Chapter 7
Seven
Scarlett
22 Years Old
Scarlett must have done something to piss off the powers at be because Colin had only gotten hotter since he left. At eighteen, he had looked like a nerdy wet dream, but now? Now his jawline had sharpened, and while he was clean-shaven, she could tell that there was stubble right under the surface. There was no way he would ever let it grow out, considering he had once told her that the small amount of hair he had to shave off back in high school had felt like a foreign object on his face, but just the shadowy illusion of hair was annoyingly attractive.
On top of the new manly features Colin now possessed, he had clearly figured out what to do with the cowlick just right of center at his hairline. Every hair fell perfectly on his head and swooped in all the right places. Wire-rimmed, round glasses had always looked good on him, but he had traded black for brown, and the softer color brought out his daunting blue eyes. From the brown knit sweater to the tan jacket with corduroy elbow patches, Colin looked like he had fallen straight out of a dark academia magazine. Either that, or he was about to star as the sexy scientist villain in a highbrow indie film. The latter was especially fitting because Colin Hartrick was absolutely the villain in her story. And there he was, standing there and staring at her like he knew exactly what was under her clothes because, unfortunately for her, he did.
“Hi, Red.” Fuck . Colin’s voice was deeper now, too, which made the high-pitched squeak that came out of Scarlett’s mouth even more mortifying.
“P-please, leave me alone.” Out of all the fire and brimstone things she had thought to say to him when they met again, this stuttering and begging version of herself made her feel weak and pitiful. The way her eyes were already pricked with tears left a bitter and resentful taste in her mouth. We do not cry over men , she reminded herself. It’s been five fucking years . Then, she straightened her spine and quickly added, “I think it’s best if we don’t cross paths again, Colin.” Scarlett went to cut and run, but a large hand grabbed at her wrist, holding her in place. She looked up to find that Colin was behind the counter now and blocking her from leaving. He was the one who had left before, so she didn’t see how her leaving the vicinity now was of great trouble to him. Her eyes dropped to where his hand warmed her skin, and he must have noticed his error because he let go.
“Just don’t move, okay? There’s glass all over the floor,” Colin murmured. She looked down at the shards in a daze, disconnected, with all her focus still on the spot where he had touched her. All the nerve endings in her body were dancing under her skin like eager little traitors.
“You aren’t allowed to fucking hop the counter, Colin!” Harper yelled, moving over toward them.
“He’s preventing your sister from getting hurt. Calm the hell down,” Walker shouted from behind the counter.
“Your nephew is an asshole, and I can help my sister without him.”
“Okay, you don’t get to talk about Colin that way. You don’t know what you’re talking about, Harper.” Talia jumped into action beside her husband, and Amala was quickly at the counter with her. The walls felt as though they were closing in on her. Everything was overwhelming, the voices bouncing off the coffee makers and slamming into her one by one like tiny daggers to her heart. As if her brain had already reverted to her eighteen-year-old self, she suddenly realized who the shouting would affect the most, and it wasn’t her.
Sure enough, when Scarlett jerked her head to look up, Colin’s eyes were squeezed shut, his hands pressed over his ears in his classic defense, and she could tell he was shutting down. She reached up quickly and pressed his hands harder against his ears before turning her head to shout to their family members.
“ Stop it!” The room went silent other than a muffled “ shit ” from Walker. When Scarlett met her sister’s eyes, they were wide and surprised. “Please go get a broom and stop yelling. It’s too much noise.” Her voice was calm and even. The one she used in all of her art classes to tame children and wine-drunk adults. Colin’s breathing was still erratic as she pulled him down a little, his forehead resting against her shoulder and her fingers pressing into the back of his head to massage. “Breathe. It’s okay. I’m here.” She wasn’t exactly sure if that would be a comfort to him at all given how badly they had ended things, but he seemed to be coming out of his trance when something touched her arm. A pair of headphones she assumed were like the ones Theodore wore to art class were dangling over the high counter from Talia’s hand. It was a new tactic that Colin must have figured out since he had been gone, but Scarlett was surprised no one had thought of headphones before. He had worn earplugs plenty in high school, but these looked much more comfortable. She carefully maneuvered them over his ears, and Colin relaxed a bit in her grasp, his eyes fluttering open as she pulled him up to his full height, cupping either side of his head and pressing against the headphones to block out any sound, including Harper below them, sweeping up the ceramic particles scattered all over the floor. Scarlett looked into Colin’s face for a brief second and mouthed okay ? Colin took two deep breaths before responding with a small nod of his head. She let her hands fall away from his face, but his arms, she realized, were wrapped around her waist like the start of a slow dance. She stiffened, revolting against the feeling of her body wanting to relax into his touch.
After a few more deep breaths, Colin finally spoke in a hoarse voice, like he had just run a marathon. “I’m sorry.”
Scarlett looked away and slowly unfurled herself from his embrace, gripping his wrists and pulling them off her. “It’s fine.” She swallowed. “I think we’re good with the mug now. You should go sit down.” But Colin didn’t move at all, just stood there breathing with his eyes flicking from her head to her feet. As much as she wanted him to be okay, she also needed him to not be in her presence. She was done being examined, so she took a giant step away from him and folded her arms over her chest to make it clear he no longer got to look at her or his favorite parts of her body.
“Colin,” Walker said calmly from the sideline. Colin’s head slowly swiveled toward his uncle, his brows pinching together. “Come sit down. We’ll get you some coffee.”
“On it.” Harper stood up from the floor with her dustpan, and Scarlett took another giant step away from Colin, who had turned to face her again, clouds forming behind his sky blue eyes.
“Do you hate me, Red?” Colin asked, a look of hurt so potent behind his eyes that she almost stepped forward.
Steeling herself against the emotions welling up inside her, Scarlett slowly shook her head and murmured, “you don’t get to call me Red anymore,” before turning on her heel and barging through the swinging door to the back room.