Page 17 of Cooper & Jake
“Oh,” Cooper’s face falls, and I rush to add on more details.
“I just mean that I didn’t tell him anything about what we did. I told him we had a good time at the waterfall and that I was tired. He tried to pester me, but that’s just Peyton. Always having to nag.
“He seems like a fun person to hang around with. Like the life of the party,” he says, a genuine smile on his face for my friend.
“Oh, trust me, he is. But he’s also so damn fun to hang out with. Which is why he’s one of my best friends.”
“Damn, maybe we should have invited him. I kinda feel bad that we didn’t think of our friends.”
“If Peyton really wanted to come, he would be here right next to us, walking down the street. There’s nothing that would stop him from doing what he wants to do.” I laugh loudly, thinking of my best friend. “But I think he was more willing to give us some time alone since we haven’t seen or been around each other in so long.”
Cooper stops in place, cocking his head as he stares at me. “Is it weird? Us hanging out like nothing happened?”
“I mean, technically, nothing happened. I had to move away; we were kids. We lived our lives. Luckily, the reunion happened, so we’re able to see one another. But there’s nothing weird that happened, so no. I think we’re both adult enough not to be too focused on the past and can focus on the present.”
“I like that.”
We reach the restaurant, and I pull the door open, letting Cooper go in first. “I really want to get to know you again.”
“Same.”
8
COOPER
Last night was like a dream.I never expected to see Jake again, let alone spend the evening with him. When I got back to my hotel room, I quickly showered and spent a god-awful amount of time lying in the bed thinking of him. My mind kept replaying all the small interactions we had that night, as well as the deeper conversations. There’s still so much I want to know about him. I want him to fill in all the gaps from the past twenty years.
I slide into one side of the black booth while Jake slides into the other. Our server, Sonny, comes up to take our order. I ask for tea and pancakes while Jake asks for a cup of coffee and eggs with bacon.
“Tea? Why tea? You used to drink coffee before.”
“Once I started consuming it daily, it made me really jittery, so I stopped drinking it. I was switched onto tea, and I’ve been addicted to it ever since.”
“Ew.” He wrinkles his nose and it’s the cutest thing I’ve seen. “I only drink tea when I’m sick. Tea and honey, that’s it.”
“Don’t knock it till you try it,” I tell him, giving him a soft smile.
“So, I gotta be completely honest with you. The next time you see Peyton, he will one hundred percent attempt to talk about what happened between us last night. You don’t have to say anything to him, but just know he is pushy.”
“That’s okay. Taylor will be the same way—guaranteed. She’s already texted me a million times this morning. I know that as soon as I get back to the hotel, she’ll be in my room.
“So, apparently, our best friends are the same person.”
“Apparently,” I chuckle.
Jake smiles at me, the corners of his eyes crinkling. This is exactly what I was hoping for when I drove down here for the reunion. For a chance to hangout and talk with Jake. To become his friend again. Maybe even to be in one another’s lives once more.
“Okay, tell me more about you,” I say, taking a sip of my tea, forgetting to blow on it because I’m too preoccupied with staring at Jake. My body jumps when it burns my tongue. “Shit, shit, ow,” I whine, opening my mouth wide as though that will help the burn stop.
“Are you okay?” Jake asks, reaching his arm across the table to grab my hand.
“I’m okay. Embarrassed but okay.”
“Maybe next time you should blow on it,” he snickers, moving my cup away from me. “Do you want me to get you some ice? A cold drink? Anything?”
“No, I’ll be okay.” Taking a deep breath, I shake out my body, the pain on my tongue slowly ebbing away. “Okay, let’s try that again. Tell me more about Jake nowadays. Do you have any pets?”
“I do, actually. A border collie named Bailey. She’s adorable, she has black-and-white fur, and she’s rowdy as hell. Keeps me on my toes and always needs to go to the bathroom at four in the morning. What about you? Do you have any pets?”
