Olivia
“Shit,shit,shit!”Iwhisper loudly as I wake up around eight in the morning with Noah’s giant leg across mine. My head is nestled against his chest and his arm around my shoulder. I knew he was in my bed but I meant to kick him back to the couch before anyone else got up. I'm not ashamed of Noah, or the night we shared, but I still don’t understand my feelings and I don’t want to explain that to anyone else yet.
“Noah, wake up!” I say, wiggling out from under him.
“Huh? Ollie, what is going on?” Noah asks groggily, wiping his eyes.
“We fell asleep, and unless you want to explain to Cole…” I start, but Noah just tips his head back toward the ceiling and laughs as if this is a laughing matter.
I'm stunned silent by his reaction and just sit there staring at him.
When he doesn’t stop laughing I eventually ask “Why is this funny to you?” with more than a morsel of annoyance
“Ollie, I think everyone in this house expected me to end up in this bedlast night, and Cole is the last person who is going to question that” he replies, smiling at me. His answer only confuses me more because Cole has only ever shown distaste for any form of PDA or affection we show each other.
“What do you mean?” I reply.
“Ollie, he knows everything.” His face dropped into a very serious look I haven’t seen in years. Since that night in Oklahoma. Nope. Not getting into that right now. When I don’t answer him right away, he continues “Hedidn’t tell you?”
I shake my head in response, not sure exactly where this is going.
He sighs and mumbles something about Cole being an asshole, a loyal asshole but an asshole, nonetheless.
I jump out of bed and stand near the wall at the side of the bed. Noah sees my confusion and concern on my face and gets up. After walking over to me, he takes my hand and leads me to the door of the bedroom.
“Come on, let's go wake him up,” Noah says as he leads me to the living room where we find Cole sitting upright with a cup of coffee on the couch, Caroline’s on the counter barstool with her tea, and both are smirking at us like they just won the jackpot.
“Based on the terrified look, Ollie, I’d wager she's hoping to sneak you back out here before anyone is awake,” Cole says to Noah.
“Well, I figured you told her that you knew. You talk at least once a weekand are attached at the hip,” he fires back with a hint of irritation in his tone.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two of them argue or talk to each other in any sort of tone.
“Not my story to tell,” Cole replies with a shrug.
“Okay, okay, okay. Enough, you two. You are worse than brothers. Jesus,” Caroline jumps in, trying to keep the peace but also making sure I don’t lose my shit. She knows I don’t handle confrontation well and when it comes to these two, I absolutely cannot handle it. Both men stop, Noah drops my arm and turns to look at Caroline with a scowl.
“Since this conversation has started, you’re both going to tell Olivia whatever secret you’re keeping, and I'm going to stay here to moderate and make sure she’s not getting hurt here,” Caroline says with a stern voice. She’s one of those friends who you consider the “mean friend.” The ones you want by your side, especially in situations like this because we both know she’ll bury a body for me if it keeps me safe and happy.
Noah and Cole glance at each other and then we all venture onto the sectional. Caroline hands me a coffee, as we sit on the left side of the sectional under a throw blanket. The boys sit on the opposite side of the couch looking at each other unsure of where to start.
“I guess we just start from the beginning. Cole, tell Ollie where you found me the week after she came back to the city,” Noah says, unable to look at me, but sharing a pointed look with Caroline. It's a stare that screams he’s sorry and that he would never hurt me.
Caroline, however, doesn’t forgive and forget easily. She was there for the trauma from ten years ago and understands that this could entirely ruin me.
There is an overwhelming sense of anxiety and terror that devours me as we sit here in anticipation of what Cole has to say. Did Cole find Noah’s tongue deep in another woman? Why does that make me want to crumble?Assuming is not going to get me anywhere so I need to focus on the moment and listen.
“At the firehouse, running on the treadmill, ten sheets to the wind,” Cole answers finally, after Noah gives him a nod.
Noah’s head hangs in embarrassment and shame from his actions. And before they even get the chance to explain, I blurt out.
“What were you thinking? Noah, that is incredibly unsafe. You could’ve been seriously injured, and then what would you have done? You’d be out of work, unable to fix your house. What on earth were you thinking?”
Caroline places her hand on my forearm with a sincere look of empathy on her face. I can’t tell if it's toward me or knowing the rest of this story. I realize that any hope of hiding my feelings and whatever this is between us has gone completely out the window.
“That’s exactly what Cole said before he made me get off the treadmill, gave me a verbal warning and a write up. He then sat me down to chat with him. He was worried I would be a risk to not only myself but everyone in the department and he wasn’t wrong, I don’t know if I had been sober a single moment since you left at this point,” Noah begins to say. “And I realized at that moment, I was hitting rock bottom again. If anyone was going to help me get back on track and give me any shot at showing you I love you and I’m not going anywhere, it would be Cole. So I told him everything. Every moment from the night in Oklahoma, to Jarred and the letter, to our times overChristmas. Everything. But most importantly, I'm undeniably, deeply in love with you Ollie. I always have been and I will never stop loving you,” he finishes, all in one breath before anyone can interject.
My jaw hits the floor, Caroline’s grip tightens on my arm and Cole is looking at Noah with a proud look on his face because he knows how hard this has been for Noah.
