The Spawns

The Spawns | Chapter XLII -- This Simple Realization

THE SPAWNS

This Simple Realization

Chapter XLII—Lilibeth

© DarknessAndLight

I didn't want to let him go just yet. It felt a little selfish to ask him to hang around with me for a little while longer. I had no idea what his plans were today. But I wanted to go somewhere, and I would have asked one of my parents to take me if they were free, but now that Cole was kind of offering... And if I wanted things, I had to ask for them.

So I summoned my courage and said, "I kind of wanted to stop at the dancing studio and work on something. If you don't mind dropping me off, I'd be really grateful."

Cole's whole face broke into a grin. I guessed he didn't mind. "To the dance studio it is!" he announced and kept driving.

It was a really silly thing, but I kind of loved the fact that he didn't need to ask me where that was. He knew. He remembered.

I shouldn't be surprised, of course he would remember. But I guess everything Cole ever did was always kind of wonderful to me.

I let myself look at him in the driver's seat with a lazy smile on his lips. I'd been so focused lately on what I couldn't have with Cole that I was forgetting how lucky I was to simply have him in my life.

Even if I wasn't dating him, even if I ended up never dating him, I wanted to be more grateful to have such a wonderful person in my life.

I'd been so obsessed with what I wanted that I was forgetting what I did have, and this friendship with Cole deserved more.

Cole turned his head, looking in my eyes, "What are you thinking about?"

"How wonderful of a human being you are and how lucky I am to have you in my life," I replied when his gaze went back to the road.

His whole face broke into a grin. "Careful, that's going to go straight up to my head."

I smiled back at him, and brushed the hair behind his ear. "I hope so."

"Beth?"

"Hmm?"

"I just need to say this, I said it before, but I want to say it in another context and not because I want to hear anything in response, not because I want anything, I just want to say it," Cole rambled.

I chuckled, telling him, "Spill it out."

He looked in my eyes again. "I love you."

My breath caught in my throat. A smile broke on my lips. "I love you too Cole," I replied softly, and then laughed, "Now try not driving off the road will you," I told him, pointing back to the front of the car towards the road in front of us. 

We'd said those words during our argument, but it hadn't felt real, it hadn't felt like something nice. This was different. 

I wanted to hold his hand but instead pressed my index finger on his forearm now and then. His smiled widened every time I did. 

I wished for the car ride to never end. 

Unfortunately, we finally arrived at destination.

"You can just drop me off, I'll call Mom or Dad to pick me up later," I was telling Cole as he was unbuckling his seat belt. 

He rolled his eyes at me. "It's like you don't even know me. Do you really think I could just abandon you here?"

I was looking at him sheepishly. I didn't want to take up all of his day. "Don't you have things to do? Plans for the day?"