Friday Afternoon Fun: Eden Attn: Cole

[Eden Patridge]

So they'd had sex again. Later on, Eden would second guess her actions and wonder if she'd turned into a slut. Not just because she'd slept with Cole, but now that she'd slept with both Jett and Cole twice in the matter of a week. It was such a 180 from how she normally was. But right now she wasn't really thinking about any of that. She was more caught up in the moment. Cole always seemed to be caught up in the moment and it was sort of catching on. Eden was being much more impulsive than she normally was--but it was fun.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Eden said. It was starting to get dark out, so no surfing, but Eden didn't so much mind. Maybe she'd catch some waves tomorrow with Ben. She laid there for a moment even after Cole got up, thinking about what she'd wear. Now that it was getting dark, it meant that it would be getting cooler, even if they would be by the fire. Once she did get out of bed she pulled her underwear on first and then opted for a pair of skinny jeans and one of her old surfer T-shirts that was fitted. Even though it was more like the way she used to dress before the mini-makeover she'd given herself at the start of the week, she still felt like she looked hotter than she used to because she kept her hair down and had makeup on.

She slipped on a pair of flip flops and transferred her things from the larger bag she carried at school to a smaller bag. She included the weed that Ben had given her and grabbed some rolling papers too and shoved them in there. Grabbing a zip up hoodie, in case she got cold later, she tied it onto her purse before turning to Cole. "Ready," she said, tossing her long blonde hair behind her shoulder. "We can stop at your place--no problem. Where is the bonfire, anyway?" she asked as she opened up the door to her room.

She could tell that her brother had been in the house. The door to his room was ajar but Eden kept going, not saying bye. If she knew that he had company she would have been more relaxed about seeing him, but she didn't want to get the 3rd degree...especially in front of Cole. So she ignored her brother's presence in the house and pressed on toward the front door. "Is there gonna be food there?" she asked, "If not we can grab something on the way," she said with a shrug as she headed out, not really bothering to lock up since she knew Ben was home. His car was even in the driveway now.

She unlocked her car and got in, waiting for Cole to do the same. Once he was in and buckled up, she started up the car and started to drive. "On to your place," she said with a grin, listening as the radio kicked on. "Once again, feel free to put whatever on," she offered.

[Cole Hobbes]

Cole couldn't help but pause and watch Eden as she got out of the bed and began to dress. He had already gotten mostly dressed, and so was able to take his time pulling on his t-shirt. He was even half tempted to pull her back into the bed, but then they would likely miss the bonfire and Cole would be quite disappointed.

The pair exited the bedroom, and Cole noticed the smell of weed as they walked down the hall. “Bonfire's north, just before Malibu. It's at a friend's beach house, so we won't get hassled by the cops or anything. It's pretty rad.” Cole was speaking, but the scent of weed had caused his mind to put a few things together. He had smoked and surfed with Ben Partridge a few times before, and though he didn't know the guy well he seemed cool. Somewhere in the back of Cole's head he must have realized Eden was the guy's little sister, but it wasn't until now that he was able to put two and two together.

Still, it wasn't as if Cole was taking advantage of Eden. The girl was quite willing in his arms. But there was still a certain awkwardness about the situation Cole hoped to be able to ignore. He was glad that Eden seemed to desire the same avoidance as he. They left the house, got in her jeep, and Cole never looked back.

"Yeah, there'll be some eats there. Sometimes just stuff like hot dogs and chips, sometimes better." The radio was playing Muse again, and though Cole liked the band it was one of the things he hated most about current pop radio. If a song was popular, you were forced to listen to it over and over again. He adjust the station until he found a decent jazz tune, hoping the mellow tunes would serve as excellent background music for the ride. It didn't take long to reach his place, and all he needed to do was drop off one guitar and his books, grab another instrument, and change his shirt. He told Eden she could wait in the car, and it took him less than five minutes.

By the time they made it to Highway 1, the sun was setting. Cole loved to watch the sun set over the ocean, and though he wasn't on the beach yet it was still an entrancing sight. “It's beautiful, isn't it?” he murmured, nodding towards the colorful display. His eyed then refocused on Eden, a grin spreading across his face. “Almost as beautiful as you.” He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek, thoughts of her body illuminated by the fire dancing in his head.

