“I saw him and his hot older brother in the parking lot after school yesterday,” she began. Her friends all leaned over, basking on her every word. “I think I am going to see if he wants to go to a movie or something next weekend,” she giggled.
Somehow, hearing her say those words sent pain shooting through my body. Of course, Cohen would have girls admiring him and wanting to go out with him. He was new. He was painfully gorgeous, and he was mysterious with his silent demeanor and sharp features. I knew I didn’t stand a chance with Cohen, and for some reason, that made me feel sad.
“Did you see him with anyone else?” I asked, probing her for more information.
“No, why?” Amy asked.
“No reason,” I finished, shrugging my shoulders.
“Who else would he be with?” she asked, eyeing me carefully.
“I don’t know. I saw him talking to someone earlier today. I had never seen the guy before. Maybe I was just tired or seeing things,” I suggested, unsure myself of what was going on.
“Who knows,” Amy sighed, shifting her backpack on her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get to class.”
****
I went through the day going to classes and shamelessly looking for Cohen. Somehow, I managed to go the entire day without seeing him.
After school, I couldn’t get home fast enough. I found a note from my parents with their hotel information and some extra cash. I texted Amy to see if she wanted to stay with me Saturday night.
Tonight, I was going to hang out with Cohen and I felt like it would be best to get to know him without Amy’s prying questions.
Feeling like a stalker, I watched out my bedroom window until I spotted Cohen’s car pulling into the driveway. I half expected to see someone out get out of the car, too, but he was alone.
Now was the moment of truth. Did I go over there or wait for Cohen inside? I know we had agreed to meet outside, but did that mean literally? Man, no wonder I hadn’t bothered to chase after guys before. This was too much work.
Getting out of his car, Cohen looked directly up to my bedroom window and smiled. It was like he knew I was there. And watching him.
Already caught, I waved at him and he motioned for me to come outside. So, I sucked in a deep breath and made my way downstairs and out the front door. Cohen met me halfway and we stopped in the center of the road.
“Waiting for me?” he asked, chuckling as he shoved his hands inside his pockets.
A slight breeze blew through the air and tousled his dark hair.
“I just happened to be looking out the window when you pulled up,” I half lied.
“I’m glad we agreed to meet up today. I don’t get to talk to people very often,” Cohen said. He glanced back at his house quickly before turning back to me.
“What are you talking about?” I laughed. “You have siblings. Plus, I’m sure you had tons of friends at your last school,” I added. “Did some come to visit you here?” I asked coyly.
“It’s different,” Cohen said slowly. “And no, I didn’t have a friend visit. Who you saw me talking to earlier was just someone passing through. He is gone now,” he snapped, a slight snarl in his tone.
I was taken aback by his elusive behavior. He seemed nervous standing in the middle of the street. From the way he was so quick to dismiss the stranger I had seen him with earlier, I realized not to press the issue. So, I decided we should go for a walk. That was, after all, the reason I had talked him into hanging out today--to show him around town. It wasn’t any of my business who that strange guy was, so I just needed to drop it. At least, for now.
“I see. Let’s go for a walk. I can show you the beach I love to go to in the summer,” I said.
“Sure,” Cohen said. He looked back at his house one last time before following next to me.
We walked down the road and watched as vibrantly colored leaves danced all around us. After a few minutes of awkward silence, I began to point out various places around town like a tour guide.
“That small shop over there is an amazing coffee shop,” I stated, pointing to a brown and yellow building.
“Do you drink coffee?” he asked me.
My eyes grew wide as I turned to face him. “Sure, most people do,” I said. “We live right outside of Seattle, the coffee capital of the country,” I laughed.
Cohen just nodded. He was so awkward!
We walked along a small park that edged the vast green forests that covered the western side of Washington. There was still green everywhere, even in the middle of September. Ferns covered the expansive ground and large trees loomed over top of us. Cohen admired the landscape as we walked. He must be from the East Coast because he is looking around like he just got here from Mars or something.
“Down the street here is the road to the Ferry. It will take you to other towns nearby,” I said, pointing down the road.
Again, he just nodded. I was starting to grow agitated by how little he spoke. He had no social awareness for someone who had siblings and was so.... Good looking.
When we finally reached the beach, I walked over to a long rock bridge that stretched across the waterway. There was a guy fishing off one side and a few kids playing on the beach.
Stopping, I took in the calming sights and sounds of the ocean.
“This is my favorite place in all the world,” I sighed.
Looking around, Cohen eyed everything I did, as though he were trying to see the world from my eyes.
“It must be nice to have a favorite place,” Cohen said.
“You don't?” I asked
Something about the way he spoke told me he didn’t. “Well, not really. My family and I have moved around a lot. I never had a chance to have a favorite place,” he admitted.
Placing my hand on his arm, I felt compelled to comfort him. He seemed so sad and distant as he spoke. “I’m sorry you haven’t found a special place. Maybe you will here,” I offered.
Cohen looked down at my hand on his arm and smiled. My fingertips tingled even though there was fabric between my skin and his.
“I think I already have,” Cohen said, smiling down at me.
