bad idea

Chapter 54

Ariana's Pov

"Hey, I didn't mean to drop by unexpectedly like this," Cole said, as soon as I opened our door after it rang. I smiled, noticing how nervous he was. Which wasn't out of the usual because everyone knew Cole to be big on privacy and respect. "I figured Kai would be here."

"It's okay, you know you're always welcome," I replied, opening the door wider. "But she's with Lauren and Zayn, they went to the gym. She should be back soon though, you're welcome to stay and wait."

"Oh, thank you." He smiled, stepping in as I closed the door behind him. "So, how've you been?" He asked, just as we both walked into the kitchen and sat on the island.

"Pretty good actually, how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine, it's good to have everyone back on their feet again." Cole shrugged. "But I'm still hoping for the best with Willow and Matt, so I've been trying to stay in good spirits."

"Yeah, same with us. But I think things will get better soon, especially with the updates Kai and Victoria have been giving me from the hospital. She says she sees you on Tuesdays when she goes to visit them with Vic."

"Yep, every Tuesday and Sunday." Cole chuckled, playing with his water bottle. It was silent for a bit, and I noticed Cole had been struggling to talk about something weighing on his mind. Eventually, it kept playing on his mind, for about five minutes longer until he got it out.

"Ari, can I ask you something?"

"Uh, yeah," I shrugged, slightly growing nervous at his choice of words.

"The fire and the bomb... you don't really think that was all Frankie, do you?"

"I think it was all of them. Frankie just happened to take the fall for it. He was so blindsided, he wasn't able to get the help that he needed and ended up making the wrong choices."

"I just feel like there's more than just that. Like we haven't even talked about how Camila is literally legally married to Otto!"

"Yeah, I never really thought about that."

"For all we know, she could be working with them too."

"Kai seems to trust her."

"She trusts you and Victoria." Cole corrected.

"So why do you think she hasn't said anything about it, yet?"

"She's probably getting to the bottom of everything first, of course, she wouldn't want a false alarm or anything like that. Plus we know that Tommy's a beast when it comes to figuring out things, I bet it's already in the works."

"Maybe, but Lauren is the one I don't trust. It seems like she's been gunning for me since we were kids."

"Lauren's... complicated. She doesn't like me much and it's probably because of how close I am to Kai, but she seems fine with Zayn."

"Maybe because she doesn't see Zayn as a threat."

"Maybe so."

"But can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Kai said something about there being worst things and people than Otto, coming after her. What did she even mean by that and who is she even talking about?"

Cole shifted uncomfortably in his chair, running a hand through his hair. "It's better if she told you herself."

"Cole."

"It's just as simple as this Ari, over time, you make a lot of enemies, and even if they aren't breathing down your neck every day, everything you've done will eventually catch up to you. But she's right, there are things and people worst than Otto."