by Kaylee Ryan
“Hey, Hank.” Some tall, leggy blonde slides up to him.
“Hey, gorgeous.” He winks at her before turning back to us. “I’ll catch you guys later.” Just like that, he’s gone, the leggy blonde hanging on his arm as they walk out of the building.
“That’s the third girl I’ve seen him with this week,” Tessa comments.
“He’s living his best life, that’s for sure. I just hope he doesn’t catch something or get one of them pregnant. That’s all he needs is some cleat chaser getting her claws into him right before the draft,” Cooper says, shoving the last of my fries into his mouth.
“Fuck, I’m glad I’m not there.” Nixon leans in and kisses Tessa on the corner of her mouth.
Cooper grumbles something under his breath that I don’t quite catch. “What was that?” I ask him.
“Nothing.” He shakes his head. “You about ready?” he asks Nixon.
“Yep. Those kegs aren’t going to pick themselves up.” He stands and gathers their trash and ours before walking to the nearby trash can to throw it all away.
“How many kegs are we talking?” I ask Cooper.
“Three.” He grins. “This is our last hoorah. Those of us who are declaring for the draft have the Combine coming up, so we have to stay focused—no booze and no parties. So we’re doing it up big.”
I look across the booth at Tessa. “This could get interesting.” She throws her head back and laughs.
“You can count on that,” she replies.
After a round of goodbyes, we part ways. “So, what are you thinking as far as snacks go?” Tessa asks.
“Let’s see. There’s going to be an abundance of drunk college kids. Chips and beer are all you need.” I chuckle.
“You’re probably right. I was thinking we make the guys go to an early dinner beforehand. Me drinking on an empty stomach is not a good plan.”
“I’m going to take it easy. I don’t think I’ve recovered yet from my junior year bender,” I tell her.
“I’d hardly call that a bender. One night of letting loose and drinking is far from it.”
“Well, I can still remember the vomiting.” I shudder at the thought. “I hate to vomit, Tess. I really, truly hate it.”
“Nobody likes to vomit,” she says. “However, it’s the last party with the guys. You have to let loose and enjoy yourself.”
“We’ll see how it goes. Come on. We have Solo cups and chips to stock up on.”
“And brownies. Even if we hide them, we need to make Hank some brownies.”
“Agreed.”
We spend the next few hours shopping and getting everything we need to make six batches of brownies before heading over to the football house. We’re going to cook, and the guys can clean up. We’ll hold the brownies hostage until they do. It’s a fair trade that they’ve never turned down in the past.
A few hours later, the brownies are done and packaged in a few containers. I take three and hide them in Cooper’s room, and Tessa takes three and hides them in Nixon’s room. We have the place to ourselves as the guys went to the gym. They decided not to replace Levi this year, since next year all five of them will be gone. This house will have a new set of students. We’ve made some good memories here. This year we’ve missed Levi, but he’s off living his dream, just like Cooper, Hank, and Nixon will be soon. They’re all declaring for the draft this year.
“I feel like we should clean the kitchen,” I tell Tessa as we kick back on the couch. The furniture has all been pushed to one side of the room, so it’s not exactly comfortable, but we’re managing.
“Nope. They said they would be home by two. That gives them plenty of time to load the dishwasher and wipe down the counters. Because, let’s be honest, we didn’t exactly make a huge mess.”
“True,” I agree as the front door flies open.
“Ladies, I smell the goods. Where are they?” Hank jets off to the kitchen. “I can’t find them!” he calls out, and we both laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Cooper asks, sitting on my lap.
“Oompf. Get off me, you giant.” He’s not putting all of his weight on me, but still. He wiggles his ass, laughing his head off before he finally stands, pulls me up from the couch, takes my seat, and pulls me onto his lap.
“Better?” he asks, resting his hand on my thigh.
“Much.”
“Hello? Brownies?” Hank asks.
“We made them,” Tessa tells him.
“I can smell them. Where are they?” Hank points over his shoulder to Dustin and Trey. “We all three looked.”