There was a sweet moment that passed between us and then just as fast as it appeared, it was gone. Shaking his head, Cohen suddenly looked frustrated. “My parents have homeschooled us until this year. I begged-- no demanded-- that I get to finally go to school. I want to stay here, stay in one place,” Cohen sighed.
I felt for him, but at the same time, I couldn’t understand why he would want so badly to go to public school. I detested half of my peers and couldn’t wait to graduate.
“Well, public school isn’t as exciting as it seems on television and in movies. Other than Amy, I don’t have a lot of friends. Maybe it would have been nice to get the opportunity to move and start over somewhere else.”
The thought alone was exhilarating.
“Maybe,” Cohen said. “But, I think what I have found here, may just be my favorite place,” he said. He looked down and smiled at me before looking back out at the water.
My heart danced inside my chest as his words sunk in. Could I have possibly found someone to make life here in this lonely town, a little easier?
We walked along the rocky shore, climbing over the slick, sharp rocks that protruded out from the land and into the water. We were talking and laughing and I found myself so carried away, that I threw caution to the wind and just kept moving. I knew better than to continue on these rocks. My foot slipped on green slime and I lost my balance. I felt myself falling and knew that I was about to plunge into the icy water below. I could already feel the sharp stabs of the rocks I would hit on my way down. Closing my eyes, I prepared myself for the crash, but it never came.
A pair of strong hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me back upright. My eyes shot open as I realized I wasn’t plunging to my death, but instead, locked in Cohen’s embrace.
Smiling, he kept his h
old on my waist. “Be careful, you just about took a really cold swim,” he joked.
I pleaded with my heart to stop racing as I looked into his golden eyes.
“Sorry, I knew better than to keep walking. It is dangerous after a certain point out here,” I said, standing up on my own now.
Cohen and I carefully made our way back to the beach and once we were on solid ground again, I felt like I could breathe.
Turning to me, Cohen laughed a little. “For a minute, I thought you were going to push me into the water,” he mused. “I guess you would have every right to. I have been a bit frustrating,” he admitted.
Waving him off, I smiled. “Who said I wasn’t going to push you in?”
“Oh yeah,” he laughed. Moving faster than anyone I had ever seen before, he lunged forward and picked me up, throwing my body over his shoulder as though I simply weighed nothing. I laughed and smacked his back, pleading for him to let me down. He raced toward the water and I could hear the sounds of the breaks against the shore.
“I was just kidding. I would never push you into the water,” I screamed, but my voice was filled with too much laughter to be taken seriously.
Cohen flipped me back into his arms and acted like he was about to swing me out into the waves, but then he stopped and slowly placed my feet onto the yellow, crunchy sand below us.
He leaned down and scooped some of the salty, cold water in his hand and then flicked it at me.
The chilly water struck my face, and I gasped. “I can’t believe you just did that,” I mused.
Then, I did the only thing that made sense. I scooped down and grabbed two handfuls of water and pushed them toward Cohen. The water felt like melted ice and I could feel my hands going numb. I didn’t care, though. This was so much fun and I was enjoying this side of Cohen. He seemed so carefree and relaxed. I hoped he would stay this way.
Chapter 8
As the sunset began to dance over the water, I inhaled the fresh scent of saltwater. It was honestly one of the things I loved about Edison. Being near the water was calming and there was an added feeling of contentment having Cohen standing next to me.
He was finally opening up to me and acting human, and I found myself enjoying this time together. We were beginning to become friends, and I felt a connection already.
“It’s getting dark, we should probably head back,” Cohen offered, looking back to the fading sunlight. Streetlights were turning on and car headlights were glowing around town. It wasn’t a far walk back to our neighborhood but being new, I could understand if Cohen felt anxiety about being out past dark.
“Yeah, I should get back. My parents left this morning to spend the weekend in Seattle. I am sure they will be calling me soon and expect me home,” I said, turning on my heels and beginning the trek back home.
“Oh, you are home alone?” Cohen asked.
He seemed surprised by my information. I was sixteen-- almost seventeen-years-old. I was perfectly fine spending a weekend alone. Besides, Amy would be coming over tomorrow night.
“Yes, but it’s fine. Seattle is only an hour away and Amy is staying with me tomorrow,” I stated.
“You don’t get scared?” Cohen asked, worry filling his eyes. His pace had slowed, and I couldn’t help but laugh a little at his nervousness.
“Nothing ever happens around here,” I laughed. “Besides, I have neighbors and Amy’s house is close by.”
Cohen only nodded, but his jaw tensed and his eyes flicked red. Was he angry?
“Do you not stay alone?” I asked, wondering just how sheltered he was.
“Not really. My siblings and I have been homeschooled until this year. We generally don’t go anywhere without each other,” Cohen stated.
This shocked me. I knew my mouth was hanging wide open and I couldn't hide it.
“You mean, you are never alone? Like, without your family?” I asked incredulously.
His cheeks paled and I could tell I had embarrassed him. Now I felt terrible. I wasn’t trying to poke fun at him. I just honestly hadn’t heard of teens my age not having been alone at some point.
“It wasn’t safe…” Cohen began to say, but then he quickly closed his mouth shut.
