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 Chapter Twenty-Two : I Asked You To Make Soup Not Babies

 I should have done this sooner. Really, I should have because now that I've started it I just can't stop. Call me a floozy if you will but if you're going out with someone as hot as Cole Stone you wouldn't be able to keep your hands to yourself either.

"We have to go to class soon." I say breathlessly, trying to put some distance between us.

"Don't worry, we won't be late." Cole's lips continue their merciless assault on my neck and I arch my back wanting nothing more than to meld my body to his. This feels incredible; really what on earth have I been doing with my life before. I've had him so close to me for months and I could've been riding this high forever but my thick headedness made me blind to the obvious mind numbing attraction there is between us.

Oh well, better late than never.

It's not the ideal situation, to have barricaded the supply closet but we didn't have another option. The last time we kissed was when Cole picked me up for school and since then we haven't had a moment alone. All day long he's been teasing me, giving me looks that made me want to maul him with my lips. At lunch, he kept a hand on my thigh the entire time and I hadn't been able to swallow a single bite. That's when we'd both made a lame excuse of having to borrow some books from the library and had made a mad dash to find some solitude.

No one bought the excuse, obviously. Alex had even oh so charmingly added his words of wisdom, "Don't forget to wrap it up Stone!" That's what he had yelled for everyone to hear but by that time Cole had almost been deaf to the outside world. Typical boy only had one thing on his mind.

"Cole..."I whine but it comes out as an embarrassing moan. His eyes light up like a Christmas tree as he takes in the obvious effect he has on me. He kisses me again, deep and long until we hear the first bell ring. I untwine my arms from around his neck but he doesn't let go of me. We just stare at each other goofily before another shrill ringing sound destroys the moment. Dang it, we really need to become one of those missionary style schools with no bells, we'd just change classes by the hour.

Cole groans and tugs me by the hand, "Come on Tessie, after school I'm finding a better spot to make out."

I giggle at his obvious frustration but it's thrilling that he's as obsessed with the idea of kissing and well touching in general as I am. The last thing I want is to become some clingy girlfriend who wants to spend all her time holed up in the bedroom.

As appealing as that sounds...

The rest of the day passes similarly. We steal glances and give each other smiles, well I smile at Cole but he winks at me, insinuating something and as usual I blush. I get it now, the hype about being in a relationship. According to Megan who is now our resident relationship expert, I'm in the honeymoon phase and its going to last a while so that's awesome. I never want that kind of high to wear off, it's like smoking pot 24/7 but better. The only damper on the day was seeing Jay and Nicole. Funny how I'd always thought that I'd be so happy when they weren't together anymore. I guess I was suffering for all my ill wishes. Yes, when they'd been a couple I was miserable but now I just wanted to disappear. The looks they'd shoot me, the guilt they wanted me to feel sometimes hinted at the fact that the two really did belong together. Their common goal to make each living moment miserable for me kind of made that apparent. But I'm not letting them get to me, not much that is. I have Cole; I have my friends so it's not particularly bad. Though the thing is, I get why Nicole hates me. Unintentional as it was, my burst of honesty has somehow landed her at the bottom of the food chain. She doesn't have any friends, her minions having abandoned her in search of a new Queen Bee. She sits with her cousin who can't get away from her fast enough, as if unpopularity is contagious. She's still on the dance team but from what I've heard, they've basically made her a pariah. I guess you really can't afford to be dumped by Jay Stone. Jay is just a puzzle and I have no idea how to get all the pieces to fit together. I mean, yes I snubbed his advances but was he really expecting me to come running to him? Please, give me some credit here. He's being an utter tool, giving me the cold shoulder and Cole the stink eye. If I were him, I wouldn't be testing my built step brother's patience-just a little caution would be preferable since he still has the bruises to show for his last confrontation.

