Later that night after dinner, Hollyn was at the tree house, waiting for Cole. Apollo was outside, his reins hooked on the tree and he was eating grass. Hollyn was working on a drawing, not realizing Cole had walked in until she felt his arms wrap around her shoulders. She had been sat on a bean bag chair, the sketch book laying on her lap. Cole had managed to sneak up behind her and scare her. He had wrapped his arms around her, his head on her shoulder. Hollyn let out a yelp and dropped the pencil, turning around to glare at him. His only response was a chuckle and a kiss on her cheek as he pulled away from her.

"Cole! You scared me. How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me like that?" She scolded, shaking her head. He chuckled and sat down next to her, throwing his arm around her. He knew she wasn't really mad at him, she had a small smile on her face.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist." Cole's attention is brought to her sketchbook, his lips curling upwards as he noticed the drawing she was working on. "That's the drawing of me I saw you working on earlier, right?"

"No. Nope, totally not a drawing of you." She said quickly, her cheeks flushing as she picked up her sketchbook, holding it to her chest to hide it. She couldn't help but blush. She had been sketching him. The drawing had his head tilted back and he was laughing. She was proud of the drawing, but she wasn't going to let him see it. No way. He didn't need to know. Cole grinned at her reaction, knowing exactly what she was doing. "Okay, maybe it is." She sighed, putting her sketchbook down.

"Can I see it?" Cole asks, a mischievous smile on his face. When she hesitated, he continues. "Please?" He pleaded, giving her puppy dog eyes. Hollyn sighed and reluctantly picked her sketchbook up, handing it to him. She can't say no when he does the puppy dog eyes. As soon as he took the sketchbook from her, she covered her face with her hands. Cole smiled as he looked at the drawing, his lips curving up. It was the best drawing she had done yet, even though it wasn't finished.

"Be honest." She said, her voice muffled by her hands. She was nervous. She wasn't usually nervous about her art. But, she wanted to know what he thought. She wanted him to like it. His opinion was important to her because he was her best friend...Also because she had been realizing she was falling in love with him, but that's beside the point. She didn't know when her feelings had changed. But they had, and there was nothing she could do about it. So she's decided to just let it be, and not act on them. Besides, he was with Erin and every other girl he decided to sleep with. 

She was pretty sure he had slept with Olivia, she had seen her car leave the Walter's house one morning when she was out doing chores. She didn't like thinking about him with other girls. She didn't understand why she felt this way. She hated it. But she wasn't going to dwell on it, and she wasn't going to let her feelings interfere with their friendship. 

"It's horrible, right?" She says, peeking through her fingers to look at him. "I shouldn't even bother to finish it, right? Just tear it up. Rip it. It's awful. Here, I'll do it." She murmured, finally pulling her hands away to grab her sketchbook.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second." Cole said, sounding surprised by what she told him to do. He stops her and held the sketchbook away from her. He didn't know why, but he was happy that she was drawing him. He felt a warmth in his chest and a smile form on his face as he looked at the drawing. And she was saying it was bad. She thought it was horrible. 

He had never thought any of her work was horrible...He's pretty sure he never heard anyone tell her that her work is horrible. So the fact that she thought the drawing was horrible was shocking to him. She was wrong. So wrong. Her drawings were amazing. She was an amazing artist. "It's not horrible. Not at all." Cole says, turning his head to look at her with a soft smile. "It's amazing. I don't think you should rip it. You're not done with it yet, anyway. But Hollyn, you are so talented and it kills me that you don't think you are."

Hollyn looks at him with surprise, her heart racing and she could feel herself blushing. She was so caught off guard. She had been expecting him to laugh, or make a joke, but he didn't. He was serious. He was always serious when it came to her art. His words and the fond expression in his eyes made butterflies swarm in her stomach and her lips curve upwards. She let herself relax, leaning into him. "Thank you, Coley."

