Page 73 of Echoes of Us
"Need help cleaning up?"she asked Dale, desperate for something to do with her hands.
"Sure."His voice was careful, too careful."That was an interesting discussion."
"Dale-"
"I'm not judging," he said quietly, stacking cups."Just...be careful, okay?"
She nodded, gathering scattered napkins and trying to ignore how her fingers still tingled from gesturing animatedly during her debate with Cole.Different timeline, she reminded herself firmly.Different Cole.
So why did he still feel so familiar?
CHAPTER28
It happened gradually.
Marie started missing gatherings - political science study groups, family commitments, and papers to write.Each time, Cole would still come, and Ashley tried not to notice how his eyes would find her across rooms, how he'd gravitate toward whatever conversation she was in.
The lab had become their unofficial territory.Tonight, Ashley sat perched on a counter, legs dangling, watching Cole adjust some equipment.The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled to his elbows, revealing forearms corded with subtle muscle.A lock of dark hair fell across his forehead as he bent over his work, and her fingers itched with the memory of brushing it back.
"You should consider it," he said, not looking up from the delicate calibration he was performing.His hands moved with precise grace over the equipment, each motion controlled and sure."A physics masters.You have the mind for it."
Ashley laughed, the sound echoing in the empty lab.She shifted on the counter, and his eyes flickered briefly to her crossed legs before returning to his work."I really don't."
"You do."He glanced up then, his gray eyes intense in the lab's fluorescent lighting.He took a step closer, ostensibly to reach for a tool near her, but the movement brought him into her space.The familiar scent of his cologne wrapped around her, making her head spin slightly."The way you think about problems, how you see patterns...it's not that different from what we do here."
"Maybe," she managed, watching a muscle tick in his jaw as he concentrated.This close, she could see the faint stubble darkening his jawline, the tiny scar above his eyebrow that she used to kiss."But I love what I do.Working with patients, helping them understand their own patterns..."She trailed off, distracted by his proximity.
"That must take a certain kind of patience," Cole said quietly, his voice dropping lower.
Her heart stopped.In another life, on their first date, he'd said those exact words.
"It does," she agreed softly."I love that by helping one person, you're really helping everyone in their life.It ripples outward."She caught herself gesturing with her hands the way she always did when talking about her work."When someone starts to heal, it affects their relationships, their decisions, their whole world."
Something shifted in Cole's expression as he watched her talk, his eyes softening."You light up when you discuss this."
"I do?"
"Yeah."He moved closer, reaching past her for a tool, though there was plenty of room to go around her."It's...interesting."
"Interesting?"She raised an eyebrow, trying to ignore how his sleeve brushed against her arm.
"The way you see people."His voice had that thoughtful quality she remembered, the one that meant he was really considering something."Like puzzles."
"Not puzzles," she corrected."Stories.Everyone's carrying their own story, trying to make sense of it."
"And what's your story?"The question came out barely above a whisper, his eyes fixed on hers.
The air between them felt electric, charged with something that had nothing to do with the lab's equipment.Ashley's breath caught as he shifted slightly, bringing them even closer.
"Cole-" she started, but footsteps in the hallway made them both freeze.
He stepped back quickly, turning to his equipment with studied focus.Ashley's heart hammered against her ribs as Dale appeared in the doorway, his expression carefully neutral as he took in the scene.
"Ready to head out?"Dale asked Cole."Marie's waiting at the coffee shop."
"Yeah," Cole said, but his voice sounded strained."Just finishing up here."
Ashley slid off the counter, gathering her things with hands that weren't quite steady.As she left, she could feel Cole's eyes on her back, and something told her he wasn't really seeing the equipment anymore.
