Dancing Hearts

by Heather Dahlgren

  “Thank you.” She and I continue to talk with Ralph for a while. When drinks are needed, I make them and head right back over. I like having her here with me behind the bar.

  After Ralph leaves, she checks the clock. “Shit, I need to get home Cooper. It’s almost ten o’clock and I still have laundry to do.” I don’t want her to leave, but what can I say? I’m so fucking grateful she stayed this long.

  “Alright, doll, I’ll walk you out to your car.” I yell over to Nikki to let her know I’ll be right back. Emma grabs her purse and we head out to her car. When we get there, she unlocks it, throwing her purse in. She turns back toward me and wraps her arms around my waist.

  “I had a great night, Cooper. Thank you for everything.” I hug her closer to me.

  “I had a fucking great night too.” I put my arms under her ass and pick her up. She wraps her legs around me and tangles her fingers in my hair. I squeeze her ass before I slam my mouth on hers. Once our tongues touch, it is electric. I can’t get enough of her taste, it is as sweet as her pussy. Just the thought has my dick hard. I growl and pull away, resting my forehead on hers. “I need to get back in there. I’m so sorry.” Every fucking time my cock wants attention, I need to leave. I carefully put her back down. She looks up at me, flushed with desire. I run the backs of my fingers down her face and smile at her.

  “It’s alright, cowboy. Go run your bar, and I’ll talk to you later.” She pulls away and damn, if it doesn’t actually hurt to let her go. She climbs into her jeep and I close the door. Once she starts it, she rolls the window down. I lean in and kiss her once more.

  “Text me when you get home so I know.” She agrees and I stand there like a pussy watching her drive away until I can no longer see her taillights. I walk back inside the bar and notice that even with all the people in here, it feels empty now.

  Emma texted me when she got home, just like I asked. I told her once I was back at my place I would text her, even though she would probably be asleep. I finally get everything taken care of at the bar and get back to my place around three o’clock. I know damn well that Emma is sleeping, so I just send a text that says good night. I take a quick shower and climb into bed. I flip the TV on but don’t pay attention to it. My mind is consumed with thoughts of Emma. I don’t know how long I lay there before I start to drift off and dream of her.

  I am woken up to banging on my door. I jump up and rush to the door in nothing but my boxers. I swing it open and it’s my mom, crying hysterically. I put my arm around her and lead her to the couch. This hasn’t happened in months, so I know it’s bad. I don’t say anything yet. I sit her down on the couch and rush to my room to throw some clothes on. I look at the clock and see it is only six in the morning. Less than three hours of sleep. I quickly make my way back to the living room and sit on the couch. She has her hands covering her face and she is sobbing. She keeps whispering my dad’s name, which is what she does when she has a bad episode. I gently guide her toward me and hug her. She begins to scream for my dad. It is at times like this when it makes it hard for me to keep it together for her. I choke back my tears. “Mom, it’s alright. Everything is going to be alright, I promise you. I’ll always be here.” I repeat myself calmly over and over until the screaming stops and she is back to just sobbing. We sit like this for almost two hours until she finally cries herself to sleep. I carefully pick her up and lie her in my bed. I cover her and turn to walk out of the room.

  “I won’t survive without you, Cooper. My heart would have stopped beating four years ago.” I stand in the doorway and just look at her. She looks so frail and broken. She doesn’t say another word, she just rolls onto her side, falling asleep. I know from experience that she will sleep most of the day away. She’s probably been up for a day or two. I close the door and sit down on the couch. I rub my face and sigh. I wonder what brought this one on. The last time she came banging on my door in the middle of the night she had been watching home movies for two days straight. She hadn’t slept or eaten. I made her stay with me for a week after that, just to make sure she ate and slept. I lean back on the couch and close my eyes wondering how we are going to make it through this.

  Next thing I know, my phone is waking me up. I quickly grab it so it doesn’t wake up my mom. “Hello?” I whisper with my voice thick with sleep.

  “Hey man. Did I wake you? It’s almost eleven o’clock.” Levi is my best friend. He’s ridden nights out with me like last night more times than I’d like to admit.

