Page 81 of Can We Just Be Happy Now?

She’s not wrong, but that wasn’t an invitation to meet another guy.

“Why are you mad I sent you that private snap? I thought you would like it, Coop. It was only for you.”

Wait, what? Did she actually take that picture for me? “That’s not what you told me.”

“I know.” She takes a step closer, and I don’t move. “I panicked, okay? No one has ever seen a picture of me like that except you.”

“That’s not the kind of picture you send your friend.” She doesn’t understand. Apparently my body doesn’t either, my fingers itching at my sides to reach for her.

“Then let’s be more,” she whisper-shouts.

In my split second debate, I immediately know I can’t make this decision in the middle of a fight, while she’s dressed this way, while it’s affecting me like this. “No.”

“But . . .” She can’t find the words as she tugs on my sweatshirt when I pull away.

I stop as if her hold on my clothes is enough to keep me in place. “You need to figure out what’s going on with you.”

“What do you mean?”

My sweatshirt bunches as she grips it tighter in her fingers, but I keep my eyes locked on hers. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

“Cooper, I . . .”

“You’ll have to change more than your clothes to fix our problems.” With a slight shake of my head, I brush past her and don’t look back.

Despite it being a chilly night for June, Sophie’s feet are barefoot in the grass. I take her in again, my eyes roaming her curves before locking on her face. After another minute without her gaze meeting mine like I expect them to, I tip back a shot of vodka from my now half empty Solo cup that’s lacking its usual Red Bull. I suck my teeth, dissolving some of the burn in my mouth. She laughs at something the guy she’s talking to says, her hand moving to rest on his bicep.

“You good, man?” Marcus’ voice breaks through my thoughts. I must have been ignoring him because we were having a conversation. I couldn’t tell you what it was about, though.

I’m about to tell him I’m fine, not wanting to get into it, but my jaw grinds hard enough to break teeth as I watch Sophie grab the hand of the guy she’s talking to and pull him toward the house.

“I thought you were supposed to be looking after her now that Dean is gone?” I growl at Marcus although my eyes are still following Sophie as she guides the dude I don’t know inside with a flirty smile. “How are you allowing this to happen in your house?!” I fling my hand toward the door, and Marcus doesn’t even look behind him to see what I’m talking about.

“First, no one tells me what to do in my house.” His voice deepens into a far more demanding tone than I’ve ever heard from him. It pulls my attention away from Sophie. “Second, it’s her house too, and third, she’s an adult. If you’re so worried about what she’s doing then you need to be the one to talk to her about it.”

I take another sip of my drink, wishing the cool liquid could chill me out. The fire has simmered to embers now, and it feels like a symbol of my dying relationship with Sophie as I think about her fucking someone mere feet away with the intention of hurting me. It’s one thing to know she spends time with other guys. It’s another to practically see her fuck one of them. How can she not realize that instead of making me fight for her, this will ruin me?

I throw my cup into the coals, watching the remaining liquor ignite for a moment before it dies, the red plastic melting around it as it sizzles.

“Coop.” Marcus’ voice has softened but my glare is still hard.

“What,” I spit.

“You need to sleep this off. Tomorrow you can figure out what to do. The couch is yours.”

“You want me to sleep in the same house where the girl I love is fucking someone who isn’t me?”

He looks at me, completely unsurprised by my confession. “Why isn’t she your girl?”

“Because,” I pause for a moment, every reason I could give him nowhere to be found.

He sighs. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”

I don’t even argue because I don’t want to talk about this anymore, and I sure as hell can’t be here anymore either.

Chapter forty-nine

COOPER

---