Mindless

Sixteen

~Cole~

Hasn't eaten in 12 hours. The woman hasn't eaten in 12 fucking hours and didn't say a damn thing. I'd gotten her here and by the ease at which I was able to carry her into the apartment, the lack of arguments from her, she knew as well as I did that this was the best possible decision. 

I'd heard the shower flick on not long after I left and it'd turned off a few minutes ago. I finished up cooking, giving her enough time to get changed and whatever else she needed to do before carrying the 2 bowls of pasta and 2 water bottles back down to my room. 

I can't remember the last time I had someone up here that wasn't family. Rowan when he was injured and needed help urgently, Bea when she needed someone to watch her after school, Nick when he was coming to gloat about his latest trip to Indonesia or Canada or wherever it was this time. I like having my own space but sharing it with Callie didn't even seem like a question.  I knew the second Theo told me that she was at work that there wasn't a chance she was going back to her place. I called a few of dad's guys and sent them to get everything in her apartment, got the extra security added here as a last measure, parked outside of the jewellery store, watching every single person that entered and left the store. I wasn't taking a single risk. 

"You made pasta?" Callie took the bowl from me, pulling the pillows up behind her as she sat back. Putting her in my clothes was my first mistake. My second was sitting her in my bed. Both things making it near impossible for me to keep my hands off her. I moved the bowl over the bulge growing in my pants, trying to sit without it being visible to her. 

"What, were you expecting me to order something in?" Callie twirled some around on her fork, carefully putting it into her mouth, eyebrows almost flying off her forehead. 

"Jesus Christ." 

"What's wrong?" 

"Wrong? Cole, this is possibly the best pasta I've ever had. Is this like a packet mix?" 

"Oh, the insult." I faked an injury, collapsing back against the headboard dramatically until she laughed. "No. I made it." 

"Like you ad-" 

"If you say added a sauce packet to cooked pasta I will make you sleep on the floor." She giggled. "My mum was huge on cooking. Always used to say to my dad that 'no son of hers will not be able to cook for those he loves' followed by a load of Italian insults none of us understood. Nick got bored by the time he was 8 but I loved it. Cooked with her a few times a week right up until she died a few years back." 

"Oh god. Cole, I'm so sorry." 

"Don't be, it was quick, painless they said." 

"What happened?" 

"Car accident. No one knows exactly what happened but she was thrown out the windshield and was like 30 feet from the car. Died on impact." Callie stared at me. "It's fine Cal, really. Don't worry." 

"Well, she knew how to make a damn good pasta sauce." A chuckle escaped my throat. "Can I ask you a question?" 

"No." Callie stopped chewing. "I'm kidding, of course you can." 

"What's with the little queue of essential oils in the bathroom?"

"You've been spying." 

"Hardly. They're just out there on the side." I smiled, sitting cross legged on the bed. 

"Pain comes with the game. Aches, bruises, broken noses. Whatever else. If I took painkillers for everyone I'd be high as a kite on a daily basis. There was a theory, years ago that essential oils can help ease pain among other things and I thought, what's the risk you know? Bought a load of stuff online and it has made it so much more manageable. If I use the right combinations I could probably cure a lot of stuff."