by M. A. Lee
I sat in an old medal chair near the back wall of Jim’s shop, which was fittingly called Jim’s Shop. Cole had promised me he would take a look at my car and fix whatever I needed, free of charge. I tried to argue, but Cole was just as stubborn as I was, if not more. A radio sat in the shops small office, blaring an old ACDC song as Jim and another man worked on a Mercedes. Jim was a short man in his mid-fifties. His hair was graying and he was short and plump. As soon as I walked into the shop, he had graciously walked me to a chair, which he wiped down for me, and asked me a million questions. The first starting with why I was with Cole.
Not sure how to answer that question, Cole only shook his head and reminded Jim of his clients and the work he had to do. The shop was small, but well taken care of. It was obvious this wasn’t just a job for these men. No, this was a passion.
Now, as I sat watching Cole, I could tell I had made the right decision bringing my car here. “Yeah, I think I am ready,” I said as I smiled at Cole. He looked absolutely adorable with his stained white shirt and jeans with grease stains soaked in. He was bent over the hood of the car, looking down at my engine, or some other car part I didn’t know the name of, as he talked to me. His butt, which was nicely in my vision, looked perfect as his form moved around the inside of my car.
Noticing my stare, Cole looked over at me and laughed as he gently pushed the hood of my car back down until it clicked. A naughty twinkle in his eye told me I was not as sneaky as I thought I had been. He shook his head as he began to talk. “You know; I see you checking me out. What, do you have a thing for mechanics?” he asked, slowly sauntering over to me, wiping his hands on a rag he had in his pocket.
Trying to hide my embarrassment, I could feel my cheeks flushing as he moved slowly towards me. He had caught me.
“Just looking,” I teased.
“Sure,” he laughed as he threw the dirty towel at me.
Kicking it away, I jumped. I was wearing a very expensive pair of light jeans and did not need grease stains ruining them. “Hey, I don’t want to get dirty,” I squealed, as Cole came after me, ready to attack.
He picked me up in his arms and began swinging me around as I kicked and screamed with delight.
“You two love birds stop that,” Jim yelled, from underneath the car he was working on. “If you break something, I am kicking Cole’s ass,” he grumbled.
Still laughing, Cole put me down and held up his hands, showing me he was surrendering. Fixing my shirt and my hair, I shouldered past him while giving him a sly smile. I checked on my car, which still looked brand new. The black paint looked perfectly shined and the wheels looked like they had never been driven before. Handing me my keys, Cole gave me the ok to check it out.
As I sat in my car and turned the key, I thanked Cole for helping me out.
“I will come pick you up and take you to the party tonight, if you want me to.” I asked, my way of paying him back for helping me today.
“Sure,” Cole said. “I will see you at seven.”
Waving, I carefully backed out of the shop and thanked Jim again for letting Cole use his space to check out my car. As I drove out of the parking lot, I checked my rear view mirror where I caught a glimpse of Cole, watching me drive away.
***
“Wow, you look great!” I exclaimed as Lauren stepped out of her room in her tiny, and I mean barely there tiny, Tinker Bell costume.
“Thanks,” she said, delighted by the adjustments she had made to her costume. She had obviously cut out most of the material and now she looked more like stripper Tinker Bell than a Disney Tinker Bell.
I pulled my hair into a tight bun, then adjusted my wig on top of my head. I had altered my costume, only slightly though. I added a slit up to my thigh on the right side of my tight, black dress. I painted my nails black and threw on some dark gray eye shadow. I checked myself in the mirror as Lauren walked past me, whistling.
“I am heading to Isaac’s house now. Are you riding with me?” she asked, reaching for her purse and keys.
“No, I am going to drive myself. I am picking up Cole first.” I said, trying to hide the excitement in my voice.
“I am so proud of you for overcoming your fears,” Lauren exclaimed.
“Thanks,” I responded.
