What could have been.

- Chapter 15 -

"Can you cover my table? I need to have a cigarette break." I roll my eyes and give a fake smile to Louisa.

"Sure."

"Thanks. Be back in ten." what she means to say is she will be back if she spots Mr Alton back in the restaurant as he's in his office this evening before her shift ends. Jocelyn was not put down on the rota to work a shift at the restaurant with me tonight. Unfortunately for me Louisa was. Why she bothers to turn up is unknown to me as she doesn't even try to look busy or look like she's doing the job she is being paid to do.

I have to give it to her though, she's a good mascot outside, making sure to encourage any person that stops to look at the menu outside to come in. Louisa knows how to fill a restaurant with her quick charm even though she doesn't acknowledge coming back in once she's made it a full house. Which makes it only harder and busier for me. On the other hand, I get all the tips.

"Excuse me. Can I have another jug of water for my table?" A small petite middle-aged woman with curly red hair points to the table closest to the glass window at the front. "Of course, I will be right over."

I give a polite smile to the couple as I place down the full jug of water on their table. I straighten myself up, after picking up the empty jug in my hands. I become distracted by the man standing with Louisa out front with his back to me. She looks heavy in conversation until she points in my direction that the man turns around. Locking eyes with him I quickly realise she's not pointing in my direction; she's pointing at me. I stand still as I take in the black eye and bruised lip. My eyes lower to his hands to see whether he has any marks on his knuckles to indicate to me if he has been in a fight but they're in his pockets.

"Sienna. Some guy is outside and wants to talk to you." Louisa says, standing beside me. I didn't realise or see her walk back inside. Saying nothing in response I push the empty jug towards her as I pass by, without knowing if she has a hold of it, I let go, thankfully she did.

"Cole?" I step out of the arch of the front door onto the pavement. Cole walks over to me, stopping when he is at least a meter away. We both stand in silence staring at one another. Why is he here? And why does he want to talk to me?

My thoughts take me back to the last time I saw him when he left me in the store without saying anything. Did he get jumped? Is that why I couldn't find him. Now I feel guilty for thinking all those horrible things about him. I mean they weren't that bad but I did call him every curse word in my vocabulary the whole walk home that night. Meanwhile, Cole was probably getting beaten up in an alleyway.

He takes a step back, taking out his hands from his pockets to light a cigarette. As soon as I see the bruises covering his knuckles my curiosity gets the better of me and I can no longer wait for him to break the silence.

"What happened? Did you get beat up?" He laughs out all the smoke he had just inhaled before answering with a no.

"Then how did you get all the bruises?" I wave my arms in the air between us. I have to admit I haven't had the time the last few days to dwell on Cole like I might have done previously. I've been too busy overthinking seeing Vince and Eden together again, Jocelyn and I confronting Eden, Eden being pissed at the both of us, applying for a summer abroad, running into Brent and finally coming to the annoying revelation that I need answers if I have any chance in moving forward. God. I need to figure out a method of venting because just thinking about how much I overthink is making me feel crazy. I need to find an outlet and soon.

However, now that he's stood in front of me, leaving me clueless even though he was the one that came to talk to me is providing me with enough overwhelming thoughts surrounding him to make up for the past week.