Cole knew the relationship you had with your parents wasn't the best but he didn’t think it would be this bad.

One night, he overheard his mom talking to his dad about how messy things have gotten, that explains why you’ve been coming over so frequently.

You were an unplanned child, born to two workaholic self centered parents in the ologists field.

They weren’t so present in your upbringing, your grandmother was until she passed a few years ago—leaving you to live home alone while your parents handled the bills and gave you money whenever needed.

They only speak to you once a month just to check in with school and your eating habits, clearly they’re living their own lives now.

Cole didn’t know how you kept it all together, had it been him—he would’ve gone insane by now. But now he understood why you were so hesitant to be with him.

That and with his prior history of loose relationships, he figured it would be hard for you to trust him.

After a long day at Silver Falls High, he met up with you in the parking lot as per usual.

Cole managed to escape being the designated driver for everyone this time just to have a proper moment alone with you. He wanted to talk, to let you know that he was there for you regardless how slow your relationship with him progressed.

Most of all, it was a safe space for you to let out any worries you had.

Ten minutes was how long he drove until stopping on the side of the road, the sooner he addressed it, the easier it would be to get through.

“I know what this is really about,” he said, putting the truck in park and he shifted in the driver’s seat to look at you. “It might be difficult to trust me considering how things went with Erin but I’m not going to hurt you.”

He reached over to take your hand, allowing his fingers to intertwine with yours.