  “Yea, mom is here. Another bad one.” I stand up and stretch before making my way to the kitchen for some much-needed coffee.

  “Shit, Coop, I’m sorry. I was going to stop by. I’ll grab some lunch on the way. Should I grab her favorite sandwich for when she wakes up?” See, this guy knows exactly what happens and I couldn’t love him anymore for it.

  “Thanks, Levi, that would be awesome. I’ll see you when you get here.” We hang up and I rest my back on the counter waiting on the coffee. My phone rings again and I want to kick myself for not putting it on silent. “Hello?”

  “Hi.” Emma. My heart starts pounding and I feel a small smile creep onto my face.

  “Hi, doll. How are you?” She blows out a breath and I don’t like the sound of it. Fuck.

  “I’m tired, cranky, and got into a fight with one of the girls at work.” She sounds so sad about it and just like when my mom is crying, it breaks my heart.

  “What did you guys fight about?” She’s quiet for a minute, and I think maybe she doesn’t want to tell me.

  “She told me that I’m rushing things with you,” she whispers. I go from being sad for her to pissed in a heartbeat.

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I know I’ve risen my voice, so I decide to walk outside so I don’t wake my mom. I walk out my door and to the private entrance that has a small landing with stairs leading to the back parking lot. I sit on the top step and wait for her reply.

  “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry.” This time I blow out a breath and scrub my face with my free hand. I’m trying to wrangle my anger, because it’s not her fault. Once I know I can speak calmly, I answer her.

  “Doll, I told you I don’t want us to have secrets. I want you to feel comfortable enough with me to tell me everything. I’m just pissed that someone would say that when she doesn’t even know me.”

  “That’s the thing, she does know you or knows of you.” I frown in confusion.

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “She said she was friends with someone you dated and said some shitty things. I took care of it though. I told her how she was misinformed.”

  “Who is she friends with, Emma?” I have a feeling I know already.

  “Shelly.” I fucking knew it. Of course the girl I just start dating has to work with one of Shelly’s friends.

  “Emma, you can’t believe anything that girl says. You saw for yourself how fucked up Shelly is. I’m just sorry it followed you to work. Maybe I should talk to this girl.” When it fucking rains, it pours. My mom, now this. I can’t catch a fucking break. I hang my head feeling defeated at the moment.

  “Cowboy, I know who you are. I told her to shove it up her ass. Believe me, I’m capable of handling the situation. I shouldn’t have even bothered you with it, but I was just so pissed. I’m better now, honestly. She walked into the break room with her tail between her legs.” She laughs and I immediately start to feel better.

  “Doll, what did I just tell you? I want you to tell me everything. I hope your day gets better.”

  “It will. How was the rest of your night? I tried to stay awake, but I passed out around two.” Well shit, now I guess I need to be honest.

  “Honestly, it was awful. My mom came over hysterical about my dad. I was up most of the night with her.” I look down in the parking lot and notice my mom’s car door isn’t even closed all the way. It makes me wonder how the fuck she drove here. I’ll need to close that, although the battery is p
robably already dead.

  “Cooper, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do? Anything you or she needs?” This makes me smile. I wish she got to know my mom the way she was before my dad died. I know she’ll love her though, she’s still an amazing person. She just has to deal with a lot more now.

  “No, thank you though. She will sleep most of the day and I’ll let her stay with me a few days until she is better.” I hear voices in the background and Emma laughs. Damn, how is it possible I miss this girl when I just saw her last night?

  “I need to get back in there. My client is here. But Cooper, if you guys need anything at all, please call me. I get off at seven, so I can bring you dinner if you want.” This girl right here is quickly making her way into my heart.

  “I’ll see how the day goes, but thanks. Call me when you get home tonight.” We hang up just as Levi pulls up. When he gets out of his truck, I yell to him to close my mom’s car door. I stand up and wait for him. When he gets up to me, I open the door for him since his hands are full. We get into my apartment and he puts everything down before grabbing me. He gives me a quick hug before pulling out a stool to sit down.