On Saturday, I put aside the ever present drama in my life and trade it for nerve wracking, butterfly inducing excitement. Cole is picking me up in an hour and we're going on a date! It's the first time we're going out and be alone after our relationship's become more serious. He'd been grounded for a couple of weeks following the incident with Jay and for sneaking out with me the next morning. Sherriff Stone was all for sending him back to military school but Cassandra calmed down. Of course it was after everything went down that Jay fessed up that he'd started the whole thing. In hindsight, I'm trying to remember why I liked him so much in the first place.

I wear a purple peplum top with black liquid leggings (which Beth has warmed me towards) and pair the outfit with my high heeled ankle boots, which I know for a fact that Cole loves. Whenever I wear them, he doesn't even try to take his eyes away from my legs. I like how honest he is about his gawking, it's endearing really.

I'm working on my makeup when the door bell rings. Since the mascara wand is still in my hand and I don't want to blind myself, I take some time to finish with my lashes. The gloss goes on next and I finish the look with winged eyeliner. Rushing downstairs, cautiously enough so that I don't fall to my death I halt when I see that it's Travis who has met Cole at the door. I gulp, watching the two have a stare down. Their relationship is still a mystery to me. I understand that my big brother is a bit wary of Cole because of his past but then since he's come back, Cole hasn't been anything but nice to me. Nice would be a bit of an understatement, he literally has changed my life. I wish Travis could see that, I wish things weren't so strained right now.

"Hey guys," I break the building tension in the room and get their attention. The change in expression is almost comical. The hardness in Travis's eyes melts away and is replaced by concern and weariness, the defensiveness and hardened look on Cole's face disappears almost as quickly. His eyes light up and a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. My heart skips a beat, knowing that somehow I'm responsible for making him look like that.

"You were going somewhere Tess?" Travis has become the mom I never really asked for, ever since my real mother up and left. Well he'd always taken care of me but now he's just taking it to a new level. This would be one of those times.

I make my way to Cole and he's brave enough to take my hand and whisper "You look beautiful Shortcake" in my ear. Travis's eyes zero in on our entwined hands and he frowns. I sigh internally, this would not be easy.

"Yes, we're going out for a couple of hours. I'll be back in time for my curfew."

Technically since I'm eighteen I don't really have to follow my curfew but I don't want a fight right now. If we could just manage to get out of the house, the rest would be taken care of.

"But you can't go." Travis says smoothly, not missing a beat.

Before I can process his words or begin to formulate a reply, I feel Cole's fingers tighten around mine to the point of being painful. He responds before I ever get a chance to.

"Why not?" He bites out, jaw flexing and all Travis does is smirk at him. He is so not helping the situation, knowing Cole's history that last thing my brother needs to do is instigate him.

"Because I'm sick and I need her to look after me."

I give him a deadpanned look and narrow my eyes at him, seriously? "You look fine to me Trav."

"Aah-choo." He gives the fakest sneeze in the history of fake sneezes and checks his forehead. At this point I'm seething. I know he isn't going to let me go if he's this desperate. Why is he doing this?

"You expect her to buy that shit?" Cole growls and I feel the need to step in between the two men. I position myself in front of a very amused looking Travis and cock an eyebrow at him, whilst placing a hand on my hip. This is what our mom used to do when she wanted to get something out of us; you know when she actually cared.

"You're not sick so why are you doing this?"

"I am sick, you just can't see it. Don't tell me you're going to abandon me in my time of need, little sis." He pouts, giving me the face that no one has ever managed to say no to. This is how he gets girls to fall all over themselves for him. Granted, I'm his sister and I know all the tricks of his trade but I can't help myself either.

I sigh heavily, pinching my forehead "And what is it that you need me to do? You seem fine, how am I going to take care of you if I don't know what's wrong with you?"

This brightens him up immediately and I hear Cole mutter something under his breath. He must really be getting sick of me and my family issues. I bet the other girls he's dated don't have families half as dysfunctional as mine. I bet they don't fall for their brother's blatant lies and don't have moms who'd rather sunbathe in Miami than actually fix their marriage.

"You can start by making me some soup. I'm famished, couldn't keep anything down yesterday."

