Page 2 of Ember's Heart
Colton looks up, and I don’t miss how his gaze sweeps over me. Our eyes meet for a fleeting moment.
Forcing a smile. “Morning, everyone,” I manage, my voice a little too high-pitched.
“Ember, honey, you look exhausted,” Mom says, staring at me with concern. “Didn’t sleep well?”
“Just...thinking,” I mumble, avoiding her gaze. I glance at Colton again, trying to gauge his expression, but he was already looking away, his attention fixed on something Cade was saying.
“Well, you missed a lovely breakfast,” my oldest brother Garrett teases, a smirk playing on his lips. “We were just reminiscing about all the trouble these two used to get into.” He gestured towards Colton and Cade.
Owen, the baby of the family, chuckled, adding, “Yeah, remember that time they tried to put Ember inside the inner tube and roll her down the hill. It hit a tree root, flipping it over and the air spike cut her lip open.”
Cade rolled his eyes. “She needed six stitches. That wasn’t funny. I still feel bad for that.”
My eyes keep drifting to Colton and I don’t realize my fingers are ghosting over the small scar that’s still evident on my lower lip from that incident.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed air, needed space to breathe before I completely fell apart. No matter how hard I tried to hold them back, the tears slipped, hot and undeniable, trailing paths down my cheeks.
“I’m going to step outside for a minute,” I managed to choke out, my voice barely a whisper. “I’ll be right back.”
I didn’t wait for a response. I practically stormedout, hoping no one had noticed the tremor in my voice or the tears already spilling from my eyes. I just needed to escape and to somehow pull myself together before I shattered completely.
As I step out the front door onto the porch, the cool morning air is a welcome relief against my flushed cheeks. Leaning against the railing, I take deep breaths, trying to calm myself.
The screen door creaks open behind me. “Ember?”
I can’t turn around. Trying to stop the tears, I feel my throat tighten.
“Look at me Firefly,” Colton says softly, stepping closer. He’s always called me his Firefly. I won’t admit to how much I love it when he says it. “You okay?”
Still refusing to look at him, I just shake my head. “Just give me a minute.” He doesn’t say anything, giving me a moment. I finally turn to face him. “I hate goodbyes,” I say, my voice trembling.
He reaches out, his hand gently cupping my cheek as his thumb brushes a tear away. He rests his forehead against mine. His touch sent a jolt of electricity through me. Breathing in deeply he whispers, “Me too.”
Then, before I could say anything, he leans in, his lips brushing against mine. It was a soft, fleeting kiss, an innocent touch that held a depth of emotion I hadn’t expected.
Just as quickly as the kiss happened, Colton pulls away, clearing his throat. A faint blush creeps up his neck, and he runs a hand through his hair, his gaze flicking everywhere but my eyes. “You better not get into too much trouble while I’m gone,” he mumbles, trying to keep his voicelight, but it cracks slightly on the last word.
“Oh, I plan on it. Lots of trouble,” I say, giving him a small smirk.
He chuckles, but it sounds fake. “Just don’t do anything stupid, Ember.” His tone turned serious. “Have fun, but don’t do anything that you’ll regret.”
“I promise.” It’s all I can say because I feel the tears in the back of my eyes wanting to spill again.
“I’ll write,” he whispers, his voice rough. “And you...you write back. Okay?”
I nodded, unable to speak. The tears were threatening to spill over, blurring my vision.
He hesitated, his eyes searching mine. Then, he stepped closer, cupping my face with both his hands. “One more thing, Firefly,” he said, his voice low and intense. “When I come back, I’m making you mine. You’re mine, Ember. Always were, always will be, and when I come back I’m making it known.”
Before I could respond, before I could even process what he’d said, he dropped his hands and stepped back.
Giving me one last lingering look before turning and walking back inside. I watch him go, my heart aching with a mixture of longing and something that felt like a tiny sliver of hope.
Unfortunately, neither of us knew what was coming. We never could have predicted that I’d go from loving my brother’s best friend to hating him.
August (Right before the start of Ember’s Junior Year)
Colton,
