Just for Now

Chapter Ten

Hi all! Just leaving a quick reminder to vote and comment :) it's really encouraging and I love to see all your thoughts. Thank you to everyone who has been voting and commenting throughout! I appreciate it more than you know. Hope you enjoy the chapter, bit of a filler but leading up to fun stuff.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Day Three
Night

Cole couldn't name any of the constellations tonight.

Something about it made him want to just break down. He wasn't sure if it was just that with time he had forgot or if it was because his mind was too occupied with everything that had happened.

The words wouldn't stop echoing in his head like a cruel reminder.

"You've been living your life like we've been running out of time for six years now."

Even though he couldn't name any of the clusters of stars, he kept his eyes locked on them with a sense of wanting. He knew his siblings found comfort in believing their father was in the stars. He wasn't sure if he believed in all that, but he had to believe in something right now. Right now was one of those times that he really needed his Dad. Cole just wanted to feel like the kid that his Dad spent several nights with trying to entertain with patterns in the sky. Those nights meant the world to him, and he'd give anything to get them back. He could've sworn he saw one star get brighter for just a moment before dimming again. He blinked hard, shaking his head as he rid the thought from his head. But still, in a way, he welcomed it. He wanted to feel like his Dad was with him right now.

But then Cole got splashed in the face with water.

Cole sputtered at the taste of salt in his mouth, looking up to see his youngest sister staring with a grin on her face. "Stop zoning out or you're gonna be dragged out to sea!"

After they got back from the hike from hell, they decided to head to the beach for a night swim to try and turn the day around. The waves weren't as bad as they could be, but they certainly weren't calm. His mother and Matthew decided to stay in the hotel, opting out. Apparently. Matthew was afraid of sharks. Cole refused to admit that he had also considered opting out due to the same fear. Instead, he made fun of the man to his siblings for the better part of an hour as they swam around. He wasn't even sure they were listening by the end, but he kept going nonetheless.

At one point, Scarlett left the waves to sit with Allison who stayed on the shore. Cole had a hard time acting as if he wasn't trying to listen to that. He couldn't make out a word over the sound of his other siblings and the waves, and he certainly wasn't known for his lip-reading skills. The two seemed deep in conversation and there was a large part of him that wanted to run over and ask them what they were talking about. Nate tried to engage him in conversation, but it tended to die out as soon as it started since Cole couldn't take his eyes off the two on shore. Twenty minutes or so had passed and they were still talking, but it seemed like Allison could hardly look Scarlett in the eyes. The two had always been close, but Cole knew Allison wasn't talking to Scarlett about all of this. Even with their relationship, Allison wouldn't talk to his own sister about him.

"Sam!" Lila cried out as her twin launched himself at her, slamming her back into the water.

Sam held her underwater, looking around as if nothing was wrong despite her thrashing around. He grinned wickedly, asking the others, "Where'd Lila go?"

Lila shot up after a moment, holding a fucking crab in her hand and holding it out towards him. Sam shrieked, falling backwards into the water as she charged forward with it. Sam turned his body away as if touching it would kill him. "You've always been on the crabbier side, Lila!"