Later on, the night had gotten darker and the stars were out. Everyone was either inside or in bed, fast asleep. That's when Hollyn and Cole snuck out of their houses and over to the stables. Hollyn had rode Apollo to the treehouse, getting there first. She smiled at the familiar tree house, it had been a while since she had last seen it. She missed it. It had been her and Cole's place to go, they had spent a lot of time there together. It was their safe space and they loved being up there.

Once Hollyn got Apollo all settled, she hesitated as she got to the ladder. She didn't like heights at all, and climbing up the ladder to the tree house was hard sometimes. Apollo neighed, gaining her attention. It was as if he could sense her uneasiness and wanted to calm her. She took a deep breath, calming herself. "I got this, Apollo." She tells him. The horse didn't look convinced and he neighed again. "I'm fine." She mumbled and took a deep breath again before climbing up the ladder.

Her hands were shaky and she had to stop a few times to regain her bearings. After a few minutes, she finally got to the top and breathed out a sigh of relief. That had been a lot harder than she remembered. She hated having a fear of heights, it really sucked sometimes. She stood there for a few seconds, catching her breath. She was fine and she had done it, she had made it up the ladder. She knew she still shouldn't be so scared of going up a ladder, but she couldn't help it. She was slowly getting better about it though. She was proud of herself, she had done it and that's all that mattered.

She glanced around the place, smiling at seeing the tree house hadn't changed a bit. It was exactly the same. Polaroids of her and Cole were taped to the walls, pictures she painted of them and other things were hung up as well. Other decorations were hung up on the walls as well. They were just random things she and Cole had found and put up there. There was a hammock hanging in one of the corners, and two bean bag chairs in the other. A bookshelf was against the wall with a bunch of their favorite books on it, and the trunk where all of their stuff was kept. The trunk was under the hammock and the bean bag chairs were under it as well. The place was kind of a mess, but it was a good mess.

Hollyn's gaze landed on the trunk and she smiled at seeing it. That trunk held so many memories and was very special to her. She and Cole had decorated it together, and everything that was in it was from either her or him. The trunk was covered in either stickers or some design that she had painted on there. It was a bright blue color and was very colorful. It had a lock on it, a combination lock. You needed the combination in order to open it, but Hollyn and Cole knew the combination and always had it memorized. 

She walked over to the trunk and unlocked it, opening it up. She smiled at the stuff in the trunk, her memories coming back to her. She reached in and pulled out a black hoodie. She unfolded it, realizing that it was one of Cole's hoodies. He had given it to her and she loved wearing it. She never wore it when she wasn't at the tree house, only there. She always left it there in case she needed one, and she had taken a liking to wearing it when she was there. She put the hoodie back and continued to look through the trunk.

The trunk was filled with things such as board games, card games, art supplies, more polariods, and a polariod camera was in the trunk along with some other things. The polariod camera was something Hollyn and Cole had found and fixed up. It was pretty beat up and old, but they had fixed it up. They didn't use it much anymore, but every once and a while, they would take it out and take a few photos with it. It was fun. Hollyn looked through the trunk some more, pulling out a blanket. It was her favorite that she always loved to use when she was there. She smiled softly and unfolded the blanket. The blanket was a dark gray color with red roses on it. It was her favorite and she always used it whenever she was up there. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and moved to pull out the purple bean bag chair. The other was a blue one that Cole usually used.

Hollyn placed the bean bag chair next to the edge and sat down in it. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped the blanket around her. She stared up at the sky, watching the stars. The moon was full tonight and there wasn't a cloud in sight. The stars were bright and shined in the night sky. The sky was beautiful and she loved watching the stars.

It wasn't long until Cole arrived, a lantern in the other and a backpack slung over his shoulders. "I come baring gifts." He calls out dramatically. Hollyn giggles and rolls her eyes. "And you made it up the ladder by yourself! I'm proud of you, Holls." He teased.

Hollyn playfully rolls her eyes. "Very funny."

Cole chuckles and walks over to the trunk, dropping his backpack and lantern next to the trunk. He takes off his jacket and threw it onto the hammock before walking over to pull out the blue bean bag chair. "I'm serious, Hollyn. I am proud of you. You're getting better."

"It doesn't feel like it, but thanks. I appreciate it." Hollyn smiled softly. She was proud of herself as well, even though it didn't feel like it. She was getting better and she was slowly making progress. That's all that mattered. Cole sat down in the bean bag chair next to hers, pulling his backpack over to him.

"What all did you bring?" Hollyn curiously asked.

Cole dug through his backpack and started to pull out stuff. "Some snacks and drinks mostly." He admitted.

"You brought a book?" Hollyn chuckled, eyes widening with a bit of surprise as she noticed a book in his backpack. She reached over to pull it out, seeing it was one she had read many times. It was one of her favorites.

