Nick Cole

Emma had agreed to meet him for dinner against her better judgement. It had been an impulsive answer: he’d made it sound so simple and casual and for a brief moment she’d thought that maybe taking their relationship to the next level wouldn’t be a bad thing.

But as soon as she got there, she realized her mistake.

It was lovely. It was like he’d carved out a little place of another world, just for the two of them. He’d made her dinner, himself, and set it up in the little garden behind his apartment. He’d strung lights from the trees and music played softly from his phone.

She didn’t know what to say. No one had ever done something like this for her. Most of the guys she’d dated attempted to impress her with how much money they were willing to spend on her … but no one had made something for her. They’d invest their money (it was easy enough to come by for them), but Nick had invested his time. 

He’d already walked down the stairs into the garden, but she was stuck at the top; still too surprised to be able to move. He walked back up to her and extended his hand out to her. But she still didn’t move. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” He teased.

You will, she thought, suddenly. Or I’ll hurt you.

That’s how it always ended, didn’t it? With broken hearts and disappointments. It wouldn’t be today or tomorrow or even a week or a month. But eventually this would end, wouldn’t it? Just like all the others. And this one, she realized, would hurt so much worse than all the rest.

Coming here had been a mistake.

“What is it?” He asked, realizing something was wrong.

“I — I should go.” She said, taking a step back.

There was a calm and a quiet about the Turner estate. Elias had wanted it to be a peaceful place where he might gather his thoughts: and so it was. Settling into a small town in the western united states was far from his ideal location, but there was great promise here that greatly outweighed some of the culture disadvantages. Still, his home would help make up for it. 

He had some of his most expensive pieces shipped here to be put on display and his home had become nearly as impressive as any of the great art galleries or libraries that Europe had to offer. While the location itself lacked history, he had faith that one day, it would be of great historical significance. 

On his way to the library where he took his afternoon tea, Elias was informed that Nicholas Cole was there. Even though he had not been expected, Elias was far from surprised: he knew that Nicholas Cole was there to look in on Susan (and he suspected, himself). Taking a detour, he met his guest in the main hall.

“Ah, Officer Cole. I trust you are here to see your sister and not on official business? Miss Cole is assisting my fiancée with designs to rearrange one of the upstairs sitting rooms.” As in with everything in his life, Elias had taken great pains to design this house (as all the others) and everything in it. No detail was too small to have his attention: everything from the flowers in the vase to the portrait that hung over the fireplace had been carefully approved by him, but now he was to be remarried and Vivien was to have the run of the house. He had even given up several rooms to be entirely for her own use and left her to choose how they were to be arranged. 

The source of the bias was, as always, wearing a perfectly tailored suit, his movements smooth and studied to a degree that always left Nick ill at ease.  Still, it did bring Nick a degree of comfort to know that his sister was with another woman - one around whom Elias wouldn’t dare make moves on Susan.  Not the mention the fact that, as long as Elias was with Nick, he wasn’t alone with her.

“You guessed it.  I’m sure you know how this neighborhood is, better than I.  Dangerous.”  He paused, briefly, letting the word hover, before continuing.  “I like to walk my sisters home.” 

Forming his most polite - no, cordial, just cordial - smile, Nick inclined his head.  What better opportunity to learn about the man than at his own table?  “Thank you, Mr. Turner.  No day is complete without a spot of tea.”  At least, Nick thought somberly, We can agree on that much.  He appreciated that Elias was at least that cultured.  (He didn’t think David had ever offered him tea.)

alkdsjflakdjflakdjfldk just the cole family okAY 

I’M SO SORRY ABOUT EMMA SHE’S SUCH A MESS. 

anyway i know i told you atp that she’d probably flirt back w/ him and probs give him the wrong idea #facepalm … and ultimately she’d turn him down if he asked her out for a whole host of reasons, but mainly 

she’s had such bad luck w/ relationships in the past (s/o to the bassford parental units)

she’s also become pretty cynical about love and marriage in general 

BUT at the same time i DO think she really likes Nick and he seems like such a genuine person that I do think that there’s times where she’s tempted to take him up on that coffee or whatever, b/c I think that despite all of her past failures, she wants to prove her parents wrong that not ALL guys are into her for superficial reasons (even though part of her is terrified that this is true, regardless)

So I think in general she’s gonna be giving him such mixed messages and I’M SO SORRY emma doesn’t know what she wants or what to do #help 

Also, I think she’d enjoy him as a friend and when she gets to know him better, I think she’ll realize that he is a good guy but then she also knows that she has issues and that he’s probably a better person than she is and there’s probably a lot of reasons why they wouldn’t work out and she wouldn’t want to lose him as a friend especially b/c I don’t think she has many of those (s/o to the Bassford parents again who are probably like David Lennox when it comes to letting their kids have healthy relationships #facepalm) AND I feel like between meeting Susan through the Turners and Gigi through work that she’s gonna grow to love all the Coles and so it wouldn’t just be Nick she’d lose if things went south. 

