretended to contemplate. “No! Nice try though. If all else fails, try the direct approach,” she laughed. Cole had been trying anything he could think of to get her on his bike. What he didn’t seem to realize was that Bri was pretty attached to her life, and wanted to keep it that way.
“I’ll wear you down eventually,” he smirked. “So, I guess this is goodbye for a few days. I probably won’t see you with your family in town.”
“Oh,” Bri felt a lurch inside her. “I didn’t think about that. That kind of sucks,” she pouted. Just one more reason she was not looking forward to this weekend.
“Don’t worry,” he smiled, seeing the disappointment on her face. “I’ll check in on you every once in a while, make sure you don’t murder your cousin or anything! Well,” he took a deep breath, “I guess I’ll see you on Monday. Bye, Bri.” He turned reluctantly to go.
“Cole,” she called. He stopped and turned towards her. Before she realized what she was doing, she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. He tensed momentarily, and Bri smiled as she felt him release a breath wrap his arms around her. He held her tentatively, though, and Bri could tell he was a little surprised. “Hey,” she gave a small laugh, “we’re friends now, aren’t we? We used to say goodbye like this all the time.” She omitted the fact that it was more than just a friendly hug goodbye she was interested in. But her words had the desired effect, and Cole’s hesitant hold on her softened into a warm embrace.
“I remember,” he replied softly. “I just wasn’t sure you did.”
“Can I see you sometime this weekend?” She couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing him for five days, but she wouldn’t allow her mind to look too deeply as to why. “Even if it’s only a couple of hours or something.” Anything was better than nothing. He squeezed her tighter.
“I’d like that.” He released her and stepped back. “I’ll text you, and we’ll work something out, okay?”
“Sounds good,” Bri nodded and smiled at him. “Bye, Cole.”
“Bye, Bri.”
Bri turned and walked off to her car.
“Let me know if you need help disposing of the body!” he called after her. She turned, laughing, and watched Cole ride off.
Carly and her mom arrived Wednesday night, and since Bri’s Aunt Rachel was taking the hide-a-bed in the den, Bri was stuck sharing a room with Carly. Oh, joy.
Carly walked in and dropped her bag on Bri’s floor. She then plopped down on the air mattress that Bri had been forced to make up for her, and started taking off her knee high boots.
“So, you ever see that Cole guy from the beach again?” Carly asked, pulling some skimpy pajamas out of her bag.
“Um, no,” Bri lied. “I’m surprised you even remember him.”
“I’ve just been thinking about him since I got here.”
“Why? Do you want to see him again or something?” Bri didn’t want Carly anywhere near Cole.
“Well, yeah! I still owe him a kick in the balls after all!” Carly huffed. “Plus, he was like, really hot. Maybe he’s not such a jerk anymore.”
“Yeah, well, good luck with that,” Bri spat angrily, the thought of Carly and Cole together making her physically ill. “I’m going to go shower. Try not to make a mess of everything,” she glared at Carly’s clothes all over the floor, before she bolted for the bathroom. She didn’t know where this jealous protectiveness was coming from, but she knew if she didn’t get out of there she was going to rip Carly’s bleached blond hair out.
Thanksgiving morning dawned, and Bri woke to clashes and bangs from the kitchen, as Aunt Rachel and Summer were already up cooking. Bri spent the morning playing with her brothers, while Carly took advantage of the warm November day and worked on her tan out by the pool. They ate dinner later that afternoon, Summer and Rachel having managed quite the feast between them, and then gorged on homemade pumpkin and apple pie as they watched football.
Bri realized she’d left her phone in her room all day, and decided to go see if she’d missed anything. She refused to admit that she really wanted to see if Cole had texted her. She shut her bedroom door and picked up her phone. Her heart picked up when she saw a message waiting for her.