Page 46 of Can We Just Be Happy Now?

“Cooper, wait.” He turns back right as he was pushing off the table. “Can’t we go back to how things were before?”

With one palm pressed into the table and the other against the back of the booth, he locks eyes with me. “No. We can’t.”

“But . . . we promised we could tell each other if we changed our mind.” How can I get him to understand that this is what’s best for us? That our friendship is more important than the inevitable downfall of our relationship?

An unamused laugh escapes him. “We didn’t change our minds. We’re supposed to be together.”

It doesn’t slip past me that “We Go Together” fades into a new song at this exact moment. “I made my decision, Cooper, and it was hard enough as it is. Can you please just accept it?” I beg.

Without waiting for me to respond, he turns on his heel and walks out the door.

The flood gates open as the door to the diner closes behind Cooper, the slipknot around my heart tightening with each step he takes further away from me. I’m choking on my tears when the waitress, Shirley, approaches. “Sophie, sweetpea, what’s wrong?” the typically peppy older woman asks. Without permission, she slides into the spot Cooper just occupied, wrapping her arms around me. “What did he do? I know people who can take care of him if you want,” she teases.

A chuckle slips out between sobs. “You might need to use them on me.”

“How about I get you a strawberry milkshake instead?”

“Yes, please.” I nod, taking a deep breath and wiping the tears from my eyes as she leaves. I didn’t have a choice, I remind myself. Cooper deserves to have the full experience of everything college has to offer. I don’t want us to go through the same thing my parents did, getting stuck in a relationship and not having anything outside of that. They both fell apart when their first relationship broke and they didn’t have anything to fall back on. It’s not that I think Cooper and I would fall apart, but we’re so young. He’s not like me. He needs friends to be happy and social activities. He needs to prepare to help his dad run a company. All of that on top of having a high school girlfriend will be too much for him.

Or maybe that’s just my excuse and it’ll be too much for me.

Emily’s words about the weekly fraternity parties repeat in my head and insecurity sweeps through my body. I’m not a college girl. I’m not mature. I don’t have the freedom to do whatever and be wherever. He should be with someone who won’t hold him back.

Shirley appears with a strawberry shake so fast I think she must have stolen someone else’s for me. Sliding it onto the table, she leaves me to my thoughts. Lips pinching around the thick red straw as I stare into the red heart sprinkles, I take a long sip of my shake. A shadow falls over the table, and I glance up.

“Cooper?” My eyes continue to widen as he leans down, kissing the top of my head. “Wh-what are you doing?”

He nudges me until I slide over, letting him back in the booth. “Okay.”

“Okay, what?” I go to wipe a new tear from under my eye, but he reaches out and does it for me.

“I’d like to talk about your concerns. But if you still feel they are valid, we can go back to being friends.”

“Really?” My voice cracks.

“I think we might need to take a little time apart first. But yes. I’d rather have you in my life than not at all, Soph. I can’t lose you.”

My relief comes in a massive wave that results in me falling to Cooper’s chest. He wraps his arms around me as a sob racks through my body.

“Shhhh,” he soothes, his hand running over my hair, holding me to him until my ice cream has melted and my tears have run dry.

Chapter twenty-six

COOPER

NOW

Cooper, 21; Sophie, 18

A grin lights my face when I open my front door. “Hey, baby,” I greet Kylie, taking in her outfit before leaning in for a kiss. The theme for tonight's party to celebrate making it through the first few weeks of the new year is 80s, and Kylie nailed it. She’s wearing a black, off-the-shoulder sweater with giant pink lips on the front, a hot pink tutu and leg warmers and teal heels. Her crimped blonde hair completes the look perfectly and that lipstick isn’t going to last long tonight if I have any say in it. We’ve only been seeing each other for a month, and I’ve successfully avoided the conversation of a title, but it’s been easy and fun.

“Does my outfit look okay?”

She looks as epic as I do in my dad’s old matching geometric pattern windbreaker jacket and pants. “I can show you how much I love it if we go inside right now.”

She slaps at me playfully but then loops her arms around my neck, bringing her lips to my ear. “You can show me later.” I can’t help but grin. She pulls back. “I have to complete this scavenger hunt, though, so we have to at least make an appearance.”

She pulls up a list on her phone and flips the screen to face me. “Alexis, Taylor and I are having a competition to see who can check everything off first. Losers have to do all the dishes and laundry in February.”

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