By Chance (Accidentally In Luck #1)

35. Dates All Around - Cora

*Cora*

Summer was wrapping up and I never thought I wouldn't mind that. The last couple of weeks were the most fun I'd ever had in my life. Theo, Jay, Elle, and I had been hanging out every day pretty much and it had been a very long time since I had laughed so much for so long, so often.

Every time we parted ways, I left with my cheeks aching and stomach hurting from laughing so much.

It was amazing.

Well, amazing all but for one thing: E had pulled away from me.

I sighed and flicked the TV on to some "Friends" rerun. It was Friday and I hadn't decided what I was doing yet. Last I checked my phone, no one had texted me so I thought I might just stay in today. In the background, I heard the characters talking. I think they were going on about something to do with George Stephanopoulos, but I couldn't focus on the show.

My thoughts were drifted back to E, just like they always did every single time I wasn't doing anything that took up brain space. Like being a couch potato all day, just how I am today.

I sighed again. Theo still invited me out all the time and gave me huge genuine smiles and stuff, but it wasn't the same. He didn't grab my hand when he pulled me places anymore, instead he would grab my wrist and he barely even did that. He hadn't made a move to kiss me and he didn't even hug me except for a few quick friendly ones like the ones he'd give Elle.

It almost seemed like he was afraid to touch me or something. Anytime we got close enough to touch he'd almost jerk back and not in a revolted way, it was more like he was uncomfortable with the contact. It was strange, but it really drove the point home that he hadn't done anything even remotely intimate since the night he stayed with me.

Was that what it was? Did something about that night change what was between us?

I had no idea. He'd made no mention anything about not wanting us to be together or any mention of wanting to be together in the past few weeks, but I could literally just tell he only wanted to be friends now.

Maybe it was the pulling away, but I could tell and it hurt. I wanted more than friendship with from him and I'm sure he knew that. I mean, it's not like I protested or pushed him away when he kissed me those few times or anything. I just thought that he wanted the same thing I did: to be together.

Guess that wasn't so much the case. I knew it couldn't happen straight off, not with the image thing and the fame thing and the fighting thing and, ok, yeah, I knew it wasn't a great situation. Or even a good situation, at that. I just thought that it would happen at some point.

The absolute worst part was that he'd stopped calling me Pip, which bothered me tremendously. He'd called me that from before I'd even really known him and after that one night, he'd just stopped. No reason, no explanation, just no more Pip, only Cora.

I was just happy he didn't completely pull away and, actually, strange as it may be, we were as close as ever. We talked more, got along better, argued less. Maybe it was wrong, but I couldn't feel bad about him pulling away. I wanted to, but a part of me was giddy that he still wanted to be near me and was convinced I could get him back to wanting what we were on the verge of.

Elle had noticed too, but I told her the truth. I didn't like it, but I was going to take what I could get for now and work from there.

I was far from stupid and I knew there was something E wasn't telling me. I would catch him looking at me and he would open his mouth to say something, but snap it shut and look away. I wasn't going to push him, though (no matter how much I wanted to) because I trusted him enough to know that he would tell me when he considered the time was right.