I nod, then whisper…
“Hopelessly.”
Epilogue
Cooper
Five months later
“Come on, Coop! It’s pizza and movie night.”
“I know, I know.”
She huffs. “A good boyfriend would be in here with his girlfriend already.”
That little…
“The whole reason I’m still in here working well after business hours is because someone kept me distracted this morning and I was late. A good girlfriend would have let him work. This is your fault.”
“I’m sorry, are you really sitting there complaining about a morning blow job?”
“Yes. When it interferes with my livelihood, yes. Someone has to pay for all these bills you run up, you know.”
She grumbles something I can’t quite make out, but I know she definitely calls me an asshole.
I chuckle. “Give me five more minutes!”
“That’s what you said five minutes ago.”
“Sucks when you’re the one waiting, doesn’t it?”
She growls, and I hear her shuffling around, probably grabbing her chinchilla blanket and curling up in a ball on the couch.
I hear The Vampire Diaries start ten seconds later.
I’m sure she’s sitting there with her sketchpad on her lap, hand flying over the page as she cooks up whatever ideas are brewing in her mind.
After the success of the festival, Caroline finally agreed to put her designs on the shop’s website.
The launch was huge and, much to her surprise but nobody else’s, she sold out in less than a day.
She now has her own section of the store and a dedicated line on the website.
Basically, she’s fucking killing it and proving her dad wrong.
I couldn’t be prouder of her.
I hit save on the code I was looking over. The game we’ve been working on for nearly a year now is set to come out in two months, and we’ve been cleaning up all the bugs the test players have found. It’s led to long nights and even longer weekends, but I’m excited about how it’s going to do, especially since the reception has been fantastic so far.
“It’s been five minutes…” she calls.
With a grin, I push away from my desk and pad down the hall.
“I’m done,” I say, coming into the living room. “Are you happy?”
She tosses her sketchpad aside and looks up at me with excited eyes. “Yes. Now can we order pizza? I’m starving.”
“Hi, starving. I’m Cooper.”
She grins, then rolls her eyes at me.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me. You know what that does to me, and if you’re so hungry, I highly doubt you want me to get distracted right now.”
“Fair point.” She gets up off the couch, her favorite gray blanket falling from her shoulders. “Can we order breadsticks too?”
“I suppose,” I say as she grabs her phone, ready to place our order. “I mean, it is a special day and all.”
“It is?” She wrinkles her nose, stopping what she’s doing. “Why?”
I lift a brow. “You don’t remember?”
“Um…no?” She looks at me pointedly. “I swear if this is your way of telling me it’s my turn to take the trash out again, I’m going to order breadsticks and dessert.”
“It’s not the trash.”
“Then what is it?”
“Wow. You really don’t know, do you?” She sighs, and I smirk. “I’m hurt you wouldn’t remember this day.”
“Cooper…” she warns, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re starting to test my patience.”
“What are you going to do about it? Tap your foot at me like you are now?”
“No. I’ll…I’ll…withhold sex.”
“Oh, taking a page out of my book now, huh?”
“Yes.”
I laugh, crossing the room to her, wrapping my arms around her waist.
“Come on, Care. Think. What happened about…say…six months ago?”
Her brows scrunch together as she thinks back. “Umm…we started dating?”
“Keep going.”
“Your favorite sports team won some fancy trophy?”
“Try again…”
She growls. “Ugh. I don’t know. Nothing is sticking out to me. I—”
It hits her.
“Oh my god, Cooper. Did you really?”
I nod.
“Is that why you got me flowers this morning? Brought me breakfast in bed?”
“Yes.”
“You put the day I accidentally touched your penis into your calendar so you could remind me of it six months later?”
“Oh, Care. We both know accidents don’t just happen accidentally.”
“I cannot believe you.”
“Yes, you can.”
“You… You’re exhausting.”
“I know.” I laugh, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. “But you love me.”
“I do.”
“And I love you too. Hopelessly.”
“Ugh…” She shakes her head, trying hard to fight the smile that wants to break free.
And then, she rolls her eyes.
We never do order pizza.
Thank you for reading LOVE THY NEIGHBOR!
I had so much fun writing Caroline & Cooper’s story, and I hope you enjoyed it.
Keep swiping for a preview of LOATHE THY NEIGHBOR, an enemies-to-lovers romcom!
LOATHE THY NEIGHBOR PREVIEW
RIVER
“I am a fucking hero.”
I sit back with a satisfied grin, admiring my accomplishments.
Green M&M’S are superior, and that’s why I’ve spent the last five minutes separating all of them from the rest.
My high lasts all of two seconds before I realize I’m out of things to do as I wait for my best friend, who is late for our Sunday morning coffee date again.
Blowing out an annoyed huff, I glance at the clock on the wall of the neighborhood’s favorite diner. It only serves breakfast food and pie, which it’s famous for.
This is my favorite place in the whole city.
The Gravy Train, an old train depot turned diner tucked in the middle of Harristown, Colorado. It’s a small place, nothing fancy or extravagant inside, and it’s home to not only the best breakfast around, but also the best pie. And I love pie.
They offer a few flavors a day, and my favorite—cherry—is available three times a week.
Sundays are cherry pie days.
A shuffle comes from the other end of the long stretch of booth that takes up a sizeable amount of the back of the restaurant.
Lucy, a fellow regular here who also happens to be my apartment building manager, is up against the wall at the other end of the long community table where I like to sit. She’s wearing a funky patterned poncho—a signature look for her—and her nose is stuck inside her crossword puzzle book. I’ve known her long enough to know that whenever her book is out, she’s not coming up for air anytime soon.