Chapter 4 - First Encounter ♡︎

The farmhouse was quieter than Olive had ever known a house could be. After dinner, the laughter and noise of the boys had faded into muffled voices behind closed doors, the thump of footsteps retreating upstairs, and the soft creak of the old wooden beams settling into the night. Jackie had peeked into Olive's room once more before bed, reassuring her with a quick hug that everything would be fine, that she was right across the hall if Olive needed anything. When Jackie left, Olive turned off the overhead light, letting her bunny-shaped nightlight cast its gentle glow across the pastel comforter and her little pile of stuffed animals waiting at the foot of the bed.

She lay there for a long time, wide awake, her thoughts racing as she stared at the ceiling. The day had been so overwhelming. Faces and voices swirled in her mind—so many Walters to remember, each one so different from the other. Isaac, always loud and playful, Parker with his teasing grin, Nathan calm and thoughtful, Jordan quick to make jokes, Danny already asking her questions about her interests. And then Jackie—thank God for Jackie—her safe place in the storm. Olive smiled faintly at that thought, hugging her bear a little tighter. She was grateful. But underneath the warmth was a restlessness she couldn't shake, a buzzing energy that made it impossible to fall asleep.

Finally, with a quiet sigh, Olive slipped out from under the blankets. The soft rug muffled her footsteps as she padded into the hallway, sweater sleeves hanging past her hands. She thought maybe some water would help calm her nerves, or maybe just washing her face in the bathroom. As she approached the door, she noticed the thin line of light beneath it. Someone was inside.

Olive hesitated, biting her lip. She didn't want to disturb anyone. So she leaned against the wall and waited. A few minutes passed, and she fiddled nervously with her sweater sleeves. But the door never opened. Another minute. Then another. Still nothing.

Her heart pounded as she debated what to do. Maybe they had left the light on. Maybe nobody was in there at all. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she decided to check. With trembling fingers, she turned the knob. It wasn't locked. The door creaked softly as she pushed it open just a little.

The sight that met her eyes nearly made her heart stop.

Cole Walter stood in front of the mirror, the dim yellow light from above the sink highlighting the lean lines of his bare shoulders and chest. His damp hair stuck up in messy strands, and a towel was tossed carelessly over the counter. He turned immediately at the sound of the door, his green eyes locking onto hers.

Olive let out a high-pitched squeal, clapping her hands to her mouth as her face flamed red. "I-I'm so sorry!" she blurted, her words tumbling over each other in panic. "I didn't mean—I thought no one—I'm sorry!" She stumbled back, practically tripping over her own feet as she tried to retreat.

But before she could escape, Cole caught the door with one hand, holding it steady as he leaned against it casually. The corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk, the kind that felt equal parts teasing and dangerous. "It's fine," he said easily, his voice low and smooth. His eyes flicked over her quickly, as if putting the pieces together. "You're Olive, aren't you?"

Olive's throat tightened, her entire body trembling as she nodded quickly, barely able to meet his gaze. Her lips parted to say something, but the words caught in her throat. She took another step back as he began to walk toward her, his steps slow and unhurried, as though he already knew she would retreat.

She whimpered softly, her hands fidgeting at the sleeves of her sweater. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered again, her voice small and shaky.

Cole tilted his head, watching her with amusement. When she almost stumbled backward, her socks sliding on the wooden floor, he raised a hand slightly as though to steady her, his smirk widening. "Woah," he drawled, his eyes flicking down to her small frame before lifting back up to meet hers. "Relax, tiny."

The nickname rolled off his tongue with ease, as if he had already decided it belonged to her. Olive's eyes widened, her breath catching. Something about the word made her stomach twist, and she had no idea how to respond. She only stood there, wide-eyed, her fingers knotting tightly together as she shifted back another step.

The weight of his gaze, the teasing curve of his smirk, the way he said her name like he had already claimed some part of her—it was too much. With a nervous squeak, Olive spun around and darted back down the hall, practically fleeing into the safety of her room. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it, her heart racing so hard it made her dizzy.

Out in the hallway, Cole paused, blinking in surprise at how fast she had run. His smirk faltered for the briefest second before he shook his head and scratched the back of his neck. "Huh," he muttered to himself, a quiet laugh under his breath. Then, with a shrug, he turned and continued to do his thing in the bathroom.

Inside her room, Olive buried her face into her bear, her cheeks burning, her thoughts spinning wildly. She had met Cole Walter.____

Olive sat on the edge of her new bed, knees pulled to her chest, her oversized sleeves bunched around her hands as she clutched her favorite teddy bear. The soft glow of her bunny-shaped nightlight lit the room in a gentle halo, keeping the corners from slipping into darkness. But it did nothing to calm the frantic beat of her heart. She had replayed it over and over, the scene in the hallway she couldn't erase from her mind no matter how hard she tried. Cole Walter. Shirtless. Smirking. Calling her tiny like it was the most natural thing in the world.

She pressed her face into the bear's fuzzy head, her voice muffled as she whispered into the fabric. "Why did I even open the door? Why couldn't I just wait?" She groaned softly, her toes curling against the rug. "And then I squealed like a little kid. Oh my god. He probably thinks I'm... weird." Her cheeks flushed just from saying it out loud, and she squeezed the bear tighter, rocking a little in place as if that might help soothe her embarrassment.

But it didn't work. The image of him was still too sharp in her mind: the way his damp hair had fallen into his eyes, the curve of his smirk like he had caught her in some kind of trap, the casual strength in the way he leaned on the doorframe, utterly unbothered by her panic. He was nothing like the boys she'd met earlier. He wasn't loud like Isaac, playful like Jordan, or thoughtful like Alex. He carried himself differently—quietly, almost dangerously—like he knew exactly how much space he took up in a room, and he wasn't going to apologize for it.

Olive buried her face deeper into the bear. "I'm so stupid," she whispered again, her voice breaking into a nervous giggle that only made her feel hotter with embarrassment. "I can't even look at him now. Jackie will kill me if she finds out I saw him like that." She paused, her words slowing into something more thoughtful, more tentative. "But... he remembered my name."

She traced her fingers over the bear's stitched paw, her lips curving into the faintest smile before she shook her head quickly, dismissing the thought. No. She couldn't go there. Not with Cole. Jackie had already warned her that he was trouble, and Olive wasn't brave enough for trouble anyway. She was soft, timid, safe. Trouble was the last thing she needed.

Outside her door, the hallway was quiet. But she didn't know that Cole had been standing there for longer than he should have, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed loosely over his chest. He had followed her retreat without really thinking about it, his curiosity gnawing at him in a way he didn't particularly like. He didn't know why the image of her wide eyes and squeaky apology stuck with him, or why he found himself smirking every time he remembered how fast she had run away.

His hand hovered near the door for a second, almost like he might knock. He could picture it so easily—her startled little expression when she opened the door, her nervous fidgeting, the way her voice would stumble as she tried to figure out what he wanted. The thought tugged at the corner of his mouth, tempting him.

But he didn't knock.

Instead, Cole shook his head, smirking to himself as he pushed away from the wall. Whatever it was about Olive, it could wait. She wasn't going anywhere. With a shrug, he walked back toward his own room, his footsteps fading into the creaks of the old farmhouse floorboards, leaving Olive inside with her bear and her racing thoughts, completely unaware of how close he had been.