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He brushed back my hair, tucking it behind my ear. “You’ll never lose me. Ever.”
“You say that now, but we’ve all seen what happens when relationships go south. You forget all the things you used to like about each other.” Maybe I was being selfish, but there was already so much change happening in the coming months. I wasn’t sure I wanted this to change too. “It’s already going to be so hard to say goodbye to one another when you get drafted to some team on the West Coast and I’m in Chicago.”
He laughed, and his eyes met mine. For a second, he said nothing. “One thing I love about you is your ability to overthink something. These are our last few months before we have to go out into the real world and be adults. I want to do that with you as my girlfriend and not as my best friend. Think about it… lazy Sundays in bed after a night of fucking, I make you breakfast in bed. Walks through campus hand in hand, being able to kiss each other whenever we want. You coming with me to the draft, and we get a hotel room to celebrate after.”
I couldn’t deny that he was getting me closer and closer to agreeing to put everything we had in jeopardy. “Are you sure you shouldn’t be rethinking a career in law?”
He chuckled. “What do you say?”
I smiled and bit my lip while fear pressed down on me from all sides. But I pushed it away and went with the thread of a feeling that was always there, whether I wanted it to be or not—the one that made me think that Cooper and I could be something really special.
So I nodded. “Okay, okay, yeah.” I sucked in a cleansing breath. It was done. I’d made my decision. But now that I knew I was probably about to have sex with Cooper, I needed a minute to get myself together. Freshen up and make sure I was perfect. “But I have to go to the bathroom first. I’ll be right back.”
He grinned at me, and his dimples came out, making the space between my thighs tingle in anticipation. “I’ll find Bryce and tell her we’re leaving.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
His eyes fell down my body, and my libido ignited from his attention. Yeah, we were going to do this.
I headed to the bathroom, but the line downstairs was way too long, so I went upstairs. There were only two people in line when I got there. Perfect.
By the time it was my turn, I was barely paying attention, wondering what it would feel like to be with Cooper after all this time. Questions racked my brain—what kind of lover was he? Would he treat me with gentle hands or be rough? Maybe a mixture of both?
I walked into the bathroom and turned the lock. My mind was consumed with everything Cooper. A cheesy smile reflected at me in the mirror when I washed my hands.
Bryce was going to flip after she found out we’d crossed the line.
“Fire!” someone screamed from the hallway, banging on the door.
“What?” Panic constricted my chest.
Okay. Okay. Calm down.
I touched the doorknob like we’d been taught as kids, and it was hot, which meant the fire was nearby. Heading to the small window by the toilet, I stood on top of the lid and opened the window. Flames came out of the window to my right, the wind making the flames leap into the night like outstretched fingers.
Shit. How the hell was I going to get out of here?
My phone rang in my pocket, Cooper’s name on the screen. “Hello?”
“Where are you? I went to the bathroom.” It was clear from his voice that he was panicked, and I heard chaos surrounding him.
“I’m upstairs. The line was too long on the main floor, but I think the fire is up here.”
“I’ll come up and get you.”
“No!” I screeched. “I think the fire is in the room next door.”
“I’m coming.” He hung up.
I had to get out of there before he risked himself. I took a towel and used it to cover the doorknob, tugging on the door until it inched back. Flames blazed over the doorways of the bedrooms, smoke billowing everywhere. A group of four were rushing to the stairs, and one girl grabbed my arm and pulled me in behind her.
Surely I’d see Cooper coming up, and he’d follow me downstairs, where we’d be safe.
The farther down the hallway I got, the smokier it became. I heard people screaming and crying. I touched the wall, almost tripping on a stair, and when I reached the landing at the bottom, all the people in front of me were gone.
“COOPER!” I yelled.
“ELLE!” he yelled back, but I couldn’t figure out where his voice was coming from.