I mean to be perfectly frank, there’s a part of Nick that enjoys the challenge, not to mention unraveling the various layers.  I think they’re both stubborn and I think he weirdly respects that about her esp bc he knows better than most that the flipside of that is loyalty and in his book, that’s one of the best traits a person can have.  I think he’s also the sort of guy who, aside from not giving up bc ~second child syndrome~ believes in acting on it if you feel something bc he knows how short and sudden life can be and you may not get another chance, so I think he’s like, “Look, I like you,” or whatever and just tries to be as straight forward as possible which is really funny in light of everything else. 

But anyway, I think the first time he asked her and she turned him he was pr shot down - I mean, yknow, he put on his armor and played it cool (rolls eyes at more second child behavior) and was probs thinking, ‘she’s made it clear she’s not interested imma respect that’ blah blah blah but then they kept seeing each other and she eventually started flirting again and he started flirting again and he was like, ‘maybe i have a shot afterall’ and feel like eventually he asked her again and the cycle happened again, but the third time he was just like, ‘ok something i don’t entirely understand is going on here’ and I think he’s probs said something atp like, “Hey, look, if you’re not interested at all, that’s fine.  Just tell me if you don’t want me to ever ask you out again and I won’t.  But until you do that, I’m gonna keep trying to get you to go out with me because I think we’d be great together.”  Or whatever, so now he just occasionally asks her out and so far she hasn’t accepted his invitation, but I don’t think he’s given up. 

Do you think she’s ever actually impulsively said yes and broken up with him just as impulsively, later?  Bc I can also def see them being kinda on/off etc but again I think he’d be persistant hahahaha  I think also as he gets to know her parents and sister better he’ll understand what she’s going through better and better but idk how well he knows any of them atp?

Tbh I’m not sure ~exactly where they are in that whole cycle atm?  Like, idk if they’ve been going on like this for years or if he’s still recovering from her first rejection of him atm?  But idk I have a feeling that’s kind of how his mindset is/will work?  Do you have any ~sense of that whole thing?

OMG no but David ALWAAAAAAYS gets the charges dropped and tbh Nick probs straight out told David one time that it might be good for Harry if he actually let him get in trouble, for once.  (That month, Nick’s rent magically went up tbh.)  OMG BUT HIM BRINGING UP GIGI MAKES NICKS HEAD EXPLODE  Like, I feel like Nick is pr laid back and kinda flows with the punches, but like he is v much an overprotective big bro and he does NOT appreciate any references to his sisters that aren’t the words of a perfect gentleman who has only ever thought of them as sister tbh.  I mean, I feel like Nick’s probs pr used to Harry by now…but I think it’s also pr safe to say that Harry knows how to push his buttons hahahahaha

Harry most def brings up Gigi a lot tbh and probably even Rora like “even tho she’s old she’s still hot” and like “word on the street is she’s the next mrs. lennox – she and my dad were upstairs by themselves for a really long time last night” or whatever idk he def just throws out stuff about his sisters to make him angry and smh harry KNOWS HOW TO MAKE THE FRIENDS.

And he’ll be like thinking this is a totally normal gesture and meanwhile she’s like WTF and he’s like, “…what did I just walk into why are they acting weird” ~and hilarity ensues~ while they’re both just like ??????????????

hahahhaha omg tbh celia is probably thinking the same thing and like “gdi blair already????? how have you already had time to get in trouble with the law?? but she probs goes to the door while blair is sneaking out the back and smh ;DDD I feel like she might even be a little ~defensive until she realizes that this is an awkward social call and not him trying to come and arrest her sister …. 

but she’d still be hella confused by his coming at all and like ????? these country traditions are just ??????? and she’s like half expecting him to invite them all to a barn raising next saturday or something