5. Tori
TORI
I was really looking forward to seeing Cole again.
This afternoon, with the sun spilling golden light across the outdoor terrace of the café, I could almost forget the shadows of my past.
Almost.
I’d chosen a table near the edge of the patio, overlooking a gentle slope that rolled down into a forested edge of the park.
Oakridge Bay had a natural beauty that drew me in each time I looked, especially with Cole sitting across from me, smiling as if he were perfectly at ease here.
I leaned back, fiddling with my napkin as he recounted a story about his younger sister’s antics.
The more he talked, the more I was struck by how much he’d shared about himself.
Cole had an openness I hadn’t expected from someone so effortlessly confident, powerful even, in his own way.
I found myself caught in thoughts of what it might be like to close the distance between us.
To lean over the table and kiss him, to feel his hand wrap around mine as if he’d never let go.
Before I realized it, I was staring, lost in my own thoughts, a blush creeping up my cheeks.
My gaze drifted down to his hands, watching the way his fingers tapped the edge of his cup—a casual, rhythmic motion that felt oddly soothing.
“Something on your mind?” he asked, catching me off guard.
I cleared my throat, glancing away quickly.
“I just… appreciate you coming all the way out here again. You don’t have to, you know. We could meet halfway,” I suggested.
“Maybe I don’t,” he said, a playful spark lighting his eyes, “but I want to. I told you, I enjoy getting to know you.”
A warmth bloomed in my chest at his words. He was real, grounded in a way that Marcus had never been.
Marcus. I frowned, the unwelcome thought threatening to break the fragile peace I’d allowed myself to feel.
It was rare that I let myself sink into a moment without looking over my shoulder.
I was just about to turn the conversation back to him when something caught my eye.
A flash of movement behind a nearby tree—a figure standing still and watching.
I squinted, my heart giving a wild, painful thud. No… it couldn’t be. I forced myself to keep calm, but my pulse roared in my ears.
The face was half-shadowed by leaves, but I knew that stance.
That look, the smirk that crawled across his mouth when he knew he had control.
Marcus.
A chill sliced through the warmth of the afternoon, and I felt myself go rigid.
Cole must have noticed the change because he leaned forward, his brows knitting together with concern.
“Tori, what is it?” Cole asked.
I couldn’t find the words. I was hoping—desperately—that my mind was playing tricks on me.
That I’d imagined Marcus’s face in the blur of the trees, a ghost conjured by my own fear.
But he was still there, gaze fixed on me and, more chillingly, on Cole.
His lips curled in a lazy, arrogant wave before he turned.
Marcus strolled off, hands casually in his pockets as if he hadn’t just sent a jolt of terror into my soul.
“Who was that?” Cole’s voice was tight, a low growl simmering just below the surface.
I looked up at him, surprised to see a dark, almost feral glint in his eyes, a promise of danger lurking beneath his composed exterior.
For a second, he looked like a predator—a protector ready to strike. It should have scared me. But it didn’t.
“Marcus,” I said quietly, my voice barely audible. “He’s… my ex-fiancé.”
The words felt foreign, stiff, as if I hadn’t said them aloud in a long time.
Cole’s jaw tightened, and a flicker of something dark crossed his expression.
“I see,” he murmured, each word careful and measured. “So he’s the one who hurt you.”
It was less of a question and more of a statement.
Though I wanted to argue, to tell him that I wasn’t some broken doll, the truth clung to me like an unwanted shadow.
Marcus had hurt me, yes—physically, emotionally and mentally, until I’d barely recognized myself in the mirror.
He’d twisted pieces of me until I’d felt trapped, suffocated by a love that had never been love at all.
“He is,” I admitted, my voice shaking just slightly.
I swallowed, struggling to meet Cole’s steady, expectant gaze.
I continued, “It was a long time ago, five years, actually. We were young, and I… I thought he was it for me.”
Cole reached across the table, his fingers brushing mine, grounding me in the moment.
