Only, Always, and Forever You

43 - Hermy

Y'ALL, I'M SO SORRY I'VE BEEN M.I.A.!!!

I promise the next few chapters will make up for it.. They won't disappoint..

———————————————<3

Amara's POV:

James Anderson. AKA Cole's father. AKA the most powerful man in this entire town, if not state.

Upon closer inspection, I can see that he is standing in front of a 'Grand Opening' sign, and I figure that, as the Governor, he must be here for the fair's first night. Usually that's something the mayor would do, but it is James Anderson; he is more of a mayor than the actual mayor in this town.

The ferris wheel comes to a halt and I realize that it's our turn to exit the carriage. I stand up and try to step out, still holding Cole's hand, but he hasn't budged. It's like he's frozen.

I can feel something is extremely off, and Cole's hand is still crushing mine. He is tense, and his jaw is clenched. I can sense that he is angry, but even more so, I can sense that he is scared...

It's just his father, what could be so wrong?

Then I remember what he told me a while ago when I asked him why he was upset:

"It's just my dad. But it's nothing I'm not used to. I'll be fine."

I know his father isn't the best man, but the reaction Cole is having right now along with how he speaks of him is not normal. There is more to the story that Cole hasn't told me yet.

I'm not going to force him to tell me, and especially not right now. Right now, I can tell Cole wants to get out of here without his father knowing.

I reach out and lightly place my hand on Cole's jaw, and I don't miss the slight flinch when I make contact with his face. His eyes suddenly snap to me, and for a second I see a scared, vulnerable little boy. But not a second later his expression is replaced with a cold one, more intense than I've ever seen before.

"Hey," I whisper soothingly, "Focus on me, Cole."

He hesitates for a second but then locks eyes with mine, and it's almost as if I can feel some of the tension leave his body.

"It's just you and I, so just take a breath and listen to my voice," I assure him.

I watch as his eyes close and his chest lifts, taking in a deep breath through his nose.

"One time, when I was little, my family and I were in the Dominican Republic, and we were spending a day at the beach," I recount, hoping a story will take his mind off of his nerves. "My mom and I used to walk on the sand and collect sea shells, and one day, I picked up a sea shell that had a little hermit crab inside. I named him Hermy because, obviously, that's what all little kids would do."

Cole let's out a brief chuckle, but then his countenance goes back to what it was before. I take that as a sign to keep going, hoping that I'll be able to make him smile again.

"I became so obsessed with Hermy that I spent the rest of the day building him a sand castle on the beach. After a couple hours, I finished this incredible castle, all for Hermy. I mean, it had 3 towers, a moat, a flag, and everything. It was pretty legit."

Another smile and short laugh from Cole urges me to continue.

"But then, my brother got there and decided to mess with me. He tried to take Hermy and hide him while I was off looking for decorations for the castle, but it didn't work out too well for him. When he tried to pick him up, Hermy pinched him right on his nose. He pinched him so hard that if you look close enough, there's actually still a mark today. It looks like a closed up nose piercing."

Cole smiles again, but this time it stays. That makes me smile, too.

"Sounds like he deserved it," he says quietly.

"Yup," I say smugly, "He definitely did."

Cole studies my face for a second before pulling me into his chest tightly. "It's my turn to thank you," he says, referring to earlier when our positions were switched.

"Always and forever, doofus," I return smartly, making him smile, "now let's get out of here."

Cole nods and takes a deep breath before we step out of the carriage. He is still holding my hand tightly, but a lot less tight than before.

We start to walk away from the ferris wheel and in the opposite direction of his father, and we make a beeline for the exit.

We successfully leave the fair and look for his car among the sea of cars in the parking lot. I text Ella and Luke to let them know that we're leaving early, but I'm sure they've already forgotten we're here.

When we finally find Cole's Bronco, I reach for the passenger door, but before I can open it, large arms snake around my waist and pull me into his chest. I smile uncontrollably as Cole's face nuzzles in the crook of my neck and lightly kiss my skin before he brings it back up and turns me around to face him.

"Amara, I—" he trails, but then he goes silent as his eyes dart back and forth between mine.

"What is it, Cole?" I ask, concern growing more and more as he doesn't finish his sentence.

"I..."