Page 282 of Something Rad
“I’m sorry,” I repeat. “I– I wasn’t paying attention.” I start to bend down to pick up my book, but decide to just leave it. I have hundreds at home. Instead, I grab the handle of my suitcase, moving past the man.
“Watch where you’re walking, would you?” he grunts.
“Sorry,” I mutter over my shoulder as I continue speed-walking towards my gate.
“Hey, I think you forgot something,” he calls after me.
“I don’t need it. It’s not even mine,” I insist, not looking at him.
“Running right into meandletting a good book go to waste?Wow, Cooper.”
I’m a good ten feet away from him now.Why won’t he just let me leave?“I’m sorry,” I repeat as a last-ditch effort. “I’m so sor–”
My feet jerk to a stop.
I blink hard, trying to replay what I just heard, my spine ramrod straight.
Cooper?
I turn slowly on my heel, my pulse pounding in my ears. After what feels like ten long, breathless minutes, I’m finally facing him.
The pilot is standing there, a duffle bag slung over his right shoulder, with the type of smirk on his face that I thought only existed in my dreams anymore. My mouth falls open as I my eyes trace over his shiny chestnut brown hair, cropped short on the sides with just a little extra length on top, perfectly mussed. He reaches up, pulling off his aviators, and it’s like time slows down. It’s like a movie. Like my life’s a movie. My feet stumble a couple of hesitant steps forward. And then, the sunglasses are totally gone.
And I find double milk chocolate eyes staring back at me.
“Robbie?” I breathe.
His tongue pushes into his lower lip, a grin spreading across his face. “Hey, Cooper.”
I shake my head. I don’t know for how long. But clearly not long enough, because I’m still not capable of forming words.
“Your hair’s grown,” Robbie says, tilting his head.
Apparently words have escaped even the smoothest of wordsmiths at this moment.
“It’s been eight years,” I reply.
He nods. “It has.”
“You cut yours,” I say, motioning towards his hair.
“I had to.”
“Why?”
“I joined the Navy.”
My eyes widen, my mouth falling open. “You did?” I ask, my voice cracking.
Robbie rolls his lips into his mouth, nodding. “For the last six years, that’s where I’ve been. I didn’t really have much to go home to after my sixty days were up.” He meets my eyes, and I have to swallow against the lump that instantly forms in my throat. “And since my grades were in no place to go to college and my parents weren’t exactly willing to support me otherwise…the idea just sort of came to me.”
“You…” I choke, the backs of my eyes suddenly burning as I can’t contain my smile. “You figured it out.”
“I did,” he nods, a grin of pride filling his face. “And you, Cooper,” he says, taking a step in my direction and extending his hand towards me, “you did something too.”
I look down, seeing him holding my book out to me, the image on the cover displaying rows of shelves filled with books, movies, and cassette tapes.
“A Story Between the Stories,” Robbie smiles, shaking his head. “I haven’t been able to go in a store without finding this book on the shelves, and I’ve been seeing ads for your movie everywhere. I’ll be damned. You really did it.”
