My face froze, along with my heart and my breath. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But his eyes were wide. He leaned back in the chair and ran a hand over his mouth. “You’re seeing her.” His eyes bugged even more. “Wait. You’re educating her. Jesus fucking Christ, Coop.”
“Seriously, where is this coming from?” I feigned confusion, apparently poorly.
“I’m not gonna tell West,” he said, and I believed him. “It’s so obvious, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”
I glared at him. “There’s nothing going on.” It was worth a final shot.
He gave me a flat look. “Just fess up. How long has it been going on?”
I rubbed my face and sighed, knowing I couldn’t avoid the conversation. “A long time, and not long enough.”
He frowned. “What are you going to do? Is it serious?”
“I don’t know, Tricky. I really don’t. She gave me all these rules, put a time limit on me. It’s supposed to be over soon, and even though I don’t know if I want it to end, I may not be able to convince her to agree to more than this, whatever this is. And even if we did want to, you heard what West said. He wants her to be with the exact opposite of me, on top of telling me for the fifty thousandth time to never even think about seeing her.”
“That’s what West wants, but what does Maggie want?”
I looked away. “I don’t know that either. What she says and what she does tell me two different stories.”
“You’re the first guy she’s been with since Jimmy, and that was just three months ago. It’s risky, man. She’s not ready. And you’re serious about her.” He scanned my face like he could read me, shaking his head. “Wow, Cooper.”
“Wow, what?” West asked as he entered the room carrying scotch for all of us.
Patrick smiled and spun his chair to face the TV again. “Cooper was just telling me about this girl he’s banging.”
West raised a brow and handed me a drink. “The one you’re educating?”
Patrick snickered, and I nodded as I took it, avoiding eye contact, contemplating the ways I’d murder Patrick Mortal Kombat-style.
“What the story there?” he asked and took his seat.
“Not sure. Taking it one day at a time.” I took a drink and set my glass in the cup holder in the arm rest. “Come on, Trick. Time to die.”
He smirked and picked up his controller, and I played the game without thinking, my mind on Maggie and the mess we were making. The mess I’d rather kick under the bed than clean up.
That night, after everyone had gone, I lay alone in the dark with the mess still on my mind, trying to untangle it knot by knot. For a moment, I wondered if it was worth it — the risk of West’s friendship — and for what? I didn’t even know if she really wanted me for more than just a distraction.
But I pictured her face, thought of her smile, of those moments when she looked at me and saw more than I meant to show her. She felt more than she let on.
I didn’t want to let her go, not for the bro code. And I knew that West would find a way to forgive me, if I could convince him I wouldn’t hurt her. That I wouldn’t treat her like I had every other woman in my life. If I could convince him of that, everything would be fine.
The only other person who I needed to convince was Maggie.
NOT-DATE
Cooper
I LEANED AGAINST THE MERCEDES the next morning, hands in my pockets, smiling like a fool as Maggie approached. Her blue V-neck made her eyes a shade brighter than usual, and I marveled at her for a moment — golden curls, rosy cheeks, pretty legs in denim shorts and white canvas sneakers that looked like they’d been loved. She was beautiful.
“Hey.” The flush in her cheeks deepened.
I pushed off the car and opened the door for her. “Hey, Mags.”
She slipped in and smiled up at me, and I climbed in behind her. “How’d it go last night?” she asked as Bobby took off.
“We played a lot of Mortal Kombat and drank scotch, so … perfect.”
She chuckled and looked out the window. I wanted to reach for her, kiss her. Touch her. Anything. But, I’d promised not to like an idiot.
“What’d you end up doing last night?” I asked, trying to keep my mind off of the fact.
“Not much. Went to Habits to hang with Rosie for a bit and then headed home and crashed. I didn’t even read, which is weird. I’ve just been so tired lately. It’s hard going from doing nothing to having a ton to do.”
“I can only imagine.”
She rolled her eyes, amused.
“Tell me how you like work. I feel like we’ve barely talked about it.”
“Truth or Dare didn’t leave much time for idle chit chat.” She smiled at me knowingly.
I smirked back. “Guess not.”
She settled back into her seat. “Work is great, although now I have the added pressure of impressing your mother.”
I laughed. “I really wouldn’t worry about her too much.”
“Easy for you to say.”
I thought about the guy who had been hitting on her. In fact, I’d been thinking a lot about him ever since Patrick brought him up. I smiled, hoping I wasn’t being too obvious. “Meet anyone else at the shelter?”
“Oh, sure, almost everyone. Why?”
I shrugged, realizing I had no idea how to handle jealousy. “No reason.”
She narrowed her eyes, though she was clearly entertained. “What’s your angle, Mr. Moore?”
“No angle.”
“Liar. Are you asking about Brian?”
“Who’s Brian?”
Maggie laughed at me. “Wow, Coop. Who told you about him?”
There was probably no way out unscathed, but I threw West under the bus anyway. “Your brother.”
“Ugh. I knew Lily would end up telling him, but I didn’t think he’d blab it to you.”
“To be fair, Patrick brought it up.”
“Dammit, he knows too?” She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know how y’all ever keep secrets.”
“It’s not easy. So, what’s the deal with him?”
“Nothin’. He asked me out, and I shot him down. Twice.”
I smiled. “Good.”
“Why, you jealous again? Like the harmless boy at Habits who was devastated that I wasn’t thirsty?”
“Nah. Just, you know, the rules. If I’m not allowed to see anyone else, neither are you.”
She shook her head. “Throwing the rules at me, just like that.”
“Paybacks.”
“Now I know how you feel.”
I smiled, wondering just how true the statement was.
I’d woken up that morning feeling determined. There was something deeply satisfying about testing Maggie’s boundaries. I’d persuaded her to come on a date with me under the guise that it wasn’t really a date. I had to believe that she knew what I was doing, but she’d come with me anyway.
Every time I nudged her closer to the edge, she’d move with barely any resistance. And if I could keep nudging her, I could make her fall for me.
That is, if she hadn’t already.
But I kept my promises. I’d keep my hands to myself and my money in my wallet for the day, if that was what it would take to prove it to her. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to kiss her in the Soopk-A-Rama that afternoon, but I just kept reminding myself that the anticipation of not touching her for an entire day would pay off when I took her home with me.
I was so right.
Maggie
The afternoon was gorgeous, clouds high in the sky, the ocean breeze crisp. We’d already ridden the big wooden roller coaster and went through the Spook-A-Rama, which was so over-the-top campy, with giant animatronic rats eating plastic entrails, or the robot serial killer in the electric chair. He’d kept his promise — he hadn’t offered to buy me a single thing or even tried to so much as hold my hand. I’ll admit I was a little disappointed that he didn’t try to kiss me in the spook house, but I’d never admit it to him.