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Cole – Eleven Years Earlier
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“SO I WAS THINKING,” I said, as I caught Gabi’s hand from behind as she walked up the corridor.
She jumped at my touch. “Jeez, Cole, you just about gave me a heart attack.” But she smiled at me, that big, wide smile that crinkled her brown eyes, the smile I’d grown to adore, and I felt like I’d been punched by the force of my feelings for her.
I grinned. “Sorry, but anyway, I was thinking that me and the guys are going to be jamming tonight, and I’d really love you to come.”
She pulled me to a halt, the smile fading from her face. “I don’t know, Cole. I’m not sure the rest of your band will want me there.”
“Don’t be silly. Why would they not want you there? They always have other people around when we’re playing—in fact, I think some of their friends are coming tonight as well, so it’ll practically be a party. It would feel weird without you.”
She hesitated, and I could see she was thinking about it.
I positioned my body in front of hers. “You should probably know that I am prepared to get down on my knees and beg, if that’s what it takes.”
Her cheeks flushed and she glanced at all the other students moving in every direction around us. “You wouldn’t?”
I gave her a wink. “Try me.”
“Okay, okay,” she said, giving me a little shove to get me moving again. “I’ll come, but if it’s weird, I won’t stay for long.”
“It won’t be weird, I promise. We’ll have fun.”
***
I KNEW I WAS BACK IN peacock-mode, wanting to perform in front of her, hoping to impress her, but I couldn’t help myself. Impressing Gabi had suddenly become of number one importance in my life. I messed around with my kit, keeping an eye on the front of the garage, waiting for her to show. I worried she’d change her mind, but then she appeared, wearing a summer dress with the type of short skirt that showed off her beautiful legs, and I jumped up and ran over to her.
“Hey, you made it,” I said, dropping a kiss to her lips.
“Sure. I said I’d come.” She peeped over my shoulder to where the guys were tuning their guitars. A couple of other people hung out on beanbags in the corner, laughing with their heads together, but they were Ryan’s friends and I didn’t know them.
“Hey, Gabi,” Ryan called over to her.
Gabi gave a reserved smile and lifted her chin in a greeting, but didn’t say anything.
“You ready to get started, Cole?” he asked me.
“Sure.”
We started to play, a couple of covers first, and then one of our own songs. I noticed Ryan’s friends had gravitated toward Gabi, and I was pleased to see her exchanging words with them. She still didn’t look completely comfortable, but she didn’t appear quite as uneasy as she had when she’d walked in.
Eventually, we took a break, and some of the guys headed out back for a smoke. Ryan passed a bottle of something around—a brown paper bag disguised its contents—and when it reached Gabi, she looked between the older guys and took it. I opened my mouth to say something and then shut it again. I’d had a few drinks plenty of times, and I knew she’d kill me if I said something about her not being old enough in front of everyone. Plus, I’d be a total hypocrite if I did. Anyway, Gabi was as sensible as they came. I figured she knew her limits.
Gabi took a swing from the bottle, and grimaced as she swallowed. I didn’t know if it was beer or wine, or something stronger, but she didn’t cough or splutter. Instead, she handed it to the girl next to her, and carried on chatting. Perhaps her having a drink or two wasn’t a bad thing. It might make her enjoy herself more, and I wanted her to enjoy herself. I wanted her to be a part of the thing I loved doing, and if it took a couple of swings of booze to do it, then it was no big deal. Gabi wasn’t a child, and she was more than capable of deciding whether or not to have a drink.
Despite this, I kept an eye on her while the band started up again.
The bottle was still being passed around, and she took a drink every time it reached her. Her laugh grew louder, and she kept touching the arm of whoever she was talking to. Admittedly, I had promised her a party, and it was Saturday the next day, so at least she didn’t need to worry about going to school, but I still didn’t want her getting completely trashed.
We played a few more songs, and then took a break for the guys to go out and smoke some weed. I knew this normally meant the end of practice, as they’d end up getting too wasted to bother playing again, so I took the opportunity to whisk Gabi out of the way.
“Where are we going?” she asked, as I pulled her out of the front of the garage, and away from Ryan and the guys.
“I’m going to take you home,” I said.
Her lower lip pouted. “Aww, and I was having fun!”
“I know, but it’s getting late.”
I thought she might give me a fight about it, but instead she wrapped her hand around my waist and tucked in under my arm. I liked how we fitted together like this—two pieces of one whole.
“Bye!” she yelled to the people we were leaving behind, though no one paid us any attention. “They were really nice,” she said, and then giggled. I couldn’t help smiling with her. Drunk Gabi was actually kind of cute.
I kept my arm around her as we walked toward her house, her giggling and falling against me so I had to half hold her up.
“Do you want to know a secret?” she said as we walked.
I glanced down at her, wondering what she was going to say. “Sure.”
“You can’t tell anyone. You super, extra promise?”
“I promise.”
“No, you super, extra promise.”
