Come fly with me, p.9
Come Fly With Me, page 9
“As I recall, darling,” Cooper says, the endearment laced with sarcasm, “this entire thing was your idea. I’m here because you insisted that I come.”
“Yeah, and the only reason you came is because I’m fucking paying you,” I shoot back. God, he’s pissing me off right now. On the plus side my cock is softening from him being such a prick, so I turn the water back to warm again. No sense in freezing my nubs off if I don’t have to.
“You’re a piece of work, you know that?” he says, and I can practically picture him standing there with his arms crossed over his chest as I rinse the shampoo out of my hair.
“And you’re an ass,” I retort.
“You know, I’m starting to understand why we didn’t work out.” His words are soft, but they feel like a jackhammer to my heart.
“You know what, Cooper? Blow me.” There’s more bitterness in my voice than ever before. And Riley can just forget about me talking with this jerk, because it’s not going to happen. There is nothing for us to work through or figure out. We’re better off without each other. Three more days and we’ll be home, and I can pretend none of this ever happened. I’ll wait a month or so, and then come up with some reason for us breaking up again and tell my mom. She’ll be disappointed, but what else is new? Maybe by then I’ll have worked up the courage to tell her the truth about the dates she keeps setting me up on.
“Just hurry up so we can get dressed,” Cooper says with a sigh.
I rinse off and reach out to grab my towel that’s on the hook right outside the shower. I wrap it around my waist and step outside of the tub. And that’s when I see it. The tattoo on his chest, on full display. The one I’ve been getting glimpses of but never the full picture.
My heart stops. I can’t breathe. I step closer, just to make sure I’m not going insane. But, no, it’s right there, in bold print.
My name. Followed by a heartbeat, and then a heart, with a smaller heartbeat right after.
Anger coils in my chest and stomach. “What the hell,” I say, pointing, “is that?” I’m practically shaking.
Cooper looks down, just now noticing what I’m responding to so strongly. He swallows. But I don’t give him a chance to answer.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I say, and then open the bathroom door and make my way across the hall to our room. I slide clean underwear on under my towel and then let it fall to the floor. I’m slipping into jeans when he comes in behind me.
“Wes,” is all he gets out before I turn on him.
“Save it, Coop. I need some air.” I pull a clean shirt on and then brush past him and out of the room. I slide my sandals on, grab my keys, and head out the door into the darkness. I don’t know where I’m going, but I need to be alone.
COOPER
Fuck. It’s been over an hour and Wes is still not back. And it’s been raining for a while now, too. I know he was upset, but I didn’t think he’d be gone this long, and I’m starting to worry. Where the hell is he? Sure, he grew up around here, but anything could happen to him on a night like this.
I’d told his family that he’d gone out to get me some medicine for a headache, but this is one long ass trip to the drugstore and I think they’re starting to get a tad suspicious, and maybe a little worried. But I didn’t want them to know we’d had a fight.
“Here, you can take these, since it’s taking Wes so long to get back,” Derick says, coming to stand next to me in the kitchen as I look at my phone and bite my lip. I’ve texted Wes half a dozen times and called him just as much and he won’t fucking answer me. I look over at Derick, who has his hand out with two ibuprofen in it, and a knowing smirk on his face. I sigh.
“Not answering your texts?” he says.
I shake my head.
“You still need these?” He gestures to the medicine.
I shake my head again.
“Assuming he’s not actually out getting you medicine, I’m gonna guess you two had a fight.”
I nod. “He didn’t give me a chance to explain, just booked it out of here. He was pissed.”
“Well, you wanna wait for him to come back, or go find him? It’s up to you.”
“You know where he is?” I ask. “I figured I’d be driving around forever, but I’m going crazy waiting for him to come back.”
“There’s a place a few miles out of town that he likes to head to. It’s off the road, secluded and all that, a clearing back in the woods a little ways. I’m guessing that’s where he is. He likes to park his car back there and just sit. Sometimes get out and stare at the stars.”
“How do you know about it?” I ask.
