stardust - cole brookstone x female reader

Chapter Nine

Like Lovers Do - Hey Violet 

Cole and Mariah had been together for a year and two months. 

"My longest relationship," Mariah had claimed last night. 

Cole's tired eyes peeled open to see sunlight bleeding through the curtains. He followed the light down to Mariah, who was sleeping soundly beside him, turned away. His heart ached when another thought came to him. He''d caught Mariah cheating on him last night. She had cheated, yet here they were, acting as if nothing had happened. 

Because Cole said it was okay. He'd told her it was okay, just don't do it again. Sure, it had been a fight, but when Mariah threatened to leave him...He gave in. He had given in so easily. 

Cole traced his finger down one of Mariah's freckled arms. "Mariah?" 

Mariah turned, rubbing her tired eyes and meeting his gaze. 

"You okay?" Cole asked when he noticed her eyes were puffy from crying. 

"Yeah," she whispered. "Fine." Mariah turned on her side and positioned her head onto Cole's arm. 

They remained silent for a while before Mariah asked, "Do you...care about me?" 

"Wha-? Yes. Of course I do. Mariah, I'm in love with you." 

"Really?' Mariah pushed herself up from his arm. "You care about me? Didn't seem like it last night." 

Cole's brow furrowed. "I argued with you because you were cheating on me, Mariah. I fight with you because I care about you." 

"Why do you even think I was cheating on you?" She snapped, turning her back to him and laying down. 

"I don't know, why don't you fucking tell me?" 

Mariah sat up, whipping her head back to him. "Because I'm fucking lonely, Cole!" 

Her words stabbed his heart a thousand times. "Mariah, you could've just told me that I was-" 

"No! Always: I have to save the world again, sorry honey just don't die, or, there's another stupid party I have to attend to because I'm the dumb guest of honor." 

"Mariah, first of all, I  don't want you getting hurt on missions! Second of all, I'm the freaking guest of honor. I need to go to those. I completely understand where you're coming from, but I assumed you'd know what you were getting into when you decided to date me." He sat up, running his hands down his face and through his hair. 

"Don't act like the victim here, Cole!" 

"I'm not acting like the fucking victim!" 

"Yes you are!" 

"No I'm not!" 

"Stop. Just stop. You're so immature. Ugh, why'd I ever choose you?" Mariah ran her hand through her red curly hair. 

Cole felt as though a spear had pierced his chest, going straight through his heart and out his back. "What the hell do you mean?" 

"I mean that you and I aren't going to work!" 

"Wh..." Cole paused, turning her face to meet his. "Mariah, I don't want to end this. I love you. I'm willing to work this out with you. Even after you cheated-" 

"You're seriously going to use that against me? Wow. Okay." 

"Mariah," Cole's voice hardened, "You cheated. I forgave you." 

"Well you didn't have to!" 

"But I did! Would you rather have me angry at you? Would you rather me break up with you?" 

"Yes. Yes I would have much preferred that you just leave me alone. The boy I cheated on you with? He treated me better in a single night than you have the entire time we've been together." 

Cole scoffed, ripping the sheets off his legs and swinging his legs off the mattress. "One year. For what?" He laughed mockingly. 

"You're a waste of my time." Mariah stood up and walked over to the bathroom, slamming the door. 

"Careful with that damn door, Mariah! This isn't your dad's house! You can't do whatever the hell you want!" 

"Fuck you!" She screamed through the door. 

Cole stood up and angrily shoved his clothes on his body. His cheeks and ears were red with anger. Was she really going to leave him for that dunce?  Of all people... 

Hell, Cole didn't even know who the guy was! Just some stranger she'd met on the street.  Then again, a lover always starts out a stranger, right? He blinked, hard and long, keeping the tears inside. He swallowed the lump in his throat, taking three deep breaths before making his way to the bathroom door. He knocked on it softly. "Mariah? Maybe we can talk through this-" 

The white door swung open. "You're all talk, bastard!" She delivered a clean, hard slap to his cheek. The sting matched the red tinge. "I hate you! You don't love me, you never have! Stop pretending, Cole!" 

"Mariah! I'm not-" 

"You're nothing to me! You are nothing! You know what? You're nameless to me." She pressed a finger to his bare chest, pointing directly at his heart. "You are meaningless to everyone. No one would love you. No one will. Your teammates hate you, and so do I." She stormed past him, shoving his meaningless self aside, storming out the door, slamming it. 

Cole didn't bother to flinch when she did. He collapsed to the floor, the tears already streaming out his eyes. And he remembered he had sobbed for hours, his throat hoarse the next day, eyes puffy. His life was blurry, his name nonexistent without her. 

UNEDITED