The Eden project

Chapter Six

Once again, Eden had woken up with a hangover and like always she was regretting it immensely.
"You're making a habit of this." She heard a deep, amused voice speak, she groaned loudly turning over to see Cole sat on the edge of her bed.
Eden's body bolted up right, her sleepy brain finding it a task to comprehend what was happening.
"Why are you in my apartment?" She spoke with a hoarse voice.
"I'll get you a glass of water." He said, ignoring her question. She rolled her eyes and looked around the room absentmindedly, Frankie was still sound asleep.
She felt her bed sink again and looked towards Cole who was holding out a glass of ice cold water.
"Thanks," She mumbled, smiling at him.
He nodded and watched intently as she drank almost half of the water in one gulp "you didn't answer my question." She reminded him, pulling the duvet up further over her bare legs.
"Me and Lock let ourselves in, him and Anna are out there cooking us all food." He informed her, stretching out on her bed. She took a sharp intake of breath as his shirt rode up, exposing his toned stomach to her eyes.
"Anna is up?" She asked bewildered, Anna was most certainly not a morning person.
"Yeah she was up when we got here, I think she's more stressed about starting this new job than she's letting on," He stopped to take a breath before his eyes scanned Eden's face "speaking of that new job, welcome to the team Eden." He beamed smugly giving her leg a pat. Her heart rate quickened and she covered her face with her hands.
"That wasn't a dream?" She asked embarrassed, this meant Cole really did think she had a crush on him.
"I haven't told anyone yet in case you changed your mind."
"You mean you'd give me a choice?" She asked sarcastically.
"No you're right I'd make you do it anyway." He told her smiling to himself.
"You're such a control freak." She joked, flicking specs of water at him.
"What can I say? I like to be the one in control." He drawled, something in his voice made her body heat up and she had a feeling he wasn't talking about the job anymore.
"Some people would say that's a very irritating trait." She spoke unsurely, on edge from Cole's burning eyes.
The right side of his mouth flicked up slightly like it always did when he was feeling smug.
"Some people would say it's a very rewarding trait." He rasped, her thoughts were scattered all around her brain, she couldn't deal with Cole's cryptic riddles when she was wide awake let alone when she was half asleep.
"Mmm, I don't think Hailey would agree. Come to think of it neither would Leslie or Sarah or the other two hundred girls that have been and gone." Eden joked, swinging her pale legs out from under the duvet and pulling some pyjama shorts over her hips ignoring Cole's obvious attention.
"I didn't sleep with Hailey," He informed her as he shrugged.
"I wasn't aware that we were talking about sex." She interrupted, he smiled to himself.
"Yeah right, well I took her out to dinner first because you guys are always hassling me on my way with women."
Eden held her hand on her chest, gasping dramatically.
"We'll make a gentleman of you yet Mr Sprouse." She joked finally standing to usher him off of her bed so she could make it.
Once she'd tucked the bed covers in and checked on Frankie they headed into the kitchen to join Anna and Lockie.
"Good morning Eden! How are you feeling this morning?" Anna chirped, surprisingly happy throwing Eden off guard.
"Not feeling too hot right now, hoping it improves before tonight because I am not one to turn down free alcohol," She warned as her and Cole took a seat behind the kitchen counter, Eden took a deep breath "What are you cooking? It smells so good." She complimented. Anna and Lockie exchanged glowing smiles.
"We're making everyone omeletes and also Lock brought fresh orange juice."
"Thought you might need it." Lockie patronised, leaning over to pat Eden's head, her body reacted quickly as she ducked to avoid his hand making him grin.
"We have some news when Frankie wakes up." Cole mentioned cooly, gesturing between Eden and himself.
Lockie stood up straight, his body tense.
"You are not dating my little sister." He warned sternly, jumping to his worst possible conclusion.
"What the fuck no! I told you she's like a sister to me." Cole reminded him.
Eden felt her stomach drop further one word at a time, she was 'like a sister' to him that was all.
