“Uhm, yeah,” I said. “I’m just tired.”
Cooper studied me carefully, suspicious about something. “Are you hiding something from me?”
“No,” I said, feeling closer to him than ever before. Our connection felt more intimate, like what we shared was real and important. I hadn’t noticedthe feeling before. How had I missed the sensation he gave me? “I wouldn’t do that.”
He stood up. “Okay then, mister. I’ll meet you downstairs. Hurry your butt up too.” He headed for the door but stopped before exiting the room, turning back to me. “And you’re sure you’re okay?” he asked again.
I nodded, holding back tears of joy. “I’m fine, Coop,” I whispered. “Thank you for caring about me.”
“Anything for my bestie,” he said with a wide grin on his beautiful face. “Now hurry up.”
He stepped out, gently bringing the door to an almost shut position.
How had I not known how I felt about him all those years? How was it possible that I didn’t understand my desire for him? He was my everything back then and I never understood. And here I was. Back then. Back here.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: Cooper
Ipaused at the top of the stairs, turning back to Mikey’s room. Something wasn’t right. I wasn’t an expert on much but I knew my best friend inside and out. Mikey was my person. We shared a connection unlike any I’d witnessed in my nearly eighteen years. Something was off and I’d get him to spill the beans eventually. I shrugged and exhaled, then headed down the stairs, two at a time.
“One of you boys is going to slip and fall one of these days,” Mrs. H. said. “Be careful on those stairs, Cooper.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, scooting into one of the four chairs. The missing place setting wasn’t lost on me. I missed Mikey’s dad too. It hadn’t gotten past me that he’d just asked if his dad was here. He must’ve had a bad dream. Mr. H. was the best father and Mikey had been a mess right after he died. His death was less than a year ago and Mikey seemed to be in a better place, but maybe he was still grieving. I’d ask him later.
“You wake him?” she asked, setting a plate of scrambled eggs next to a two-pound pile of bacon.
“I think he might be sick,” I said. “But his forehead was cool,” I added nonchalantly, like I was a medical expert and chief of all things Mike Hill.
“Were his eyes red?” she asked with her back to me while she put a frying pan into the sink when she referred to Mikey’s allergies.
“Nope. All clear,” I replied. “No sniffles either. Spring is pretty much gone so we’re clear of the pollen,” I added, giving both a seasonal update and an allergy status.
Mrs. H. turned around and looked at me. Leaning back against the sinkshe shook her head from side to side. “You are really something, Cooper.” She brushed a crumb from her floral blouse and then moved to my side of the table. She leaned over my shoulder and wrapped me in her arms. Her smell matched her blouse, floral. “He loves you just as much, Cooper,” she whispered in my ear.
“You sure?” I asked, needing confirmation.
“I’m positive. A mom knows these things about her son.”
“Just not in the same way,” I reminded her, squeezing her arms tightly. “Not like I wish he did anyway.”
“Maybe not the same, son, but sometimes one doesn’t understand everything about our choices early in life. Why don’t we just continue loving him and let him find his way?” She stood and was rubbing my shoulders when we heard footsteps on the stairs. We both turned in unison.
Mikey smiled sheepishly at both of us. “Good morning,” he said, heading for his usual spot across from where his dad normally sat, but he stopped halfway and went to his mom. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. I could see Mrs. H’s face from my angle and she looked taken aback for a second. Mikey pulled away and held her at a short distance. “You look pretty, Mom.”
“You don’t get any more bacon than I do,” I quipped, wondering what was happening. Mikey and his mother were close, but I hadn’t seen them hug in months. I stood and moved him out of the way before pulling Mrs. H. into a bear hug. “I love you just as much,” I said, scrunching my face at Mikey as he watched us.
Mrs. H. pulled away and swatted her hands toward both of us. “Well, well, well. This is certainly a mother’s dream come true. My two handsome boys showering me with their affection,” she stated. “And you say I look pretty?” she asked. “You still don’t get a car,” she added, winking at me. “Now sit down and stuff your faces.”
“I love you, Mom,” Mikey said, pulling his chair out and sitting down, not taking his eyes off of his mother. “I mean it.”
I watched his mother light up like a Christmas tree. He was sincere and his words were so pure. Mike had confidence that I enviedand was heartbreakingly handsome in my eyes. A lot like his father, he was tall with broad shoulders, blonde with gold-tinted skin that would soon be bronze as summer was nearly here. We were about to turn eighteen and he was practically a man compared to me.
“You’re filling out, Coop,”he’d said last week when we showered at my place after a workout.“I’m taller now but your dad is tall too, so you’ll grow some more. You’ll see, buddy,”he’d added, squeezing my biceps and pulling me against him tightly even though we were naked. No wonder I was so crazy about him.
“Well, thank you, honey,” Mrs. H. said, waking me from my memory of us showering and from falling deeper in love with my best friend. “And I love you too. And you too, Cooper,” she added, handing me the bacon platter.
“What are you burning today, Mom?” Mikey asked her, motioning toward her ever-present incense. “I like this one,” he added, smiling at her and dishing up some eggs onto my plate while I held the plate of bacon, questioning his newfound interest in Mrs. H’s unique approach to the spirit world.
Mrs. H. raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, looked at me and smiled before turning back to Mikey. “Honey, are we feeling okay this morning?”
