Page 12 of Chasing Elliott
“Tell me something that I don’t know.”
My reply caught Cooper off guard as he barked out a laugh in surprise that led to a short coughing fit as he tried to catch his breath. As he laid there and tried to gather his composure, I found myself unintentionally comparing him to Johnathan.
They both had similar builds, but Cooper was a little more fit than Johnathan was. WhereJohnathan was more spontaneous and private, Cooper was a lot more laid back and inquisitive. There was this genuineness to him that caught me by surprise, and I couldn’t quite pin down the feeling it was causing to flow through my veins.
Cooper seemed to wantme.
“You’re a riot,” Cooper suddenly said, pulling me out of my thoughts as he finally caught his breath.
“So, Cooper,” I began to say, deciding to strike up another conversation and try to get to know the guy. Now that Benjamin and Kara were probably going to be an item, that meant heand I would be spending lots of time together. “What do you want to do after college?”
He laid there quietly for a moment, and I turned to see a large smile on his face which caused one to spread across mine unexpectedly.
“I want to start a nonprofit for kids in poor situations; somewhere kids can go as a safespace and receive help to reach their dreams, even if it’s impossible for them to do so.” Coopertrailed off as he rolled onto his side once more, resting his head in his hand as he stared down at me. “I just want to help kids who have all these dreams and no way to grasp them. To have them feel comfortable in their own skin and embrace the possibility of a new life.”
I felt my eyes start to water slightly as I listened to him talk with so much passion lacing his voice. Without warning, flashbacks of my childhood began to play like a movie reel, and Iwas afraid I’d never be able to burn that tape. I saw concern begin to cover his face as he brought a hand up and wiped away some of the tears that I hadn’t realized escaped.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled as I flushed with embarrassment, brushing his hand away so Icould wipe at my cheeks myself. “Not exactly sure what that was.”
Cooper smiled at me gently,a silent understanding behind his eyes. He didn’t say a word, but instead he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead and my eyes closed on their own accord. As he pulled away, I found them opening and landing on his lips, and I suddenly wondered what it would be like to kiss him.
“What’s your favorite color?” He pondered, not pushing or asking any questions which Iwas extremely grateful for.
“Red, yours?”
“Blue, definitely blue,” Cooper responded as his eyes scanned my face before staring into my own. “Kind of like your eyes.”
For the next hour, we went back and forth talking about our likes and dislikes, staying away from personal and home life. That was something I intended on keeping close to my chest. Not even Kara knew all the details and I planned on it staying that way.
I had never felt so elated before and that concept was foreign to me: to have someoneactually want to get to know the smallest details which made up who I was as a person.
I wasn’t quite sure when it happened, but my head was resting on Cooper’s chest and his arm was around my shoulders. Before I knew it, or could stop it, I had fallen asleep to the soft sound of the waves breaching the sand and his heartbeat echoing in my ear.
I awoke to the warm morning sun beating down on my face and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes with my right hand, I finally noticed the pressure on my chest and looked down to see Elliott asleep on me. Her head was resting on my pec with one arm draped over my waist and her left leg resting on top of mine.
I smiled softly to myself as I watched her sleep; she looked so peaceful and even morebeautiful than the night before, if that was even possible, the early morning sun emphasizing the lighter brown streaks in her hair. I lightly began to trace the tattoos that covered her arm; a sleevethat contained flowers and other various nature scenes. Normally I wasn’t a fan of sleeves on women, my own personal taste I suppose, but on her? It just seemed right.
As I laid there and traced the patterns on her skin, my hand absentmindedly finding its way to stroke her hair, my mind began to wander. Elliott Stevens wasn’t the type of girl who got into relationships, the type of girl who would be exclusive, and that was what I wanted. I had told myself last night while at Benjamin’s that I wouldn’t let myself get wrapped up in her. Afterall, I already knew where that was going to lead me.
But after last night? After getting to know her?
Chasing Elliott was exactly what I wanted to do.
She began to stir slightly, pulling me out of my thoughts as she wrapped her arm tighteraround my midsection, a soft hum escaping past her lips. Elliott opened her eyes into a squint, the harsh morning sun no doubt stinging her bright blue eyes, a yawn ripping through her that caused me to chuckle.
Elliott abruptly sat upright, looking down at me in surprise. I raised an eyebrow at herexpression, my smile disappearing from my face completely. She suddenly scurried out of thehammock, almost falling into the sand in the process, before she turned around to look at mewith a sheepish look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I sat up and watched while she grabbed her shoes that had somehow gotten embedded into the sand.
Elliott didn’t reply as she practically ran off toward the parking lot. I leapt out of thehammock and fast walked after her, my feet kicking up the ground beneath me. As I caught up with her, I noticed that Benjamin’s car was no longer in the parking lot. I put a hand on her shoulder which caused her to jump, spinning around and glaring at me before she relaxed and released a loud sigh.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed out as she rested a hand against her forehead and adjusted her weight between the balls of her feet. “I’m just… never mind.”
“No, what?” I pushed, wondering what on earth could have caused this woman to run away like she did. However, instead of replying, she plastered a fake smile on her face as she folded her arms over her chest. I suddenly realized that she was uncomfortable with the situation she was in.
“I hate to ask this of you, but would you mind giving me a ride home?” Elliott asked as she avoided eye contact, looking everywhere but at me. “My phone and wallet were in his car so I can’t order an Uber.”
Chuckling softly, I nodded as I walked past her toward my ride. I stopped by my bike and grabbed the helmet, turning towards Elliott and extending it to her with a smile. I noticed thehesitant look in her eyes, but she reached for it nonetheless and slipped it onto her head. I reached forward and grabbed the straps, securing them under her chin.