"Yeah Lockie as if I'd date Cole anyway, not my type at all." She spoke trying to keep cool hoping it would make Cole believe she didn't have a crush on him after all.
"So what is your type? You haven't been on a date in...I can't even remember the last time." Anna asked curiously, Eden felt her body temperature rise tremendously in seconds, she had to be smart here.
"I don't know, tall, dark and handsome?" She joked uncomfortably.
"So Cole?" Lockie asked suspiciously with one eyebrow raised, she rolled her eyes dramatically.
"No! Me and Cole are strictly friends, kissing him would be like kissing you and that is absolutely not something I care to think too much into, how long is breakfast going to be?" She asked trying her best to change the subject, Lockie seemed satisfied with her answer and nodded.
"It'll be like ten minutes you may want to go and wake blowie up."
"Don't call her that!" She scolded her brother, but Anna and Cole just laughed under their breath.
"Hey at least I don't do it in front of her like some people." He shrugged, looking in Cole's direction.
"It's funny watching her get mad about it." He admitted, turning his body so that Eden could get off of her chair.
She shook her head trying her best to hide her smile as she entered the room that she shared with Frankie. She walked around the edge of her bed silently, she was still fast asleep.
"Frankie," She whispered gently shaking her "Frankie!" She whispered a little louder than intended causing Frankie's eyes to shoot open "It's just me, breakfast will be ready in ten minutes." She informed her, smiling as she frowned in confusion but nodded anyway.
"Be there or be square." She mumbled into her quilt causing a loud laugh to leave Eden's mouth, she covered it quickly shuffling out of the room not wanting to irritate Frankie, even though that seemed impossible.
"She'll be here." She informed the rest of them, hopping back onto her chair allowing it to spin from side to side creating a welcome draft.
"So this news...Are you going to give us a clue?" Lockie asked whilst he transferred an omelette onto a heart shaped plate.
"Nope." Eden mumbled, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.
"Can you pour me a glass?" Cole asked, prodding her arm incase she didn't hear him, she turned her head staring at him.
"Can't you do anything yourself?" She joked, noticing a glimmer of cheekiness in his eyes.
"I can do plenty of things by myself." He shrugged, catching eye contact with Lockie causing them both to giggle like school girls.
"How old are you both? Fifteen?" Anna joked "plus no one wants to hear that in the morning especially a hungover female." Anna stated referring to Eden who was sat with her nose wrinkled up.
"Guess who's back, Frankie's back!" Frankie sung sleepily as she dragged herself into the kitchen, waving her arms about as if she was fending off her tiredness.
"Good morning sleeping beauty." Anna chirped giving the first omelette to her.
Cole scowled at her as if she'd just killed his favourite pet.
"We were here first." He mumbled, holding his face in his hands, his long, slender fingers curving perfectly around his jaw.
"Sisters before misters."
"Anna you know I love you but please never say that again." Frankie mumbled as she shovelled the omelette into her mouth.
"Okay well now you're all here," Cole started, clapping his hands together earning a sharp glare from Eden "do you want to tell them or shall I?" He asked smugly.
"You two are dating?!" Frankie yelled, covering her full mouth when she realised the daggers Eden was shooting her, she knew she'd been too hasty.
"No!" Eden said firmly "if you must know I took the job." She admitted, jumping out of her skin when Frankie let out a loud, excited squeal.
"Seriously?! Guys this is going to be amazing I'm telling you!" She gushed, her big green eyes the happiest Eden had seen them in days.
"That's great news! What changed your mind?" Lockie asked and Eden gulped louder than she'd anticipated, she could feel Cole's stare as she struggled to come up with a reason.
"Um- I mean- Cole's very persuasive when he gets you on your own!" She rushed, thanking Anna as she passed her an omelette.
"That's what every woman says." Cole joked smirking to himself, Eden rolled her eyes internally, she didn't care. Not one bit.
