Hadley
I wake confused.
Slowly peeking an eye open, I glance around the unfamiliar room, relief and trepidation trickling through my veins when I realize where I am.
Cole’s room.
And the boy in question is beside me, his arm slung over my hip as he snores softly.
God, he looks so vulnerable in this moment. It steals my breath away.
It’s hard to believe that this Cole is the same Cole with barbed words and a rough touch. But I know better than anyone that what you show to others is not always what you feel inside.
&
nbsp; I’ve spent two years pasting on a smile and trying to fit the mold carved by the rich kids of Sterling Prep. They sense something about me and keep their distance, but they don’t question it. Because I play the part. It’s easier that way.
Unlike Cole and his brothers, who won’t bend for anyone. They’re unapologetic and stay true to who they are.
I envy them.
In some ways, I envy Cole.
But I know that just because he’s true to himself, it doesn’t mean he isn’t a mess inside. Darkness bleeds from his pores, lingering around him like a storm cloud. I know Cole is damaged.
The same way I’m damaged.
I lie there watching him, enjoying a rare moment of quiet. Once he wakes up, I know he’ll freak out and either leave or make me. I should probably hate him for that, or at the very least resent him.
But I don’t.
I just wish he’d let me in, that he’d trust me enough to confide in me.
Like you are with him? I force the little voice down.
I trace the bruises and cuts on his face with my finger, and he stirs, leaning in to my touch. “Hadley,” he murmurs and I still, my heart beating wildly in my chest.
“Cole?” I whisper, but he doesn’t reply, still sleeping soundly.
I like the idea that he’s dreaming of me far more than I should, because falling for someone like Cole Jagger is a bad idea. But how do you stop someone from coiling themselves around your heart with every touch and kiss and heated stare?
You don’t.
Part of me has been Cole’s since that night I found him, lost and alone under the streetlight.
I gently brush the strands of hair off his face, but this time, he does wake. His hand snaps out, grabbing my wrist. “What the fuck are you doing?” His voice is an icy growl.
“C-Cole, it’s me.”
He blinks, recognition glittering in his eyes. Slowly, he relinquishes his grip on me. “Hadley?”
“It’s me.” I gulp at the anger in his eyes, relieved when it softens.
“Hadley?” he croaks again, as if he can’t quite believe it.
“I can go.” I bolt upright, suddenly overwhelmed. “We fell asleep and I just woke now and I didn’t know—”
Cole chuckles, he actually chuckles, and I realize it’s the first time I’ve ever heard him laugh.