Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Jack
I stepped out of Cooper’s office on unsteady legs, and the weight of what we’d just agreed to settled over me like a warm blanket I wasn’t sure I deserved.
The coffee shop hummed with its usual lunchtime energy—conversations blending into a comfortable murmur, the hiss of the espresso machine, the gentle clink of ceramic against wood.
Cooper emerged behind me, and without thinking, I reached for his hand. His fingers intertwined with mine naturally, as if we’d done this a thousand times before. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze and leaned close enough that my breath stirred the hair near his ear.
“Here we go,” I whispered.
Cooper’s grip tightened just a fraction before I reluctantly let go and made my way back to my table by the windows.
My coffee had gone lukewarm while we’d been in his office negotiating the terms of “The Boyfriend Bargain.” I wrapped my hands around the ceramic mug anyway, needing something to anchor me to reality.
Ben’s words echoed in my head like a taunt: He’s just using you to get over me. My stomach sank as the possibility settled into my chest like a cold stone. Was that what this temporary bargain was? Was I just Cooper’s rebound, a convenient distraction?
“You look like you just won the lottery and got hit by a bus at the same time.” Mrs. Abernathy slid into the chair across from me, her eyes creased with amusement.
“That’s…surprisingly accurate.”
“It’s a big step.” She nodded sagely. “Going from friends to more. Especially after all this time.” The woman had known Cooper since she’d taught him in kindergarten.
“We’re taking it slow,” I said.
“Smart.” She stood and patted my shoulder. “But don’t take it too slow. Life’s short.” She departed with another nod.
Cooper jumped in to help Jessica and Marco with the lunch rush with practiced ease.
I watched him work—the way he remembered Caleb’s order before he even reached the counter, how he smiled at the college students cramming for exams at the back table, the efficient dance he performed around his employees.
This was Cooper in his element. This was the man I’d been in love with for over a decade.
The thought hit me like a physical blow. The Boyfriend Bargain. What had I just agreed to?
After all these years of careful friendship, of burying my feelings so deep I sometimes convinced myself they’d disappeared, Cooper had just offered me exactly what I’d dreamed of.
It felt impossible, like some cruel joke my subconscious was playing on me.
Any moment now I’d wake up in my apartment, alone and aching with the memory of this fantasy.
But Cooper’s hand had been warm in mine. Real. The nervous energy radiating from him had been genuine.
I had to grip my coffee mug tighter to keep me grounded. Cooper wanted to try. He’d looked me in the eye and suggested we become more than friends. The student I’d fallen for in college, the man who’d become my best friend, my anchor, my everything—he wanted to see if we could be something more.
But what if he changed his mind? What if a month made him realize how wrong we were together?
What if I wasn’t enough to make this work?
The thought gnawed at me. I had to be the perfect boyfriend—attentive but not clingy, romantic but not overwhelming, supportive but not overbearing.
How could I just be myself when being myself had kept me in the friend zone for years?
If I wanted these next four weeks to turn into something real, I couldn’t afford to be the awkward, overthinking guy who’d been pining from the sidelines.
I had to be someone worthy of Cooper’s love.
Cooper had no idea what he was walking into.
He thought this was an agreement, two friends temporarily testing the waters.
He didn’t know I was already drowning in feelings I’d carried for years.
It felt like cheating, somehow, like I was taking advantage of his trust by not telling him how desperately I loved him.
But how could I? Hey, Cooper, funny thing—I’ve been in love with you since sophomore year and moved to Seacliff Cove specifically to be near you. That would send him running faster than any cyberattack.
What if this destroyed everything? Cooper had been so confident about keeping things from getting awkward if the trial didn’t work out, but he didn’t understand what was at stake for me.
If I lost him—not just as a potential boyfriend, but as my best friend—I’d lose the most important person in my life.
The person who made Seacliff Cove feel like home.
I’d have to leave, pack up everything and go.
It would be too painful to stay here and see Cooper every day, knowing what I’d lost.
He laughed at something Jessica said, and his entire face lit up with that bright smile I adored.
Intense gratitude rushed through me. Even if this was temporary, even if Valentine’s Day brought heartbreak instead of love, Cooper was offering me a month of something I’d never dared hope for.
A month of holding his hand, of being the person he dated, of maybe—if I was incredibly lucky—discovering that the spark I felt between us was real.
One month, I told myself, taking a steadying breath. You have one month to show him how good we could be together without scaring him away.
Cooper glanced over at me then and caught me staring. His cheeks flushed pink, but he smiled—soft and uncertain and beautiful. My heart hammered against my ribs as he mouthed, “Okay?”
I nodded and raised my coffee mug in a small salute. More than okay, I wanted to tell him. This is everything I’ve ever wanted.
Instead, I just smiled back and pretended my hands weren’t shaking as I lifted the cup to my lips. The Boyfriend Bargain had officially begun.