Chapter 7
Cooper
“Two chocolate mint lattes, please,” I ask the barista.
It’s Monday evening, and I’m just getting out of practice. It might be a little late for caffeine, but I know I will need it if I want to pay attention and learn what Blake is helping me with.
It would be rude to show up with nothing for him, so I ordered one for both of us.
After I’m done paying and have the drinks in hand, I head toward the library.
I hope he’s not upset with me about yesterday. Maybe I overstepped, but I felt like it’s the least I could do to pay him back for everything he’s doing for me.
His car didn’t need too much work, simple upkeep repairs.
But nothing needed to be ordered or replaced, so I didn’t mind losing a few hours’ worth of work.
When I told my father why I didn’t charge Blake, he understood and was actually supportive.
He’s grateful that Blake is helping me out, and said what I did was a good way to pay him back.
I just hope Blake agrees. The last thing I need is for him to think that I think he’s some kind of charity case. I don’t. I know he could have paid for it himself, but I just didn’t want him to.
And honestly, I kind of like being able to do this for him.
He’s been so down on his luck lately with everything going on with Mickey. I wanted to do something nice.
Speaking of Mickey, that asshat didn’t look my way once at practice.
I did notice the nice black eye this morning, though.
When people ask, he said he was so drunk at the party that he fell down and hit his face.
I guess that's less embarrassing than getting punched in the face by a teammate for picking on someone smaller and making homophobic slurs. That wouldn’t look too good on him.
Not that he has much of a reputation to keep.
Knowing he bullied Blake in the past makes me want to walk right up to him and punch him in his stupid, smug face again.
Blake might not be a ray of sunshine, but he’s a good man. There’s no reason Mickey should have been messing with him. He’s one of those assholes who gets a thrill from bringing everyone around them down, making them feel smaller so he can feel bigger.
I know I told Blake that hurt people hurt people, but I don’t give a single fuck what Mickey’s reasons are.
It shouldn’t have happened in high school, and it sure as hell shouldn’t be continuing in college.
We’re supposed to be adults. He’s not going to get far in this world with his ‘I’m top dog’ shit.
Someone is going to bring him down a peg or two someday, and god, I wish I could be there to watch it.
When I get to the library, I find Blake in the same spot as last time, and I can’t help but smile.
He’s sitting on one of the black couches, legs crossed, a textbook lying in his lap. One elbow is on his knee, his head resting in his hand, and the other is holding a pencil as he nibbles on it.
His brows are creased, face contorted in a mask of concentration. He looks so hot right now.
“Hey.” I step forward, getting his attention.
His head snaps up, and fuck me, his blue eyes. I could get lost in them for days. “Oh, hey.” He takes his glasses off and rubs at his eyes before putting them back on. “Sorry, got kind of lost in reading.”
He closes his textbook and places it in his bag.
“For you.” I hold out the coffee, taking the spot next to him.
He eyes up the coffee cup like it’s going to bite him.
“What is it?” he asks cautiously.
“It’s coffee.” He snorts. “Or, should I say, a latte.” I grin.
He rolls his eyes, but I see a small smile on his lips. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I know, but I wanted to.”
“Why?” He narrows his eyes.
“Blake, just take the coffee. I’m not offering you a million dollars with no explanation. It’s just a drink. I was getting one for myself and thought I’d grab you one too.”
“Thanks...” he says slowly, but takes the drink from me. “Really, you didn’t have to.”
“I know.” I smile. “So, what are we doing today?”
Blake takes my textbook from me and finds where we need to be.
We sit there for the next hour, and I try my best to concentrate, I really do. But it’s like he’s some kind of magnet. My eyes keep drifting toward his face, watching the way his lips move as he speaks, his low voice a lot more soothing than it has any right to be.
It’s a sound my cock really likes, and that's a problem.
Every time I catch what I’m doing, I force myself to pay attention. Thankfully, I retain most of the things he’s talking about, enough to be able to answer the questions.
I’m fascinated by how Blake is able to answer all of my questions with ease. He makes it easy to follow, to understand. He slows things down for me, without making me feel like an idiot.
“You really are good at this,” I blurt out after he’s done walking me through a question. I swear, my mouth has a mind of its own.
“Huh?” He looks up at me, blinking those insanely long lashes.
“At this.” I wave to the textbook. “For the most part, I can keep up with my professors and what they’re saying.
But for some reason, with this class, I need a more detailed explanation of the concepts.
He says students can see him after class with questions, and he’s happy to go over them with us.
