“Wait, you two live together?” Savannah asks, speaking for the first time since I sat down. And by the way her mouth drops open afterwards, I’m guessing she didn’t mean to ask that.
“Yes,” I say at the same time Lana growls, “No.”
Aww, is she embarrassed of our blossoming love?
“Cole,” Lana warns, and I chuckle to myself.
Her leg kicks out beneath the table, but I trap it between both of mine and she struggles to get it free.
“Now now, Lana. This isn’t the time or place for foreplay,” I murmur, and Savannah stands from her chair, putting whatever books she had on the table back in her bag.
“I’m just gonna… uhm, bye.” She scurries off, and I watch her leave before turning back to my girl.
“What’s wrong with her? She looked terrified.”
She scoffs. “Seriously?”
I stare at her, confused. “Seriously what?”
She shakes her head, a look of bewilderment on her face, before putting her own things away and kicking her leg, making me let go.
“I need to go,” she mutters and goes to walk away, but she’s not getting away from me that easily.
I follow behind her, like a dog trailing after its owner, and no, the irony is not lost on me.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
She huffs but doesn’t turn around, she just carries on walking. “Weare not going anywhere.Iam.”
Yeah, that’s not how this works.
“Not gonna happen, Lana. I’m in this with you whether you like it or not, so you’re just gonna have to put that pride of yours on the back seat for a while and deal with it, okay?”
She stops walking as we reach the parking lot and spins around to face me. Anger’s written all over her pretty features, and I wonder how she’d react if I snuck a picture of how she looks right now. I’d put that baby as my phone’s wallpaper just so I could stare into her angry eyes all day, every day.
“Why are you doing this, Cole? Why are you helping me? Not too long ago, you were doing everything you could to piss me off. You were trying to torture me, and now you’re just—what?” She cuts off as I start laughing.
God, is shereallynot seeing this clearly?
Does she really have no damn idea of what’s going on here, or is she really that naïve?
I search her face and see nothing but a mixture of confusion and irritation.
“Fuck, baby,” I say, clicking my tongue. “You’re an idiot. You know that, right?”
Her eyes darken and she takes a step towards me asthough she’s about to attack, so I continue talking before she can.
“Do you really not see it? See everything I’ve been trying to do for the last couple of weeks? I don’t hate you, Lana. I don’t think I ever really did. I just figured it was hate because I didn’t know what else it could be, but I like you, okay? I fucking like you, Lana, and like hell am I going to let anything happen to you. I know you’re perfectly capable of fighting this battle on your own, but you don’t have to. You don’t have to be alone in anything, because I’m right here, trying to fight with you, if only you’d let me.”
She blinks at me, seemingly stupefied at my confession, and then shakes her head and begins walking in the opposite direction. I follow her—because of course, I do—and realize we’re heading back to the cottage. We don’t speak the entire way there, but her fists clench and unclench as we walk, giving away her anxiety.
Or frustration?
Anger?
With her, it could be any emotion at all.
We reach the cottage and she heads up the steps first, unlocking the door and holding it open for me to enter. As soon as I do, she slams the door behind me and pushes me against it. Once again, her eyes search mine, I’m just not sure what she’s searching for.
