Page 42 of Something Rad
It’s like a mixture of flowers and rain. Floral and fresh. Sweet, but natural–
I’m suddenly pulled from my short trance as Cooper speaks to me for the first time since this morning.
“I’m not giving you the silent treatment, Robbie,” she says.
“You– You’re not?” I ask her.
“No,” she laughs, her smile growing. She steps closer, looking up at me from under her lashes. “I’m just busy shelving books.”
My shoulders fall. “Oh,” I say, shaking my head, realizing how much I must have been overthinking this whole afternoon. “Really? You’re not pissed at me?”
“No, Robbie,” Cooper shakes her head, letting out another laugh. “I’ve really just been focused on the books.” Her voice has this sweet note to it that she’s never let me hear before, and it throws me off guard. She takes a step even closer, and I can feel the heat of her against me. I swallow painfully against the odd feeling building in my chest, and tilt my head at her. She reaches out, grabbing both sides of my open jacket in her hands.
“Cooper, what are you–”
She pulls me closer suddenly, and I have to grab onto the cart next us to keep from falling forward. Her lips are only a few inches from my ear when she speaks again.
“I’ve just been helping out in the library.” She stands up on her tiptoes to get even closer. I find myself leaning into her, and I have no idea why. “Just in the library,” she repeats. I feel my chest constrict even further the closer she gets, until she is right up against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “That’s all, Robbie.” Her voice is nearly at a whisper now. “I’ve just been here.”
“Desperatelytrying to feel something,” she grits out.
My body goes rigid and eyes go wide as she suddenly drops back down flat on her feet, pushing off of me and spinning away to shelve the book still in her hands.
I feel frozen for several long seconds as Cooper carries on putting books away like nothing just happened. I realize my mouth has been hanging open and I force it shut, shaking out the rest of my body to come back to reality.
“Okay, so I take it youarestill pissed,” I say.
She spins back to me, her hands on her hips. “Hmm…I don’t know,” she says. “Are you still an ass?” She doesn’t wait for an answer, grabbing the cart and pushing it to a section further back in the library. I follow right after her.
“Apparently, according to you,” I reply.
She lets out a laugh, turning back on me. “According tome? Oh, right, because nothing could ever just be on you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Everything justhappensto you, Robbie. Nothing’s your fault. You’re not an ass. I justsayyou’re one. You didn’t stand up Denise. She just rejected you forno reasonwhatsoever because she’s clearly lost her marbles–”
“Hey.” I stop Cooper from talking, storming right up to her and pointing at her with my paper-cut finger. “Don’t talk about things you know nothing about.”
She reaches up, grabbing my hand and forcing it down and out of her face. “Ditto.”
I match her challenging gaze for several seconds before I take a step back, running a hand through my hair. “Alright, Cooper, fine.”
“Fine?” she questions.
“You’re right,” I say.
She seems to glitch in place, doing a double take at me. “Sorry, what was that? Can you say that again?”
I halfway resist the urge to roll my eyes. “I said you wereright. I don’t–”
She holds up a hand. “Hold on, I’m just taking this in. Just a few more seconds.” I fully roll my eyes this time. “Okay,” she says, content. “About what, exactly?”
“I don’t know anything about you.”
“Well, obviously–”
“And you don’t know anything about me,” I finish, cutting her off.
