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She took a step then backed up. “You’re going to be at Archie’s party on Saturday right? You avoided the guys all summer, so I thought that was all over. But you’re friends again, so you’re going to be there?”
“I’ll be there.” I almost said I was taking Mathieu, but that would be bragging, and I still kind of needed to quietly end the thing that wasn’t really a thing. I’d barely talked to him outside of class this week. Sunday night had kind of been a one and done.
I actually finished up and clocked out by nine straight up. Jake and Ian were absent from the parking lot, but I got messages from each just as I got into my car.
Jake:Home. Call me if you want me to come by later. I get it might be hard with all the guys there.
Ian:Home. Miss you. Tomorrow is big day. Sleep well.
The fact Jake’ssentences left me a little warm and second-guessing myself compounded the wistfulness Ian’s text triggered. They both cared, but they showed it in different ways. I had to admit, I was a fan of both.
Back at the apartments, I sent texts to Jake and Ian that I was home and I’d see them the next day. I was already smothering a yawn as I locked the car and headed for my apartment. Coop sat on the steps leading to the backdoor. His normally relaxed expression seemed tense even if it was cast in the shadows from the outdoor lights.
“Hey…”
“Hey,” he said as he stood. “Sorry, I know you weren’t home yet, but Mom and Trina are fighting again, and Dad planned to swing by to show solidarity with Mom.” He made a face.
Coop had a distant dad and I had no dad. I didn’t know what it would be like if one wanted to come by and show solidarity with Mom, but in my experience, that never went well for Coop. They didn’t fight so much as depress the hell out of him.
“C’mon,” I said, bumping him as I continued up the stairs. “You can hide with me.”
“You need me to text Jake?”
“Nope,” I said, unlocking the door. The cats gave us all of about thirty seconds before they realized Coop was there and immediately began their scolding yowls for attention. “Jake went home.”
“Oh.” Coop frowned and then looked around the kitchen. “I thought…”
“Yeah, that I might text, and he might come over. But I decided I wanted some alone time tonight to get some stuff done.”
“Oh,” he repeated. “I can go…”
“Coop,” I told him as I headed through the kitchen. “I need to shower, then change, then finish putting together a video and make the dessert. You can hang out. It’s fine.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I’ll be out in fifteen. I think there’s leftover pizza in the fridge.”
“Blegh,” he called.
I’d just stepped under the water in the shower and had to grin. The last time I’d been in here it had been with Jake. The knock at the door pulled me from that lovely memory and I frowned. The door cracked but didn’t open all the way. “I’m going to order something. Your fridge has exactly one slice of pizza.”
Oh. Right. Jake had some for breakfast that morning.
“Okay,” I called. “I can go half in on it.”
“That’s fine—what do you want? Pizza? Chinese? Subs?”
I kind of wanted to splurge. It would unhealthy but I didn’t care. “Order from Boomer Sax? Get me a Monte Cristo?”
“Living large. I like it. You got it.” Then the door closed, and I grinned. He didn’t even try to peek. Then again, it wouldn’t have been the first time he saw me almost naked. We’d been around each other way too long, though—it had been a couple of years.
Coop had Tabby in his lap when I made it back to the kitchen, his shoes were off and tucked by the back door and he pointed to the pantry where we stored the trashcan. “I went ahead and took the trash out, figured that way if you needed the can out while you were cooking…”
“Thank you.”
“So…need me to do anything?”
“Just hang out. You can go watch a movie if you want.” I’d gone for sleep shorts and a tank top tonight. It had been hot outside and it was about to be warm in the kitchen with all the prep. I left my wet hair down to dry for now.
