End of Chapter 3
"Thanks," she said sheepishly. "I'll be okay. Really." He wasn't sure, but he had a feeling Amelia was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince him. "So what brings you here tonight?"
"Nothing really. I just felt like getting out of the house."
"I'm surprised Nikki hasn't tried to get you to hang out with the gang."
"Oh! Believe me she has. So have Rob and Elijah. They are determined to get me to go."
"Why don't you go?"
"I felt like being alone tonight." This was true but now that Amelia was with him, he had no desire to be alone. He was willing to be alone if it meant he could be alone with her.
"Oh," she said. Her eyes fell to examine the grains in the wooden table.
"What about you? Have they been harassing you too?"
"Well, not me exactly. They've been harassing my mom all day. I haven't talked to any of them today."
"Why aren't you there? Last night they all seemed so happy to see you. They were happy to see you."
"I just...felt like...being alone, too."
"So, here we are. Alone together."
"That's an oxymoron." She smiled at him.
Cooper's phone started to vibrate. The caller id informed him that Nikki was calling him. "Nikki's calling me."
"If she asks, you have no idea where I am."
"Okay." Cooper said, winking at Amelia. He pressed the answer button and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey Cooper!" Nikki yelled. It was very loud where she was. "What are you doing?"
"Sitting here, not doing anything really. I'm reading."
"Are you going to come hang out with us tonight?"
"Probably not. I'm tired. I just want a quiet night to myself, you know?"
"Oh. That's cool. Have you heard from Amelia? None of us can get a hold of her. She's not answering her phone."
"No. I didn't get a chance to get Amelia's number last night. I haven't seen her. Sorry."
"Oh. Why does she need to be so difficult?"
"Sorry, Nikki. You know her better than I do."
"Alright. If you change your mind, give me a call and I'll give you directions to Eli's house."
"Okay. Have a good night." He put some emphasis on the last sentence so that she would know he wasn't going to call.
"I'll be right back." Amelia whispered and got up to walk away.
Cooper hung up the phone as she left the cafe. He saw her turn in the direction of the bathrooms. He looked at the table where she had been sitting a second ago. He noticed a piece of paper sitting under her abandoned drink. It looked wet from the condensation that was slipping down the length of the cup. She had written her name and a phone number on the torn paper. His heart started to beat faster. She was going to give him her phone number.
"Um, hi." A stranger's voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up from the piece of paper and looked into the green eyes of the barista from earlier.
"Hi." He was confused. She was holding a plate of cheesecake.
"My name is Sarah and I just wanted to bring you this cheesecake. It's on the house."
This caught him off guard completely. "Thanks but I'm allergic to cheesecake. I puff up like a balloon. It's not pretty."
"Oh." She looked a little put off by his rejection."Well, here's my number. You should call me. We could have a lot of fun." She winked at him.
"I have a..."
"Shh." She cut him off. "Just think about it." She said confidently and winked at him as she walked away.
A normal guy would have been ecstatic that two girls planned on giving him their phone numbers in the same night. His friends back in Minnesota would have congratulated him like there was no tomorrow. He didn't care about Sarah's phone number at the moment. He doubted he would. Three weeks ago, he might have called her.
As he watched her and her co-worker clean off the tables across the room, he noticed that she reminded him too much of his ex-girlfriend, Nova. He did not want to date another Nova.
Amelia was so different from any other girl he had ever dated. He was well aware of the fact that he wanted her to be his girlfriend. He only wanted to be with her.
He was also well aware of the fact that he might never be with Amelia. She had to feel the same way about him and he wasn't sure that she would see anything more than a friend in him.
He wasn't sure that friendshp would be enough for him. But still, he'd rather have her as a friend than not at all.
There was something bothering her though. Something more than just the trivial problems of a teenage girl. Something much deeper. It might even be dangerous for her.
Even if this was the case, he didn't care. No matter what it was, he would be there for her. He had this aching feeling in his very core. She needed him. He would be there, always.
"Sorry about that." Her beautiful voice broke through his thoughts.
"Don't be." He said smiling.
"What did Nik want?"
"She wanted us at the party. I feel bad for not going. She sounded upset we weren't going to be there."
"She's used to disappointment. I never go anymore."
"Why is that?"
"I'm not the same person that I used to be."
"Are you sure you're alright?" He would understand why she wouldn't want to tell him. He still wanted to know with all of his being.
