Chapter 25
twenty-five
Before that week, nobody had ever climbed up my balcony, but on Friday evening, Cole did it for the second time.
He couldn’t have chosen a worse possible time because I had just gotten out of the shower and came wandering back into my room, hair still dripping water onto my shoulders.
Luckily, I had changed in the bathroom, so I was at least wearing a cute, silky pajama set rather than just a towel.
But I still jumped out of my skin when I saw him.
To his credit, after he ran his eyes up and down my body, he did look a little sheepish.
I ran over to the balcony and opened the door for him, letting him step in from the cold.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed, looking around as if I thought my mom was suddenly going to appear and get angry that there was a boy in my room.
But she wasn’t home. Nobody was. In fact, I’d felt a little creeped out in the shower thinking that somebody was going to come murder me because I was home alone.
Ainsley would go ballistic if I told her that, in the time I was alone, Cole had managed to climb up on the balcony without me noticing.
If I told her, she would go on and on about how that could have been a serial killer, and I could be dead now, and how I really needed to start barricading the balcony when I was home alone for my own safety.
I was sure there was some serial killer who killed people this way. She would know.
But I wasn’t afraid of Cole. Despite his reputation, I never had been. In fact, I felt comforted by his presence. Like nothing bad could happen to me while he was near me.
He exhaled slowly, glancing around my room.
The books on the shelf, the paint samples still taped to the wall, the life I kept so carefully organized.
Then he turned his head and looked at me.
His eyes searching mine, the hint of a smile on his lips.
“I wanted to be the first person to wish you a happy birthday,” he said.
My heart stumbled. I drew in a slow breath. “It’s not my birthday. Not yet.”
He lifted his wrist and pulled back the sleeve so he could check his watch. The faint glow from the face lit up his features. “But it will be in 15 minutes.”
I raised my eyebrows. “So you decided to climb up a tree and almost break your neck just for that?”
He shrugged. “Seemed like a good reason.”
I rolled my eyes, even as the words made my heart warm. “Well, since you came all this way, do you want to come in and wait out the last fifteen minutes somewhere warmer?”
He smirked. “Just admit you care about my well being,” he said as he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.
I quickly turned away from him, moving to my closet so I could grab a sweater to pull on over the tank top I was wearing.
I grabbed an oversized one that I was pretty sure I’d stolen from Ainsley who had stolen it from Sebastian and zipped it up before spinning around back to him.
When I did, I realized he’d made himself at home, sitting on my desk chair and flipping through the papers on my desk.
“Are you here to give me advice on my homework again?” I asked drily.
He glanced at me over his shoulder. “Depends. What did your teacher think of my notes on the last one?”
“Hated them,” I said immediately. Definitely too quickly based on his grin. We both knew my teacher loved his notes. “In fact, I think I failed that project because of you, so thanks for that.”
He chuckled and got back up to his feet, coming to stand toe-to-toe with me. “I’m sorry about that, Princess.”
I tilted my head up so I was able to look at him. “You should be. First you make me fail that, then you force me to skip school.”
“Some might say I’m a bad influence on you.”
“Some might,” I agreed. He stared at me for a beat and I felt myself fidgeting under his gaze. He leaned back in the chair casually, like he sat in my bedroom all the time.
“And what do you say?”
“I say I really like having you around.”
“So it’s worth the failed classes and jail time.”
“I guess so.” I shrugged, pretending like skipping school two days ago wasn’t absolutely worth the repercussions from my teachers over my attendance and missed assignments. I turned them in yesterday so they didn’t have any reason to involve my mom, but still. Totally worth it.
I didn’t admit that out loud to him, but based on the way he was smiling lazily at me, I knew he could read between the lines.
“Well,” I murmured, “you’ve accomplished your mission. Early birthday wishes delivered. You can climb back down before you give my neighbors a heart attack.”
He didn’t move. Instead, he tipped his head to the side. “That’s it? You’re not even going to say thank you?”
“Thank you for nearly killing yourself outside my bedroom window?”
“See,” he said lightly, “that wasn’t so hard.”
I trailed off with a sigh as he brought his hand up to my chin, running his thumb along my bottom lip. My heart kicked up a notch, pounding about a million times a minute. His eyes dropped lower, going down to my shoulder where the sweater had slipped off, showing my bare skin.
