“Cooper.” The brunette, who is still standing between us, places her hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you and I can get together tonight.”
“Not interested,” he says through gritted teeth.
Looks like it’s not just me who’s not doing it for him.
“Let’s go back to the house and get our cars, and we can go home and get ready,” Tessa says, taking the final drink of her sweet tea.
“Wait. Where are you going?” Nixon asks.
“I’ll text you and let you know we’re safe. I promise to call if we need a ride.” Tessa kisses his cheek.
“Damnit, Tess. I’m your fiancé. I should know where you’re going to be,” Nixon says, his voice firm.
“I’m going to be out with my best friend. Are you saying that you don’t trust me?” she challenges.
“No. Damnit, I worry about you.” Nixon runs his fingers through his hair.
Grabbing the check, I stand. “Nix, you’re welcome to come with us,” I offer. I don’t want them to be at odds because she’s trying to make me feel better.
“No. He’s not,” Tessa says adamantly. “Nixon, you know I love you. I’m not sure where this is coming from, but I’m going out with my best friend. We’re going to have a few drinks and then come home. I’ll check in so you know we’re safe.”
“I don’t understand why you can’t just tell me where you’re going?”
“For one, I don’t know yet, and two, you and your posse of hulking football player friends will show up, and it’s girls’ night.”
“It’s fine, Tessa.”
“No, it’s not fine. You’re single, and with these goofs hulking out their muscles, you’re never going to find you a good man.”
Cooper makes a strangled sound from deep in his throat. A quick glance at him and his fists are clenched, and his eyes are closed.
“They’re not going to stop me,” I tell her, with less bravado than I was feeling a few seconds earlier after seeing Cooper. I don’t know what’s going on. He can’t have his cake and eat it too. He doesn’t want me. We’ve established that. I need to move on. He doesn’t know he broke my heart—I have to remind myself of that—but I know that going out and meeting new people is what I need to do. Cooper and his friends, who have become mine, are leaving, that includes Tessa. She’s following Nixon wherever he gets drafted. I’m about to be flying solo. I need to put myself out there.
“You and I both know that no guy is going to come near you if he’s there.” Tessa points across the table at Cooper. Then she turns her attention to Nixon. “I’ll text you where we’re going, and I’ll check-in. However, you are not to show up unless I tell you that I need you to. Do we have a deal?” She holds her hand out for him to shake it.
He nods, and bypasses her hand, opting to lean in and kiss her. “Love you,” he whispers.
My eyes water. I want what they have. I want someone to call my own. Someone that will be there for me in good times and in bad. Someone I can share that intimacy with. I bite down on my bottom lip to keep the tears at bay when I think about that person not being Cooper.
It’s time for me to gather the broken pieces and glue them back together. It’s time to move on.A few hours later, Tessa and I are walking into Bob’s. It’s a local bar that has a designated dance floor. There’s a jukebox in the corner, and on Friday and Saturday nights, they have live bands. We come here a lot, mostly with the guys in tow, but tonight, it’s girls’ night.
“Thank you for this,” I say once we’re seated at the bar.
“You ready to tell me what happened?” she asks.
“Not really, but I know you’re going to keep giving me that look, the one that says that you and I both know I’ll tell you eventually.” Tessa is the only person I’ve ever told my true feelings about Cooper. “We kissed. There was some… touching, and then he reminded me we’re just friends and that he didn’t want to go too far and not be able to come back to that.” Sure, I’m leaving out some details, but that’s the gist of the story. Besides, it’s still too raw, too painful to relive the entire night all over again. I’m just not there yet.
“This is the PG-condensed version, but I can work with this. How are you feeling?” she asks me.
“Broken,” I say as I blink back tears. “He has no idea, so I need to hide it. He would feel guilty, and I don’t want him with me out of guilt. I’m a big girl. I can handle this. I just need to pick up the pieces and move forward.”