The Wonderful Movement

Aria’s POV

The first thing that struck me when I woke up was the quiet. The sort that settles like a thick fog. This silence was not the same as the safe and comfortable stillness. No, things were different in this case. There was a weight to it like it was waiting for something to happen. Cole wasn't there when I glanced across at him.

I squinted as I sat up, confusion clouding my judgment as the cool morning air brushed my skin. He had been where? The cottage was silent except for the crackle of the dying fire in the corner. A simple note with Cole's handwriting legibly legible was on the table.

*Ariana, I'll meet you in the vineyard when you wake up. "C*" I want you to notice something important.

My chest tightened as though the words were a question I hadn't answered. My heart was pounding harder than usual. What was his plan of action? Why did it seem like the calm before a storm?

Still with that familiar sense of doubt, I quickly pulled on pants and a sweater. It kept coming to me that the past few days had been nothing more than a thin web of lies, betrayal, and the shattered pieces of what I had previously believed to be unbreakable. Cole, though, had kept his promise. Even when everything seemed to be falling apart, he had kept me safe.

I was full of questions, but I wasn't sure how to ask them on the quiet journey to the vineyard. The road wound like an unexplored path that I was being led down without asking for directions, and the trees grew blurry as I passed. I reached the vineyard as the last of the sunlight was disappearing behind the hills, casting long shadows across the rows of grapevines.

Cole wasn't there when I first got out of the car and looked around. When I did see him, it was under a large oak tree at the far end of the vineyard, standing with his back to me.

Cole, what? My voice was a touch shaky when I called.

He turned and I seemed to see, for a moment, a flare of something unfiltered and vulnerable in his eyes.

"Aria," he whispered slowly and walked over to me. You made it.

I didn't immediately respond. Instead, I stepped closer, paying attention to the scene's subtle details. In the trees, the lights hung. Not too loud background music. This place seems to have been turned into a dreamy scene by him.

"What's all this about?" I asked, my voice a mixture of astonishment and skepticism.

Even though he smiled, his eyes had a guarded expression. "I haven't stopped thinking about you recently. About us. I also realized that I have never adequately conveyed to you how much you mean to me.

My brow furrowed. “What are you saying?”

He took a step closer and held out his hand for mine. The touch of grounding felt warm. His intense gaze, nevertheless, caused my heart to race. Aria, ever since we first met, I've made an effort to be in control. To keep me from becoming overwhelmed by something I couldn't control. But the truth is... For a minute, his voice faltered, and I could feel his shields coming down, one by one. I love you. Never in my life have I been so sure of anything.

Before the words could even sink in, they engulfed me like a wave. My mouth was about to open, but the words would not come. My breath caught in my throat, my heart was pounding, and for the first time in a long time, I felt as if the world had stopped moving around me. As if it didn't count.

His voice only trembled slightly as he continued. "I know I've made mistakes. You are aware that I have hurt you, Aria. But know that you are the most important person in my life, and I will do all in my power to make sure you know it. Regardless of what follows.

I couldn't take my eyes off him, no matter how much I wanted to cry. His openness and sensitivity were so real and pure. “Cole.”

Gently, he interrupted me. "I want everything to go smoothly. No matter what the future holds, I want you to be involved. Everything.

My heart felt just wide enough to welcome him in when he said something that lingered in the air like a promise.

I was about to respond when he pulled a little velvet box out of his jacket pocket. When he opened it, I was astounded to see a delicate, exquisite, and breathtakingly beautiful silver bracelet.

"I know it's not much," he said, his voice barely audible. However, it is a symbol. Signifying everything I want to give you. I should have given you all of those things sooner.

I was looking at the bracelet with my heart pounding. I had not expected such a lavish gesture. I didn't believe I required such excuses. There was more to it than that. There was it.

“Cole.” I broke my voice as I spoke, reaching out to touch it. It wasn't necessary that you—

His interruption was, "I know." I wanted to, though. because I value you. I also want to let you know that I'm always available. For you. Invariably.

Tears welled up in my eyes, clouding my view. Breathing shakily, I tried to collect my thoughts. "I am unsure of what to say."

He said in a low voice, "There's nothing you need to say," "I'm not requesting your adoration in return. Not just yet, no. I just want you to know how seriously I take this. About us.

For a minute, I was consumed by the sound of my heartbeat and the conflicting feelings that were seething inside of me. Will I ever have faith in him again? Finally? But what of the lies, the betrayals, and the secrets?

My lips were about to respond when a sound so out of place that it made my skin shiver interrupted.

A car engine that is far away at first then becomes louder.

Nothing was visible yet when I turned to face the road.

Cole's expression shifted, and his eyes narrowed. He said, "Stay here," urgently, in a low, commanding voice.

He was on his way, disappearing before I could protest into the darkness of the vines.

My heart began to race again, and panic swelled in my chest. What was happening, anyway? And was this a trap? Had they found us?

As I took a step forward, a feeling of uncertainty in my chest stopped me cold. I wanted to scream for him to come back, but I held myself back. I had a strong desire to wait.

There was quiet as the machine rumbled closer.

The silence was soon broken by a voice I didn't anticipate.

"Aria." the voice muttered, familiar and cold. "Time for a genuine conversation."

I went cold. It made me uncomfortable. It was a voice I recognized. And I understood it better.

Liam was there.

With his face hidden by the shadows, Liam emerged from behind the trees. That Liam I thought I could rely on. The Liam who had stood behind Cole from the beginning.

All of a sudden, everything I thought was true about this planet, about us, was altered.

Cole was still somewhere out there. But now that I had Liam in front of me, the questions I thought I had shrank to a complicated muddle of uncertainty. What had been going through his head? Why was he here now?

It was hard for me to breathe. I had a constricted chest and scorching skin from head to toe.

It was then that I realized how ignorant I was.