Outbound Lane An Unspoken Truth Novella (Unspoken Truth Series) (2 page)

“Okay.” H
e sets the menus down and we both order our drinks, and Cole orders us steak and chicken combo with fried rice. Cole rests his arm across the back of my chair and it makes me nervous.

“I have to tell you something,” I say as the waitress brings our drinks to us.

“What it is?”

“I’m not like most girls
our age. I had something very traumatic happen to me when I was younger a story for another time, perhaps. But I don’t like to be touched. It’s absolutely nothing to do with you. It’s just how I am. I like you and if that totally scares you off I would understand.” I wait anxiously for him to say something.

“
I’m sorry I touched you earlier. I felt your back clench up when I did it, but I just thought you were nervous. And no, you didn’t scare me off. I don’t scare too easily.” He pulls his arm off the back of my chair.

“I am nervous
. It’s the first date I’ve ever been on.” I give him a weak smile.

God, he has the most perfect lips. Could I be any more confusing?

“I can be a very patient guy, Alexis.” He looks me dead in the eye, making sure I hear the words coming out of his perfect mouth. He pauses before continuing. “You don’t have to worry about anything with me. I just want to get to know you and maybe one day you can trust me enough to tell me that story. I’m sorry something traumatic happened to you. But perhaps this will be the first of many firsts.” He offers a smile to reassure me of his sincerity. 

The chef approaches the table and starts to prepare and cook the food. He makes the flame go high. I can’t believe Cole is so calm and cool about everything I told him. But if he is really serious about being patient, maybe it’s something I can work on and talk to the support group counselor
, Leah, about.

The chef shows off his cooking skills as we oh and awe at him. Cole gives me a bright smile and I smile back at him. It’s no longer awkward since the boundaries have been put up. I enjoy his company as we eat the massive amount of food.

“Where are you storing that food, girl?” Cole jokes.

“Ha Ha. It will probably go straight to my hips,” I tell him with a smile, as I toss another bite in my mouth.

“Somehow I doubt that,” he says with a smirk.

“I’m actually really full. But it was so good. Thanks for bringing me here
.”

“It was my p
leasure. Did you want to grab a to-go box, so you can have some leftovers?”

“Yes, that would be great. It’ll be enough for two days,” I say
while brushing my bangs to the side.

We each get a to-
go box and split the food between us. Cole pays the bill and we thank the chef as we leave. Outside, the humid air slams against my face, causing sweat beads to form on my forehead. Cole opens the truck door and shuts it once I’m inside. I quickly wipe my forehead with my arm and rest the food on my lap. When he gets in, he turns on the air conditioning and it cools me down.

“Great,” he says.

We have a light conversation as we make our drive back. Cole pulls up to my apartment and suddenly I realize how quick the date passed. “Here, I’ll walk you up.” He jumps out of the truck before I can even stop him. He walks me up to the second floor to my apartment.

I put my key into the door and turn to face him. “You didn’t have to walk me to the door, but I appreciate it.”

“I wanted to make sure you got in safe. I had a nice time. Thank you for going out with me. Can I call you or text you sometime?” he asks smoothly.

“Of course
. Here,” I hand him my phone and he enters his number into it, and I do the same with his. “Thanks again, Cole. I had a nice time.”

“You’re welcome,” he says. I step inside my apartment and leave it cracked as I watch him descend the stairs until he is out of sight.

Inside my apartment, I grin so hugely. Cole surprised me by how much of a nice guy he really is and I realize Renee has been right all along. He’s good. And I could use some good in my life.

Chapter Two

I SLIDE INTO BED
and I sleep like a baby that night. The morning light breaks into my window and the sound of my phone ringing startles me. It’s a
Skype
call from Renee.

“Well
, hello, sleeping beauty!” Renee squeals.

She looks and sounds so happy.
Almost too happy.

“Hello
, Girl. How’s it going?” I ask into the screen.

“Great
; having fun. We are in Georgia right now, while Layne trains.”

“I’m really happy to see your smiling face. And guess what?”

“What?” she asks as her eyes grow big.

“I went out on a date with Cole last night,” I say in a rushed tone.

“Oh my god. How was it?” She asks with a huge smile on her face.

“Like you wouldn’t know
he was ever the gentleman and I think we might even go out again.” I smile.

“I’m so happy you gave him a chance. He is good
for you, Alexis. I know he would treat you right, I just know it.”

“I know. But don’t go planning th
e wedding yet, okay?”

“I’m just so excited for you, and happy for you. Well
, I got to run. I’ll call you again soon.”

“Okay
. Tell Layne hi for me. And I’ll talk to you soon.” I shut off the video and I smile as I lay back down against my pillow. It’s the start of the weekend and I don’t even know what to do with myself. Then my phone buzzes. A text from Cole.

It’s me Cole. I was wondering if you had anything planned
for today. There is a Carnival going on just outside of town, if you wanted to go?

Aren’t we too old for Carnivals?

What? Heck no. I’ll be by in a few to pick you up. We can make a day of it. I’ll be on my best behavior,
he says.

Okay
,
I text back and grin.

I throw the sheets back and get in the shower. Since we are going to a Carnival
, I figure shorts and a tank top is perfect attire for such a thing. Even though I haven’t been to one since I was very small. I just remember being scared of the clown that was there and I cried.

I pull my long hair into a ponytail, and hopefully my simple attire, no makeup face doesn’t scare Cole off right away. I laugh at such a thought. I was so glad to hear from Renee and to tell her about Cole. This has been what she has been pushing for
, for so long; for us to get together. I’ll admit Cole is a good guy just as she predicted, but I fear something lurks in the corners. Isn’t that how it always works? Like maybe life is too good.

