Cole
It wouldn't do to laugh. The view made it difficult, but Cole kept his lips pressed together and cleared his throat to hide what wanted to rise out. He leaned against the railing outside of PIN, taking in the scene before him.
Ethan was muttering to himself while Anna paced a small half circle. Despite all their teasing, it would seem they were the nervous ones about going in.
"What do we even know about this girl?" Ethan asked.
"Next to nothing." Cole answered cheerfully, while Anna threw up her hands. "What's the damage?"
"No damage. I have none." Ethan went back to muttering.
"She was sweet in her email." Anna insisted for the second time in twenty minutes. "She didn't seem threatened."
Cole shook his head. "Why would she be?"
"Becky Hutcherson." Anna pointed.
"Fair point. But that was high school." Ethan defended.
"You two." Anna paced away. "You may have to deal with hearing your ladies bitch to you about being best friends with a woman but you have no empathy for what I deal with on my end."
"Yeah." Ethan rolled his eyes. "Because none of your guys have ever given Cole or I grief."
Anna stopped. "Which?"
"Enough." Cole pushed away from the railing. "I'm going in, you two keep at the pump up work."
"Arrêtes." Anna took a breath and swung down the stairs.
"That's your girl." Cole told Ethan.
"No that's your girl." Ethan squared his shoulders and followed.
Cole walked ahead and introduced them to the receptionist before they turned into the main office space. Once they did, he noticed it seemed to be an oddly tense day for one with few people there. He wasn't surprised to see it reflected in Hayley's expression as she hammered away at her keyboard. What he didn't expect was the jolt he got from seeing her. Or the one that followed from watching tension fade from her face as she took in the two by his side.
With a smile she stood up and rounded her desk. "First I'm so happy to meet you and second so sorry for what you may hear." She turned to Cole. "It's been a day. Maybe run?"
"We're really happy to meet you too." Anna took Hayley's hand in hers as the two seemed to consider each other.
Ethan nudged Anna aside and shook Hayley's hand as well. "What happened? Ethan by the way." He tapped his other hand on his chest.
"Mitch is in the process of quitting." She looked back at an office with the blinds closed at the other end of the room. "Big boss is trying to talk him down, but there's been much yelling. Most everyone else jumped at the chance to knock off."
"You should probably run with us then." Anna insisted and reached back for Cole, tugging on his collar. "Go drop off your work so we can get her out."
"I really shouldn't, at least not until everything is settled. Mitch is my boss." Hayley explained. "I have no fondness for him, but still."
We should get going then." Anna smacked the back of her hand on Ethan's shoulder. "Not a good day for you two to have guests at the office."
"Are you off tonight?" Ethan asked her.
"Finally, yes." Hayley smiled at Cole then, and he caught Anna and Ethan kick their foot at one another the same moment.
"We're going to take you to dinner and hanging out and that will fix the day." He told Hayley and patted his pockets for the USB he brought his work on. "I'm going to run this over to Liza's desk." He told the other two. "I'll stay here, text what place you come up with and we'll meet you." He told them as he started walking over.
At the corner office a chair was thrown, and while the glass of the office held against the sharp crack, the shouting reached the outside.
"Absolutely not." Anna said and grabbing Hayley's hand and shouldering the backpack behind her chair, began pulling her towards the exit. "Buachaillí!" Anna called.
"Right then, plan B." Ethan walked over and steered a hand on Cole's shoulder. "Your work is late a day."
"Nothing like New York am I right?" Cole said and dropped his USB at the front desk.
They were laughing about it once they reached the top of the stairs.
"It's usually not that thrilling down there." Hayley explained. "What was that you said?"
"Lads." Anna answered.
"It's Gaelic." Ethan put in as he took out his phone to search food options.
"We tend to jump between a few. Ethan and I are Irish, Anna is French, so those are the go to's. I don't have the ear for French that they do." Cole crossed his eyes at Anna. "It's rude though, we'll keep it at a minimum."
"Handy in school I imagine." Hayley smirked. "I went with Spanish."
"That's what I learned in school, while those two kept at French. There, we'll be even." Cole felt his hand itching to take Hayley's but wasn't sure it was the time to in front of the others.
She solved that by taking his. "Where are we off to?" She asked the others, meeting Anna's smile.