“What happened?” Cole asked.
“He… changed. Or maybe he was always like that, and I just didn’t see it. He became controlling, possessive. I couldn’t even go out with friends without him demanding to know every detail of where I was, who I was with.” I laughed bitterly.
I remembered the claustrophobic feeling of his shadow following me everywhere.
I added, “Eventually, he made me feel like I was nothing without him. But one day, I found the courage to leave. I never looked back.”
Cole’s gaze softened, but his grip on my hand was firm.
“And now he’s here. In Oakridge Bay,” Cole said.
“I don’t know why he’s here,” I admitted.
I forced myself to look away, toward the spot where Marcus had stood moments before.
The ghost of his presence lingered, like a dark cloud over the sunny café terrace.
“Maybe it’s a coincidence. Maybe he’s just passing through,” I added.
Cole shook his head, his expression hardening.
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” he said.
The truth was, I didn’t either. My stomach twisted uncomfortably, a gnawing fear creeping up the back of my mind.
The thought that Marcus had come looking for me, that he still felt entitled to some piece of me, made my skin crawl.
Cole’s fingers tightened around mine, grounding me again.
“He’s done a number on you,” he said gently, his voice low and measured. “Even now, you’re still scared of him.”
The heat rose in my cheeks, and I pulled my hand away, bristling at the way his words sliced through me.
“I managed to do right on my own,” I replied stiffly. “I built my life back up from scratch. I didn’t need him then, and I certainly don’t need him now.”
Cole held up his hands in a placating gesture, though his eyes never left mine.
“Tori, no one could deny you have steel in your spine. It’s one of the things I admire most about you.”
He leaned closer, his voice dropping. “But even the strongest people don’t have to face everything alone.”
I bit my lip, searching his face for any sign of pity, any trace of condescension.
But all I saw was concern—genuine, earnest, and unwavering. Slowly, my shoulders relaxed, and the tension ebbed just slightly.
“Thank you,” I whispered, letting my hand drift back to his.
This time, I didn’t pull away when he wrapped his fingers around mine, squeezing gently.
Cole lifted my hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of it.
The touch was warm, grounding, a promise I could almost believe in.
I shivered at the feel of his breath against my skin, the way his eyes softened as he looked at me.
Something shifted between us in that moment, a silent understanding that neither of us put into words.
We finished our lunch in comfortable silence.
The weight of our unspoken words still lingered but somehow, it didn’t feel as heavy.
By the time he walked me back to the boutique, I felt a strange calm settle over me.
It was as if just being near him was enough to keep the worst of my fears at bay.
At the door, I turned to face him, our hands still entwined.
His eyes held that same intensity, a steady warmth that sent a pleasant shiver down my spine.
“Thank you, Cole. Really,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
He took a step closer, his free hand drifting to my cheek, brushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
“You don’t have to thank me, Tori. I’m here because I want to be.”
His voice was low, intimate, each word wrapping around me like a protective cocoon.
Before I could second-guess myself, I let my hands drift up to his shoulders, feeling the warmth of his body under my fingertips.
He leaned down slowly, giving me a chance to pull away, but I didn’t.
I tilted my face up, meeting him halfway, and the moment our lips touched, the world around us seemed to fall away.
The kiss was soft at first, a gentle exploration, but it quickly deepened, his arms winding around me, pulling me close.
I melted into him, my hands sliding up to his neck, fingers threading through his hair.
I felt a warmth spread through me, chasing away the cold, bitter memories that Marcus had left behind.
Cole’s touch, his warmth, it was something real, something I hadn’t allowed myself to believe in until now.
When we finally pulled away, both of us a little breathless, he pressed his forehead to mine.
His eyes held a promise that made my heart ache in the best way possible.
“Tori,” he whispered, his breath brushing against my skin. “Whatever happens, I’m here. You’re not alone anymore.”
My heart thudded as I wondered if I was being foolish for wanting to believe him.