Cooper

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  “Hello?”

  “Hey.”

  Silence. I stood there staring out the window, waiting for him to tell me what he was doing here. I really doubted that he had miraculously gotten over his shit in the past few days and decided to come make things right. Coop just wasn’t like that. He took two steps forward and ten steps back, so I had no reason to think that this was anything more than a booty call.

  “Is there a reason that you’re sitting outside my house?”

  “I wanted to see you.”

  “Well, you’re sitting out in an SUV. That’s not seeing me.”

  Again, he didn’t say anything and I waited. I could barely see him in the darkness, and I wondered if I would see his dark eyes staring at me or if I would see that typical expressionless face that said absolutely nothing.

  “Look, I think it’s best that you don’t call me. Don’t stop by and sit outside my house. It’s creepy, and frankly, you’re just gonna piss off old man Marley by sitting in front of his house. He’s probably already called the cops on you.”

  He still didn’t say anything. I felt Delaney walk up beside me and stare out the window also. I wanted to reach for her hand to give me strength to make him go away. As much as I liked the fact that he sat outside just to see me, it would only get my hopes up, and I didn’t have a lot of hope left at this point.

  He pulled away from the curb just a moment later, but he was still on the phone. I waited for something, anything, but then the line went dead and he was gone.

  “Nothing?” Delaney asked.

  I shook my head. “Am I making a mistake? Am I pushing him too much?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Only you know what you can deal with, but I think you’re making the right choice for you. It’s fine to take things slow, but at some point, he has to let you in.”

  “I just keep thinking that I’m pushing him away for my own peace of mind, but is that fair to him?”

  “Is it fair for him to string you along?”

  “That’s not what he’s doing.”

  “Not intentionally, but if he never has any intention of opening up to you and letting you be part of his life, then what’s the point?”

  That was exactly what I had been thinking, but it was nice to hear someone say the same thing. There was nothing I could do to make him want to open up to me. I could be here to listen when he was ready, if he was ready, but until then, I couldn’t keep giving myself to him and get nothing in return.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  “He’s out there again,” Delaney said as she ate a bowl of cereal.

  “Why are you eating cereal? I thought we were going out to dinner?”

  “We are, but I was hungry and it sounded good.” She jerked her head toward the window. “Why is he here again?”

  “I don’t know,” I said as I stared out the window. God, I wished he would just talk to me.

  “So, do you want to go or stay?”

  I watched him in the darkness and debated with myself if I should wait for his call. It’s not like it would be a long call, but I couldn’t stand the thought of missing it if he did call. But waiting on his call was not healthy. It reeked of desperation, and the whole point of storming out on him was that I was taking back the desperate part of me and turning it into something I could respect.

  “Yeah, let’s go.”

  I grabbed my coat as she put down her bowl in the kitchen, and we walked out to her car. When we backed out, I couldn’t help but watch in the rearview mirror.

  “Is he following us?” Delaney asked.

  “No,” I said, watching him follow us. “I’m sure he’s just…making his way back to Reed Security.”

  “By taking the long way?” she asked with a grin. “The very long, out of his way, way?”

  I shrugged, because I didn’t know what he was doing, but something inside of me tingled at the thought of him wanting to follow me. It gave me hope that everything wasn’t lost. He followed us into the downtown area, and when we parked outside the restaurant, he parked on the other side of the street. He didn’t get out, but he sat there as we entered the restaurant. When we were seated, my eyes immediately scanned the street to see if he was still there. He was.

  “Looks like you’ve got your very own stalker,” Delaney grinned.

  “I don’t have a stalker.” But I stared out the window, just watching his SUV sit there. It’s not like I could see anything, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him. “What do you think he’s doing?”

  “Watching.”

  I shook my head and turned my attention back to her, even though I felt this very strong pull to turn my head and stare out the window.

  “Girl, you need a distraction. So, let’s talk about me. What do you have for me?”

  “What do you mean?”

  She quirked an eyebrow at me. “You know what I mean. We made a deal and I expect you to hold up your end. You promised me that you’d set me up, and I plan to collect.”

  “Fine. I’ll get on it.”

  “You’d better. So, tell me about him.”

  “Tony?”

  “Yeah. I don’t need to know about Coop. I already get the play-by-play. Besides, nothing about him interests me. And I mean that in the most non-offensive manner.”

  “I’m sure you do,” I rolled my eyes.

  “Hey, he’s already taken. Why would I care anything about him, other than for your purposes?”

  I sighed, knowing that she wouldn’t give up until I gave her something. “Well, Tony Tacos has been working with the company for maybe a little over a year. I don’t really know that much about him. I didn’t work with him that long.”

  “So, he’s Mexican or Spanish?”

  I chuckled. “No, he’s Italian.”

  “Okay,” she said slowly. “I’m not understanding.”