Cole guided them to Ellen's, the scene at PIN evaporated even the thought of awkwardness. They moved through the crowded streets very much a unit, though none of them would likely admit it. Cole might have wished for this a handful of times over the years but he wasn't ready to think he'd found it. But it was hard to argue how she and Anna spoke over each other, yet seemed to keep a conversation, and how she whacked the back of Ethan's head when intercepted her grab for her backpack, and slung it over his own shoulder. Or even when his own hand at her mid back as they hustled across a crosswalk, it all felt natural. As they burrowed together in a booth Cole caught a look and threw back his head and made a grumbling sound.
"What?" Hayley asked.
"That." Cole jerked his head at Anna, who was giving him that expectant smile.
"She's just smiling." Hayley insisted over Ethan's chuckle.
"Yeah, wait until she aims that particular one at you." Cole narrowed his eyes back at Anna. "What is it?"
"Why haven't you taken her out yet?"
"Shine, it's not even 6pm, we agreed no assassination talk until full dark." Ethan passed the menus around.
"Why Shine?" Hayley ignored Cole and Anna's staring match. "It's a nickname I assume."
Ethan rubbed his hands together. "My first crack at a story excerpt. We all have our share of nicknames. That one is going on seventeen years old. Whew. Jesus. Simple enough meaning, she makes things shine. When we were kids whenever one of us or anyone really was having a day she'd do some little thing to try and fix it. When it took she'd say 'there, shining like a new penny' like the cheese pot she was and well, Penny didn't suit her." Not letting go of his menu, Ethan tipped over to mock head but Anna. "Nerd."
"Makes up for my numerous irritating qualities." Aiming that expectant smile at Hayley she ignored Cole's 'aha.'
"Why are you assassinating me?" Hayley deflected.
"Oh that." Anna waved her hand at Ethan. "Don't try and distract me again with your bro code tactics. Why haven't you taken her out?" She danced her fingers between Cole and Hayley.
"We've established that. Hayley's second job had a bit of a crisis and she had to take more shifts."
Anna nodded. "I don't want you missing time is all."
Cole felt his earlier annoyance dissipate and took Hayley's hand under the table while the conversation steered into more of Hayley getting to know the others. She asked about their work and day to day. Before long he realized she was trying to know them as their individual selves. Watching from afar, though never separate, he knew he'd missed time after all.
They lingered over the meal. Even without his camera Cole felt moments imprinting in his mind. Hayley's eye wiping laugh at something he and Ethan had been saying. Anna taking his side in an argument over a beloved tv show's ending, while Ethan and Hayley shouted back and walked ahead when they left the diner. Watching as the kid who had once pushed Cole behind him to block a hit, grabbed Hayley's hand and dashed across a busy intersection. And feeling Anna's happy sigh as they followed a few steps behind.
As Ethan and Hayley bonded over their mutual bartending rap sheets, they flocked to a bar that promoted a trivia tournament. Once they had drinks and commandeered at least two stools, Ethan whooped at a song change and offered his hand to Anna.
"C'mon."
While she smiled she shook her head firmly. "Uh uh."
"You gotta. Look at them, they don't even know what moves look like."
"Not this time."
"Shine." His tone softer, as Hayley raised a brow.
"Not tonight cher, but I do see a very eager red head that hasn't taken her eyes off you." Anna wiggled her shoulders. "I know you're on a breather from the females, but she looks ready for a dance."
"So she does." But Ethan stopped to rub his knuckles over her cheek before walking off.
"Well the first round took them long enough to fetch, I think I'll put in the order for our second now." Anna turned and boosted herself to lean over the bar.
"She doesn't dance?" Hayley asked Cole.
"They're both brilliant." Cole managed a grin as Ethan spun the redhead out to the floor.
"I hope I see that."
"You and me both." He shook his head at her look. "Not a story for now."
"Not a story for just you to tell either."
Cole looked down at her with eyebrow quirked. Hayley jerked a shoulder.
"What's happened to her isn't just yours to tell. It's theirs too. The three of you share everything so that means pain. Maybe one day I'll share it too, if only as a friend."
Before he could lean in and do anything reckless, Anna flopped back over and laughed in Ethan's direction. It seemed the redhead was taking more a grinding approach rather than dancing, and a touch over enthusiastically.
"Michael, go rescue him before he gets an infection."
"Pinch his ass or something." Hayley offered. "No need for her to feel let down."
