managed without him.
“Over for me?” he answered and turned to face me. “Will it be over for you?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think it will ever be over for me,” I admitted. Cooper’s features softened.
“I knew it,” he whispered. “You were just trying to throw me off.”
“Throw you off what?” I asked, which led me to wonder if it ever gets any less confusing trying to understand the male psyche.
“Allison Starr, don’t you see?” He cupped my face in his hands. “I love you.” Rocket ships soared inside me at his words. “You silly girl,” he said, lips brushing mine as he continued, “I fell in love with you, and I can’t tell my heart to stop just because summer is ending.”
Cooper had made it sound so perfect and easy. “You love me?” I questioned. “Like, real love?” He laughed. Maybe it was the near-death experience or too much sun, but I needed to know if I heard him right.
“The kind that all great poets write about,” he answered. Our noses bumped together, and I could feel my rational mind working in overdrive. It was now or never.
“Good, because I fell in love with you weeks ago.” I rested my hands against his bare chest, pushing him back to see into his eyes. “Cooper Ryan Perez, I love you.” Finally, I had said it out loud. Cooper searched my face, and before I could think another thought, he pulled me back to him, our mouths coming together feverishly. We moved in such synchronization that it was like it had been staged, but it was just another sign of how in tune we were.
Too soon he pulled away. We were both breathing unevenly, and our faces were flushed. I didn’t want to say anything to undo this moment. His feelings were real—I hadn’t imagined it. I felt Cooper’s eyes on me, and I turned to meet them. He raised his hand and brushed my wild, damp hair from my face.
“You are still beautiful, even though the ocean tried to take you down,” he said, breaking the silence that hung between us. Neither one of us spoke about the future nor what it would bring us. Some things might be better left unsaid. We just sat there, holding each other close, not wanting time to pass as we watched the sun dip down into the now-orange water.
Time was passing whether we liked it or not, slipping though our fingers like the sand on the beach.
F o u r
Cooper
I told Allison that I loved her. Which I do, more than I wanted to admit, even to myself. I couldn’t think about not seeing her every day. She has become a part of who I am now. We had the discussion about age a few weeks ago. We are three years apart, but she will be eighteen in a few months, so things won’t seem so out of balance for us. Not that it feels unbalanced—I guess it will just be less frowned upon by society. I explained to her how it was that I was so much further along in school. Accelerated classes since my sophomore year paired with college classes since my junior. I’ll still need to take some classes for my master’s degree, but I can teach like I have always wanted to.
I was on my way to pick up Ali for our last night together. I had a surprise for her that took me a week to plan, and I was nervous because it all depended on Sean pulling through for me. I never thought crazy Trudy’s house would become familiar to me, but it has. I knocked on the door, and Ali opened it quickly like she had been waiting for me. Her smile lights up my world.
“Hi,” she says with a blush. Gosh, I love that blush.
“Hi,” I say back and pull her close, and I don’t want to let her go, but I can hear some noise deep in the house.
“Is that Ryan?” Trudy yells from somewhere. Ali leans back and smiles at me.
“Of course it is, Aunt Trudy.” I can tell she is holding her patience. There is some bumping and clatter; then she appears. Trudy has paint on
“Over for me?” he answered and turned to face me. “Will it be over for you?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think it will ever be over for me,” I admitted. Cooper’s features softened.
“I knew it,” he whispered. “You were just trying to throw me off.”
“Throw you off what?” I asked, which led me to wonder if it ever gets any less confusing trying to understand the male psyche.
“Allison Starr, don’t you see?” He cupped my face in his hands. “I love you.” Rocket ships soared inside me at his words. “You silly girl,” he said, lips brushing mine as he continued, “I fell in love with you, and I can’t tell my heart to stop just because summer is ending.”
Cooper had made it sound so perfect and easy. “You love me?” I questioned. “Like, real love?” He laughed. Maybe it was the near-death experience or too much sun, but I needed to know if I heard him right.
“The kind that all great poets write about,” he answered. Our noses bumped together, and I could feel my rational mind working in overdrive. It was now or never.
“Good, because I fell in love with you weeks ago.” I rested my hands against his bare chest, pushing him back to see into his eyes. “Cooper Ryan Perez, I love you.” Finally, I had said it out loud. Cooper searched my face, and before I could think another thought, he pulled me back to him, our mouths coming together feverishly. We moved in such synchronization that it was like it had been staged, but it was just another sign of how in tune we were.
Too soon he pulled away. We were both breathing unevenly, and our faces were flushed. I didn’t want to say anything to undo this moment. His feelings were real—I hadn’t imagined it. I felt Cooper’s eyes on me, and I turned to meet them. He raised his hand and brushed my wild, damp hair from my face.
“You are still beautiful, even though the ocean tried to take you down,” he said, breaking the silence that hung between us. Neither one of us spoke about the future nor what it would bring us. Some things might be better left unsaid. We just sat there, holding each other close, not wanting time to pass as we watched the sun dip down into the now-orange water.
Time was passing whether we liked it or not, slipping though our fingers like the sand on the beach.
F o u r
Cooper
I told Allison that I loved her. Which I do, more than I wanted to admit, even to myself. I couldn’t think about not seeing her every day. She has become a part of who I am now. We had the discussion about age a few weeks ago. We are three years apart, but she will be eighteen in a few months, so things won’t seem so out of balance for us. Not that it feels unbalanced—I guess it will just be less frowned upon by society. I explained to her how it was that I was so much further along in school. Accelerated classes since my sophomore year paired with college classes since my junior. I’ll still need to take some classes for my master’s degree, but I can teach like I have always wanted to.
I was on my way to pick up Ali for our last night together. I had a surprise for her that took me a week to plan, and I was nervous because it all depended on Sean pulling through for me. I never thought crazy Trudy’s house would become familiar to me, but it has. I knocked on the door, and Ali opened it quickly like she had been waiting for me. Her smile lights up my world.
“Hi,” she says with a blush. Gosh, I love that blush.
“Hi,” I say back and pull her close, and I don’t want to let her go, but I can hear some noise deep in the house.
“Is that Ryan?” Trudy yells from somewhere. Ali leans back and smiles at me.
“Of course it is, Aunt Trudy.” I can tell she is holding her patience. There is some bumping and clatter; then she appears. Trudy has paint on
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