  “When Maggie met him, he was working at Taco Bell. She literally pulled him off the street when she was getting into trouble and dragged him along for the ride. When Cap met him, he said something along the lines of not knowing his qualifications. Tony told him that he was currently working at Taco Bell. So, Cap dubbed him Tony Tacos and it stuck. He now has all kinds of variations of the name, and he gets pissed whenever someone calls him that. I’m fucking Italian, he always says.” I shrugged. “It’s pretty funny, and the guys won’t let him forget the name.”

  “Well, I’m ready to meet him whenever you’re ready to introduce us.”

  “Okay, I’ll make a call,” I heaved a sigh, “but you have to promise that I won’t have to hear anything…sexual from you guys.”

  “You mean like I had to hear from you and Coop for the past four months?”

  “Stop being so dramatic. I’m quiet.”

  “Right. So quiet. Oh God, Coop! Give me more, Coop!”

  I flushed in embarrassment and waved her to be quiet as people started turning to look at us. “Would you knock it off? You’re embarrassing me!”

  She chuckled and leaned across the table. “That’s what I have to hear every night, while I’m in the other room not getting laid. The only good thing about your breakup with Coop is that I’m actually getting some sleep.”

  “Why didn’t you say something? I had no idea we were so loud.”

  “I thought you knew! Who doesn’t know they’re loud during sex?”

  “Apparently me.”

  “And Coop. I swear, if I have to hear one more time about how much he loves your pussy, I’m gonna love your pussy. Believe me, he’s pounded it into my brain.”

  “Okay, can we stop talking about this now?”

  “On the other hand, it was quite a turn on, if you know what I mean. Obviously, it would have been better if I had my own man there to help me take care of things.”

  “Stop!”

  “But a girl has to do what she has to do. Especially when a certain friend falls through on her promises. You know, a few nights I was tempted to go join you.”

  “Fine! I’ll call Tony
tomorrow. Will you stop now?”

  She grinned and drank her wine. “I knew you’d see it my way.”

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  Every night for the past week, Coop sat outside my house. I could practically time out his arrival. He always came just as Delaney got home, and he sat on the other side of the street. I had no idea what he was doing. He could be playing Candy Crush for all I knew. He hadn’t called me since that first night, but each night I prayed he would.

  After he showed up, I walked to the window and watched him for a few minutes, but when it was clear that he wasn’t calling, I got to work and tried to forget about him sitting there. It was my new routine and I was getting used to it. However, when my phone rang tonight and his number flashed on the screen, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was calling to say goodbye. Wouldn’t he have actually done something other than sit there if he wanted to try for more? Was he tired of sitting out there without me inviting him in, and now he was leaving?

  “Hello?” I finally answered.

  “Hey,” he said after a minute. But then he just sat there on the other end. I could hear him breathing, but that was it. After another two minutes passed, I decided that was enough torture for one night.

  “Stop coming by, Coop.”

  I was just about to hang up when he spoke. “It was a helicopter crash.”

  I held my breath, not wanting to hope too much that he would continue. But even if that’s all he gave me, it was more than I had gotten before.

  “I was in Afghanistan and it was still early in the war. There wasn’t a lot of intel at that point on the area, so half the time, we were flying blind as to where the enemy was and what their resources were. I was at a forward operating base, picking up a Special Forces Group. It happened right at liftoff. We were only about a hundred feet off the ground when the RPG struck. I was able to land the helicopter, but the control panels were fried and caught fire. I don’t really remember a lot, but I remember waking up and wondering why it was so fucking hot. My co-pilot wasn’t moving and…I remember the heat and I remember the feeling of my skin burning off. Burning flesh is a smell you never forget, especially when it’s your own.”

  He was silent for a minute and I prayed he would continue at the same time I wished to not hear any more. I could hear the distance in his voice, like he was trying not to think about what he was remembering. None of the guys at Reed Security really talked about what happened when they were in the military, but I had an idea of what went on from the missions we did at work. I knew it wasn’t the same, but it helped me to understand what was going on with them when I was the one controlling everything behind the scenes. I knew well enough not to push when he talked.

  “I have these flashbacks of what happened, but I’m not sure if they’re real. My worst burns are on my back and my side, but that doesn’t line up with what I remember. I guess that’s part of my problem. I’m constantly going over what happened in my head, and I’m trying to remember what happened to my co-pilot. I can’t fucking remember if I got him out or if he burned to death in that helicopter. None of it makes sense in my head.”

  “Do you want me to get you the reports?”

  He was silent for a minute. “Goodnight, Becky.”

  He hung up before I could answer and I watched as he pulled away from the curb. I had to hold back from jumping up and down in excitement. Not that I was happy about what he had just told me, but that was a huge step he had just taken, and I couldn’t help the joy rushing through me, knowing that we might still have a chance.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  “Tony!” I shouted as I ran through the halls of Reed Security to catch up to him. He turned around and grinned, pulling me in for a hug.

  “Hey, Becks. How’s it going?”

  “Good,” I grinned. “I have a huge favor to ask.”

