by Nia Arthurs
Erin said nothing more as Cooper blew the balloon up and tied it with his nimble fingers. When he was done, he tossed it into the pathetic pile that she’d accumulated in the past half hour.
“Wow. Way to put me to shame.”
Cooper’s jaw flexed but he remained silent.
Erin’s heart had flip-flopped when she saw him walking in and heading straight for her. It took a few minutes to coach her expression back to normal and remind herself that she had chosen Ryan.
But being friendly to Cooper wouldn’t hurt anyone.
“I didn’t see you at class today,” she said casually.
He shrugged and reached for another balloon. “I didn’t feel like going.”
“Is it because of Kay?”
His eyes shot up to meet hers.
Erin laughed. “I know you’ve been avoiding her. You used me the other day to keep her from sitting next to you, right?”
“No.” He focused on the balloon. “I did that because I wanted to sit next to you.”
Erin blinked.
Cooper tossed his air-filled balloon and extended his hand to her. “Another one.”
Erin scrambled to the pack and placed a green balloon in his hand. She didn’t want to be affected by Cooper and it frustrated her to no end that just being around him like this made her nervous.
Play it cool. He’s just like any other guy.
“Well, since you missed today, would you like my notes?”
“No.”
“Okay…” Erin frowned. Why was Cooper being so cold to her. She hadn’t done anything to him, as far as she remembered. Erin thrust her balloon down. “Cooper, do you have a problem with me?”
He didn’t bother looking up.
“Hello?” Erin narrowed her eyes. She could put up with a lot of things, but she couldn’t stand being ignored.
Erin’s temper sparked when she said ‘good morning’ to somone in passing and they didn’t return the greeting. It was rude. Plain and simple. And she didn’t stand for it.
After their eventful evening on Monday and his offer to sit with him on Wednesday, Erin thought she and Cooper were something close to friends.
What was his problem?
Erin bent her body sideways so he was forced to look at her.
He glanced up, golden eyes cold. “Do you need something?”
“Why aren’t you answering me?”
“Is there some law that I have to answer you?”
“It’s called ‘having manners’.”
“Then maybe I don’t have any,” Cooper mumbled.
Irritated, Erin swatted his balloon down. It made a noise akin to a fart as it flew around the room and finally landed a few feet away.
Cooper glared at her. “Why’d you do that?”
“Because you’re annoying.”
“Who? Me?”
“Yes.” Erin counted off on her fingers. “You’re not answering me. You’re not looking at me. And you won’t tell me what’s wrong.”
“Fine.” Cooper surged to his feet. Erin backed up as he advanced on her, his eyes locked on her face. She stumbled into something hard. It was the table. The rim dug into her back. She sank her fingernails into it.
“C-Cooper,” she whispered.
“I’m looking at you now.” He leaned over, his face an inch away from hers. “Are you happy?”
“I—” Erin’s throat clogged up as she stared into Cooper’s eyes. They were such a unique shade of amber. She wouldn’t be surprised if she heard his people descended from aliens. His eyes were that otherworldly.
“Get it through your head, Erin,” Cooper said coldly. “We’re not friends. I don’t owe you anything.”
Erin gathered her wits and pushed his shoulder. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Cooper shot a long, angsty look at her and then turned and strode away.
“Cooper!” She took a step toward him. “Where are you going?”
He ignored her call and disappeared through the door.
Erin’s lips trembled. Anger shot through her body. “Fine!” She grabbed a handful of balloons and tossed it at his retreating back. “I didn’t need you anyway!”
“What’s with her?”
“Is she crazy?”
The students in the center whispered and pointed in her direction. Erin smoothed her hair down and sheepishly gathered the scattered balloons from the floor.
“Stupid Cooper,” she mumbled, setting the balloons back in their bag. “Jerk of all jerks!”
Peggy bounced into the room after she’d cleaned up. Her sister glanced over and frowned when she saw Erin alone. “Where’s Cooper?”
“I have no idea,” she snapped.
“What happened?” Peggy tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I thought I told him to help you out in here.”
“Well, he didn’t.”
“Did you fight again?” Peggy moaned. “Erin, I barely got him to come in the first place.”
“Why are you saying that like it’s my fault? He’s the one who acted weird and then stalked away like some kind of entitled king.”
“What ‘weird’ things did he do?” Peggy leaned in.
“I don’t know.” Erin ran her fingernail along the elastic surface of the balloon. “He was ignoring me.”
“That’s it? Cooper ignores everyone.”
“Not me.”
“Oooh.” One brown eyebrow hiked. “Did it bother you that you weren’t getting his attention?”
“No, of course not!” Erin coughed. “It was just… rude.”
“He’s always rude. That’s his charm.”
“Wow.”
“Do you want me to drag him back by his ears?” Peggy asked.
“Don’t bother. I’m almost done here anyway.”
Peggy glanced over her desk. “You don’t look done.”
“I’ll help,” a voice said.
The two sisters glanced up. Erin smiled when she spotted Ryan. “Will you?”
“Are you guys finished with the tent?”
“Yeah,” Ryan said. “We’re just waiting for the rest of the decorations. Hey, babe.” Ryan slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her temple.