"You're welcome, Holls. Don't be so hard on yourself, okay? I'm always here to remind you." Cole told her, squeezing her shoulder.

"Okay," Hollyn smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder. She feels him press a kiss to the top of her head and her heart fluttered. She wished she could tell him how she felt. She wanted to, but she knew it wouldn't be a good idea. If she told him, she would ruin everything. He didn't feel the same way. Why would he? He could have any girl he wanted, so why would he choose her? She wasn't going to risk losing him, not when he was everything to her. So, instead, she kept her mouth shut, and enjoyed the moment.

"Can I see the other drawings?" Cole asked curiously, nudging her as he smiled at her.

"Um, yeah. Yeah, you can." She replied with a small smile, her cheeks reddening while she handed him her sketchbook. He took the sketchbook and began to flip through the pages, his smile growing bigger and his eyes full of awe.

"How come there's so many of us? Not that I'm complaining. Just curious." Cole questioned curiously, flipping through the drawings with a soft smile.

"Just because." She answered simply, looking down to hide her blush that appeared when she realized that she had drawn him so much. She had a lot of drawings of him. Too many, she was pretty sure. Can you blame her though? He's just so good looking, she can't help it.

"You have a lot of drawings of me." He commented, smirking a little. 

"Doesn't mean anything." She muttered, her face turning more red as she reached over to try to grab her sketchbook. He moved it away, not letting her have it back.

"Sure it doesn't. So you don't like looking at my handsome face, then?" Cole asked, his smirk growing. He was enjoying this, Hollyn could tell.

"Ugh. I hate you. Give it back." Hollyn groaned, leaning over to try to take the sketchbook. He kept moving it out of her reach which only annoyed her. It wasn't that hard for him to get it out of her reach since he was taller than her.

Cole grins, a mischievous glint flicker in his eyes as he stands up, the sketchbook still in his hand. She stands up and tries to grab the sketchbook, but she wasn't tall enough, so it was useless. She saw him smirk and she scowled at him, wanting to wipe that smug smirk off his face. "Cole. Come on. Give it back. Don't be a jerk." Hollyn huffed, jumping to try to reach the sketchbook. When he doesn't give her the sketchbook, she crosses her arms, her eyes narrowed and her lips pouted. She's trying to be mad at him, but it was hard when he was giving her a boyish grin, his eyes full of mischief. 

"Why are you being so annoying? This isn't funny." She grumbled.

"I think it is." He chuckles, moving the sketchbook again when she tried to take it from him. "You want it? Come and get it." He grinned and took off running out of the tree house with a laugh.

"Cole Walter, are you kidding me? What are you, a child?" Hollyn complains, her lips curled up in a small smile despite herself. She shakes her head, taking off after him. She doesn't care that he's taller than her, she's going to catch him. She pauses when she reached the ladder, noticing he had gotten down from the tree house and was now standing a few feet from the tree house with a smug smirk on his face. "Cole!"

"If you want it back, you're gonna have to get it." Cole called out, the smirk still on his face. Hollyn shook her head, letting out a small sigh. She looked down the ladder, hesitating. She forgot how high up they were.

"Are you seriously going to make me do this?" She whined, her eyes locked on the ground nervously as her heart continued to race.

"It's not that far, Holls. You did it before." Cole encouraged, offering her a soft smile. He had seen her hesitate. He didn't want her to be scared, he didn't want her to feel scared or nervous around him.

"Yeah, but that doesn't make it any easier." She mutters, carefully making her way down the ladder. She was a bit shaky and she had a tight grip on the ladder. Once her feet were on the ground, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She had never liked heights. She always felt uneasy whenever she was in high places, like she could fall at any moment. "Can I have it back now?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Come get it." He replied, the smirk on his face growing. She rolled her eyes and ran over to him, jumping on his back and reaching for her sketchbook. Cole was taken aback, stumbling a little, but he quickly regained his balance and held her sketchbook out of reach while holding onto her right ankle with his free hand.

