Beautiful Mess(63)

Sitting on the easel was the painting Cole had been working on the last time she was here, but it was complete now. It was the portrait of a girl, her dark hair swirling behind her, looking out at the ocean. Bri didn’t recognize the girl, though she seemed familiar somehow. But it was the expression on the girl’s face that held Bri’s gaze. The girl was staring at the ocean with a mixed look of longing and fear. It was like the girl was looking at the one thing she wanted more than anything, but was terrified to go get it. Cole had captured her internal struggle so clearly. Bri found her heart breaking for the poor girl.

She felt eyes on her, and turned to find Cole leaning against the doorframe, watching her.

“You finished it,” she smiled softly.

“Yep,” he walked up next to her. “It took longer than I thought to get it right. But it’s done,” he smiled. “What do you think of it?”

“It makes me sad,” Bri replied.

“How come?” Cole asked gently, curious.

“I feel bad for this poor girl. It’s obvious there’s something she wants desperately, but she’s so afraid, she can’t even take a step towards it. I... it’s just sad.”

“I know,” he smiled reassuringly. “Okay, enough of that. I didn’t bring you over here to depress you. This is the only time I’ll see you this weekend. Want to watch a movie?” He led her back to the living room.

“Definitely,” Bri nodded. “Better make it a comedy, though.”

She sat down on the couch while Cole put in a movie. Grabbing the remote, he sat next to her, close, but not quite touching. Getting comfortable, he kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and stretched his arm along the back of the couch behind Bri. She sat hesitantly for the first few minutes. She kept deliberating whether or not to scoot closer to Cole, if that’s what his arm behind her implied he wanted her to do. After a few more uncomfortable minutes, Bri was overcome by a huge yawn. Unfortunately, Cole didn’t miss it.

“What, am I that boring?” he smiled.

“No, not at all. It’s just that Psycho woke me up at like 3:00 am, and I didn’t sleep really well after that.” It was true. Bri’s sleep had been less than peaceful, due to her string of dreams in which she and Cole ended up all tangled together. Just remembering made her blush.

“Oh, are you tired? Here,” Cole pulled her against his side. “You can use me as a pillow. I promise I won’t be offended if you fall asleep on me,” he winked. His arm wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her close. Bri, after a hesitant pause, snuggled into him. She rested her head against his shoulder, and not knowing where else to put it, she placed her hand lightly on his chest. She couldn’t help grinning when she felt Cole’s heart beneath her palm speed up a bit. A moment later, it was her heart that beat faster as Cole nestled his chin against her hair. She felt his head turn, and she swore she felt him kiss her head gently, before his chin returned to its original position.

They stayed that way for a while, and Bri was acutely aware of how good Cole’s arm felt around her, and how much she liked being held tight against his chest. The warmth of his body against hers, and the lulling beat of his heart were making her drowsy. She tried to fight it, but another huge yawn escaped her.

“Seriously, Bri, you can rest if you want to. Here, this might make it a little easier.” Cole shifted so that he was laying down on the couch, Bri laying tucked into his side. “There, now close your eyes and rest for a while,” he mumbled into her hair as both his arms encircled her.

Bri lay there, feeling a bit awkward, as she tried to convince herself that Cole was just being a good friend. Friends snuggled together on couches all the time, right? Right, she didn’t buy it at all. Finally, the comfort of his embrace overwhelmed her, and she relaxed against him. No matter how hard she tried to fight it, or how unaffected she tried to remain, something about Cole called to her, and it was becoming impossible to resist.

She closed her eyes, reveling in his closeness. She felt him release a deep breath and his arms tightened around her. She rolled herself so she was laying on half of him, her knee wrapped around his leg. She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, and breathed in his delicious smell. Cole’s lips grazed her forehead as he rested his cheek against her.

In that moment, Bri imagined how easy it would be to lift her face Cole’s and kiss him. How easy it would be to forget all of her doubts and concerns about him, and let her body take over. And she found that she wanted that, her body begged her for it. But, she knew she couldn’t do it. It wouldn’t be smart or appropriate, seeing how she didn’t want to complicate their relationship more than it already was. So, she kept her head tucked firmly under Cole’s chin, and drifted off to sleep.