After The Storm✔️(Wattpad version)

Brotherly talks

Cole

Luke and I went out for coffee to talk, just the two of us. We did this from time to time. That way, we could tell and not have to worry about explaining things to our parents. Plus, we had a close relationship and kept it that way.

We ordered our coffee and sat down in a booth.

"What was up with the cupcakes?" He questioned me.

"I wanted to make some so I could give one to Wade," I spoke truthfully. He gave me a look. "It's not what to think, Luke. I like him, but I don't want to scare him or force him into something he's not ready for," I explained as I sipped my coffee.

"Cole, he's fifteen. You will be eighteen soon. Remember what happened with Easton?"

"It's not like that. I'm not setting out to hurt Wade or pull any shit the way Easton pulled with me," I reasoned.

"Are you sure about that?" He questioned me. I looked at him. "Cole, I'm not trying to diminish any real feelings you might have, but this kid is innocent. If he falls for you and it doesn't work out, he will end up with a broken heart."

I sat there as I drank my coffee. Maybe Luke was right. What was I doing? A lot could change by that time. I would be in college, and he would still be in high school. I couldn't leave him a note and tell him to forget it. I let out a deep sigh.

"I know it's not something you wanted to hear, but I'm honest with you. You see this kid as a possibility, but things have a way of changing. Let me ask you something. Do you like him?" Luke asked me.

It was an honest question that I had given a lot of thought to about Wade.

"Luke, after everything I had been through, do you honestly think I would put Wade through that or even suffer hurt as I did? After Easton, I didn't want to feel. I didn't want to love or someone to love me. I felt it would be better to shut down my emotions than deal with the heartache of it all. Dax taught me that you could hook up with someone with no feeling, and it was okay. Then Justin came along, and I treated him just like Dax treated me. To see the genuine hurt on his face made me realize that Dax was no better than Easton. He was just better at hiding it," I told him as I sat there.

It was the first time I had ever really talked about Easton, Dax, or Justin. I told no one. I never wanted people to know what I had been through or the emotional turmoil I had suffered.

He rubbed his chin in thought then said, "Cole, what Easton and Dax did is take your emotional state and use it to their advantage. Easton manipulated you while Dax preyed on it. Neither one is better than the other; one hides it better. Knowing how Mom and Dad are with us, why would you ever consider just hooking up with someone?"

"Dax made it seem like it was okay to have sex without emotions involved. I didn't want to deal with my emotions. I didn't want to feel anything. When I confronted him about it, he told me that I had no right to be angry, considering he was upfront with me about his intentions. At that moment, I became angrier, like he discarded my feelings," I spoke as anger emerged, and I felt my emotions bubble to the surface.

Everything I had buried was surfacing, and it was because of one person. One person was showing me why I needed them. There was no hidden agenda, no lies, no manipulation. Luke was advising me to be careful and rethink this.

I sat there as I placed my hand to my mouth in a thoughtful gesture. It didn't matter how I felt or what I wanted. If people weren't manipulating me, they were advising me to want something was wrong.

"Cole, look if you see a possibility to be happy, and someone can make that happen, then I say pursue it, but I also say give it time," he told me.

"I get what you're saying. It's just I've never felt this way about someone before. I see how I was when I was around his age, and if someone like me had taken a genuine interest in me, things would have been so different. That's why I don't want the same thing to happen to Wade that happened to me," I reasoned. It was true. Wade didn't deserve someone to hurt him the way I was.

I heard Luke chuckle as I looked at him a bit confused.

"You think this is funny?" I questioned him.

"No, it's nice to see you so passionate about someone. It's been a long time since I saw someone affect you the way this kid has. Honestly, if he can make you happy, then I say go for it," he said to me as I looked at him.

Luke has always been a voice of reason. He would never approve of something if he felt it would hurt us. Luke couldn't stop what happened with Easton or Dax. I'm sure if he knew about Justin, he would voice his disapproval to what I did, but he never did.

We sat there and talked more about random things. Luke understood me better than I understood myself, even when I didn't want to admit it. I would wait and see what happens with Wade. I wouldn't pursue him until then. Who knows, maybe things may be different? All I could do was wait.