She Belongs To No One

Hidden Feelings

Cole's POV

"I was trying to call you."

"You were?" I get my phone out of the pocket of my jacket, but I already know what I am going to find. "Dead." I had left my charger at home. I had meant to get one at the airport, but then I had spaced it until now.

Besides, with her gone, who else would have called me?

"It died while I was at the airport. I was too worried to notice."

"It is fine." She places a hand on my cheek. "I am glad you are here. I am so glad to see you."

"Not as glad as I am to see you." I place my hand over hers. Intimate. A look passes between us that feels more than friends. Suddenly awkward, I step back, letting my hand fall to my side. I am realizing that my whole greeting has been a little over the top. Certainly more than I had intended to let her see.

She smiles, not seeming to notice. "So, how soon do we leave?"

"Leave?" My eyebrows rise.

"You are taking me back home, are not you?" She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I mean, I know the Lab sent someone to fetch me, but they are taking so long and I am sure they will still have stuff to do here when they arrive. I want to go home, Cole."

The plea in her eyes, echoing the one in her voice, melts whatever resolve I might have had.

Poor Seraphina. She might still be able to smile, but I am sure she is hurting. And she might have survived, but that does not mean she did not go through hell.

The deepest cuts are the ones the eyes cannot see.

"Alright." I follow her, not letting go of her hand. "Let us get you home."

"I AM SORRY WE HAVE TO wait until tomorrow," I tell Seraphina as I drape my coat over the back of a chair in the hotel room. "You are sure a copy of your ID will be here then?"

Neither of us had thought this through very well. We had both had the assumption that with everything she had gone through she could just fly home. But in this present age there was no way security was going to give her a free pass to fly. Apparently, the bodies had been recovered from the plane, but it looked like an animal had torn through there. Things were missing. Her purse had not been a high priority. But without proof of who she was, no one was letting her on an airplane.

"It is supposed to be. They were supposed to FedEx the copies to the police station," Seraphina says as she sits on the edge of the bed, though I can still sense her disappointment. "We will leave tomorrow. It is not like it is the end of the world to stick around another day."

"Are you sure you do not want me to order room service?" I sit beside her. "You barely ate at the restaurant earlier."

She shakes her head. "I am not hungry right now. You know me. Sometimes, I eat like a bird and sometimes..."

"Like a shark," I finish for her. She still looks sad and vulnerable. I want to place my hand over hers, but I am not sure the gesture would be welcome. She had made it clear years ago that what we had was strictly platonic. At least from her side. I sigh a little, careful to keep my distance. "I am just worried about you, I guess. You have been through a lot."

"That is an understatement."

She lets out a sigh as she lies down on top of the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"You know you can tell me anything, right? It might help."

She lifts her hand above her, staring at it. "Cole?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think I am special?"

The question takes me by surprise. I scratch my head and look away, hoping to hide the blush that coats my cheeks. Did she finally realize I am still in love with her? I confessed years ago, but she had made her position clear. We had never spoken of it again.

Is she planning to force a confession out of me? To admit that my feelings never changed?

Well, I did promise myself that if she survived, I would tell her about my feelings. But...

"I mean, do you think I am different? Like as a person? A human?"

Oh, that.

I replace my hand on my lap.

"Of course. You are unlike anyone I know."

She sits up and looks at me with interest. "How so?"

"Well..." I rub my nape. "You are smart, but you do not brag about it. You are nice to everyone, but you do not want to be popular..."

You are beautiful, but you do not know it.

"Do you think I am weird?"

"Weird?" I sit on the edge of the opposite bed. "You know most people at the Lab are weird. We are scientists. Geeks."

"Right." She nods, rubbing her arms. "So, you do not think I am an alien or something?"

"An alien?" I chuckle. "Well, you still have a weird imagination. That is for sure."

But she does not laugh, her expression still all serious. "You once thought I could talk to animals or read their minds, did not you?"

"I was just joking." I stare at my hands. If I look at her now, I might give away what is in my heart. It is easier to hide. "I was just jealous of how close you were to them."

When I glance up, I see her eyes widen.

"Oh, do not mind me. See, I am weird like you."

I stand up, heading to the mini bar to get a bottle of water. Right now, I do not even care what it costs. I need the distraction, something to do.

"So, just to be clear, you do not think I am an alien or something not human?"

I turn around, bottle in hand, mystified by this turn in conversation. "To be clear, no. I do not."

"It is just that, after that plane crash, I..." She pauses, taking a deep breath. "Never mind."