Forbidden to Fall

Up All Night

He finishes cooking and sets the table.

"You ready to eat?"
I look at him while bitting my lip, he catches me and snickers.

"What?" I ask innocently.

"Too damn sexy..." are the only words that leave his mouth. I go to the table, pretending I didn't know the effect I have on him and sit on his lap, facing him.

"What's so sexy?"

He looks me up and down and shakes his head.

"Now you're just being mean," he pouts.

I kiss him deeply before standing up to walk to the other side of the table. I get up and he smacks me on the butt.

"Hey! You tryna bruise my ass?"

"Maybe."

I flip him off and pull out a seat. The food smells really good. I pick up a fork and dig in.

Tastes almost as good as you.

I thought I had said it just in my head but the way he reacted told me I said it out loud. He stops eating and looks at me surprised, slightly flustered.

"What?" I ask again. Once more he shakes his head.

"It's true!" I add.

"Girl, you're messin' with the wrong guy. I'm not very gentle."

I casually swallow another bite and say, "No pain, no gain."

Cole liked that, especially since it came from my mouth. When we finished eating it was almost 6:00PM. He started acting like a kid, teasing and tickling me. Suddenly, he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder.

"Oh my God!" I shout, shocked. He smiles and carries me upstairs.

"This is just a taste of what it would be like to be with me!"

He throws me down on his king size bed. He climbs on top of me, pinning my arms above my head. That cute, juvenile moment quickly turned into something intense.
He looks at me and we both stop laughing as he slowly leans down to kiss me. I put my arms around his neck and close my eyes. More deep, romantic, kisses follow. We make out for almost an hour before either of us lets go of one another.

"I love you," he whispers again.

"I know..."

My bra strap had slipped off my shoulder and Cole fixed it.

"You're truly amazing," he tells me.

"Oh, shut up."

I roll over and he plops down beside me, laying an arm across my stomach.BWe stay like this for the longest time. Neither of us talking, just laying and listening to the sound of each other breathing.

"It's  7:16," he states, breaking the silence.

He flips over so he's laying on his back. I turn around and put my head on his chest and he puts a hand on my head. With my ear pressed to his chest, I could not only hear his heart beating, but I could also feel it: loud and steady, like a big bass drum.

"It only beats for you," he says softly.

"Huh?"

"My heart. It only beats for you."

Maybe he does love me. But I don't think I can love him back.

We stay up all night catching up on the four years we've been apart. I leave out the part about my dad, and I know he leaves out a few things out too. Cole almost ended up going in Italy, but somehow he ended up here.

"Tell me about your family," he finally says.

I was praying he wouldn't ask, but I knew I was going to have to say something sooner or later. It's 10:34 now. I would have hell to pay when I get home to my dad.

"I don't really want to talk about that," I say weakly, sitting up in the bed.

"Hey, you okay?"

He could tell "family" is a sensitive subject for me.

"No."

I finally admitted it.

"No I'm not," I repeat, a tear rolling down my cheek. He rubs my shoulder and his voice gets softer.

"You can tell me Em. Don't hold it in. It will only make things worse."

He was right.

It was making things worse. I lay my head in my hands, and tell him everything.

I couldn't help myself. 

When I'm done, he gets up and puts on a shirt.

"Hey, do you still live in the same house you lived in 4 years ago?"

I nod, confused. He kisses my forehead and goes downstairs.

"Cole?"

...

"Cole!"

I call after him, but he doesn't answer. I jump up wrapping one of the blankets around myself and I run down stairs to see him looking for his keys.

"Cole. What are you doing?"

He finally finds his keys, puts on a jacket and opens the door.

"Don't worry about it," he says darkly.

In that moment I think I know where he was going. I follow him out the door.

"Cole, don't do this... please!"

I beg him but he simply apologizes and gets in his car. I shout at him through his closed window.

"Cole, you can't!  Please don't!  He's horrible, but he's still human!"

He shakes his head, a disturbing expression on his face. I am in tears, almost on my knees with the wind howling and the sky black. He tears out of the driveway, and leaves me standing in front of his Getaway...