A/n; Jackie is your younger sister. After the family accident, the two of you came to live with the Walter family. You and Cole get along very well, in fact, it didn't take long before the two of you started dating. However, you weren't the only one who had her eyes on Cole, Jackie, your younger sister, had also developed a crush on the blond boy, you didn't want to hurt her feelings, and that's why you decided to keep your relationship with Cole hidden from her.
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"Wait, stop," you breathed, pulling away from Cole's mouth as you leaned towards the edge of the doorframe.
"What?" he whispered back, hand still placed on the small of your back as he looked at you tentatively.
"I think it's Jackie," you whispered. "I'm gonna go stall her, you sneak out the back and pretend you just got back home so she doesn't suspect anything."
He nodded at you gently, stepping back as he let you slide out of the room and towards the kitchen before she had the chance to get too close.
"Hey sis!" you grinned, throwing your arm around her shoulder.
"Hey," she smiled back at you. "What are you up to? Wanna go for a swim?"
"Yeah, I was just reading, I'd love to," you replied, grabbing an apple from the kitchen island before heading up to your room to change.
You sat on your bed, opening your night table drawer to reveal the bracelet Cole had given you two days before. You wanted to wear it, but you knew people would ask where you got it from. You already felt like people suspected something was going on between you and Cole.
You had been in love with Cole since you first laid your eyes on him. The only issue with that was...so had your sister, Jackie.
When you and Cole had admitted your feelings towards each other, you were elated. Despite feeling this joy, you couldn't shake the thought that Jackie would hate you if she found out. Your little sister was everything to you, and the thought of her being hurt because of you was almost unbearable.
You knew eventually you would have to tell her, but for now, you convinced Cole to keep things a secret until you found the right time.
You tried to shake off the anxiety, quickly changing into your bathing suit and grabbing a towel that was hanging off your chair. You met Jackie downstairs, both of you walking out together to the pool. You both dove in and did a lap before coming up for air.
"So," she grinned. "No country boys this year?"
"No not really," you lied, shrugging your shoulders. "No one really catching my eye."
"I get it," she agreed. "The boys here are so much different than the ones in New York."
You both laughed and began talking about the people you've met and how 'interesting' some of them are. The whole time you had a lingering cloud over your head. You hated lying to your sister, but you hated hurting her even more.
After swimming for what felt like hours, you got out of the pool to go grab a snack. Your wet feet shuffled across the floor to the kitchen where you rummaged around the full cupboards Katherine always kept stocked.
"Hey," a voice behind you made you jump.
You laughed when your eyes met Cole's, him leaning against the door frame watching you.
"That was creepy," you chuckled, pushing his shoulder lightly. "Why are you following me?"
"Just wanted to see if we could get a second alone," he muttered, taking a step closer to you.
You looked up at him, his breath warm against your face. His hand snaked around to your lower back, pulling you closer.
"When should we tell her?" he asked, his hair flopping over his forehead making you want to gently push it away.
"I don't know," you sighed, resting your head on his chest. "I don't think there will ever be a right time."
"I know you don't want to hurt her," he whispered, rubbing your back. "I'll wait until you're ready. Besides, sneaking around is kind of hot."
"Shut up," you laughed, leaning up to press your mouth against his. You probably tasted like chlorine from the pool, but he didn't care.
You wrapped your arms around him, letting his body warm you up as he swayed back and forth. You knew this, you being together, was right. But why did it still feel so wrong?
