Chapter 10 - Talk To Me ♡︎

Cole led Olive across the parking lot like he had every intention of her following him, his long strides slowing just enough so she wouldn't stumble while trying to keep up. Olive's eyes darted around, watching the other students spill out of the building and into cars, groups of friends laughing as they made plans for later. She felt completely out of place, like she was sneaking away to do something wrong, and the tight grip she had on her bag strap made her knuckles pale.

When they reached the truck, Cole swung open the passenger door with ease and turned back to look at her. His smirk was still there, but it wasn't sharp—it was teasing, light, almost like he was daring her to resist him. "Well, tiny? You getting in or am I carrying you?"

Olive's cheeks flushed red at the thought, and without saying a word, she scrambled into the seat. She sat stiffly, clutching the edge of the seat, her legs pressed tightly together. Cole chuckled under his breath, shaking his head like he couldn't believe how jumpy she was. He shut the door behind her and walked around to the driver's side, sliding in with the kind of lazy confidence that made her stomach twist.

The truck roared to life, and Cole glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "You don't have to look like I'm kidnapping you," he said with a grin. "You're allowed to have fun, you know."

Olive fidgeted with the ends of her sleeves, tugging at the fabric until it nearly covered her hands. "I-I just... I don't know," she murmured, her voice trembling. "Jackie... Jackie's going to be so mad. She'll... she'll kill me."

Cole smirked, leaning back casually as he pulled out of the lot. "Jackie doesn't scare me." His green eyes flicked to hers for a second, catching her wide, worried gaze. "If she's got a problem, she can take it up with me. You let me deal with her."

Olive blinked quickly, her lips parting as if she wanted to argue, but no words came out. She swallowed hard, looking down at her lap, her thumb brushing anxiously over the hem of her sleeve. The silence stretched, filled only by the hum of the engine, and Cole let it linger for a moment before deciding to push her a little.

"Hey," he said quietly, his voice losing its edge. With one hand on the wheel, he reached over with the other and set it gently on her leg, the weight of his palm firm but not heavy. Olive stiffened instantly, her breath catching in her throat, and she let out a small whimper she hadn't meant to make. Her cheeks turned scarlet, her eyes glued to the windshield as if looking at him would be too much.

"Relax, tiny," Cole murmured, his thumb brushing lightly against her knee. "I'm not gonna bite."

Olive nodded quickly, still fidgeting with her sleeves, and whispered so softly he almost didn't hear her, "O-okay." Her voice shook, and she couldn't hide the way her chest rose and fell a little faster.

Cole smirked, pleased, and leaned back into his seat again, keeping his hand there like he wasn't planning on moving it anytime soon. "That's better," he said simply, as if her nerves amused him but also gave him some kind of satisfaction.

Olive kept staring straight ahead, her mind spinning with guilt and fear and something else she didn't quite understand. Jackie was absolutely going to be furious—she could already imagine the disappointed look, the scolding tone. But then there was Cole beside her, confident and calm, as if none of that mattered. She whispered under her breath, mostly to herself, "Jackie really is going to kill me."

Cole laughed quietly, a low rumble in his chest. "Then I guess I'll die with you," he said, half-teasing, half-serious, like the consequences didn't bother him at all.

The ride stretched on, trees blurring past the windows as Olive fidgeted with her sleeves in silence, still too tense to sink back into the seat like Cole had told her. Her thoughts were racing—Jackie's voice, Jackie's trust—all of it pressed down on her chest, making it hard to breathe. She glanced down at her phone in her lap, the bright screen lighting up suddenly with a vibration. The name Jackie appeared on the caller ID in bold letters, and Olive's stomach dropped.

She froze, biting her lip hard, torn between answering and pretending she didn't see it. Her thumb hovered over the screen nervously. "It's Jackie," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I should—"

Before she could finish, Cole leaned over and snatched the phone right out of her hands, his smirk flashing as he pressed the green button and lifted it to his ear. Olive's eyes went wide, her heart lurching in panic. "Cole! N-no, give it back!" she squeaked, reaching for it, but Cole easily held it out of her reach with one hand, his focus on the road unbothered.

"Hey, Jackie," he drawled, his tone maddeningly casual, as if he'd been expecting her to call.

On the other end, Jackie's sharp sigh carried through the speaker, followed quickly by her clipped words. "Cole, I swear—bring her back right now. She doesn't need to be caught up in whatever ridiculous plan you've cooked up. Don't get her into trouble."

Olive squirmed in her seat, covering her mouth with her sleeves, horrified that Jackie would think she'd already done something wrong. Her cheeks burned hot with shame, and she whispered under her breath, "I-I didn't want—" but Cole's voice cut over hers, strong and unbothered.

"Relax, Jackie," Cole said, his smirk audible in his voice. "She's fine. I've got her."

Jackie's voice grew tighter, the protective edge sharper than Olive had ever heard before. "Fine? Where are you taking her? Where exactly are you going?"

Cole's grin widened as if the more Jackie worried, the more he enjoyed holding the reins. He didn't answer her questions. Instead, he said lightly, "Don't worry so much. I'll bring her back soon enough."

"Cole, don't you dare hang up on—" Jackie's voice spiked, frustration bleeding through.

But Cole did exactly that. With one quick press, the line went dead, and the screen dimmed as he tossed the phone lightly back into Olive's lap.

Olive stared at it in shock, her hands trembling as she caught the device against her sweater. She looked up at him with wide, anxious eyes, her voice stumbling out of her throat. "Sh-she's going to be so mad... Jackie's going to hate me. She probably thinks I wanted this." Her lip quivered as she hugged the phone tightly against her chest.

