36. Cooper
36
Cooper
I grab Trinia’s hand and pull her out past the convention doors. She’s giggling behind me, which I take as a good sign, as we leave the center and make our way back to the STRIP. Her laughter is the only purpose I need.
“Where are we going!? She shouts and I just shake my head.
“Cooper! You were in the middle of a convention. You can’t just leave.” She says tugging on my hand.
Finally I stop, and turn around. “We are self-employed, remember? We can do whatever we want,” I remind her.
We used to spend hours daydreaming about leaving town and only stopping when we found a view we couldn’t ever not see again. We’d settle down and start a business. Build our life from the ground up. Doing anything that allowed us to be together. Her and I, working together to create a life we didn’t need to escape from.
“ We are not self employed. You are. Plus, you can’t leave Richie alone with that mob. All those people standing in line came to see you.”
Trin has always been my voice of reason. Which probably explains a lot about my life the years I was without her.
Lifting her hand I kiss her ring. “Everything that’s mine is already yours, zhena. Plus, I told Richie I was heading out and he’s cool with it. Those strangers have seen enough of me.” I hold her face in my hands before sinking my fingers into her inky black hair and kissing her lips. “It’s you that hasn’t.”
She tosses her arms up around my shoulders, “I have missed you.”
“So come with me. We have some time before we have to meet Alex and Ella.”
“OK.” Trin gives me a reluctant smile and I can see the motion being reflected on my face in her big blue eyes.
When we finally make it to Mandalay Bay Trin grips the railing and leans over to watch the dancing lights in the waterfall.
Everything’s bigger in Vegas so what is perceived only to be a building or a block away is actually much further than it seems. Texas has nothing on Las Vegas.
Walking through the doors and into the resort Trinia eyes the sign for the Shark Reef aquarium and her gaze darts between me and the sign. I squeeze her hand as she literally begins to jump up and down.
“The aquarium?” She pulls on my arm as we make our way over to the ticket podium.
“Yep! You have two hours to watch the fish.” Handing the man in a blue polo with a shark on it my card I look down at Trin and remember how she used to stare at this beta fish we won at a county fair one summer for hours.
Knock Knock
“Trin? You in here?” I called out pushing open the door, I spotted her instantly. “Dorogoy, what are you doing on the floor?”
Walking into Trinia’s bedroom I saw her sitting on the floor cradling the glass bowl as she watched Freddie Mercury swim around in circles.
She watched that fish and all the ones that came before him, may they rest in peace, when she is anxious.
One time I came over after practice to study and she watched her beta swim for nearly an hour, while I watched her. The radio blasted from downstairs as the smell of cigarette smoke and cheap liquor wafted up the stairs. Needless to say we didn’t get any studying done.
“Oh hey Coop.” She rose from her spot on the floor and set Freddie back on her dresser. “What’s up?” I eyed how she untucked a piece of hair. Letting it fall down in front of her face.
“You didn’t hear me?” I took a step closer and pushed back her hair, noticing a hand print shaped mark blistered red on her cheek.
“Who did this to you?” I asked but my tone was surely not asking. It demanded an answer.
“Oh this?” Trin’s hand shot up, her fingers gently grazed across the inflamed mark on her cheek. “It’s nothing. The boys were here earlier and we were goofing around.”
She tried to play it off like she didn’t care. Like it was just another instance that wasn’t a big deal but she didn’t know that I knew better.
Theo made me swear I wouldn’t say or do anything but after I caught him sneaking Trinia into the house at night I made him tell me what the fuck was going on. She may have been his best friend but she was my girlfriend.
Apparently, she was hiding out and sleeping on the top bunk in Theo’s room, in the beds we used to share when we were kids, on the nights her mom and uncles had been drinking at the house.
From what Theo said her cousins and a couple of their friends had been harassing her. Hitting on her, asking for ‘favors’, grabbing her… Trinia’s mom was a drunk and sometimes even encouraged it.
Their house could get pretty wild when the party didn’t stay at the bar or the uncle’s compound so I was happy Trin was staying at my place, where she was safe, but it hurt that she didn’t tell me.
If I’m being honest, I didn’t blame her for not telling me. My first instinct when I found out was to run over there and strangle every last one of them, but clearly that wasn’t what she wanted.
I took her hands in mine, “You would tell me, right? If something was going on around here?”
“Of course. I can handle it. Like I said, it’s not a big deal. I’m fine.” She pushed up on her toes and kissed my lips.
I knew she’s lying but as soon as her lips touched mine all the rage dissipated and my hands found their way to her hips.
Pulling away I sighed, “Let’s go get dinner before the game.”
I’m yanked out of my memory when Trinia gasps.
A massive sea turtle swims by and her big round blue eyes sparkle in amazement as she follows it. One hand covering her mouth while the other squeezes mine.
“Isn’t she gorgeous?”
“She sure is.” I whisper back as I look down at her.
Trinia’s head turns to look at me and she throws her arms around my neck.
“Are you feeling better, zhena?”
She already feels lighter in my arms. Her lips turn up as her gaze leaves mine to follow a tiger shark that swims above our heads.
She looks back at me smiling. “I love how well you know me.”
“I’m obsessed with knowing you, Katrinia. I always have been and I always will be. I can’t wait to fall in love with every new thing about you as we grow old and gray.”
“Oh Coop.” She sighs before my lips claim hers and she melts against my body.
I push her back against the glass, kissing her as the fish swim by and the light from the water dances across her freckled cheeks.
Just before my hand reaches the hem of her dress we hear a quiet cough and the sweeping of a broom. I turn to find a blushing employee with a dustpan at the end of the lane.
“Oh sorry.” Trinia giggles, wiping her lips.
The kid waves us off. “Don’t worry about it. You’d be surprised.”
With Trin pulling my arm we continue through the domed path. Not saying a word as we watch the fish swim by.
I think how peaceful the creatures look gliding through the water. So graceful, so calm, so majestic. I’ve never really taken the time to look at fish like this before. Never bothered to truly notice them.
Katrinia notices them though.
She notices everything.
She absorbs everything around her. All the time.
I’ve always been a simple man with tunnel vision. My sights have always been set on her and nothing else, but now as I watch the fish with her I feel like I’m seeing them for the first time through her eyes.
Walking out through the gift shop I drop Trinia’s hand and snag a large plush sea turtle off the shelf and head for the counter.
“Cooper! That thing is massive. It’s not going to fit in my suitcase.” Trinia laughs hot on my heels.
“Then I will get it a ticket.” I wink at her and she rolls her eyes, shaking her head.
Walking back to the hotel I think she bumped into at least a dozen people with her stuffed turtle, who is apparently named Merlin.
As she sets Merlin down on the bed she kicks off her shoes and turns to look out the window.
Coming up behind her she leans her head back on my chest. Placing her hands over mine that are clasped around her waist she closes her eyes.
“We don’t have to go out tonight if you would rather stay in.” I whisper and she shakes her head.
“You sure?” I raise a brow and she peeps one eye open to stare at me in the reflection.
“I’m better now. I promise.” She mutters as she spins in my embrace. Toying with my hair she reminds me, “Though we should get ready so we aren’t late.”
“OK, baby. You get changed, I’m just going to rinse off real quick.”