  His face dropped and wariness took over. “Does this have to do with Coop?”

  “Sort of?” He immediately shook his head. “Not really though. I mean, it does because of my roommate.”

  “Alright, just say whatever it is.”

  “I want you to take my roommate out on a date.”

  “No,” he said, not even giving me a chance to respond. He walked faster trying to escape me, but I was fast and I could keep up.

  “Please, I have this bet with her and you were the prize.”

  He snorted and punched in his code at the elevator. “I’m not doing it. She’s probably hideous.”

  “She’s not, I swear. You can even ask Coop. He’s seen her so many times, and I swear she’s beautiful.”

  “Got any pictures?” he asked, his eyebrow raised in challenge.

  “No, but I can describe her.”

  He held his hand up to the scanner. “Nope. Sorry, but I’m not falling for that one.”

  “She’s got beautiful blonde hair. Not like platinum blonde, but golden blonde and it’s all natural. And she has these gorgeous blue eyes and beautiful red lips.”

  “You realize that you’re describing Sleeping Beauty, right? I don’t go for stupid blondes. I mean, really, who touches a fucking spindle?”

  “She’s not stupid. She’s really smart. She’s actually kind of a nerd. She works in a lab as a chemist.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, and she gets all these free products for both men and women. She’s always bringing home all these samples.”

  He thought about it and shook his head as he got on the elevator. “While that sounds nice, I’m not really into manscaping.”

  “She’s got a killer body!” I shouted as the doors started to close. His hand shot out and stopped the elevator door. He stared at me for a moment.

  “How killer?”

  “Thirty-six, twenty-four, thirty-six.”

  His jaw dropped and he quickly stepped off the elevator. “Are you shitting me?”

  “I’m not.”

  “How do I know that you’re not just making this shit up?”

  “Because I wouldn’t do that to you. I would have to see you again at some point and then I would pay for the rest of my life if I was lying to you.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “Fine, but it’s a double date. That’s the only way I’ll do it. I need a wing man and the option to leave if she’s terrible.”

  “I swear, you won’t think she’s terrible.”

  “Then why isn’t she with anyone yet?”

  “Because she’s picky. I mean, she doesn’t want a loser and she wants someone with a nice body. Last I checked, you have a nice body.”

  “I do.”

  “And you like smart blondes.”

  “I really like smart blondes.”

  “And you really like big chested girls.”

  He groaned. “God, I love big tits.”

  “I know you do.”

  “But not humongous tits.”

  “They’re not.”

  “And she’s not a clinger?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Because I can’t deal with clingers.”

  “Definitely not a clinger.”

  “And she can support herself? I don’t want some chick that’s gonna be begging me for money after our first date.”

  “She’s doing very well on her own.”

  He watched me for a minute, like he was waiting for me to break down and tell him that it was all a lie. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

  “Thank you,” I grinned, leaping into his arms. “I swear, you will not be sorry.”

  “Good. Now, what about Coop?” he asked.

  “Well, I think we’re making progress on that.”

  “Good, just make sure you resolve it soon. If this woman really is as good as you say she is, I can’t have her slipping off with someone else.”

  “I’ll put you on the books so that she knows it’s happening.”

  I kissed him on the cheek and turned to go.

  “And tell her not to call me Tony Tacos!”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

 
Coop

  “Dad?” Kayla asked hesitantly from where she sat in the living room. “Um…I have a job interview tomorrow.”

  I took a deep breath and focused on the fact that she wanted to do something positive. I couldn’t keep her locked up in here forever, and if she wanted to get a job, I couldn’t deny that it would be good for her.

  “That’s great,” I said, trying to sound cheerful. “What’s the job?”

  “It’s just a summer job for the ice cream shop, but they start up soon, and they’re hiring now.”

  I nodded. “Okay, so you’ll be working most days?”

  “That’s what the job is for. It could be at night also,” she said hesitantly. “They’re open until nine.”

  “Well, as long as I know your schedule. I guess we’ll have to get you a car.”

  Her face lit up, but she tried to hold back her excitement. “If you think that’s best.”

  “Well, how else are you going to get to work? You can’t get a cab and I can’t guarantee that I’ll always be able to drive you.”

  She jumped up and grinned, clapping her hands together. “Thank you so much, Dad.” She flung her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. “I swear, you won’t regret it.”

  “We’ll see about that. Now, you’re going to have to pay for your own gas. I’ll help you out on insurance for now.”

  “No problem.”

  “And you’ll still have a curfew. If your job is done at nine, I expect you home by nine-thirty.”

  “I swear,” she said wide-eyed.

  “And you have to keep up with your grades if you start before school is out.”

  “I will.”

  “Alright.” She looked so damn excited that I wondered why it took me so long to let her have this little bit of responsibility. And I had really let her down on college. Why had I held back? “Have you looked into any schools?”

  She shrugged. “Most of the submission deadlines have passed. It’s okay. I can just take a semester off and work.”