Only One (9 page)

“Um, so what to you want to do tomorrow? We could sneak into the Beach Bar and listen to music, or we could swim in the ocean, or maybe even go get those wings from that place you like so much.”

“One.” His head lifted and those baby blues finally met mine. “I’m twenty-one, I don’t need to sneak in anywhere anymore, and two, I need to start that roof in the morning, so I can’t.”

He was being difficult, and I really couldn’t blame him. I hadn’t been very nice to him since I’d come home or for the last three years. “Sure, I forgot is all. I’ll find something to keep myself busy.”

He resumed his position of lying back, so I took that time to study him. He’d grown so much into the man that I’d known he would become over the last few years that I had a hard time pulling my eyes away. He looked like Cole but bigger, more manly. Definitely sexier, if that was even possible.

“Stop staring, Belly.”

I looked to the sky. “I wasn’t. I was just thinking.”

“What were you thinking while you were staring my chest down?”

I sighed, deciding to just be honest. “I was just appreciating the man you grew into. That’s all,” I admitted.

I heard him chuckle. “All right. Since you’re being honest, I’d like to tell you the same thing.” He pushed himself off the wall and came to sit next to me. “You are sure turning into a beautiful woman, Belly. I mean, I knew you would, but damn, girl.”

I took his compliment, but decided not to comment. Instead, I rested my head on his shoulder, forgetting all the drama, letting myself enjoy his friendship for a few moments. His body stiffened at the closeness, but soon after he relaxed and draped his arm around my shoulders, tucking me to his side, like always. And when he held me like this it felt so right that I started to forget how my heart got torn between needing him and letting him go.

I decided I really needed to swallow any pride I had left because need won out. “Cole, I’m so sorry for everything. You are the last person in the world that I wanted to see hurt. I play that night I came to you over and over in my mind.” I stopped, getting the courage to look up at him. “Do you think after everything I did to ruin our relationship that we could be friends again?”

He kissed the top of my head, but there was no answer.

“I’m so sorry for being a shitty friend to you and not trusting you, Cole. I hope you have it in your heart to forgive me. I can’t explain it all. Sometimes it’s just easier to hide and be a little broken than to take that chance,” I said, trying one last time.

His lips caressed the skin by my temple. They stayed there for several seconds before they were gone and I couldn’t feel the heat of them anymore. “You’re forgiven, Belly,” he whispered in my ear, causing goose bumps to sprout out on my arms.

After several minutes of painful silence he spoke. “I want picture number eight you took earlier. I want to hang it in my dorm room to remember this moment. The moment I got my best friend back.”

I meant to hug him quickly, but he held on to me tightly.

“I missed you so much, Belly, it hurt.”

“You don’t have to believe me since I was the fool all this time, but I swear I missed you, too. I kept up with your football and everything.”

He pulled back but grasped my shoulders. “You did?”

I smiled. “Of course I did. Didn’t you keep up with me?”