“I’ve been there with him,” Derick says with a shrug. “We’d go out there and talk sometimes, especially after you two broke up, or he’d bring his guitar out there and play, and sing.”
I swallow, and bite my lip, then nod. “Mind if I borrow your truck?”
Derick smiles, and hands me the keys.
The rain is pelting the windshield, and the windshield wipers are going at top speed. After I drive for a while I pull off right where Derick told me to, and sure enough, a second later my headlights shine right onto Wes’ car. We’re surrounded by trees and foliage but there’s plenty of space for both vehicles. I imagine it’s lovely during the day, or even at night when it’s not raining cats and dogs. I step out of the truck and into a puddle of mud. Gross.
I make my way over to his car and don’t even bother to knock. I just open the door and climb in, my wet clothes and hair dripping onto the interior. He glares at me because even though he tried to lock the door he wasn’t fast enough.
“Get out,” he says.
“No,” I reply.
“I came here to get away from you. Get out.”
“No,” I repeat. “I came here to find you, and I’m not leaving until you agree to listen to me.”
He glares harder, then shuts the car off and climbs out. The fucking bastard. It’s cold, and wet out there, and he’s traipsing through the mud and rain just to get away from me? I growl and climb out to go after him. He walks ridiculously fast for someone with shorter legs. I catch up to him and grab his arm, our skin slick from all the water, and he slides right out of my grasp. I almost stumble but manage to right myself.
“Don’t,” he says, and I can hear the quiver in his voice. I don’t know if it’s from the rain and cold or from nerves. “Don’t touch me.”
“Wes, please, just listen,” I plead as we stand out under the trees, the rain pelting us. Thunder rumbles around us and lightning splits the sky. The trees sway as the wind howls, and I’m wishing very much that I’d thought to wear a jacket as goosebumps break out on my arms.
“No!” he rages, his eyes wild, and his face flushed. Then tears are leaking from his eyes and sliding down his cheeks. He points at me as he speaks, this time more softly, but with just as much conviction. “You don’t get to break up with me, and then get my name permanently etched on your body like I actually mean something to you. Do you have any idea how messed up that is?” He pulls his hand back and runs it through his wet hair. “Jesus, Coop. What the fuck?” He looks at me, his eyes pained, before he glances away. And I can’t do anything but tell him the truth.
“You do.”
“What?” His eyes meet mine again.
“You do mean something to me.” I take a step closer to him, but he backs away, his back hitting the tree behind him. He shakes his head as more tears fall.
“Don’t say that. You can’t say that to me. Not after everything.”
“Of course I can.” I reach for him, cupping his cheek. He’s trembling even more now, his chest rising and falling heavily, the tears mixing with the rain dripping down his hair and onto his face, sliding under the collar of his shirt. He doesn’t jerk away, or tell me to back off, so I don’t. “You don’t get it, do you?” I say, stroking his cheek. “It didn’t matter that we weren’t together anymore. You were my everything. My heart has always, and will always beat for you. I have never stopped loving you, Wes. And I never will.”
Wesley stares at me for a moment and then grips my forearm and shoves my hand away. “Why are you saying this? No one’s around. You won’t get paid any more for it, you know? You don’t have to play the part right now.”
I blink, stunned. What the fuck? I just laid my heart out for this guy and this is how he responds? He thinks I’m fucking putting on a show? Still? Does he really think that’s what this whole thing has been for me? How blind can he be? “For fuck’s sake,” I snarl. “Is it actually so hard for you to believe that I fucking care about you?”
Wesley pushes himself up to his full height. I’m amazed at how intimidating he can be for a shorter guy. He takes a slight step forward as thunder rumbles around us once again. “Yes!” he shouts, pointing his finger at me once again. “Yes, it is. Because you don’t give a damn about me, and you never have!”
My breath leaves me. I feel like I’ve just been punched in the sternum. “That isn’t true,” I choke out, shaking my head.
