Cole & Jamie

Chapter 1

I was going through my old documents recently and I found this story that I wrote back in 2017. If you've been following me for a long time you may have read it when I posted it a few years ago, I'm in the process of revising it and maybe one day reposting it or getting it traditionally published. I say all that to say I would love to hear you guys' thoughts on what I have so far. All comments are welcome; both positive and negative.

"Ma'am, would you like to place your order?"

"No thank you. I'm waiting for someone."

The waiter gave me a pitying smile as he looked down at me sitting alone in the booth. He thinks I got stood up and I can't blame him. This is the third time he's circled back to me and I still had no date in sight.  "More wine, then?"

"No, this is enough for now." If I'm still alone in twenty minutes I might ask him to bring the whole bottle. "Thanks for asking."

"No problem."

He left me alone in my corner booth. It would only be a matter of time before he was back to ask me again, and I hoped my guest would be here by then. It was only the middle of the week, but the upscale steakhouse was packed. I hated waiting, but people-watching was always fun. In the forty-five minutes I've been waiting here I've seen a couple get in an argument, a family ignoring each other over a table of food that I'm sure is worth half my mortgage, and a beautiful birthday dinner.

Cole always had a habit of being late. Nice to see that hasn't changed over the years.

I took a slow sip from my emptying wine glass trying to ease the nerves in my chest. I'm still shocked that he invited me to dinner tonight, or that he contacted me at all. We haven't spoken in ten years. Once upon a time, we were best friends but it's been ten years since we last spoke. Now it's crazy to even think that I ever knew Grammy award-winning, millionaire playboy Cole Walters at all. Times were so simple then; he was just Cole and I was just Jamie. 

I thought he would have forgotten all about me by now. Cole's superstardom was always a no-brainer for me. He was always talented, misguided, but talented. When our friendship fell apart all those years ago I was devastated. It was like losing a piece of my heart. From the day we met to the last day we saw each other, Cole and I were inseparable.  There wasn't a day from the age of ten to eighteen that we didn't spend together. Yes, we had fights here and there, but if you would have told me that we would go ten years without speaking I never would have believed you.

And now he's standing me up.

I sighed, setting down my glass. My heeled foot tapped restlessly against the hardwood floor. Okay, maybe I shouldn't jump to conclusions, he's a very busy man I'm sure there's a reason why he's late. I flipped my phone over and checked the time; eight p.m. on the dot. I'll give him ten more minutes then I'm leaving.

Five minutes passed and I was waving down my waiter to take him up on that second glass of wine when I spotted him.

Standing at six-three, the scrawny kid I left behind at seventeen no longer existed. I'd seen recent pictures of him, of course, but this was a lot different than seeing a picture of him on my phone screen. Dressed in a white button-down that hugged his chest just right and a pair of black dress pants, Cole glided across the room like he owned the place. I mean he could if he wanted to. Our eyes locked as he approached and suddenly I was unable to move. All the nerves that have been building since he called me Monday afternoon suddenly fired in my chest and I sat frozen.

It wasn't until he reached the table that I was able to snap myself out of it.

"I'm so sorry for running late," he apologized, pulling me into a hug. "There was a massive wreck on the highway."