Fearless?

Fearless? - Chapter Sixteen

Do the thing we fear, and death of fear is certain,’

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chapter Sixteen

Azelie was in her room when she heard the doorbell ringing. At first, she thought she was just hearing things, her sleep deprived brain now playing tricks on her. But then it rang again, confirming that Azelie hadn’t gone completely insane. She quickly put down the copy of ‘Catcher In The Rye’ that she had been reading, and pushed herself off her bed. 

It was almost midday, but she was still in the baggy T-shirt and the pair of shorts she had slept in. Today was going to be a lazy day for Azelie. She had been up all night, thinking of all the questions that had invaded her brain after hearing what Cole had said. After he had told her, she hadn’t been able to get anything else out of him after he told her. He just stayed silent, and Azelie didn’t utter a word, even though her mind was buzzing with questions that would be left unsaid. 

She practically ran down the hall way, refusing to think about the cold wooden floor that was in contact with her feet. Azelie sped down the stairs to try to get to the door before who ever was on the other side decided to just give up. Her hand reached out and twisted the door knob, the door swinging open. A blast of cold wind hit Azelie making her shiver slightly, averting her attention from the person who was at the other side of the door and towards her bare legs. 

“Is this usually how you greet visitors?” a voice questioned, the smirk evident in the tone. She looked up to find Cole looking down at her, his green eyes shining in the light. “Because if it is, it’s an awfully nice view!”

“Shut up!” she cried, forgetting the events of the night before. “I’m still in my pajama’s alright? I was having a lazy day!” 

“Well get dressed, lazy! We’re going out!” He smiled brightly.

“What? Why? Where?” Azelie questioned quickly, a look of confusion forming onto her features.

“Jesus! Seriously, stop with the questions!” He complained, the smile slipping from his lips. “I’ve got a killer hangover and I seriously can’t do questions right now! Just get changed and trust me! Okay?” He asked, his face wincing slightly, after his voice rang in his ears, only intensifying his pain. 

“Okay, just come in then,” Azelie replied, deciding to leave the questions until later. She stepped to the side to let Cole in, before closing the door behind him. “There’s painkillers in the kitchen if you need some.. I’ll just go get changed,” She said, directing him to the kitchen before rushing back up the stairs to find some decent clothes.

Azelie was dressed in record time, slipping on a pair of comfy jeans and a loose fitted jumper while putting her hair up in a messy bun. She was walking back down the stairs when she saw Cole standing in the hall, studying the pictures that Azelie avoided looking at. He was looking the one of her mother and father on their wedding day. Azelie wondered if he could see the similarities between her and her parents. Ted had always said that she looked like her mother, but she had never seen the resemblance. Her mother was beautiful, while Azelie (despite her unusual name) felt plain.

“You ready to go?” Azelie questioned, from the stairs, watching Cole as he turned around to smile at her.

“Are these your parents?” He asked, ignoring her previous questioned. He turned around to face her, his green eyes looking directly into her eyes. She just nodded softly, not wanting to answer him. He let out a sigh, now regretting asking such a question. Last time he had done that, she had gotten angry. Cole knew that he had overstepped the mark with his question about why she wasn’t scared of anything, but the whole situation had made him weary about which question was too far and which wasn’t. “Look, I’m sorry about Monday. I should have realised that it was too far,” he apologized, his right hand lifting up from his side to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. “I deserved that crazy screaming fit, and I guess that’s why I’m here,”