Page 6 of (Un)Spoken

Even growing up, I never paid her much attention. She was a lot younger than us, barely a toddler when Cole’s family moved into my town. And while I’d always kept an eye out for her, we never really talked much. After all, whatdid a teenage boy have in common with a kid six years younger than them?

But seeing Cole now, a guilt gnawed in my chest. I should have tried harder and kept in contact with her. Maybe then, there wouldn’t be this massive divide between her and Cole. While logically, I knew it wasn’t my job to solve all my friend’s problems, I’d been his guardian for so long that it was hard to let go now.

Shifting to face Cole fully, I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s the first day. Maybe she was jet-lagged.”

“Maybe.”

He shook his head, glancing back down at his hands. For months, he’d been trying to get Victoria to visit. After those attempts all failed, he shifted gears, trying instead to go to her, but Victoria always had some excuse, some reason they couldn’t meet. Even when he’d flown down to Texas to take Alex to spend time with his parents, Victoria bailed, citing some school-related emergency.

“I know things are going to take time,” Cole sighed. “But fuck, I hate this. There’s so much distance between us.”

“Okay, remember when you first started calling again?” He nodded. “Those first couple of calls were awkward as hell. But you pushed forward and made sure that Tori knew you weren’t going anywhere. Look how far you’ve come already.” I leaned forward on my elbows. “It’ll get there, Cole. You’ve got her here for a week. That’s already a win.”

Cole nodded, finally releasing the tight breath he’d been holding. “Shit.” He let out a dry laugh. “You’re right, man. I think seeing her after all this time threw me off kilter. I can’t stop thinking about how much I’ve missed being in her life. I don’t want to do anything to fuck it up again.”

“Then don’t.”

“Easy for you to say.”

I tried to keep my jaw from tensing, but it was useless. I knew what Cole was implying: that everything came easily to me, that I took life in stride, never worrying about much. And while I was known for bringing my passion to my sets— outside of work, everyone else saw me as the balanced, happy-go-lucky guy.

While it was a role I’d always strived for, lately, that guy was almost non-existent. It was getting harder to project that image, to keep my emotions hidden behind a smirk. To be honest, I was over being the guy with the joke, the one who let everything slide so easily off his back. But after a lifetime of playing this part, it was harder to shake than I thought. My go-to response was to pretend everything was fine, that life was golden, and I was the same person I’d always been, no matter how much it was eating away at me.

I cleared my throat and forced a smile over my face. “Tell me what you need, Cole. I’ll help however I can.”

“Tori’s staying in the cabin next door.” Cole fidgeted with his fingers. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you keep an eye on her? Let me know if she’s okay?”

“You think something’s going on with her?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling.” He glanced up at me, hurt and confusion marring his expression. “But I think Tori’s holding something back. I want her to have someone she can check in with, someone she can go to if she’s not comfortable talking to me. I want her to have good memories of this place.”

You didn’t have to know Cole well to read between the lines. He was desperate for this trip to go well. In his mind, it needed to if he wanted to be a part of Victoria’s life again, and despite his best intentions, it wasn’t like he had time to spare. He and Alex had been running around non-stoplately, obsessing over every detail of their property. Managing this place was a full-time job, even with a crew. Considering that they’d been working primarily alone, it was a wonder that they were still standing.

It wasn’t a surprise that Cole wanted Victoria to feel comfortable staying here, knowing she might stay for longer stretches if this trip went well. As much as he loved his life here, she was the missing piece, the one thing he still beat himself up about.

Maybe, with enough time, they could get back the bond they once had.

Cole had put in the time and effort with his sobriety, digging up from rock bottom with blood, sweat, and tears. It had taken years to get to this point, but I was still so fucking proud of him. If earning Victoria’s trust was the last piece he needed to move on with his life, then there was no way I’d let him do this alone.

“Of course, man. Whatever you need.”

After Cole leftto tend to some plumbing issue in Cabin Four, I ambled around the cabin for a little bit, debating what to do with my day. The only other visitor I had was my agent, Theo’s, new assistant. Eloise showed up on my doorstep, like she did at the same time every week, bearing a stack of new scripts to look over. Theo was tenacious, I’d give him that, even more so since he’d broken away from his firm and started his own agency. He’d rented out office space downtown, and as far as I knew, he was keeping the firm small. Theo personally tended to every client, and the only other employee was Eloise, who he’d snaked from his old agency.

Eloise was always kind enough, but I worried about her in that office with him. Not that Theo was a bad guy, especially now that he was very happily married, but I’d seen firsthand how his temper could be, and Eloise seemed like the kind of person who would break under the slightest pressure.

She stood in the doorway, fidgeting with her fingers and shifting on her feet, looking everywhere else but at me. As I sighed, dropping the pile on top of the ones she left last week, she spoke. “Umm, what should I tell Theo?”

“To get a different fucking hobby.”

Eloise grimaced, and I knew those words would never come out of her mouth. I sighed. “Tell him the same thing as last week. I’m not ready. I need more time.”

She nodded, muttering a quick goodbye before scurrying out the door.

As the screen door clattered closed behind her, I shook my head, squeezing my eyes closed. The scripts tortured me, staring at me as if they knew how much I wanted to read them. And while I might have told the world I needed a break, the truth was much more complicated.

I’d loved acting from the first time I stepped onto a stage. In the second grade, we’d performed some ridiculous winter production all about the miracle of Christmas. Even though I was just one of the reindeer, something happened when I stepped out into the bright lights. It was as if I found where I belonged, where I always wanted to be.

My parents thought it was a phase, that I would eventually settle into more realistic goals, but that wasn’t me. The day before my high school graduation, my parents sat me down and offered me a deal. They’d support my dream of moving to LA, but they wanted a time frame. Two years; that was all they were willing to give me. After that, if Iwasn’t able to support myself, I’d come home and settle into the life they wanted for me.

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