“Not safe?” I asked.
“It’s nothing,” he snapped, and I could tell he didn’t want me to push that any further.
“Ok, but you are alone with me right now?” I pointed out, still pleading for answers but trying my hardest not to pry into personal matters.
“Yeah, I know. It probably isn’t safe either. I know better than to venture out alone, but I just had…” again he stopped himself from finishing his sentence.
“You had to what?” I asked.
I stopped walking and held up my hands to stop him. The wind had picked up and an icy chill filled the air. The moon glowed brightly up ahead and a gloomy, unpleasant feeling hung heavy in the air.
“Nothing,” he stated.
Cohen looked away, refusing to make eye contact with me. I was growing agitated by how elusive he was. One minute he was pretending like he hated me and would only provide simple answers and the next, he was sharing personal information with me. This was getting too hard to keep up with.
If he wasn’t going to look at me, then I wasn’t going to make him. I had enough of his games, I was leaving and he could find his way back on his own.
“You know what? Never mind,” I stated, starting to walk away as fast as I could. My hands were still shoved in my pockets for warmth and I knew I looked immature, but I didn’t care.
“Don’t leave,” Cohen yelled, but I refused to stop walking. “Please, Henley. Just wait and I will try to explain.”
I just shook my head and picked up my speed. At this point, I was in a full-blown sprint. I could still hear him calling my name as I turned the corner and raced to my house.
****
I slammed my front door behind me and fell to the hardwood floor. Tears were streaming down my face and I was angry.
Angry at Cohen.
Angry thinking we could be friends.
Angry that I thought that the fun and sweet moment we had just shared had actually meant something.
Angry that I was crying.
A loud knock banged just above my head and I let out a shriek.
Sliding myself up the door, I peered through the peephole and saw Cohen standing on my front porch.
Impossible, I thought to myself. I ran all the way home and looked back several times. Not once did I see him behind me. He couldn’t have made it here without being close behind me. Which he wasn’t.
“Henley, please open the door and talk to me. I know you are there,” Cohen shouted.
His words made me jump. They were loud and powerful and very unlike the Cohen I had just left.
For a moment, I contemplated going up to my room and ignoring him, but my own curiosity got the best of me.
Throwing the door open, I placed one hand on my hip and glared at Cohen. He looked surprised to see me, even though he had just begged me to talk to him.
“What do you want?” I asked. My voice was high and sharp and I could tell it was cutting right through him.
“I wanted to say that I was sorry. I obviously upset you and that was never my intention,” Cohen apologize. “We had a lot of fun tonight, and I want to continue doing that.”
“Yes, we had a great time. I really thought you were opening up to me. I’m upset,” I finished, going to slam the door in his face.
Cohen reached out and stopped the door from closing. He didn’t even flinch from the power behind my pushing the heavy door. “I want to be your friend. Look, I never had any friends before and I don’t know what I am doing. There are things about me that I just can’t share yet. And, if that means we can’t be friends because of that, I will just have to accept that. I won’t like it, but I will respect your wishes.”
It was times like this, where I felt my heart su
rge forward in my chest. Cohen had the lava that was just moments ago raging through me, now cooling down. Could he really just be new to the social scene? The thought baffled me because I had never been part of the social circles in school. Amy was my only friend, but I still knew how to talk to people. But, was I being fair by judging him? Ugh, I hated how confused I felt with him.
“Are you telling me the truth or are you just messing with me? Because I have been picked on enough,” I fired back.
I had to be sure that this all wasn’t some ruse he was playing. He was hot and new-- the popular kids at school were surely ready to eat him up and add him into their elusive circles. I wasn’t anyone special, and it was painfully obvious when you walked down the halls of our high school.
“Why would I lie about this? I have nothing to gain with messing with you,” he said, cringing at the last part.
“Because that’s what kids do here. They ignore me or they tease me. Look, I’m sorry if I got upset. I just don’t know how to handle you sometimes. You are very confusing,” I added.
“I’m sure I do appear confusing to you. To be honest, I am very confused myself. I am learning how to fit into your world and I am clearly messing everything up,” he said, now hanging his head low.
Sighing, I removed my hand from the door and took a step outside onto the porch. I sat down on one of the concrete steps that led to the sidewalk. Following my lead, Cohen sat down next to me. Smiling, he seemed to relax as I calmed down.
“This is all a mess,” Cohen whispered, almost to himself.
“I agree.”
Chuckling, Cohen turned to face me. “It appears we finally have something we can agree on,” he said.
I liked it when he smiled and laughed, it gave him a light touch that made him more likable.
“I think you are right,” I agreed.
We sat there for a few minutes in silence. Allowing the sounds of the earth around us to fill the void in the air.
Finally, Cohen broke the silence. “Look, I know we haven’t had the best start and I will more than likely mess up again, I would like for us to start over again. Tonight, meant a lot to me, and I think it did for you, too. And I will try to tell you as much as I can about myself, but you do need to understand. There is a level of privacy I must adhere too. It is vital to my safety,” Cohen said, staring deep into my eyes.
Shadowed (The Shadow and Moon Series) Page 5