Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cooper grabbed a flute of champagne from a tray as a cocktail server walked past him, her sleek black hair blowing in the breeze. He turned to the ocean, took a sip, and placed the flute on the wooden railing. The sun beat down as quiet waves rolled onto the shore.
He checked over his shoulder at the sea of people congregated inside, all wearing white. The women wore dresses and the men wore linen suits fit for a beachside wedding. On the terrace, Cooper’s linen suit fluttered in the wind. With his back against the beach, he grabbed his phone.
COOPER
Come meet me outside.
NICO
We’re supposed to hate each other.
COOPER
Says who?
NICO
For starters, everyone knows you stole my quarterback position.
COOPER
To be fair, you were renting it until I came back.
NICO
I think it’d look awfully suspicious if we were suddenly friendly considering that ring on your finger should be mine.
NICO
Also, you all know it’s obnoxious. Right?
Cooper smirked and looked at the obnoxious championship ring on his middle finger
COOPER
We’re still celebrating.
NICO
It’s tacky.
COOPER
If you don’t get your ass over here and have a drink with me, I’m going to beat your ass.
NICO
Can’t wait.
COOPER
NOW!
NICO
On my way!
COOPER
Good boy.
Cooper pocketed his phone, grabbed his champagne, and leaned over the railing. A flock of yellow-legged gulls overtook the sandy beach and squealed a melody Cooper couldn’t understand.
“Hey asshole,” Nico said, coming to a stop beside Cooper with a mixed drink in hand.
Cooper smiled and instantly noticed the new tattoo behind Nico’s ear—three tiny black birds. “Hey loser.”
Nico shook his head, but try as he might, he couldn’t hide the smile wrinkling over his perfect, kissable fucking lips. Nico’s eyes darted to the side and he took a measured step back from Cooper. “People are looking at us.”
“That’s your paranoia,” Cooper said, eyes fixed on a pair of gulls screaming at each other in a full domestic dispute. “You just assume everyone knows what we know. Be cool.”
“As soon as this shindig is over, I’m coming to your room.” Nico glanced over his shoulder and then back to Cooper. “I’ll make up a lie for my date and say the boys are going out on the town.”
Jealousy was a new emotion for Cooper. He’d been blessed to have never been burdened by it.
With Luke, there was never a doubt in his mind.
Luke was his. He was Luke’s. Nico was different.
For starters, they weren’t together in the same way people who were together were.
Secondly, the majority of their time was spent on opposite sides of the country.
Thirdly, Nico was bisexual and had been with numerous women since this thing between them first started.
Nico was always ready to pull the trigger on this thing, and Cooper was always the one making that extremely difficult.
The jealousy he felt like a warm heat in his heart was a product of his own faults.
He gritted his teeth as he asked, “How long have you been seeing this girl?”
“It’s a new thing.”
Cooper locked eyes with Nico. “You fucked her yet?”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
“That’s not a denial.”
“I convinced her I’m into this new celibacy thing.” Nico sighed. “Waiting for marriage and all that.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
Nico turned to Cooper, angling his arm on the railing. “Would you rather I fuck her?”
“I would very much prefer it if you didn’t, but I understand how lonely things can get.
It’s not like we can see each other as much as we both want.
” That was more than enough talking for Cooper.
He needed to change the subject. “My headboard faces Lox’s room, so you need to be quiet when you come over. ”
“I’m always quiet.”
Cooper shot Nico a glare. “That’s a lie and I’m not going to let you make me believe it, lest I get too carried away and we become the next gay scandal.”
Nico pursed his lips and nodded. “What a headline that would be.”
Sudden applause and cheers stole the attention of both men. They stepped through the open doorway and watched as the newly married couple made their grand entrance with their hands held together and raised above their heads.
Razer pumped his other fist in the air and shouted, “I got a ring, and I got the ring.”
Cooper couldn’t tell which ring was a ring and which was the ring, but he raised his flute to the air. Nico stood on the opposite side of the doorframe, leaning against it with a hand shoved in the front pocket of his linen pants.