"Of course I did." Cole nods, glancing over at her with a soft smile. "I miss you reading them to me so I figured we could read them together. Like old times."

"We haven't done that in years." Hollyn realizes. She missed it too. Cole was never the person to read books on his own, but he was all for it with Hollyn reading them to him. He would usually lay his head on her lap and listen to her as she read to him. They had been doing it since they were kids, and she didn't realize how much she missed it until now. "It has been a while. We should change that." She added softly, meeting his gaze. She was surprised to find him staring at her, a soft look in his eyes. Her heart fluttered and she smiled softly at him.

"We should." Cole agrees. He moves over to her and lays his head on her lap after he laid down. Hollyn smiles, opening the book. She chuckles when he grabbed her hand, placing it on his head. She got the hint and runs her fingers through his hair, a thing she had done every time she had read to him. "It's been too long." He mumbled, closing his eyes.

"Yeah, way too long." Hollyn nods in agreement. She looked over at the different snacks first, her eyes lighting up when she spotted the Sour Patch Kids. "Hey, can you hand me those?" She asked. Sour Patch Kids were her favorite, especially the blue ones. And she was excited to see this bag was all blue.

Cole opens his eyes, looking at what she was pointing at and chuckles. "Sure, I got them for you." He grabs the bag, handing it to her. "They're all blue." He added.

"Thanks!" Hollyn beams, taking the bag from him. "Blue is my favorite."

"I disagree, I think the green ones are pretty good." Cole argued, sneaking one into his mouth.

"Then why did you just steal a blue one?" Hollyn pouted, her eyes narrowing slightly as she gave him a fake glare.

"To annoy you. It worked, didn't it?" Cole grinned, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"You are the worst." Hollyn grumbled, trying to fight the smile that was threatening to spread across her face. She failed and she let out a soft giggle.

"Nah, I'm pretty awesome if I do say so myself." Cole smirks. "Now, can we please get back to the book? You're wasting precious time here, Holls."

"Alright, alright." Hollyn laughed, shaking her head at him. She grabbed the book, setting the bag of candy near her as Cole kept his head laid on her lap. She absentmindedly started to run her fingers through his hair again while she opened the book and started reading. Cole relaxed, letting his eyes fall closed as he listened to her voice. He loved the sound of her voice. It was soft and sweet, and he could listen to her talk forever.

****

As the night went on, the two continued to read the book together. Every now and then, Cole would crack a joke, causing Hollyn to laugh. He loved her laugh too. It was one of the best sounds he had ever heard. He would tell a joke every chance he could just to hear her laugh.

Eventually, the book was half way done when Hollyn looked down and saw Cole was falling asleep. He had his eyes closed, his breathing had slowed, and she could tell he was starting to fall asleep. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, a soft smile making its way onto her face. She couldn't help it. Seeing him sleeping peacefully like this was one of her favorite things. He looked so adorable and peaceful. He looked so calm and content.

"Hey, Cole." Hollyn whispers, giving him a gentle nudge. When he didn't wake up, she pokes his cheek. "Coley." She sang out, a playful grin forming on her face. Cole slowly opened his eyes, glancing up at her. His heart skipped a beat at seeing the soft smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes.

"What's up, Holls?" He murmured, half asleep. 

"Do you want to sleep? If so, you can go and take the hammock." Hollyn offered.

"Only if you join me." Cole told her, sitting up with a yawn.

"Okay, deal." Hollyn nodded, a small yawn escaping her. She hadn't realized how tired she was. 

They both stood up, grabbing everything and putting it away before going over to the hammock. Cole laid down and held his arms open, a silent invitation. Hollyn smiled and climbed onto the hammock with him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She was happy, and being in his arms, she felt safe and loved.

"You're the best." She mumbled sleepily. 

"So are you." Cole whispered, a small smile forming on his face as he held her close. He kissed the top of her head, and she snuggled closer to him. He looked out through window to check on their horses. He couldn't see Apollo or Custard completely, but he saw their hooves and he assumed they were laying underneath the treehouse, getting some shelter from the bottom part of the treehouse. They were fine, and he was happy about that.

Cole relaxes, feeling better knowing the horses were fine and looks back at Hollyn. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was even. She was already fast asleep. He grabbed the blanket she had brought with her to the hammock, it had been sliding off the side so he pulled it up to cover them both. Once he did that, he wrapped his arms around her again and rested his chin on the top of her head, closing his eyes.

"Goodnight, Hollyn." He whispered. He didn't get a response, and he was sure she was asleep by now, but that was okay. He knew she would say it back later. He slowly started to drift off with Hollyn in his arms. The sound of her breathing and her heartbeat soothed him and lulled him to sleep. He was glad Hollyn was home, and he was even happier they got to spend time together tonight. He was glad that they still had a special place like the treehouse where they could go and spend time alone, away from the world.

A/N hollyn & cole >>>>