by Amber Heart
We hadn’t said anything to each other for several moments, before Clara pulled away from me and fixed her eyes on me worryingly.
“Are you still thinking about that? Do you still have those nightmares?” she asked and I didn’t want to meet her eyes. I had told her about them in a moment of desperation. I was hoping that she had forgotten about them. Cole was the ideal boyfriend. I knew I had no reason to worry. He was doing everything he could to prove himself to be worthy of me. When I didn’t reply, she had her answer.
“I don’t want you to force yourself to do something you don’t want to do, but Cole is perfect for you, Nina. And I’m not just saying that because he’s my boss,” she said and rolled her eyes. I forced myself to laugh at that.
“I know he is, and I can’t even begin to describe to you how much I love him. All this fear, these nightmares, stem from how I feel about him,” I told her and Clara nodded her head.
“Then trust him. Enjoy what you have with him. There is no greater joy than to be in love, and he is in love with you. Treasure what you have, sis,” Clara said, and it was only when she was done talking that I noticed the happy expression on her face.
“What’s going on? Why are you saying these things to me?” I asked her and Clara’s face erupted in a full-fledged smile. She couldn’t keep it in any longer.
“I’ve met someone, in London, Nina. I’m in love,” she giggled and my hands rose to my mouth. I was so happy for her. Clara was exactly like me. I knew how difficult it was for her to open her heart to someone. We were laughing and hugging in no time, she was gushing and I was excited.
“Who is he? What’s his name? Tell me all about him!” I screeched and Clara continued to laugh.
“Richard Collingwood. He’s English, partner at a law firm. I met him because I was looking for representation for our firm in the UK. We were working together for a few days before he asked me out. He’s absolutely gorgeous and charming and a complete gentleman,” Clara was rushing with her words, trying to fit it all in one go.
“I’m so happy for you, Clara. This is amazing. When can we meet him?” I said, clapping my hands.
“Maybe you should come to London with Cole next month. We could all have dinner together. He’s dying to meet you too, he’s heard all about you,” she said excitedly. I bit down on my lip. A trip to London would be nice. I’d never been before and it could be a nice little surprise for Cole too. He’d been urging me to travel with him.
“Maybe I will. I have to go back to my recording now. Will I see you later, maybe for dinner at mine tonight?” I said to her, and gave her a quick peck on her cheek.
“I have to go see Cole now, I have a meeting with him in half an hour. Dinner at yours sounds like a good plan. See you then, sis,” Clara said, while waving and walking away from me. I remained standing, waving at her as I watched her getting into her car parked at the side of the road.
I was smiling by the time she drove away, still happy about how excited she was about her new man. This guy would have to be awesome for Clara to open up to him, to be this much in love. It had reminded me of how much in love I was with Cole. I took in a deep breath and relaxed my shoulders. My sister was right, it was time to look ahead. It was time to take it to the next step. I was going to tell Cole that I was ready to move in with him.
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“…and then I found a love letter waiting for me at my desk the next morning,” Clara was gushing. She was sitting across the table from Cole and myself. I was smiling at her, beginning to feel a little nervous now as the night went on.
It wasn’t until several moments later that I felt Cole’s hand seek mine out. He squeezed my hand and let it remain on my lap. The glass of whiskey was in his hand, and he swirled the ice around in the amber liquid. I looked at his profile, the sharpness of his jaw and his nose, the strength in his face, the stubble on his chin. He was still the most handsome man I had seen. He was still capable of setting my body on fire with just one look.
Clara must have caught me looking dazedly at Cole, because she suddenly stood up from the dining table.
“Thanks for the meal, sis, I’ll help clear the table up,” she said and started picking up plates and dishes.
“I’ll help you,” Cole said and made to stand up, but I jerked him back down.
“No, stay, Clara can manage,” I whispered to him and Cole turned to face me, his brows slightly crossed.
“Everything okay, baby?” he asked and brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. His gray eyes were piercing my soul with that gaze, and the back of my neck grew hot. It was difficult for me to admit that I was willing to take our relationship to the next step. I was nervous of what I was committing to. But I was sure of it now. Cole was the man for me.
