Unholy Gestures

Chapter 2

Waking up the next Morning was challenging for some. Namely, for Cole, Dylan, Tyler and Heath.

Of course it was that group though, they'd been best friends for years. L however didn't drink enough to get hungover and instead spent the night talking to Jax and Claire. My two best friends for years. While I kept touch with Claire all through my life, I hadn't with Jax.

When we were 19 Jax left the town that we grew up in to become a doctor and we just kind of stopped talking. Then at one of Claire's house parties he had shown up and we got talking about everything we missed about our changing. Like how l met Cole and was hoping, then, that Cole would propose.

I had to be quiet walking downstairs, past all of the people who were sleeping, to be able to make myself a cup of coffee. I knew that the aroma would eventually wake everyone up and I also knew that they would act as though every little thing would kill them so I put the blinds down and had the TV on a low volume.

After I had made myself a cup of coffee I heard Celeste walk into the room with Tammi and Porter.

"Oh Addison, you are such a doll, you spoil everyone here." Tammi said.

"Just wait, I'm about to cook a big bacon and egg breakfast. It will either make them throw up or help them, either way it'll be a good day." I respond grinning.

They all laugh at me before hearing the groans and moans of men walking through the hallways while hungover.

"Please tell me that is coffee." Dylan groaned while walking in with his eyes half closed.

"Of course it is Dylan, what else would we be drinking at 10 'o'clock in the morning?" Celeste tells him.

"Thank fuck for that."

xX---Xx

"These cliffs are amazing, why hasn't Cole ever taken us here before?" Tammi asked no one in particular.

"Probably because he saved them for his makeout sessions with the locals when he was younger." Heath responded jokingly.

I turned to Cole for a second and could see in his eyes that he was far away in his memories.

We had spent hours nearly every day at these cliffs and he never mentioned that. I shake my head and blame it on my paranoia, before Cole I have been cheated on in most relationships and old habits were hard to kill.

"I say we go to the markets tonight." Cole said pulling me from my thoughts.

While everyone was chattering excitedly I whisper to Cole, "Should we show them the restaurant that we found the other week?"

"Why should we keep it to ourselves?" Was his response. We both loved that little restaurant, we had gone there every second night since we found it. They had amazing Greek food with a wonderful atmosphere. We sat at the same table and had the same server.

"Hey Addi, come over here." I heard Jax yell out from near the cliffs edge.

"Watch me nearly get pushed over the edge, Cole." I say laughing.

"Don't worry about falling, I will always be there to catch you." He said before pulling me in for a quick kiss and letting me go.

I walk over to Claire and Jax I could see that they weren't having the fun everyone else was. While they were still near the cliffs edge they were standing a distance away and not laughing and messing around.

"I need you to know that I'd never make this up." Claire says the second I stand with them.

"Make what up?"

"I think Cole is hiding something. I've seen the way he is with you here, he seems to stiffen whenever you touch and pull away the fraction too quick. Not to mention how out of it he is whenever we mention his past here."

"Claire, nothing is wrong. I know you're concerned for me considering James, but Cole isn't James. He's probably remembering childhood holiday's when none of us were in the picture. The only weird thing is that we can go on these holiday's now without freaking out about expenses." Claire giggles at that before returning to her sombre self.

"It's not just her, Addi, I know I wasn't there for James but Cole just seems different here. And you went to bed way before he was finished partying last night, so did you Claire, but all he kept going on about was his days here. How he, Dylan, Heath and Tyler spent their teens and early twenties partying."

I was getting frustrated at both Claire and Jax, did they really think that he was acting that different. Although, Celeste said the same thing last night. Is he really acting different? Am I blaming too much on my paranoia?

Both of them could see me thinking through all of this and they stayed silent. Finally I came to the thought that Celeste was just unsure because she saw Cole frustrated that we were interrupted and my closest friends just hadn't known Cole for long enough.

"He's not acting any different, I love him and he wouldn't do anything to hurt me. Can we please go back and have some fun? That's why we're here. To celebrate Celeste and Dylan's engagement and to crash mine and Cole's honeymoon."

I turn away from them and join everyone in jumping off the rocks to see who would get the biggest splash, with Tammi being the judge because she was afraid of heights.

"Come on Porter, you can do better than that. Don't let tiny Addi beat you." She yelled from the base of the cliffs.

"I'm not that short" I yelled back. "Don't worry, I will definitely lose because I'm small." I say turning to Porter.

Before Porter could jump I heard thundering footsteps come from behind me and I heard Cole's bellowing voice, "You're going in with me Addi." Before I was swept off my feet into his arms and then the feeling of nothing beneath our feet.

We fell the 10 metres with wind whistling in our ears but all I could focus on was my body touching Cole's.

Then the water erupting in a large wave around us as we hit the surface.

"That's cheating Cole and you know it." Tammi scolds.

But he didn't pay her any attention, we had come up with me still in his arms and he whispered into my ear, "go to the cave." The look in his eyes made me shiver despite the warmth of the day and the water.

I grin at him before pulling out of his arms and swimming further out the cove and towards the caves that we had found the day before.

"Hey, where are you going?" Tyler's voice was broken as my head bobbed in and out of the water. To not hear any of their calls I dove under the water.

The feeling of being fully submerged while knowing Cole was following me was intoxicating. Knowing what was to come even more so.