Waving goodbye, Lauren walked out of the apartment, but not before she gave me a suspicious smile. I watched as the side of her mouth turned up, her eyes following mine as she left. Something was up with her, but I didn’t feel like asking her about that now.
When I got to Cole’s apartment, he was waiting for me in the parking lot. Only, I didn’t recognize him at first. As I pulled into one of the parking spots, I spotted a man, hair slicked back, wearing a black tuxedo. My heart almost jumped out of my chest as I took in the sight before me.
“Cole?” I whispered to myself. He looked so devilish in his all black suit, it was almost wrong for someone to look that good.
I opened my car door and stepped out, slowly. I still couldn’t believe my eyes. I was just waiting for this figure in front of me to disappear, revealing it had all been a dream. My heels clanked against the pavement as I walked to where Cole stood, hands deep in his pockets as his eyes slowly followed me.
“Wow,” he whistled, as I stopped, inches away from him. “I love what you did with the costume,” he added, his eyes seductively scanning me. I swear I could feel them burning right through my clothes, and for an instant, I almost wish they would.
“Thanks,” I stuttered, finding it difficult to speak all of a sudden. “You look...” but I couldn’t finish my sentence. He looked amazing- beautiful, sexy, tasty, delicious. I could go on and on, but I stopped myself before I said all of those things aloud.
“Well?” He asked, removing his hands from his pockets and spinning like a model. “Do you like it?” he asked, unsure from my stunned expression.
“Yes,” I finally managed to say. “You look great.”
We finally made our way to my car and drove to Isaac’s house listening to the radio. I caught Cole glancing at me several times, his smile widening each time I caught him. Or maybe he was smiling because he was catching me checking him out?
Isaac’s house was popping when we finally arrived, ten minutes later. There were several cars parked in the driveway and lining the streets. The only two cars I recognized belonged to Lauren and Kat. Cole, always the gentlemen, rushed out of the car and opened my door before I could even unbuckle my seat belt. We walked into the house hand-in-hand, something we had been trying lately.
There were several people crowded into the living room, all dressed in various costumes. I saw everything from a creepy looking clown to a couple dressed as Romeo and Juliet. From the looks of the group, I could tell this was going to be an interesting party.
Nudging me further inside, Cole led me to the kitchen where I found Smalls and Kat arguing over what tattoo Kat should get next. From what I could tell, Kat wanted a demonic looking cat and Smalls thought the idea was absolutely absurd, I mean who would want a cat tattoo right?
Laughing at their banter, I searched for Lauren in the sea of faces. I spotted her, arms locked around Isaac, smiling brightly as he walked with a group of people. I took in the moment as I watched Lauren genuinely happy with someone she loved.
Finally seeing me, Lauren unlocked herself from Isaac’s embrace and rushed over to me. Whistling, she gave Cole a huge smile. “Wow!” she exclaimed, “You two look fabulous.”
Perking up, Cole’s smile grew wider as he placed his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. “Yeah, we look pretty good,” Cole mused as he continued to hold me.
I didn’t try to squirm out of his hold; in fact, I allowed him to keep me by his side while we talked with several of Cole’s friends. At first I didn’t know any of them, but by the end of the night, I felt like I had known them all for years.
With the music roaring and people chatting everywhere, it was hard to hear the doorbell ringing. As I made my way through th
e living room, I opened the door to a group of small kids all dressed in Disney characters costumes. I hurriedly looked around for a bowl of candy, or something I could give them. I found a bag of candy hanging from the hall closet door, still in the Wal-Mart bag where Isaac had purchased it.
Quickly grabbing the bag, I began handing candy to the kids one at a time. Cole appeared next to me, smiling and reaching into the bag and placing handfuls of candy into the kid’s lanterns, even though I had already done so.
“Come on Mel, you have to give the kids more than that.” Cole insisted, as he handed out the candy. The kids were now cheering on Cole, clapping at the amount of candy he piled into their pales.
I guess he was right. There was no telling how many kids had probably already been to the house, but, unfortunately, had not been heard over the party. I was sure Isaac’s house would be egged in the morning.
