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That notion similar to how Hailey’s been. More pretending, more fakeness. I’m hoping she’ll open up soon, but so far, it’s been useless. As worthless as trying to figure out why Lorna despises me so.
A chill shoots its way past my spine and down to my toes. Lorna, not much else needs to be said about that topic.
I pull the flower from my hair and begin to stroke the silky texture of the petal. It is easier to fixate on this than give him what he wants. Focus on the intensity that is his being.
He’s wrung out and I can’t help but think this is all my fault.
“Hey,” he says, reaching to stall my movements. “Don’t do that, don’t go to that place inside your head.” His voice is soft, tender.
The somberness weighs me down that much more. My chin falls, it as heavy as my chest.
“It’s alright. We’re going to figure this all out. Just don’t…” He pauses, pleading and it breaks me that much more. “Don’t… shut down.”
Cradling me, his arms swallow me inside his hold. My head automatically burrows below the crook of his collarbone. Like it should always be there.
His head rests atop mine, chest expanding as he lets out a sigh. I start to draw small circles around the beating of his heart. The rhythm, unlike my own, is steady. Solid but not whole.
“Please,” he requests. “Don’t shut me out… not again. Everyone else, I don’t care, but not me.”
My limbs stop their movements as I suddenly have the urge to cry, hearing the hiss of pain as it pushes past his teeth.
My chest splinters when it happens again. Those already formed cracks interweaving deeper inside my heart.
To the world, Cole’s tough, strong. Influential. Easily, he makes people believe he’s untouchable, but I know the truth. He is inhuman to almost everyone elsebutme.
I don’t know which is scarier: the fact that he’s fearful, or that he’s opened himself up enough to be so vulnerable.
Any way you look at it we are all hurting, and it’s numbing.
“Do you ever wonder if we’ll ever have a shot at normalcy?”
“Nah,” Cole concludes, binding his arms around me with more firmness. Not enough to hurt but enough so that I know he’s certain. “If you think you’re normal then you overpaid.”
My nose scrunches. “Overpaid?”
“Yeah, normal is for people who are too afraid to stand out.” My head tilts back as his thumb runs along the vertical lines between my brows and nose. “You, Rory, have never been normal, and that is my favorite thing about you.”
“Promise?”
“Promise, Princess. Abnormal is my favorite kind of normal.”
twenty-three
Rory
“Don’tyoujustlovewhen the weather gets like this?” Hailey hums in approval.
“It’s nice being able to eat outside,” I agree.
“My coastal bloodstillcan’t handle the cold,” she jokes. Stretching out her limbs behind her so that more of the sun fans her face.
The weather had warmed enough that they’d started letting students back outside to eat during lunch.
Although I’m not appreciating the dip of warmth as much as Hailey, I could agree it’s nice being out in the open spring air.
“You sure you don’t want the other half or even a bite?” I wonder aloud, nibbling on my sandwich.
“Nah, I’m not hungry,” she says, waving me off and closing her eyes on a generous sigh. Enjoying the fresh warmth on her skin.
