Falling for Danger

Another Layer

Tori

I was bored. I was lonely. I was borderline depressed as I sat on the couch and absentmindedly flipped through the channels on TV. There wasn’t anything worth watching, but the faint hum of the background noise helped drown out the silence I had quickly begun to hate. I sighed heavily as I threw the remote on the seat next to me. It was a hard thing to admit to myself that I didn’t have any friends. I couldn’t really count anyone from the social group my friend since I didn’t know them all that well and while Naomi had become friendly, she had been a bit withdrawn since her first appointment. Cole was more of a crush than a friend, even though I did consider him a friend. Not that it meant I could just call him up whenever I wanted. And, boy, did I want to call him. Jack was always busy with his partners, and while I wanted my brother to be happy, I couldn’t stop the feeling of how alone I felt. I knew it would only take time for me to make friends, but it felt so impossible. I stared at the TV blankly as I mentally prepared myself for another lonely night.

“This is not how I imagined my life,” I muttered pathetically to myself. I had to accept the fact that I felt like an outsider. A sudden knock at the door made me pause as I listened closely, unsure if it had been the TV or if someone was actually at my door. Another knock came, louder this time, and I hurriedly scrambled for the remote to switch off the TV before I bolted for the door. I took a breath before I opened the door and there stood Cole. It was as if I had somehow summoned him. However, the tense expression on his face and his posture told me that he wasn’t happy. In fact, I didn’t see his bike anywhere even though I knew he had likely parked it by the Vineyard building down below.

“Sorry,” Cole murmured as he avoided eye contact. “I just…”

“No, no, it’s fine, come on in,” I said as I stepped aside to let him in. Cole didn’t hesitate as he came inside and headed straight for the living room. I stopped by the kitchen to grab two beers before I joined him.

“I needed to see you, I hope…I hope that’s ok,” he remarked as I handed him one of the beers and sat down next to him.

“That’s ok, Cole,” I said gently as I watched him closely. The man looked as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Talk to me, Cole…what’s going on?”

“I don’t…I don’t even know where to begin, Tori…this isn’t the sort of stuff I talk about…to anyone,” he admitted, and I reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“It’s ok, Cole. You can talk to me, whatever it is, I am here,” I said reassuringly. Cole nodded as he breathed in a shaky breath.

“The thing is…I don’t know who my parents are, Tori,” he revealed, and I was surprised by that. It wasn’t something I would have thought. “I don’t know where I come from, I don’t know…I just…I don’t know,” he took another shaky breath, and I merely sat there and waited for him to continue. “I grew up in the foster system. I moved from one place to another…I never…I never really felt like I belonged anywhere,” my heart ached as I listened to him and all it did was make me realize that I still didn’t know a lot about him. I had sensed that there was more to him, something hidden beneath the surface, and now I felt like he was showing me a part of himself. “All I have is a name. Miller Mulder,”

“I’m sorry, Cole…ah…Miller Mulder?”

“I don’t particularly like the name, and…” his voice trailed off and because I was watching him so closely, I saw his eyes darkened. “I named myself Cole,” he finished off and I nodded. “Erik…he is a good friend, but he made this joke again today…a joke that Miller is my father,” Cole’s how expression changed, and I sighed softly. “Just because we have the same first name doesn’t mean jack s**t, you know? It’s just a joke…I know that, but…every time he says it, it stirs up these emotions in me that I don’t like feeling…it’s like this…emptiness. The feeling of not knowing who I am or where I came from or why I had been left behind…”

“Oh, Cole,” I whispered, unsure of what to say to him. It was clear to me that he was hurting. I hated the fact that Erik would even make that joke. Obviously, he knew about Cole’s past, otherwise he wouldn’t even make a joke like that, but it was mean. “Have you told Cole that the joke upsets you?” I asked carefully.

“No, I don’t want to make it into a big deal…I mean, I know that if I said something, he would feel bad and apologize…but…I don’t want him to walk on eggshells around me,” he said, and I frowned. There was something in his tone of voice that I couldn’t quite decipher, and it made me wonder what more there was to Cole and if I would ever find out.

“Cole,” I said softly as I moved a bit closer. “I know it doesn’t change anything, but I am glad you came here tonight. I am here for you…even if I can’t fix these things for you. I just…I see you and I hear you. You are not alone,” Cole glanced over at me and the smile he shared was soft and sweet.

“Thank you, Tori. That means a lot to me,” he said, and silence fell over us as we both finished off our drink. The last thing I wanted was for him to go, but I wasn’t sure how to make him stay. “I should go…I’m so sorry for just barging in like this and unloading my problems on your doorstep,”

“Cole…you don’t have to go,” I said as I watched him. “We could order some pizza and watch a movie,” I suggested. His eyes lit up, and I breathed out a sigh of relief when he agreed. The tension in the room slowly evaporated as I ordered a pizza while Cole picked out a movie. I was so thankful for his company that I wondered if I could just befriend him. It seemed like we both needed that in our lives.