I was better than that. I might be just Melrose from Meadowbrook, but I was still a human being. I was still capable of being loved and I deserved not to be hidden from the world. If Cole didn’t believe that too, I had severely misjudged him.
My dad had given his heart away and it got smashed to pieces by my mom. I had seen how long it took him to gather the pieces and try to put them back together again. You could attempt to heal a broken heart, but it was never the same again. Bruises never healed.
“Melrose, what’s wrong?”
I couldn’t allow myself to do the same thing. I didn’t want to walk around wounded with a defective heart for the rest of my life. Not when I was only sixteen and not by a popstar who didn’t care about me.
I had already started to fall for Cole. I had already opened my heart to him and now I had to shut it again. I would not fall completely in love with him, I would find a soft landing so I could get up and continue on like the past three weeks had never happened.
“Melrose, stop, wait.” Cole gently grabbed my arm to hold me back. I stopped, knowing I couldn’t keep walking forever. I had to tell him what was on my mind, get it over and done with. Rip it off like a Band Aid and suffer the few moments of pain rather than prolong the inevitable.
When I went to open my mouth to speak, I realized I had a lot to say to him. “You shouldn’t have flown me here and made me think you liked me.”
Confusion wrinkled his brow. “I do like you, what are you talking about? Did something happen? Was it the photographers? I know they can be a bit scary but you get used to them. I’ll keep them away from you. I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”
There were those words again: I promise. Cole made a lot of promises. So many, he would need to live ten lifetimes just to fulfill them all.
“It wasn’t the photographers, it was the fact you didn’t want to be seen with me. You completely freaked out when they took our picture. I didn’t realize I was so offensive.”
“That’s what you’re upset about?” He asked. I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t even nod my head. His eyes darted around as he tried to formulate a reply. Cole stepped forward, trying to hold my hands but I wouldn’t let him. I planted them on my hips instead.
“Melrose,” he said quietly, gently. I was waiting for the argument, for him to start matching my tone of voice and getting equally as angry. I wasn’t prepared for his calmness.
“Cole, just… you should have told me you didn’t want anyone to know about us. I wouldn’t have come,” I said, my ire taken down a notch or two. Damn it, Cole had a way of disarming me, even when I really didn’t want him to.
He tried stepping closer to me again, this time I didn’t move. Very slowly and gently, he brushed a strand of my hair from my face and hooked it behind my ear. “Melrose, I want the entire world to know about us. I want that more than anything.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do,” he insisted. “I told you to leave and deleted those photos because I was trying to protect you.”
I laughed. It was either that or cry. “I’ve had my photo taken before, and lived to tell the tale. There was nothing to be protected from.”
He took my hands again and this time I let him. But only because I wanted to hear his explanation and he seemed to need the skin to skin contact when he was telling me something important.
“I was protecting you from my fans,” he started. “The minute they see me with anyone, they attack them. Any girl I’ve been linked with in the past have had death threats, they couldn’t go online because of all the trolls, and they really had it rough. I didn’t want them to do that to you.”
“Just from one picture?” I asked skeptically. He seemed to be overacting. And I thought Dallas was a drama queen.
Cole nodded. “A picture, a tweet, a mention, anything and they latch on and won’t let go. I love my fans but they can be hell to deal with sometimes.”
“Are you telling me the truth?” My voice was so quiet I wasn’t sure if he had heard me. “I couldn’t take it if you were lying to me.”
His deep green eyes stared at me, unblinking. Even if he didn’t say anything more, I knew I believed him. Those eyes were so sincere, so honest there was no way he could have been deceiving me. Either that, or I was the world’s biggest fool.
“I’m not lying, Melrose. I did it to protect you. Call me selfish but I want you to stick around for a long time and my fans will make that difficult when they find out. The longer we can delay it, the better.”
“Are they really that bad?”
“There’s a reason why we don’t talk about our love lives. Otherwise, I would be so proud to have my photo taken with you. I’d want it splashed across every magazine in the country. I’d shout it from the rooftops too, just to make sure everyone knew how happy I was.”
Call me a fool but I felt myself falling even further. How was I supposed to protect my heart when he kept saying things that made it thump in my chest even harder? Maybe the way to a broken heart was to make it beat so fast it eventually gave up?
“Melrose, I’m so sorry I upset you,” Cole whispered. He leant down, our foreheads resting upon each other. I could feel his warm breath on my nose, his hand cradling the back of my head.
“I guess I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions,” I confessed. Perhaps if we had actually had a discussion about what we were to each other, I might not have done so. I made a mental note, we really did need to define our relationship. I knew he had referred to me as his girlfriend, but did he really consider me to be? I was all kinds of self conscious.
“I should have explained it to you before the paps found us. It was my fault.”
I playfully pushed on his chest. “All your fault.”
He laughed, melting away any residual hurt or anger I was feeling. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. I was completely in his embrace and it felt like the best place in the world to be.
After that, our tour came to an end in case any more photographers were lingering around each corner. Cole was jumpy and I couldn’t blame him. If his fans were even half as bad as he described, then I would be in for all kinds of trouble when it came out about us.