“You kids have fun tonight and stay out of trouble.” Cole stated as he began looking around the area behind the kids. “Hey, where are your parents?” he asked, his eyes growing with alarm.
The kids merely shrugged their shoulders, not knowing what to say.
“Hey, you’re the guy that is always working on cool cars,” one kid dressed like Captain Hook announced, pointing at Cole.
“Yeah I am,” Cole said, eyeing me. He bent over and whispered into my ear. “I think we should go with the kids. This is kind of a rough neighborhood. It’s pretty shitty their parents aren’t watching them,” he said, waiting for my response.
I have to say I was shocked. I didn’t expect Cole to be this concerned. True, Cole had a soft side to him, but I had no clue he liked kids. Noticing now all of their eyes were on me, I gave an answer.
“Sure, let’s go.” I said, as we stepped onto the small porch. I closed the door behind me and followed the kids and Cole out into the street.
We didn’t walk with them, we just followed behind making sure they were careful when crossing the street and didn’t go into any of the houses. It was almost funny how concerned Cole was.
“I think this is nice,” I added while waiting for the kids to get candy from a nearby house.
“What?” Cole asked, taking a bite of a Snickers bar he had snatched from one of the kids.
“I think your caring about the kids is nice,” I said stepping closer to him. The night air was growing colder, and I had left my jacket back at the party.
Taking off his coat, Cole wrapped it around my shoulders and began rubbing my arms, trying to offer me warmth. He was so close to me now; my heart began to skip beats as I felt the electricity growing between us. His jacket smelled of him, and I knew once I took it off that smell would still linger on me. “Thanks,” I said, as I smiled at him.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” he began, clearly embarrassed. “A lot of those kids live around Isaac, and they are always out playing basketball or riding their bikes while I work on cars. Sometimes I talk to them, they are a lot like I was at that age. Rough around the edges, no one to really look after them, and curious. I try to keep them out of trouble by teaching them about the cars and watching out for them. No big deal.” he shrugged his shoulders and played off what a great thing he was doing for those kids.
Not allowing him off the hook, I stepped closer to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You are really sweet,” I said, before kissing his cheek.
Our moment was rudely interrupted as the kids who had returned, began making kissing noises and chanting, “Cole loves Melanie,” as they laughed and went to the next house.
Laughing, I pulled away from Cole and continued walking until we had hit up every house in the small neighborhood. Once we made sure the kids were all home safely, we returned to the party, which was in full swing now.
Turning to me, Cole hugged me close as he began to whisper in my ear. “I know you may not believe me, but you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Tonight, you look absolutely amazing,” he grinned from ear to ear as he allowed his words to sink in.
I hadn’t realized I had stopped breathing. It took a moment for my mind to register that I needed to inhale and exhale. Watching Cole, I realized he cared about me on a level far beyond anything I had experienced before. He wasn’t Brody or some other guy who wanted to hurt me or take something from me. Cole was a guy who cared for me, even though in his heart he knew I could possibly never return his feelings. Or, maybe I could. It was crazy how quickly my mind was switching back and forth like a Ping-Pong match. One minute I refused to believe that I could love again. The next, I was wrapped in Cole’s arms, feeling my heart flutter and heat rush throughout my body as I considered a life where I could be loved by someone like Cole. It was as if I were living in my own Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story.
“I believe you, but I also think you are out of your mind,” I joked, trying to contain the inferno building inside me. “I don’t know why you put up with me.” I added, looking down as we made our way to the small kitchen. I stood next to the counters, allowing my body to lean against them for support. Wearing heels while walking outside in the cold was not a bright idea and now my feet were suffering from my lack of common sense.
Lifting me, Cole sat me on the counter so that my feet were dangling, no longer feeling pain. I silently thanked him. It was as if Cole could read my thoughts and feel what I felt. His ability to always know what to do for me made me feel uneasy but wonderful all at the same time.
