Page 33 of The Road Ahead
“I’m sure we’ll have fun,” Brad said. “It’ll be good to hang out. What do you think?” he asked Teresa.
She nodded. “I’d really like to see your car in action, Rio. I’ve heard so much about it from Coop.” She turned to the club members. “Is that okay?”
“It’s a public road,” Jimmy said. “Technically, anyone can join us.”
“Awesome,” Brad said, and kissed Teresa’s cheek. “It’s a date.”
I didn’t think such a date was going to do much to save their relationship, but again, none of my business. Before anyone could say anything else, the first of the fireworks shot into the air, and we all turned to watch the show.
Cooper’s arms wrapped even tighter around me as we leaned back to watch the explosion of color across the night sky. Halfway through, I stole a glance at Cooper’s face and then spent the rest of the show watching him instead of the fireworks. The way the fireworks turned his face into a work of art was mesmerizing. Shadow and light danced across his features, highlighting his strong jaw, the arch of his brow, the narrow bridge of his nose. When Cooper’s eyes flickered down to meetmine, a kaleidoscope of colors reflected in them, capturing my entire imagination. He ducked his head down and kissed me, and it was one of the most perfect moments I’d ever experienced.
The fireworks show finished in a great spectacular, the night sky exploding with color, smoke, and noise. Around us, the crowdoohedandaahedand then it was over as suddenly as it had begun. The mood was almost melancholy as the crowd got to their feet, gathering their belongings and saying goodbye to friends. Our group hung back for a while, allowing the majority of the crowd to disperse so we wouldn’t be stuck in the gridlock that would become the parking lot. Jimmy told me a little more about the regular meetings the club held and gave me directions to where we would meet tomorrow evening.
We left the field when we were some of the only ones left, enjoying the crisp evening air. Once we reached the parking lot, we said goodbye to Jimmy, Ravi, and Darren, as well as Teresa’s friends, and piled into Brad’s SUV. “I can’t believe it’s over for another year,” Teresa said, sounding sad, but also exhausted.
“I know,” Cooper groaned from beside me. “I amnotlooking forward to going back to work. At least we have a few more days here to chill before heading back to reality.” He reached out and linked our fingers together, resting them on his thigh.
“It’ll be nice to just laze around for a couple of days,” I agreed. “The festival’s been great and all, but I think I also need some time to just do nothing.”
From the front passenger seat, Teresa scoffed. “Uh-huh, sure. You two get up at the crack of dawn to go running, and then you spend even more time doing torturous things like crunches and push-ups, and worst of all, youenjoy it! I can’t see you lazing around doing nothing.”
“To be fair, running with Cooper gives me the chance to check out his ass in running shorts,” I teased her. “It’s not all sweat and tears.”
“Ewww!” she cried. “I donotwant to think about my brother’s ass, thank you very much.”
“But it’s such a nice ass,” I said with a shit-eating grin.
“Rio! Stop it!” Teresa said between laughs.
“I can wear my running shorts all day, if you want,” Cooper offered, giving me a wink.
“Ooh, that’s a thought!”
Teresa covered her ears with her hands and hummed loudly, and I couldn’t stop smiling. It was nice to know that my future here with my cousins would be full of love and laughter.
The following morning, Cooper and I did go for a run, but it wasn’t so much about the exercise as an excuse to have some time alone to talk. We found ourselves along the path near the lovers’ rock mound and it seemed an opportune place to stop and chat. We walked past the mound and perched on a fallen log that had swept up onto the shore decades ago.
We were both quiet for a little while, gathering our thoughts while we enjoyed the picturesque view of the lake, with the mountain looming majestically in the background. A quiet anticipation was building in my stomach. It wasn’t nerves, but excitement. This wasn’t one of those ominoustalks, but an elucidation of what our relationship would look like going forward. It was a defining point of our future.
I pulled the heart-shaped rock from my pocket. I’d been taking it everywhere since Cooper had given it to me. The ancient mound of rocks behind me was a solid presence at my back, but not just physically. It was a symbol that love could conquer almost anything. The pathfinder and the preacher’s daughterhadn’t had that chance, but their story was one that inspired others to fight for their right to love who they wanted, even if it wasn’t conventional. I already faced an uphill battle to be accepted for who I was by society, and I knew that Cooper had struggled over the years with being judged for his sexuality. We were cousins. Dating each other may not be illegal here, but it wasn’t widely accepted. No matter what we did, there would always be those who would judge us.
I looked over at Cooper. His hazel eyes were sparkling in the warm morning sunlight, and I could clearly see the glints of red in his hair. He was big and broad, but the kindest, gentlest person I knew. He spent his working life saving people, and made balloon animals for kids on his days off. Our fathers were brothers, but Cooper was the one I wanted to build a life with. He was worth fighting for, and I wasn’t going to let some judgemental busybodies stop me from exploring a future with him. If they wanted to clutch their pearls, let them. Hell, I had several sets they could borrow if they didn’t have their own.
“What are you thinking about?” Cooper asked me.
“Just how much I’m looking forward to being with you,” I told him.
We shared dopey grins. “Same,” he said simply.
I decided it was time to get serious. “So, we’ve already established we’ll use the next month or two as a trial period for living together.” I wasn’t at all worried we’d have any major problems, but being cautious never hurt. “Are you happy for us to get tested? I’m not planning on being with anyone else, and if you aren’t either, maybe we can go without condoms if we’re both negative?”
Cooper nodded. “I’m happy to do that. I know some people think I’m overly cautious, especially since we’re on PrEP, but—”
“Hey,” I cut him off. “I told you before, you never have to apologize for insisting on safe sex. PrEP doesn’t stop you fromcatching other STIs, but so many people seem to forget that. It’s okay, Coop.”
He nodded. “Thanks. If we’re going to be exclusive, though, I’m happy to get tested and then go from there.”
I smiled. “Cool. So, I guess the other thing—”
