stretch as he pulls out the old nails and the sound of the metal being ripped from the wood sends a screech through the air.
With each piece he removes I feel a weird connection to the process. In some ways I feel like someone ripped away my world in the same violent fashion, just like those old rotten boards. I wish someone could replace my shattered world so easily.
I watch him for over an hour. I don’t say much, but he doesn't seem to mind my silence. He fills it with random stories, I fill it with silent memories from our past. Watching him, it’s easy to get lost in them, letting them play on a loop in my mind. I have a mountain of them. For once I allow myself to remember them all. It’s bittersweet. Each one ends at the same place.
Goodbye.
The hard truth is I walked away from him.
I thought I was saving us from heartbreak. but the moment we were apart, my heart shattered anyway.
Not that he would know that. All he knows is that I faded into the background and stopped answering his calls.
I married someone else.
I keep waiting for him to ask me why. I’m not sure what answer I’ll give him.
Cole breaks me out of my rambling thoughts when he stands up.
"All done," he announces. I look around the deck and see the bright colors of the new wood dotting the old.
"It looks good," I say.
"I figure once it cools down a touch we'll stain the whole thing. Spruce it up and get it all to match," he says as he puts the tools he has scatted around into his big bag.
"Thank you," I say again. I hope he knows how much I mean it. How much it means to me that he's here doing this for me.
"Now, do I get some of that pie as a reward?" he smiles.
I jump up from my spot. "Of course. I even bought ice cream."
He lets out a little moan of anticipation. "You always did know the way to my heart," he says, causing my own heart to stutter.
Cole follows me inside and while he disappears to wash up I go to the kitchen. I make some coffee, even though I doubt he'll want any with it being nine million degrees outside. I pull the ice cream out of the freezer so it can soften and then slice my pretty pie creation. I make sure to give him an extra big piece. There's still a part of me that wants to take care of him. Just the way I used to.
I smile at Cole as he joins me in the kitchen. "Man, that looks amazing, Em." He takes a seat at the counter and watches me as I spoon out some vanilla ice cream into the bowl with his pie.
"I made coffee, but I figured you might want something different," I suggest, sliding the bowl over to him.
He gives me a shy smile that could probably get him anything that he wanted. "Actually, do you have any milk?"
"Of course. How could I forget?" I grab a glass and the gallon from the fridge and pour him a big glass.
"You're the best," he says. His praise pulls at my heart and I quickly move to put the milk away to avoid his gaze.
I grab my own piece of pie and sit at the counter across from him.
"Shit, Emery, this is amazing," Cole says around a spoonful.
"I'm glad you like it. I've missed cooking."
"Well, feel free to use me as a taste tester anytime that you'd like. I usually grab take out or eat cereal at home," he laughs.
"The diet of a bachelor?" I ask.
He laughs and shrugs. "That and I work all the time. By the time I get home I just don't want to take the effort to make something. I can't even tell you the last time I used my stove."
"Yeah, I'm the same way. It feels good to cook instead of living on frozen dinners," I admit. This pie is really good.
"If you can cook like this, then why were you eating frozen dinners?" he asks bewildered.
"It sucks cooking for one," I say. The pity that flashes across his eyes has me regretting my words. "Gabe was always out of town," I explain. "And when he was home we were always at some kind of business dinner. That's all."
He nods slowly, chewing. I can't really get a read on him. I can tell he's trying to figure out how to approach the subject.
With each piece he removes I feel a weird connection to the process. In some ways I feel like someone ripped away my world in the same violent fashion, just like those old rotten boards. I wish someone could replace my shattered world so easily.
I watch him for over an hour. I don’t say much, but he doesn't seem to mind my silence. He fills it with random stories, I fill it with silent memories from our past. Watching him, it’s easy to get lost in them, letting them play on a loop in my mind. I have a mountain of them. For once I allow myself to remember them all. It’s bittersweet. Each one ends at the same place.
Goodbye.
The hard truth is I walked away from him.
I thought I was saving us from heartbreak. but the moment we were apart, my heart shattered anyway.
Not that he would know that. All he knows is that I faded into the background and stopped answering his calls.
I married someone else.
I keep waiting for him to ask me why. I’m not sure what answer I’ll give him.
Cole breaks me out of my rambling thoughts when he stands up.
"All done," he announces. I look around the deck and see the bright colors of the new wood dotting the old.
"It looks good," I say.
"I figure once it cools down a touch we'll stain the whole thing. Spruce it up and get it all to match," he says as he puts the tools he has scatted around into his big bag.
"Thank you," I say again. I hope he knows how much I mean it. How much it means to me that he's here doing this for me.
"Now, do I get some of that pie as a reward?" he smiles.
I jump up from my spot. "Of course. I even bought ice cream."
He lets out a little moan of anticipation. "You always did know the way to my heart," he says, causing my own heart to stutter.
Cole follows me inside and while he disappears to wash up I go to the kitchen. I make some coffee, even though I doubt he'll want any with it being nine million degrees outside. I pull the ice cream out of the freezer so it can soften and then slice my pretty pie creation. I make sure to give him an extra big piece. There's still a part of me that wants to take care of him. Just the way I used to.
I smile at Cole as he joins me in the kitchen. "Man, that looks amazing, Em." He takes a seat at the counter and watches me as I spoon out some vanilla ice cream into the bowl with his pie.
"I made coffee, but I figured you might want something different," I suggest, sliding the bowl over to him.
He gives me a shy smile that could probably get him anything that he wanted. "Actually, do you have any milk?"
"Of course. How could I forget?" I grab a glass and the gallon from the fridge and pour him a big glass.
"You're the best," he says. His praise pulls at my heart and I quickly move to put the milk away to avoid his gaze.
I grab my own piece of pie and sit at the counter across from him.
"Shit, Emery, this is amazing," Cole says around a spoonful.
"I'm glad you like it. I've missed cooking."
"Well, feel free to use me as a taste tester anytime that you'd like. I usually grab take out or eat cereal at home," he laughs.
"The diet of a bachelor?" I ask.
He laughs and shrugs. "That and I work all the time. By the time I get home I just don't want to take the effort to make something. I can't even tell you the last time I used my stove."
"Yeah, I'm the same way. It feels good to cook instead of living on frozen dinners," I admit. This pie is really good.
"If you can cook like this, then why were you eating frozen dinners?" he asks bewildered.
"It sucks cooking for one," I say. The pity that flashes across his eyes has me regretting my words. "Gabe was always out of town," I explain. "And when he was home we were always at some kind of business dinner. That's all."
He nods slowly, chewing. I can't really get a read on him. I can tell he's trying to figure out how to approach the subject.
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