"Give me my sketchbook back!" She whines, wrapping her arms around his neck and reaching for her sketchbook with a huff. Cole shakes his head, letting out a small laugh as he continues to hold the sketchbook out of her reach. She lets out another groan and stops trying to reach for the sketchbook. "Why are you being so difficult? Why are you so annoying?" She complained, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Because I love seeing your pouty face." Cole smirked, glancing over his shoulder to look at her. He felt a flutter in his stomach as he looked at her. The moonlight was shining down on her, making her eyes sparkle and her hair shine. Her cheeks were tinted pink, and her lips were curved up in a pout. She was beautiful. He didn't think that as romantic or anything, it was just an observation. At least, that's what he told himself.

While he was distracted, Hollyn manages to grab her sketchbook from him with a grin and jumps down from his back. "Ha! Got it." She said triumphantly, holding her sketchbook close to her chest. She then took off running towards the tree house. She was smiling the whole time, and the only thought on her mind was how happy she was with him. She loved the moments like this, where they could just be themselves and have fun. It was times like this when she realized that even though they had grown up, some things stayed the same. They could still have fun, and act like they were kids again. She couldn't stop herself from grinning and giggling.

Cole snapped out of his daze when she got her sketchbook back and ran away. He chuckled, chasing after her. As he chased after her, a smile formed on his face. He watched her run ahead of him, her brown hair blowing behind her in the wind and the moonlight shining down on her. His heart skipped a beat and his stomach fluttered as he took in the sight of her. He was having a lot of weird feelings lately about her. But, he figured it was nothing. It's just because she was his best friend. It had to be. He couldn't be feeling anything other than friendship for her. There was no way. Right?

Hollyn had got to the tree, turning around just as Cole had got to her. She let out a surprised squeak when she was suddenly trapped against the tree, his hands resting on either side of her head and his face inches away from hers. Her cheeks heated up and her heart raced. They were so close, their noses were almost touching. She couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like if he kissed her. How soft his lips would be against hers. She pushed those thoughts away, shaking her head.

"Gotcha." Cole smirked, his face inches away from hers.

"Yup. You got me. You can let go of me now." She mumbled nervously, her cheeks turning red as butterflies swarmed in her stomach. She had no idea how she was keeping her composure. Well, mostly keeping her composure. Inside, her mind was spinning. Her heart was racing, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She could feel his warm breath fanning over her face. She had the urge to pull him down and kiss him, but she refrained from doing so. She wasn't going to risk ruining their friendship.

"Do I have to?" He asked teasingly, his eyes flicking down to her lips. The way she was biting her lip was driving him crazy. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about kissing her. But he didn't. He stopped himself. He couldn't. He couldn't risk ruining their friendship.

"Y-Yes." She stammered, her breath hitching when his thumb brushed against her bottom lip. His touch sent electricity throughout her body and she shivered, her cheeks reddening. It fell silent and the air between them was filled with tension. They were both staring at each other, not saying a word. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and all she could focus on was his warm breath fanning across her face and the way his eyes were flicking down to her lips.

After a moment, Cole lets go of her and steps back, clearing his throat and looking away. "We should probably head back. It's getting late." He murmurs. "I'll go get our stuff so you don't have to go up the ladder again." He then climbed up the ladder, going into the tree house to get their stuff.

Hollyn was frozen in place. She could only nod, not trusting herself to speak. She was breathing heavily, trying to process what just happened. Did he almost kiss her? Did he want to kiss her? Was she imagining it? Her heart was still racing and she was pretty sure her cheeks were bright red. When she finally came out of her thoughts, she saw Cole climbing down the ladder.

"You okay?" Cole asked once he got down, his brows furrowed in concern. He hadn't meant to get that close to her, but something had taken over him and before he knew it, he was inches away from her. He noticed she was still in the same spot as before, her face was flushed and her eyes were wide.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Just...Just tired." She mumbled, her cheeks flushing. He seemed unconvinced, but he didn't push her. Instead, he just gave her a small nod and handed her backpack to her. She took it from him, unzipping it to put her sketchbook in it as Cole walked over to his horse, Custard. Hollyn then zipped her backpack up and walked over to Apollo.

