Cole felt like his chest was going to explode at any moment. He had been doing his best to remain calm and collected, but being alone with Noelle now was terrifying to him. The only saving grace was that he could tell how nervous she was as well. It was adorable on her, not like him where he felt like she could see him sweating bullets. On her, it was her chewing at her lower lip and taking deep breaths while looking like she was daydreaming. It was almost like an out of body experience when he finally decided to move closer to her and place his hand on hers. It were as if someone else was controlling his body. Someone much more confident at that moment. Whoever it was, Cole was grateful.

The small gasp that left Noelle's mouth when his hand made contact with hers made him worry for a moment until their eyes met and he saw in her eyes what he had in himself since he met her. Want. It was that look that gave him another boost of confidence and he curled his hand around hers and brought it to his lap to hold between both of his hands. Noelle's cheeks brightened at his brave move, but a small smile joined it moments later and Cole's mouth mirrored it.

"I know I said it a lot earlier, but I'm still sorry for how I acted before. I-" Noelle put her other hand up to stop him and shook her head.

"No more apologies, please," she commanded with a light tone, causing his mouth to snap shut. "I already forgave you. WE both forgave you, so no need to go back to that okay? We're here now and that's that." Noelle's soothing voice became stronger with her words and Cole wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and taste her pouty lips. Baby steps, he had to remind himself.

"Sorry...for being sorry," Cole said impishly, like a child that had just been scolded. "Can I tell you how excited I am to be back in your home? I don't know what it is about this place, but I feel so relaxed the moment I step in." He knew exactly why, but he was back to timid Cole and was afraid to admit it was her and her son that did this. They made him feel like he belonged in their family with no effort at all. Even after what he put them through, they still welcomed him with open arms, Jacob did it literally.

"This place is magic," Noelle said nonchalantly. He wanted to correct her and say it was her that was magic, but she continued. "When I was first looking to move out, it took me about two dozen tours to find this place and the moment I stepped in here I knew I was home. That, or maybe I was so tired of looking and so desperate to have space of my own that this was just the lucky one that had everything I needed at that time." Cole sat silently listening to her talk about the parts of her house that sold her on it. He could have listened to her read the phone book and been content. Her free hand moved as she talked and his smile grew, feeling the hand between his wanting to free itself to move along with her.

In the middle of her talking Noelle slowed down and looked back at Cole and her cheeks turned a darker shade. "I'm sorry I'm rambling," she said shyly, causing Cole to chuckle and her to shoot him a small glare.

"I like it," he said quickly while the confidence him still lingered. "I like hearing you talk about anything," now his cheeks were heating and judging by the smile that was growing on Noelle's face it was glaringly obvious. At least they were stewing together in their embarrassment he thought to himself.

"I like hearing you talk too, so maybe you should do it more," she joked. They shared a small laugh together before the quiet took over and Cole could only hear the sound of his own heartbeat racing.

"I'd like to take you out sometime," Cole blurted.

Noelle's mouth remained opened and her eyes wide. Cole freaked out for a moment, thinking he'd done something seriously dumb, but then Noelle's mouth closed and formed into a small smile. Cole almost let out an audible sigh, but caught himself before it could happen.

"You would?" The unsureness in her voice made him want to wrap her up in his arms. Of course he was sure. He'd spilled his guts to her just a couple hours ago, so why wouldn't he want to do this next.

"Absolutely." His one word answer brought a shift in her demeanor. It was as if she gained confidence from his answer.

"Then, I'd like that too," her bashful response brought a small chuckle out of him and the smile on her face to grow even more. They shared another moment of comfortable silence before she spoke up again. "Thank you," she nearly whispered, as if she were afraid to say it out loud.

Perplexed, Cole asked, "What are you thanking me for?" He hoped she wasn't thanking him for the date request.

She laughed quietly then responded. "Thank you for being here. For wanting to come back."

Ohhh was all Cole could think to himself, feeling slightly silly for his mind not catching on. "Thank you for letting me back in. I was worried you were going to say no, but it must be really difficult to resist my charm," he joked. Her hand that was still between both of his moved a little and for a moment he was saddened that she wanted it back, but her next move made his heart turn into an inferno and his body alight with fire. She wiggled her fingers in between his so they were entwined. Her soft, warm, incredibly small fingers were now each sandwiched in between his larger, rougher ones. It had never felt so right in his mind. It was like a final puzzle piece making its way to the puzzle and leaving him feeling complete.

"All week I played out different scenarios in my head, and most of the time I did resist you," she said playfully. "But the moment I saw you I knew I wouldn't be able to. Especially if you were sincere in your apologies. The fact that you put Jacob first in your list of them and I was done for."

"I won't lie because it broke my heart that I hurt the both of you, but it hurt just a little more that I hurt him at all. He's become one of my favorite people. You both have, and I think you know that. I'm kind of obsessed with you two."

"We're obviously obsessed with you too. That's why we were both so hurt by you. We care for you more than we originally thought, I guess. At least I do," her shyness was peaking out again at the end with her cheeks reddening. Cole couldn't take it anymore and reached his free hand towards the side of her face. The light brush against her cheek had her breath catching and his heart racing. The electricity from such a small touch felt unreal.

His boldness took him even further as he felt his hand cup the side of her face. Their eyes never strayed from one another and Cole could have sworn to himself he saw her pupils dilate and her chest heaving, but he didn't want to ruin his gentlemanly reputation and look down, as much as he wanted to.

"I like this," he said softly. His mind giving him a mental pat on the back for sharing his thoughts freely for once. "I like being around you and I hope you'll allow me do be often."

The small smile that made one of Noelle's dimples appear let him know things were right. They were going to work out and he'd make sure of it.

"Do you want to stay the night?" Noelle's question made Cole almost jump out of the couch. The shy, quiet woman didn't just as what he think she asked? Did she?