I wanted to beg him to stay with me. I wanted to tell him that no matter what, I wasn’t going anywhere even if he wanted to. I was his. Wholly and completely.
But I knew why he was hurting and I couldn’t stop the little voice in the back of my mind that told me, if I really cared about him, I would let him take his time. I would allow him to come around and have the confidence that I had in us.
I tried not to read too much into his hesitation. Instead, I canted in my mind, He’s here. He’s here. With me. And he was holding me in his arms. We could start there even if it hurt. Even if I wanted more.
I leaned into him despite my fears clutching my chest. I needed to lean into my feelings for him and forget all of the worry that surrounded me. I tucked my head against his shoulder as he paused before squeezing me tight. Then he loosened his grip and my feet settled back down onto the floor.
“I should let you get back to work,” he said, his voice a rumble beneath my ear, which was still pressed to his hard chest.
I tilted my head up. “You’re leaving so soon?”
His smile was small and quick, but it made my belly flip and my heart ache.
He looked...happy underneath all his confusion. I was going to focus on that. That was all that mattered.
Truth was, Cooper rarely smiled. So I knew the fact that he was sporting one right now meant he was happy. Happier than I remembered seeing him in...forever, actually. He’d always been a guarded guy, even as a kid he’d been sweet but standoffish. Not one to laugh quickly or join in on the fun. He was more likely to stand on the sidelines and watch everyone else enjoy themselves.
Seeing him smile like that here, now...with me, it felt like a privilege. Like I was the luckiest girl in the world because I got to see this side of him. If only it didn’t feel like he was slipping away at the same time.
“I’m not leaving for good,” he said. “Nora and the others would never forgive me if I left without playing some bingo.”
I let out a little laugh at the thought of this big, burly guy being scared of Nora. Not that I blamed him, really. She was a force to be reckoned with.
He poked his head out of the closet first, making sure no one was in the hallway before taking me by the hand and leading me back out into the real world. My skin tingled at his touch, and for now, I wasn’t going to let anything else stand in the way of how I felt about him. He was confused, I felt it too. But right now, all that mattered was that I cared about him and he cared for me.
I had to stifle a sigh of disappointment that our alone time was over, but the fact that he hung out at my workplace for the majority of the afternoon made it easier to bear. Even better, he kept watching me, stealing glances and sneaking in touches any time he could.
He felt this irresistible pull to be together as much as I did, and for now, at least, that was enough.
When it was time for him to leave and make dinner for himself and his mom, he stole me away again, cocooning me with his body as I pressed against the wall in a dark, quiet hallway.
“Thanks for spending the day here,” I whispered. The fear from earlier seemed to melt in the warmth of his closeness.
His gaze slid over me and his smile emerged again in a way that was so sweet it made my head spin. “My pleasure.” He shook his head and his next words seemed like they were meant more for himself than me. “I couldn’t stay away.”
I swallowed, my eyes roaming over his features trying to read something there.
He couldn’t stay away...but he wanted to.
He might not have said it aloud, but I heard it all the same. He was kicking himself for not being able to keep his distance from me.
That realization felt like a kick in the gut. But, at the same time, I got it. I opened my mouth to reassure him but clamped my lips together again just as quickly.
We’d had a great day even if it started out rocky. And this stolen moment felt precious. This was our time, and I didn’t want to ruin it by bringing up the elephant in the room.
We’d have to talk about Trenton and how we were going to tell him about us...but not today. Not right now.
Shouldn’t we at least be allowed to have a few days to figure out what we were to each other before inviting Trenton or anyone else’s opinions into our lives?
So, instead of asking him what he meant by that or calling him out on his lingering fears about the two of us, I forced a bright smile and went up on tiptoe so I could wrap my arms around his neck and pull him close.
“When am I going to see you again?” I asked as I pulled back.
His lips twitched up and I was happy to see his hesitation replaced by mischief and laughter as he leaned down and brushed his nose against mine. “I’ll see you first thing in the morning when I pick you up for school.”
I pretended to pout. “That’s not what I meant.”
His lips grazed the side of my mouth, teasing me with their closeness. “What did you mean then?”
I pressed against him even more, letting my body rest against his. “I meant, when can we do this again?”
He blinked a few times and then suddenly, his arms left my waist and he took a step back. He pushed his hand through his hair as he glanced around. His skin was flushed and I couldn't tell if it was because he was nervous, or upset. I decided to focus on the latter. “After football practice tomorrow?” he asked.
Well, that was something. I shook my head with a frown. “We’re going to my grandma’s for dinner.”
He arched a brow. “There’s always the academy on Tuesday night—”
“Right.” I cut him off with a scoff. “So we can get reamed out by Bianca for skipping out on rehearsal?”
He laughed and the sound helped lessen the tension around us. It allowed my lips to tip up into a smile.
“Next weekend, then?” he asked.
I grinned, excitement already flaring for our next date. “Next weekend works.”
His hesitant smile emerged again as he reached out and wrapped his fingers around mine. He studied our clasped hands for a moment before he brought them up and kissed the back of my hand. “And in the meantime, at least I get to see you at school,” he said in a way that almost seemed consolatory. Like he was reminding himself that he was going to be okay.
I nodded. “I’ve never looked forward to school so much in my life.”
His laugh startled us both, so loud and genuine. So...unlike Cooper. I was still marveling over the sound as he backed away from me with obvious regret. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Eve.”
I nodded. “Tomorrow.”
The next day at school was even better than I could have imagined. The only thing better than being Cooper’s girl?
Showing the world that I was Cooper’s girl.
More importantly, that he was mine.
I took more than a little bit of delight in wrapping a possessive arm around his when Holly and her friends tried to flirt with him in the hallway. Cooper seemed tolerant of my touches, which I took as a win. I was going to wear him down eventually. He would be mine, fully and completely.
Tuesday was even better because the wall Cooper had around his heart seemed to be slipping. I’d never known that holding hands in the hallway could make my heart race. How had I not known that slipping a note into a guy’s locker could make me so freakin’ giddy?
I was on cloud nine by the time the school day ended. Cooper was no longer tense as I stood next to him and he even slipped his arm around my waist a few times as we walked down the hallway. My plan was working. He was falling under my spell.