Erin quickly stepped out of his arms. She wasn’t comfortable with affection in public.
Ryan turned to Peggy. “I saw Cooper storming down the sidewalk a few minutes ago. Is everything okay?”
“He and Erin fought again.”
“You did?” Ryan glanced at her, eyes wide.
“He’s a jerk. I hate jerks. We’re bound to clash.”
“Whatever.” Peggy pointed to the table. “Ryan, as her boyfriend, your punishment is to get those balloons done.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ryan saluted.
Erin watched him. He looked especially handsome today in a fitted black shirt and khakis. An earring glinted from his left ear. “Are you going to the dance tonight?”
“If that’s your way of asking me out, then yes. I would love to go.” He blew on his balloon and winked.
Erin shook her head. “Oh, I’m not going.”
“Why not?” Ryan struggled to tie the knot.
Erin laughed. “It’s hard, right?”
He finally got it done and set it aside so he could walk closer to her. “What do you mean you’re not coming? I assumed we were going together.”
“What?”
Ryan blinked innocently. “Was I wrong?”
“It’s just… dances aren’t my scene. I find the music degrading to women.”
“Really?” Ryan snorted.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s just music. It’s not a big deal.”
“It is a big deal,” Erin argued. “Media like television, movies and music aren’t just a reflection of our society, they also shape society. If we accept lyrics that only talk about a woman’s body like she’s nothing but a piece of meat, we’re perpetuating—”
“Here.” Ryan held out a hand.
Erin
tilted her head. “What are you doing?”
“Helping you off your soapbox.”
She frowned. “This is important to me, Ryan.”
“Then you don’t have to dance,” he said. “Just come hang out with me. Meet my friends. It should be fun.”
Erin blinked. Her definition of fun clashed with Ryan’s. But relationships were all about compromise, right? She promised to stick with him and that meant making sacrifices to make their relationship work.
“I did what you wanted on the last date,” he added.
He had a point. “Fine. I’ll come.”
“Great.” Ryan’s dark cheeks puffed as he blew into his balloon. “Wear something sexy.”
Erin cringed but kept silent. Plenty of friends had informed her that she was too sensitive. That she needed to loosen up. Her boyfriend asked her to wear something revealing. She didn’t have to fight over it.
All she had to say was, “Yes, Ryan.”
He smiled and squeezed her hand. “That’s my girl.”
Her throat tightened. Erin didn’t feel like herself, but she really liked this guy and she didn’t want to lose him. Not when he was her first serious relationship.
It was time she grew up.
Since they spent so much time preparing for the event, Peggy and Erin rushed home with little over an hour to spare before they needed to head back.
Her sister already seemed so stress, Erin didn’t want to bother her. She ended up doing her own makeup and hair. After hesitating between a low-cut dress and a low-cut blouse and skirt ensemble, she went with the skirt and flew behind Peggy to the door.
“You look nice,” her sister said as they drove back to school.
“Thanks.”
Peggy frowned. “But you don’t look happy. No matter what you’re wearing, nothing beats a smile.”
Erin bared her teeth.
Peggy flinched. “Yeah… don’t do that.”
“I just feel a little out-of-sorts. I’m sure things will pick up when I meet Ryan tonight.”
But they didn’t.
When Erin insisted she didn’t want to dance, Ryan decided to go out on his own. Erin didn’t have a problem with that.
Until she saw two girls in crop tops and tight shorts grinding on top of him. It was basically rhythmic sex.
Did Ryan think that was okay?
Her frustration mounted as she watched the girls go to town on her boyfriend. Pretty soon, she expected the shorter one to rip his clothes off and do the deed right there in front of everyone.
As the heat in her chest and the heat beneath the tent turned oppressive, Erin grabbed her purse and stalked outside. She saw the drinks booth in the distance and headed there, eager for something to cool her down.
When she swung herself on top of a stool in front of the counter, she was stunned to find Cooper there.
“What are you doing here?” they both asked at the same time.
Cooper’s lips remained in a thin line as he said, “You first.”
“Ryan asked me to come but he—” She paused, hesitant to tell Cooper she and Ryan were having issues. Again. “I had to leave. If I hear one more singer tell me to spread my legs in the crudest way possible, I swear I’ll scream.”
Cooper chuckled. Her heart thudded.
Gosh, why does he make me feel like this?
“Peggy called and threatened to castrate me if I didn’t keep my promise to help her out with the dance. I told her I’d bartend. Here I am.”
“Here you are.” Erin studied Cooper. He wore a light blue cotton shirt and jeans. His hair was doing it’s own thing, but it worked. His golden eyes, in the shadows, were a brilliant brown.
“Cooper!” A bunch of girls giggled on the other side of the booth. “We need you!”
“Duty calls,” Cooper said, walking toward them.
Erin was sad to see him go. She ordered a drink and sipped it, watching enviously as hordes of girls approached Cooper and flirted like crazy.
There was no way she could ever date a guy like Cooper, even if she was so inclined. She’d have to constantly worry, night and day, about girls throwing themselves at him. Trying to seduce him. Be impregnated by him.
