Missed Notes: A Brother's Best Friend Romance (Rixon High) Page 6

  I shucked out of my soaked jeans and dried off with a towel before padding back into the bedroom. Sofia was already under the covers, curled up on her side.

  “You need anything?”

  “No, I’m good.” Her voice was small. Cracked with something I didn’t want to decipher.

  I grabbed an extra blanket and pillow from the closet and threw them down on the couch.

  “Cole?”

  “Yeah, Sofe?”

  “Will you lie with me?”

  Fuck.

  She was still drunk. She didn’t know what she was asking, and yet…

  “Please,” she whispered, and my resolve crumbled.

  “Yeah, okay.” I swallowed, padding over to the bed. Pulling back the covers, I got in beside her, keeping a safe distance.

  Just because she wanted me to lie with her, didn’t mean she wanted me to touch her.

  But Sofia had other ideas. Rolling over to face me, she crept closer, until she was nestled into my side.

  “Sofe?” I asked, my blood heating at her sudden proximity.

  “Hmm?”

  “My offer stands. If you ever want to talk—”

  “Cole?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Go to sleep,” she murmured, burying her face into my chest. Her hand snaked over my stomach, making my dick twitch.

  I wasn’t a dog, but I was an eighteen-year-old guy, and I had the girl of my fucking dreams wearing my t-shirt in bed with me.

  It was impossible not to be affected.

  Minutes ticked by as we lay there in deafening silence. Sofia was asleep, her gentle breaths at odds with the violent crash of my heart beneath my rib cage.

  I lay perfectly still, soaking up the moment. Imagining that we were here under different circumstances. Because I didn’t doubt that when she woke up, sober and lucid, Sofia would shut me out quicker than I could say, ‘Go Raiders.’

  But that was tomorrow, and it could wait.

  For now, I’d pretend. I would pretend she needed me, that she wanted me here.

  I would pretend that this was real.

  I woke on my side, spooning Sofia with my arm slung possessively over her waist. But I wasn’t the only thing awake. My dick was too, comfortably nestled against her perfect ass.

  I needed to extract myself from the situation before she—

  Sofia yawned, arching her body away from mine slightly. “What time is it?” she asked.

  “Uh, like eight. How are you feeling?” I rolled onto my back, putting even more space between us as I willed my dick to stand down.

  “Like I purged my soul.”

  “You drank a lot.”

  She let out a heavy sigh. “If this is the part where you scold me, save your breath. I know I screwed up.”

  “Actually, I was going to ask if you wanted to talk about it.”

  “I don’t.” She went rigid.

  “Sof—”

  My phone chimed and I leaned over to grab it.

  “It’s Aaron,” I said, scanning the text.

  Aaron: How is she?

  Me: Alive.

  Aaron: Gee, thanks. Asshole.

  Me: Don’t think she’s ever going to forgive me.

  Aaron: Nah, she’ll come around eventually. You did the right thing and now that she has the all-clear we can put it all behind us.

  “Tell him to go away,” Sofia murmured, rolling over to face me.

  Fuck, she looked adorable, eyes heavy with sleep, her hair all mussed up and sexy.

  She looked real, and I’d always loved that about her.

  Sofia and Poppy weren’t Barbie bitches like some of the girls at school. They didn’t climb over other people to get a leg up the social ladder. They didn’t care. Which was something given that Poppy’s dad was an NFL legend, and Sofia’s brothers both played for the football team.

  I read my next text out as I typed it. “Sofia said go away.”

  “Asshole,” she whispered, but I caught the smile tugging at her lips.

  “How do you feel, really?”

  “Nauseous. Embarrassed… Confused.”

  “Confused?” I turned onto my side to face her.

  “You were kind to me last night,” she said.

  “I’m always kind.”

  “You’re…” She pressed her lips together and I inched closer, reaching for her. My fingers brushed away the stray hairs around her face and Sofia’s breath caught.

  “I’m what, Sofe?”

  But she crushed the hope building in my chest by saying, “I almost kissed that guy.”

  “Yeah. Probably a good thing you didn’t.” Her brows furrowed, and I added, “I would have had to kick his ass.”

  “Cole…”

  “Too much?”

  “I’m not your friend right now.” The twinkle in her eye was at odds with her somber words.

  “I can make it up to you.”

  “I’m Aaron’s sister. He won’t—”

  Pressing a finger to Sofia’s lips, I silenced her. “In case you hadn’t worked it out yet, the reason I told everyone the truth about how many times you’d fainted was because I care about you.”

  “I…”

  “Shh. I’m not asking you for anything.” Not yet, at least. “I know shit is complicated with Aaron. Just… don’t shut me out again. I kinda like having you around.”

  “Cole…” She bit her lip, peeking up at me through her long, dark lashes.

  Jesus, she was beautiful.

  Looking at her took my breath away. But lying here with her, alone… well, it did things to me. Made me want things I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to have.

  I toyed with the ends of her hair, leaning in a little more. Until my lips brushed her forehead. “Sofia, I—”

  The blare of my cell phone killed the moment.

  “You should get that,” she said with a sigh, pulling away.

  I sat up, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and hit answer. “Yeah?”