Cole sighed and gently shook his head, a few strands of his luscious black hair dangling over his eyes. “I wish, just for one night, that you could see what I see. I wish that you could feel what I feel. I wish...” Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Lauren, who had obviously had one too many drinks as she stumbled into the kitchen. My heart had been racing, anticipating Cole’s next words, but now it was aching deep inside me yearning for him to finish his sentence.
“What is going on in here?” Lauren asked, poking me in the side.
Anger briefly flashing across Cole’s face, he stood straight and backed away from me. I watched his eyes as they filled with a solemn expression that shattered my heart into tiny pieces.
“We were just talking,” I quickly added jumping off the counter and grabbing Lauren’s hand. “I think you may be a little drunk,” I said as I guided her to a small chair in the corner.
“You might be right,” she giggled, as she plumped down onto the seat. “I may be drunk, but I can still see clear enough to know you two are so in love.” She began, smiling and laughing.
“Lauren, stop...” I began, but she cut me off again. Honestly, I don’t think she even knew I was talking.
Waving her hands, Lauren sort of shifted in her seat, almost toppling over as she talked. “Everyone can see you love each other. Melanie, you are just too afraid to let Cole in because some asshole broke your heart once. And Cole,” she said, awkwardly pointing in his direction, “You love Mel, but you think if you tell her, she will get scared and stop coming around you.”
Pleased with herself, Lauren smiled again, her eyes half closing. I was relieved when Isaac walked in and surveyed the scene. “What is going on?” he asked, his eyebrows rising as he took in Cole’s flushed face.
“I think Lauren is drunk and needs to go to bed,” I said, glaring at my best friend. Lauren was lucky I loved her so much, because in that moment, I wanted to punch her right in her pretty little jaw.
“No, I am fine,” Lauren stated, almost falling off the chair again. “Cole, I heard you telling Isaac how much you love...”
“Okay, I think you need to go to bed,” Isaac quickly interjected as he rushed over and picked Lauren up as she slid out of the chair. He caught her before her body completely hit the ground. I watched as he carried her to his room, he slowly gave Cole a look that said he was sorry.
Noticing their exchange, I followed Cole’s gaze which was locked on me. I could feel the butterflies fluttering deep inside my belly as I felt the intensity of his glare. He looked almost
angry, but with a softness about him that confused the hell out of me.
Trying to lighten the tension floating in the air, I let out a small laugh. “Wow, Lauren is a terrible drunk.” I stated, leaning back against the counter once more.
“Yeah, she is,” Cole agreed, shaking his head one last time before turning to me and smiling, revealing the lighthearted and calm Cole I cared so much for. “Let’s go get sick on the candy stash and watch everyone else get drunk and act like idiots,” he proposed with a slight grin.
Thankful that he didn’t want to talk about what Lauren had just almost said, I welcomed anything that didn’t involve talking about feelings or what Cole and I were or weren’t at the moment.
“I think that sounds like a great idea,” I said, as I followed him back to the living room where we found perfect seats on the couch that gave us the best front row seat to the madness unraveling around us. Unwrapping a Snickers bar, Cole and I shared the treat as we laughed and talked about nothing important at all. I swear, Halloween was quickly becoming one of my favorite holidays.
13
The next couple of weeks flew by as the school semester began to wind down. With three, ten page papers due, final exams to study for, and a huge manuscript to help the editing team edit, I was busier than ever. With so much to do, most people would become easily frustrated or feel overwhelmed. I was the exact opposite. I enjoyed the chaos of so many things to accomplish in such a short period of time. With so much information to occupy my mind, that left little time or space for me to think about all of the evil images that still lurked deep in my mind.
Lauren, who was also finishing up her fall semester, was just as busy as I was. She was now juggling her time between work, school, the apartment (where she rarely slept anymore), and Isaac’s house (where she was now sleeping at least four nights a week). Lauren, however, hated being this busy, because that meant less time with Isaac. I remembered back when she used to get sad over losing time with me. Man, times have really changed.