And you don’t have to worry about Ryan after what you just saw?
Erin chased the thought away with a long swig of her drink. When she slammed the bottle down, she noticed Cooper in front of her. He was staring with that piercing look of his.
“What?” She gestured to herself. “You’ve never seen a miserable girl before?”
Cooper leaned his elbow on the desk. “My shift’s almost over.”
“So…?”
“I’ll take you home.”
It wasn’t a question, but she would have said ‘yes’ if he’d asked anyway.
16 Cooper
“Where do you want to go?” he asked, one hand gripping the steering wheel. Erin sat in the passenger side. She hadn’t said much since he’d guided her into the car after his shift.
He’d sensed something was wrong from the moment she slumped to the bar and sighed so hard it nearly toppled their glass rack. Though Cooper promised himself that he would keep his distance, he couldn’t ignore her.
“Erin?”
“Benny’s,” she mumbled.
Cooper shot her a stunned glance. “We just ate there Monday.”
“Yeah, but then I saw Natasha and I didn’t get to finish all my fries.”
He smirked. “You had three fries left.”
“You counted them?”
“It was easy. That was all you had in the plate.”
She scrunched her nose. “Why do I feel like you’re insulting me?”
“Benny’s it is!” Cooper flicked his indicator.
Erin turned on her side and pulled her knees up on the chair. Her skirt rode higher, giving him an eyeful of her smooth brown legs and thighs. Cooper swallowed and tore his gaze away.
We’re just friends. We’re just friends.
Screw it.
Why the hell was Erin with Ryan? If she was his, there was no way he would be inside the dance alone while she wandered outside by herself. Especially when she looked like that.
Erin wore a shimmery black top that was undone one button too low. The skirt barely covered her butt. It didn’t strike him as an outfit she would pick for herself, but she wore it well. Too well.
If he hadn’t approached her first, some other guy would have.
“Have you ever had a girlfriend, Cooper?” Erin asked.
He sucked in a breath. “That’s random.”
Her voice was quiet, thoughtful. “Want to know a secret?”
“Go ahead.”
“I have a thing about firsts. First date. First boyfriend.” She paused. Her gaze flickered to his face. “First kiss. They’re supposed to be special. They’re supposed to mean something.”
Cooper swallowed. That explained why Erin kept tripping about that play. She’d wanted Ryan to be her first kiss, and he’d ruined it. In her mind.
In his mind, that kiss cemented his feelings for her. He would never apologize for it, but he did understand why she was ticked.
“I’m starting to wonder if putting an emphasis on a new experience is just setting myself up for disappointment. No one else cares. Why do I?” Her big brown eyes pulled him in. “You think something’s wrong with me?”
“There’s nothing wrong with having high standards. Especially with the things you consider valuable. Don’t ever be ashamed of who you are and what you want. People might not say they care about their firsts, but they’ll always remember them.”
“I guess that’s true.”
Cooper felt Erin staring and glanced over to confirm that she was, indeed, scouring his face with her brown eyes. “What?”
“I’m just… surprised.”
“By?”
“The fact that you make sense sometimes.”
Cooper was glad to hear her teasing him. “You really think it’s a good idea to ins
ult your driver?”
“Harm a hair on my head and Peggy will kill you.”
She had a point.
“Why were you angry at me earlier?” Erin asked. “You stormed out of the Student Center without saying anything.”
Because I love you. “Because I forgot I had something to do.”
Erin sat straighter. “Fine, don’t tell me.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, glad to see the diner rising in the distance. Erin would probably lose her appetite if he answered her question honestly. It was best he held off on that until the right time.
After they parked, Cooper and Erin strolled inside and settled around a table. Erin didn’t bother perusing the menu and ordered right away.
Cooper was forced to do the same.
He studied her as she pulled her phone out and typed a message. Her curly hair cascaded around her face. Something dark lined her eyes so they looked sultrier than usual. Her cocoa-brown skin glistened beneath the gaudy overhead lights.
His heart thudded. He was so glad he’d come back to Belize.
“That was Peggy,” Erin explained, putting her phone away. “She’s checking in every thirty minutes.”
“She’s very protective.”
“Oh, she’s not trying to protect me. I told her if she came home drunk tonight, I’d call Mom and Dad.”
“That’s… strange.”
“I don’t trust Vinnie. She’s supposed to update me on where she is and what she’s doing so I know she’s safe.”
Cooper leaned back. “You two are close.”
“Is it weird?” She laughed. “Because we look so different?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
She shrugged. “People don’t always understand when we tell them we’re sisters. Even when it’s pretty obvious I’m adopted. It’s like the thought of a white family taking in a black kid is just beyond them.”
“Love has nothing to do with color,” Cooper said. He meant that sincerely. As much as he admired Erin’s skin, her nose, her curves and the other things that made her ‘black’, he liked her.
“Wow, Coop.” Erin fluttered her eyelashes. “Tonight, you actually feel like a real person.”
Pleased that she’d called him by a nickname, he leaned forward. “As opposed to the robot I send in my place everyday?”
Erin smiled and seemed to continuously relax. By the time they’d finished eating, she was back to her usual self.