We walked back to the B&B hand-in-hand. The dull, moody weather made me in even more of a hurry to get inside. I wanted a hot chocolate and to wrap a quilt around myself to warm up. Cole opened the front door of the quaint mid-terrace town house and gestured for me to go in first. Sighing, I placed my hands over the radiator in the entrance hall. I wanted to kiss the owner for having the heating on in August.
All too soon, Cole walked up the stairs, and I had to leave the warmth behind. Where had summer gone? Thankfully, our room was hot, and I crawled into the old-fashioned bed. My feet were practically numb from the cold, so I wrapped the cover around myself and waited to warm up.
“It’s not that bad.” Maybe not for you! Why were men so much more immune to the cold? Or did they feel it the same but were too worried about not seeming macho to complain?
Cole flopped down on the bed beside me and rolled over, laying his head on my lap. Make yourself comfortable! “We have a couple hours before your annoying brother gets here. What do you wanna do?” he asked.
I shrugged, and he kissed me.
We collapsed on the bed and I snuggled closer to his side, laying my head on his chest. His breathing was slowly returning to normal, but his heart was flying in his chest. I smiled as I listened to it, loving knowing that I was the cause. His fingers gently pressed down on my bare back and he started tracing random shapes on my skin.
After an hour and a half of lying in bed in comfortable silence, Cole kissed the top of my head and got up. I followed his lead and got up.
“He’ll be here soon,” he said.
There was a knock at the door just after we had finished getting dressed and opened a window. Jasper was early? Jasper was never early! Cole glared at the door before going to open it. Jasper strolled past him with a huge grin on his face. A pretty, petite girl followed him and smiled warmly at me. She looked a little younger than him but not much.
“Hey, Bonnie and Clyde,” Jasper joked, putting the seven pizza boxes down on the side table. Are we feeding all the guests in the B&B? “Guys, this is Casey. Casey, this is my baby sister, Oakley, and her corrupting boyfriend, Cole.” Don’t worry about remembering her name, I thought sarcastically.
“Hey,” Cole said to Casey. I smiled at Casey and moved over so we would all be able to sit comfortably on the bed.
“So what have you two been doing then?” Jasper asked a little too enthusiastically. I blushed tomato red and looked out of the window. “You’d better not knock her up.”
“Shut up, Jasper,” Cole snapped, and reached over, grabbing the pizza off the side. “How many people were you planning on feeding anyway?”
Jasper suddenly gasped and hopped off the bed, making all of us jump at his sudden movement. What now? “Am I sitting on your sex sweat?” he yelled like a little girl, frantically wiping his bum with his hand, then wiping his hand down the wall. I started choking on nothing. What! Cole just shook his head, discouraged, while Casey looked scared. Clearly, she hadn’t known my brother long. Perhaps he really did want a girlfriend, but his colourful personality was putting them off.
After Jasper’s inappropriate freak out, we all sat back on the bed and ate. The TV was on in the background, but no one really watched it. I didn’t even know what was on – some old film. Everything Jasper said was either gross or stupid. He raged about how chocolate bars used to be bigger, and it should be illegal to reduce their size. Why every weird meat tasted like chicken, and my personal favourite, what was the point of belly buttons?
I looked over at a slightly scared looking Casey. I bet you’re glad you agreed to go out with him, huh? I spoke in my head. As crazy and unpredictable as he was, I wouldn’t change him for the world because I knew he wouldn’t change me either. Along with Cole, Jasper was the only person that accepted me for who I was now. That meant a lot.
“Effing hell,” Jasper said, sighing heavily and shaking his head as soon as Casey went to the toilet. If she comes back, I’ll eat my hat!
“What’s wrong with this one?” Cole asked, sounding bored.
“When I picked her up she made me go in her house!” No, I thought sarcastically. I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to explain what was so wrong with that. “Her parents were there! I’ve only met the girl once! Once! I had an actual conversation with her Dad and ate friggin’ cake with them all! Jesus, it was a first date not an anniversary!”
“How awful,” Cole agreed, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“You haven’t heard the worse part yet. Talking to the parents, I could just about handle but the cake had banana on it!” Cole burst out laughing, and I smiled so wide my jaw started aching instantly. “Chocolate belongs on cake, banana does not!” Cole continued laughing, clutching his stomach. “I’m serious, dude! Who the hell puts banana on a cake?”
“Casey’s parents,” Cole choked out and laughed some more.