Silence

Chapter Three

Oakley

"Hey, Oakley, will you stop?" Cole's hand circled around my wrist, and he pulled me to a stop. We were both out of breath and puffing. I rested my hands on my thighs and tried to breathe evenly. As I looked down, I felt a warm tear slide down my cheek and drop to the floor. Not again.

"Don't cry," he pleaded softly as he crouched down beside me. His finger gently brushed my cheek, and without thinking or planning it, I leant my head into his hand and closed my eyes. The comfort I felt from him was out of this world, nothing compared.

"He's not worth it. Just forget about him."

I was then pulled into his strong, safe arms. I breathed him in. His aftershave mixed with his own scent was all I needed to calm down. I regained control over my emotions and smiled against his chest. Being wrapped up in his arms was my favourite place to be.

Cole didn't care that I no longer spoke. He just cared about me and over the years I started to feel much more for him than I should. Perhaps it was always going to happen, we grew up together and had been best friends for as long as I could remember. That was bound to develop as were got older.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours, yet still not long enough, I forced my head up to look at him. He grinned sheepishly. "You want to ditch the rest of the day? We could go eat our own weight in ice cream."

That was a tactical move. He knew I loved ice cream and was using it to get himself out of trouble. Well, I already knew I was going to give in. Plus I'd rather go to a dental appointment than go back to school this afternoon.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. Cole rewarded me with his Hollywood smile. "Great. Come on then, little miss."

As we turned and walked along the path that led into town, Cole grabbed my hand. My heart jumped as his fingers slotted perfectly between mine. The gesture was probably nothing to him, but it made my insides turn to mush.

For the entire fifteen-minute walk, Cole's hand was wound firmly around mine. I didn't ever want to let go. I felt safe. Nevertheless, I kept my head down, hiding behind Cole as we walked through the small town. I was in my school uniform and didn't want to be seen by anyone my parents knew.

Dad wouldn't like it at all.

We finally reached the place that had the best ice cream around, Julie's Café. Cole and I spent so much time there, it was like a home away from home. We would chill in one of the booths and eat our fill of ice cream. It looked like your typical diner-style café, with light blue walls and cream booths and blue tables. The atmosphere was warm, friendly, and welcoming.

"Oh, there you two are," Julie yelled across the café. She was in her mid-forties and was one of the sweetest, friendliest, and most caring people I knew. The first thing I noticed about her was her new haircut. It usually fell just below the small of her back but was mostly tied up. Now it sat on her shoulders and flicked under. It made her look much younger.

"Take a seat. I'll bring over your usual." She ushered us towards a booth by the window. It was the one we always chose whenever it was free. The few times it wasn't Cole would glare at whoever had taken it like they'd just spat in his face.

"Thanks," Cole said, laughing as she fussed around, swiping up a crumpled napkin from our table. Everything had to be perfect for her customers; that was just how she was. We had barely sat down when one of the waitresses appeared with a chocolate milkshake and chocolate ice cream for Cole, and a strawberry milkshake and cookie dough ice cream for me.

I was just about to dig in when I heard a voice that made me want to throw something: the girl that liked Cole. No-name, Meg-lookalike babe.