Page 86 of Love Thy Neighbor

“Hey! Bennett made it!” Paul shouts when we approach, holding his hand out to Cooper. “Good to see you, man.”

They clasp hands, giving them a few pumps. “Hey, man. How you been?”

I smile. It’s the same exchange from the first time we came here, and I wonder if they always do this.

I’ve always liked Paul. Any time he’s over at the apartment, he’s polite and always tries to include me in whatever the guys are doing. That’s a lot more than I can say for Cooper’s other friends.

Paul slides his eyes my way, lifting his brows when he sees our hands interlaced, then grins back at Cooper. “Guess not as good as I could be.” He flicks his gaze back to me. “Always a pleasure to see you, Caroline. Glad you came out to see us again.”

I smile at him. “I was…convinced.”

He tucks his lips together, bringing his beer to them. “I don’t think I want to know the details of that.” Then he tips the bottle back, taking a hefty swig. “Did you guys order drinks yet? I hope not, because don’t forget we’re making Eli pay. Put everything on his tab.”

“Not yet, but now that you mention it, I am kind of thirsty.” Cooper turns to me. “Want to grab a drink?”

I nod. “But—”

“Just one. Yeah, yeah, I heard you, you party pooper. Be right back,” he says to Paul, then leads me through the crowd.

When we approach the bar, I’m surprised to find Calvin, the guy I danced with last time we were here.

“Babe!” he shouts, pushing off the bar when he sees me. “You came back for me! I knew you wanted some of this.” His eyes trail over my body, taking in my outfit. He whistles, dragging his lip through his teeth like before. “Fuck,babe. You look good enough to eat, and damn am I hungry.”

He reaches for me, and Cooper pulls me behind him, blocking the guy’s advances and towering over him menacingly.

I’ve always known Cooper was tall, but I guess I didn’t realize how tall until now.

This guy looks like a shrimp next to him. It’s comical.

“Hands off,” Cooper barks, his tone grisly and serious.

Calvin holds his hands up. “Hey, man. No harm.” He looks over at me. “Want to call your dog off?”

Cooper’s top lip curls, and I can tell he’s getting madder by the second, the protective side that’s always been there hitting a new high.

“Cooper, it’s fine,” I say, pulling on his arm. “I met him last time I was here.”

“Cooper?” Calvin asks. “The best friend you allegedly aren’t fucking?” He scoffs. “Right. Should have known. Dudes and chicks can never bejust friends.”

Cooper takes a step toward him, and Calvin shrinks back.

I giggle at how absolutely terrified he looks.

Calvin keeps his hands up, backing away, muttering something about how I probably wasn’t worth it anyway.

Cooper looks down at me, brows raised. “You actually talked to that dude?”

I shrug. “You told me to mingle. I mingled.”

“Guy is a tool.”

“Tell me about it. It’s especially funny because he’s the one who ditched me. Last I saw him he was making out with some chick.”

“What an idiot.” Cooper shakes his head, leading us to the bar.

He lifts his hand when we find a spot, waving to a bartender on the other side. She shoots him a grin and makes her way down to us.

The closer she gets, the more familiar she becomes. I recognize the stunning blonde from the last time we were here.

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