I look between the hopeful expression on his face and then disgruntled one on Cole's face. It's like asking me to pick between a Kit Kat and strawberry ice-cream-impossible. How do I handle this? If I stand Cole up, the chances of him dumping me are sky high. If I leave Travis, when he obviously doesn't want me to then I'll feel guilty all day.

This is what you call being stuck between a rock and a hard place people.

"Okay. Okay, I'll stay and I'll make the dang soup but I have one condition."

Travis grins his infamous grin and crushes me in a bear hug, choking me to death. When he pulls away I can see he's smug about his victory but his plans are so going down the drain.

"Whatever you want,"

See? Big mistake right there.

"Well I guess that means I'll see you later." Cole grumbles behind me and I whirl around grabbing his hand. Without looking at Travis I say something that's not going to make him very happy.

"Cole gets to stay here and you're going to nice to him. You leave us alone and the online coursework that I know you have. If you try to get into a fight with him then I'm leaving and you can kiss your soup goodbye."

If looks could melt you right to the core, then the smile Cole gives me would be my ultimate undoing. He doesn't give me his usual half grin but the full fledged version of what you would call a panty melting smile. I repress the urge to fan myself because I really don't want my brother to know that I'm feeling incredibly turned on right now.

There's silence but after a while Travis gives a noncommittal response which sounds a lot like a whatever and leaves us alone, stomping up the stairs. I don't know what his problem is; he's never been the overly protective type. Then again, this is the first time I've ever been serious with a guy and maybe he's just doing the job my father's too busy to do.

"So I guess we've got some soup to make." I look at him apologetically, feeling horrible for ruining his expectations of our 'date'. Whatever he'd wanted, it must not have included playing house with me. Why he still insists on being with me, I have no idea.

"Tessie..." He starts but I can't stop myself from talking.

"I mean you don't have to stay. I didn't mean it like that; you shouldn't have to suffer through this. I don't know what I was thinking when I told Travis that you'd stay. You should go out, do something fun, whatever it is you guys do. I heard the fishing is really good during this time of the year and maybe Alex..."

I never get to finish my sentence since Cole places his hands at the nape of my neck, brings me forward and kisses me before I have time to react. My eyes widen in surprise at first but then as I feel the pressure of his soft lips on mine, I give in to the basic instinct and kiss him back. I don't care if Travis is upstairs or that my dad might come home from work anytime. All I can focus on is Cole and how wonderful his kisses feel. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I crush myself against his hard chest. He growls, his hand travelling downwards to my butt. This is far more PG-13 than anything we've ever done but it feels so god darn good!

We break away when I begin to feel a little dizzy and a lot breathless. Cole chuckles as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and kisses my cheek. It's a chaste gesture compared to what we were just doing but it's just as knee melting.

"I think that answers any doubts you had about me staying."

Since there are still fireworks going off in my head it take a little while for the words to make sense to me. I nod like an idiot, every inch of my skin still tingling from his touch. Is this natural? Does this happen to everyone? I need to send out a survey just to reassure myself that I'm not some nymphomaniac.

"Yeah..."

He chuckles again and drags me by the arm to kitchen, depositing me on the kitchen counter since I still haven't fully recovered the use of my legs. I watch in a kind of daze as Cole rummages through the fridge and takes out whatever he needs to make the chicken noodle soup. It's when he steps in the space between my legs that I focus on something besides the wonderful feelings coursing through me.

"You do know that I'd mop the floors if that's what it took to spend time with you right?"

I love him.

It's not just what he's just said to me but it's just a culmination of every moment I've spent with him, even back in the bullying days that leads me to this conclusion. He is the most wonderful thing to have ever happened to me. Before he walked back into my life, I felt like I wasn't good enough. That's what my poisonous obsession with Jay and his even more toxic relationship with Nicole had led me to believe. I thought there must have been something wrong with me that everyone would pick someone else over me. My parents picked their personal problems, my brother picked Jack Daniels, my best friend picked popularity and the supposed love of my life picked reputation. So you can understand why I don't have the highest self esteem, actually I was at rock bottom. I let Nicole walk all over me because I thought that was what I deserved but I know better now. People will treat me better if I learn to treat myself better and that's what Cole has taught me. He's the person who has made me feel better about myself. He's made me accept myself for who I am and he's shown me that not everyone will treat me like I've been treated in the past.