"You're sure you're okay?" Cole asks as he untied Custard. He knows she said she was fine, but he had a feeling that wasn't the complete truth. "If I crossed a line, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pinned you against the tree like that."

"No, no. It's fine. I'm okay. Really. I promise." Hollyn assures him, trying to hide her blush as she untied Apollo. She wasn't going to tell him how badly she had wanted him to kiss her. How much she had enjoyed the closeness of their bodies. No. That was a secret she was going to keep to herself. "It was just a shock is all. You caught me off guard."

"Okay. If you're sure. I don't want to upset you. I didn't mean to, if I did." Cole said softly, looking at her with an apologetic look. "I, uh, I was just playing around." He added. 

"You didn't, Coley. Don't worry. We're fine." She gave him a soft smile and reached over to squeeze his hand.

"Okay. I'm glad." Cole smiles back at her, squeezing her hand. "Ready to go?" He inquired, pulling his hand back and then mounted Custard.

"Yeah." She smiled, getting on Apollo. Cole smiled back at her, riding up beside her as they made their way back. They were silent for a while, both of them lost in their own thoughts. After a while, Cole glanced over at her, a mischievous glint flickering in his eyes.

"Race you." He grinned. He then took off, laughing as he heard Hollyn calling out after him. He could hear her and Apollo catching up and soon enough, she was riding beside him, a competitive glint in her eyes.

"You're going to lose." She said with a smirk, speeding up her horse. Cole shook his head and grinned, picking up his pace as well. They rode next to each other, laughing and pushing each other playfully. When they got to the gates that went to their families ranches, they both came to a stop.

"I won." Cole teased, looking at her with a smug smile.

"No you didn't. You cheated." Hollyn retorts, sticking her tongue out at him. "You got a head start."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself, Holls." Cole snickered.

"Shut up." She huffs, rolling her eyes but there was a smile on her face. She pulls her phone out of her pocket to check the time, noticing it was around 9pm. "We should get going, it's getting late." She puts her phone back in her pocket, glancing at him with a smile. "See you tomorrow?"

They stared at each other with soft look, lingering tension in the air. The unspoken events of the evening still hung between them like a delicate thread, neither willing to address the palpable shift in their friendship.  "Yeah, see you tomorrow." Cole finally replied, his voice breaking the silence. He offered a small smile, but Hollyn could sense a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

With a nod, Hollyn turned Apollo toward her family's ranch, urging him forward. She couldn't shake the mix of emotions swirling within her. The moonlit night seemed to carry a weight of secrets, and the echo of their unspoken connection lingered in the air. As Hollyn rode away, she stole a glance over her shoulder to find Cole still on his horse, watching her. The distance between them widened, both physically and emotionally. She wrestled with the words that threatened to spill out, the words that might shatter the fragile balance they had.

Hollyn made sure to be quiet as she put Apollo back in his stables. She was even more quiet as she got back inside the back door. She knew her parents were asleep because all the lights were off. She made her way to her room, shutting the door quietly. She then changed out of her clothes and into her pajamas before collapsing on her bed. 

She laid there for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. Her mind kept wandering back to the tree house. The way he was inches away from her face and the look in his eyes. The way his hand brushed against her bottom lip. The way his warm breath fanned across her face. Her cheeks flushed and her heart started beating faster. She groaned, burying her face in her pillow.

She knew she had it bad. She had fallen for him. But, she wasn't going to tell him. It would ruin their friendship. So, she would keep her feelings to herself. Even though it was hard. Because she had a feeling she wouldn't ever get a chance with him....But there was a part of her that couldn't help but think what if.

A/N hollyn & cole are so cute. i love them sm