Love vs. Lust

(13) Love vs. Lust

Love vs. Lust

Chapter 13

I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes hoping that this was all just a bad dream and that I would wake up at any moment. I had no idea what to expect when Cole arrived but my head was throbbing and I couldn't get myself to focus on anything for more than a few seconds. I was furious at Reagan and Shelby for leaving me here but at the same time I was really worried about them too. It wasn't like them to do something like this. 

I don't know how long had passed when I heard the sound of a car entering the parking lot. I opened my eyes and watched as the car came to a stop in front of me. I knew it was Cole and that I had to get up but I couldn't get myself to move fast enough. I was pushing myself up against the wall when he reached me but the sudden movement made me nauseous again and I had to bend into myself to stop from vomiting. 

"Come on" I heard Cole's voice say as he took a hold of my arms and pulled me back to my feet. I struggled to keep my balance, the world still spinning in and out of focus around me. I felt my knees giving in under me and prepared myself for the fall but it never happened. Cole scooped me up into his arms and quickly walked over to his car. He placed me in the passenger seat and secured the safety belt around me before closing the door and walking around the car. 

I remember wanting to apologize to him but I'm not sure if I did. As soon as I laid my head against the seat I was consumed by blackness. 

I woke up feeling horrible and for a second I wondered why I was feeling so bad but then all the memories of last night came flooding back to me. I groaned with remorse as I laid my throbbing head back against the pillow. I didn't want to wake up, I didn't want to face the consequences of what I did. I had no idea where I was or who knew about what happened. I should never have let Reagan and Shelby talk me into going clubbing, I knew it was a bad idea from the start. 

After lying on the bed for what seemed like forever I decided to get up to see if I could find a toothbrush and some food. I had the worst taste in my mouth and my stomach was rumbling furiously. I sat up on the bed and took in my surroundings. I was in a big room decorated fancily in light colors. I had never seen this room before but I immediately knew where I was. I was at Cole's house. 

I had no idea if this was a good thing or a bad thing but I think it was good. Maybe it meant that he hasn't told my brother or my mother about what happened. If they knew I'm sure they would have come to fetch me. I got up and had to sit back down as a wave of dizziness hit me. I took a deep breath preparing myself before I tried to get up again. This time I knew what was coming when the dizziness hit. I stood still waiting for it to pass and then headed to a door on the other side of the room sure that it had to be a bathroom. 

I found an unopened toothbrush and some toothpaste in the medicine cabinet feeling grateful. When I was done brushing my teeth I drank some water trying to get rid of the dryness in my mouth but it didn't help much. I quickly washed my face and combed through my hair with my hands trying to look half decent but failing miserably. My face was pale, my eyes red and my hair was standing in all directions, I looked awful. 

When I was done trying to cover up my hangover I considered sneaking out of the window and running away but knew I couldn't do that. I was going to have to face Cole sooner or later and there was no time like the present. 

I made my way out of the room and down the stairs towards the kitchen. I had no idea where I would find Cole or if he was even home. Halfway down the stairs the smell of bacon hit me and my stomach made a flip forcing me to stop and take a deep breath to get rid of the nausea. When I was sure I wasn't going to throw up I continued down the stairs and into the kitchen where I found Cole standing at the stove making bacon and eggs. 

The smell of the food was amazing but I couldn't quite figure out if it was a good idea to eat or not. I didn't want to throw up, especially not in front of Cole. He turned around at the sound of me and looked me over with a strange look in his eyes that I couldn't quite place. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked switching off the power to the stove. 

"Awful" I answered honestly. I'm sure he could tell by looking at me so there was no point in lying about it. 

"You should eat something" He said dishing some toast, eggs and bacon onto a plate and placing it on the table. I walked over and sat down while he dished up for himself. He sat down opposite me and watched me carefully not looking really interested in the food in front of him. 

"I'm not so sure it's a good idea" I said looking at the food. 

"Trust me, you'll feel better once you've eaten" Cole said turning his attention to his own food in front of him. 

I figured he knew what he was talking about so instead of arguing I took a bite of my bacon. It tasted really good, the salt making me feel instantly better. I ate about half of the food on my plate when I decided that I had to stop, it tasted grate but I was still a bit nauseous and I didn't want to push my luck. 

"Thank you" I said as I got up to clean my plate. 

"Leave it" Cole said getting up as well, taking the plate from me and putting it back down on the table. It looked like he wanted to say something but instead he walked over to the fridge and took out some orange juice. He threw us both some and handed me a glass. My mouth was still dry so I took it gladly and gulped it down. 

We stood there facing each other for a while with a million unsaid words and question between us. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't know who else to call" I finally said when the silence grew too much. 

"It's ok Gabby, I'm glad that you called me but what the hell were you thinking?" He asked his voice growing angrier at the last bit. 

"I don't know. Shelby and Reagan convinced me to go with them, they told me it would be fun and it was until I got to drunk" I answered feeling like a complete idiot for what I did. I mean I know kids go partying all the time but I should have known better then to drink so much. 

"What happened to them?" He asked, his voice cold and angry. 

"I don't know, I kind of blanked out a bit" I answered turning my back on him. I felt so ashamed of myself. I heard footsteps behind me but couldn't get myself to turn around. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes threatening to escape at any moment. 

"Gabby" Cole said from behind me all the anger in his voice gone and replaced with something that I could only recognize as love. 

"I'm sorry" I said again as the first tear escaped. 

"It's ok" He said taking a hold of my arms and turning me around to face him. I wanted to be strong, I didn't want to cry in front of him but the look on his face made me lose it. He was looking at me with true love and concern in his eyes. I have never seen him look like that. The look made me lose all of my self control as I started sobbing. 

"It's ok, it'll all be ok" He whispered softly as he pulled me into the safety of his arms. I pressed my face into his chest and let the tears roll knowing there was no way I was going to be able to stop them. The warmth of his body felt good against me and as the sensation of helplessness and self disgust left another sensation started taking over. Being so close to him was causing my whole body to react. My skin was breaking out in goosebumps and my heart was racing in my chest. 

I didn't move not wanting him to let go of me. I wanted to stay in his arms like this forever.