Outbound Lane An Unspoken Truth Novella (Unspoken Truth Series) (4 page)

I lean my butt against the sink and cover my face in embarrassment. My face is probably beet red and I don’t even want to see it in the mirror. I go ahead and strip down; at least I don’t have to wait for hot water. I can’t believe I was so close to seeing Cole naked. This is so not how my love life should be starting out, if you can even call it that.
I let the hot water erase the day away. I try to just think about my day with Cole, and the way he took charge at my apartment and the amazing kiss that still lingers on my lips.

Once I’m out of the shower, I throw on my pajamas and peek out the door to make sure the coast is clear. I quietly make it back to the room and I notice there are fresh sheets on the bed and a note on the pillow.
Did I really take that long of a shower?

I put fresh sheets on the bed. Please feel free to make yourself at home here. I can’t say I’m upset to have you close to me, for as long as it takes. You are safe her
e. Try to get some sleep. Cole.

I think my heart melted into a puddle right there.
I put the note in my handbag, so I can keep it. I slide into his bed, and pull the clean sheets over me. They even smell fresh. Slowly, I begin to drift off into sleep.

~
~ ~ ~ ~

The brightness of the sun beaming into the crack of the open curtain wakes me up. I look at my surroundings and realize I’m in Cole’s bed. And then the previous day’s events run through my head like a
reel to a home movie. Then I remember why I’m here in the first place. I turn my head the opposite direction of the sun and see the clock reads 11 a.m. I manage to climb out of the comfy bed and pull on a pair of shorts and a tank top and I pull my hair back into a ponytail. I make my way to the kitchen and find Cole cooking.

“Well
, isn’t this a sight?” I say, joking, trying to break the ice.

“
Hey there. I hope you like bacon, lettuce and tomatoes. Because I’m making us BLTs.” He smiles.

“Yum.
” I sit on the stool against the island and watch him. This is such an unfamiliar territory for me and I have no idea what I should do or how to act.

Chapter Four

COLE PUTS THE PLATE in front of me and joins me by sitting on the stool next to me. “Mmm, this is really good,” I say, covering my mouth full of food.

“Thank you. Did you sleep well last night?”

“I did. Thanks for everything yesterday. I mean it.”

“It was a good day,
aside from what you came home to. I’m glad I was there,” he says, finishing his BLT.

“I honestly don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there. You kept me from rocking myself in a corner,” I tell him. “But I should probably have you take me to go get my car, so I can get to work and
the support group I go to once a week.”

“
Sure, I can take you. Since it’s Sunday and there’s really nothing else to do, would you want to go fishing?”

“Yeah, that sounds
good. I’ve never fished before, but sounds fun,” I tell him. My phone buzzes against the counter. I slide it open and see Renee’s smiling face.

I slide the sliding glass doors open and step out back onto the porch
, sitting on the step. “Hey gorgeous,” I say into the video.

“So, how are th
ings going? Is that….are you?” she asks without finishing the sentence.

“Yes, I don’t want to alarm you or anything but when I got back from my second date with Cole the apartment was completely trashed.
But thank god Cole was there.”

“Oh my god, are you okay? That is so horrible,” she says.

“Yes. So I’m staying here,” I say, motioning with my hand.

She smirks.
“I’m surprised Cole convinced you.”

“It didn’t take much convincing,” I whisper.

“It was either go willingly or I would have carried her out,” Cole barges into the conversation.

Renee and I both laugh. “Yea
h, there was that,” I tell her, laughing.

“I know you are in good hands. Just be safe and let me know if anything changes. I miss you,” she says.

“I miss you, too. Give Layne a kiss for me.” I wink at her.

“I’ll call you soon,” she says.

I shut my phone off and head back inside, finding Cole putting the dishes in the dishwasher. “It didn’t take much convincing, eh?” he jokes.

“Very funny,” I say. “Are we going
fishing or what?” I lean against the counter.

“Better watch it
, little one; that mouth of yours might get you into trouble,” he says, wiping his hands on a dish towel.

“And you’re the big bad wolf?” I say sarcastically.

“Alright, move your ass,” he says, adding his wicked smirk. He grabs two fishing poles and a tackle box.

I grab my purse and throw my phone inside, and put on my sandals as we head out the door. He helps assist me into the truck by opening the door and shutting it once I’m in.
He puts the poles and box in the back of the truck. At least he is fun to bicker with and he makes me laugh.

“We’ll just get your car on the way back. Is that okay?”

“Yeah that’s fine,” I tell him.

He winks at me and starts the truck and we are on our way to the lake. Today might be a good day as any to tell him my truth, and the painful past I live with on a daily basis.
For now, I enjoy the ride and the scenery that passes by. Butterflies dance in my stomach as Cole parks near the lake. I jump out of the truck as Cole grabs the stuff from the back.

“Are you going to be racing anytime soon? I haven’t seen you race for a while,” I tell him.

“All the racers are on a break, so it could be a few weeks. I hope you will be on the sidelines when I do get to, though,” he says.

“Of course. That’s one thing I looked forward to with Renee, and it was always fun,” I tell him.

“Well, you’ll be the first to know when we start back up again.” He smirks. He pulls out a worm and puts one on each of the fishing poles.

“Eww,” I say.

“You’re such a girl,” he says, handing me a pole. I follow his lead and throw the line into the water. Then I do it a few more times with no luck.

He hooks a fish a
nd takes it off the line, and throws it in the cooler he brought. “May I?” He points to the pole I’m holding.