Shaking his head Cole started walking towards Ethan when he felt a sensation he hadn't in a while. He stiffened as he glanced around. The crowd may have appreciated the break in the stiff air, and assumed it was front the door opening and shutting. As Cole looked for the telltale blur, he saw nothing, but he felt it. Judging on how Ethan seemingly casually detached himself from the girl, Cole knew he'd felt the same.
Glancing back at the girls he waited for Anna to sense him and then jerked his head at the door and then held up two fingers as Ethan reached him. If she was curious she masked it, as she went back to talking to Hayley. Once he and Ethan were out and clear of the smokers, Cole let out a breath.
"You feel it or just picked it up from me?"
"Both." Ethan scanned around. "I didn't get a look at anything."
"Me neither. Whoever it was is gone, probably the second I looked. I think only one though."
"Well that could still be either side." Ethan ran a hand through his hair. "What's your take?"
"I haven't felt that here. Ever. Only back in Forks and upstate. But never in the city."
"So can't be a coincidence that it's when we're all here."
"The three of us have been in the city before." Cole stalked away and back, his jaw tight.
"Cole." Ethan's voice softened as it had with Anna. "It's not the three of us anymore. That might have been tempting enough over the years but if either side caught a whiff of there being another…"
"I'm not with Hayley because of some goddamn theory that probably doesn't have anything to do with us." Cole reigned in the urge to kick a nearby garbage can. What was the use? "I don't give a shit about any of it."
"Do you think I don't know that? Do you think it was different when it was Anna or when it was me? I wasn't with Caroline because some crazies decided what we were before we were born. I don't love her because I was told that's what would happen."
The temper that had flashed was quickly banked for both of them. It only took the mention of Caroline for Ethan, and the present tense he used for Cole.
"I know you understand. And I'm not saying it's the same." Cole looked back at the bar. "Of course it isn't, she's barely told me anything about her."
"Look at this right here. You've barely told her about you."
"I will one day. It doesn't have to be now." He wanted this. This simple experience. No matter how casual he played, he knew a bond was there. And that he wanted it.
"No. She could quickly lose interest. You're not that appealing."
Cole's breath came out in a laugh. "Yeah well. There is that. Or Plan B, being friends with the likes of you kills it."
"Good to know we always have that option." Ethan looked back at the bar as well. "I'll tell Anna. You put it out of your mind for now."
"She probably knows. I'll put them out of my mind, but I guess I was lying."
"About which?" Ethan asked as they walked back inside.
Cole stopped and just grinned. He saw Anna and Hayley taking a shot, slamming the glasses top down on the bar. Heard Anna's signature loud laugh over the speakers, even as Hayley's over the shoulder glance was aimed his way. He couldn't ignore how his system jolted as that glance turned to a beaming smile.
"I might not give a shit about theories, but I give a shit about this." He jerked his chin towards the girls.
"What's so bad about four anyway?" Ethan clapped Cole on the back before dragging him over to join in.
"Bon?" Anna asked them.
"Good." Cole repeated. "No more speaking French or Gaelic in front of the civilian. She just may learn it to spite us." He smiled at the shot glasses. "Speaking of Irish."
"The civilian had never had a shot before." Anna explained. "I'm not about to have her first time be Whiskey."
"Some bartender." Ethan put in and earned a swat from Hayley.
"I needed bolstering." Hayley turned to Cole.
"For? A dance? I'll ruin the sport for you, I promise."
"I had a different dance in mind." Before either of them could think about it twice, Hayley got a grip on Cole's shirt and yanked him down, fixing his mouth to hers.
All the weeks of hesitating, of telling himself to keep it light until they were able to have their first date; became a memory. Part of him could hear Ethan's laughing cheer and Anna's clapping. But all he felt was Hayley's lips on his, and her hands moving to the back of his neck as his scooped under her legs and lifted her from the stool.
When they broke apart Hayley said to his ear "Well that's interesting."
"Tip back." Still holding her Cole studied her flushed face and was pleased with what he saw there.
"Let the girl down before you make a spectacle." Anna shook her head as she fluttered a hand at her neck. "My my."
"Right?" Ethan whistled low and signaled to the bartender and the empty shot glasses. "Four please."
Letting Hayley down, Cole took her hand in his and thought nothing was bad about four at all.
