‘Courage is knowing what not to fear,’

- Plato

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Hey,” Azelie smiled softly over at Cole as she sat down at their usual lunch table in the canteen. It was just her and Cole sitting alone, Kelly and Alex were probably making out in a cupboard like some high-school cliché couple or being told off by the head teacher for the second time for getting too ‘hot and heavy’ as he had put it. Yesterday, they had been kissing in the canteen like they usually did when the head teacher suddenly appeared from nowhere and stopped the two love birds, telling them to create some space between them. The head teacher then pointed to Alex and said ‘easy tiger’ which had been the source of countless jokes since.

“Hey,” Cole replied, looking up at Azelie.

“How was Lily’s appointment yesterday?” Azelie asked, her full attention focused on Cole. He had been off the day before because Lily had had a check-up, something that was to be taken seriously. It could give them an early indication if her cancer was trying to return or not.

“It was fine, nothing to worry about! They just ran some tests like they usually do and the results should be back in a week or so,” He explained, as he began to eat his lunch. Azelie nodded in reply before smiling softly over at him, glad that it was nothing serious. She had a feeling that there might be something more, but she just shrugged it off. “Do you want to come over tonight? Dad’s going to be working late tonight and Lily’s got a sleep over at a friends, so it will just me all by myself all night,”

“Surprised you aren’t following the trend of some of your team mates and throwing a party,” Azelie smiled. “Or are you too scared your dad would kill you?”

“Are you kidding? My dad would freaking join in! Hell, he’s come up and tell me that he was proud of me for being a ‘normal teenager’,” Cole laughed, “Besides, parties aren’t really my thing,”

Azelie just laughed at his reply before nodding in reply, “What time do you want me to come over?”

“Come over where?” A voice interrupted, and both Cole and Azelie looked up to find Kelly standing at their table, her eyes narrowed as she looked between the both of them.

“Over to Cole’s house so we can start the baby making,” Azelie began, a smile stretching onto her lips as she looked up at her pink-haired friend.

“WHAT?”

“Haven’t you heard? We’re getting married Vegas style next weekend and thought it might be even better if I was knocked up when we got hitched,”

“OH MY GOD? Are you serious?” Kelly began to squeal, jumping up and down in excitement.

“No,” Azelie answered, rolling her eyes at her best friend.

“Damn you Azelie!” Kelly yelled, suddenly sitting down at the table and slamming her fists into it, “Stop getting my hopes up! You know it’s not nice!”

“Did I ever claim to be nice?” Azelie smirked, raising an eyebrow in question. Kelly just flipped her off in reply.

“Anyway, what I was going to say before you started getting my hopes up was that you can’t go to Cole’s tonight to go do whatever you were going to do,”

“I can’t?” Azelie questioned, wondering what the hell she was going on about.

“Nope because we’re having a girls night in where we eat Ben and Jerry’s and drool over Ryan Gosling,” Kelly said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Why does it have to be tonight?” Azelie questioned, “Hell, why am I even asking! I doubt I even have a choice in the matter,”

“Because my dear mother is going out for the night and I figured that we hadn’t really had a girls night and that we should,” Kelly replied, “And of course you do darling, you get to choose the flavor of Ben and Jerry’s,”

“Okay then,” Azelie shrugged, too tired to put up a proper fight against Kelly. She quickly turned to Cole, “Guess you’ll just have to find some other girl to scream at the football game with you,” He just smiled in reply before continuing to eat his lunch. Kelly began to babble ideas for their girls night, all the while Azelie wasn’t listening, instead trying to push thoughts of Cole out of her head so she could at least try to concentrate on what Kelly was saying.

“Aaah! HE’S SO FUDGING HOT!” Kelly drooled as the scene with the naked Ryan Gosling appeared on ‘Crazy Stupid Love’. Azelie just let out a slight laugh at Kelly’s reaction before digging her spoon into the tub of ice cream they were sharing. Her pink hair was up in a simple bun as they lay on her sofa, Kelly wearing a pair of leggings and a large over-sized jumper.

“Now, now what would Alex think of you drooling over other men! I expected more of you Kelly,” Azelie teased, turning around to face her best friend.

“What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him,” She smirked, before taking a spoonful of the ice cream and quickly eating it. “And your drooling too - thank you very much! What would Cole think if he heard you were drooling over other guys!”

“Er - he wouldn’t care! Why would he?” Azelie laughed, wondering why Cole had suddenly been brought up into the conversation.

“Of course he would care!” Kelly replied, “Although, Cole wouldn’t let you know that he was jealous, he would just laugh it off at first and then point out everything wrong with the guy and how he was so much better than the guy,” She babbled, Azelie agreeing with what she was saying. Cole would totally do that!

“Kelly, why would he care?” Azelie questioned, laughing at the start of the question, but by the end, she had gotten a bit more serious. Kelly’s blue eyes searched Azelie brown ones to see if she was seriously asking that question? Could she really not see it?

“Jesus, your worse than me and Alex were!” Kelly said, letting out a little huff, “Let me spell it out to you in terms that you might understand: YOU LOVE COLE; COLE LOVE YOU BACK!”

“What? Kelly, come on, I thought you said that drugs were for losers cause your obviously smoking something if you think that’s true!” Azelie replied, shaking her head at the crazy girl beside her. Cole did not love her; that was something she knew for sure.

“Oh, darling, I know it’s true!” Kelly replied with a smirk forming on her pink lips.