  “Breakfast is in twenty,” Aaron barked. “Coach expects us all to be there.”

  “Okay.”

  “Is she—”

  “Okay,” I said, glancing back at Sofia. Her brows furrowed as she watched me.

  “We’ll meet you downstairs in fifteen.” I hung up and said, “We’ve got to join everyone for breakfast. Poppy is going to sneak you some clean clothes.”

  “Okay, I need to freshen up.”

  “Go for it. I’ll be here.”

  Sofia got up and padded toward the bathroom. But when she reached the door, she paused, looking over her shoulder at me. “Cole?”

  “Yeah, Sofe?”

  “Thanks.”

  We all headed down to breakfast together, hardly surprised to find Coach Ford, his wife Felicity, the other coaches, and the Bennets already down there.

  “Just act cool, remember?” Aaron whispered as he grabbed Poppy’s hand and pulled her toward an empty table.

  “Morning,” Coach said, and we all grumbled a reply.

  “If I didn’t know better,” Sofia’s dad Asher said. “I’d say they were hungover.”

  “Ash,” Mrs. Bennet warned with an amused smile.

  “Relax, Mom, Dad… Coach.” Aaron dipped his chin at Coach. “We didn’t get into any trouble.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Coach grumbled. “Get your breakfast. We want to leave in an hour.”

  “You got it, Coach.”

  We all sat down and ordered coffee. I felt surprisingly alive, but then I’d barely drunk last night, too obsessed with Sofia and what she was doing.

  Speaking of Sofia. I realized she hadn’t joined us. Instead, she was standing behind her parents at their table, all speaking in hushed whispers about something.

  That trickle of unease went through me again as I watched Mr. Bennet’s expression darken as he talked to his daughter.

  “Dude.” Ezra nudged me. “You want coffee? Juice?”

  I blinked up at the server and apologized. “Orange juice please.”

  “I’ll get your drinks brought over right away. Feel free to help yourself at the buffet counter.”

  “Thank you,” Poppy answered for us, and everyone wasted no time heading to the buffet.

  But I stayed behind, still watching Sofia. Her strained smile and sad eyes. She’d had the perfect opportunity to tell me the truth and she’d chosen not to.

  Because she doesn’t trust you anymore.

  As if she felt me, Sofia looked up, finding me across the room.

  She might not have trusted me anymore, but I didn’t miss the slight hitch to her breath, the flare of emotion in her eyes. I affected her. I’d felt it lying in bed with her in my arms, and I felt it now.

  But Sofia was right. Shit was complicated.

  Maybe too complicated.

  But I wanted her.

  I wanted Sofia Bennet—I wanted to see where this thing between us might go.

  She had to want it too though.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Sofia

  “How are you feeling?” Poppy whispered as we sat in the back of Ashleigh’s car.

  Thankfully, Mom and Dad had ridden up to Pittsburgh with her mom, so I didn’t have to survive four hours of my parents lecturing me about my antics last night.

  They’d known; of course they had.

  One look at me at breakfast and they’d recognized I was hungover. But rather than chew me out at breakfast, they would no doubt wait until we got home.

  “I’m fine,” I said, sipping on my bottled water, trying to abate the nausea rolling through me.

  “So last night…” She went on.

  “What about it?”

  “You stayed in Cole’s room.”

  I groaned. “If you’re trying to make a point, P
ops, make it.”

  “Jeez, you’re happy this morning.”

  “Sorry, I feel like ass.”

  “And who’s fault is that?” She gave me a pointed look. “I’ve never seen you that—”

  “Can we not do this? I need to sleep.” Closing my eyes, I pressed my head against the glass, trying to block out the motion of the car.

  “So you’re saying, you shared a room with Cole and nothing happened?”

  “I can hear you both, you know?” Ashleigh chuckled. “The car isn’t that big.”

  “Nothing happened,” I replied.

  “Did he at least hold your hair while you puked your guts up?”

  “Ew, Poppy,” Leigh chided.

  “What? I think it’s romantic. He carried her into the hotel. Wouldn’t let Aaron near her.”

  “I… nothing happened.”

  “Oh, it did. It so did. I know you, Sofia Bennet.” Poppy poked my arm. “I know you better than anyone and you’re hiding something.”

  “It’s not a big deal, okay?” I met her inquisitive gaze and sighed.

  “Give me something, anything.” She pouted, batting her eyelashes at me in a way that told me she wasn’t going to give up.

  “Ugh, fine. He showered me.”

  “He… showered you. Like you fooled around in the shower?”

  “No, like he stripped me to my underwear and carried me into the shower and then washed me.” Heat flooded my cheeks as I remembered how it had felt to be in his arms, the water cascading down on us.

  “Was he naked?”

  “No, he kept his jeans on.”

  “Boring.” She grinned and I rolled my eyes.

  She was insufferable.

  “So, he washed you off, then what?”

  “Then he gave me a t-shirt to sleep in and offered to sleep on the couch.”

  “No, no, no. Tell me you didn’t make him sleep on the couch after he looked after you.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Because you know, Sofe, that’s low even for— what?”

  “I didn’t make him sleep on the couch.”

