Blair's world turns upside down when she moves in with the Walter boys-especially when Cole Walter enters the picture.
[Based on tv show]
[Cole Walter x female!oc]
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Chapter 11 | Broken
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𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 stunned from the shock of Alex's words echoed in my mind, and I struggled to find the right response. How could I have tried to kiss him? I had only the slimmest memory of the previous night, and now I was faced with the aftermath.
"I'm lost for words," I finally managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Look, it's not that I didn't want to kiss you back. It's just that you were drunk," he said softly. "But I regret not kissing you," he admitted, his voice tinged with vulnerability.
Before I could respond, a knock on the door interrupted us. Emily burst into the kitchen, her eyes wide with urgency. "Hey, Alex, do you mind? We have to talk about a history project," she blurted out, her gaze flicking between Alex and me.
Alex glanced at me, a silent question in his eyes. I shook my head slightly, silently signaling that I would be okay. "Um, no," he replied, awkwardly getting up from his seat. He shot me a lingering look before leaving the room. "I'll talk to you later, okay," he said, his gaze lingering on me as he stepped out of my bedroom.
I nodded in response, feeling a mix of emotions inside me. Once Alex was out of earshot, Emily turned to me with an incredulous expression. "Okay, what was that about?" she demanded. "And why were you skipping school yesterday? Oh my God, were you drinking?" she practically shouted.
I felt a surge of panic rising within me as she bombarded me with questions. "I skipped school to go to a party, and Cole and I nearly kissed," I blurted out, the words tumbling out in a rush. "And then I got drunk and tried to kiss Alex."
Emily's eyes widened, her shock evident. "Oh my God, I don't talk to you for one day, and you get juicier!" she exclaimed. "Wait, so do you have a thing for Alex or do you have a thing for Cole?" she demanded, her curiosity piqued.
"I don't know," I said, feeling overwhelmed. "I panicked, but you need to go because I have to finish these chores."
"Fine, but we're talking about this tomorrow," Emily declared, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Okay, okay, bye," I replied as she left the house.
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The kitchen fell into darkness as the thunder rumbled outside, the storm having finally taken out the electricity. I could feel the hairs on my arms stand on end as the silence settled around us, broken only by the sound of rain against the windows. Cole and I sat there for a moment, enveloped in the sudden intimacy of the situation.
"Looks like we're in for a long night," Cole said, his voice breaking the quiet. I could see the outline of his face in the dim light filtering in from the window. There was a vulnerability in his expression that I hadn't noticed before, as if the absence of electricity had peeled back a layer of his tough exterior.
I nodded, not trusting my voice to speak. The truth-or-dare game had left a lingering weight in the air, the confessions hanging between us like unspoken promises.
Cole stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. "I'll go find some candles," he said, his voice soft. "It's going to be a while before the power comes back on."
Alone in the dark, I couldn't help but replay our conversation in my mind. His question echoed in my head: "Are you happy here?" The simplicity of it belied the depth of his inquiry, and I realized that no one had asked me that in a long time. Not really.
I thought about my life on the ranch, the routines and responsibilities that had defined my days. Was I happy here? I had never stopped to consider it. But then, I thought about Cole's answer to my own question. "Sometimes I just feel broken," he had confessed. The vulnerability in his voice had been raw, and it had stirred something within me.
As if on cue, the candles flickered to life, casting dancing shadows across the kitchen. Cole returned, his silhouette moving gracefully in the dim light. He placed the candles on the table, and for a moment, our eyes met, the unspoken truths swirling between us.
"Looks like it's just you and me, Blair," he said, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.
I smiled back, feeling a newfound connection with him that I couldn't quite explain.
