Delirium: Crash & Burn

Part IX

Evie

The café was quaint, it was shy and quiet. I look around finding an empty pod. I sat down and began to read the book. I was interrupted by a coffee mug being placed down in front of me, I looked up and saw Cole.

His hair was messy as though he had just gotten out of bed, he was in a baggy shirt and sweats. He looked restless. He held his coffee mug in his hand as he placed three small packets of sugar next to mug he had put down in front of me. He proceeded to sit down.

I looked at him, really looked at him, up close, head on, he was different to what I remember seeing him like. I was guilty that I never truly bothered to study his well structured face or looked into his eyes. He finally looked down avoiding my studying gaze.

"So, this is where you hid out after school." His voice was rough and breathless which caused me to feel hot a breathless, did he always speak so slowly, so sexily?

"Are you following me?" I mocked unable to keep a straight face.

He gasped dramatically automatically causing me to giggle at how light hearted he was being. It was refreshing from his brooding moodiness.

"How did you know?" He cocked his left eyebrow, leaning in as though he wanted to tell me a secret. He held the side of my face and pulled me slightly across the table. I could tell he was strong as he barely pulled me and I felt the brut force of his strength. It was intoxicating, it was sexual.

"I'm in with the FBI didn't you know." I raised both my eyebrows, looking around suspiciously using my coaster as my FBI badge. To my delight Cole noticed the gesture and he began to laugh uncontrollably.

In between laughing gasps he whispered, "tell me more agent Williams..." and with that he smiled. A lovely smile. It was truly one of the most breath-taking smiles I had ever seen. His perfect white teeth were fashioned in straight rows, as he smiled his cheeks came in revealing his perfectly shaped smile lines.

I couldn't help but laugh at this awkwardly lovely conversation. It was like a first date. I suppose he isn't as bad as I thought he was when we first met. I promised myself that this year was solely for me to enjoy high school, to be popular, to drink and to have all of the first times I missed out on.

I did not want to fall for a player and him and Harrison seemed like the biggest players in the school. But I could feel myself swooning. I wasn't sure if t was the lack of sleep, the shock from seeing my baby sister being taken away in an ambulance or the nude picture Harrison sent me, but my stomach twisted and turned as he spoke.

He took a long pause just to look at me mid-sentence. His long gazes made me anxious and slightly giddy inside. I could feel my insides heating up.

"What?" I asked playfully, I was completely sold, whatever he was selling, I bought it.

"Nothing, I just enjoy looking at you." His voice was certain and blunt, he did not stutter or shake when he spoke, he knew what he wanted. His certainty made me anxious, why was he so sure he wanted me. He didn't know me. He didn't know what I was hiding, the version of me he thought he knew wasn't who I was. I was playing a dangerous game.

If he ever found out, I was sure he would not hesitate to tell the whole school who I really am. Because you shouldn't mess around with popular guy's feelings or minds, they have the power to destroy girls like me. I was basically in a field full of unexploded mines and I was not treading carefully.

I was brought out of my train of thoughts as Cole reached for my hand.

"No but seriously, what are you doing here so late?"

There was a hint of concern in his voice, he furrowed his eyebrows. My face was burning, I couldn't tell him the truth. I didn't know what to say.

"I could ask you the same thing?"

Cole chuckled whilst shaking his head. He took my hand in his and looked at me, stroking my thumb with his. I could have died right there and then. One of the most gorgeous guys I had ever seen had my hand in his holding it as though it was the most expensive hand in the world.

"I couldn't sleep." I answered honestly.

He looked at me inquiringly, I could tell he wanted me to continue and tell him why I couldn't sleep, had I murdered someone and buried them in the forrest across the cafe, was I selling class A drugs? Maybe he was suspicious of me already.

I had to be serious if I was going to get away with my persona. I hastily grabbed The Great Gatsby and waved it in the air to summon that I was studying. In a twisted way I was telling him who I truly was, I was telling him I was like Gatsby, a great pretender and if he had bothered to read the book he might have picked up on the hint.

"So you're not only beautiful but clever too?"

His voice was doubting as though he couldn't believe that I could read. I started to laugh, an uncomfortable laugh, Cole joined in unable to contain how awkward he also found this whole scenario. Restless. Once our laughter had died down Cole's smile faded, he all of a sudden looked serious. His green eyes pierced into me.

"You don't know me, Evie."

I was stunned; I didn't know what to say, it was such a random statement to make at this time. I cleared my throat.

"You're right I don't." I pursed my lips hoping that this was the end of this conversation. There was a brief pause in the atmosphere.

"But you can try to get to know me. If you want."

His voice was pleading and weak. I didn't know whether him and Harrison were setting me up and this was going to blow up in my face. I had an unsettling feeling that it would and I would be left humiliated.

I snapped at him suddenly feeling exposed and weak. "And why would you think that I want to get to know you?" My response sounded a lot harsher than I intended. Coles eyebrows jerked up in shock, he held his hands up in surrender as he stood up.

"You know what, never mind." His voice was low and tired. With that, he stood up and headed for the door.

The truth is I was in limbo I was half taken over by my attraction to him and at the same time, I didn't want to fall for him. I was  Restless. Boys like him and Harrison are dangerous, no matter how sweet they appear. I was bound by my own rules that I had set up in my mind.

But rules are meant to be broken, right?

I stood up quickly, aware of my time and the fact that Cole was probably in his car already leaving. I rushed for the door looking out to the early sunrise, the sky was an iridescent orange as the sun came up. The clouds had faded and the rain had stopped. I scanned the car park for him, I saw him in the near distance getting into a sporty BMW. I slowly ran over.

I did not know what I was doing, it did not make sense, this seemed wrong. It was beyond what I could handle and this could ultimately ruin my plans. If Cole found out about me, nothing will stop him from exposing my lies. It was a risk, but I took it anyways. What annoyed me the most was that he only wanted me because I was pretending to be this popular girl who had it all.

If I was me, he wouldn't have even seen me.

Once I reached him, the sun was just rising, he looked good in this light. His tall fame hovered over me, with the sun behind him he looked as though he had a halo. He turned around, his bright eyes looked worn out but there was a glimmer of hope as I spoke.

"I do, want to get to know you."

I stood on my tiptoes reaching up to him, I snaked my arms around his neck as he grabbed my face. Our foreheads touched and he leaned in, kissing me. His lips were soft and moved with mine. He was gentle and kind.

For a brief moment, the voices in my head were hushed. I was no longer restless.