Abby: Not in the sense that we date other people too. I don't think she'd like that either. I'm just saying that we will all date her so she doesn't have to choose. I'd rather date her and share her time, than miss out on the opportunity. She's special, and I really like her.
Me: Same.
Cole: Same.
Trent: I'm out on that. It won't affect our friendship, I just don't think I can handle all that drama. I’m mature enough to walk away and we get along great, but I don’t think it’s deep enough for all that drama.
Abby: without hurting your feelings, I think she’s picked up on that. It’ll make it easier.
We all stop texting at that. I cringe a little at Trent's reaction. When I glance up, he's not mad, just seems a little sad. It's his choice, and we’re young, so I get his hesitation. I just know she’s worth it and if he doesn’t see that, it’s not the relationship for him. I’m not naive enough to think it’ll be easy, but we can navigate it together and set boundaries, yet another perk of us being lifelong friends. It’s honestly a good thing he’s figuring it out now, I wouldn’t be able to just stand here and watch him break her heart later.
He said it won't affect our friendship, but a part of me wonders if this will be the end of the misfits. We will always be friends, but we won't be this close again. Alice is already drifting away now that she has Andy, so I have a feeling Trent will find someone too. It’s something Mom used to warn me about, that people change and grow and we won’t have this forever, and it makes me sad that it’s a possibility now.
The rest of the game passes without incident. And true to his word, Trent really does act like nothing weird is going on at all, minus he’s toned down his flirting. We want to break it to her and see how she feels, but it's a delicate topic. She's way stronger than anyone gives her credit for, though, so this should be interesting.
Either way, I’m making her mine.
Wednesday
Morning
Charlie
The sun streams through my curtains waking me up, and I realize that for the first time in a long time, I got a full night’s sleep without a nightmare. I’m sure Sophia is just as happy as I am with the change. She's been running in here every night without complaint, but her willingness doesn’t make me feel any less guilty.
When I walk into the kitchen, Sophia looks up with a huge smile. She's making pancakes and dancing to pop music, looking about as well rested as I feel, and I can’t help but smile at her good mood. Honestly, I haven’t felt this chipper in way too long. It's a brand-new feeling for me.
Before I can dance along, I hear my phone buzz in my pocket. We don’t have plans until tonight, so I'm hoping someone is making plans for the day. It's so nice that I feel like being outside. Despite it being November, it's a sunny day and not too cool.
Cole: Morning, Charlie girl. Want to go with me on a hike?
Me: YES! It’s too pretty to stay inside.
I show the text to Sophia for her approval. “Sounds like fun; I need to dive back into my cases unfortunately, so I certainly won’t be much fun today,” she says with an exaggerated pout. She loves her cases.
With the prospect of hanging out with Cole, I finish breakfast quickly and run upstairs to change before texting him back to come get me. Too impatient to wait elsewhere, I stand at the front window watching for him while Sophia gives me her normal speech about staying together and being careful. As soon as I see Cole’s parents’ car, I wave and run outside and jump in.
Cole’s eyebrows are raised in an exaggerated manner as I buckle in, and I give him a questioning look. He shoots me his half grin.
“You just look happy today. It looks good on you,” he says softly, and my cheeks flare with heat. He doesn’t say anything
else as we drive to the outskirts of town, but his hand finds mine.
Not that I've had a lot of chances, but I never realized that we live this close to a state park. It's absolutely beautiful. The map near the information center lists all of the hiking trails, marking how long each one is. And there are several overlooks and even a waterfall. Cole points to the one he wants to take. It's the longest one, which makes me thankful that I'm not too out of shape, plus it hits quite a few markers. The trail is the only one that makes a big circle, exiting on the opposite side of where it starts to give hikers all of the scenic views in one trail.
He grabs a map from the pamphlet container on the side of the main map and tucks it into his backpack. Turning to me with a smile, he grabs my hand and leads me down the trail.
It's a peaceful walk, not many out this early to disturb it. I'm enjoying the spots of sun that stream through the trees, stopping in each one for a moment to let the heat warm my face before moving on. By the time I open my eyes to walk away from the last one, Cole has another smile on his face. He's always sneaking looks at me, and I love it. He makes me feel things I haven’t wanted to feel, worried it wasn’t fair to my family’s memories, but I know deep down they’d never have wanted that for me.
The trail is marked halfway through with a huge sign. It opens into a clearing and the biggest scenic overlook at the park. My breath catches as I walk up to the safety fence. The view is breathtaking. I feel so small as I look at the hills and fields that are in the distance. I can’t tear my gaze away. I’m not sure how long I stay there, just staring, when I feel Cole walk up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.
Surprisingly, this time it doesn’t send my heart into a frenzy. Instead, a warmth spreads through me. I feel safe in his arms and lean back to enjoy it. We stand that way for a while longer, taking in the beauty spread out in front of us.
“Hungry?” His low voice sends shivers down my spine.
I turn and see that he'd set up a picnic while I was too busy staring at the view to notice. I give him a surprised smile, and he almost appears embarrassed.
“I thought a picnic would be nice,” he mumbles. Not wanting him to feel that way, I walk up and give him a hug to show him how much I appreciate it. As I step away, I notice he looks proud of himself. Mission accomplished.