“I like your PJs.”
I couldn’t tell whether his tone was mocking or genuine.
“I just got out of the shower,” I admitted. “Be grateful I was wearing this and not a towel.”
He cleared his throat and glanced away, and if I didn’t know better, I might have thought a flush crossed his cheeks. “I should’ve texted.”
“Yes,” I said pointedly. “That is generally how people announce their presence. Not Spider-Maning their way into second-story balconies.”
“Sounds boring.” He glanced at his watch again. “Twelve minutes.”
I looked at the clock on my nightstand, then back at him. The fact that he’d timed this down to the minute made something in my chest soften in a way that was deeply inconvenient. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“I wanted to,” he said simply.
“So,” I said, clearing my throat, “is this where you tell me you’re going to sing ‘Happy Birthday’?”
His eyes widened in horror. “Tell me you’re not somebody who enjoys being sung to on your birthday.”
“Why?” I teased. “Would that be a deal breaker?”
“Definitely.”
“Well, it is my birthday. Aren’t you supposed to honor the birthday girl’s wishes?”
“How about you come with me for your other birthday surprise, and then we can talk about it.”
“A birthday surprise? What is it?”
“I guess you’ll just have to follow me and find out.
” He rises from the chair and extends a hand to me again.
I was starting to get used to that—to him wanting to take me on some kind of adventure out of my comfort zone, but always offering me his hand first like whether or not I put my hand in his is all the answer he needs.
My fingers itched to be in his again, but I hesitated briefly. “And if we get caught?”
“Then I’ll take full responsibility,” he said. “I’ll tell your mom I corrupted you.”
She would probably laugh at that, I thought. “Okay,” I said, slipping my hand in his, immediately feeling like a puzzle piece just clicked into place. “But we have to be quick.”
His grin widened, triumphant but soft. “Deal.”
I took his hand and led him out of my bedroom and into the hall. Even though he’d just been in my bedroom, which was easily the most intimate spot of the house, I found myself feeling more on guard as I wandered through the dark hallway, wondering what he must be thinking about my family right now.
I crouched and jammed my feet into my boots, not even bothering to untie them first since they were already half-laced anyway, then grabbed my coat from the front closet.
I hadn’t gotten out my thicker winter jacket for the season yet since the days were still warm enough for my fall coat, but I hoped with the sweater underneath it, this one would be warm enough even for the evening.
By the time I had it on, Cole was already holding my hat and gloves, which had been in a basket with everyone else’s by the front door. I stared at them in his hands—my white hat with the bobble on top and knit white gloves—wondering how he’d known exactly which ones to grab.
“It’s freezing out,” he said, misreading my hesitation. “You’ll want them.”
I put the gloves on but looked at him curiously. “How’d you know they were mine?”
“You come into the coffee shop every day,” he said, “and you think I don’t know what hat is yours?”
“I just didn’t realize you noticed,” I whispered. Something soft passes his features. Then he reaches out and slides my hat over my head. His fingers brush my cheeks, leaving a burning trail on my skin.
“Of course I noticed you, Princess.” My breath catches, but then he backs up a step. “Come on,” he says, and we walk together toward the back door. Cole holds it open for me and a gust of winter wind blows at my face.
“Gosh, it’s freezing,” I said, sticking my hands in my pockets and shivering.
“Told you,” he said, stepping in close behind me.
We crossed the yard quietly, grass crunching under our boots, the frost glittering like it was showing off. The back deck light barely reached us now, and everything felt weirdly private, like the world had shrunk down to just this little patch of backyard.
The sky was insane. Clear and endless and packed with stars, like someone had turned the brightness all the way up just for tonight.
“Oh,” I breathed. “Okay. Yeah. You win.”
He glanced at me, a crooked smile tugging at his mouth, like he was proud he’d pulled this off. “Told you it was a good idea.” He shrugged out of his jacket and spread it across the grass. “Sit before you turn into an icicle.”
I sat down and he joined me a second later, close enough that our shoulders bumped. I didn’t move away. The cold faded a little with him there, his arm warm against mine.
We leaned back together, staring up at the sky, and for once my brain went quiet. No rules. No parents. No Ainsley lectures. Just the stars overhead and Cole beside me, acting like he didn’t care about anything—except, apparently, my birthday.