Page 59 of The Moment I Knew

One of her shoulders lifted in an almost-shrug, but she didn’t look up at me. “Sometimes, over the last few months… I’ve actually…” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “I’ve missed him.”

For a moment I felt relieved hearing that. Relieved in knowing that she missed him the same way that I did. And then that relief melted into guilt when I realized maybe I should’ve been honest with her about where I’d been going for these last few months. Maybe she would’ve come with me.

“I didn’t realize that,” I whispered. “I always just assumed you all…”

I trailed off, not sure what to say exactly. That I assumed none of them cared? That I thought I was the only one not over it? I’d been worrying these past few weeks that I was taking too long to convince Dad to come back, that by the time he finally came around, they all would have moved on with their lives without him. How bad had the rift between Ainsley and I become that I’d missed that she felt the same as me?

“It feels wrong to say,” Ainsley whispered in a broken voice. Even though I couldn’t see her eyes, I could hear her tears in the way she talked. “Sebastian and Lavender, they hate him so much. But… he’s my dad.” Her voice broke on the final word. “Is it so bad that I want him around sometimes?”

I moved to sit as close to her as possible, the sides of our legs pressing together, and wrapped my arms around her in a hug. She tucked her head into the crook of my shoulder, and I felt as her tears started to leak, brushing against my skin.

“No,” I whispered. “I don’t think it’s wrong at all.”

nineteen

It was a good thing I liked some noise when I studied, because The Corner Cup was busier than ever after school the next day. Every chair and couch had been taken by students and the only seat available had been at the counter, squished up against the wall, but I was so desperate to escape my house after walking in on Sebastian and Nora making out on the living room couch that even that spot seemed heavenly, and I snatched it up without a second thought.

I pulled on my headphones to make it clear that I wasn’t interested in making small talk, but didn’t play any music, happy to just listen to the ambience of the coffee shop as I worked. People chatting, the espresso machine going, Cole stacking cups in the corner right by me for at least ten minutes straight…

I tapped my Apple Pencil against the edge of my iPad—the new one my dad had given me, the old one tucked away in my desk now—and watched Cole as he carefully put some dark green mugs in their spot on the counter. I was no expert on working at a coffee shop, but I had a feeling there was other stuff he should probably be prioritizing over this. Especially since he’d gone from putting the mugs on the shelf to just turning them so they were all facing the same direction. Then turning them again so they were the other way.

I stifled a laugh as I pulled my headphones off my head and let them hang around my neck. I propped my elbow on the counter, resting my hand in my chin.

“Whatcha up to?” I asked.

“Fixing the mugs,” he said matter-of-factly. He took a step back, admiring the line of mugs, then stepped forward and started twisting them again like he was fixing an art display.

“You’ve been fixing those cups for like twenty minutes straight.” I tilted my head, my mouth twisting up in a small smile. “You trying to stay near me or something?”

He cuts his gaze to me and a warmth spreads in my chest. Since Saturday night, the looks he gave me have started to feel warmer, more welcoming, more teasing. And I realized I really liked the way it felt instead of battling with him.

Cole finally abandons the mugs and stands in front of me. He rests an elbow on the counter and leans on it casually. “I would be a pretty bad stalker if I didn’t stay near you, Princess.” He winked at me, then pushed off the counter to shift the milk frother a quarter of an inch.

“Thank goodness you were here to fix that,” I said drily.

“This place would fall apart without me, Imogen.”

“Right.” I tapped my pencil against the edge of the iPad again, and Cole’s eyes flicked to it. He smirked, just barely, and then, before I could react, he snagged my Apple Pencil off the side of the iPad.

“Hey!” I lunged for it over the counter.

He was already stepping back, taller than me by a good head, holding it just out of reach. “What’s this?” he teased, spinning it between his fingers. “Yours?”

“Give it back!” I snapped, half-laughing, half-frustrated, stretching as far as I could without toppling onto his side of the counter. “I need it!”

Cole casually tossed the pencil up and caught it, taunting me with it. “Need it… or want it?” His grin was infuriating.

I grabbed at his wrist, narrowly missing the pencil as he leaned just out of reach. “Both!” I gasped, lunging again, barely grazing his wrist as he leaned just out of reach.

With quick, effortless steps, he moved back, still holding the pencil high above his head like I might actually reach it if I tried. I flopped back onto my stool and glared at him. Cole let out a laugh, then lifted the little section of countertop up to create a walkway.

“C’mon, keep up.”

I stared after him for a beat, trying to figure out if he was teasing or not. He was walking backwards, amused eyes locked on me. He lifted the pencil again and waved it at me. I cursed under my breath, hopped off the stool, and followed, weaving between employees carrying drinks and pastries. My heart hammered, partly from sprinting, partly because he was laughing right in front of me. He ducked under the counter, spinning out of my grasp like it was nothing. I scrambled after him, hand stretching out, fingertips grazing his shirt sleeve. “Cole! Stop!”

He stopped just long enough to grin, then darted toward the sink, spinning the pencil on his finger. “You really are persistent,” he said, voice low, teasing. “I like that.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop smiling, breath catching as I lunged again. This time, he leaned down, blocking me with his longer frame. “Not so fast.”