“We hid them,” I say, barely containing my laughter at the look on his face.
“Why would you hide them?” Dustin asks as he literally scratches his head.
“You have kitchen duty.”
“Come on. We just put in two hours at the gym,” Trey moans.
“And we put in two hours of making your damn brownies,” Tessa fires back.
“Hey, you.” Nixon walks in the room, and pretty much mimics what happened between Cooper and me a few minutes earlier; however, he doesn’t squish her before pulling her to stand and then sets her on his lap.
“Where were you?” she asks him, kissing his cheek.
“I moved my truck around back. The guys all moved theirs before we left this morning.”
“Do we need to move?” I ask him.
“No. That’s why we all moved. We want the two of you to be in the driveway. Everyone else can fend for themselves or park on the street,” Cooper speaks up.
I turn my head to look at him. “Thanks, Coop.” He pats my leg where it’s resting on my thigh.
“Go on now.” Tessa waves her hand toward the kitchen. “I can’t eat all those brownies on my own. Nixon will want this shiny new ring back,” she teases.
“No way.” Nixon cuddles her close to his chest.
“What about the two of you?” Dustin whines.
“Our girls baked,” Nixon says with a smirk.
“Thought she wasn’t your girl?” Dustin counters. His gaze is locked on Cooper.
“Best friend is close enough,” Cooper fires back.
“Come on,” Hank grumbles. “The sooner we get this shit over with, the sooner we get the goods.” The three of them amble off to the kitchen.
Tessa looks at me, and we both burst out laughing. “We better go get the goods,” she says in her best Hank impression.
“Agreed.” I turn to look at Cooper. “We hid them in your rooms. Be right back.”
Tessa and I race upstairs and grab our three containers each. Our thought process was each guy could have their own, and then one left over for the party. The guys are already in the living room by the time we make it back downstairs.
“That took like three seconds,” Trey says, holding his hand out.
“Your reward.” I hand him a container.
Tessa gives one to Dustin, Hank, and Nixon. I put one on the table next to the chips on the far wall and hand the other to Cooper.
“Thanks, Reese’s Pieces.” He pulls me back onto his lap, and I go willingly. I’m just a friend, sitting on another friend’s lap. No one has to know that I’m pretending it’s more—that it’s real, and his intentions are just like Nixon’s. A girl can dream.
The party is in full swing, and I’ve lost count of how many times my cup has been filled, and emptied. I said I wasn’t going to drink too much, but watching all the cleat chasers hang all over Cooper made the decision for me. I don’t have the right to be upset or even irritated. He’s not mine. However, I care about him. He’s still my best friend, even if my heart sometimes forgets that’s all he is. I don’t want him to get trapped by some floozie and be stuck with her for the rest of his life. Everyone at CU knows that Cooper, Hank, and Nixon are going to the draft. They all know they’re kickass football players. They also know that comes with fame and fortune.
“Hi, Reese, right?” a masculine voice asks.
Slowly, I turn my head to find a
guy standing there who I’ve never met before. “Yeah.”
“I’m Hunter. It’s nice to meet you.” He holds his hand out for me to shake. He offers me his left, and well, my beer is in my right, so I offer him my left as well. A giggle escapes me when I realize what I’ve done.
“Sorry about that,” I say, barely managing to get the words out without slurring.
He smiles. “I’ve seen you around. This is the first time you’ve ever been without a group of guys around. That’s pretty intimidating, considering it’s usually the entire CU football team.”
“Meh.” I wave my hand in the air. “They’re all harmless.”
“So, which one is your boyfriend?” he asks, taking a drink from his own red cup.
“None of them. We’re all just friends. Well, Cooper is my best friend. We grew up together, but nope, none of them is my boyfriend, you know, like sexually,” I ramble. I have a feeling sober me is going to be embarrassed about this conversation in the morning. That is if I can even remember it.
“Good to know. It’s hard to tell sometimes.”
“Really?”
He nods. “It’s kept me away from you all year,” he confesses.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around.”