Clara was giving us some privacy, trying to stay out of earshot but my apartment was too small for her to be completely out of the way. In the small confines of my place, Cole always appeared too big and monstrous, his height shooting up to the ceiling, his shoulders broad and heavy. He was still looking at me, he had picked up on my nerve-wracking vibes.
“I have something I want to say to you tonight,” I said in a stammering voice, and I bit down on my lip. I had been with him for nearly a year, and I had never loved a man as much as I loved Cole. There was no reason to hold back any longer.
“Before you say anything, my love, I want to confess something,” Cole said and my heart stopped. My mouth fell open and suddenly, my shuddering heart was convinced that he was going to reveal something horrible to me. I was retreating into myself already, as Cole reached out and held my hand in his.
“I want you to know that I have never loved anyone before, not even close to how I feel about you, Nina,” he said, looking me straight in the eye. I was just about managing to hold his gaze. I gulped, afraid of what was going to come next. What had he done? What truth was he going to confess now?
“You have changed my life, just by being there for me, and I just can’t get enough of you,” he continued and I still waited with baited breath, preparing myself to hear the worst.
“I know you want to take things slow and I want to give you time, but I can’t keep lying to myself any more, baby,” he said and a soft whimper escaped my lips. He was breaking up with me! In front of my sister!
“I want you to be my wife. I don’t want to push you. I want to give you time to think about it and I’ll wait forever if it takes that long for you to make a decision,” Cole said, and I watched in terror as he slid off the chair and got down on one knee in front of me.
My mouth was hanging open now, and behind me, I could sense Clara losing her mind. Cole was looking up at me, with a wide smile breaking on his face. He had already started to extract a small blue velvet box from the pocket of his pants. He flipped it open as I stared at him, wordlessly. A sparkling teardrop shaped diamond, lined with smaller pink diamonds on the band. It sparkled violently in the dim light of my kitchen.
“Nina? Please tell me you’ll consider it,” I heard his voice again and I gasped. My hands flew to my mouth and at a loss for words or action, I slid off the chair and got down to my knees with him.
“I was going to say I’m ready Cole. I’m ready to move in with you,” I screeched and threw my arms around his neck. I felt his arms close in on me, hold me to himself. I could feel that I was crying, sticky fat tears were rolling in lumps down my cheeks.
“And this? Will you marry me? Or is it too soon? Hell knows I want to be with you forever, my love, I don’t want to spend a single waking moment without you,” Cole’s face was hardened and dark, he was glaring at me, like he was holding his breath to hear my answer.
“Yes, Cole, yes, I will marry you. In a heartbeat. I’ve been so stupid for making us wait this long. I knew the first night I met you that I wanted to be your wife,” I shrieked and we were kissing. Clara was clapping and jumping with joy behind us.
Cole’s lips were on mine, our bodies were pressed together, and with our mouths still
fused, I felt him seek out my hand and slip the ring on to my finger. When we pulled away, we were out of breath.
“I didn’t know what you were going to say, Nina. I was so afraid that you still didn’t trust me, that you wouldn’t want to do this,” he said and I shook my head, the tears streaking my ruddy cheeks.
“I don’t want to do anything else. I want to marry you, Cole. I want to be with you forever,” I said, overwhelmed by the rapture of my truest feelings. My fairytale ending was actually happening. It was all coming true.
Thank you for reading!
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Check out another one of my football romance stories here:
The Project: A Football Romance Story
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Turn over and enjoy Our Secret: A Cinderella Billionaire Romance
Our Secret
A Cinderella Billionaire Story
By Amber Heart
Chapter 1
Rosalie Winters had always been that mousy girl in high school, with bushy brown hair, the long skirts, blouses that covered everything, and soft spoken enough that no one ever heard her. She’d graduated two weeks ago, and was getting ready to go to college. Her parents were driving her up to the campus, and she was excited, but nervous at the same time. She’d never been away from her parents before. Part of her was nervous about having to depend on herself for the first time, but she was also determined to prove to everyone that she could do it. Ha! Everyone. That was a good one. All she had were her parents. Rosalie wasn’t the type of girl to have a lot of friends. Hopefully that would change in college. It was a place where people wanted to be, so that meant they had to study. It made her feel a little more like she would fit in.
