WHAT IF! cole walter

CHAPTER ELEVEN, the calm after the storm

The rain had stopped, and the sun had peeked out from behind the clouds, shining brightly in the morning. The ground was damp, and the air was thick with the scent of the storm. Cole was the first to wake up, stretching his sore limbs and yawning. He glanced down at Hollyn, who was still sleeping soundly. She looked peaceful, her brunette hair spread out around her, forming a halo in the morning light. Cole couldn't help but smile at the sight of her, feeling a warmth in his chest at the thought of being there for her during the storm. He carefully untangled himself from her, trying not to wake her, and unzipped the tent quietly to not wake her.

He crawled out of the tent, greeted by the fresh scent of rain-kissed earth and the gentle chirping of birds. The campsite was damp, but everything seemed to be intact despite the storm. He could see some tree limbs had fallen and a few branches littered the ground, but nothing major. And the campsite was fine as well, nothing seemed to be ruined or broken. They had folded up the chairs they brought and those wee leaned up against a nearby tree, so they hadn't fallen over. The cooler was still in place, and the picnic table was still sturdy. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that everything was okay. He looked over at the firepit, which was drenched from the rain. He had a bad feeling they most likely wouldn't be getting a fire going today. He wasn't sure how long the wood would take to dry, and he didn't want to risk it.

"Good morning." Hollyn smiles, stepping out of the tent and zipping it up. She had changed out of her pajamas and had her hair in a messy bun. She had her hands on her hips as she glanced around the campsite. "I'm glad the tent survived the storm. It was intense."

"It was, and yeah, me too. I'm glad we didn't get flooded." Cole chuckled. He ran his hand through his messy blonde hair, trying to tame it. It was still early, and he hadn't had a chance to brush his hair.

"The storm was already a nightmare for me so I'm very glad we didn't get flooded." Hollyn said, sitting down on the picnic bench after setting down a dry towel since she saw the bench was wet. "We're really lucky the tent didn't leak. I would've cried if it did. We'd be forced to spend the night in our car."

"Yeah, that would have sucked." Cole agrees, taking a seat beside her. "How did you sleep? I was glad you finally fell asleep."

"I slept pretty well, thanks to you." Hollyn smiles, looking at him fondly. She had a lot on her mind, especially after the events from last night. "Do you want to talk about...You know...What happened at the fire?" She stammered. 

"I was wondering when you'd bring that up." Cole admits, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Listen, Hollyn...About last night. I'm sorry if I made things awkward...It was just a heat in the moment kind of thing, right? It doesn't have to change anything. We can just pretend it didn't happen, and everything can go back to normal."

"Right." Hollyn agrees, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her chest. "Of course. We can just forget about it. It was nothing."

Cole was filled with an ache he couldn't quite explain. He didn't like saying what he did, but he knew he had to say it. He was with Erin and sleeping around with other girls. He and Erin had an odd relationship but they made it work. But with Hollyn...Things were different. She was his best friend, and he couldn't risk ruining their friendship by getting into something complicated.

"So, we're good?" Cole asked, his tone hopeful. He didn't want to lose her, and he needed to know that things were okay between them.

"We're good." Hollyn nods, giving him a reassuring smile. She was hurting, but she didn't want him to know. She was his best friend and if she told him how she really felt, it would ruin everything. So, she had to let it go...At least for now. "You're my best friend, Coley. You're stuck with me."