Unraveled (Twisted Series)

by Dani Matthews

  ***

  Normally, I take my breaks in the break room like the rest of the staff. Today, I head for the bar room knowing that Noah is working this evening. Our relationship is still a bit 'off' but we're working on it.

  When I enter the private room, I note that like the rest of the restaurant, it's slow. There are only two people sitting at the bar and they are towards the far end, drinking beer and watching sports on the flat screen on the wall. Noah is behind the bar wiping down the counter. I walk over towards the opposite end from where the men are sitting and hop up on a stool, waiting for him to notice me.

  Noah looks at me with surprise before turning away and grabbing a glass. He fills it with ice and water before bringing it over to me. “Break?” he asks, leaning against the bar.

  “Yeah.”

  “You do know you're supposed to take your break in the break room, right? Phil doesn't like employees out on the floor if they aren't working.”

  I shrug. “I'm new, I don't know any better.”

  “Right,” he muses.

  I reach for the glass and take a sip as I study him. The white polo makes his tan look darker and it does great things for his shoulders and arms. Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so. At that moment a waitress saunters in and walks right up to the bar, her eyes narrowing on me briefly before she turns her megawatt smile on Noah and flirts while she places a drink order. I watch Noah act his normal, charming self but he doesn't flirt back.

  Once the waitress flounces out with her order, he turns back to me, his brown eyes on mine. “Anything wrong?”

  “Why would anything be wrong?”

  “You don't normally search me out. Usually it's the other way around.”

  I fall silent because he's right. Our relationship isn't the same because I hadn't allowed for it to go back to the way it had been before. It was hard to keep things light when I saw the way he looked at me with a hint of disappointment in his gaze. He wanted me to seek treatment and I was having no part of it. He also wanted more from me and I wasn't willing to give it. It was hard being around him sometimes, which would be why I stayed away as much as I could.

  I have no idea why I'm sitting here tonight.

  “Nothing's wrong. I just didn't feel like staring at the break room walls for fifteen minutes. I see Tate is no longer outright ignoring you.”

  “Took a while for him to come around. Things aren't the same but they are slowly getting there.”

  “That's good,” I murmur before taking another sip of my drink.

  Noah glances at his patrons to make sure they aren't trying to gain his attention before he turns back to me. “What about us?” he asks lightly.

  “We're good.”

  “Are we?”

  “Just don't bring up rehab and we are,” I say as I give him a pointed look.

  “I see Tate's hounding you enough for the both of us.”

  “You've got that right.”

  He leans slightly closer, his eyes serious. “Can I ask you a question, Blayre?”

  “Depends on what the question is.”

  “Is Cole leaving you alone? I know you tell Tate that he pretty much ignores you now, but sometimes I wonder if that's the truth.”

  “He has a new girlfriend.”

  Noah's gaze turns penetrating. “Does that bother you?”

  I wipe some condensation off my glass with my finger before answering him truthfully. “It did in the beginning, but now he's someone else's problem.”

  He sighs and after a brief moment of hesitation, says, “You might want to warn the new girl about his temper. It's not really my place to suggest that, but I hate seeing anyone go through what you went through.”

  “I know, but she wouldn't listen anyway. Paige warned me plenty of times and I had to figure it out for myself. So will she. Besides, plenty of rumors went around the school that it was Cole that beat me up and if that's not enough to put her off, nothing will.”

  Noah shakes his head and glances at his customers before his attention shifts back to me. “Christmas is only three weeks away. Tate's been putting off decorating the house but it's not like him to not celebrate. I told him he needs to keep things the same as it's always been and you'll have to be the one to adjust,” he says carefully.

  My eyes drop to my glass. He's right of course. It wasn't right for Tate to not celebrate because he knows I happen to have an aversion to the holidays. I'd noticed that Christmas decorations were going up left and right for the past week. The restaurant was decorated already with twinkling lights scattered all over. Even above the bar were Christmas lights dangling down, casting a cheery glow in the room.