  “How is she doing?” He starts unpacking the food, so I go to grab a couple of plates.

  “She’s still sleeping. I have no idea what brought it on, when she last ate or slept. She looked like shit when she showed up though, so I’m sure it’s been a while.” I shake my head and put the plates down. I scrub my face with my hands and blow out a breath. “I just don’t know how to deal with it sometimes. I really thought the therapy and medication would help. I mean I guess it does because these episodes don’t happen as often, but I thought it would be completely gone.” He slaps my shoulder before putting my sandwich on the plate.

  “I know man, but you do an amazing job at taking care of her. She’d be lost without you. You know I’m here for anything you need. I’ll stick around and try to get her laughing. She loves me.” We both laugh, but he is right she does love him. He can always get her to laugh, and I can’t thank him enough for all the times he’s done it.

  We eat lunch, and bullshit. He tells me about a tattoo he did last night, and I tell him all about my night with Emma. I then tell him about the phone call from her. He reacted just like I thought he would.

  “Coop, I fucking hate that bitch. She is such a troublemaker. She really is fucked up. Next time she shows up with her tits hanging out at the bar, I’m going to tell her what a bitch she is too. I don’t give a shit what you say. I like Emma and I think you guys are good for each other, so I’ll be damned if that trainwreck is going to fuck it up.” I just smirk at him. I know better than to try to disagree with him. He’ll just make more of a scene if I do. Although, I’m hoping, after the other night, she just stays the fuck away.

  After about an hour of bullshitting, he says he needs to go get the shop ready because he has a client coming in for a finish-up. He promised to be back later tonight to check in on my mom, and I know he will. Just before he walks out the door, he turns to look at me.

  “Hey, Coop.” I raise my eyebrows in question. “You’ll get through this, just like you always do. Don’t let it get the best of you, alright?” I give him a nod.

  “Levi, I promise you, man, it would take a hell of a lot for me to go down that path again. But thanks, man.” Satisfied he has nothing to worry about, he leaves. No one else worries about me going down that road again, except for Levi. Even though I’ve never had the slightest slip up, he still says the same thing to me. He’s one hell of a friend.

  I spend the rest of the afternoon doing laundry and going over the books for the bar. It takes more time than I thought it would, but I feel like a weight is lifted once it’s done. I’ve got an hour before I need to open the bar, so I sit down on the couch to try to relax for just a bit. I lay my head back and close my eyes. Holy shit, I am tired. It’s going to be a long night. I couldn’t have had my eyes closed for more than five minutes when I hear my mom screaming. I sit up and rub my neck. “Fuck.” I rush into my room and she is curled up in a ball screaming for my dad again. This is a really bad episode. Most of the time after some sleep she starts to pull herself out of it. Fuck, I’m going to need help tonight. I sit on the bed and rub her back while she screams.

  “ROB! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME? WHY? ROB, PLEASE HELP ME. OH GOD I CAN’T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU.” I close my eyes against the tears that once again are building.

  “Mom, it’s alright. I’m right here, I won’t let anything happen to you.” Every time she is finished screaming, I repeat myself until finally she is just crying. “Mom, I’ll be right back.” I quickly run into the living room to grab my phone. Fuck, the bar should be opening. I quickly call Roy.

  “Hey Boss, what’s up?” I need to get right to the point because I need to get back to my mom.

  “Roy, listen, I need you tonight. I actually need you right now.” I hear him moving around.

  “Alright, I’m leaving now. Just get it open, I’ll be there in a half-hour.” We hang up and I dial Nikki.

  “Hi, Cooper. I’m pulling in the parking lot now.”

  “Alright, just making sure. I’ll be right down.” I go into my room and find that my mom fell back to sleep. I blow out a breath, thankful that I should have at least the half hour until Roy gets here until she wakes up. I rush down and let the girls in. I just leave the door unlocked, since we should be opening. I pull all the stools down and quickly wipe the bar down before getting the glasses set up. Thankfully, we get everything done before anyone comes in. I serve a few people before Roy shows up. He slaps my back when he makes his way behind the bar.