“Ok, here we are!” The car pulled up in front of a dormitory, and Rosalie jerked herself out of her reverie. An old brick building loomed in front of them, and Rosalie instantly fell in love with it.
“Yeah, I guess we are.” She had her room assignment, so she led the way. It was on the third floor, and as far as she knew, there was no elevator. Luckily, she didn’t have much to take with her. Two suitcases, some bedding, and an extra trunk of her favorite books was really all she had with her. She had some money to get anything else she needed, but that was the furthest thing from her mind. She really just wanted to get behind her door, close it, then lose herself with setting up her room. She found the right door, opened it, and was happy to see that she was the first one there. That gave her room to breathe and settle in. Her mom put the package of bedding on the bed frame, then folded her arms over her chest, looking around appreciatively.
“It looks like a nice little place. You can make it cozy in no time.” Rosalie gave her mom a smile. It was a transition for her, and the way she’d always handled things was by being alone. So, even though it would hurt her later, she needed to get rid of her parents so she could break down on her own.
“Whew! That’s a heavy trunk!” Her dad had the case of books, and he put them at the foot of the bed. “Well, we won’t keep you. I know you want to get unpacked.” She hugged him gratefully. Then she disappeared under both her parents’ arms. Rosalie thought she was getting squeezed to death, but she reveled in the moment for the few seconds that it lasted. Her mom was already tearing up, and that meant Rosalie’s waterworks wouldn’t be that far behind. She swallowed hard, hitched a smile to her face, and watched as they walked out the door, waving. She closed the door behind them, then went over to the bed and sank down on it. It really was a nice looking dorm room. The living room area had a small kitchenette in it, and there was a comfortable chair that she could already see herself curling up in with a book. Her bedroom area was small, but that was fine. All she was going to do in it was study and sleep. She didn’t entertain any vivid daydreams about finding a boyfriend while she was here. She wanted to be pre-med, and that was going to take up all of her time anyway.
Maybe about an hour into her unpacking, the door opened. Rosalie tensed, looking over her shoulder. The girl who had just walked in with a couple of bags looked like she’d just come from a biker gang. Her nose and eyebrow were pierced, she was covered from head to toe in leather, and her combat boots looked like they could stomp anything in their path. Rosalie smiled at her and half raised a hand in a friendly wave. The girl didn’t even look her way, just went straight to the other room and slammed the door behind her. Rosalie’s heart sank. She’d been hoping for someone that she could make friends with as a roommate, but it struck her that she probably wasn’t going to get that with this girl. Sighing heavily, she went back to dusting off her books and putting them on the shelf that stood across the from the bed. About fifteen minutes later, the door opened again, and a male version of the girl came in. He looked at the open door, to Rosalie, dismissed her and headed straight for the other door. It was locked, apparently, and he started pounding on the door with his fist.
“Vanessa! Open this damn door right now! If I have to break it down, we’re going to have problems.” Vanessa screamed something else at him, through the door, which remained firmly locked, but Rosalie couldn’t make it out. She turned her attention back to her own room. She tried to drown out the conversation that was going on behind her, but it was hard. She jumped when the door opened again. Another guy in leather came in, saw the first man at the door and grabbed him by the arm. He said something that Rosalie couldn’t hear, and the two left. As they did, the newcomer sent a glance her way. Something happened in Rosalie. Her breath quickened, and her heart raced. Something in those bright blue eyes of his had kick started a part of her that she’d never knew existed. She blushed, turning away quickly to go back to her task. When the door closed, she looked behind her again to see an empty living room. Maybe this wasn’t the best place to be after all. That guy though…
A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about those piercing blue eyes. That was something that could distract her from her studies. Maybe she’d see him again. Rosalie shook her head to clear it. No. She didn’t need any distractions, and she wasn’t going to moon over some guy that she didn’t even know. As if to accentuate that point, she got up and closed the door to the living room with a definitive click. Looking around her, now she had a room. A real room to relax in. It was the Friday before term started, and she had the next two days with nothing to do. Part of her wanted to try to make friends with her roommate, but if Rosalie was honest with herself, it was only because she was hoping to see that guy again. So that idea was turned down right away. She was already familiar with the campus because she’d studied every inch of the map on the school’s website. She’d been ecstatic to be put into this particular dorm, because the college’s coffee shop was a short walk away. Since everything had been so close on the campus that she could possibly need, she’d sold her car to help with tuition. Her parents had offered to help her as much as they could, and she was eligible for student loans. That wouldn’t be completely detrimental, as she’d wanted to try to do it on her own. Hence selling the car.
