“Thank you.” I smile sweetly, exaggerating it and making him laugh. “I’m going to go change.” I grab my clothes and disappear into the bathroom. I don’t know why, but I still don’t change in front of him. He’s seen me, obviously, but I just… don’t do it. He’s never mentioned it, and honestly, I’ve never really thought about how it might appear to be odd until this very moment.
Shaking out of my thoughts, I wash my face, brush my teeth, and change into my pajamas. We could have stayed at my parents’—they offered—but it feels weird sleeping in the same bed as Hunter under my parents’ roof. So, yeah, we opted for a hotel.
Opening the bathroom door, I see Hunter sitting on the edge of the bed with a phone pressed to his ear. My phone. He turns to look at me when he hears the door. “Hey, she just came out. Here she is.” He stands and walks toward me, handing me the phone. “It’s Cooper.” He leans in and kisses me. “Be right back.”
“Okay.” I nod and place the phone to my ear. “Hey, Coop.”
“Did he have to let me hear him kissing you?” he says hotly.
“I’m good. Thanks for asking,” I bite back. “Good game.”
“Thanks.” He exhales loudly. “I’m sorry. It’s still hard for me to get used to the two of you.”
“It’s been almost a year, Cooper.” Sure, in only about nine months or so in reality, but close enough to a year that Cooper should be thoroughly desensitized to the fact that I have a boyfriend who, yes, kisses me. The horror!
He’s quiet on the other end of the line, and I hate it. I hate there seems to be this divide between us, and for the life of me, I don’t know how to fix it. I guess the theory that nothing ever stays the same is true. I never thought there would be a day there was silence between Cooper and me, yet here we are.
“You had a good game,” I finally say to break the awkward silence.
“I knew you were watching.”
Woah. That’s… not what I expected him to say. “I always watch your games.”
“Yeah. I know you do, Reese. It motivates me to play better.”
“Really? Well, you can tell your coach I said you’re welcome,” I tease, trying to lighten things up between us.
“Hey.” Hunter’s whispered voice greets me. “I’m going to go grab some ice. You need anything?” He holds up the empty ice bucket.
“Yes. Some Reese’s Pieces.” I smile, and he returns his.
“Got it.” He leans in and kisses me, grabs the hotel key, and walks out of the room.
“Where are you?”
“A hotel.”
“A hotel?” he repeats, choking on the words. “I thought you were at your parents’ place?”
“We were, but we left after the game, and we’re staying here tonight and driving back in the morning.”
“You’re staying in a hotel with him?” he asks again, repeating what I just said.
“Yes.”
He mutters something that I can’t understand. “I need to go,” he says abruptly.
“O-kay.”
“I just wanted to talk to you. Tell you Happy Thanksgiving. I forgot to do that earlier.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, Coop.”
“I miss you, Reese.”
“I know. I miss you too.”
“I-I gotta go. I’ll talk to you soon,” he says, and the line goes dead before I even have the chance to say goodbye. Before I can think too much about his change in demeanor, the door to our room opens, and Hunter comes in carrying a bucket full of ice, a couple bottles of root beer, a bottle of water, and several packages of candy from the vending machine. Among them a pack of Reese’s Pieces. My heart stutters in my chest. This is what Cooper would be doing if he were here with me. The only difference is that he never would have had to ask what I wanted. He would have just known.Chapter 25CooperThis week’s game is a home game, and my family will be here. Reese will be here. Finally, I get to wrap my arms around her. This has been the longest six months of my life. The longest. I talked to her last night, and she said that she and Hunter were riding up with her parents to watch the game. I hate that he’s coming with her. However, I’m not going to let that stop me from hugging the shit out of my best friend. Boyfriend be damned. It’s going to happen.
This week is also Christmas. Well, the week before but close enough. If we win today, we play next week in the playoffs. I’m glad to be able to spend a few days with my parents. They’re staying until Tuesday. Reese and her parents and the boyfriend are all driving back to her parents’ place tonight. I’m going to get a few hours with her at best, but at this point, I’m going to take what I can get and cherish every fucking second. Fuck, I’ve missed her. I had no idea it would be this bad.