"Okay wait," he starts.
"What?"
"No but actually wait—"
"I'm waiting."
He tells me a story. I don't remember what it's about. Something involving a topless girl, a parking garage, campus security, and a locked car.
At one point there are apparently two locked cars.
At another point he might be the topless girl.
The details stop making sense about halfway through, but I'm laughing too hard to ask questions and Cooper's laughing because I'm laughing and eventually we're both sitting on the floor.
"You're actually so funny," he says.
"I know.”
He thinks about this.
"Like actually though."
"Cooper, I really do know. I hold this team together. I’m the glue."
"I'm being so serious."
"I know you're being serious. So am I."
"If I get up I’m kissing you," he says.
We stay on the floor.
It's a perfect evening.
Jamie is always somewhere nearby. Never hovering. Just — there. Whenever I look up he's there. Talking to someone, watching the room, holding his water glass, making me take sips here and there, always looking at me. Always finding me when I look for him. At some point the room starts doingmore than tilting and I carefully navigate my way back to him through the crowd and put my hand on his arm to steady myself. He turns immediately. Eyes doing that quick sweep over me.
"Hi," I sigh.
"Hi." He looks at me carefully. "You still good?"
"I'm still wonderful." I lean into him slightly. "I think I'm done though."
His hand finds my back. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." I look up at him. Up close he's even more — just perfect. A lot of jaw and green eyes and the care he’s been giving me that comes so easily now, that I have been thinking about this entire party. "Can we go to yours?"
"Yeah," he says, without hesitation. "Let's go."
The cold air outside hits me like a wall.
"Oh," I say. "That's a lot of cold. Rude." I pull my jacket tighter and fall into step beside him. Or near him. I'm walking in a relatively straight line which I think counts. "Jamie."
"Rhys."
"I had a really good night, thanks for taking care of me."
"Good, but don’t think you’re not in trouble."