He grinned back. “You know I did.”

~~~

The next morning I woke to the sound of classic rock vibrating through the house and a thud every few seconds. I rolled over, lifting the blankets over my head to block out the light, since I’d forgotten to close the blinds before I went to bed. Thud after thud kept pounding above me, and I knew Cole was up on that roof, probably laughing at me trying to sleep in. I tossed the covers off, stormed out the door and downstairs until I reached the sliding doors to the outside.

Once I hit the deck, I hid until I found what I was looking for. I cranked the knob to the hose on full blast and waited until he was in sight. Cole bent over on the low part of the flat roof over the garage. I knew it was my one chance to really get him. Standing, I took aim with the hose and squeezed the nozzle like I was playing one of those games on the boardwalk where a person needs to squirt the water in the mouth of the balloon to make it pop.

“Annabelle,” he shouted. “I’m coming down for you, so you better run.”

I thought I had plenty of time to escape, but Cole knew a shortcut that I forgotten he liked to take to show off. A second later I saw him in his favorite cannonball position, flying through the air just as I rounded the corner. He landed in the pool with a huge, wave-making splash, soaking me through. “I told you to run,” he yelled laughing.

“Cole Lucca, just who do you think you are? It’s too early to be roofing. You’ll wake the whole neighborhood up.”

By the way Cole was looking at me, I could tell the last thing on his mind was the neighbors, but something was amiss. “Come swim with me right now?”

“What? I’m in my pajamas, Cole. And it’s too early.”

“Annabelle, get in the fucking pool,” he demanded.

For some reason, possibly the clip of his tone, I listened and made my way in but stayed on the steps. “Don’t talk to me like that.”

Cole swam over, closer and closer, until there was no more room to swim. “I can see straight through those jammies and so can those fucking kids watching out the window.” He flicked his chin in the direction of the large pane window.

“What?” I screeched, knowing full well my voice went as high as it could go. I turned to see my brother’s pervert friend’s high-fiving each other from the inside.

“Either come in or let me out so I can block you,” he said. I moved aside, but before he stepped up he grabbed my hand and put his mouth next to my ear. “And, Belly, don’t think I’m letting you get away with your little stunt. I’ll get you back later.”

“Those are big words, Cole. I hope you think this one through this time.” We both laughed and I knew he remembered the time when he tried his best for retribution, but my Daddy found out and ripped him a new one for even thinking of trying anything on me.

We were sixteen, partying in an old field, trucks parked all in a big circle, headlights on and Cole’s truck blaring my favorite CD. He knew I had thing for country music, so he cranked it up some and his lights flooded me to the point I couldn’t see anything, but the high beams coming from his truck. I danced in those lights like nobody was watching, but I knew he would be. Tate was off smoking weed with a few of my friends, trying to hide it since he knew I didn’t like when he did it.

But I knew where he was off to.

My solo cup was empty, so I stepped out of his lights and off to find the pitcher of spiked punch, but hadn’t noticed Cole get out of his daddy’s truck. I was on drink four and was feeling mighty good at that time and didn’t have a care in the world. A hand grabbed my arm, tugging me away after I had filled up. I would have been mad and screamed, but as soon as his scent hit me, I knew it was Cole. I relaxed and let him pull me off behind his truck. I tripped a little, since he was yanking me so hard, but he set me straight as soon as he sat on his tailgate. He tugged on my belt, pulling me to him, until I was between his two legs and pressed up against him.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

He grinned at me as he wrapped his arms around my waist. “What do you think I’m doing, Belly? I’m gonna kiss you.”

I tried to step back, but he wasn’t having it.

“Why?”

“Do you have any idea how fucking good you look when you dance like that? I need to know right now what it feels like to kiss you.” He came in for the kiss, but I pulled away too quickly for him.

“Cole I’m dating Tate—your friend,” I reminded him.

“You mean the fucker that’s been cheating on you? Is that the one that you’re referring to?”

“He is not,” I stammered, not wanting to believe him. He’d told me numerous times, but Tate told me Cole was just jealous and wanted me for himself. That moment was the proof I needed.

He laughed. “I bet you he’s off right now doing someone else.”

“Why would you say that? You know he’s just trying to be nice to me and smoke elsewhere.”

“Why don’t you ask your supposed best friend where she went, when you see her again?”

My head dropped and the hurt sank in as his words hit me. She had disappeared before a few other times to smoke weed with him, but I didn’t think anything of it. She was my friend.

Cole sighed like he was in pain. “Belly, come here? I hate fighting with you.” He pulled me into his arms not a heartbeat later.

