No, this wasn’t good.
“Oh,” Mum said, stealing a glance at me. “We’re staying at Ali’s during… you know.”
Jenna nodded. She did know, of course.
“You look lovely, Oakley. I like the highlights,” she said, touching my hair. It was almost down to my butt the last timeshe saw me. Now my hair sat just below my shoulder blades and had lighter streaks running through it.
I smiled, trying to hide the panic rising inside.
Why had no one thought about Cole?
“I’m proud of you for coming back.”
“Thanks… but you didn’t know,” I whispered.
Cole couldn’t see me for the first time like this. A surprise visit was the last thing he needed.
“You’re welcome here any–” Jenna stopped mid-sentence and looked over my shoulder. The smile slipped off her face.
No.
My heart skipped a beat. Then another. I sensed him, the hairs on my arms rose.
It was too late to leave.
Twisting my head, I came face to face with a frozen Cole.
The sight of him in his kitchen was so overwhelming, I thought my heart might actually explode.
His posture was tense, his muscles bunched tightly, and he stared at me like I was an apparition. Then he took a step back, and his eyes widened.
I couldn’t look away from him—from those bright blue eyes and those arms I was desperate to feel around me again.
My pulse thudded, pumping desire and heartbreak and longing through my veins. He was in front of me, and I could’ve fallen to my knees.
He hadn’t changed much at all. His hair was a similar style, brown and slightly longer on top than it used to be, but still shaved shorter on the sides. Purposefully messy.
Only now he had the hint of stubble over that strong jaw.
I wanted to leap into his arms, to hold him the way I used use. We were so in sync back then, knowing what each other wanted and needed.
My eyes slid from him to a girl I didn’t know, and I felt a chill slither up my spine.
No.He had a girlfriend.
Jasper touched my arm, and I jolted. Cole was in front of me… with his girlfriend. Pain like I’d never felt before sliced through my stomach like a dagger. God, I needed to get out of here… but the shock of seeing him kept me rooted to the spot. A cruel joke.
“This is awkward,” Jasper muttered under his breath. He sounded so far away as if I was floating off. “Oakley.”
The girl, who I unreasonably hated with every fibre of my being, clearly recognised me. She looked at me with wide eyes.
“Oh, my freakin’ God! Oakley!” Kerry screamed, pushing past both of them and flinging herself at me, wrapping me up in her iron grip. Ben stood behind her, looking between Cole and me.
“You’re really back! I can’t believe it. For how long? I missed you,” Kerry said.
I needed to get the hell out of here. I couldn’t breathe properly, couldn’t think straight, and I had no idea what to do. Seeing him wastorture. If I got an introduction to the girlfriend, I wasn’t sure I could be civil and shake her hand.
Kerry continued squeezing the air from my lungs and, to be honest, I kind of hoped she’d knock me out.
