#pt. 8

The first week back was awkward to say the least. You didn’t want to be alone with Cole but you also didn’t want him out of your sight. The both of you had gone through too much to just throw it all away now. He was the only other person, after all, who would be able to understand the hardships you had underwent.

The following Sunday after your return to the base, Cole finally sat you down and the both of you had a well needed discussion. You hadn’t spoken throughout it, not wanting to interrupt him. He explained about Soldier:76 and the undercover mission he was forced to do. He talked about how disgusted he was with himself every time he had to do what he did. Talked about how he was only able to cope with it because he knew that you were there, waiting for him at the end of the day. You, [Y/N] [Y/L/N], were his only light in the surmounting darkness of the mission.

It was hard to fully look him in the eyes.

When he had finished explaining himself, you thanked him and said you needed some time to yourself to think about everything.

That had been 3 days ago and now you were currently holed up in a spare office given to you for the piles upon piles of paperwork you had to do.

Throwing the pen down on the desk before you, you leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling. Your mind reeling as you let out a long breath.

‘In a way it’s his fault. If he wasn’t such a forgetful idiot he could have just explained it to me back then, then I wouldn’t have thought he was cheating. Although, I was the one who smashed everything and left of my own volition…’

You fished the engraved lighter out from its place in your pocket. Your thumb fiddled with the lid, a nervous tick that had formed when you had first received it years ago. Cole made sure to return the lighter back to you when you both had made it back. A potential promise for what could be.

‘But if 76 hadn’t gotten involved in the first place, none of this would’ve happened!’

The constant clinking the only noise in the room besides your own quiet breathing.

Letting out a frustrated groan, you closed the lid forcefully and left the room. You had no idea where to go but you just knew it had to be away from there for now. Ambling through the hall, you found yourself back at the spot where you had “caught” Cole cheating on you in the first place. It felt like a lifetime had passed since then.

Sitting down in the corridor that oversaw the area where a payload would need escorting at Watchpoint: Gibraltar, your emotions were still in a jumble. Now they were going crazy because of a certain hapless cowboy with a penchant for being a forgetful dork. A dork who constantly had a vice-like grip on your heart. Unlike that fateful day though, you weren’t staring at Cole eating the face of some double agent. Just the empty space that they had occupied.

And unlike last time, you didn’t have the sweet release of nicotine to distract you either. You had finally kicked the habit while on the run. Naturally the urge to get a puff in from time to time comes up but for the most part you’ve got it under control. The best you could do now was take a deep breath in.

3…

2…

1…

Exhale.

Hearing the soft thumping of boots, you looked out into the open area as Cole made his way to the center. Angela following closely beside him. Being too far away to hear their conversation, you note the comical shrug she gave him before patting him on the shoulder and walking away inside. She left Cole to himself looking as lost as a child missing their favorite toy.

With what suddenly seemed like a sixth sense, he quickly turned your way. His warm brown eyes scanning the area before zeroing in on your location. His face immediately lighting up like the night sky on the fourth of July. A cocky grin forming as he excessively made his way towards you, thumbs in his pockets and hips swaying way more than they had to. Looking more the dork than ever before.

Deep down you knew in your heart that Cole Cassidy wasn’t the bad guy your mind had wanted to paint him out to be. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. Physically or emotionally. Not on purpose anyways. The past incident not included, the pros of this embarrassing man drastically outweighed whatever cons you could ever come up with.

The trust that was lost had to be rebuilt, naturally, but after everything that had happened, you were fine with that. Granted, you were a long way from getting married now. But as you stared up at the man in front of you, you realized, you were going to be in it for the long haul.

“Well hello there little lady,” he greeted you in an exaggerated Southern drawl, tipping his hat back to see you better.

With a smirk slowly forming on your face, you gave him the only response acceptable, “Howdy Partner.”

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a/n: And so ends The Hapless Cowboy for real. And to think all this happened because of  Beyoncé’s ‘Sorry’. Thanks Bey, you the real MVP. Thank you to everyone who’s stuck with me to the end of this, you too, are the real MVPs

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