Run | ongoing

Chapter 2. Impulsive

[a/n]: lol sorry for the two year long awaited update - yikes. this chapter is short and is actual a$$, it hurts me to post but i literally needed to post something cause its been forever and i need this to progress taha. anyway hope this is good enough for now, ill fr try to write more soon.

Chapter 2. Impulsive

Have you ever had someone drag a knife across your body? That's basically what getting a tattoo felt like. The needle penetrated the skin underneath my breast, making it feel as though the artist was quite literally shredding my boob up with a knife. It didn't matter though, I was excited for the final outcome.

Cole and I had decided to get tattoos together - not matching though, we weren't that impulsive. 

My tattoo was the phrase 'nothing lasts' in cursive; it rested under my right breast and I found it to be a good reminder that any future pain I may endure will not last forever. Cole's tattoo was on his chest as well, but of a woman's body with a snake wrapped around her arms. 

"Alright, and we're all finished," the tattoo artist said as he pulled the needle off my skin.

I sat up from the chair and checked my new ink out in a hand mirror. For some reason I felt more badass, even though it was my first tattoo and not even a hardcore one. Just the fact that I went into a tattoo shop and went through with getting a tattoo allowed me the confidence that an actual badass probably had. Maybe Cole had this sort of confidence.

We thanked the artist for the ink service and left the shop with a little less money than we walked in with. When we exited the fine establishment we were met with some harsh wind gusts directed at our faces, turning our cheeks an astonishingly red shade as we walked down the sidewalk. Cole's truck was parked relatively close, so we made a run for it. Once we were within the confines of his vehicle, we started heading back to my place.

"When we get back, do you wanna... ya know?" Cole hinted as we were getting closer to my house.

His suggestion prompted an excited smile to form on my lips.

"I'll take that as a yes," he smirked.

I rolled my eyes at his arrogance but nodded yes in approval anyway. We pulled into my driveway and got out of the truck rather quickly in anticipation for the events that were about to unfold between us. A few giggles escaped me as we entered my dimly lit house and immediately began to kiss one another. Cole kicked the door closed behind us and lifted me off my feet and wrapped my legs around his torso as he held me up by my thighs. He led us to the kitchen where he placed me on the counter and began to ravenously leave kisses down my neck while I leaned back my head back and sighed blissfully.

The sound of a throat being cleared halted both of our actions abruptly. 

A lamp turned on from the living area where we spotted a certain someone sitting on my couch, arms folded, toast in hand, and a suggestive eyebrow raised.

"Jackson, the fuck are you doing here?" Cole voiced as he helped me hop off the counter.

He took a bite of toast and stood from the couch, "Well I thought I was here waiting to surprise my two favorite people, but I guess I was unknowingly waiting to witness a live porno instead."

My face burned a deep crimson as I gathered myself from my previous position. 

"By the way, your toaster is divine," he added as he finished off his burnt bread.

"Thanks, Jack," I laughed as we all settled onto the couch, "How long have you  been waiting?"

"Just about twenty minutes," Jackson said, flashing the spare key to my house that I never once authorized him to go out and make.

Cole placed a throw pillow onto his lap when we sat down and looked overall uncomfortable. Jackson smirked and shook his head in a knowing way. 

"So, uh, what brings you by?" I said, attempting to break the awkward atmosphere.

"I wanted to start a game night, I even invited Dylan over."

I grimaced at the mention of my brother, "Do you know what he's been doing here while I've been out?"

"Yeah I gave him the idea," Jackson grinned.

My jaw dropped in astonishment, "You're joking..."

"No, I mean, I used to do that to Cole since his room was cooler than mine," he shrugged.

"Wait what?" Cole looked up from his lap, a bewildered expression on his face.

Just then the door opened and in walked Dylan.

"'Sup bitches, heard we're havin' a game night," he beamed and plopped himself down on the couch opposite of the one we were seated on.

Dylan entering my house at that time of newfound knowledge was almost comical. This commenced an argument between all four of us for the next hour and a half until we finally settled to an agreement that we would all forget these events ever occurred. We also came to an understanding that the current sleeping habits Dylan had with my room would no longer be happening. And with that, game night began. 

The games consisted of: Monopoly, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and Sorry. All classics that kept our attention until 2AM. Jackson was the first to leave, noting he had an early shift to work. Then it was Dylan, who was simply tired and wanted to go to bed. Then it was just Cole and me left.

"Want me to stay the night?" 

I nodded sleepily, opening my arms widely to indicate I was in dire need of a hug. Cole smiled and embraced me tightly, walking us towards the front door to lock it and then towards my bedroom. We brushed our teeth in the bathroom connected to my room then I changed into one of my favorite hoodies while Cole stripped down to his boxer briefs. I dove under the blankets atop my bed while he turned out the lights and followed after me. My room was incredibly cold, as it tended to be, but being curled up with Cole made it a lot less freezing even though he refused to wear any clothing. 

He kissed my forehead and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," I murmured back as I burrowed my head deeper in his chest.

As I was getting ready to fall asleep, my hand happened to feel something peculiar beneath my pillow. Confused, I lifted my head and pulled out the foreign item and squinted through the dark to see what it was. My thumb traced over the relatively soft and small item in attempt to decipher it. With no luck in my findings, I resorted to blinding myself by switching on my bedside lamp.

It was a rose petal.

"Where'd that come from?" Cole quizzed.

"It was under my pillow," I replied, furrowing my brows, perplexed.

We both stared at the petal in confusion and shared a few blinks.

"Oh God, you don't think this was from one of Dylan's lovers, do you?" I nervously questioned, feeling sick to my stomach.

Cole snorted in response and took the petal from my hands, throwing it into the waste bin on his side of the room. 

"Let's hope not," he said before reaching over me to turn the lamp off.

And that was that. Just a random find underneath my pillow that may or may not have been from a past sexual night of my brother's. I shuddered at the very idea, but closed my eyes nonetheless and drifted off to sleep.

But if I had just analyzed the room more, maybe I would've realized it was in fact not just a random find. Maybe I would have realized it was much more than a simple rose petal. Maybe if I hadn't been impulsive with Cole we would have been able to stop this all before it ever had the chance to begin.

Then again, that's a big maybe.