The drive was shorter than Cole expected, since the Friday night traffic was not as bad as usual. He directed Eden to a house sitting just off the ocean, and they could see a group of people near a fire just down the beach to the west. He showed her where to park and they walked towards the group, the sound of congas filling the air. As they arrived, the group turned to welcome Cole and his date. It consisted of about fifteen people, some as young as Cole and Eden, some appearing quite old. Smoke drifted through the air, but not all of it smelled of bonfire, and one could easily spot a plethora of bongs, pipes, and one-hitters lying on various beach towels about the fire. Also on those towels were collections of guitars, harmonicas, and various drums, ready to be played at a moment's notice.

One guy, looking to be in his late twenties, approached Cole and Eden as they neared the fire. “Welcome, friends. Is that Coltrane I see? And his lovely friend! Welcome!”

“Davey Waves, good to see you, man!” Cole responded, ignoring the use of his full middle name. “He immediately turned to Eden, introducing her. “Eden, this is Dave Robbins, but everyone calls him Davey Waves. Davey, this is my friend Eden.”

[Eden Patridge]

Eden had no idea that Cole hadn't known that she and Ben were twins. It was something that she took for granted...that everyone knew. So she really hadn't thought about it one way or another. She wasn't really into the the jazz music he put on the radio but didn't really say anything, figuring she'd give it a chance. She'd just never really listened to jazz before and didn't really know anything about it.

It didn't take long to get to his place and once they were there, Eden waited in the car while he went inside. He was quick and it wasn't before long that they were headed up the PCH toward his friend's beach house. Once they got there, she parked out front and let Cole lead her in. There were a lot of people there and she didn't know anyone. It made her feel a little uneasy...Eden wasn't always the most social. She tended to stick to her friends, not really bothering much to break out of her social bubble. But she silently told herself to just be friendly and it would all be okay.

She could smell the familiar smell of weed and bonfire, which comforted her, as they moved closer to the group. She made a mental note of the guys with the bongs. A few hits and she knew it would relax her...it always did. One of the guys who looked a little older approached them, called Cole, Coltrane. Eden made a mental note to tease him about that later.

"Nice to meet you," Eden said, shaking his hand. Davey Waves, she repeated in her head so she'd remember. She was still looking around though, taking it all in, she was excited to see what was to come of the night.

[Cole Hobbes]

With the sun's disappearance below the waves, a slight chill had come through the air. The fire, however, was warm and inviting. After greeting Davey, the owner of the beach house, Cole pulled Eden towards a log bench long enough for the both of them. There were a few faces attending Cole didn't recognize well, people he had met maybe once or twice, but there were a few familiar faces as well. He noted a lot of the guys had their eyes glued to Eden, and though it made him feel proud he made sure to keep a look out for any trouble.

Davey lit up a blunt and began passing it around the circle. The cherry was like a plane flying through the sky, a small red light passing through the dark of the night. It came around to Cole, and he took a hit, then passed it to Eden. “Davey's cool, he's one of my suppliers so you can trust his stuff.” The last thing Cole wanted was for Eden to take some stranger's weed and have it be laced. He may be a bit of a pothead, but he wasn't irresponsible.

The drumming came to an eventual end, and the group sat in silence as they waited for a new song to start up. An older guy on the opposite side of the fire from Cole began playing a riff, something slightly recognizable but Cole couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was. The rest of the group began chatting amongst themselves, letting the music serve as a calming backdrop to the relaxed evening. Cole kept an arm around Eden's waist as he turned to talk music with the guy next to him. He didn't think Eden might not be too comfortable in a group of people she hardly knew.

[Eden Patridge]

Eden sat down on the bench next to Cole, enjoying the warmth from the fire. It felt good and was just the right amount of warmth to off set the cool beach air. Eden sort of wondered how Cole knew all these people, especially given the diverse ages but figured it was probably from surfing or something. She was going to ask him but then someone started passing around a blunt and Eden was looking forward to her turn. She knew the weed would relax her.

