“Mum called. She’s on her way back with party supplies,” he warned.
Cole greeted Jasper and quickly added: “We’re just leaving.”
“Good. Have fun on your, it’s-not-a-date-but-it-really-is-a-date-date.”
I hurried out of the house. Cole followed behind, chuckling to himself.
“Your brother’s weird.”
I couldn’t agree more.
We drove for ages, and I couldn’t figure out where he was taking me. When we turned off at a roundabout, with the sign stating the beach was five miles away, I grinned. Cole chuckled at my expression.
“Yeah, we’re going to the beach. I’ve got a picnic dinner in the boot.” He smiled sheepishly and bit his lip.
I couldn’t help the excitement that bubbled up inside me.
“Mum suggested the picnic… And made it,” he admitted. Thank goodness! There would probably be some homemade cakes and cookies. If it had been down to Cole, there would just be packets of junk food.
We parked in the car park opposite the pier, and I turned to look at him: as casual but as gorgeous as usual. Feeling confident, I leant over and kissed him. I could tell he was surprised by it, as it took him a second to respond and kiss me back.
I felt him smile against my lips before wrapping his arms around my back, pulling me closer to him.
He pulled away and gave a surprised chuckle. I blushed and looked down to hide how embarrassed I was. Cole fingers gently cupped my chin and tilted my head, so I was looking at him again.
“Don’t be embarrassed, Oakley. I want you to feel confident around me. You can kiss me whenever you want. Believe me, I won’t mind,” he said.
I pressed my lips to his again, to make it clear I got the message. We walked hand-in-hand along the shore. Both of us were wrapped up in warm jackets. Even in summer, it was still cold right by the sea. The sky was clear of clouds, so the moon shone down brightly on to the ocean, creating a glistening effect on the surface of the water. It looked beautiful.
As we approached a set of stone stairs, I stopped. I was happy to keep walking if he wanted to, but I had a sudden urge to hit the arcades too. Cole turned to me and frowned, wondering why I’d come to such an abrupt stop.
“Arcades?”
I nodded, and he laughed and feigned despair at me.
“Come on then. Let’s go spend twenty quid trying to get a claw to grab a crappy stuffed toy.”
He kissed my lips quickly, taking me by surprise. I was quickly growing to love how my body reacted to him.
“I’ll kick your arse at air hockey.”
We spent a couple of hours in the arcades, wasting money on slot machines and riding the mechanical motorbikes. Cole won me a fluffy grey teddy bear, and it only took him fourteen tries and three pounds.
“You getting hungry?” he asked, wrapping his arms around me. I leant into him and nodded. It was almost nine at night, so I was definitely ready to eat. “Okay. We need to go back to the car to get the picnic basket, then beach?”
Nodding eagerly, I pulled out of his arms and dragged him towards the door by his hand.
On the beach, I sat down beside him and opened the basket. We sat under the pier on a blanket and ate Jenna’s famous lemon cake. I looked out to sea and smiled as the water gently lapped at the shore. The wind had died down, so it was calmer out, much more peaceful. After eating, I snuggled closer to his side and laid my head on his shoulder, wishing we could stay at the beach forever.
“You having a good time?” he questioned. I nodded against him. The best time.
Eventually, we had to leave as it was almost an hour’s drive back and I didn’t have long before I had to be home.
“We’ll come again soon,” he reassured me.
I hoped so. As we pulled up outside my house, my heart sank. Dad would probably be waiting up for me again. I kissed Cole’s cheek and opened the car door.
“You’re welcome,” he said in response to my thank you kiss. “Glad you had a good night.”
A good night? Understatement of the century!
Chapter Eight
Oakley
The rest of the week passed in a haze of Cole, Cole, and more Cole. We spent practically every minute together just hanging out and messing around. Our relationship, or whatever it was, was getting stronger, and I could feel myself falling hard. It both scared and excited me at the same time. I just kept thinking repeatedly, something will go wrong.
On Thursday morning, I sat on my bed, panicking about the stupid doctor’s appointment. I had no idea how to get out of it. Mum still hadn’t told me, so I assumed she was just going to spring it on me while we were shopping; if we were even going shopping at all.
As I gazed out of the window anxiously, my phone beeped, making me jump. It was a text message from Cole.
“Good luck today. Let me know if you want me to come. X”