  “Blayre?”

  “It's fine,” I say finally as I look back to him. “I don't want to celebrate but you guys should.”

  “You should at least try or you're not moving forward.”

  I can't help but sigh. I feel...stuck. I still cut and hide the evidence and it's getting harder and harder to hide it from Tate. No matter what I do or what I want, I can't seem to move forward at all.

  ***

  Two days later my world crashed around me with absolutely no warning. It's funny how things spin out of control so fast. Looking back, I realize I'd been foolish to think that Cole would give up so easily. I'd fallen into a routine...my defenses down. I never saw it coming.

  ***

  My shift is over and as I walk past the bar, I catch Noah's attention and wave, letting him know I'm leaving. His shift ends one hour later than mine and he nods at me before turning his attention back to the customer he's waiting on.

  I make my way to the employee parking lot and fling myself in the driver's seat of my car. My feet hurt tonight and I can't wait to get home and hop in the shower because I can't stand the smell of fried food and grease all over my skin. The drive is quick and when I get home, I shower quickly before climbing out and wrapping a towel around my body as I head for my room.

  After digging out a fresh pair of pajamas, I drop the towel to change when my phone rings from within my purse. Who would be calling me at ten-thirty at night? I bend down and wrap the towel around myself before walking over to my purse. The unfamiliar number that appears on the screen has me frowning.

  Curiosity has me answering it. “Hello?”

  “We need to talk.”

  My entire body goes cold as a chill sweeps over me when I recognize Cole's voice. This definitely was not going to lead to anything good.

  “I have nothing to say to you,” I say calmly as I tighten my grip on the towel knotted above my chest. He was on the phone and couldn't see me, but I felt eerily vulnerable standing in my room, clad in nothing but a towel.

  “I've caught your brother following me twice in the past few weeks, Blayre.”

  Damn Tate.

  My eyes shut and I mentally curse myself for thinking that Tate would let things go. If it were any other guy, I wouldn't care if my brother was nosing around, making him feel on edge. But Cole's an entirely different story. He has secrets that would bring me down as well if my brother ever uncovered them.

  “Are you sure?” I have to ask.

  “He's fucking hard to miss. I'm at a frat party on Locust Street near the university. Get over here,” he orders before he hangs up.

  A furious curse escapes me as I toss the phone angrily on my bed. The last thing I want to do is meet up with Cole but I need to finish this conversation with him. He's obviously worried that Tate's going to cause trouble and since I know my brother well, Tate's already probably digging. Cole has a very real reason to be sweating and I was going to have to figure out how to calm him down and how to get my brother off his back.

  “Shit,” I curse again as I feel the urge to smack my brother. Didn't he realize that the more he went after Cole, the harder it would be for me to get Cole out of my life? He is literally putting me between a rock and a hard place.

  My eyes shift to my alarm clock. Ten-thirty-five. Noah will be coming home shortly an
d I needed to be out of the house before he gets here. It suddenly dawns on me that I'm going to pay for this little outing tonight. Noah will have questions and I'm sure Tate will find out about it. No matter what lie I come up with, both of them are going to be mad that I'd broken my stupid curfew.

  With not much time to duck out before Noah arrives, I quickly change and pull my damp hair back into a messy knot before leaving the house. It takes a bit to navigate the busy streets as I make my way towards the campus and I'm nervous. Dealing with Cole would be testing my limit tonight. If he was acting the cold bastard that he really is, it'd be easy. But if he's in the mood to tease me and seduce, it was going to be tough to keep him at arm’s length.

  So far it had been easy to distance myself from him because I haven't seen him in weeks but this would be different. He's a jerk, but he is also someone that I am still very attracted to. I'd spent weeks with him and it's not easy to just forget someone. Even now I can feel a hint of longing sweeping through me at the thought of going to a party where drugs were right there, just waiting for me to ask for them.

  As I search for Locust Street, I give myself a mental pep talk.

