Chapter 58 Chapter 58

Chapter 58 Chapter 58
Paris

“It finally happened, Col,” I mumbled on his shoulder, and his arms tightened around me.
“I know. It’s going to be okay.”
“Will it?” I needed to know. Will it be okay? Will Cynthia and I somehow be able to move on from this and forgive mom? I couldn’t stay mad at her. It wasn’t her fault she wasn’t happy in the marriage. I regretted the most that neither of them addressed it, and if they did, not effectively.
“It will,” he said, sounding confident. “You’ll see.”
I sniffled as I pulled away and wiped the snot from my nose with my hand back. “You always say that.”
His lips twitched as he used his handkerchief to wipe my eyes. “And I’m always right.”
I chuckled a little through my tears before dropping my gaze to my lap. Silence sat between us a while before he spoke again.
“Paris, I really am sorry for everything. I was stupid and jealous, and I almost lost you because of it.”
“Colton, it’s okay. I—”
“It’s not,” he said, cutting me off. “I had always been an expert at being conscious about your feelings. I could detect any slight change in your mood, no matter what. But somehow, I was oblivious to how you felt about me, and then I became a jerk when I realised it was too late. I pushed Anastasia away. I brought up a traumatic experience for Fabian, and most of all, I hurt you. I am so, so sorry. Please—”
“I already did,” I whispered. “I learned in guidance class that feelings make us do many things, especially when we can’t understand or tame them.”
He laughed a little, and I didn’t understand why until he replied. “We actually learned something in guidance class,” he said, and I shared in on his joke. We barely ever learned anything for years. The class seemed pointless. “But, thank you. It means a lot that you forgave me. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“How?”
I watched as he swung his bag in front of him and pulled a box from it. Inside was a chocolate-covered doughnut from Lukas’s diner. I laughed through my tears as I retrieved it. No matter what, we could never forget our ‘thing.’
“We’re still doing this, huh?”
“Always.” He hugged me again, thrilled about our renewed friendship. “I can take you home if you’d like. We can get through this together like we planned,” he said, bringing back memories.
About two years ago, when I first grew concerned about my family, Colton promised that if something should ever happen—something like last night—he’d face it with me, so I wouldn’t be alone. It warmed my heart that he still remembered. Back then, I reckoned it was something he said to make me feel better.
As much as my heart warmed at the sentiment, I shook my head and pulled away from his hug. “It’s okay. I think I can manage on my own.”
He seemed unsure of my decision, and I tried my best to look and sound reassuring. “Besides, I need to be a big sister for the next couple of days or weeks. So I should start today.”
He stared at me for a while, and I grew uncomfortable under his intense gaze until he smiled again. “You’re awesome. You know that?” he finally said, and his words caused my cheeks to burn.
“So I’ve been told,” I joked. “But thanks, Col, for everything and for coming.”
“Anytime.” He sighed as he rubbed small circles on my knee. “I guess I owe your boyfriend an apology too?”
“I guess.”
“So…” His sentence trailed, and for the first time since he arrived, he avoided eye contact at all costs. “You love him, huh?”
I chuckled with a nod. “I do. Thank you for seeing that.” He still needed time to accept it, but I appreciated his effort. “He makes me happy, Col. And he cares for me a lot.”
“I can see that,” he said. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
I felt like yet another tremendous weight had been lifted from my shoulder as Colton stood to leave. When I woke up this morning, I didn’t think this would happen. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t satisfied. As much as Fabian made me happy, I missed my best friend. I missed our connection, and oddly, I believed a part of me would always belong to Colton. Fabian has my heart; there was no doubt about that. But Colton and I had a bond that I never want to lose.
Perhaps that explained my anger towards him when he kept messing up. He was jeopardising our friendship with selfish emotions, and as much as it angered me, it scared me too. There were a billion fights ahead of us. We are humans, after all. There will be arguments. But I only hoped that nothing would come between us again. Not with Fabian or Colton.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you home?” he asked as he stood by the door.
“It’s okay. Fabian will take me when I’m ready.”
He nodded in understanding. “Well, call me if it gets too hard for you, okay?”
“I will,” I told him, and he crossed the room again to press a long, lingering kiss to my forehead. “See you later,” he whispered.
And with that, he was gone.
I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes. There was still a dawdling pain in my chest for my parents, but it wasn’t as great as before. Colton being here helped, not because we were okay again, but because he reminded me that it would get better no matter what happened. It has to. After a few minutes, I heard his car pull away, and I ventured to find Fabian.
He was in the kitchen sipping hot chocolate as I entered, and his face instantly lit up when he saw me. “Hey you,” he mumbled. “You look better.”
I smiled at him as I rounded the kitchen island to peck his lips. “I feel better. Thank you.” I shuffled onto his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck before resting my head on his shoulder.
“For what?”
“You called Colton, even though you don’t like him.”
“I wouldn’t say I don’t like him…”
I chuckled as I snuggled more into him. “Fabian, it’s okay. I just wanted to say thank you.”
He sighed before tilting his head to kiss my cheek. “As long as you’re happy, I don’t mind.”
“Hhmm. So maybe we can all have dinner soon.” I was only teasing him, and his chest shook with a light chuckle as he shook his head.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves now. All I did was call the guy because he’s probably the only person who knows you better than I do.”
I thought about what he said for a while. “My point is, you went out of your comfort zone for me. I appreciate that.”
He held me tighter with a sigh as he cradled my head and ran his fingers through my hair. “Anything for you.”
Funny. Colton said something quite similar earlier. How did I get so lucky?
“So, what now?” I asked, unsure if I was ready for the answer.
“Now I take you home. I can’t keep avoiding your mother’s calls,” he said, and I cringed. “That is only if you’re ready.”
“I’m ready,” I sighed. It was now or never. “Will… will you stay outside until it’s over? Just in case.”
“You know I will,” he whispered. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“Soon,” I mumbled. “But let’s stay like this for a tad longer.”
He didn’t protest, and I relished the sensation of having him this close. Like always, it made me feel at peace. I only hoped that when I got home, whatever I walked into would be bearable.