Dom‘s face lit up as he greeted the girls with a kiss and patted the guys firmly on their shoulders.
“Who won?” Dom asked.
“We did,” Cooper responded.
Dom nodded his head and his face scrunched up as he smiled, “Good-ah!”
Cooper still had his arm around Katherine as she scooted into the booth. He leaned into her ear and whispered, “Are we okay?”
Concern filled his voice and her stomach dropped. She felt terrible that she was doing this to him. Cooper treated her wonderfully and she wanted to push him away. The worst part was, he sensed it and she knew it. She noticed the eye with the speck in it and smiled, “I’m sorry if I’m being distant. It’s not you.”
His eyes narrowed, “Then what is it?”
She shrugged her shoulders and then responded, “I’ve just been kind of out of it since we got back from Taylor’s. Don’t worry, I’m just...” she paused to find the words, “I don’t know…distracted, I guess.”
“But we’re okay? You still think I’m the best thing to ever happen to you and I still have my girlfriend from California who makes me crazy, right?” he smiled, his tone serious.
It surprised her that he could sense things she tried to hide. She wondered how strong their connection truly was and pondered what it was about Cooper that made her feel so secure. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she knew she couldn’t tell him the truth either. It wasn’t the right time or place for her to get into the details about Austen.
“Definitely. We’re good. You’re still amazing and I’m still crazy.”
“Perfect.” He kissed her cheek and rested his hand on her leg.
****
The days that followed were more of the same. Cooper tried to behave as if everything was normal but Katherine pushed him further away. He stopped asking her if she was ok. He didn’t want to annoy her, but he sensed that something was off between them.
Stupidly, he thought it was something he had done. Or something he hadn’t done. He wondered if maybe she wasn’t into him any more. He couldn’t figure out what had changed. Maybe we got too serious too fast, he asked himself. Maybe I scared her?
He wanted to figure out what was wrong between them so he could fix it. More than almost anything else, he wanted this girl by his side. She completed him. He knew how cheesy that sounded, but it was the truth. Something about Katherine Johns affected him in ways no girl ever had.
Cooper decided to wait it out. If there was something that distracted Katherine, that distraction would eventually have to go away. He’d simply wait until it did.
Chapter Eleven
Kylie picked up Blake and they headed toward the college. She contemplated telling him that Katherine dreamed and talked with Austen. She felt betrayed that Taylor had sided with Katherine and needed to feel as though someone was on her side. But she couldn’t bring herself to involve Blake. He had been devastated beyond repair when Austen died and she refused to put him through any more pain. Instead, she talked to him about school and girls and his friends.
Whenever Kylie’s thoughts drifted to Katherine and Austen, her heart pounded out of control. She decided that if anyone was dreaming about Austen, it should be her… or at least a member of Austen’s family. Not some stranger no one even knew before this past summer. Pain and bitterness consumed her.
“Think we’ll go to any parties?” Blake asked.
“Probably,” Kylie responded with a smile as her mind raced. She wondered if Little Miss Perfect had told her equally perfect boyfriend what was going on. A party would be the perfect place to confront Cooper and find out.
“Cool. Have you met Katherine’s boyfriend?”
“I was there when they first met. He’s really great; you’ll love him.”
Her thoughts drifted back to the party where she first saw Cooper. She remembered thinking how ridiculously good looking he was and how she was just about to go talk to him when she noticed him staring at Katherine. Envy and jealousy coursed through every inch of her body. The way Cooper stared at Katherine was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. It was like no one else was in the room. Kylie shook her head to rid the images from her mind.
“What about Tay’s boyfriend? Have you met him?”
Kylie was thankful that Blake seemed oblivious to the emotional war that raged in her mind.
“Uh-huh. Same party.”
“I’m excited to meet them both.”
“I think you’ll like them a lot.” She glanced toward him, “And they’ll love you.”
“Cool.” He turned to look out the passenger window.
“Thanks for bringing me, Kylie. I really appreciate it.”
“It’s nice to get away, huh?” She reached over and touched his shoulder.
“I didn’t really realize that I never leave my house. It’s funny because I sort of hate being there, but I never go anywhere else.”
Kylie’s face crinkled, “What do you mean you hate being there?”
“It’s just not the same. You know, since Austen. It’s hard living there,” Blake’s voice softened.
“Well you always have me. I’ll come steal you away anytime you want.” She knew how close he and Austen had been and she wanted to be there for him too. Especially now since Taylor had moved away.
“Are we almost there?”
“It’s just up around the bend over there,” Kylie pointed through the windshield.
****