"Yeah. I'll be fine."
Just when Cooper opened his mouth to tell her that she could tell him and her secrets would be safe, a man's voice broke through the background music. "Attention customers, the store will be closing in fifteen minutes. Please your final purchases and thank you for shopping."
"I guess I should go." Amelia said hesitantly. "It was nice talking with you."
"Would you like me to walk you to your car?" It was 10:45 PM and he didn't feel right letting her walk herself to her car.
"Sure." She smiled her most beautiful smile yet.
He got up and waited for her to grab her purse. As they walked towards the door, he met Sarah's eyes. She winked at him again and her female coworkers giggled at her. He turned around and walked away with the object of his affections.
When they got to her green Taurus, she gave him the moist piece of paper. "You told Nikki you didn't have my number. Maybe we could hang out sometime."
"Definitely." Cooper replied. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number on the paper. He let it ring twice and then hung up. "Now you have my number."
"See ya." She said as she got into her car.
Cooper got home and went straight to his room, walking quickly past his parents' bedroom.
"Hey! Where's the fire?" His mom called to him. He took three steps backward and stopped in the doorway.
"Mom?"
"Where were you?"
"I just went up to the bookstore for a few hours. I meant to buy this book but I ended up leaving it on the table in the cafe. I have to go back tomorrow."
"You just forgot to buy a book you were reading?" His mom raised an eyebrow. She was pulling her red hair back into a ponytail. He noticed she was wearing her green medical scrubs.
"Yeah. I ran into a girl from school and we got to talking. Are you working tonight?"
"Yeah. They have me working the late shifts for a few days."
"Sounds fun." He said in his most unenthusiastic tone of voice, rolling his eyes.
"It's okay. I'm going now so you be good tonight. Bailey's out with a bunch of kids she met at school."
"Yeah, it's the same crowd we hung out with last night."
"Are they nice?"
"Yeah. They're a fun group."
"Good night, Cooper." His mom kissed him on the forehead and disappeared down the stairs.
When his mom was gone, he walked to his room and plopped down on his bed. While kicking his shoes off he stared at the three boxes he still needed to unpack. He decided he'd tackle those tomorrow. For now, his head was spinning from the night he'd just had with Amelia. She filled his thoughts completely until he dozed off. Then she filled his dreams.
"Nothing really. I just felt like getting out of the house."
"I'm surprised Nikki hasn't tried to get you to hang out with the gang."
"Oh! Believe me she has. So have Rob and Elijah. They are determined to get me to go."
"Why don't you go?"
"I felt like being alone tonight." This was true but now that Amelia was with him, he had no desire to be alone. He was willing to be alone if it meant he could be alone with her.
"Oh," she said. Her eyes fell to examine the grains in the wooden table.
"What about you? Have they been harassing you too?"
"Well, not me exactly. They've been harassing my mom all day. I haven't talked to any of them today."
"Why aren't you there? Last night they all seemed so happy to see you. They were happy to see you."
"I just...felt like...being alone, too."
"So, here we are. Alone together."
"That's an oxymoron." She smiled at him.
Cooper's phone started to vibrate. The caller id informed him that Nikki was calling him. "Nikki's calling me."
"If she asks, you have no idea where I am."
"Okay." Cooper said, winking at Amelia. He pressed the answer button and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey Cooper!" Nikki yelled. It was very loud where she was. "What are you doing?"
"Sitting here, not doing anything really. I'm reading."
"Are you going to come hang out with us tonight?"
"Probably not. I'm tired. I just want a quiet night to myself, you know?"
"Oh. That's cool. Have you heard from Amelia? None of us can get a hold of her. She's not answering her phone."
"No. I didn't get a chance to get Amelia's number last night. I haven't seen her. Sorry."
"Oh. Why does she need to be so difficult?"
"Sorry, Nikki. You know her better than I do."
"Alright. If you change your mind, give me a call and I'll give you directions to Eli's house."
"Okay. Have a good night." He put some emphasis on the last sentence so that she would know he wasn't going to call.
"I'll be right back." Amelia whispered and got up to walk away.
Cooper hung up the phone as she left the cafe. He saw her turn in the direction of the bathrooms. He looked at the table where she had been sitting a second ago. He noticed a piece of paper sitting under her abandoned drink. It looked wet from the condensation that was slipping down the length of the cup. She had written her name and a phone number on the torn paper. His heart started to beat faster. She was going to give him her phone number.
