He walked away before I could respond.
I knocked on Cole’s door.
He opened it.
God, he looked good. Tired, thinner than I remembered, but good. His eyes lit up when he saw me.
“Autumn. You came.”
“We need to talk.”
His face fell. “That sounds ominous.”
“Can I come in?”
He stepped back. The room was simple—bed, desk, window overlooking downtown Asheville.
“I listened to the album.”
“And?”
“It’s beautiful. Every song. You’re going to be huge, Cole. Bigger than you ever imagined.”
“But?”
I turned to face him, tears already threatening. “But I can’t do this anymore. The distance and the waiting. Feeling like I’m not enough to make you want to stay.”
“Autumn…”
“Let me finish. Please.” I took a shaky breath. “I love you. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. But I need more than FaceTime calls and canceled plans. I need someone who’s here. Present. Choosing me every single day.”
“I am choosing you.”
“Are you? Because it feels like I’m the thing you fit in between everything else. And I can’t…” My voice broke. “I can’t keep being second. Not again.”
Cole’s face crumbled. “You’re not second. You’re everything.”
“Then prove it.”
The words hung between us like a challenge.
“How?” His voice was raw. “Tell me how to prove it and I’ll do it.”
And that’s when I realized: I didn’t know.
I didn’t know what would be enough. What would make me feel secure and convince me this could last and be worth the pain.
Maybe nothing would.
Maybe I was too broken to be loved the way I needed.
“I don’t know.” The whisper barely made it out. “And that’s the problem.”
Cole stared at me for a long moment. Then he crossed the room, sat on the edge of the bed, and patted the space beside him.
“Sit. Please.”
I sat.