  I've come this far without Cole and I know I don't need him anymore. I have Noah and Tate, no matter how much they both get on my nerves at times. Life is good...sort of. I have a job and my grades are slowly getting better. Nothing Cole has to offer could make me go backwards, I tell myself. Right now, things might be a little monotonous but eventually it will get better. This is the direction I need to be taking and I know it.

  By the time I park my car and climb out, I am feeling better and more confident about this meeting. He can't sway me back to the old ways. I won't let him. As I make my way down the sidewalk, I brace myself for the sight of him.

  I can do this.

  I find Cole waiting for me outside the frat house. He's leaning against the porch and there are a few people mingling on the front lawn, but most of the party is inside. He looks good in a tee advertising a heavy metal band. His jeans are torn at the knee and I see he's holding a beer in one hand and a strong wine-cooler in the other. Even in the dark, I can feel his eyes sweeping over me with interest. I'd deliberately dressed in jeans and a long sleeve black hoodie. I was never again dressing up for him.

  Without a word, he holds out the wine-cooler.

  “I'm not here to party, Cole.”

  “Appearances, Blayre,” he says coolly.

  With a roll of my eyes, I take the bottle as we head inside where we can find a place to talk privately. Cole always prided himself on appearance and since day one, he'd always encouraged me to look the part that he wanted me to play. I hate going along with it but I just want to get this over with so here I am, bottle in hand as I trail after him. The party is in full force and it is ridiculously crowded. I find myself squeezing between bodies and the air is dry and full of cigarette smoke and drugs. It's a familiar scent and I try not to get lost in its appeal. I am not a part of this crowd anymore.

  Cole leads me down a back hallway and then he opens a door and motions me inside. I find that we are in a small, cramped bathroom and my nose wrinkles as Cole shuts the door behind us. I can tell someone has been in here recently because the air is slightly acrid with smoke. I take a sip of my drink to try to rid the smell out of my mouth because I can taste it in the air.

  Okay, so this part I didn't miss. Bathrooms at parties were downright disgusting. Paige had been totally right on that one.

  “A bathroom? Really?” I ask as I cross my arms and lean a hip against the bathroom counter as I scan the bathroom surfaces for urine or...other bodily fluids.

  Cole shrugs a broad shoulder as he stands before me. “It's private.”

  Dang, I hate how good he looks. “Where's your girlfriend?” I ask abruptly, not liking the direction of my thoughts.

  Cole grins widely and a glint appears in his green eyes. “Passed out in one of the rooms upstairs. Jealous?”

  “You wish.”

  He reaches up and brushes his blond hair out of his eyes as his gaze searches mine. “Maybe I do,” he says bluntly. “She's sweet like vanilla. Kind of boring if you ask me.” He moves closer to me, making my body tense as he slips a hand around my waist and says near my ear, “You on the other hand, you're all hot, silky and chocolaty with a sweet, juicy cherry on top. How about it, Blayre? Whatever you're craving, whatever 'rush' you're looking for, I'll give it to you. Whatever you want,” he murmurs seductively while nuzzling my ear.

  My body is on full alert and it takes everything I have to move away slightly, my nerves getting all jittery. I take another drink as I pull myself together and meet his slightly hypnotic gaze. He is in the mood to seduce tonight and I can feel myself being drawn to him and I fight it. “What about your new girlfriend?”

  “She's not you.”

  I stare long and hard at him. He's serious. I have a feeling if I went back to him, he'd drop her in a heartbeat. “I cheated on you. That's not something you'd be able to put behind you,” I point out.

  His lips tighten slightly. “I'd be willing to look past it. But things would have to change on your end.”

  Right. I have no intention of going back to him but I'd been curious as to what his answer would be. I shake my head. “We're done. I've moved on,” I say as firmly as I can.

  “With that deaf guy? You can't be serious, Blayre. He'll bore you to death.”

  “I'm not talking to you about, Noah. Why am I here, Cole?”

  Displeasure crosses his features along with a hint of disappointment. “Fine. Have it your way. Your brother has been following me. Get him off my back.”

