Page 143 of Unspoken Rules

I catch his frown as I walk around him and disappear into my bedroom. I shut the door quietly and let out a long breath, fighting tears as I shuffle to my bed. Thinking of changing my clothes is too much, so I get into bed as I am. I lie there for a long time, trying to make sense of this mess. And the only thing that has me feeling any sort of better is the idea of seeing Chris.

So I book a flight to Oregon for tomorrow.

When I wake up in the morning, I’m both disappointed and relieved that I’m alone in bed. Part of me hoped Cole would sneak in here in the middle of the night, needing to cuddle. It would have felt so good. But the other part is grateful he didn’t because I don’t think I’m strong enough to handle that. I wouldn’t have stopped him.

He’s still asleep when I get into my living room. I text the guys that I won’t make it for breakfast. A few say they can’t either, but some are already getting ready. Westley texts me separately to make sure I’m okay. I tell him I’m fine and he doesn’t need to worry. We aren’t close enough for me to get into details about it, and even if we were, talking about Cole and me is the last thing I want to do.

As quietly as I can, I start coffee and breakfast. I swear I don’t make any noise, but Cole wakes up the second the coffee starts to brew.

“Bathroom is through the bedroom,” I say as I go to the fridge and pull out the carton of eggs. Once he’s out of the bathroom, he goes back to the couch and scrolls through his phone. I work on making scrambled eggs and toast while he texts someone. Probably Tabitha to check on Chris. When the food is done, I put the plates on the island, since I didn’t get myself a table and chairs. The island works just as well with the stools I bought. I let him know there’s coffee and food if he’s hungry. He gets up, shoves his phone into his pocket, and comes to eat.

“Thanks for letting me stay here,” he says the moment he sits.

“I booked a flight to Oregon for today. I want to see Chris.”

He nods. “I should have told you sooner. The moment it happened.”

“You’re right. You should have.”

What if he had died? I shouldn’t think that way, but I am. I’m far away, at the other end of the country. Every minute counts. I’m so mad at him for not telling me the moment he found out.

We finish eating in silence. When I’m done, I leave my dishes in the sink and head for a shower. I still have a few hours before I have to head to the airport, but I get working on packing my bag. For some reason, that triggers a thought.

Stopping what I’m doing, I head to the kitchen. Cole is washing the dishes.

“How did you find me?” I put my hands on my hips.

He shuts the water off, drying his hands on the kitchen towel before replacing it on the oven handle.

“Mila gave me your address,” he answers simply.

I raise a brow. Is he kidding? “You talked to Mila about me but didn’t mention Chris to her?”

He shakes his head. “We ran into each other the day before his accident. She gave it to me ‘in case I needed it.’” He sighs, taking a few steps closer to me. “Look, I’m really sorry for coming here. I haven’t slept much over the last week, and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I realize now I shouldn’t have come.”

“When are you heading back?”

“This afternoon. I already booked my flight.”

“Let me guess. 3:15?”

He smirks, but nods. “It was the only one.”

I drop onto the couch, and mumble, “Maybe having someone I know on the plane will make it easier.”

“You don’t like flying?” Cole walks into the living room, pulling out his phone and sitting beside me. I note how he kept a decent amount of room between us, which I appreciate.

And also hate.

“Not at all. Terrified, actually.”

“What seat are you in?”

“17C. Why?”

He does something on his phone, then shows it to me. “Well, now I’m sitting next to you. If that’ll help even a little, I’m glad.”

I hold his gaze, unable to pull away.

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