“I transferred last year. We’ve had a few classes together, but like I said, you’re always with a pretty big group of guys. I just assumed one of them was yours. It’s not until now I decided to take a chance and say hello.”
“I’m glad you did.” I smile up at him. He’s tall but not as tall as Cooper. Then again, I’m short, so everyone is tall to me.
“You want to dance?” he asks.
It might be the alcohol, but I swear I see a slight blush on his handsome face. “Yes.” Tilting my cup to my lips, I drain it and toss it into one of the many trash cans we set around the house. No way am I drinking out of it again after leaving it unattended. Nope. I’m not that drunk.
Hunter takes my hand and leads me to the middle of the living room floor, and wraps his arms around me. We sway to the music, and I rest my head on his chest. He’s not as muscular as Cooper, but he still feels sturdy and in good shape. Don’t ask me what that means, because I’m not really sure either. What I do know is that this is nice. Dancing with a guy who’s not one of my close friends. It’s been way too long since I’ve let that happen.
When the music changes to a fast song, we begin to groove, rocking our hips. Our arms are swaying right along to the beat. I’m lost in the music, dancing my heart out when I feel a shove from behind me. I stumble into Hunter, at the same time that he’s shoved as well. I feel my legs fall out from under me as I land on the floor. I curl into myself to keep from getting trampled. Looking around, I search for Hunter, for anyone that can help me up, because from the alcohol and the fall, I’m not sure I can do it on my own.
I scream when two large hands slide under my arms and lift me to my feet. His scent captures me before my eyes can focus on him.
Cooper.
“My hero,” I slur, batting my eyelashes. At least that’s what I meant to do. In reality, I probably looked like one of those creepy baby dolls that blinks every time you move it. I shudder at the thought.
“Thanks, man.” Hunter approaches us. His eyes are wide, and his breathing is accelerated. “I was trying to get to her.”
“You should have tried harder. No, you should have held onto her and made sure she was safe.” Cooper growls the words.
“Coop.” I reach up, placing my hand on his cheek. His eyes instantly drop to me. “I’m okay.”
He gives me a stiff nod. “You’re not to leave my side the rest of the night.”
I should argue with him. I should tell him that he’s not the boss of me. I should tell him that it kills me to see all those women hanging off him when in my heart, I know it should be me. I don’t say any of those things. Instead, I nod, then turn my attention to Hunter. “Thank you for the dance,” I say politely.
He gives me a stiff nod, and I’ll never know if he was going to say anything because Cooper, with his arm tight around my waist, moves me through the crowd and over to the corner of the room where Tessa and Nixon are standing.
“Are you all right?” Tessa asks. She pulls away from Nixon to give me a hug.
“I’m fine. Just lost my footing when we got jostled in the crowd.”
“Fucker should have been watching. I knew I should have busted that up,” Cooper grumbles.
“What?” I ask him.
“I saw him lead you out there.” He motions to the middle of the floor. “I don’t know him; therefore, I don’t trust him. I wanted to pull you away from him, but these two,” he points to Tessa and Nixon, “talked me out of it.”
“He’s a nice guy.”
“Oh, yeah? When did you meet him?”
“Tonight.”
“Exactly.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “Reese, you have to be careful. You’ve been drinking, and you don’t know him. What if he slipped something into your drink? What if he got you so drunk you didn’t even know your own name and took advantage of you?”
“Being taken advantage of doesn’t sound so bad,” I tease. “It’s been too long.”
“What the fuck!” Cooper raises his voice. “Do you hear yourself right now? He could have raped you, Reese.”
“T-That’s not what I meant.” My foggy alcohol brain is trying to keep up. Surely, he knows that’s not what I meant. “I meant that it’s been a long time and random sex, it’s not so bad. I mean, I’m weeks away from graduating from college, and I’ve never had just random sex. It’s a pastime, right?”
“No, Reese.” His voice is low, his words tight. “It’s not a fucking pastime. You could have been hurt.”
