Page 25 of Broken Silence
Chapter 5
Oakley
Almost twenty-four hours in the air wasn’t the reason why I felt dead tired and like I’d just gone ten rounds with Muhammad Ali. But I’d made it through my first run in with Cole and, hopefully, things would be okay the next time we saw each other.
And I was lying to myself so hard. What we’d discussed earlier was only the tip of the iceberg. The confusion and hurt had rolled off him in waves.
“How did it go?” Mum asked as I closed the door to the rental.
“Wasting no time. It was better than I’d expected but harder than I thought. He didn’t throw me out, so that was a start. But… it still hurt.”
Jasper turned in the seat and gave me a look that told me I was an idiot. “He was never going to chuck you out. He still loves you.”
My jaw dropped open. “You listened?”
“Yeah, of course I listened. Well, I tried to. I only heard that bit before Kerry hit me repeatedly. You want to do that girlie thing where you overanalyse every little detail? What did itmeanwhen he sat so close to you? Did it meananything? Was it accidental or—”
“Shut up, Jasper,” I snapped. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Isn’t this the kind of shit girls do?”
“You’re not a girl.”
“Yeah, but you have no friends, so I thought I’d try cheering you up.”
“Jasper,” Mum scolded.
It took every ounce of control I had to not throw him out of the moving car. “Thank you. You’re very helpful,” I said dryly instead.
He was only half right. I did have friends, but I wasn’t close to them. I wouldn’t confide in them—after Cole, I wanted to keep everyone at a safe distance—so, I hung out with them, and we talked about our favourite TV shows and celebrity gossip. That was it.
“Was it nice to catch up with Jenna?” I asked to change the subject.
Mum’s smile radiated in the rear-view mirror. “It was. I was worried it would be awkward at first, but it was like we’d never been apart.”
“I’m glad.”
We pulled into Ali’s drive, and nothing about their house had changed from the outside. She was still planting the same flowers and had the little water fountain in the front garden.
The front door burst open, and Ali came flying out. Mum jumped from the car and ran into her sister’s arms.
It was a good day for Mum, and I was happy for her, but I bet she was already missing Miles. I’d heard her on the phone to him at our layover in Dubai.
“Great. I forgot how crazy those two are together,” Jasper said, opening the car door.
Like he could complain about anyone else being crazy.
“Oakley, sweetheart,” Ali whispered as she tugged me into a hug. “Are you okay?”
I smiled the moment she let me go. “I’m fine. Just a little tired from all the travelling.”
“Oh, come in, come in.”
Inside, we were hugged by Lizzie.
“Go lay down,” Ali said. “Your bed is all set up.”
“Thanks,” I replied, my body suddenly so heavy, I could have dropped to the tiled floor and slept for eight hours.
