Page 16 of Chasing Elliott
I released a heavy sigh as I turned and reached for the handle, climbing out of the car before I leaned back in to address them. “You two, stay.”
I didn’t give either of them the opportunity to reply as I closed the car door roughly and took a deep breath before I turned around to face Cooper. He stood there leaning against the doorframe with a dazzling smile on his face, a bouquet of lilies in his hands.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” I asked him once I was a few feet away, plastering asmall smile on my face.
“I’m here to take you out on that date,” he informed me as he extended the flowers in my direction. My smile faltered for a moment, but I accepted the flowers anyway and I couldn’t help but notice the way his own face fell.
I sighed, closing the distance between us and rested a hand on his arm. “Thank you for the flowers, Coop, they’re beautiful. Unfortunately, I already have plans with Kara and my brother.”
“Nonsense,” Nicholas’s voice called out from behind me. I whipped around to see himleaning against the hood of the car, his arms folded over his chest as he wore a devious smile. “We can go out tomorrow night like I had planned originally. Sam will be thrilled to see you, Red.”
“I’m sure he will be, but we already said –” however, before I could continue my sentence, Cooper walked around me.
I watched as he made his way over to Nicholas and extended a hand in his direction. “I’m Cooper, it’s great to meet you.”
“Nicholas,” he responded as he shook Cooper’s outstretched hand, his eyes trailing overto me. “Wow, you’re an even hotter specimen than I imagined.”
A blush immediately rose to my cheeks as I stormed towards them, wanting to put a stop to their conversation. I sidled up next to Nicholas, slapping his arm roughly as I did so while Cooper tried to stifle his laughter.
“If you promise not to utter another word, I’ll go get changed and go on this date.” I fixed my gaze on Nicholas, my eyes narrowed as I pointed an accusing, yet threatening, finger at him.
Instead of uttering a reply, Nicholas extended a pinky out towards me with a raised brow, and I couldn’t stop the laugh as it escaped past my lips. I linked my pinky with his as he crossed his heart with his free hand, and I heard Kara chuckle.
“Come on, El,” Kara said as she appeared beside me and looped her arm through mine. “Let’s go get you ready. Nicholas, if you’d be so kind as to get our bags.”
Nicholas looked like he was about to object but I sent a taunting look his way, raising abrow as I waited for him to speak. He huffed in response, rolling his eyes as he walked aroundthe car to the backseat to get our things. I walked into the townhome with Kara, Cooper trailing in behind us as she led us toward my room to help me figure out what to wear.
I huffed in annoyance as I threw my fourth outfit onto the bed in disdain before storming back into my walk-in closet. As I stared at my clothes, a realization seemed to dawn on me – onethat made me sick to my stomach: I actually wanted to impress Cooper.
What the hell has gotten into you?I asked myself as I shook my head, starting to comb through my clothes that hung on the hangers once more. Did I want to look good? Of course, Ialways did. But something felt different even if this date didn’t mean anything. This time itwasn’t just about me showing some skin, this guy actually seemed to be interested inmeand Iwasn’t sure how to handle that.
“I can hear you huffing all the way in the kitchen,” Kara informed me as she came strolling into my room. I poked my head out of my closet and glared at her before I ran afrustrated hand through my hair, walking over to the bed and falling down beside her.
“Does that mean Nicholas listened to me and hasn’t talked at all?” I pondered, looking over at my best friend with a curious expression.
Kara chuckled and that was all the answer I truly needed. “Since when does that boy ever listen? It’s almost scary how well he and Cooper get along.”
“Please help me,” I groaned, ignoring her comment as I grabbed a pillow and covered my face with it. I heard Kara laugh followed by the mattress shifting as she stood. I laid therelistening to the soft sounds of my hangers sliding against the metal rod, my mind drifting to thoughts of what tonight could hold.
While I knew exactly what I wanted, that didn’t mean having those conversations with someone was ever easy and something told me that having it with Cooper was going to be even more difficult. I had to shut down something before it even began, not just for my sake but Kara’s as well because she was right: it could get weird if things with Cooper and I went sideways.
The question that Kara had asked me earlier was still lingering in the back of my mind. What if he didn’t back down so easily? What if he continued to try and pursue me and attempt to change my mind? But better yet, could I handle it if he somehow succeeded?
I heard Kara clear her throat and I slowly pushed the pillow away from my face. My eyes drifted over to hers before trailing down to see the outfit she held in her hand and a smile appeared on my face. I jumped up, grabbing it from her before making my way out of my room to the bathroom.
I stripped out of my athletic shorts and tank before slipping into theFriendsgraphic teeand black denim shorts, putting my arms into the red cardigan. Turning around to face the mirror, I couldn’t help it as I smiled with contentedness.
Deciding to keep my hair down in its naturally wavy state, I made my way back into my bedroom and went straight to my makeup vanity. I put on a simple nude eyeshadow accompanied by a thin line of eyeliner before I finished off the look with a coat of mascarainstead of my usual fake lashes. Running back into my closet, I grabbed a pair of chunky plaited heeled boots and slipped them on as I tried to make my way down the hall toward the living room at the same time.
Before I could register what happened, my knee suddenly hit the hardwood floor as agroan escaped my lips on impact. A deep chuckle suddenly reached my ears which caused ablush of embarrassment to flood my cheeks as I noticed a pair of white tennis shoes standing before me. I slowly panned my eyes upward, my eyes taking in his outfit like I hadn’t before.
Cooper was wearing a pair of black jeans and tight fitted white tee with a red and black flannel hanging open over the top. He held a hand out towards me and I begrudgingly accepted his help, allowing him to pull me up to my feet before I gripped his shoulder so I could slip on my other shoe.
“Sorry I didn’t catch you in time,” Cooper said with laughter in his voice. “Although I am used to women falling at my feet, just not that aggressively.”
“I’m surprised your big head even fit through our door,” I commented with no hesitation, but a smile was pulling at my lips. Even though I hadn’t known him long, I could tell it was just a joke. At least I sure as hell hoped it was.
Cooper let the laugh finally escape his lips as he shook his head, his eyes finding mine. “All jokes aside, I promise my reflexes will be better in the future.”
