Chapter 11
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
ELLERY
Iread the text message again and take a seat on my couch.
Bradley: I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but I’d really like you to hear my side.
Figuring I want to know exactly what he’s talking about, I call Bryce before I respond. After the last home game, she apologized and reminded me how much she hates change.
She picks up on the first ring. “What’s up, buttercup?”
“Well, someone’s in a good mood this morning.”
“Miles just got home.”
“I thought they were supposed to be home last night?”
“Too much fog, so they stayed the night in San Francisco and took the early morning flight out.”
All things I’d probably know if Cooper and I weren’t in this weird space with our friendship. Hell, he probably would’ve come to my place, and we’d have gone to breakfast this morning. It makes me realize how much I miss us.
“Bradley sent me a cryptic message.” I fiddle with my pajama pants.
“What did he say?” she asks in her same chipper mood. “Oh, wait. Miles has a look on his face.”
Shit. I felt this buildup between Cooper and Bradley over the past few weeks, and now I think the powder keg blew.
“Shut up!” Bryce says to Miles.
“What?” I grip the phone tighter.
“No way he did that. Really, Miles?” she says.
“Miles what?”
“What a douche!” she says.
“Bryce, what is it?” I grow more and more desperate for answers the longer she ignores me.
“Way to go.” She claps. “Oh. Well, that’s…”
“Bryce!”
“Okay. Okay. Miles, you have to get off me so I can tell her.”
A hefty groan echoes from behind her. “I’m taking a shower. Hurry up and join me,” he says loudly enough for me to hear.
Can’t say I’m not jealous.
“What is it?” I ask again with a pleading note in my voice.
“I guess they all went out last night.”
“Cooper too?” He doesn’t usually party after games.
“Well, I think this whole Bradley thing has him off-kilter.” She sighs. “I guess Cooper was on the dance floor with a woman.”
Nausea rumbles in my stomach.
“But so was Bradley,” she says hesitantly as if it’s going to crush me.
“Yeah?”
“Cooper lost it, words were exchanged, and Cooper punched Bradley before Miles and Damon got him out of there. As of right now, I haven’t heard anything about it, but…
it’s early in San Francisco. All those pictures and videos are sitting on people’s phones waiting to circulate if they aren’t already. ”
“Is this going to hurt Cooper’s career?” It’s my first thought.
“That’s all you care about? How about Bradley dancing with someone else? I hate telling you this, but Miles said he had the impression it wouldn’t have ended with dancing.”
“We’re not exclusive.”
“Are you seeing other people?” she asks.
She knows the answer. I don’t do random hookups. Wouldn’t have the time to even if I wanted to.
“You know I’m not.”
“Well then…”
“Cooper shouldn’t have done what he did. He’s just gone and made it a bigger deal than it needed to be. It’s none of his business.”
“Elle,” she says with that tone I hate so much because it usually means she’s about to throw some truth my way. “We both know you’ve been Cooper’s business since junior year of college.”
“Come on!” Miles shouts in the background.
“Go. We’ll talk later.” I stand, unable to sit anymore with all this nervous energy rolling through me.
“No, Miles can wait. Want to meet up for lunch or something?”
She really is a great friend.
“No, spend the day with Miles. Just let me know when you see anything in the media. I want to be prepared for when my dad and everyone else sees it.”
“Done, and I’ll try to squash as much as I can on my end, but we’re just one publication.”
“Thanks.”
“It’ll all blow over, Elle.” Bryce covers the phone. “Miles, you act like we haven’t had sex in a week when you had me bent over the couch before you left for San Francisco,” she shouts.
“Go,” I insist.
“Love you,” she says.
“Love you back.”
We hang up, and I pace my living room, pulling up Bradley’s text message.
I could call Cooper and get his side of it.
Him playing protector pisses me off, especially since I’m not sure if he did it for my benefit or his.
Bradley and I aren’t close to being exclusive—I haven’t even slept with the man.
I hammer out a message before I become a chickenshit.
Me: Breakfast?
Bradley: Name the time and place, and I’m there.
Me: In an hour at Gloria’s on Lincoln.
Bradley: See you then.
I set my phone on the coffee table and head into the shower, thankful this is my day off. If this fight goes public and, for some reason, my name gets mentioned, I do not want to face Dr. Murphy and his snide remarks.
The worst part is that Cooper has yet to reach out to me. I should’ve been his first call, which tells me a lot about the state of our friendship.
I miss him so much. Is this what we’re in for when one of us gets into a serious relationship? It’s going to change us, and I’m not prepared for that, as much as I guess I need to be.
Bradley’s already sitting at a table by the window when I arrive.
He’s talking to the waitress when the hostess shows me over, his black eye on display.
They’re talking about how the game went yesterday, and I inwardly roll my eyes.
Cooper would’ve been in the back of the restaurant with a hat and sunglasses on so no one would recognize him.
But I have to stop comparing every man to Cooper.
Bradley stands when I approach, waiting for me to take my seat before sitting back down. He’s always had all the right moves, but now I’m wondering if those moves clouded my judgment. Maybe they aren’t as genuine as I’d like to believe.
“Hi,” he says, lifting the coffee carafe on the table.