Hence I love him and am most probably in love with him. It hits me like a combination of a lightning bolt and a freight train and if I were not sitting, I'd double over. The look on his face, that light shining in his eyes tells me that he might feel the same way but I'm still not brave enough to tell him. It's too soon and I'm scared. I don't want to chase him away, especially not now.

"Well luckily you won't have to do that but I believe you."

His hands rest on my hips, his thumbs rubbing themselves in circular motions. He does things like this a lot now and I don't shy away from him. It's like we've crossed an invisible bridge and so much more comfortable now. Not that we've broached the second base and all but sometimes it feels like I'd cross that line in a heartbeat.

He leans forward and pecks my lips, "Good" he whispers against my lips and pulls back. He starts to cook and I watch him completely mesmerized. Homemade soup will probably warm Travis towards Cole more than my attempt to heat something out of a can so I let him work. He moves so incredibly well in the kitchen, it's like an art. I know it sounds stupid but the way he carries himself, so assuredly is sexy beyond belief.

Plus the man cooks like a god so you know; you can't help but love him.

"Where did you learn to cook like that?" I muse as he chops vegetables like the knife is an extension of his arm. I always thought chopping only looked that good on TV.

He doesn't look up from the board when he answers me, "I needed a job back in military school. Dad wasn't being very generous with my allowance. The cook, Mrs. Montgomery liked me and I asked her if I could help her out after school. She taught me everything I know." He reminisces, thinking fondly of the woman he obviously idolizes.

I realize then that we don't really talk about his time at military school so much. Whenever I bring up the topic he changes the subject smoothly enough that I don't even notice. Lately however, I've begun to pick it up more and more. I wonder if he's ready now.

"How was it there, military school I mean? Is it as bad as the movies?"

He shrugs, his knife not halting but I notice his shoulders stiffening. "It's just like any other boarding school but stricter. It's a lot more, disciplined I guess? You'd think they'd have a lot of people with juvie records but mostly it's just rich kids whose parents couldn't be damned to spend time with them."

Oh.

It's the most emotion I've gotten out of him regarding this topic ever. I can see the anger rolling off of him. I have to keep going, he needs to talk about this stuff and get it all out. All this time he's been helping me fight my own personal demons but now I need to do the same for him.

"Cole, surely you don't think your dad..."

He gathers the vegetables and throws them into the pot with the butter. As he sautés them, he shrugs once more. I think its part of his defensive mechanism, pretending that something doesn't affect him when it obviously does.

"I went because I wanted to. Dad suggested it when I started acting out more but he didn't force me to go."

Wow. This is a new one. I'd always thought that Cole never had a choice but to go. He didn't seem like the kind to volunteer himself for a punishment like that. Why would he do that?

I ask him just that.

He concentrates awfully hard on stirring the pot in front of him. "I was a coward Tessie. I took the easy way out."

That's not what I expected.

He looks at me and must have seen the confusion on my face, which makes him explain himself.

"I told you once before that I thought I had to get away from you to get over you. It was driving me insane; I guess I don't do well with jealousy. You were so convinced you were in love with Jay that it was like you never saw me. I had to do some pretty bad things just to make you notice me. You hated me, sure but at least you knew I existed."

I try to speak past the golf ball sized ball in my throat. "I always knew you existed Cole. I was always aware of you."

"You were terrified of me," He scoffs and I can see the self loathing in his eyes. "I thought I had ruined any chances I had with you. I left because I didn't want the situation to get worse. I thought that in time you'd just remember me as the kid who annoyed you in grade school and I would be happy with that."