She smiled at Cole when he assured her it was safe. "It's okay, I trust that everyone here wouldn't be passing around some crazy bad weed," she told him taking it and taking a hit. She sort of wanted more but she didn't want to be greedy so she passed it on, figuring she had her own weed in her purse if she decided she needed more.

People were playing music and Eden sort of wanted to ask about her song again but she didn't really want to hear it for the first time in front of a whole group of strangers. Plus, Cole had preoccupied himself talking to the guy on his other side. They were talking about music, mostly stuff that Eden hadn't heard of. She looked around, it seemed like a lot of the guys were looking at her, or perhaps even talking about her, but no one was really talking to her. She felt sort of awkward as she sat there in silence, sort of just staring into the fire.

Finally, she decided to roll up a joint. The blunt was gone now and if people wanted to pass hers around, she'd let them. She didn't mind sharing her weed because she knew that Ben had gotten more that afternoon. He always got enough for both of them. Otherwise she'd just take some hits herself, maybe offer it to Cole and the guy he was talking to. She pulled out her baggy of weed and one of her rolling papers and started to roll one up, using her knee to balance it on.

[Cole Hobbes]

The night was quite enjoyable, or so Cole thought. Though he wasn't always able to make it up to these bonfires, whenever he showed he always felt welcome. He hoped Eden felt the same, and turned back to talk with her. He saw that she was rolling up a blunt and smiled. “Don't worry about passing it around if you don't want, I'm sure every dude here is packed.” He waited for her to take a few draws, then took a few of his own. He was starting to feel quite loose, which he liked.

As the music played, a dude with a cooler began passing around beer. Cole took two, offering one to Eden if she wanted it. He took a few sips then set it in the sand beside him as a new jam started up. He grabbed a set of bongos that lay in the sand next to him and plopped them Eden's lap. “Ready to rock out with us?” he grinned as he picked up his guitar. He didn't know if Eden had any musical capabilities in her, but bongos were a good introduction if she wasn't some prodigy. He began strumming the tune that was being played, and looked back towards Eden with anticipation.

[Eden Patridge]

"Cool," Eden said. She took a couple hits and passed it to Cole. The pot definitely calmed her and she liked that. She could feel her body and brain relaxing, finally getting to the point where she didn't care if people were looking at her or if Cole was talking to some other guy. When he passed her the beer, she took it, taking a sip. Ah, now this was the life. Beer, weed, bonfire, and beach...some of Eden's favorite things. A lot of people at school didn't really take her for a party girl because she didn't go out much or go to the same parties that everyone else did. But she'd been partying like this for years--she just liked to keep things more low key.

"Um...I've never played before," Eden said staring down at the bongos when Cole plopped them in her lap. Eden wasn't really so much into music. She liked listening to music...who didn't though...she liked going to concerts...she had a decent singing voice, that she didn't really use much... She'd never really played any instruments though. Cole started just playing and she guessed that she was just supposed to jump in but she didn't want to throw the whole thing off. "Is there like...a certain beat I should be going for?" she asked when he looked over at her.

[Cole Hobbes]

Cole couldn't help but smile at Eden. She seemed so cute and innocent holding the bongos in her lap, seemingly afraid to hit them. He changed up what he was playing to that it was a more simple, rhythm based riff. He made sure to hit the downbeats especially hard so that Eden could catch the rhythm. “Try not to think about it, just feel the music and hit the drums.” He kept his eyes on hers, still smiling the whole time. He felt like he could look at that face forever.

He listened as she began to tap the drums, and tried his best to use his guitar to help guide her rhythm. She obviously had some sort of talent, since she picked up the beat pretty well, but it was still pretty simple. “Okay, cool, now you got the basic beat, feel free to throw in something different! Have fun with it,” he said, playing a funky little riff himself, “and just feel the music inside you.” Sure, it was a corny thing to say, but Cole wholeheartedly believed that there was a tune inside everyone, and you were lucky if you could get it out.

Eventually, the song came to an end. A few of the folks near the couple gave Eden kudos on playing the bongos. One of the things Cole liked about these people was that they were a pretty welcoming group. Still, playing the last tune made Cole want to play his song for Eden, so he thought it would be a good idea to get away from the group.

