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Chapter Twenty Six: All Is Fair in Love and War
It was two days later and Cole was back in the Pottery Barn looking for something special for his little sister. Sure he had picked out the blanket but he wanted to give her something else, something that was just his, that he paid for with his own money as well. Scratching his head as he scoured the aisles he wondered why babies needed so much stuff anyway.
Langston tied the ribbon of her chocolate brown Pottery Barn smock around her waist before pulling her long brown hair into a ponytail. Work really sucked sometimes but some things were just out of your hands. Walking around the store, she hoped to stay invisible, that no customers would need her help. At least not right now, not when her mind was on Cole.
Lately that was all she could think about, Cole, her best friends ex boyfriend. The ex boyfriend her best friend was still in love with. What kind of best friend did that make her? Hell what kind of person did that make her? A bad one on both counts she reasoned in her head. Knowing someone would probably come looking for her or would rat her out for slacking off she decided to make herself busy.
Walking down the aisle that held all of the baby toys she noticed the one person she hadn't been able to get out of her head. As she was about to make a hasty retreat she heard, "Langston? Langston is that you?"
Too late, she thought. You've been caught.
Turning around she plastered a smile on her face that too quickly became genuine when she stared into his kind brown eyes. "Hey, Cole." She said.
"You work here?"
"Yeah, I do. Is there something you need?"
A bright smile blossomed on Cole's face as he nodded. "Do I ever. I'm completely lost in here. I'm here looking for something special for my little sister. Something that's just from me with my own money and I have no clue what that is."
Langston smiled as her heart fluttered inside her chest. Cole was going to make such a great big brother. She could tell that he was already thrilled by the prospect of having a little sister. And that he would love her with everything inside of him. She wished someone would love her like that.
"Well hopefully I can help you figure out what that special something is. Let's have a look-see shall we?"
Unbeknownst to Langston and Cole the head cheerleader of the Llanview Lions cheerleading squad Britney Jennings was walking around the Pottery Barn also and had spotted them. Curious as to what a cute guy like Cole was doing with a freak like Langston minus her bestest, pal Starr she couldn't resist the chance to find out.
As she followed them, she couldn't help but notice the way Langston was looking at Cole. Her brown eyes seemed to light up and sparkle and she'd never heard the geek talk so much without that stupid scowl on her face. The most interesting part of watching them however was Cole seemed to genuinely enjoy Langston's company. He was laughing and that beautiful smile of his seemed permanently plastered on his handsome face.
"Okay so this guy right here," Langston says holding up a fluffy brown bear, "Is Barry the Bear. He's really soft and I'm sure your little sister would love him."
"Nah. I don't want to get her a bear. Too typical." Cole reasoned as he continued looking around. He then spotted a fluffy white lamb and he didn't know why, but the lamb seemed perfect for his little sister.
"What do you think of the lamb?" He wondered.
Langston smiled at the cute little lamb known as Lulu and said, "I think it's perfect. Her name is Lulu the Lamb and every little girl that comes in here falls in love with her. I know your little sister will too."
"Awesome." Cole conceded as he plucked the lamb from the shelf.
Britney continued watching them as they maneuvered their way to the cash register at the front of the store. Looking up she saw them walk under a ladder that had some clerk on it putting dishes up on a high shelf and the ladder began to wobble. Cole must have noticed too and quickly he pulled Langston out of the way before the ladder collapsed. In pulling her toward him they tripped over each other and became a gaggle of arms and legs.
The two teenagers were now nose to nose and neither could look away from the other's brown eyes. Cole had never noticed how beautiful Langston was and found himself unwilling to move away from her. Langston never knew how many shades of brown intermingled together to create the stunning chocolate eyes Cole had. Before they could stop themselves, their lips touched.
"Oh this is just too good to pass up," Britney whispered snapping the picture of them with her camera phone. "Wait until Starr sees what her best friend Langston has been up to."