"Well whatever you did good job Cole, the peace is finally restored," Lockie said, clearly relieved "You owe him Eden." He said, taking a seat opposite her, finally passing Cole his plate.
"I'm sure I'll find some way you can make it up to me." Cole agreed, his tone cool. Eden's body heated up, thoughts of how she'd like to make it up to him clouding her mind.
"I'd like to think that Cole's the one who owes me, he's lucky he's got me working with him." She shrugged smirking to herself.
"Yeah we saved your ass from all that stress!" Anna joked, eyeing them over her glass of orange juice.
"I don't stress. If you're organised and know what you're doing there's no need for it." He informed them, putting his knife and fork neatly on his empty plate.
"I wish I could be more like that, I stress over deciding which outfit to wear on a daily basis," Frankie sighed, finishing off her omelette "this was delicious thank you guys."
"You're welcome, speaking of outfits is there anything specific you'd like us to wear at the party tonight Cole?" Anna asked as she began to clear the plates. Cole's eyes narrowed as he considered his options.
"You can wear whatever you'd like as long as you look professional, there are going to be a lot of potential customers at the event tonight so our first impression is everything." He informed them, stretching his long, tan arms into the air.
"Thanks for breakfast, I have some last minute things to tie up before the party so I'll see you guys there." Cole dabbed at the corners of his mouth with a napkin before getting to his feet and brushing himself off, Eden's eyes seemed to control themselves as they drunk him in from head to toe.
They all exchanged goodbyes as they watched Cole slide out of the apartment.
                                                                        
                              *  *  *
Fuck.
What was he thinking? He wasn't,  that was his problem. After tonight Eden would be working with him everyday, he would see her every single stupid day. He'd told himself so many times that Eden was off limits and that she was just like the little sister he never had.
But everytime she looked at him with her giant grey eyes he struggled to remind himself that he couldn't lay a finger on her, he struggled to control his urge to pin her against the nearest wall and do bad things to her, things he knew she'd love.
But he couldn't. He wasn't the 'settling down' type of guy, not yet. He didn't know if he ever would be.
"What have I gotten myself into?" He grumbled to himself, swirling a glass of whiskey around in one hand, rubbing his face with the other. "Fuck it." He stood up and strode towards his kitchen cabinet where he kept his alcohol, his eyes scanned slowly as his hands rummaged through the endless amounts of wine and whiskey until he was holding a small box of cigarettes.
He knew he shouldn't but one couldn't hurt, it'd been a stressful day even though he'd never admit it to anyone else.
Since he'd arrived back in his apartment the caterers for the party had cancelled, the business providing the entertainment had cancelled and he'd realised how stupid he was for encouraging Eden to join the team. One cigarette would be all he needed to calm his shattered nerves. It was a good job he owned a restaurant full of food otherwise the party guests would have savaged him. He'd just blag his way out of the entertainment section with a crappy speech about how hard he'd worked to put this business together and how he hopes it'll thrive, the stuff people want to hear.
He rolled his eyes as he lit the stick in his hands, never had he - or would he for that matter, understand why people craved emotion. In his eyes showing emotion made people vulnerable, easy targets. Especially in the business world.
He took a long drag, sighing as the toxic smoke filled his lungs. His mind drifted back to Eden and he thought about what Anna had said to her, "I can't even remember the last time you went on a date." He smirked to himself but it quickly faded. He hoped that the reason for Eden not going on a date in so long had nothing to do with him.
If he'd been right about her 'fancying the fuck' out of him as he'd put it, he'd feel guilty.
The number of girls he'd screwed and then left like they were nothing were quickly accumulating to a number he daren't admit to.
He wouldn't let Eden be one of those girls, he couldn't. Eden, unlike the other women who Cole knew only cared for his money, cared for something else. She was the type of girl who deserved to wake up every morning next to someone that would love her endlessly and do all the little things for her that would make her smile.
He wasn't that person. He could never be that person. And he never planned to be.