He slung his guitar across his back and grabbed his beer, then leaned over to Eden. He got very close to her ear and whispered, “Follow me, and bring the weed.” He left a kiss on her neck before standing up and offering his hand.

[Eden Patridge]

Eden felt a little silly playing the bongos but she didn't really want to disappoint anyone, so she went with it anyway. She was actually better than she realized at them but she wasn't really very confident playing them. She stuck to the beat that Cole had showed her and was happy when the song was finished. She kept the bongos in her lap though, waiting to see if there would be another song or not.

But luckily Cole whispered for her to follow him so she realized that they'd be going off on their own. She placed the bongos on the ground and followed him, grabbing her purse as she went since her weed was in there. She followed him out a little ways away from the group. It was a little cold away from the fire so she slipped on her zip up hoodie as she walked to keep her warm. Her flip flops had been left back by the fire but she kind of liked the feel of the cold sand between her toes. It was comfortable...familiar.

When Cole finally stopped, Eden plopped herself down in the sand. She'd never been one of those girls that had been concerned with getting her clothes messy or anything like that. "Want me to roll up another joint?" she asked, not really realizing that the reason he'd pulled her away from the group was to play her song.

[Cole Hobbes]

Oblivious to the stares, Cole led Eden away from the fire. Hey walked a ways down the beach until they were far enough away that they couldn't be seen. The music and laughter was still barely audible in the distance, but it wasn't obtrusively loud and Cole knew they'd have to go much to far to get away from that. He sat down in the sand next to Eden and nodded in response to her question. “Never hurts,” he said, then pulled his guitar in front of him.

He sat cross legged, his feet digging into the sand and his guitar on his lap. He began to strum a mindless riff, then looked up at Eden. “So... this is what I have,” he began, suddenly feeling quite sheepish. He really liked the song he had written, though it didn't turn out how he had expected. Usually, he wrote sappy love songs for the girls he courted, but with Eden the song changed in him and came out a bit darker than usual. “I dig it, but it, ah, might not be what you expect, I guess. So, I'll just, uh...” His voice lingered off and the random riff changed into a different progression. The song had started.

I looked at the answer you wrote on your hand,
When they were asking you about the man,
That you'd like to meet and drop everything to run to.
I don't mean to brag and I don't mean to boast,
But I would like to think I got most,
Of the qualities on your list,
I thought I'd introduce myself to you.

Your pouting blue eyes they make contact with mine,
And they keep a lookin' through me until they're behind me
And starin' at the face of a man that you know,
That I know that you know could only bring bad news.
You hate to be rude but you really must go,
A leavin' me to wonder if I know,
That the words that I say,
Will give me away,
Of being unworthy of you every time.

And if he's the one that you wanna go to bed with,
And I'm the one you wanna wake up to,
I can put myself on Acetate,
And make it easier for you.

If he's the one that you wanna go to bed with,
And I'm the one you wanna wake up to,
I can put myself on acetate,
And make it easier, easier for you.

Forget what they tell you the evenings are yours,
The supplicating men become whores,
And we’re lined up like chances,
and all that you need do is take one.
But you're look says it clearly you think me a toy,
If you were in the market for a boy,
You would find yourself a man and a mattress and make one.

But I would have to suppose that that’s the way life goes,
When the gardener decides to fall in love with the rose,
I’ll protect you from insects but I won’t presume to inhale you.
For whatever the reason you’re out of my league,
Pursuing only leads to fatigue,
So I will take my leave,
And my heart from my sleeve,
And I’ll see you whenever I see you again.

And if he’s the one that you want to go to bed with,
And I’m the one you want to wake up to,
I can put myself on acetate,
And make it easier for you,
To take me with you when you go,
And tell me things I shouldn’t know,
And be the girl I thought I’d finally found a thousand times before,
To keep on trying for.

The song faded into the chill February air, soon replaced by the barely audible murmur from the group at the bonfire. Cole was unexpectedly to afraid to say anything, and simply waited for Eden's response.

www.fexum.com/swllc/unofficial/mixtape2003/Speechwriters%20LLC%20-%2004%20-%20Acetate.mp3