Page 20 of Don’t Leave (Stay #2)

“I do.” He leans even closer before adding, “You went through a difficult time last year and Cole accepts that. Whether he realizes it or not, you’ve had a lot of shit to work out in your head.

And you were seeing her before you even met or got involved with him.

Her being your therapist doesn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things.

You just need to get it all out in the open and then, I promise, you’ll feel better. ”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

He reaches out and takes my hand with his own before gently squeezing it. “If Cole loves you as much as you think he does, he’ll understand. It’s that simple.”

Silently, I turn his words over in my head.

Maybe Luke is right, and it isn’t that big of a deal.

A tentative smile lifts my lips.

Luke’s perspective has made me feel so much better about the situation. “You’re right. I’m going to talk to him about it.” The sooner I can get this out in the open, the better off I’ll feel. Maybe then I can even stop in and see Dr. Thompson.

At least say goodbye to her.

Finally. I have a plan. It’s like a huge weight has been lifted from my chest and I can breathe again.

He smiles in return before releasing my hand and grabbing his phone. “I wish there was more time to talk but I’ve got to get going, it’s almost six. I still have to eat and get over to the arena.”

Wait…what?

Six?

It can’t be that late already!

I gasp and search my bag for my phone. Once I’ve found it, I hit the screen only to see that Luke is right. It’s six o’clock. All those good feelings surging through me dissolve, leaving panic and dread to fill their place.

Crap!

I was supposed to meet Cole at the Union at five thirty. I remember glancing at my phone, and it was only five o’clock. How did a whole hour slide by? It doesn’t even feel like Luke and I were talking for that long.

A groan escapes from me when I realize there are three missed calls and a slew of unanswered text messages. I didn’t hear any of them because I’d silenced the ringer. I jerk to my feet and shove everything into my bag.

“Cassidy?”

I glance up only to find that Luke has always risen to his feet. His brows are drawn together, and concern fills his eyes.

“I was supposed to meet Cole for dinner at five thirty and I completely lost track of time.”

“Okay,” he says calmly. “I’m sure he’ll understand. It happens.”

I pause before taking a deep breath.

He’s probably right.

At least, I hope he is.

I feel terrible about getting so wrapped up in our conversation that I missed my dinner date with Cole. As much as I hate to admit it—even privately—Cole and I are a little out of sync right now and I don’t understand why.

Or maybe I do.

There are a lot of obstacles that have cropped up.

And Luke is right.

We need to sit down and talk. As much as I want to clear the air right now, there’s no time. This isn’t the kind of conversation I want to have with him before he goes out on the ice for a game.

With a quick nod, I give him a hasty wave before literally running off.

As I’m racing down a flight of stairs, I call Cole, praying that he answers and isn’t pissed that I accidently blew him off.

We’ve both been so busy lately. Him with classes and his hockey schedule and me with classes, hockey, and working at the tutoring center.

It’s becoming more of a challenge to carve out time for one another and when we do, I end up missing it.

“Cassidy?” Cole’s tone is full of concern when he picks up the phone. “Where are you? Is everything okay?”

The worry pricking his voice makes me feel like crap.

“I’m so sorry about flaking on you. I was at the library studying and turned off the ringer on my phone.”

“Are you still there?” The fear that had filled his voice drains away.

“I’m leaving right now.” I’m huffing and puffing as I reach the glass doors that lead outside. “I can meet you at the Union, if you’re still there. It’ll only take me a few minutes to get across campus.” I’ll have to run, but so what. Spending a few minutes with him before the game is worth it.

“No, I had to grab something without you. I need to head over to the arena and get ready. I’m already in the car. Stay where you are. I’ll pick you up and take you back to the dorms on my way.”

Disconnecting from the call, I shove my cell back inside my bag.

A few moments later, Cole rolls up and I dash over to his electric blue Mustang, yanking open the passenger side door and sliding in next to him.

Instead of pulling away from the curb, he allows the car to idle before leaning over and pressing a kiss against my lips.

And just like that, a little piece of normal falls into place between us.

Once we break apart, I whisper, “I’m so sorry about missing dinner. I was working on econ and completely lost track of time.”

When his lips quirk into a lopsided smile, my heart melts. “Wow…thrown aside for economics.” His eyes crinkle at the corners. “Talk about a blow to my ego.”

A lighthearted smile springs to my lips as I give him a heavy-lidded look. “Well, economics is pretty damn sexy.”

