Breaking Free (Phoenix Rising)

Chapter 6 - Ellianna

After grabbing my stuff from the lockers we leave the gym. Ry keeps trying to talk to me. I'm seriously not interested in it. I'm seething over my encounter with Cole. He wouldn't even give me a straight answer but apparently he thinks it's me to blame because I didn't wait? Or my fault he left to begin with. I don't get his rationale for being angry at me.

I sure as hell didn't make him leave and if he came back almost 4 years ago why is he now just showing his face to me. He wasn't even there when Grams died. How can he be mad at me that I left when he left first?

9 years prior

"Mmm, Kitten. You always feel like heaven." Cole says softly.

Laying in the back of his old beat up pickup truck, staring at the stars. We are at our spot deep down a dirt road outside of town.

I snuggle tighter to his chest, the night air is cool for summertime and we are only wrapped in a light sleeping bag Cole keeps in his back seat.

"You're done with school officially tomorrow. Now what?"

He sighs as he speaks. "I'm not sure yet Kitten, but you're mine and I'm yours. It'll always be you until all these stars burn out. I'll always find my way back to you."

"That sounds like perfection love." I whisper.

"I think so too." He whispers back as he traces circles on my back.

"You have one more year, then what?"

"I don't know. College for marketing I think. I'd like to travel some, see the world."

"Always so much spunk."

I giggle climbing on top of him. "Always with you." I whisper in his ear straddling his waist I feel him growing beneath me again.

Placing kisses down his neck and chest he grabs my ass and I feel my wetness increase before I feel him gently slide into me.

____________

"ELLIANA!" I hear Ry yell pulling me from my thoughts.

"What?"

"I've been talking to you this whole drive and you're all in your head! What the hell happened?? You need to talk to me sis." He's practically begging and concern is etched across his face.

"I really don't want to talk about it Ry."

Or tell him what I was thinking about, or the memory of the last night I seen Cole before he disappeared. Yeah, that'd be great. Sharing with little brother the amount of sex his sister had in high school. Sometimes, I reflect back and think how lucky we got that I didn't get pregnant.

Some shit show that would have been since he left without a word or contact. I texted and called him repeatedly for a full year until someone else got his number and I got an ear full on an answered call.

"Well Ellie, you know what? Fuck him. Fuck men for that matter. You don't need them. We are all a bunch of assholes anyway. Get yout life back sis."

I laugh at his response. "Coming from a man, that's gold Ry."

"I'm serious Ellie. Obviously, alot has happened and I just miss my sister."

"You're right Ry. You're right. Now, food and booze!"

Ty orders food for delivery after grabbing several bottles from the liquor store and we head to Sonja's. My place now, as weird as it is to say. Sonja and I roomed together at college and shared my rusty old Beatrice car. So it's nothing new, it's just striking to me how much things have fallen back into place being home.

Other than Cole, but honestly what do I even do with that. He's so angry.

Ry is right. I need to focus on myself, and myself alone. I need to get Brett to actually sign the divorce papers and I need to move on with my life as my own person. I know Brett is going to put me through hell about it though, especially since his family is catholic.

Maybe I should declare another religion and see if he'll have us annulled based off that.

Thoughts are running through my mind on how to get divorced as I shower and change into lounge clothes, complete with long sleeves. I hope this damn bruise heels fast because I'm running out of options fast.

I should plan a shopping date with Sonja. I could use some decor for in here anyway. Maybe a desk or something. It's a pretty big room considering it's the spare.

"BABES! FOOD!" Sonja hollers through the closed door pulling me from my thoughts.

"Coming!"

I'm glad she always got along with my family. Ry is like her little brother too, annoying and all. She's been with him for 20 minutes since we got back from the gym and I'm sure he's driven her nuts by now.

I bounce downstairs with the fakest smile I can muster like there isn't a million and one things running through my sad stressed out mind.

My heart aches for Cole more than it did when he disappeared, it doesn't even make sense it's been so long.