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8
TODD
3Doors Down blares from the speakers in the corner of Cooper’s basement, adding background music while we play the PlayStation 2 together. Even the girls joined the tournament this time instead of watching like they normally do.
“Cooper! How are you so good at this game?” Natalie yells as she gently tosses the controller to the ground.
Cooper shrugs, smiling at Nat. He’s always been super humble. Nothing riles him up, which is fascinating to me. I’m pretty even-keeled with the exception of letting my anger get the best of me sometimes.
I look over at Megan, who’s sitting at the table with Sara and Lucy. Her eyebrows are furrowed, and she has a hand to her side as if she’s in pain. I quickly stand to check on her.
“What’s wrong?” I ask quietly, squatting next to her chair.
“Just a cramp. It’ll go away in a bit.”
“Do you want me to take you home?”
“No, of course not. I’ll be fine, promise.” She smiles at me. The strain slowly releases from her body as the pain goes away until she can sit up tall again. I grab her a glass of water, kissing her temple before going back to the couch to watch Cooper and Levi duke it out.
Megan and I are getting a lot more comfortable about showing affection towards each other in front of the group. The first couple of weeks we were together, everyone teased us mercilessly for acting like middle schoolers. We finally realized we were being weird and stopped trying to pretend we weren’t together.
Now, I’ll randomly pull Meg onto my lap or kiss her whenever I want to instead of either trying to hide our kisses from our friends or going without, which was incredibly difficult.
I worried about our group dynamic changing after we started dating, but it’s actually gotten better. There’s no more tension between us, which has helped our group mesh better.
I’ve been trying to take things slow, not just physically but emotionally as well. After wanting her for so long, it’s hard not to dive headfirst into the serious relationship deep end, though. I’m afraid telling her I love her will push things too far, too fast. I’m not sure what the right choices are in this situation since we already know each other so well. Maybe I’ll wait for her to make the first move.
Levi’s shout pulls me back to the game as he attempts to beat Cooper. Whoever wins out of the two of them will be the champion of the tournament. Why Levi thinks there will be a different ending every time beats me.
When Cooper wins the game, as predicted, we grab food from the trays Cooper’s mom made and gather around the table to eat. She goes overboard every time we hang out at their house. It’s amazing. I hold Megan’s hand while I eat left-handed. She seems to be feeling better since she’s laughing and joking around like normal.
“When do you guys start football practice?” Lucy asks as she takes a bite of her sandwich.
“In a couple of weeks. It’s only conditioning—weights and stuff—so it won’t be too bad,” I respond while Cooper nods his head in agreement.
“It’ll be good to get back into the gym. It’s been weird not working out every day,” Cooper adds.
“Who do you think will be the first to puke this year?” I grin at Cooper, already guessing his answer. There’s always one guy who pushes way too hard on the first day and ends up losing his lunch because he was doing too much.
“You know it’ll be Brad. He tries to show off every year then ends up behind the gym pretending like he’s not throwing up.” Cooper laughs. Brad is the single worst human being at school. I swear the guy has a small dick complex. He always takes his anger out on the easiest targets.
I’m usually pretty good at putting him in his place, and he’s learned not to mess with anyone when I’m around. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop him from doing it when no one is looking.
I’ve built a reputation that anyone can come to me if they’re being bullied, and I’ll take care of it. Punching a bully helps keep my own aggression down while also keeping people from having to deal with idiots like Brad.
Megan gasps, her hand squeezing mine. She’s doubled over the table, clutching her stomach.
“Babe, what’s wrong? What can I do?” I ask her, my body jolting towards her in an attempt to help.
Megan shakes her head like she can’t speak, then suddenly jumps from the chair. She races into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. I stand by the door, listening through the wood. The sounds of her throwing up are loud enough to be heard through the door.
Without even thinking, I walk into the bathroom, thankful she didn’t lock it. Megan’s head is leaned over the toilet, and her arm is braced across the back. The other hand is trying to hold her hair back as she continues to get sick.
I quickly step behind her to hold her hair while she continues to vomit, gently rubbing her back as she gets it all out.
When she’s done, I drop her hair, opening the cabinet to find a washcloth. I wet it with cold water, then press it against the back of Meg’s neck, fisting her hair again just in case. We’re both kneeling on the floor, the cold tile hard against my knees.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Why the fuck are you sorry? I’m sorry you’re sick. Do you know what’s wrong?”
“Something must not have sat well in my stomach,” she says, her voice hoarse. She leans back from the toilet, and I gently scoop her into my arms, setting her in my lap.
“Do you think you’ll be sick again?”
She gently shakes her head. “I’m done for now.”
A quick knock on the door shows Natalie peeking her head around the frame. “I brought you some water,” she says, stepping into the room, holding a sweaty glass.
“Thanks.” I reach for it since Megan hasn’t moved her head from my neck. I’m not sure if she’s embarrassed or exhausted. Natalie’s brows furrow as she presses her lips together in question. She gestures her head toward Megan, and I realize she’s trying to ask how she’s doing without using words.
I shake my head to tell her it’s not good, and Nat nods in understanding. She turns to leave the bathroom while I keep rubbing Megan’s back, wishing I could do more for her.
“Do you want to take a sip of water?” I ask, running my fingers through her hair.
Megan takes a deep breath. “I just want to go home now,” she whispers.
“All right, babe. I’m going to pick you up and carry you out to the car, okay?” I don’t think she has the energy to make it all the way out to her car right now. She nods her head against my chest, making every protective instinct in me tighten with a need to save her, to make her better.
I know I’m being ridiculous. It’s a stomach bug, people get those all the time, but she’s in pain, and I can’t do anything about it. I can’t protect her from the ways the world can tear you down.
I stand with Megan in my arms, carrying her out of the bathroom, then through the basement. I tell everyone we’re headed home as a chorus of ‘feel betters’ follow us up the stairs.
Megan keeps her eyes closed on the drive home, only perking up enough to walk herself to her door when I get to her house. A little bit of the tension I’d been holding loosens, knowing she’s getting better.
“Thank you for taking care of me. I’m going to go straight to bed,” she says, leaning up to kiss my cheek.
“I’ll come check on you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Love you,” she says, stepping inside the house before I can even fully register her words.
She just told me she loved me. I’m sure it was because she’s exhausted, but she still said it. A smile pulls at my lips despite the worry still clinging to my chest.
Tomorrow, I’ll make sure she knows I feel the same way.