When we could go out in the cover of darkness, Wilson and Cole took me to their favorite restaurant in town. Apparently it was the only restaurant in town so it was a happy thing that it was a good one.
Apple Marie’s was a family run establishment, high on the plaid fabric, low on the menu choices. The wooden paneled walls and pigtailed waitresses gave everything a homely, country vibe. I decided I liked the place.
Apparently they were famous for their burgers so we each had one. They were served in super quick time, putting Burger Nation to shame. Creepy Pete and I were going to have to lift our game.
“Well, what do you think?” Cole asked, waiting expectantly for my first mouthful to go down. Wilson seemed just as eager on my other side.
I couldn’t let them down, even if the burger was so-so in my expert opinion. “The best burger ever!” I said with enthusiasm.
Satisfied, they both turned their attention back to their own burgers. I was out of the hot seat for a moment. But apparently not for long.
“Did Cole tell you I saved his life once?” Wilson started.
“No, but I’m dying to hear that story,” I replied while Cole blanched.
“She doesn’t need to hear your made up story,” he said.
“Yeah, she does.” Wilson went on, unabashed. “When Cole was little, like three or four or something, he was riding his bike down the street. He was terrible at it, even with training wheels, so he was weaving all over the place.”
“I was like two years old,” Cole interrupted, rolling his eyes. I started laughing, even though he hadn’t reached the end of the story. The way Cole and Wilson bickered back and forth reminded me of Jemma and myself. There was something irrationally irritating about siblings.
“You were not, you were like five or s
omething,” Wilson continued. “Anyway, so here he was, careening down the middle of the street without a care in the world when a car turned the corner and started approaching.”
That sounded dangerous, I could kind of tell where the story was going.
“So I called out to him ‘Cole, get off the road’, but he wasn’t listening. He just waved like an idiot. I could see the car coming but I wasn’t sure if the driver had seen Cole. So I started running.”
“And the car went around me, the end,” Cole finished for him.
Wilson shot him a death stare. “The car went around but then you hit a rock and went straight over the handlebars. I carried you to safety. You could have died of blood loss, little brother. You’ve still got the scar.”
“Where? Show me,” I demanded. I had to see this infamous scar, borne from the brink of death.
Cole moved his head sideways and pulled back his sandy blonde hair to reveal a sliver of white along his hairline. It was about an inch long, it would have been impressive when it was fresh. “I wouldn’t have died of blood loss. I probably wouldn’t have even crashed if it wasn’t for Wilson distracting me.”
“Gee, it’s okay brother, I don’t need your eternal gratitude for saving your life or anything.” Wilson rolled his eyes before taking a bite of his burger.
“You didn’t save my life.”
“Prove it.”
“I don’t have to.”
“Because you can’t.”
Cole opened his mouth to bite back again but decided against it. I couldn’t stop laughing at them. Sitting in Apple Marie’s felt so normal, a world away from the Cole Newton I had seen in the tabloids. We were just three ordinary people sharing a simple meal together. It felt right.
Chapter Five
Everything was quiet as I lay in bed. The clock on my phone said it was only six o’clock but I had already been lying there awake for more than an hour. It must have been the fresh country air.
I couldn’t stay there any longer, I had to move. The ceiling wasn’t getting any more interesting and there was only so much pink fabric I could take. I tiptoed into my adjoining bathroom and got ready for the day.
I thought for sure there would be movement in the house by the time I was ready. Pressing my ear to my bedroom door, it was still whisper quiet in the hallway. It didn’t feel right walking around the house by myself but I couldn’t sit still any longer. I decided to chance it.
The hallway was quiet, just as I suspected. I crept along, thinking about making some noise to accidently-on-purpose wake up the boys. We hadn’t stayed out late the night before at Apple Marie’s. We were all in bed by a respectable ten o’clock. They didn’t need a sleep in.
I made it to the top of the stairs and continued on, heading for the kitchen. I guessed it would be okay if I helped myself to some breakfast, that wasn’t overstepping their hospitality, right? A girl had to eat.
It felt weird being in someone else’s house alone, like I was creeping about instead of just walking. It was normally moments like that in horror movies where the innocent girl found her serial killer boyfriend’s stash of bodies or something. Which reminded me – I needed to send my dad a text and let him know I wasn’t one of those bodies.
I reached the kitchen safely and without accidently seeing something I shouldn’t. I found a glass and poured myself some water. The view from the bay window was of the backyard. Beyond, there was a thick forest of trees. I could imagine Cole and Wilson getting up to all sorts of trouble in the woods as kids. Probably some as teenagers too.
No matter how many cupboards I opened, I couldn’t find the cereal. I gave up and took my water into the living room, figuring I’d watch television while waiting.
As I turned the corner, I ran straight into a nearly naked Cole. Literally, we collided. And literally, he was only wearing his boxer shorts. My water splashed, spilling all over his bare chest.
“Cole, I’m so sorry,” I said, trying not to stare. My instincts were to mop up the water but I didn’t even know where to begin. I probably shouldn’t have been sponging at his chest even if I did have a cloth.