  “I’m here now. Go.” I don’t even need to explain myself to the people in my life. They just know what I need. I toss the rag in the sink and grab myself a water.

  “Thanks, Roy. I’ll be back before closing.”

  “Boss, you don’t need to. I’ve got this.” I just nod and make my way back up to my apartment. Thankfully, when I go check on my mom she is still sleeping. I sit down, pull out my phone, and text Levi asking him to stop at my mom’s house to grab her medicine before he comes back over. I toss the phone next to me and cover my face with my hands. I need to try to get myself to relax so I can help my mom. Just then my stomach growls making me realize I haven’t eaten in hours. I stand up to go see what I have to make for dinner because Levi won’t be here for a few hours; no way I can wait that long. I open the fridge, nothing. I check the cabinets, nothing.

  “Shit.” I should have gone food shopping. Of course, my phone starts ringing and I run, hopping over the coffee table to grab it. “Hello?”

  “Hi.” Just hearing Emma’s voice has a smile on my face.

  “Hey, doll. How are you?” I can hear a lot of noise in the background. Before I can ask where she is, she answers me.

  “I’m good. Listen, I stopped and grabbed some pizza. I’m down in the bar. I didn’t just want to show up. I can bring it up to you and then I’ll head home. I just wanted to make sure you and your mom had dinner.” She keeps finding ways to shock the shit out of me. Never has a girl I’ve dated brought me dinner, never mind when I’m dealing with my mom. This girl seems to have a heart of fucking gold. I’m not sure I deserve that, but I’ll gladly take it. I quickly make my way out my door to help her carry the pizza up.

  “I’m on my way down to help with the pizza.” Before she can argue, because I’m pretty sure she would, I hang up the phone stuffing it into my pocket. I take the stairs two at a time to make it to her faster. I open the door and she is standing there like the fucking hottest delivery girl I’ve ever seen. She gets the attention of my dick as well. I give her a grin before I make my way to her. I grab the pizza from her and press my lips to her soft ones. “Thank you. Come on.” I turn and she grabs onto my arm, stopping me. I turn my head and she is chewing that lip. I raise my eyebrow in question.

  “I don’t need to come up. I just wanted to make sure you had dinner.” I look around the bar. It is
running like a well-oiled machine. The girls are busy taking care of the tables, and Roy has got the bar totally under control. He looks over at me and smiles, nodding his head toward Emma. I nod back, meaning hell yes, she is amazing. I look back at her and she looks so nervous.

  “Emma, have you eaten dinner yet?” She shakes her head ‘no.’ “Then get your sexy ass up those stairs.” She still doesn’t move, but bites that lip harder. I bend down so I’m eye level with her. “Why are you nervous, doll?” She lifts her eyes to mine and we stare at each other. It is like we are trying to see into the other’s soul.

  “Don’t you think this may be a bad time for your mom to meet me?” she whispers. I smile at her.

  “I actually think this is the perfect time for my mom to meet you. Don’t be nervous, doll. She is just sad, she’s not some crazy person.” I guess that was the wrong thing to say because she quickly releases that lip and frowns at me.

  “I never said or even thought your mom was crazy. I just didn’t know if she would want someone she doesn’t know seeing her upset.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry. Just come up with me, and now, because these pizzas are starting to burn me.” Thankfully, she laughs at that and we make our way up to my place. Once we are inside, I set the pizzas down on the counter and pull her to me. I slam my mouth to hers and our tongues begin to dance together. She lets out a moan when I nip her bottom lip before pulling back. We hold each other and it feels so fucking good. She seems to help relax me. I sigh before I kiss her head. “Thank you, Emma. You have no idea how much it means to me that you would think to bring me dinner. I know we have a lot to learn about each other, but damn, you are making me one happy man.”

  “Well, hearing that makes me one happy woman.” We pull apart when my stomach growls again. She looks at my stomach then up at me. “I think it’s dinner time.” She winks and I grab two plates out of the cabinet.