A knock at the door disrupts my thoughts. I swing the door open and greet Cole with a smile. “Hey there. Come on in. You like
coffee? I can get us some to go,” I say as he follows me to the kitchen.

“Sure, sounds great.”
He leans against the counter and watches me. I bite my lip at how sexy he looks.

“Is it weird that I ha
ve to-go Styrofoam cups?” I ask as I pour us each a coffee.

“No, you are just prepared. You know how much coffee costs at those coffee shops? It’s ridiculous,” he says.

“I know, right. Creamer is there and sugar is in there,” I point.

“So yeah, thanks.” He swirls his coffee with a thin straw after he tailors it to his taste.

“No problem. You ready to go?” I ask.

“Whenever you are.”

I grab my purse and we head out the door with our coffees in hand. “I’m actually excited about today. But just so you know, clowns freak the heck out of me.”

“Alright, I will keep t
hat in mind. I’ll keep you safe.” He grins.

I can’t believe
we are on a second date already. It seems so surreal, and I really like Cole. A lot. “So why don’t you tell me about yourself? I feel like I do all the talking,” I tell him as he drives to the Carnival.

“Well, I’m in my third year of college, as you already know. I’m the only child of my parents. Chase is my cousin; you might have heard that already from Renee. And I transferred here so I could be here for him while he dealt with his loss of Amber.
We are pretty tight and look out for each other. We’re practically like brothers, even if he is a year older than me. My family is pretty laid back, and my dad has his own restaurant he runs. Chase and I worked there every summer,” he tells me. “Your turn.”

“I’
m an only child as well. I had an eating disorder due to the traumatic event that happened to me awhile back. But I am improving with each day that passes. And you are the first guy I have ever trusted enough to go out with,” I tell him.

“I’m glad you are able to open up about stuff with me and trust me. I know we have been friends for a while. All I ask is that you give me a chance. I’ll never betray your trust. And if you ever need me at a moment’s notice, you can count on me to be there for you.”

His words touch me, in such a way that it makes me speechless. And I swoon. Finally I find the words to speak. “I really appreciate that. And I may take you up on that offer if I ever need you.” Not only does his personality astound me, but his looks turn me out. I open up to him like I’ve known him years, and I trust him when he says I can. But in the back of my mind, it just seems to be too good to be true.

He pulls into the parking lot and parks his truck at the Carnival. Already, I can see the sea of people bustling around the rides and it makes me nervous. I wish Cole could hold my hand and let me know it’s okay, but it doesn’t work like that in my world.
“What do you want to tackle first; Merry Go Round?” Cole asks.

“Yes, let’s do that.” I
nstead of sitting on one of the benches next to Cole, I jump on one of the horses and Cole gets on the one next to me. The ride starts and plays the music as we go around in circles. I let a giggle out. We go around and round, and the light breeze blows through my hair. When the ride stops, Cole is next to me in an instant, like he wants to help me off the ride. But then I see it in his eyes. He remembers I don’t like to be touched, even though I want it. I want to feel his fingers entwined with mine, letting me know everything is okay. I want to feel his lips pressed against mine, making me forget about my past. But I wouldn’t want to cause a scene if I did freak out.

Next
, Cole decides to play a few of the games and ends up winning me a medium size teddy bear. It was really cute watching him try to win me something. Again, another first for us, of which I’m sure we will have many more. Something about him is so genuine.

“What
to get a hotdog or something?” he asks, adjusting his ball cap.

“Sure,” I say. The hot sun beats down on us, and I just want something refreshing
to quench my thirst. My stomach grumbles, making me realize I may just be a tad bit hungry as well.

We both order lemonades, hotdogs
, and fries. We take a seat at one of the available picnic tables and sip from our lemonades it’s so refreshing.

After we eat, we walk around the carnival grounds for a bit, letting the food digest, then
we decide on doing the Ferris wheel. We wait in line and the guy running the ride holds the seat as we get in and he locks us in. I offer a smile.

“Are you scared of heights?” Cole
asks as he turns toward me.

“Heck no. Are you?” I ask.

“Heck no,” he mocks, adding his wicked grin.

We keep moving and stopping as people get on the ride
. Then it starts spinning around and around continuously. And of course, as if right on cue, we stop at the very top. I can see all the people below us, and they look so small. I just people watch from above. If this were a movie, Cole and I would lock eyes and I would have the most amazing kiss that I’ve ever had. But this is the real world, and things like that don’t happen in the real world. If only I could just be normal. Once we make our way down, we head over to the Tilt-A-Whirl and ride that. By nightfall, we have ridden just about every adult ride.

“Want to get a cotton candy to share and people watch for a bit
?” Cole asks as we walk around the park.

The rides are all lit up and I love the way it looks in the dark. We keep passing the fun house and I
’m glad because I refuse to go inside.

We approach the food truck, and
Cole orders a cotton candy and drinks for us. “Please let me treat,” I tell him.

“No
; I asked you out and I’m happy to pay,” he reaches for his wallet and pays, and then hands me a drink. We find a picnic table and he sits next to me this time, instead of across from me and we share the cotton candy. “Are you having fun?”

“Absolutely.
I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. Thanks,” I say, grabbing some sticky cotton candy.

“Me too. It’s always better to have someone to ride the rides with,” he offers. We watch as giggling children run by us and the families pushing the young ones in the strollers
follow. Suddenly, a loud crackling noise startles me until I realize it’s fireworks going off.