Thinking about the coffee shop made her wonder if it would be a good way to waste the rest of the afternoon. Grabbing her purse and one of her books that she’d just painstakingly polished and re-homed on her shelf, she took the new key to her bedroom, locked the door behind her, and set off to the coffee shop. She dodged a football being thrown down the hallway as she went, then a girl in a towel running away from a guy in boxers, both of them laughing like hyenas. She blushed, trying to look anywhere but at that couple. She found the stairs and made her way down slowly. Checking each landing to make sure it didn’t have flying objects and streakers before she went down.
The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky when she got outside, and she was glad that she’d come. It was such a beautiful day, and such a wonderful school, that Rosalie really was content. The coffee shop had an outdoor patio, and she decided that she was going to get her coffee and sit outside. Gaining the darkness of the shop, she had to stop for a moment
to let her eyes adjust. It was a quaint little spot, decorated with warm, chocolate brown walls and brightly colored paintings and pictures dotting the chocolate river. The front was like any coffee shop. The counter with the bakery items, the little tables for students who came to work on their laptops, and the fridge that held little non-coffee drinks. The back, however, was the reason she’d been so excited about this place. It had almost a living room feel to it. Plush couches and overstuffed armchairs for people to sit and read, or just to hang out and have a good time talking. It almost reminded her of the Common Room of Gryffindor in the Harry Potter series. Granted, she would never tell anyone that, because they would probably see her as a geek, but it warmed her heart to feel like she might be able to sink into one of her favorite fantasy worlds…if only for a little while. There was no line at the counter, and she moved towards it.
“Hello, welcome to The Gathering. What can I get for you today?” The perky blonde behind the counter looked like she just came from a photo shoot. She was tall and slender, with sparkling green eyes and a chiseled face. It made Rosalie blush a little because she was too beautiful to look at. She said a silent prayer that this wasn’t going to be like high school all over again. The beautiful people had ignored or tormented her, her entire academic life.
“Um, can I get a raspberry hot chocolate please?” The girl raised her eyebrow, looking at Rosalie like she was crazy. It was a hot summer day. Why would she want something hot? Shaking her head as if to say, “you’re the customer” she went to work making the drink. Rosalie exhaled as she paid and took her cup outside with her. There was a small table near the back of the patio that had only one chair with it. Perfect. She made a beeline for the table, opened her book to page one, and settled herself in for a wonderful afternoon. How much time passed, before she looked up, she had no idea. She was about ten chapters into her book, though, and her hot chocolate was almost gone, so it had to be a couple of hours at least. The angry voice from her room grated against her ears. Looking up, she saw the young man who had been pounding on her roommate’s door earlier. He was sitting a couple of tables away with the blue eyed god that she’d seen earlier and some other girl with similar taste in fashion that Vanessa had. This one’s hair was blue, though, so it wasn’t Vanessa. She wanted to get out of there, because she didn’t want them to recognize her, but the only way out of the courtyard was right past them, since it was ringed with hip high bushes that were too close together to slip between. She angled her book so she could hide behind it, completely unable to focus on her story now. She took a quick peek, and saw that the boy with the blue eyes was looking at her. Rosalie’s face grew beet red and she dove behind her book so quickly that she almost overbalanced in her chair. Luckily, she kept her balance at the last second.
