Chapter 7 #2
After a moment I reluctantly started to pull back, but to my shock, Cooper’s hand came up to the back of my neck and kept me there for a few breathless heartbeats before we broke apart. His eyes were wide, pupils dilated, and there was a flush high on his cheekbones that I’d never seen before.
Around us, whistles and catcalls erupted from the locals who knew us. Someone yelled “Finally!” and laughter rippled through the crowd. I barely registered any of it, too stunned by what had just happened.
“As you can see, I’m taken,” Cooper said, not looking away from my eyes as he addressed Brad. His voice was rougher than usual.
For a moment, he seemed as stunned as I felt. Then, with a deliberateness that made my pulse stutter, Cooper wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He finally broke our gaze to look at Brad.
“You should go,” Cooper said, his voice firm. “Now.”
Brad stared at us for a moment longer, his expression somewhere between disbelief and irritation. “Whatever,” he finally muttered. “Your loss.” He slid off his stool, weaving slightly, and disappeared into the crowd.
Neither of us moved. Cooper’s arm was still around my shoulders, and I was frozen in place, afraid that if I moved or spoke, the moment would shatter.
Finally, Cooper withdrew his arm and cleared his throat as he leaned back on his stool. “Well,” he said, “that was…unexpected.”
My brain scrambled to catch up with what had just happened. I’d kissed Cooper. Actually kissed him. And he’d kissed me back—hadn’t he? Or was that just part of the act?
“Sorry,” I said quickly as I tried to regain my equilibrium. “He wasn’t taking the hint, and I thought…I mean, I didn’t plan to—”
“It’s okay,” Cooper interrupted. He reached for his beer and took a larger gulp than usual. “It worked. He’s gone.”
“Right.” I nodded and tried to read his expression. “Just a strategic maneuver.”
Cooper stared at me for a moment, something unreadable in his expression. Confusion, maybe. Then he smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “My hero.”
I forced a laugh, trying to steer us back to familiar territory. “You looked like you needed rescuing.”
“That obvious, huh?” Cooper scrubbed a hand along his jaw, that telltale nervous gesture I’d seen a thousand times whenever he felt out of his depth.
“Only to someone who knows you,” I assured him. I tried not to think about how his lips had felt against mine, how for one impossible instant it had been real.
An uneasy silence fell between us, something that almost never happened. I searched desperately for something to say, anything to bridge this strange new gap. Had I made our friendship “weird”?
The emcee saved us and announced the next performer. The crowd cheered as a local favorite took the stage, his presence immediately commanding attention.
“Should we stay for his set?” I grabbed onto the topic like a lifeline. “He’s supposed to be good.”
Cooper hesitated, then nodded. “Sure. One more drink.”
As we turned our attention to the stage, a flurry of movement caught my eye. Isabelle Chen, chairperson of the Ocean of Love celebration, made a beeline for us through the crowd, her face bright with excitement.
“Cooper! Jack!” She squeezed between the bar patrons to reach us, practically vibrating with enthusiasm. “That kiss was the most adorable thing!”
Cooper shot me a panicked look before turning to Isabelle with his customer service smile. “Isabelle, hi—”
“Don’t ‘hi’ me like nothing happened.” She waved a finger between us. “All this time, and neither of you thought to tell me? The whole town’s been placing bets on when you two would finally get together!”
My eyes widened. “They have?”
“Oh, honey, for months.” Isabelle’s smile was knowing. “You two make the cutest couple. And the timing couldn’t be more perfect!”
Cooper’s brow furrowed. “Perfect for what?”
“The Ocean of Love, of course!” Isabelle clapped her hands together. “You two would be the perfect king and king for the Ocean of Love dance! The town’s newest couple—a beloved local business owner, his devoted boyfriend…it’s like it was meant to be! I’ll nominate you myself.”
Cooper stammered. “Isabelle, I don’t think—”
“And of course,” she continued, steamrolling over his objection, “I need to know what The Coffee Cove is planning for the festival. Now that you two are the talk of the town, people will be expecting something spectacular!” She leaned in conspiratorially.
“Maybe a couples’ tasting menu? Or heart-shaped latte art lessons? ”
Cooper’s mouth opened and closed, but no words emerged. He looked like a man drowning in quicksand, unable to find solid ground.
“It’s a secret,” I blurted, and stepped into the conversation with a confidence I didn’t feel. “But I promise it’s going to be amazing. Cooper’s been planning something special for weeks.”
Cooper’s head whipped toward me, his mouth dropping open with something between shock and betrayal.
Isabelle beamed. “I knew it! Cooper’s always been so creative.” She patted his arm. “Well, I won’t pry any further, but I’ll need details for the town’s social media by next week.” With a final excited grin, she disappeared back into the crowd as quickly as she’d arrived.
Cooper turned to me, his expression a mix of disbelief and panic. “What just happened?”
I exhaled slowly. The reality of our situation crashed down on me like a Game Over screen. “I think we just became Seacliff Cove’s newest couple.”
“And maybe the kings of the Valentine’s Day dance,” Cooper added weakly.
“And The Coffee Cove is apparently planning something spectacular for the festival.” I grimaced. “Sorry about that. I panicked.”
Cooper scrubbed both hands through his hair, leaving it standing in unruly tufts. “This is…I don’t even know what this is.”
I stared at my beer while my mind raced.
One impulsive kiss to rescue Cooper from an aggressive visitor had somehow snowballed into a town-wide announcement of our “relationship.” The locals’ reactions—the calls of “finally,” the whistles and the catcalls—suggested everyone had been expecting this for a long time. Everyone except Cooper and me.
The performer on stage began to sing, his voice mellow but barely registering in my consciousness. All I could think about was the impossible situation we now found ourselves in—and the way Cooper’s lips had felt against mine. The way his hand had held me there, just for a moment.
Cooper was silent beside me, lost in his own thoughts. I risked a glance at him, finding his profile tense, his brow furrowed in concentration. I’d known him for over a decade, but I had no clue what he was thinking.
What had started as a simple save had turned into something far more complicated. And as the music washed over us, one thought kept circling in my mind: everyone in town now thought we were a couple. And I didn’t know how to feel about that—hope? fear?—or what we were going to do next.