"Um, hi." A stranger's voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up from the piece of paper and looked into the green eyes of the barista from earlier.
"Hi." He was confused. She was holding a plate of cheesecake.
"My name is Sarah and I just wanted to bring you this cheesecake. It's on the house."
This caught him off guard completely. "Thanks but I'm allergic to cheesecake. I puff up like a balloon. It's not pretty."
"Oh." She looked a little put off by his rejection."Well, here's my number. You should call me. We could have a lot of fun." She winked at him.
"I have a..."
"Shh." She cut him off. "Just think about it." She said confidently and winked at him as she walked away.
A normal guy would have been ecstatic that two girls planned on giving him their phone numbers in the same night. His friends back in Minnesota would have congratulated him like there was no tomorrow. He didn't care about Sarah's phone number at the moment. He doubted he would. Three weeks ago, he might have called her.
As he watched her and her co-worker clean off the tables across the room, he noticed that she reminded him too much of his ex-girlfriend, Nova. He did not want to date another Nova.
Amelia was so different from any other girl he had ever dated. He was well aware of the fact that he wanted her to be his girlfriend. He only wanted to be with her.
He was also well aware of the fact that he might never be with Amelia. She had to feel the same way about him and he wasn't sure that she would see anything more than a friend in him.
He wasn't sure that friendshp would be enough for him. But still, he'd rather have her as a friend than not at all.
There was something bothering her though. Something more than just the trivial problems of a teenage girl. Something much deeper. It might even be dangerous for her.
Even if this was the case, he didn't care. No matter what it was, he would be there for her. He had this aching feeling in his very core. She needed him. He would be there, always.
"Sorry about that." Her beautiful voice broke through his thoughts.
"Don't be." He said smiling.
"What did Nik want?"
"She wanted us at the party. I feel bad for not going. She sounded upset we weren't going to be there."
"She's used to disappointment. I never go anymore."
"Why is that?"
"I'm not the same person that I used to be."
"Are you sure you're alright?" He would understand why she wouldn't want to tell him. He still wanted to know with all of his being.
"Yeah. I'll be fine."
Just when Cooper opened his mouth to tell her that she could tell him and her secrets would be safe, a man's voice broke through the background music. "Attention customers, the store will be closing in fifteen minutes. Please your final purchases and thank you for shopping."
"I guess I should go." Amelia said hesitantly. "It was nice talking with you."
"Would you like me to walk you to your car?" It was 10:45 PM and he didn't feel right letting her walk herself to her car.
"Sure." She smiled her most beautiful smile yet.
He got up and waited for her to grab her purse. As they walked towards the door, he met Sarah's eyes. She winked at him again and her female coworkers giggled at her. He turned around and walked away with the object of his affections.
When they got to her green Taurus, she gave him the moist piece of paper. "You told Nikki you didn't have my number. Maybe we could hang out sometime."
"Definitely." Cooper replied. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number on the paper. He let it ring twice and then hung up. "Now you have my number."
"See ya." She said as she got into her car.
Cooper got home and went straight to his room, walking quickly past his parents' bedroom.
"Hey! Where's the fire?" His mom called to him. He took three steps backward and stopped in the doorway.
"Mom?"
"Where were you?"
"I just went up to the bookstore for a few hours. I meant to buy this book but I ended up leaving it on the table in the cafe. I have to go back tomorrow."
"You just forgot to buy a book you were reading?" His mom raised an eyebrow. She was pulling her red hair back into a ponytail. He noticed she was wearing her green medical scrubs.
"Yeah. I ran into a girl from school and we got to talking. Are you working tonight?"
"Yeah. They have me working the late shifts for a few days."
"Sounds fun." He said in his most unenthusiastic tone of voice, rolling his eyes.
"It's okay. I'm going now so you be good tonight. Bailey's out with a bunch of kids she met at school."
"Yeah, it's the same crowd we hung out with last night."
"Are they nice?"
"Yeah. They're a fun group."
"Good night, Cooper." His mom kissed him on the forehead and disappeared down the stairs.
When his mom was gone, he walked to his room and plopped down on his bed. While kicking his shoes off he stared at the three boxes he still needed to unpack. He decided he'd tackle those tomorrow. For now, his head was spinning from the night he'd just had with Amelia. She filled his thoughts completely until he dozed off. Then she filled his dreams.