Have a Little Hope

20. Have a Little Acknowledgement

Another chapter?! I am good to you, dear readers :P please do let me know what you think, this one might catch you all off guard...

I frown at the cup of coffee put in front of me by Cole.

‘Not sweet enough?’ He yawns, looking at my scowl.

‘Nope, too sweet,’ I say, squirming with the sugar rush. While I’m frowning at my coffee, Cole is busily making us breakfast before we get ready for this wedding. We’re both admittedly too sleep deprived to function, but that’s our own fault. We barely went below the belt, which actually made everything feel a lot more thrilling. We were just making out with nothing else needing to satisfy us. It felt youthful, just kissing, and I loved it. After making out with one another, we just sat and talked aimlessly for a couple of hours. I can’t remember much of what we spoke of, but there was never an empty breath between us.

‘Jam and toast good for you?’ He asks as he butters it. I nod and wait patiently for it.

We quickly eat our breakfast, before heading back upstairs to change for the wedding. After last night, neither of us seems embarrassed by the other scantily clad, so we don’t have to take turns sharing the bathroom. I pull out the dress Cole brought with me to wear and knew it would look nice. Without a doubt, he is of course going to bring his camera with us, too many photo opportunities for him today.

Twisting my belly bar, I shimmy out of my shorts and slip the soft cobalt blue dress on which reaches my mid thigh. I put on a strapless bra to hold me in place too, much to Cole’s disappointment.

‘I’d hold them for you,’ he tells me cheekily, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

I flip my middle finger up at him and he laughs. He wishes.

‘I brought your black heels for you. Belle said they’re your favourite.’ He reaches into his holdall bag and places them on the floor for me. He also, bless him, brought my make up too. We spend the next twenty minutes getting changed, with me touching up my hair and applying the last touch of mascara, with Cole making sure his camera is charged and has enough battery.

With a little encouragement, Cole manages to tempt me out of the house and into his car to head to the castle for the wedding, despite last minute protestations. I think he’s praying for a miracle to happen that I make it through the day and for him, I hope to. I just have no idea how I will react when I get there or when I see my mum. Soon enough, we arrive at the grounds and I can feel my heart panicking. Cole parks up in the car park and gets out, not realising my reluctance.

‘Come on, gorgeous,’ he says, opening my car door and reaching for my hand. I step out and clasp his hand tightly. ‘It’s okay. I’m here with you.’

‘I’ve not seen some of these people since I was seven, Cole,’ I tell him, looking to the queue of people waiting to go in.

‘Well you’ll get that, oh my goodness, look how much you’ve grown, speech, that’s all.’ He gives me a positive smile and leans in for a long kiss, nipping my bottom lip slightly. Effortlessly, Cole takes my hand and leads me out of his car and locks it before I can change my mind. ‘You can do this. Even if you don’t talk to them, the fact that you’re here is a huge deal, Strawbs.’

I nod, feeling a little reassured by his words so follow him to the queue of people.  

It’s a beautiful day; of course my mother would be that lucky, so the outdoor ceremony is definitely a go ahead. There are rows of white chairs aligned behind an arch at the front of the garden. Cole has already begun taking photos of everything and everyone and no doubt he’s capturing pictures of me.