I just feel like if I did that, I’d be there after every class with a long list of questions.
I’d be taking up all his time, and he’d probably be wondering why I’m even in his class if I’m too stupid to grasp the information in the first place. ”
"You're not stupid.” His brow furrows in that adorable way. “You’ve been picking this up pretty quickly. You just needed someone to go over it step-by-step. That doesn't mean you’re stupid, though. Everyone learns differently.”
My heart. My damn heart stands no chance with this guy. Why, Cooper, why must we get a crush on the one guy who’s hands off?
“Thanks.” The smile I give him is more shy than normal. I work hard in every part of my life, and try to do my best, but when it comes to academics, sometimes I can’t hit the mark.
He blinks a few times before clearing his throat. “Is there anything else you need help with?”
“Nope, I think that's it. But I’m sure I’ll have more for you on Thursday. Sorry about that.” I rub the back of my head. I know we’re getting a lot done in this hour alone, but I feel like I’m asking more questions than doing work.
“Don’t be sorry. It’s my job to help you.” He shrugs.
“What are you doing tonight?”
“Why?” He gives me an accusatory stare.
“Don’t look at me like I’m about to ask you to go commit a crime with me or something.” I chuckle.
“I wasn’t thinking that, but now I am.” He continues to stare at me.
“I’m going out with some friends and wanted to see if you are free. It'll be fun.” I shrug.
“It’s not another house party, is it? I'm not going to lie, I think I’m all partied out for a long time.”
“Nah, no party. Nothing like that.”
“By friends, you mean...”
“Lexi and Val,” I say. “My bestie, Ellie, and her guy, Chase, are going to come out for a few drinks, too.”
“Drinks? I thought you said it wasn’t a party.”
“It’s not.” I grin. “It’s a bar.”
“A bar.” He blinks at me. “Yeah, no thanks. Bars aren’t really my thing either.”
“Oh, come on.” I pout. “It’s a nice place, very low-key. None of the guys from my team go there. It’s mostly older people, because the atmosphere is chill. We drink, play some music on the jukebox, and throw darts.”
“Jukebox? What year are we in, the sixties? Who uses jukeboxes anymore?” he grumbles.
“It’s one of the more modern ones. This one is from the nineties.” I chuckle.
“Oh, even better.” He rolls his eyes. “Let me guess, it plays Britney Spears?”
“Hey, don’t hate on the queen of pop,” I gasp.
“She’s not the queen of pop,” he scoffs. “That’s Madonna.”
My brows lift, and a wide grin takes over. “Latte Boy, are you a Madonna fan?” I tease.
“No,” he growls. There he goes again, being that cute little angry kitten. I hate how hot it makes me.
“What kind of music do you like then?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “I like a little bit of everything. The Beatles are one of my favorite bands.”
“An old soul. I love it.” I chuckle.
“Whatever, they made good music.”
I swear I see Blake’s cheeks turn the tiniest bit pink.
Oh, Blakey boy. You’re killing me.
That’s it. It’s my new mission to make this man laugh and smile tonight.
“Come out with us. It’s just going to be me, you, and my four friends. You like Lexie and Val, right? Ellie is the best. You’d love her too.”
“What about her boyfriend, Chase?” he asks.
“He’s pretty chill. He’s kind of a less chaotic male version of Val when I think of it.”
“Oh god, there’s two of them?” He groans.
I laugh. “She’s not that bad. She can be a lot sometimes, but honestly, I love her for exactly who she is.”
“She’s alright, I guess. Lexie, too,” he says.
“Soooo, does that mean you’ll come? I promise, if you're not having a good time or you want to leave, I’ll take you right home.”
“But my car’s here,” he says.
“I can follow you home. You can drop it off and catch a ride with me.”
“I don’t want you to go out of your way.”
“It’s fine. You don’t live far from here. And it’s on the way anyway.”
He chews on his bottom lip, my eyes unable to look away. “Okay, I guess.”
“Awesome.” A burst of excitement fills me. “Let's go.”
Blake and I pack our stuff up, and I walk him to his car before heading a few spots down to where I’m parked.
I follow him home. He parks the car in his driveway and gets out. He stands there for a moment, seeming unsure about what to do next.
“What's wrong?” I ask, rolling down my window.
He rubs the back of his head. “Do I need to change?”
I look him over and shake my head. He’s dressed in his normal jeans, but today he’s wearing a dark red and black hoodie. “Nah. You look good. Come on.”
He gives in and heads toward me, getting in my passenger seat.