Jade
Chapter twenty-four
Coop and I hold hands as the plane descends. Neither of us have ever flown before, and though Mateo told us what we could expect, neither of us are ready when the wheels touch the ground.
Across the aisle, Mateo pulls off his headphones and stretches his arms above his head.
He fell asleep almost as soon as we were in the air.
Coop and I watched a movie, some cartoon about a toy hammer.
Based on how often Cooper laughed, I guess it was funny, but my mind was elsewhere.
Like wondering what Mateo's condo is like, or if he'll be different around his friends.
I tried getting out of going to Friendsgiving, but then he FaceTimed me last night while I was packing and bet he could beat me in a race to the finish line.
Never one to back down, I took the bet. I'm an expert at getting myself off; there was no chance I'd lose.
But the fucker cheated. I don't know how, but he did.
He lifts a brow at me, and my phone pings with an incoming text.
Mateo
Stop undressing me with your eyes. I'm not a piece of meat.
"Shut up," I say. "Cheater."
He laughs and stands up, ducking so he doesn't hit his head. Coop and I follow his lead but wait as Mateo gets our bags from the overhead compartment. He hands Coop his backpack but shoulders my duffel.
He refuses to let me carry it. When Coop asked why, Mateo said there were two reasons. Reason one was that it's one of the bare minimum things a man should do for a woman. And reason number two was that women carry enough on their shoulders; they shouldn't have to carry their luggage too.
He pulls the brim of his hat down lower and hunches his shoulders. It's a shitty disguise, but it does the trick as Coop and I follow him off the plane to the waiting town car. A town car. Not a rideshare. A sleek black sedan with the stereotypical driver in a suit and hat.
I open my notes app to add it to the list I started last week.
A list of reasons this has to remain strictly sex.
I add town car directly below the bullet point for business class.
Inconsequential for most, but to me it matters.
I want to feel equal in a relationship, not kept.
Not that I'm seeking a relationship from him, because I'm not.
"Is that the ocean?" Coop says, leaning over me to look out the window.
"No, that's the Patapsco River," Mateo answers. He takes off his hat and runs his fingers through his hair before putting it back on backward. His hair has grown fast in the two weeks since Addie cut it, and I'm hoping he doesn't cut it again. Not that my opinion matters.
"Have you ever seen the ocean?" Mateo asks.
Coop and I both shake our heads, and Mateo's eyes soften, the blue somehow bluer.
"The bay is about an hour away but if you want to skip exploring Baltimore tomorrow, we can make the drive to the coast. It's about two and a half hours, depending on traffic."
"Mom, I want to go," Coop says.
"I think that's a great idea," I agree.
"Too bad it will be too cold to go in," Mateo says. "We can make another trip over the summer, when school gets out."
There's more he wants to say, I can feel it, but we pull to a stop in front of a fancy building.
The driver opens my door and extends his hand to help me out.
I release a breath and take it, climbing out of the car.
From the trunk, he removes bags, handing Coop his backpack and Mateo his duffel.
Mateo and I both reach to take my bag from the driver, but Coop slips his body between all of us and shoulders it.
"I got it, Mom," he says.
If I dared to make a list of why Mateo and I should be together, this moment would top it.