He laughed heartily. “It’s okay, I was having trouble waking up. I think you cured that, thank you.”
He was so close and looking so gorgeous with his mussed up bed hair, I completely forgot where I was going and what I was doing. One smile and my meltdown was complete.
Cole took the glass from my hands. “Let me get you a refill.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” The water was starting to bead on his chest as it dried. Look away, Melrose, look anywhere else except staring at his chest. I started blushing involuntarily.
“I insist. If I was taking better care of where I was going, I wouldn’t be wearing your drink.”
I followed him into the kitchen, still trying to make my body function properly again. Cole, barefoot, padded over to the sink and refilled my glass before handing it back to me. I really hoped he didn’t see the rosy glow to my cheeks.
“Thank you,” I mumbled.
He went about setting the coffee machine, catching sight of the clock above the oven. “Is that the time?”
“Yeah, it’s just after seven.”
“Damn it, we need to get going or we’ll be late.” He started moving in fast forward, it was making me dizzy just watching him.
“Where are we going?” I asked, still in the dark as always.
“A charity fundraising event. We’ll have to grab some breakfast along the way. Are you cool with that?” I nodded, it didn’t seem helpful to do anything else. “Okay. I’ll jump in the shower and be ready in five.”
I waited as he whizzed by and took the stairs two at a time. I downed my drink and grabbed my handbag, hoping I was appropriately dressed for a charity event in my simple yellow dress.
Cole joined me downstairs in the promised five minutes, puffing but presentable in his khaki pants and red polo shirt. He hadn’t changed his hair but it didn’t matter, the messy look was his signature.
We jumped in the car and Cole sped out of the sleepy town. As promised, he went through the drive-thru at McDonald’s on the highway. We ate our bacon and egg burgers as he drove one-handed.
“What kind of a charity is it?” I asked to make conversation.
“Children’s hospital, I think. They asked me ages ago when the tour was first announced. Considering I was going to be in the area, I agreed.”
“Do you do a lot of charity things?” I already knew the answer but I thought it polite to get it from the horse’s mouth.
Cole nodded. “As many as I can. I figure if just being somewhere means they can raise more money, then why not? I meant it when I said I wanted to make a difference in the world.”
“It’s really nice of you to give up your time. My biggest contribution to charity is making sure my sister brushes her teeth.”
He laughed. “I can’t wait to meet Jemma, she sounds like an interesting kid.”
“She would eat you alive. She’s a big Two Dimension fan.”
“Is she on Team Cole?”
I had to break the bad news to him. “She’s totally Team Reed, sorry.”
Cole stuck his bottom lip out like he was upset. He couldn’t maintain the charade for too long though. “I’ll have to show her the way, I can win her over.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. You did win me over, after all.”
“You were Team Reed?”
“Team Luke,” I said cheekily. I watched out of the corner of my eye for his reaction. He pretended to have a heart attack, which then gave me a heart attack about the way he was driving. “Eyes on the road, Mister.”
“My girlfriend just said she prefers my band mate over me. I have nothing to live for,” he said melodramatically. Sheesh, starlets. If it wasn’t for the mischievous twinkle in his eye, I would think he had a thin skin.
“I’m Team Cole now,” I pointed out. He focused on the road again as a quietness settled between us in the car. One qu
estion was burning on the tip of my tongue and I really wanted to ask it, but I was worried about the answer.
I guessed it was now or never. “Do you really think of me as your girlfriend?”
Cole snuck a glance my way. “Yeah. Is that okay? Do you want to be my girlfriend?”
It seemed too easy, too simple. And we hadn’t even kissed yet. When was this dream going to end and I wake up to find I’m in my own bed?
“Do you want to be my boyfriend?” I asked instead of answering his question. Avoidance was a seriously underused technique to avoid saying things you weren’t sure of.
“Yeah, I do,” Cole replied. “And you didn’t answer my question.” Darn. Avoidance worked much better when the person you were talking with were easily distracted. I guessed Cole was the focused type.
How was I supposed to protect my heart when Cole wanted me to wear it on my sleeve? I guessed I had been the one to open the can of worms. Perhaps I should have kept my question burning on my tongue. Good one, Melrose.
“I like the idea of being your girlfriend,” I replied honestly. I did like the idea, I just wasn’t sure I was ready for it completely yet. I didn’t add that last part.
A smile curled Cole’s lips. I couldn’t help but smile like a lovestruck fool too. So we were together, boyfriend and girlfriend. It was what I wanted from the moment we had first met at Burger Nation, I just never imagined it would actually happen.
My next question was why Cole had never kissed me, even though he had plenty of opportunities. But I decided to keep that one to myself.
We arrived at the children’s hospital where a canvas tent was erected on the lawns almost half an hour later. We were just outside of Philadelphia. Hundreds of people mingled around the tent, half of them children.
Cole was instantly spotted by a lady with a clipboard who hurried over to meet him. She looked like she was the one in charge.
“Mr. Newton, I’m so pleased you could make it,” she said, her voice high pitched and squeaky. She reminded me of a mouse.
The Star Kissed Collection Page 7