page81 (1/2)

“I’m sorry, Cooper”

“You’ve known for a while”

“I suspected That’s why I insisted she see her doctor right away”

He brushed his thuainstpeople they’ve got a battle ahead of them”

“It’s not easy”

He slid his nose along my cheek and pressed a kiss to h?” he whispered, and shivers cascaded downher to the doctor right away”

I pulled away to stare into his eyes and saw deep admiration

“Cooper,” I whispered, unsure what to say, “I’ I know you weren’t flirting with her I guess I got a little jealous”

He opened hisand then immediately seemed to think better of it Instead his hands slid under ainst hiht now I’rab what happiness we have by both hands while we’ve got the chance”

When he kissed ry, I forgot about everything else but grabbing that happiness with him

My bed at the inn was smaller than Cooper’s, but ere cozy and satiated after Cooper’s tender love I was happy

He lay on his back, staring up atwith his arms tucked behind his head, and I was onin my hand, as I stared at him

I could never get enough of staring at him

“You never talk about life in Iowa,” he suddenly said

Surprised, and not in a good way, I didn’t say anything for a minute

The truth was that I’d hopedsuicide would be enough to keep hiood

He turned his head on the pillow to look at me

I tried not to shift uncomfortably “There’s not much to say”

“Well, as it like growing up there?”

I knew there had been goodh it was pretty hard to reht back in Iowa “Well, I ht years old”

Cooper turned onto his side to face“Yeah?”

Guilt suffused me

I was so closed off about this stuff I worried it would start to bother him

“Yeah His family moved in next door and we bonded over a shared love of Thundercats”

He chuckled “You’ve been friends ever since”

“We’ve been friends ever since” I smiled

His gaze turned curious “Nothing more than that?”

I shook“We were each other’s first kiss, though We both had a crush on other people but decided to get the nervousness of a first kiss over with by kissing each other”

“Cute” Cooper smirked

“It eird We’re too h our friendship did cause probleot pissed he’d booked a hotel room He said, in front of everyone, that I was an ice queen and ere over, and he walked out of the pro, who happened to put out” God, I’d been huirlfriend at the ti me over her Before we knew it, a ruirlfriend’s back Then fronant with Matt’s love child”

“High school” Cooper heaved a sigh “Who the fuck would ever want to go back?”

“I thought you had a good tih school”

“It was good But it was also filled with drama I don’t do drama”

I snuggled closer to him “That makes two of us”

He ski his touch with his eyes “Tell me more About home”

Damn

“There’s not much else to say”

His gaze flicked back to ainst my arm “What about your other friends? Your parents? Your kid sister?” He leaned in “I know it isn’t easy for you, Jess, but you ood memories, too”

I could feel an uprising of familiar panic inside of , and I didn’t want that I didn’t want Cooper to see how I reacted to theout the truth “I don’t talk about them” The words came out icier, sharper, than I’dcoolness in Cooper’s eyes and said, “You tell me more about yours”

Instead, he sighed, dropped his hand, and rolled onto his back “Actually, it’s getting late We should try to get some sleep”

Shit

“Okay,” I said softly

As he closed his eyes, I felt the panic I’d been feeling transform into a new kind of anxiety Usually we curled up with our arled before we fell asleep

He was frustrated with me

Double shit

After a while his chest rose and fell in steady breaths as sleep took hih Instead I watched hi ti that it just wasn’t in the cards for me o;I’m sorry, Cooper”