“How the hell do you expect me to believe that?” Wesley spits. “The only person you’ve ever cared about is yourself. I gave you everything. And you tossed me aside like I didn’t matter at all. Like I was the least important thing in your life. The only reason you’re here is for the money. You made that clear from the beginning. So why the hell would I believe anything else? You’re the same selfish prick you’ve always been.”
My chest heaves slightly and tears sting my eyes. I can’t speak. Wesley is wrapping his arms around himself and has taken a step away from me before I’m able to force the words out. “You deserved better,” I say, my voice shaking. He stops, and looks at me.
“What?” His breath catches in his throat, his eyes dancing across my face.
I step closer again and take his arm. “I broke up with you because you deserved better. I loved you, Wes.” Tears fall down my cheeks as I continue to speak. God, I haven’t cried in a long time. “But loving you wasn’t enough, and I knew that. You needed more than love, and I couldn’t give it to you. You needed stability and security. I saw that when I realized how anxious and upset you got every time your dad was gone for days at a time for his job. And I knew I couldn’t provide that for you. I knew if I became a pilot my schedule would be crazy and unpredictable, and I could be gone for days at a time, too. I didn’t want to put you through that. And even though you were so supportive I could see how scared you were at the idea of me flying. I didn’t want to be the cause of more anxiety for you. And then I was so busy with my classes, and school work, and my job, that I didn’t have any time to spend with you, and it wasn’t fair to you. You deserved a boyfriend who could be there for you and give you the attention you needed, and take care of you. And then when you started backing out of our weekly date nights it was clear that you didn’t want to be with me anymore, so I gave you what you wanted.” I grip his arm tighter and take a step closer. His eyes are boring into mine. “I didn’t want to break up with you,” I tell him. “It made me sick to my stomach, because I couldn’t imagine not being with you, but I couldn’t be selfish. I couldn’t keep you stuck in a relationship that was making you miserable, and would be unhealthy for you in the long term. I had to do what was best for you.” Tears slide down my cheeks as my chest heaves. “And apparently, the very thing I was trying to avoid, was exactly what I became in your eyes.”
Wesley’s eyes are wide. His hair is a soggy mess, his clothes are soaked. His chest rises and falls slowly as he looks at me. Water droplets cling to his eyelashes and I can hear the mud sloshing under his feet as he shifts. “You...you thought I didn’t want you?” he finally says. Then he yanks his arm away from me for the second time and clenches his jaw. “Goddamn you, Cooper.” He turns away from me and tugs on his hair so hard it looks painful. He looks back at me, his gaze fierce. Then he steps forward and shoves me. “All I ever wanted was you, you asshole.”
I stumble back slightly and then meet his eyes. “But–”
“Damn it, Cooper,” he continues, stepping closer to me again. “Did it ever occur to you, that if I wanted to break up with you for any reason, I would have? I backed out of our date nights because you were fucking exhausted, and I could tell. And I didn’t want you to have one more thing to worry about. I wanted you to get through your classes, and rest, not fucking break up with me. I wanted to see you accomplish your dreams, not be cast aside like I didn’t matter so that you could.”
His voice softens and his gaze shifts downwards. He takes a breath and runs his fingers through his wet hair. “When you broke up with me, I thought it was because I was an inconvenience, a burden. Like your life was too full, and I was the one thing you could handle living without. And it broke me.” He looks up at me, and his voice is shaking again, his bottom lip quivering, and I hate it. I hate seeing him so wrecked. He wraps his arms around himself as the rain continues to fall, and he shivers. “I didn’t know what to do,” he says, tears falling once more. “I didn’t just lose my boyfriend that day, or my best friend. I lost both.”
“Wes.” I step closer, once again placing my hand on his cheek. He squeezes his eyes shut and then opens them again. “I never meant to hurt you.” I wipe away the tears that are sliding down his cheeks. “I never meant to make you feel like you didn’t matter, or that you were an inconvenience. Or that I was choosing becoming a pilot over being with you. I’m so sorry. Please know that. You have to know that nothing mattered to me more than you did. I only ever wanted what was best for you.”