  I probably should have. Because now things were even more confusing.

  “Oh my God, you slept with Cole.”

  “We didn’t sleep together, Pops, we just slept together.”

  Her brows knitted. “No touching?”

  “Definitely no touching.” Except when I’d felt him this morning. Hard and thick pressed up against my ass. There was no mistaking Cole’s morning wood. But that was simple biology, it didn’t mean anything.

  “Kissing?”

  “In case you forgot, I spent half of last night retching into the toilet bowl.”

  “Good point. But surely there was something? Any sexual tension? A smoldering look or two?”

  “Oh my God,” I spluttered. “What is wrong with you?”

  “You’d be so good together. I know you both think Aaron won’t like it—”

  “Because he won’t,” I said. “Cole is his best friend.”

  “I’m your best friend and he didn’t seem to care much about that.”

  “Actually, I distinctly remember him repeatedly using me as a reason the two of you shouldn’t be together.” I gave her a pointed look and she narrowed her eyes at me.

  “Oh hush. He just wants you to be happy, and if a certain star quarterback makes you happy then I don’t see what the problem is.”

  “I can’t trust him.” It came out a murmured whisper.

  “Sofe—”

  “Just drop it, Poppy. I’m not in the mood.”

  I didn’t want to think about how I’d trusted Cole with the truth, and he’d betrayed me, ratting me out to my brother the first chance he got. Even if he maintained he only did it for my benefit, he’d still broken his promise. And now the truth was even more dangerous.

  How could I ever trust Cole with this?

  I couldn’t.

  I wouldn’t.

  No matter how good it had felt to be in his arms.

  Even if I did lower my defenses long enough for him to infiltrate my heart, what was the point?

  My life was about to get a whole lot complicated. If Dr. Google was correct, I had a future of chemotherapy and various cancer treatments to look forward to.

  It was senior year.

  Cole would run the other way when he realized what my future looked like, and I couldn’t blame him for that.

  What eighteen-year-old guy wanted to spend their senior year standing beside their sick girlfriend?

  I didn’t want that for him.

  I didn’t want to be anyone’s burden.

  It was bad enough that eventually I’d have to tell Aaron.

  “I don’t care what you say, Sofe. Cole likes you; he always has.”

  He did.

  I didn’t doubt that.

  But it wasn’t enough to withstand the storm blowing my way.

  And I didn’t intend on dragging him into the trail of devastation it would no doubt leave in its wake.

  I slept all day.

  I didn’t know if it was the hangover, exhaustion, or a bad case of the morning after blues, but I slept through lunch and dinner, and by the time Mom managed to wake me, it was almost seven thirty.

  “How do you feel?”

  “Will you freak if I say tired?” I asked.

  “Oh, sweetheart.” She reached for me, brushing my forehead. “We get it, you know. Your dad and me. You’re scared and freaking out and wanted a night of pretending you’re just a normal eighteen-year-old. But that’s not your life now, Sofia. That’s not—”

  “Mom.” A tremor went through me as I tried to keep my voice even. I didn’t want to cry. I was so fucking tired of crying.

  But she was right.

  Of course she was right.

  Nothing was the same anymore.

  Nothing was going to be the same ever again.

  “We need to focus on fighting this thing, sweetheart. I’ve been reading up about it, and staying healthy and getting good nutrition are important during treatment. It can really help minimize side effects.”

  “Please don’t tell me you’re going to put me on a special diet. I’m going to need comfort foods, Mom. All of them.”

  “No, I’m not going to put you on a diet, baby. But we need to do everything we can to face this thing head on. Good nutrition, a positive mental attitude, and—”

  I tuned out at that point. We didn’t even have a treatment plan yet. Dr. Peters expected it would be mid-week before we got the results from the biopsy.

  Another few days at least.

  Might as well have been five years.

  “I am worried you’ve slept the day away without anything to eat or drink though.”

  “I ate at breakfast.”

  Her brow arched, and I shrank under her disapproval.

  “Why don’t you come down for a bit? I’ll make you something to eat and we can watch something on the TV.”

  “Fine. I’ll be down in a minute.”

  “Good.” She leaned in and pressed a kiss on my head. “Do you want pancakes? Omelet? Pizza?”

  “Whatever you want.”

  “Okay, I’ll rustle something up and see you downstairs in five minutes.”

  “Yes, Mom,” I called as she headed for the door.

  God, it was like being a child all over again. I got it, I did, but it didn’t mean I was looking forward to how overbearing and all up in my business they were no doubt about to become.

  Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed, grabbing my cell off the nightstand and checking for messages.

  I was hardly surprised that Poppy had sent me three. I had one from Ashleigh too. And one from Aaron saying he was spending the afternoon over at the Fords’ house. My brother was a total goofball, but he was nothing if not loyal and protective.

  And yet, he let Cole look after you last night.

  I silenced the little voice. She was dangerous. An unwelcome whisper in my ear. I needed to keep my distance where Cole Kandon was concerned. Because it would be so easy to let myself fall for him. To lean on him the way I’d leaned on him last night.

  But it wasn’t fair to him or me to do that.

  It wasn’t going to be easy though, not when he was so persistent.