Page 51 of Say You Won't Let Go
“I’ll handle it,” Brookes promises. He cracks his neck and moves so he’s closer to me. “Now that we have a little more time, why don’t you tell yourboyfriendhere all about the games you’ve been playing.”
“I’m not playing any games, Brookes.” I use his name for the first time, and his eyes light up. “I waited for two days for you to come around, but you didn’t. I thought you didn’t love me, and I was broken and alone.”
Brookes relaxes just slightly, but it’s a start. “Yet, you wouldn’t let me in...”
“You never came for me.” I try to move, but Cooper lowers his arm so I can’t.
All I want is to get the gun off his neck. Brookes is unstable, but if he’s going to shoot anyone first, it’ll be Cooper. I won’t allow that to happen.
Brookes doesn’t say anything more. His eyes go back to Cooper as if he forgot he was in the room. “Why don’t we ask Cooper what he thinks of his girlfriend sneaking around behind his back? Maybe he’ll finally see that you don’t love him and he was a fool to come here.”
I let my lip tremble and will my face to melt into a mask of sadness and hurt. “You want us to have a chance, but you left me, and now you have a gun pointed at me. I thought you loved me.”
Come on. Where are the tears when I need them?
He flinches. “It’s pointed athim! He’s standing in our way, Emily.”
“If you love me, you wouldn’t want to hurt me.”
Cooper’s eyes meet mine, and we tell each other everything in our gazes. He’s scared, he loves me, and he’s going to go down protecting me.
I move my hand slightly, touching his hip, needing to be as close to him as possible.
His lip lifts a small amount, and he clears his throat. “Listen, Brookes, right?”
The sound of Cooper’s voice causes his eyes to blaze. My fear spikes, wanting Cooper to just follow my lead.
“I get it, you love her, and she’s been playing the both of us. I’d be pissed, too. Hell, I am pissed. I don’t understand how the hell she could think this is fucking cool.”
Brookes’s eyes shift from Cooper to me, and his head bobs a little in agreement. “It’s why I’m so confused.”
“I’m right there with you.” Cooper shakes his head in disappointment. “If I knew you guys were this serious, I would’ve backed off.” He tilts to look at Brookes. “It’s the bro code and all.”
Brookes looks at me and huffs. “It could’ve been so easy.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” I pretend to be full of sorrow. “I thought...”
Cooper moves slightly, urging me to the side a little. “I know you love Emily.”
“She’s all I think about,” Brookes admits, and I fight back the urge to puke. “I thought she loved me. She’s a lying whore.”
This is the most insane conversation ever. He needs serious mental help. There’s no way a sane person would think after meetingmaybefour times that we would be in love. Not to mention, I’ve only spoken to him one time.
“I’m going to turn around so we can talk man to man, okay?”
“Don’t fucking try anything.”
Cooper raises his hands as Brookes keeps the gun pointed at him. “I’m not stupid, man.” His back is to my front, and he still shields me from the lunatic before us. “I’m more than willing to step out of the way so you guys can be together, but you have to think about this…if you kill me in front of her, how will she ever be okay after? You know her, she hates blood.”
Brookes looks to me, and I nod.
“Let Emily go, and we’ll work this out, okay?”
My hands grip Cooper’s shirt. There’s no way in hell I’m letting him stay here alone. It ain’t happening.
Confliction paints Brookes’s face. He drops the gun slightly, and I feel a tinge of hope.
Cooper’s hands fall, he pushes my hip to the side, and we move so I now have a clear way to the door. He’s sadly mistaken if he thinks I’m going anywhere without him.