Cole glanced at her, still smirking, though there was something softer behind his green eyes now. "Tiny, if you're going to stick around here, you've gotta learn not to let Jackie run your whole life. She means well, but she treats you like you're going to break." He shifted gears smoothly, his hand tightening briefly on the wheel. "Trust me."___

Cole drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, glancing at her every so often, the corner of his mouth tugging in that half-smile that always looked like it carried a secret.

Finally, he let out a low sigh, the kind that sounded half amused, half exasperated. "You know, tiny, you're still making it feel like I kidnapped you. You're allowed to talk to me, you know."

Olive's cheeks heated instantly at the teasing tone in his voice, and she quickly ducked her head, staring at the hem of her skirt. "I-I just..." She stumbled over the words, then finally whispered, "I don't really go to things like this."

Cole's smirk softened just slightly, though his tone kept that playful edge. "That's the whole point, tiny. You'll figure it out. Besides, some of my friends will be there. The guys from the football team—you'll meet them. They're a little wild, but not all bad." He shrugged one broad shoulder, eyes flicking toward her again. "Don't worry. I won't let them give you a hard time."

Her wide eyes flickered to his face, panic sparking in them. "M-meet them?" she squeaked, her voice trembling with anxiety. "I-I don't want to meet anyone..." Her words trailed off as she shrank back into the seat. Still, after a long pause, she gave a slow, uncertain nod, the motion tiny, as if it took all her courage just to do it.

Cole caught the gesture out of the corner of his eye, his smirk tugging into something warmer before he quickly masked it. "That's my girl," he said softly.

Her head snapped up, eyes wide, staring at him with her lips parted in confusion. She blinked rapidly.

She swallowed hard, her voice small and timid as she turned toward him. "W-what did you just say?" she whispered.

Cole kept his eyes on the road, the smirk tugging faintly at his lips. He let a few beats pass, clearly enjoying how flustered she was before answering with a lazy shrug. "Said nothing, tiny."

Olive's mouth opened slightly, as if she wanted to argue, but no words came out. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, her pulse quickening in her throat. She could feel her face burning and quickly turned her gaze back toward the window, watching the blur of trees and the flicker of passing headlights.

"O-oh," she murmured softly, her voice barely audible. She fiddled with the bow tied neatly in her hair, her fingers trembling slightly as she tried to focus on anything but the way her chest fluttered.

For a moment, she gathered all the courage she could. She parted her lips, ready to say something—anything—to break the strange tension that had settled in the truck. But before she could, Cole's voice cut through again, his tone shifting smoothly.

"We're here," he said firmly, his eyes flicking toward her with that half-smile that gave nothing away. He pulled the truck into the gravel driveway, the crunch of stones beneath the tires announcing their arrival before Olive could piece together what she even wanted to say. The music and voices in the distance made her heart seize, her unfinished words dying in her throat.

Cole shifted into park and leaned back in his seat, stretching casually as if the world outside didn't make Olive's entire body stiffen with nerves. Then he turned to her, his grin sharper this time, as though he knew exactly what he was doing. "Ready, tiny?"

Her throat worked nervously, her lips fumbling as she shook her head quickly. "I-I don't... I don't think—" But Cole was already out of the truck, the slam of the door cutting off her protest, leaving her trembling in her seat, her heart hammering against her ribcage.___

Olive sat frozen for a long moment, her small hands clenched tightly around the strap of her bag as she willed herself to move. The muffled thrum of music and laughter from outside pressed against the closed truck doors, making her chest tighten with every passing second. Finally, with a shaky breath, she unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for the handle. The click echoed louder than she expected, and she slowly pushed the door open. The cool evening air rushed in, carrying the faint scent of pine trees mixed with smoke from the fire pit, and she hesitated.

Carefully, she swung her legs over the side of the seat, her shoes hovering just above the gravel. She was about to hop down when suddenly a shadow blocked her view. Startled, Olive looked up, and her breath caught in her throat. Cole was standing directly in front of her, his tall frame filling the space like he belonged there, leaning just close enough that she felt the heat radiating off him.

Before she could even process it, his arms lifted, and his hands pressed against the edge of the seat, one on each side of her thighs. The movement caged her in, trapping her gently but firmly in place. Olive's eyes widened, her pulse quickening until it thrummed wildly in her ears. Her lips parted, but no words came out—just a soft, nervous squeak that made Cole's mouth twitch in a knowing smirk.

"Tiny," he said lowly, his voice a mix of teasing and something heavier, steadier. His green eyes locked onto hers, holding her gaze until she couldn't look away. "You stick with me tonight. At all times. Got it?"

Olive blinked rapidly, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. Her hands fidgeted in her lap, twisting the hem of her sweater as if she could fold herself into it. "I-I..." she stammered, her voice trembling. The way he was looking at her—directly, without hesitation—made her feel small and vulnerable but strangely safe all at once.

Cole leaned in closer, narrowing the space between them, the smirk softening into something that looked more like command than playfulness. "No arguments," he murmured. "I don't want you wandering off, and I don't trust half the people here. You stay with me. Understand?"

Her throat went dry, and she nodded quickly, unable to find her voice. "O-okay," she whispered finally, her tone so soft it was almost lost under the bass of the music outside.

Cole studied her for a second longer, as if making sure she meant it. Then, satisfied, he pushed back, his hands sliding off the seat as he straightened to his full height. He extended one hand toward her, palm open, expectant. "Good. Now come on, tiny."

Olive stared at his hand, her heart stuttering nervously, before she slowly placed her own in his. His grip closed around hers—not too tight, but enough to remind her he wasn't letting go.