“That your smoking pot?” Azelie smiled, “Kelly, come on I expected more of you!”

“You know what I’m talking about, Azelie! Stop moving the subject of the conversation onto me! This is you and Cole we are speaking about!” Kelly said, her voice serious. Azelie looked away from Kelly and back over to the screen, watching as the character re-in-acted the famous lift scene from the film,‘Dirty Dancing’.

“There isn’t a me and Cole,” Azelie replied quietly, looking back over at Kelly who was staring intently at Azelie’s face as if she was trying to read the emotions that Azelie hid well. The emotions she hid so well; with anybody that wasn’t Cole.

“But you want there to be,” Kelly pointed out with a raised eye brow and a growing smirk. When Azelie didn’t answer, Kelly began to jump up and down with joy “OMG YES I KNEW IT!”

“Kelly! I didn’t say anything! Calm the hell down!”

“But you didn’t say no!”

“And I most certainly did not say yes!”

“Shut it you! Stop ruining my happy moment! Silence means yes ergo yes you would like there to be a ‘you and Cole’,” Kelly squealed happily. “Now I just have to get you to see that he wants that too and hey presto, by the end of the night we could get you guys dating!”

“Kelly, just stop,” Azelie asked, her voice low, “Just... just drop it, okay?”

“Why? If you like him...”

“I don’t like him, okay! There isn’t a ‘Azelie and Cole’, and there never will be an ‘Azelie and Cole’. It just won’t happen, so just drop it, please?” she begged, growing more desperate with every word. Kelly slowly nodded, looking over at Azelie with a look of concern. Azelie just smiled softly up at her, before turning her attention back to the film, the happy light-hearted mood slowly returning once again.

“Cole, honestly just stick to the cakes! You’re good with the cakes!” Azelie cried as she spotted Cole trying to turn on the coffee machine for the third time that day. He had volunteered a second time to help Azelie out again in the cafe, clearly not learning his lesson the first time. Cole turned around to Azelie who was standing behind him.

“But, I want to try making coffee! It would save you a lot of time if I could make them as well!” He replied, trying to get Azelie to see his point. She rolled her eyes at him as she answered him.

“Cole, I tried to teach you this morning! Remember the outcome of that mistake?”

“It didn’t taste that bad,” He defended, not wanting to admit how bad he really was at making coffee.

“Cole! It tasted like manure!” Azelie yelled, getting quite annoyed at Cole. She had put it down to his excessive need to get the coffee perfect down as just being a male ego thing, but this was just taking it too far! Why couldn’t he accept that he was truly terrible at making coffee. She was about to add something else in when she was interrupted.

“Now, now, Azelie - that’s not very nice!” Ted smirked, appearing from the gallery, “True, but still not nice! I thought you were raised better than that?” He added as he walked towards the cafe kitchen, wondering if he could help them out. He had refused to stay at home and had started to come in more often to the art gallery, trying to help out - not that Azelie let him.

“You stay out of this, Ted! You’re not supposed to be here! Hell, you’re supposed to be in bed!” Azelie replied, her lips forming a frown as she watched him walking closer, realising what he was trying to do, “No,” She stated, shaking her head. Ted stopped in mid-step, before narrowing his eyes at his niece.

“No what?”

“No, you can’t ‘help’ out,” Azelie replied, still shaking her head in defiance against her uncle.

“But Azelie-” Ted whined only to be cut off by Azelie.

“No buts, Ted,” Azelie said, “You promised that you wouldn’t go back to work before you got the all clear from the doctor,”

“Come on Azelie! I’m going crazy in that house! I’ve been trapped inside for weeks, not knowing if this damn place had burnt to the ground or not!” Ted cried, trying to get Azelie to understand what he was going through. “Please just let me make the coffees - I’ll just stand there are press the damn buttons so Cole doesn’t break the machine,”

“I wasn’t going to break the machine,” Cole interrupted, Azelie turning around to face him.

“Oh really? Cole, you’ve been trying to turn it on for the last five minutes. I unplugged it just before you go to it so you wouldn’t use it!” Azelie explained, Cole just stuck his tongue out at her in reply as Azelie turned around again to face Ted, who had now started sending Azelie puppy dog eyes in hope that it might help his case.

“You know those don’t work on me,” She pointed out, not happy that he was trying to get into work before the doctor said it was alright for him to do so.

“Come on, my check up is in a few days! I’ve been taking all of my meds, I feel perfectly fine - no pain or dizziness either!” Ted said, his voice pleading with her to let him help her and Cole out. Azelie took a deep breath, before giving in, slowly nodding at her uncle.

“Fine, but you’re just pouring the coffee - that’s it!” Azelie said, as Ted began to jump about, running to behind the counter. Azelie just turned around, trying not to scream after her uncle. Ted didn’t waste a second in quickly getting the coffee machine set up and starting up on the coffee, making it as perfect as always.

Cole smiled over at Azelie, before shrugging slightly, “Sometimes, I’m not really sure who is the adult between the two of you,” he said as he motioned over to Ted. Azelie just rolled her eyes as a smile crept onto her lips.

“Back to work,” she ordered, Cole quickly sending her an army salute before turning around to serve some of the coffee that Ted had made.

Maybe Kelly was right. She was right about one thing at least.

So yes, all done! :) Next upload should be done on Wednesday! Hoping to get this story written by next Friday so if I do, the uploads will be very quick, maybe one every two/three days :)