Lottie laughed out loud, almost choking on her pancakes as Cole insisted he didn’t want to be her guest of honor. “Don’t worry,” she grinned as she swallowed some coffee and stopped coughing. “There really wasn’t anything special in it for you anyway but I would really like you to come.” She cut another piece of pancake before glancing over, “You can bring someone else with you if you wanted….a friend or something if you don’t want to be there amongst people you don’t know.” She tipped her head curiously, the word girlfriend on the tip of her tongue but not quite willing to say it. “Anyway come on, we need to eat up or I will never get moved.” With those words she popped another piece of pancake in her mouth before placing her knife and fork down as she had had enough and finished off her coffee before asking for the bill. @itsrogersandco
The idea of bringing someone from his life to Lottie’s party felt so out of place. He had managed to keep her separate from that life so far. He wanted to protect her from it all. He really should cut himself off from her completely to keep her safe from all that, but he was selfish, and Lottie made him feel like more than a thug. She made him feel cared for, and no one else in his life had ever done that before. He thought for only a moment, before shaking his head. “I can’t think of anyone I’d want to bring.” Maybe Ryan, but the two of them didn’t actually hang out and Scott wouldn’t like it if Cole tried to hang out with his girlfriend. The fact that Lottie was trying to figure out if Cole had someone special in his life went completely over Cole’s head.
He nodded and started to eat faster. “Are you going to finish that?” He asked, when she put her fork down. Once he got the okay, he pulled her plate across the table to himself and finished off what was left on her plate, before washing it all down with what was left in his coffee cup. God it felt good to not be hungry. “Alright,” he said before burping. “Let’s get to work.”