Wesley reaches up and rests his hand on top of mine. “What was best for me was you,” he says, and my breath catches. “It’s always been you, Coop. You were my best friend. My first love, my first kiss, my first everything. I wanted to spend my life with you.”
I grip both of his cheeks in my hands, now, firmly. His hands grip my forearms. “I’ve missed you so much,” I say, staring into his incredible blue eyes, as he stares back. “You are everything to me. My feelings for you have never changed. I’ve loved you since we were fourteen. And I will love you til the day I die, no matter how you feel about me. There hasn’t been a single thing that I’ve said or done on this trip that I haven’t meant, and I would do it all over again without getting a goddamn cent from you, because I fucking love you. And I don’t want your money.” I shake my head. “I just want you. All I’ve ever wanted is you. I need you to know that.”
I stumble backwards and grunt, because suddenly, Wesley is in my arms, his legs wrapped around me, and his hands gripping my face. His lips are pressed to mine and he’s kissing me so hard it hurts. Fuck. We’re both soaked to the skin, and I’m pretty sure he weighs ten pounds more because of it, but I don’t care, because he’s fucking kissing me like I’m his air and he’s suffocating. He sucks, and nibbles, moaning and whining desperately. His fingers run through my wet hair, and god, I’m on fire. The sounds he’s making are positively sinful. I grip him tighter and kiss him back, moaning, because this is everything. This is Wesley unhinged. All of his passion, and intensity, and gusto in one amazing, earth-shattering kiss. And it’s all for me. His tongue is down my throat, and as I back us up so he’s pressed against a tree, a whimper escapes him that is so delicious it makes me shudder.
“Is this real?” Wesley says, breaking away from the kiss. His hands move along my face and shoulders almost frantically, his breath coming in heavy pants. His fingers move through my hair, his gaze lowering, and his hands following suit until his fingers are sliding down my collar bone, and my pecs, and then my abs, as if to confirm that it is in fact me that he is touching, and kissing and holding. His eyes meet mine again. “Are you real?” he says, his hands coming up to grip my cheeks. “Do I have my best friend back?” Tears fill his eyes again, and he starts to shake.
“Oh, god, yes,” I say, taking his face into my hands.“Please. If you’ll have me.”
Wesley collapses into sobs and buries his face in my chest. I hold him as he cries. The rain is letting up now. He’s shivering, but I don’t know if it’s from the cold or everything that’s going through his mind right now. All the emotions and turmoil he’s been holding onto, and dealing with for the last nine years. I rub his back as his legs stay locked around me, his arms wrapped around my neck, his face buried in my shoulder.
Eventually he lifts his head and wipes his eyes. He rubs his nose and apologizes for getting snot on my shirt. I just smile and kiss his cheek. Then I carry him back to the truck where I grab the towels I’d brought in case I needed them. Turns out it was a good idea. I use them to wipe our hair and faces off as much as possible, before I use them to wipe down the bed of the truck, him clinging to me like a koala bear the entire time. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The rain has stopped completely now. I plant a kiss on Wes’ cheek again and then set him down on the edge of the truck bed before grabbing the blankets that Derick and Macy keep inside. I lay one out over the bottom of the truck bed, and then I strip, and lay my wet clothes out over the side of the truck. Wesley stares at me but I just smirk. Yeah, I’m naked, so what? I lay down and pull the other blanket over me and wait.
I smile, when a second later Wesley is undressing, and following suit. He’s naked as the day he was born a moment later, and sliding under the blanket next to me. I don’t expect this to turn into anything other than cuddling. I don’t think I even want it to. But we’ve just had a very intense, emotional conversation and I think we need to be together, not wearing soaking wet clothes, and not surrounded by the rest of our families. This, falling asleep under the stars, in the bed of a truck, in the middle of nowhere, this is good. This is perfect.
I don’t reach for him, because I want him to come to me on his own terms. If he needs space I’ll give it to him. I won’t push. My heart leaps when he scoots close and snuggles up next to me. I wrap my arms around him as he rests his head on my chest, and I sigh contentedly.
