[First Draft] Unresolved (New Chapters Daily)

Part Six

He rested his head on top of mine, creating a small cocoon of safety in a world that often felt chaotic and unpredictable. After a moment, he gently pulled back, holding me at arm's length to meet my gaze but looking slightly over my shoulder. "We've got to go, come on," he said, his voice steady yet laced with urgency. As he spoke, he tugged the sleeve that had slipped down my shoulder back into place, his touch both tender and protective.
We turned to leave, our footsteps echoing on the pavement as we navigated through the bustling street, heading toward the taxi rank. The vibrant nightlife buzzed around us, but I felt blissfully insulated from it all, cocooned in our shared moment. Suddenly, a voice sliced through the air, pulling me from my reverie. "Eva!"
"For fuck's sake," Cole muttered under his breath, the irritation in his tone catching me off guard. I instinctively turned around, my heart racing, only to see a familiar silhouette moving toward us through the throng of people. Cole's grip around my waist tightened, and I felt a rush of conflicting emotions surge within me.

"Robin?" I asked, disbelief coating my words as I blinked, wondering if my eyes were deceiving me. As he stepped closer, and I stumbled back a little, caught off guard by the unexpected encounter. Cole's arm shot out, steadying me as I regained my balance, his presence a reassuring anchor amid the chaos. For a fleeting moment, time seemed to freeze, the world around us fading into the background as I faced the person that I had been avoiding until next week, once I had my thoughts and feelings together. My heart raced, a mix of anxiety and confusion churning in my stomach. What was he doing here?
The tension in the air was palpable as Robin looked between me and Cole. His face, flushed from the cold or perhaps from more than that, was tight with concern—or guilt. Had he been drinking? I couldn't tell. My heart pounded in my chest, still reeling from the hug with Cole, the warmth of his arms now replaced with a sudden tension at the sight of Robin I shifted slightly under Cole's grip, feeling both protected and trapped at the same time. Robin took a step forward, his eyes searching mine. "Eva, I didn't mean to make things worse... I just—" His voice cracked, and the vulnerability in it hit me like a ton of bricks. He was struggling, but why? Why now? Why here?
Cole, still holding onto me, tightened his grip around my waist, his posture stiffening as if ready for a confrontation. "Whatever you've got to say, man, now's not the time." His voice was low, protective, but also with a sharp edge that I hadn't heard before.

I felt frozen between them. The weight of the past with Robin felt like an anchor pulling me down, while the warmth of Cole's steadying presence was a lifeline I hadn't expected. Robin ran a hand through his hair, his frustration showing as he tried to find the right words. "I didn't know... about you two, I just—" His gaze fell to the ground for a moment, as if piecing together the mess of everything that led us to this point before pushing his glasses back up.

"I told you, I needed space," I interrupted, my voice sounding more resolute than I felt inside. "This isn't the time for... whatever this is." He looked up at me then, eyes pleading. "I just wanted to see if you were okay...after earlier."
Cole's voice cut through again. "She's fine. Let's go." He tugged me gently, his eyes locked onto Robin, but his grip wasn't as soft anymore. It was as if he was trying to shield me from the weight of my past colliding with the present yet I stand firm before allowing my anger to take over and confront him myself.

"You just so happen to be on the same street as us at the same time?" I asked, narrowing my eyes in suspicion. The air between us crackled with tension, and I could feel my heart racing as I studied his expression, trying to decipher whether he was being truthful.
"Yeah, I was drinking with friends at Riley's," he explained, gesturing vaguely behind us. My gaze followed his motion, landing on the bottle of cheap vodka clutched tightly in his hand.
"The bar right across from where we were?" Cole scoffed, skepticism lacing his voice. Before I could shoot him a warning look, my focus was back on Robin.
"Really?" I asked, deliberately letting my gaze linger on the bottle, the weight of it heavy with unspoken questions. "I didn't realise Riley's did take away" He glanced down at the vodka as if he'd only just realided he was holding it, then looked back up at me with a sheepish smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Erm, no, actually. I was here on my own," he admitted, his embarrassment palpable as the facade crumbled.