"But..." I prompt.

"I couldn't stay away. Trust me I tried. There were plenty of distractions and I acted like a complete asshole but I guess I was always looking for you."

I know I should be touched by his confession but I couldn't help but wince when he said he had plenty of distractions. Of course he had. Girls must have fallen all over themselves for him, he's the perfect guy but then why couldn't he just come back?

But then again those girls didn't force him into skipping town and going to a freaking military school because of their obliviousness.

"Why did it take you so long to come back? You were gone for four years, you didn't come back once not even during the holidays. What made you decide that you wanted to return?"

I try keeping the hurt and accusation out of my voice but I guess I don't do a good enough job. Cole looks shamefaced as he runs a frustrated hand through his hair. Avoiding any eye contact, he moves closer.

"I did come back."

"What?"

"I came back this summer, just for a day. Cassandra called me, she was really upset. She blamed herself for me wanting not to come back. I don't know why, I guess she thought I had never learned to love her like I loved my own mom. I had to come back to make her feel better."

Cole's mom had died due to a sudden heart attack when he was four. As a kid, I didn't get around to knowing her well  but my mom always told me that she was a wonderful woman and that Cole looked just like her. I know he's telling the truth, I believe his sincerity.

"So why didn't you come see me?"

"I tried. I came by the house. I didn't know about Travis or his drinking problems but when he saw me he lost it. I tried to tell him that I just wanted to apologize, to say sorry for everything I'd done to you but he wouldn't have it. I guess I pissed him off a lot since he practically broke my nose."

"What?" I shriek, jumping off the counter in one go. I place my hands on Cole's shoulders and force him to look at me.

"Please tell me that's not true." I beg

"I don't blame him for hitting me. I'm the prick who terrorized his sister, I deserved it."

"No, you don't understand. Travis always knew you liked me. He wouldn't do that; it must have been the alcohol. He's not that person anymore."

"I know Tessie, I do. You don't have to defend him. It's just that I know he never told you about seeing me did he?"

I shake my head, feeling angry and sad at the same time. He should have told me, Travis had no right to keep that secret; it wasn't his secret to keep. But then I remember what he'd been like then. His days and nights consisted of vodka, beer, tequila and his personal favourite whisky. He hadn't been in his wits, how could I expect him to hold a civil conversation let alone remember one.

"But I saw you, you know? When I was leaving, I saw you from my car and that's why I came back in the fall."

Even more confused, I study his face for a clue. What could he have seen? What made him come back?

"You were sitting on the sidewalk. Even thought you had your head down on your knees I could still tell it was you. That hoodie of yours, the Batman one you wore everyday to school for a week was pretty much all I had to see to know it was you. Your shoulders were shaking but I couldn't tell if you were crying or laughing."

I remember the day he's talking about and it makes my face turn crimson. If he saw what had happened next, I would feel even more pathetic about how much of a pushover I'd been. The events played in my mind as I recalled the particularly nasty confrontation with Nicole and her silicon soldiers. I'd gone to the café near my dad's office after an extremely grueling college discussion session with him. He'd been stressing on Dartmouth when all I'd ever wanted was to go to Brown. Then that floozy secretary of his had basically fallen into his lap in front of me and the two had flirted like there was no tomorrow. I had stormed out, craving my one of my only two weaknesses post Fatty Tessie- ice cream. I'd ordered a double scoop topped with rainbow sprinkles and that's when I'd been busted.

Nicole's eyes had zeroed in on the gigantic cone in my hand and she smirked. The smirk was always a prelude to something very bad. She gathered half of the dance team and stalked towards me. I'd already started feeling embarrassed having been caught pigging out. I still didn't feel comfortable with my body even after having lost all that weight and Nicole was surely going to pick me apart.

Which she did-brutally I might add. By the time she was finished with me, I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I dropped the ice-cream right there and ran out. Running as fast as I could, I ended up near the outskirts of town, collapsing on the ground and then sobbing my eyes out.