I flip over the cup. “Please.”
He pours me a cup, and I don’t drink from it right away, letting it cool.
“I’m assuming Cooper has called you.” He frowns.
“Actually, no, so I’m a little in the dark here.”
He leans back, looking defeated. Clearly, he was hoping I already knew what went down, and then he could just explain his side—who the woman was and why he was with her. Although I’m not sure he owes me an explanation.
“Oh, I figured he would have.”
I shake my head, pretending to be in the dark.
“Well… the fog in San Francisco was so bad, the plane couldn’t get out, so a few of us went to a club. Surprisingly, Cooper went along with Damon and Miles. Probably cause of the Kingsmen.” He shrugs.
I stare blankly at him, not caring about the whys or who else went out.
He clears his throat, obviously noticing my mood.
“Anyway, we had some VIP areas, and I was on the dance floor with a woman. You know how they never really understand ‘no.’ I thought one dance would be okay. The next thing I know, Cooper stomps over and pushes me away from her. We exchanged words, and he punched me.”
It’s a similar story to Miles’s, so at least he’s kind of telling me the truth. But it’s clear to me I’m not getting the whole story.
“What words were exchanged?”
“I just told him we weren’t exclusive.” He looks at his coffee mug, then out the window.
“And?”
“Listen, I might have had a little too much to drink, and when he came at me, I was pissed. He made this huge scene in the middle of the dance floor.”
“What did you say, Bradley?” I bite my lip, not sure I want to know.
“I told him how we weren’t having sex and that you… didn’t want my dick.”
I sink back in my chair. I’m sure that set Cooper off.
He leans over the table, reaching for me. “Ellery, I never meant to hurt you, but we’re not exclusive, right? We’ve only been on a few dates, and yeah, I really like you, I just…”
I smile at him. Yeah, it’s about time I admit the truth to myself.
“You’re right, we aren’t in a committed relationship, but there’s a big difference between us.
One is that if I’m dating someone, I don’t do hookups with other people.
And I kind of want the person I’m dating to be the same way.
Just because they want to put all their effort in with me.
” He opens his mouth to speak, and I raise my hand.
“But I agree, we weren’t exclusive, and if you’d hooked up with that girl, it wouldn’t be like you were cheating—if that’s what you want to be assured of.
Regardless, I think we both know we might be trying to force something that just isn’t here between us. ”
He chuckles and sips his coffee. “Forcing something? I think when you told me you were single, that was the first mistake.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“You and Cooper. Give me a break. Everyone sees it. I was blind to it for a little while, believing the whole best friend act, but come on, you’re both delusional if you don’t admit you love one another.”
I blink a couple of times. “We do love one another, but not like lovers.”
He leans in close. “Have the two of you ever fucked?”
“Jesus.” I narrow my eyes.
“I’m pretty sure you’d rather be with him than me. Just ask anyone at that photo shoot,” he grumbles.
“What?” I stop myself from saying more, thinking that this is only going to get nastier the longer I sit here.
“Listen, it’s fine, but I think we’re done here.
I’ll talk to Cooper because he shouldn’t have punched you.
I’m sure we’ll run into one another at the games and events, and I’d like us to be able to be cordial with one another. ”
He agrees, and as I ready myself to leave, he stands and meets me at the edge of the table.
“Thanks, Ellery. I do wish it would’ve worked out.” He hugs me.
“Take care, Bradley.”
I walk out of the restaurant, my stomach rumbling with hunger, and grab another Uber. I have one last place to visit before I can bury my head under the covers for the rest of the day.
When I’m in the Uber, my phone dings with a message from Bryce.
Bryce: This video shows the fight. I haven’t seen that face on Cooper since he saw Jase Neighton leading you upstairs when you were drunk at that party in college.
I play the video. It’s hard to hear the words between them, but Cooper punches Bradley, causing him to stumble back.
Another text from Bryce comes in.
Bryce: This is the drunk girl Bradley was dancing with.
The girl is barely able to stand up as she tells her friends what happened while someone films her.
“I was dancing with Bradley when Cooper Rice just came over and shoved him off me. Then they started fighting. At first, I thought it was about me, but I guess not. Cooper punched Bradley, and then they started yelling at each other. Damn, I thought I was gonna get lucky with a pro football player.”
She pretends to pout, and my irritation gets worse.
Me: Thanks. I just broke up with Bradley. Or stopped seeing him, I guess.
Bryce: Good for you. Although these videos aren’t good for Cooper, thankfully, no one is putting your name in there. But the people who know you guys will know it’s about you. Just preparing you.
Me: I know. Thanks though.
Bryce: Anything for my girl.
I step out of the Uber. I could use my key to get up to Cooper’s place, but this isn’t the time for it, so I press the button on the buzzer.
“Who is it?” he answers.
“Let me up,” I say, and the buzzer goes off for me to get past the gated door.
I don’t have much time to prepare my words because, of course, Cooper being Cooper, he meets me outside his door, watching me climb the stairs.
He’s in jogger pants and nothing else as if maybe he was sleeping.
Damn, why does he have to be such a temptation when I’m here to give him a piece of my mind?