Page 15 of Cooper & Jake
Fuck. I can’t believe I had no idea what had happened. “That’s why you didn’t go to college when I did?”
“Yeah, and I didn’t want anyone to know that I wasn’t going to school, so I deleted my Myspace page and worked at the grocery store to help my mom out. But then a couple of years later, she got sick, and I lost her too.”
“Fuck, Cooper.” My heart breaks for him. I can’t imagine losing both of my parents. And so close together, too. “Is that why you moved to Connecticut?”
“Yeah, after Mom’s funeral, I realized I had nothing keeping me here anymore. So, I applied to a school far away and packed up everything I owned and relocated. It was worth it, but damn, is it hard being back here.”
“I wish I’d known.”
Cooper gets up from the rock and grabs the blanket we brought with us. He flips it a few times before setting it down on the dirt. He takes a seat on the side, and I get up, taking the spot next to him.
“There’s nothing you could have done,” he tells me quietly, his hands rubbing back and forth on the picture.
“I could have been there for you. Even if we weren’t together, we were still friends, Cooper. I’m sorry you had to do it alone.”
“Yeah, to be honest, I completely shut myself off from everything. After losing Dad, I was so focused on making sure Mom was okay that I didn’t have time for anything else. And I deleted all those apps because I did not want to see my friends living their lives at college, knowing that I wasn’t having the same experiences. Once Mom got sick, I got extra busy, and then after that, I’d lived so long without any social media that I neverdownloaded or used it. So, I really haven’t kept in touch with anyone at all.”
“Neither have I. Growing up in the military, you get used to moving every few years and having to start over. Sometimes you keep friends, and sometimes they fade away. When I left this place, you were the only friend I wanted to stay connected with, but even that fizzled out.”
“I’m sorry,” he tells me.
“Don’t be. We were kids, Cooper. Things happen. Now, though, you won’t be able to ghost me so easily. I’m going to make you download Facebook or Instagram or something before we leave.”
“You can also just get my phone number.”
Lifting my head, I lock eyes with him. “Yeah,” I rasp, swallowing roughly. “I’ll get your number.”
“Sorry to bring down the mood,” he mumbles.
“No,” I rush out, scooting closer to him. “We’ve been strangers for twenty years. I want to hear everything you’ve done since I last saw you.”
“Okay,” he whispers. His watch illuminates the small space around us as he looks at it. “How would you feel about meeting for breakfast?”
Chuckling, I stand, reaching my hand out for him to take. “Sounds good. It’s getting late. Can I catch a ride back to the hotel?”
“No, I’m just going to leave you here,” he deadpans, snatching up the blanket and rolling it under his arms.
“Hey, you could. No one except Peyton knows I’m here, and I guarantee he won’t notice if I don’t make it back tonight.” My cheeks warm when I realize what I just said. “Not that I was implying I wasn’t going to make it to my room tonight.”
Cooper laughs, pushing at my stomach. His touch sends a spark throughout my body, and he must feel it too because hepauses, looking up at me. Clearing his throat, he backs away slowly. “I wasn’t thinking that,” his husky voice replies.
“Come on, let’s go so I can get my beauty sleep. Someone is taking me for breakfast tomorrow.”
“He didn’t get home until, like, one in the morning. I know. What a wild old man. He disappeared at like ten thirty, maybe eleven, and then I came here to wait for him. I’m so proud of our little guy.”
“I can hear you,” I mutter from under my pillow. “And I’m not a little guy,” I add, blinking my eyes open.
“Oh shit, he’s awake. I’ll let you ask him yourself. Here.”
“So, Jakey boy, how was your night?” Wyatt’s voice drawls from the other end of the phone.
I take the pillow off my face and sit up glaring at Peyton. “It was fine. I didn’t do what you two are thinking of.”
“So he says, Wyatt. But let me tell you this: there I was, all alone, by myself in the hotel room watchingBrooklyn Nine-Nineon the Netflix, right? And beep-boop the door clicks open at one am. One, Wyatt! Anyway, there I was sitting there by my lonesome, and here comes Jake barreling into the room, all loud and shit?—”
“I was not loud,” I cut him off, rolling my eyes.
He clears his throat dramatically, looking at me. “I’m telling the story here. As I was saying, Jakey enters the room with the brightest, biggest smile I’ve seen on the man’s face since I met him. And get this—all he did was hang out with Little Dude. Just hang out! And itstillcaused him to have the hugest grin on that ugly mug of his.”