The newlyweds marched through the ballroom and found their seats at the head table parked underneath magnificent stained-glass windows that stood at least three stories high.
As the guests all made their way to their assigned seats, Nico stopped to whisper to Cooper, “You know I set them up, right?”
Cooper was intrigued. “I can’t imagine someone as suave as you would have the skills required of a matchmaker.”
“True story.” Nico tongued the inside of his cheek with a grin. “She was macking on me at the club when I was still a Cobra. Because all I could think about that night was getting to you.”
“That night you came to my hotel room?”
Nico nodded. “The night you kicked me out of your hotel room.”
“You got what you wanted on the plane.”
“I’m still waiting to get what I want.” Nico tapped Cooper on the shoulder before making his way to his table on the opposite side of the ballroom.
Cooper watched as Nico took a seat beside his date, a petite blonde woman with blue eyes. If Cooper had a sister, he imagined she’d look just like the nameless woman.
After dinner, Cooper took another breather on the terrace. A cool darkness fell over the beach as the sun set behind the hotel, somewhere behind the mountains he couldn’t see. He swished the rest of his champagne in his mouth and swallowed, relishing the burn at the back of his throat.
A shadow passed over him with a familiar scent.
A little tipsy, he turned to Nico with a grin. “There you are, gor—”
“Please go on and finish the sentence,” Matteo said with a smirk. “Am I gorgeous?”
“You look dashing in the same white linen suit every man in this joint is wearing.” Cooper turned back to the sea, leaning on the railing. He waited for Matteo to join him there before continuing, “I see you brought a date with you.”
“Isn’t she stunning?”
Cooper found it slightly amusing that there were two men with beards that night, and for the first time in a long ass time, he wasn’t one of them. Stassi was tied up in Los Angeles opening a new restaurant. “She’s beautiful, but I thought you were gay.”
“Bisexual people exist, Coop.” Matteo sighed, followed by a barely audible chuckle.
“I’m not bisexual though. My management has me cosplaying a bisexual man because it’s easier to digest for the fans.
I’m hoping it lands well enough that the piece of shit Anderson lets me actually play this season. ”
These conversations were difficult for Cooper. He pitied the way Matteo’s private life was exposed in such a salacious way. Seemingly everyone had seen the video, but Cooper refused to watch it himself.
“I’m sorry this happened to you.”
“I don’t know, man. It’s terrifying to know the whole world saw me like that. It’s soul-crushing to watch the videos online of former fans burning my Cobras and Knights jerseys. But it’s also…” He searched for the right words. “Freeing.”
Cooper thought of the recurring dream he’d been having—the one of a yellow bird breaking free from the cage. He and Nico had honored every bet they’d ever made and he saw no reason why this one should be any different. Still, his gut pinched tightly just thinking about fans burning his jerseys.
He thought back to the time Matteo confronted him after being ejected from the game for throwing a punch. He thought about one particular question he wished he had asked but had been too stunned to say much.
He exhaled and closed his eyes. “How did you know about me?”
“Just a feeling.” Matteo nodded. “You know I used to have the biggest crush on you.”
Cooper cocked his head sideways and scowled. “Shut the fuck up.”
“I’m being serious.” Matteo smiled a perfect smile with the most perfect set of teeth he’d ever seen. Always had the most beautiful smile. “I still do, to be honest. That’s the tequila speaking. But I know your head and heart are elsewhere.”
Cooper swallowed nervously, waiting for the next bit.
“A few years ago,” Matteo continued, a sullen look passing over his cheeks, “as I was leaving Luke’s gala, I saw Nico get out of the back of an Uber.
I was one of the last people out of the building that night and I thought to myself, why would he be showing up after everyone is gone?
” Matteo pulled back from the railing and palmed a hand on Cooper’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly.
“I hope you get your happy ending this time.”
Cooper watched as Matteo slipped back inside, leaving him alone once again on the terrace.
Alone with his thoughts as he watched Nico light up the dance floor with the moves of every white boy who is halfway decent at dancing. Nico took his date’s hand in his own and twirled her on her feet, pulling her back against his front.
Jealousy was a new thing for Cooper Callahan.