Is that something I’m woman enough to handle? I’d like to think so, but you never really know until you try. Maybe Cooper will end up being a great secret keeper in all aspects of his life. Maybe I’ll find out he has a secret girlfriend somewhere. I refuse to live my life in fear, though. So many bad things have happened to me that I don’t want to think about even more bad things.
I don’t want to imagine a world where anything could happen, and where all of those things are negative.
For the first time in years, things are starting to look up for me. I have a good job, a good hobby, and a good guy in my life.
I need to focus on those things and not the fact that dating an airman is going to be really tough.
Or on the fact that my spins aren’t really good enough to try out for the pole dancing competition in the fall.
Or on the fact that my mom is completely insane for my teacher.
When I get to class, I slide into my seat and begin listening to the lecture from hell. Everyone warned me that college would be hard, but no one said it would be hard because it was so boring.
Staying focused during lectures is a constant struggle for me and sometimes I wonder if I’m really cut out for this. Maybe it’s just first year stuff. Maybe once I’m taking harder classes in my chosen major, things will be easier. Maybe once I’ve learned how to deal with the fact that my mom is dating Professor Smells-Like-Soup, things will be different.
Somehow, I get through the class, return to my apartment, and get dressed for work.
I’m just slipping on my black stretchy dress pants when my phone finally buzzes. My heart leaps in my throat and I just know it’s from him.
Cooper: Hey beautiful, what time do you get off work tonight?
Me: 11. Why? You got plans?
Cooper: Just want to know when I should arrive to spend some time with the prettiest girl in Whiskee.
Me: You obviously haven’t met my roomie yet.
Cooper: I don’t need to. You knock all other girls out of the water.
I blush as I read his messages. I know it’s still super early in the relationship. I know he could get bored or run off or whatever, but something tells me he’s not going to.
Something tells me Cooper is genuine.
We agree to meet after work and I hurry off to Drinks on Me with a smile on my face.
***
“Where should we go?” I waltz up to Cooper, toss his cigarette on the ground, and kiss him. Deeply. He groans as I do, fisting my hair and grabbing my ass. Neither one of us cares that we’re in the middle of the parking lot. We only care that finally, after a long fucking day, we’re together.
“Anywhere,” he says.
“Let’s go to Cliff 9.”
He raises an eyebrow, but shrugs, and climbs in the car. He grips my hand as he navigates the familiar roads to one of the many cliffs that overlook Whiskee.
Whiskee is a mid-sized city located in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. The city is perfect, in my opinion, because it’s close to the military base and close to my college and close to some great places to go camping.
I don’t care too much for skiing, but I’ll camp all damn summer if I can.
Cliff 9 is one of the best places to park and look out over Whiskee. You can see everything from up there: the campus, the churches, the trees, the shops. You can see houses and parks and open land.
You can see everything.
Cooper drives us to the parking lot and we sit for a moment, just looking out into the darkness.
“Do you have a flashlight?” He asks after awhile. I forget sometimes that he’s not from Whiskee. He’s not a “native.” Sometimes people in Whiskee can be a little intense about spending our whole lives here.
“Don’t be a pussy,” I say, and hop out of the car.