Then I did something which I hadn't forgiven myself for ever. I hadn't done it a lot but in the beginning the urge was always strong and I did it whenever I felt really depressed.

I made myself throw up.

Right there on the street which I thought had been deserted. Guess I was wrong.

"You didn't..."

"I did. I'm sorry baby; I know you never wanted me to see it but I..."

"You came back because you felt sorry for me?" My voice is too high pitched and screechy like it always gets when I'm mad but it's worse now since I'm humiliated beyond belief.

"No!" He grabs my arm forcefully, stopping me from running.

"I came back because I knew I couldn't stay away from you. I had to be near you, I had to make sure you were okay. When I saw you crying, it felt like someone had ripped my heart right out of my chest damn it! Then when you...did that it just broke me. I wanted to kill the person who made you feel like you had to do that to yourself. Don't you see? It wasn't pity; it was how I felt about you! How I've always felt about you."

Tears sting my eyes as I stare in wonder at him. Should I believe him? Is he really not disgusted with me? Does he really not feel sorry for me? I'm baffled; I don't know what to think. I want to believe him but it seems too good to be true.

"Tessie, please believe me. I'd never lie to you, you know that right?"

"I...I believe you."

His entire body slackens after my words, like a huge weight's been lifted. The kind of love I feel for him surges through me and all but attack him, jumping into his arms. I bury my face in his chest and take in the smell of him as he wraps his arms around me, lifting me off the ground.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." I kiss a trail up his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart against my skin.

His voice is husky and throaty as he asks, "For what baby?" before kissing the top of my head.

I pull back and kiss him gently on the mouth before cupping his face, "For saving me."

His eyes glisten before he crashes his lips to mine, growling low in his throat as he does so. He urges me to wrap my legs around him and I do so. My hands fist themselves in his hair and his once again are glued to my butt. His tongue sneaks out and darts against my lips. The feeling is so exquisite that I'm instantly greedy for me. Hesitantly, I open my mouth allowing out tongues to touch for the first time and it is sheer bliss. I moan as I'm filled with the taste of him, pressed up to every inch of him. He backs me into the counter so that the edge of the granite top presses into my spine but I'm too busy floating in the clouds to care. He kisses me fiercely like his life depends on it and I try to keep up with him.

"Hey guys, I asked you to make soup not babies."

There are some things you wish your brother would never come across. This includes any underwear, sanitary products and texts from your boyfriend. Having him watch you getting hot and heavy in the kitchen with a guy he supposedly hates would top that list.

But then again, this is me we're talking about and things like this just have to happen.

Great.

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Hey you guys! :) How have you all been? Gah, I did it again didn't I? Took a little too long to update but I have my reasons. I wont put up a chapter I'm not happy with just for the sake of 'updating soon'. You have to realize that a lot of work goes behind each chapter. My chapters are mostly 10-12 pages on Word and that's a whole lot of writing if you're not copying and pasting from the internet. I love all of you who waited patiently but for the others, please try to understand. I'm human, I have a life, family, friends, school etc. I get writer's block, I need inspiration- writing is something I do because I love it. I'm not going to because its an obligation or a task. Please respect that.

OKAY. Now that the serious stuff is out of the way, I'll commence with my randomness. You should read this book, you HAVE to read this book. It's called 'Falling Into You' and its by an amazing author called Jasinda Wilder. You will cry like a baby, your heart will be ripped into shreds but you will thank me, trust me people-trust me. Buy it from Amazon NOW.

Yes, I buy the e-book versions of the books I recommend. I get a lot of questions about that, no I don't 'download' them from a site you know since its illegal and all. I just get amazing gift cards :D

Hmm, in other news-there is none I guess. I'll just skip onto my random question. For those of you who eat healthy, what's your favourite healthy snack/meal. If there's a recipe on the internet leave a link down below. It has to be easy please :( I'm not the best cook out there. Trying to eat healthy here, just in time for summmmerrrr.

Okay then, happy reading! :D