I laughed and repeated her words.
“I love you,” she said, jabbing me in the chest with her finger. “I really, truly, properly am in love with you. I mean, it’s like you’ve taken over my mind or something,” I noticed she was slurring, “because I seriously cannot stop thinking about you for even one second of the day.”
I held back my grin—I didn’t want her to think I was laughing at her confession, though the thought of it did make me smile. “I love you, too, Gabi.”
“Nope. You’re only saying that ’cause I said it first.”
“Well, I would have preferred you to say it when you were able to stand up straight, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe you.”
“’Cause you just know, don’t you?” she said. “We don’t even have to say it. You can just tell. Like when you look at me, it’s like the most intense thing in the world, and I know you’re thinking exactly the same as what I’m thinking.”
“And what’s that?”
She smacked me on the chest this time. “That I love you, dummy.”
The bubble of happiness swelling inside of me needed to get out and I swung her into a hug, kissing her neck and swinging her off her feet.
I set her down again, and she pressed her fingers to her mouth. “That kind of made me sick.”
“Oh, shit, sorry.”
But she managed to hold it together, and even her nausea didn’t dampen my joy. I didn’t think anyone had ever said that to me before. No, I knew no one had ever said those words to me. Having someone tell you they loved you wasn’t something you ever forgot.
We reached her house, and I was relieved to see her driveway empty. Thank God, her dad wasn’t home. I wasn’t keen on the idea of having to explain to him why his daughter wasn’t able to stand up straight.
We made it to the front door, and Gabi fumbled for her keys. It had just started to get dark, the street lights flickering on one by one. We were almost through the door when car headlights swung up the drive.
Shit.
“Uh-oh,” said Gabi at my side, though I could hear the drunken giggle in her tone. “My dad’s home.”
The headlights blinded us for a second, making us both squint until the engine fell quiet and the beams flicked off. I debated whether or not I would get away with shoving Gabi through the front door and making a run for it, but I didn’t think that would go down well with either her or her father.
The car door opened and slammed shut, and then he was walking up the driveway toward us.
“Gabi, you’re home,” he said.
She lifted a hand and waved. “Hi, Dad.”
“Hi, Mr. Weston,” I said, wishing desperately that I didn’t have to be forced into having a conversation with the guy. I’d never been good with girlfriends’ parents—not that I’d met many. Hell, I hadn’t been good with parents of my own, so I had no reason to expect anyone else’s to like me. I was also painfully aware of the fact Gabi had been drinking. Even though she seemed to have sobered up a little during the walk home, he was bound to spot it.
He did, sniffing as he got closer, his forehead creasing into a frown. “Gabi? Do I smell alcohol?”
She giggled. “Are you like a bloodhound now, sniffing out the booze?”
“Gabi,” he said, a warning tone in his voice.
“I should probably get going,” I said, giving Gabi’s hand a squeeze and stepping away.
“No, you don’t,” Mr. Weston said. “Stay right where you are.”
Double shit.
“I’m serious, Gabi, if you’ve been drinking, you need to tell me.”
“Why?” she replied. “You never tell me when you’ve been drinking.”
I glanced at her in surprise. I’d never taken her for someone who would talk back to her father, especially considering she’d just been busted for under-aged drinking. Perhaps it was the booze talking.
He exhaled a frustrated sigh. “You have, haven’t you?”
“I was having fun for once,” she shot back. “Maybe I learned from my dad, huh. It’s not like you ever set a good example.”
Happy, giggly Gabi had suddenly morphed into angry, bitter Gabi. I’d never seen this side of her, and the anger appeared to be directed at her father. His cheeks were flushed bright red, his mouth a hard line.
He turned to me. “I think you should go home now.”
I was worried to leave her here. Things weren’t right between her and her dad, but I wasn’t sure what it was about.
“Are you okay, Gabs?” I asked her softly.
“Don’t speak to her,” he snapped. “I asked you to leave, young man. You’re standing on my property, and you’ve just gotten my under-aged daughter drunk. I suggest you make yourself scarce before I decide to take things further.”
“Gabi?” I said again, not knowing what to do. I didn’t want to leave her like this, but I had a feeling her dad would physically force me to leave if he wanted to. I didn’t want us to end up tussling on the front lawn.
“It’s fine, Cole. I’m going to bed.”
She had tears in her eyes, and I wanted to pull her into a hug or kiss her goodbye, but I didn’t dare, not with her father watching.
What the hell was going on with them? I remember the night when I’d picked her up walking the streets in the rain. I knew her home life wasn’t perfect—whose was?—but for the first time I wondered if there was more going on than she’d told me about.
“Get in the house, young lady,” he ordered.
“Fine, I’m going,” she snapped back. Then she looked over to me. “I meant what I said, Cole.”
I gave her a smile. “Me, too.”
And then I turned and walked away, hoping beyond hope her dad didn’t lay a finger on her.
If he did, I wasn’t sure I’d be responsible for my actions.