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Definitely listening to 1D tonight
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Regret was already running through my head long before Cole met me in reception. I could think of a million ways Hero would want to kill him after finding about our dinner.

But how would he even find out? Unless Kylie was chasing me around town with a camera, chances were slim. 

How many times had she and Hero seen each other since I left? Oh, I hated thinking about this. 

It was a bit quiet and awkward on the way to the restaurant. When we arrived, I saw that we were at Elevagine's Corner- the very place Luke had taken me out on a date. 

This was not a good start.

As soon as we were seated- and I saw that Luke's ex wasn't working- and ordered, Cole smiled, breaking the silence between us. 

"I hope this is to your liking." He began.
 
"Oh, yeah," I said, "I've been here before... With a friend or two... I can see it's very popular."

Cole grabbed a sugar packet, playing with the edges. "New establishments tend to draw more attention."

He paused, staring into my soul like he did earlier. It made me squirm in my seat. I'd only ever felt like this one other time and it was when Hero had fingered me for the first time.

Oh, how different these two men were. 

I felt myself shake as I stared down at my lap. Apparently, I didn't do too well in stressful situations such as this. 

"Are you okay?" Cole asked, looking worried. 

I shut my eyes, hoping to gain control of my feelings. Why was I acting so weird? He was just a guy. 

Yeah, a guy that was pretty cute. 

Was this how I was going to be able to move on from Hero? Was this what Cole served as? A distraction?

God, this wasn't a crush. It was guilt. 

I was using him. 

"Yeah," I said, forcing myself to look at him again, "I just have a lot going on in my mind right now."

Cole played with his napkin.

"How I'd like to see what goes on in that beautiful mind. You're always so distant. Penny for your thoughts?"

As he asked this, a waiter quickly dropped off our drinks, then left. 

"I'm just upset over something... someone..." I trailed off, running my hand over the condensation on my cup. 

"Was it that boy that harrassed you in your office earlier today?" Cole asked. "I'm going to make sure we have tighter security. We sometimes have crazy clients pop in. I can't have you fearing for your life."

"He's not crazy," I replied in a defensive tone.

When I realized how rude I sounded, I lowered my voice.

"He was my boyfriend. He's just a bit rough around the edges."

Cole swallowed. "If you don't mind me saying this, I really didn't expect you to be with that type of guy. Took you for the reserved type."

I forced a giggle. "You'd be surprised."

Cole tipped his head as the same waiter brought over our food. As soon as he left, Cole slid his plate to the side, leaning on the table, more invested in the conversation. 

"I hope I'm not stepping over boundaries, but why did you two break up? You seem to care about him a great deal. If I had been him, I wouldn't have let you go."

I took a deep breath. If I didn't face the truth of what happened, how could I ever hope to move on from it? I couldn't keep resenting it for the rest of my life. 

"He broke promises," I said, feeling a tear rim my eyes, "he didn't keep his word. He was constantly lying and... let's just say he did some questionable things..."

"You know what I say about all that?" Cole smiled. "It's all water under the bridge. Make a promise to forgive him in your own way and move on. The best thing you can do is live your best life. I'm sure he's living his."

He paused, then continued. 

"I can see you're going through a lot. Having been forced into homelessness and starting a new job, well, it's a lot for anyone to take on. I don't care what the problem is. If you ever need help with anything, don't hesitate to phone me. I'll be available twenty-four-seven."

I shook my head, barely comprehending any of this. 

"Cole... You don't even know me, we just met. Why are you doing any of this for me?"

He took a deep breath, smiling earnestly. "I don't want you to fall; All I want is for you to succeed. You're a visionary. I can tell."

I now felt relaxed. I took my fork, spearing my sushi. 

"Cole. You're a really good guy. Honestly. I'm sure any girl would be lucky to have you."

Cole remained silent for the longest time. 

"That's quite the thought, but I really only have eyes for one girl at the moment."

Did this mean that maybe he wasn't pining for me?

Oh, this conversation was becoming way too sensual for my taste.

Out of habit, I snatched my phone, clicking away on it. If I couldn't steer this conversation in a new direction, I'd pretend like I was surfing the web.

Like one of my prayers had been heard, an alert came through on my phone. It was from Josephine.

It was a beautiful picture of a crystal blue ocean that glistened brighter than any diamond I'd seen. Surrounding it were clustered green trees and tall mountains. There were several families relaxing on the water, looking like they were having the time of their lives. 

She then sent a picture of her and Niall, looking like a couple that had been together for many years. They adorned Hawaiian clothing and sunglasses, smiling brightly at the camera.

A text then came through reading:

Isn't it beautiful? I thought I'd let you know that we're doing good here and I can't believe it's almost been a week! Niall has been the sweetest and promises to plan something special for us girls when we get back. How are you?

I clutched my heart, almost forgetting that Cole was sitting right across from me. I couldn't tell Jo the truth. Not yet. It still stung and she was still having the time of her life. 

I quickly responded:

Things are good here. Oh, how I wish I could be there. Good news: work is going well. I hope that you still want to join. They were talking about marketing expanding, however. Wasn't that the position you were applying for?

Another minute passed before she responded:

No, I was set up for Vice treasurer.

I sighed at this. Oh, that was right. At least there was a strong possibility that we would still be working closely together. 

Another text came through:

Hey, I have to go. Niall is taking me boogie-boarding before the sun goes down. We'll see you soon.

I set my phone down, frowning. That sounded so fun. 

"Is everything okay?" Cole asked, raising his brows. 

"Oh, yeah," I smirked. "That was my best friend. She's in Tahiti right now. She is so lucky."

Cole laughed. "Maybe the company should plan a group vacation. It is in your contract after all."

Now that was a major perk.

Looking down at my food, I suddenly realized, while it was still early in the evening, I needed to get my affairs in order for work the next day.

"We should probably finish this up," I said, "I need to get everything ready for in the morning."

"Right," Cole replied, quickly tearing through his own food, "I'm on it."

Ten minutes later, after we had discussed more about what to expect with the expansion, Cole drove me to the motel and simply bid me farewell.

I yawned, already feeling exhausted. I was excited to retire to the jacuzzi again. I would likely have to deal with a lot more tomorrow and I was not ready. 

Unfortunately for me, relaxation wasn't what was in store for me. 

As I entered my suite, I was shocked to find someone was already in it.

Thank you all for tuning in ❤

I know. Cole is an absolute darling and so sweet 😍

Hope you all stay safe and have a good week 🤗