Page 15 of Broken Silence
What the hell were they all doing here at two in the afternoon?
“It’s good to see you, too,” I told her.
“Ooh, you have a sexy, husky voice.”
Blinking hard, I muttered, “Thanks.”
All the while, Kerry was acting as if nothing was awkward here, like I hadn’t just walked back into Cole’s life after moving halfway across the country.
Glancing over Kerry’s shoulder, I found Cole still in the sameposition, staring at me. Jasper and Mum gave him a hug, but his eyes never left mine, not for a second. I couldn’t force my gaze anywhere else, either.
“Oh, I’m being so rude. You haven’t met Chelsea yet. She’s ourfriend,” Kerry said.
Friend.Heavy on the emphasis. Did that mean she was just Cole’s friend, too? Must be or Kerry would’ve been more casual in her explanation.
“Hi,” I said, my voice like blades.
“Hey,” Chelsea replied, pressing her lips together.
My eyes drifted back to Cole, and I ached so bad I could cry. Every cell in my body wanted to be closer to him.
Jasper chuckled. “I wonder if it’s possible for this to get any more awkward.”
If I could’ve moved, I would’ve slapped him.
“Beach party, Jasper,” I hissed, regaining some of my composure. “Beach party.”
He took a step away from me, and I knew he wouldn’t be a dick again.
“What happened at the beach party?” Kerry asked.
“Nothing happened at the beach party,” Jasper snapped. “Now, come on, let’s leave Cole and Oakley to talk.”
Oh, God.
And to think I’ve gone almost twenty years without having any real murderous thoughts about my brother.
“Sure. I want to see your mum, anyway,” Kerry said as she ushered them all into the living room, giving us a double take as they went.
I hadn’t even noticed that Mum and Jenna had already retreated.
We stood in the empty kitchen with the irritating tick of the clock adding up every uncomfortable second.
There was so much I wanted to say. So much he probablyneeded to hear. I bet he had a lot of questions, but my head was full of nothing. Literally nothing. I couldn’t think of a single thing that didn’t sound like absolutely crap. There were no words I could think of that sounded good enough or conveyed everything I felt. How sorry I was. How deeply I’d missed him.
But how long could we stand and look at each other like we wanted to run… argue… kiss? I wasn’t sure which order we’d do those things in, either.
His sharp eyes swam with shock and uncertainty as he watched me like a hawk. I got the impression that he was still trying to figure out if I was really here.
I chewed the inside of my cheek as I desperately tried to think of something to say. I’d even have settled for something witty.
Cole wasn’t going to talk first. I wasn’t sure he was even present yet. He’d not moved since he first saw me, trapped in… whatever was going on in his mind.
So, I took a deep breath and a step forward. “Hi,” I whispered like a fool. The old giddiness was back, that feeling of utter bliss whenever I was around him, it warmed me from the inside out.
He opened his mouth to talk but closed it again. Finally, he shoved his hands through his hair and said, “Hi.”
My stomach flipped over at the sound of his voice. I’d missed that so much. The videos I had on my phone were not enough. This was what I’d needed.
