The Player Next Door

#38- Those Three Words

Cole's POV

There's a knock at my door and I move to get up from the couch.

The knocking intensifies as I limp over to the door, not quite being able to put pressure on my leg without immense pain. "I'm coming. Chill"

I quickly open the door to Chris.

"What the fuck did you do to my sister?"

***

"So you see why I did it?" I ask Chris after explaining the entire thing that happened at the gala, while we sit on opposite sides of my couch.

"Yeah, I do" he responds, "I still hate you for doing it"

"Trust me, I do too" I pause and look over at him, "Promise me you won't tell Madelyn?"

"Why don't you want her to know?"

"Because regardless of the reason I did it, I still did. It is entirely my fault and I don't want her to feel bad about anything."

"I just can't believe that you did it again. Do you love her?" He asks.

"More than anything"

"Really? Because you don't act like it"

"I know, I'm trying"

"Well you better try harder or you're going to lose her for good."

Madelyn's POV

I sit in my bed reading my book when I hear a loud thud from the other side of the wall, in Cole's apartment. I put down my book and place my ear to the wall but hear nothing else for multiple minutes. 

My heart sinks a little, worried that Cole fell and injured himself or can't get back up.

I have an internal battle for a while before I decide to at least check on him. 

Regardless of what happened, I still care about him. 

I wish I didn't. 

But I do.

I stand outside of his apartment and knock on his door. I get no response and so I knock again. "Cole?".

"Maddie?" Cole strains from the other side of the door. I begin to truly worry and push open his door. 

I call out for him again and hear his voice coming from the bathroom. I walk in and see him laying on the floor, naked, half in his shower and half out, water completely covering the floor and nearly causing me to slip as I enter. 

His casted arm is underneath his body and the small edge of his walk in shower is underneath his right hip, more than likely digging into his skin. 

I rush to his side, my socks instantly getting soggy. I grab ahold of his non-casted hand and begin to pull him up. When he is slightly up, I gently grab ahold of his other hand noticing the relatively new scar that goes across his lower abdomen. I step into the shower to pull him the rest of the way up, my clothes being soaked in the process. 

"Thank you" Cole says.

"Mhm" I respond, not bringing my eyes to his and pulling my bottom lip between my teeth. 

"Can I ask you a huge and uncomfortable favor?" He asks me. 

"Yeah" I respond.

"Can you help me shower? I know that you hate me and we're not together. But I really want to shower because I feel gross and all of my friends are busy" He asks, quickly justifying his question.