Page 18 of Can We Just Be Happy Now?

I’m not sure why I care. Cooper saw me in no makeup and pajamas last night like he does every week, like he has my entire life. This is ridiculous. I could probably wear pajamas again considering once I’m in his car tonight I don’t have to get out of it until we get back home. Regardless, I yank my pastel pink sundress off its hanger. It’s a little nicer than the ones I typically wear and cut into a deep v compared to the usual sweetheart tops I like.

I slip it over my head, loving the way I fill it out compared to the last time I wore it. Running my hand over the strip of intricate lace detail around my waist, I feel a little more sexy than usual, knowing you can see my skin through it.

Cooper invited me to the drive-in movies. I’m still not completely sure this is a date. It’s something we’ve done so many times before, but everything feels different since yesterday. I hardly got any sleep last night after he left, running the evening over in my head, wondering what was going to happen next and if he was overthinking things as much as I was. There’s no doubt in my mind that I want to try being more than friends with him, but that doesn’t mean I’m not nervous. He confessed to not being as experienced as I assumed. That puts me a little more at ease, but there are so many things that can go wrong to ruin our friendship or make it awkward. I’m wondering if he couldn’t sleep either because his text came through at 6:30 this morning asking if I’d block off the night for him.

Mid twirl of a curl, I hear a knock on the front door. I glance at the time on my phone. 5:30. We have to leave by six. It’s almost an hour and a half drive to the theater. It’s far, but it’s one of our favorite things to do in the summer. When we were younger, our parents would take us every week. Me, Cooper and our brothers would bring all our blankets and pillows and make the bed of my dad’s–well now my brother, Dean’s–truck all cozy.

The last soft ringlet bounces as I tug it free from the clip of my curling iron. I click it off, ready to head down the stairs to meet Cooper. I stop in my tracks when I hear him talking to Mom. I’m not sure what makes me hesitate to interrupt them, but I lean against the wall at the top of the stairs, listening to the voices in the entryway.

“Hey, Mrs. Porter.” If I’m not mistaken, he sounds a little nervous.

“Hi, honey. What are you and Sophie getting into tonight?” I’m only sixteen, but my parents have never had a tight leash on Dean and me. We have never given them a reason not to trust us, and I don’t go out often anyway. I prefer to get lost in imaginary worlds.

“Ummm, we are going to the drive-in.” I imagine him tugging on the strings of his hoodie, the way he does when he’s nervous on game day.

“Is everything okay?” My mom picks up on his uneasiness too. Of course she does, she’s known him longer than I have.

“Yeah. I just . . . I wanted to tell you . . .” My heart thumps in my chest. What’s he about to say?

Mom must give him a questioning look because she doesn’t speak again before he continues.

“Sophie and I are going on a date. If that's okay.” He’s talking softer than his usual loud and playful voice, so I’m surprised I can hear him. I’m glad I can. This is something I’d totally swoon over if I read it in one of my books. Leaning against the wall as my heart flutters in my chest, I hold my breath–like the sound of it might prevent me from hearing my mom’s response. I didn’t think we’d keep it from our parents, but I didn’t consider we’d say anything tonight before we even knew what might be happening between us.

“Oh, wow. I had no idea you two felt that way about each other.”

“It’s new.”

“Well, I didn’t see that coming.” She chuckles in a way that makes me unsure of where she stands on the topic. “Thank you for telling me. I trust you’ll take care of my daughter?”

His sigh of relief makes me smile.

“I will, I promise.”

I run back to my room, through the first door on the right, when I realize Cooper is walking toward the stairs.

Taking a seat at my vanity, I swipe another layer of mascara across my lashes—the only makeup I’m wearing. I feel him standing there before I see him. After screwing the wand back into its tube, I look at Cooper leaning against my door frame watching me. He looks good in his black joggers and green Oregon hoodie. I knew that’s what he’d be wearing.

“You almost ready, Soph?”

I can’t help the smile that comes over my face. I’m excited about this, so much more than I expected. I leap from my chair and take the five steps that separate us before throwing my arms around his neck. He laughs as he steadies himself, one hand bracing him to the doorway and the other wrapped around my waist.

“What’s this for?” he says into my hair and squeezes my hip.

“Just being you,” I whisper back.

He releases me. I smile at him before moving to my closet to grab my jean jacket. When I turn back around, he’s staring at me, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his sweats.

“What? Do I look okay?” I glance down at my dress, running one of my hands down the fabric.

“Okay? More than okay. You’re beautiful, Sophie. I’m the one wearing sweats on our date.” He looks like he’s just internally face palmed, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“You’re the more sensible one. That’s what we’ve worn every time we’ve gone to the drive-in.”

“This time is different, though.” He grins, reaching his hand out for mine before I can respond. “Let’s go.”

The feel of our fingers linked together sends a wave of giddiness through my body, energizing me in a way I haven’t experienced before. Last night on the couch, it felt surreal being with him, like a temporary glitch in the matrix. For some reason, this feels more real.

When we get to the car, he opens the passenger door for me. He hesitates for a moment, his tongue slipping out to wet his lips while I buckle my seatbelt. I smile at the thought that I think he wants to kiss me. He won’t, though. Not yet.

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