I knew he wanted me, but I just couldn’t do it. Once we went there it would be too hard on me, on him and even on the family if we did something to tear us all apart. Petrified of losing him if we explored us getting together, I reached next to him for my drink, but he kept his arms loosely around my waist.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Tate bellowed from the front of the truck. I didn’t know what to do, and there was no way I was about to be responsible for a fight, since Tate always ranted about Cole and his feelings for me. So I did the first thing that came to mind. I threw my bright red drink all over Cole’s favorite white shirt and acted like he was holding me up from falling over. Cole would’ve probably jumped a foot or two away, but I was holding on for dear life.

I pleaded with my eyes to Cole. He turned to Tate. “Instead of getting high, you might want to keep an eye on her. She’s wasted. She needs to go home.”

“Annabelle?”

I mouthed the word ‘thank you’ and stumbled to Tate. “There you are,” I slurred every word, fully aware what an ass I was making out of myself. He took me home five minutes later.

I was sure Cole had some plan up his sleeve to pay me back for the demise of his favorite shirt, but unfortunately daddy got wind of his so-called plan when he was snooping through Lily’s phone texts, since she’d left the whole conversation there in black and white.

Cole

Annabelle was down on the beach with AJ and his friends. And from the look of it she was listening to music by the way her body swayed every once in awhile as she sat in the sand.

I was itching to go talk to her, but seeing her down there just about tore my heart up, thinking of all the memories we’d shared. Three beers and a half hour later was all it took until I found myself making my way through the sand—to her. Hannah was not here to be my shield, to help me keep in control like she had been back at home. And it kind of had me worrying a little, because heaven knew it was high time for us to get our shit together. I was mentally kicking my ass, thinking of whirling around, but she turned after AJ yelled out for me to bring down beer for everyone.

When I kept walking toward them, AJ passed by. “Well, I guess I’ll get the beer myself,” he muttered. I was about to spin around and lecture him on underage drinking, but Annabelle was smiling my way, so I forgot all about it.

“What?” I asked, sitting next to her.

“You know he’s going to drink, so just give it up. At least I can keep my eye on him,” she said.

“I’m only allowing two beers per kid, and then it’s cut off time.” Shit! I remembered being young and stupid, drinking on this very beach. Who was I to play their keeper?

She bumped her shoulder into me. “Agreed.” She hung her head down, but I caught her peeking over at me quickly.

“I love this place. I have so many memories here.” I failed to mention that every one of those memories had her in it, but I was pretty sure she knew that.

She shot me one of those smiles that made her eyes sparkle. Damn, I was a goner all over again. Talking myself down from doing anything stupid, I managed to polish off beer four.

“I was going to head up and make a pitcher of margaritas. Do you want some?” She stared out to the water after the few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

The boys were tossing a Frisbee around, drinking beer out of Solo cups. I shrugged. “Sure.” Was it a stupid thing to agree to? Yep, it was. I was four beers in and apparently switching over to tequila. I was not even very fond of them, but right now the thought of having Annabelle, the sun going down and a pitcher of margaritas was too good to pass up on.

The old boom box that we used forever blasted some old Springsteen when Annabelle returned with two plastic cups and one very full pitcher. She filled up the cups and placed the pitcher inside the cooler the boys were using for their beer.

She went to hand it to me just as I reached up and my hand grazed her skin. She didn’t move, neither did I. Our eyes locked for a brief second, my hand held the cup, not pulling it out from her grip. She cleared her throat and softly smiled, pulling me out of my daze, and I took my drink. That one long minute we shared was enough. I could read in her eyes that she felt something. I was seriously hoping it wasn’t fear, but hope that she was feeling.

As the night pushed on, the boys headed up to play some video games, leaving the two of us alone. Sipping on margarita number three, I was trying to come up with something smooth to say. We left the radio on, but she changed the station. We polished off the pitcher of drinks and those margaritas went down like water. We were now on to pitcher number two and all our inhibitions had flown the coop two drinks ago.

Annabelle decided she wanted to dance, but I shot her down, so I could watch her do her magic. That was one of the things I’d always loved to do—watch her dance. I knew I’d loved her for a long time, but that one night back in high school she’d danced right away with my heart. Mentally I smacked myself and focused on her as she waved her hands in the air, holding her cup over her head as she swung her hips and slung her hair to the beat. I was completely turned on but had no idea if it was something she wanted. Also, my stupid conscience kept reminding me of Hannah and knowing it was a shitty thing to do. I had never been, nor ever planned on being a cheater. It just wasn’t in my DNA.

After four songs and another plastic cup full of courage, I started to get up and go to her, but before I could she plopped down next to me.