The Sun, The Moon and The Ocean

chapter nine

● above is a photo of Sophia (left) and Addie (right) dancing and laughing on the shore ●

THE NEXT MORNING, Addison knocked on my door with donuts for me and Cooper. Cooper crashed on the couch when I left to get dinner for us both, but when I came back he was sound asleep. Sydney laid at the base of the couch by his bare feet, perked her head up when I walked in.

He slept so softly. His chest gently rose up and down as he dreamed, his breath blowing softly through the crease between his lips. I turned my back to him as I ate at my kitchen counter, wrapping his food in tin foil then placing it in the fridge. Maybe he'd want it for lunch while on the road the next day.

I tiptoed through the living room once I heard the knock and received the text from Addison she was at the door. Cooper had laid down and got comfy, spooning one of my throw pillows under his arm. His hand hung off the side of the couch and Sydney gently sniffed his fingers. He looked so cute and so peaceful. The night before, while I laid among my white sheets, I came to the conclusion that I did like Cooper.

I really liked him.

I liked his glowing smile he would flash at every chance he'd get. I liked his hair, how fluffy and sophisticatedly messy it was. I liked his laugh, he'd crack himself up at his own jokes, add on to Addison's. He would lift his feet up if he was sitting down as he cackled, slap someone on the arm or clap his hands. He was so contagious, you felt what he was feeling. If he was smiling, I felt as bright as the sun. If he was being goofy, I couldn't hold back my giggles. I had a crush, yes. And I never thought a guy like Cooper, a nice and funny and amazing guy, would light a spark in my chest. But he did.

My parents never would have thought either. When I came home from parties on Friday nights, I would bring the guy who wore baggy jeans and a t shirt with a douche remark written in big letters across the chest. He would carry a pack of smokes in his back pocket and a condom in his wallet at all times. His face was never shaved, never kept clean. His handshake was weak when shaking my father's.

There was nothing wrong with the boys I kissed for those few years. They just didn't know what they were doing with themselves or where there were going. None of us do. And to my parents, that marked a red flag.

Cooper probably didn't know where he was going or what he was doing, but he knew who he was. I lacked that in myself, I hoped to find it in him.

I opened the door to see Addison's light blond hair up in a bun, eyelashes coated in mascara and light pink gloss across her smile. "Good morning," she chimed, stepping past me and setting down the bag of the sugary breakfast pastries on the counter. She looked to Cooper, who hadn't fidgeted from his slumber. Then she peered over to me, slowly unraveling the bag and sliding out a rainbow sprinkled donut, my favorite. I thanked her as I grabbed a napkin and placed the treat on top after taking a nibble.

"I started my cycle today," she softly stated as she glided her own donut out, a strawberry filled one. For a moment, I was puzzled as to why Addison decided to share this information with me, but then I remembered what she told me at the mall the other day. I widened my eyes and nodded, giving a sigh of relief. She smiled gently in response, taking a bite. "Thank goodness, right?"

I affirmed her. "Oh, Sophie," she whispered, shaking her head and looking out my window right above where Cooper laid. "I was so scared."

I reached over to offer a comforting rub to her shoulder. "I really have to be more careful," she continued. I could read the dread that rested on her face and also the relief on the relaxed parts of her. "I have to stop sleeping around, at least a little bit," she munched again, "I need to find another way to feel better about myself." I raised my eyebrow and whispered, "What do you mean?"