The thought of Cole positioning himself behind me freaks me the hell out. “Okay,” I unwillingly agree. My brai
n is definitely mush around him.

~
~ ~ ~ ~

COLE

Does Alexis know how bad I’ve wanted to touch her, to feel her milky smooth skin? Granted this wasn’t a ploy to grope her. I would never disrespect her in any way, but it’s just such a temptation.

I position myself behind her. “Just
relax; it’s only me,” I whisper in her ear, almost brushing my lips against it. Her breath hitches.

I overlap her arms with mine and put my hands over hers, and snap the pole back and fling it back into the water. She giggles, surprisingly.

“Shh, you’ll scare the fish,” I whisper to her.

I feel her trying not to laugh
as her body trembles. And I have no idea what is so damn funny. But at least she is not completely freaking out with me being on her like this. Or maybe this is her way of freaking out. I don’t know, but she smells so damn good, like fresh berries sweet, sugary and irresistible. God, she is going to be the death of me.

I pull
and snap the line back again and fling it back into the water. Finally a fish hooks and we reel it in. I unhook the fish from the pole and step back, giving her space, and I place the fish in the cooler. “We have dinner for tonight; I know you said you weren’t big on seafood, which means you don’t find it totally disgusting. And once you’ve had my fish, it will be melting in your mouth,” I tell her.

“I guess I’ll have
to be the judge of that.” She grins.

“You are on a roll today, aren’t you?”

She shrugs, smiling. “I guess I’m just in an usual mood.”

“I like it. And you surprise me sometimes,” I tell her. “Wanna sit for a little bit?” I ask.

“Sure.”

Sh
e kicks off her sandals and we dangle our legs over the pier.

“I just wan
t you to know, and I know I keep telling you, but you can trust me. With anything. No matter what.”

“With anything?”
she asks.

“Anything,” I assure her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Alexis

As weird as it sounds, Cole’s touch felt nice. I knew I was safe, I knew Cole would never disrespect me in any way, shape, or form. He is good and nice to look at. I had to giggle when he had his arms around me because I was uncomfortable, but I wanted to be brave and see what it felt like to have his arms around me. I was quite proud of myself for not freaking the hell out.

“Well, I guess now is as good
of a time as any to tell you about my past,” I tell him, taking a deep breath.

“You can trust me with anything,” he says. We both
grip the edge of the pier and our hands are so close together, but not touching.

“I was sexually abused as a child. He was a monster, and lived next door from us.
And my parents trusted him,” I say, waiting on a response from Cole.

“What happened? Did you tell your parents what happened?”

“No, he threatened to kill everyone I loved if I told. So I never told and it went on for years. I started throwing up every time he touched me and every time after I ate. My life was out of control and throwing up was the only control I had. I would wear baggy clothes, and I would always keep to myself. I hated the smirk he would make when he made me do things against my will. Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.” I shudder.

“It makes me sick to my stomach knowing someone is so capable of doing such a horrific thing, especially to you. I get it now. And I understand
one-hundred percent why you are so hesitant to trust and let someone in your life. Gosh, that is just so fucked up,” he says, looking off into the distance.

“I know. All I ask is please try to be patient with me. I’m making progress with my eating habits, and Renee has been a huge influence on me and I think it’s why she and I connected so well. She gets it. With time, I think I can get better,” I tell him, not knowing if I’m trying to convince him or myself.

“I can wait as long as it takes. I’m in no hurry to rush into anything. I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me. I wish I would have killed him when I had the chance. I would. I would kill him with my bare hands,” he says as the anger rolls off him.

“I’m trying to get past it, day by day. Some days are worse than others, but the better days make living worth it. And Cole, I really wouldn’t know what to do without you in my life. I value the friendship we have, and I only hope you can just be patient with me,” I tell him, straight from my heart.

My heart takes over and I have no control what comes out of my mouth until it’s too late. I know my feelings could grow for Cole and not every guy would wait around. I got lucky with him, I guess.

“What’s your story?” I ask
, pulling on his baseball cap and trying to lighten the mood.

“I told you before. I’m an only child; my parents own a diner
, and I worked there as a bus boy and my cousin, Chase, worked there every summer.”

“I know all that. But how come some girl hasn’t snatched you up yet?” I ask boldly.

“I’ve just been waiting on the right one to come along, I guess.” He shrugs. “Well, are you ready to go? We should get your car and get the fish going for dinner.”

“Yep.
” I stand and slide my sandals back on while Cole gathers both poles and the tackle box. “I’ll carry the cooler; it only has two fish in there,” I tell him, picking it up.

We put everything in the back of the truck and I insist on helping myself into the truck this time. He doesn’t always
have to be so gentlemanly.

“Cole, just as you told me to trust you, I do. And I only ask that you be yourself.
Don’t try to impress me; just be you. I like you.”

“Well, if I want to open the door for you, that is just the way I was raised. I
was raised that you treat women with respect and you will just have to get over it. If I want to open the door for you, I will.”

“Okay,” I tell him.

Chapter Five

WE ARRIVE AT MY APARTMENT and I decide to check the mail and throw it in my passenger seat as I follow Cole back to his place. Once we arrive at his place, I follow him inside and to the kitchen as I open my mail.

“N
ow, how about we cook some fish, Lexi? Can I call you Lexi?”

“You
can; my parents call me that. And I’m game as long as I don’t have to skin it or anything,” I shiver at the thought.