“How? How could I have been hurt when you were watching me. You’re always fucking watching me. He’s the first guy who isn’t a close friend that’s noticed me in a long time. What’s bad about that, Cooper? Huh? You have girls hanging off you every fucking day, and I say nothing. I let you make your choices. As your best friend, I support you. Why can’t you do that for me?” I stomp off into the kitchen. I need more alcohol. I can’t have this conversation with him right now. I just can’t. I might say something that I regret, or that I can’t take back. What’s worse is, my lips are loose, and my heart is wide open. For him. I can’t tell him that I wish we were more; that would ruin what we have. I need to clear my head, and a shot sounds like a great way to do it.
Walking away is the best choice for me.
Chapter 15
Cooper
My hands are fisted at my sides, my chest rising and falling as I try to catch my breath, and my eyes, they’re locked on Reese as she disappears into the kitchen. “She fucking walked away,” I grumble. I don’t really care if Nixon and Tessa are listening. The words needed to be said. We’ve never argued like this. Never. Not even when we were kids. We just… don’t fight.
“Do you blame her?” Nixon asks. “You’re acting like a jealous boyfriend.”
“What?” I whip my head away from staring at the door Reese disappeared behind to look at him. “That’s insane.”
“Is it? You saw that she was drinking too much, so you stopped.” He points at the water bottle in my hand.
“How is that a jealous boyfriend? I’m being a good friend looking out for her. Reese never drinks like this. In fact, this is maybe the third time it’s ever happened.”
He nods. “I get that. But what about the way your eyes watched her no matter where she was in the room? What about when that guy offered her his hand and led her out there to dance, you pushed off the wall and was ready to fight? How do you explain that, Cooper?”
“He’s a stranger.”
“Cooper.” Tessa’s soft voice breaks into our heated exchange. “You’re her best friend. We get that. But you have to remember that you’re leaving. You’re not going to be there to scare off some guy who you don’t know that talks to her. She has to live her own life, Co
oper. She’s lived in your shadow for years. For the last four years, I’ve watched you protect her, scare guys off before they even have a chance to utter a single syllable to her. You’re leaving, Cooper. You’re leaving, and she’s not. You have to let her live her life.” Her words are soft, gentle, as if she’s trying to calm an angry bear and, in a way, I guess she is.
“Fuck.” I run my fingers through my hair, letting her words sink it.
“She’s been trying not to think about it,” Tessa adds.
“That’s all I’ve been able to think about. I’ve considered asking her to come with me a million times.”
“Think about that, Reeves. Don’t you want her to be happy? Fuck, man, it’s not all about you.”
“I know that,” I grind out. “I know it’s not all about me, but I also know Reese and my leaving is going to be hard on her. Hell, it’s going to be hard on me. I didn’t say I was going to ask her to come with me, just that I thought about it.”
“I think the two of you need to talk, Cooper.” Tessa gives me a soft smile.
“You should tell her,” Nixon says pointedly.
“I know. I’m going to apologize.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Nixon stares me down.
“Fuck, not this shit again.” I know exactly what he’s thinking, and he’s wrong. I don’t know what I have to do to prove that to him.
“What did I miss?” Tessa asks Nixon.
“He’s in love with her.” He says the words casually, as if we’re discussing the damn weather. As if it’s a foregone conclusion.
“Oh.” Tessa’s eyes grow wide. “Is that true?”
“Yes. I love her.” Tessa opens her mouth to speak, but I beat her to it. “She’s my best fucking friend. Yes, she has a pussy, but I’ve never been privileged to see it, and I don’t plan to. That’s because she’s my best fucking friend,” I say again. I don’t tell them that I’ve fantasized about seeing her pussy, feeling it, tasting it, but I’m a guy. I’m young, and it’s been… a while since my cock has seen any action. A long fucking while. Reese is beautiful and sexy, and even though she’s my best friend, I’d be blind not to notice. Who am I kidding? I’ve always noticed when it comes to her. I just learned to keep that shit in check.