Before I can say anything else, he nips at my neck, and I squeal before giggling. “I’m kidding! You’re way sexier than arbitrage, fiscal drag, and monetary policy.”

“It would be sad if I weren’t.” With a grin still hovering around the corners of his mouth, he kisses me until I can barely think.

His tongue slips inside my mouth, rubbing against mine, slowly exploring every part of me until I have no idea where I end, and he begins. A whimper of need slips free.

If only it were possible to go back to his place.

When he finally pulls away, I see the desire that has flared to life in his eyes, and it turns me on even more.

“Are you still planning to come to the game, or do you have too much work?”

“I was able to get most of it done at the library.” There’s no way I’d miss one of his games. Since we became friends, and then more, he’s always done everything he could to support me. “I’ll be in the stands, cheering you on. Promise.”

His dimples flash and that’s all it takes for my pulse to kick into overdrive.

“Good.”

Just as he’s leaning toward me again, there’s a knock on the passenger side window. Startled by the unexpected noise, we jump apart. Something uncomfortable twists in the pit of my belly when I see Luke standing on the other side of the glass staring at us.

“What the hell does he want?”

Even though Cole mutters the words, I still hear them. Instead of letting me go, his arms stay wrapped around me.

It takes Cole a couple of seconds to hit the button and unroll the window. Luke leans down, resting his forearms against the car so that his face is level with ours. His gaze touches mine before bouncing to Cole, who sits tensely behind me.

“Hey.”

Cole jerks his chin. “What’s up?”

Luke’s gaze arrows back to mine. “You forgot your econ notebook. I wasn’t sure if you needed it tonight.” He holds out the notebook for me to take. As my fingers wrap around the edge, I realize they’re trembling. “You took off like a bat out of hell.”

“Thanks,” I whisper.

I don’t understand why it feels as if I’m locked between these two men. There isn’t a choice to be made.

I’m with Cole.

Not Luke.

The thick tension permeating the air is almost enough to suffocate all of us.

Luke nods before straightening to his full height and taking a step away. “I’ve gotta get going.” His attention flickers to Cole. “Catch you later.”

Cole remains silent. I have no idea if he acknowledges the comment.

Relief rushes from my lungs when Luke swings away, striding toward the library.

It’s short lived when Cole jerks his arms from around me and throws the car into gear before peeling away from the curb.

I fumble with the seatbelt before finally snapping it into place and glance at Cole to silently assess the damage.

My heart clenches almost painfully at the anger radiating off him. His lips are compressed in a tight line and his eyes are fixated on the ribbon of road stretched out before him as he white knuckles the steering wheel.

I gulp, unsure how to make what just happened better.

But what exactly am I trying to make better?

I haven’t done anything wrong.

Not really...

I studied at the library with a friend. It wasn’t planned. Luke being there was a coincidence. It’s not like we’re sneaking around behind his back.

My tongue darts out to moisten my lips. “Cole?”

I shouldn’t have to apologize for studying with Luke, but that’s the way it feels. The words sit perched on the tip of my tongue. All I have to do is push them out. My fingers tangle together in my lap as I chew my lower lip with indecision.

Cole continues to stare straight ahead. “You weren’t going to tell me, were you?”

It’s a question.

And yet it’s not.

My heart races, pounding painfully under my breast as my gaze darts to him before staring straight ahead.

Was I going to tell him?

I…don’t know.

Deep down, I knew spending time alone with Luke—even though we were in a public space—would bother him. It’s why I hesitated in the first place.

“Cassidy?”

My attention snaps to him again. “I don’t know,” I admit. “We were just studying. It wasn’t planned. He was just there and,” I shrug helplessly, “asked me to sit with him. That’s it. It wasn’t a big deal.”

When he finally glances at me, I can’t help but notice all the hurt and distrust swimming around within his eyes. After coming clean about everything that happened last year, I told myself that I wouldn’t keep any other secrets from him.

If ten months of therapy have taught me anything, it’s that you can’t build a healthy relationship on lies and omission. And yet, I’m keeping secrets from Cole.

Already I can see the damage it’s inflicting.

His brows knit together. “If it wasn’t a big deal, then why didn’t you tell me?”

I release a pent-up breath and shake my head at my own stupidity. All I’ve done is give him a reason to distrust me.

“I know you don’t want me spending time with Luke and I didn’t want you to worry.”

An uncomfortable silence stretches between us before he murmurs, “Then why does it feel like I should be worried?”