Read The Space In Between for Free Online Page B

to himself and
cussed under his breath. “My manager thought it would be a good idea. A new
start, a fresh take…”
    Did he not recognize me? He looked so different from the
last time I saw him in person. Sure, I was only thirteen, but his dimples
hadn’t changed. His crooked smile still remained the same.
    Cooper Davidson had been sculpted by the gods. His tan,
smooth skin, his low-buzzed blond hair, and his green intense eyes were like
the ones of fairy tales. His lips were able to create a grin that made every
woman melt and every straight man jealous. And to top it off, the gods had
given him a voice box with a southern drawl that made all of the girls of my
hometown crazy when he would come visit his cousin during the summers.
    “You don’t remember me?” I whispered as I stepped closer to
him. Sure, my hair was going through a strange gothic-black, short-cut phase,
which was much different than my usual blond, long waves. But still. I was
still me. What was I thinking? Of course he wouldn’t remember me…
    Cooper stared at me and raised an eyebrow, his mind tracking
through his past. My eyes followed his mouth, watching him bite his bottom lip
and step closer. He stared into my blue eyes with such curiosity floating
around in his greens. I saw it happen—the moment he remembered who I was. And
then I remembered who I was. I was officially a stripper in training. A wave of
embarrassment washed over my face. My eyes shifted to the ground. I didn’t feel
worthy to look his way. I was so ashamed of the path I had traveled in the past
months.
    Cooper took a finger, lifted my chin up, and grinned widely.
“Andie Evans.”
    I cringed a bit, but I smiled. “Andrea. I go by Andrea now.”
    He nodded. “Of course. Holy shit. How the hell are you?!” He
pulled me into a tight hug and held me close. It felt good to be held. It had
been so long since…
    I pulled away and released a sad grin. A short gasp fell
from my lips at the touch of his soft fingers brushing away tears that started
falling from my eyes. My heart landed in my throat, filled with nerves and
worry. The idea of my mom and dad finding out about my job was terrifying, yet
Cooper quickly eased my fears. “I’ll never say a word. I promise. Holy crap.
Andrea Evans as I live and breathe. It’s been, what? Ten years?” We were both
in a state of shock. He took a seat and I sat across from him, removing my
stupid safari hat.
    “Ten years. You went to become a famous photographer and I
went to become…” I laughed at myself. The red velvet walls in the room with the
dimmed sex lighting told him exactly what I’d become.
    “You look beautiful.” He praised me. He hadn’t changed a
bit; he was as charmingly sweet as he’d been when he delivered me my first kiss
on the cheek at the age of seven. “Last time I saw you, you were falling in
love with a guy that wasn’t me.” He smirked.
    I nodded my head. “Derrick Stevens.”
    “Ah! That’s the jerk’s name! How is Derrick Stevens doing
nowadays? Fat? Unemployed? Gay?” He laughed in a joking manner.
    I shook my head, resting my hands in my lap. “Dead.”
    Cooper’s eyes widened in horror as Frank knocked on the door
and opened it to inform us that our nice ‘lap dance’ was over. I looked to
Frank and then over to Cooper. He was frozen with a distressed look. I sighed,
knowing I couldn’t leave him like that. I didn’t know why, but something inside
of me felt like he deserved my attention. Something wanted me to stay in the
room. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was an urge that I didn’t want to
walk away from. Even if my mind hoped to run for the hills, my body was content
with its whereabouts.
    I turned to the security guard and gave him my fakest grin
and a wink. “We’re gonna need a little bit more time, Frank.”
    Frank closed the strip club VIP door and my eyes stayed on
Cooper. The poor guy looked as if he killed Derrick himself. I almost laughed,
but knew it would