Silence stretched between us for a few seconds, thick with unspoken tension, before Cole's gaze bounced between us, concern etching lines on his forehead. Then something clicked in his mind. "Do you two have history or something?" he asked, his voice laced with curiosity and a hint of disbelief.
"You mean she hasn't told you?" Robin scoffed, his laughter bubbling to the surface as if this was all some grand joke. "Oh, perfect. Of course, you didn't tell him."
"Tell me what?" Cole asked, turning his attention to me. I felt a surge of panic, my eyes pleading with Robin not to spill anything that could deepen the already tangled web.
"That," he began, still chuckling. "That's my ex-girlfriend, mate." The weight of his words hung in the air, and I felt the ground shift beneath me, the chill of reality settling in as I braced myself for the fallout.

"What?" Cole asked, disbelief colouring his tone as he looked back and forth between us. His hand shot up, gesturing toward Robin as if to dissect the very idea of what he was claiming. "She's—she's not your..." His voice trailed off, confidence slipping away as he realized I was still silent, grappling with the implications of Robins words. "You're not, right?" he asked, his gaze shifting to me, seeking reassurance.
"No, I wasn't," I replied, locking eyes with Robin, willing him to understand the truth of what I was saying.
"Oh, you weren't?" Robin echoed, a smirk creeping across his face, clearly amused by the chaos unfolding before us.
"No, I was never your girlfriend," I repeated, the weight of my words settling heavily in the air. The laughter on his face evaporated instantly, replaced by a fierce scowl that twisted his features with anger.
"Fuck you," he spat, his voice low and venomous. "I loved you." The desperation in his tone was almost palpable, as if he were demanding validation for feelings I had long since buried.
"We had fun," I admitted, a hint of regret creeping into my voice. "But we weren't together. We never were, and we never will be." As the finality of my words sank in, he suddenly smashed the bottle onto the ground, shards flying in every direction, glinting menacingly under the streetlights.
"Right, come on. That's enough," Cole interjected, stepping back and instinctively pulling me away. I didn't resist this time, rolling my eyes at Robin and leaving him behind in the street, surrounded by strangers who were now staring at the scene we had created. "You know it was more than that!" He yelled after us as we turned the corner, his voice echoing in the night, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth, the weight of his words hanging in the air between Cole and me, unsure of how I was going to explain this to him.
Neither of us spoke as we made our way to the taxi rank, the weight of the recent confrontation hanging heavily in the air.

 
"Look," he began finally, turning to face me, his expression unreadable. "I think it's best we take separate cars tonight."
"Don't let that idiot ruin our night," I said, trying to lighten the mood with a smile, my eyes searching for his.
"He didn't ruin our night, Eva, You did," he replied, his voice cold and biting.
"I did?" I echoed, disbelief flooding my tone.
"Yeah, you did." His voice rose slightly, and then he seemed to realise the intensity of his words, glancing around before lowering his tone to a near whisper. "You could have told me from the start."
"It wasn't that easy," I insisted, raising my hand as if to touch his face, to reassure him, but he pushed it away, the gesture feeling like a physical rejection.
"Of course, you just happen to forget to mention. I have to finish my fucking course with your ex-boyfriend—who, by the way, now hates me."
"He's not my—"
"Don't," he warned, his eyes flashing with frustration. "I paid a lot of money for this degree. I worked so hard to get to where I am. Do you even understand that?"
I shook my head, the truth of his words resonating deep within me. No, I didn't know what that was like. I had always flitted from one thing to another, never having to invest so much of myself into something. This whole course was subsidised in a programme I only qualify for because up until now I was determined to drink myself to death.
"Get home safe, yeah?" he said, his voice softening just a touch as he stepped back, a mixture of concern and hurt etched into his features. He turned and walked away, heading in the opposite direction just as a taxi pulled up, the yellow light illuminating the tension between us, a stark reminder of the unresolved feelings swirling in the night.