  “I'll figure something out.”

  “Do it soon,” he growls. “If I go down, you go down right along with me.”

  “I wouldn't have to do anything at all if you hadn't beaten me black and blue,” I snap. “You beat me up in my own home where I live with a cop, Cole. What did you think he was going to do? Just turn and look the other way?”

  “I wouldn't have had to if you would have kept your legs shut,” he sneers.

  My fingers tighten on the neck of the bottle I am holding. All I want to do is chuck it at his head. Instead, I calmly take another sip before saying, “Are we done here?”

  Cole sighs and runs a hand through his hair, making it fall across his brow. “Get Tate off my back and we're done. I won't contact you again.”

  “Done.”

  Cole sets his beer on the counter and moves in on me, his hands slipping around my waist.

  “What are you doing?” I ask sharply as I try to back up but there's nowhere to go, not with the toilet directly behind me.

  “Saying goodbye,” he says simply before his lips are on mine.

  I should pull away. But the second I feel his tongue slide against mine, I find myself automatically responding. I've missed this. It always felt so good with Cole. But then Noah flashes in my mind and the pleasure of Cole's kiss begins to fade. It might feel good to kiss Cole, but it's Noah's kiss that takes me to whole new levels. His kisses meant more...they meant everything to me.

  It's Noah that has me regaining my senses and pulling my lips from Cole's.

  Cole doesn't push for more as he backs up and grabs his beer. Then he knocks the neck of his bottle against the one I'm still holding. “To good times past, Blayre.”

  I nod stiffly, and down half the bottle before I set it on the counter with a loud smack and move around him. He stands back as I leave the smoky bathroom and as I leave him behind, I realize that somewhere inside me, I feel good about it. That right there tells me I'm finally moving on from him and I feel content with my decision.

  A satisfied smile curves my lips as I leave the frat house and walk the block to my car. It's not until a few minutes later that the smile is fading as I leave the campus district behind. My vision seems hazy and I feel like I'm high on something—which isn't possible. I haven't taken anything and I wouldn't get drunk off one of those wine-coolers or
I would never have gotten behind the wheel.

  I try to shake it off and concentrate on the street before me as my hands tighten on the steering wheel. My brain starts feeling like a jumbled mess of scattered, incoherent thoughts as my eyelids grow heavy. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know something is very wrong.

  Instinct has me pulling the car over, but I misjudge the curb and my car bounces up it and slams into a bunch of garbage cans with a loud crash.

  “Holy shit,” I mumble as I quickly put the car in park so I don't do anything else idiotic. I cut the engine and the world is spinning. “What is happening to me?” I whisper as I try to concentrate on keeping my eyes open but they don't seem to want to cooperate.

  A loud knock sounds on my window. “Hey! You okay in there?” a muffled voice calls out.

  With heavy hands, I manage to unbuckle my seatbelt and reach for the door handle. I can't seem to get it to work but the stranger on the other side must have opened it because I suddenly fall out and almost do a face plant on the pavement. Strong arms catch me and steady me as an unfamiliar face peers down at me. “Hey? You drunk or something?”

  My mouth opens to say something but I can't figure out how to make the words form. The world begins to tilt and everything fades.

  ***

  I wake up feeling disoriented and confused. It takes a bit for me to clear the cobwebs from my brain before I realize I am in the hospital. My scratchy eyes drop to my body and I see that I am wearing a hospital gown and there's an IV hooked to my arm. I manage to lift my heavy arm and peer at it with bewilderment as I study the tube taped to it. What the hell? My brain still feels a bit fuzzy and it's a struggle to pull my thoughts together.

  “Blayre?”

  My eyes shift and I look up with puzzlement to find Noah standing beside my hospital bed. I note he's still wearing his uniform from Soloman's and he looks rumpled. I catch sight of Tate moving from the window in the corner of the room to walk over and stand beside Noah. Tate's still in his police uniform as well and he looks like he's ready to implode.