“…for Lily…”
Cooper’s jaw tightened as he handed Ryan his coffee. His brother placed a hand on Cooper’s shoulder, saying something that made Cooper sigh and nod reluctantly.
I absentmindedly tapped on my phone, typing nonsense as I watched the scene unfold. This was clearly about Cooper’s parents. Cooper rarely talked about them, but I knew enoughto understand that their relationship had fractured when he came out during college. The few times he mentioned them, his entire demeanor would change—his easy confidence replaced by something guarded and brittle.
Ryan and Lily said their goodbyes, with Lily giving Cooper another enthusiastic hug before bouncing toward the door. Ryan paused on his way out to give me a nod. “Good to see you, Jack.”
“See you around.” I lifted my mug in a small salute.
As the door closed behind them, Cooper braced both hands against the counter, head bowed. The shop was empty now except for me; Cooper’s faithful daytime employee, Jessica; and Mrs. Abernathy, who was absorbed in a book in the back corner.
The old floorboards creaked as Cooper approached my table, carrying a fresh mug of coffee I hadn’t ordered. The rich scent hit me before he even set it down—dark roast with a complex aroma.
“You’ve been nursing that same cup for an hour, Anderson. It must be as cold as my mother’s disapproving stare by now.” He placed the mug in front of me, steam curling invitingly from its surface.
I glanced up, meeting his moss-green eyes. A mistake. My chest tightened painfully.
“What makes you think I need more caffeine?” I placed my phone on the table, having done what work I could on it. I needed to head back to my apartment and my secure network. “I could be perfectly content with my cold, sad coffee.”
“Your left eye twitches when you’re under-caffeinated.” Cooper tapped the side of his own eye. “Dead giveaway. You’ve got that ‘I’ve been staring at the screen for too long’ look.”
The fact that he noticed these things about me sent a dangerous surge of hope through my system. Hope was like a shot of adrenaline: temporary and always leaving you worse off when it faded.
“My hero,” I said, wrapping my hands around the warm mug. “What’s this one?”
“Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Just came in yesterday.” Cooper leaned a hip against my table, crossing his arms over his chest. His black apron with the Coffee Cove logo—a simple wave inside a coffee cup—stretched across his chest. He’d pulled up the sleeves of his Henley, revealing forearms dusted with dark hair. “Thought you might need something special. You’ve been working too hard.”
My heart stuttered. He noticed. Of course he noticed—Cooper was attuned to everyone’s needs. It was what made him such a good coffee shop owner. It didn’t mean anything special. To him, I was simply his best friend.
No matter how much I wanted to be more.
I took a sip of the coffee. The flavor bloomed across my tongue: robust, with a hint of chocolate and… I hummed. Fruit. I closed my eyes briefly, savoring it. “Damn, Coop. This is good.”
“So I’m right—as usual,” he said with a warm smile. “The eye twitch is gone already.”
“Yeah, yeah. Add ‘Cooper’s Always Right’ to your wall of fame.” I gestured to the wall and then frowned. A red flyer hung beside Lily’s latest drawing. “What’s that red flyer about?”
Cooper groaned. “Don’t remind me. The downtown business association is riding me about my participation in the Valentine’s DayOcean of Lovecelebration. Apparently, a white cup with a red heart isn’t ‘festive enough’ for Isabelle’s standards.”
“The horror. How dare you not plaster everything in glitter and cupids?” I grinned at his obvious reluctance. He’d just breathed a sigh of relief ten days ago when he’d packed away the winter holiday decorations.
“You laugh, but wait until you see what Mason does to the bookstore. Last year, he covered the entire front window inpaper hearts with book quotes about love. He’ll probably rope you into helping since you live upstairs.”
“Already promised to hang fairy lights.” I grinned. “I’m a sucker for Mason’s sad puppy eyes.”
Cooper snorted. “You’re a sucker, period. Too nice for your own good.”
If only he knew. I’d spent my entire friendship with Cooper being “nice”—swallowing my feelings, pretending friendship was enough, keeping my longing locked down behind a firewall.
My heart had shattered one night during a senior year party as Cooper drowned his sorrows after yet another failed relationship. I’d foolishly let hope bloom, thinking perhaps he might finally see me.
Then, those crushing words had drifted to me, slicing through the music and laughter.
“You and Jack should get together,” Dan said, his voice light with casual matchmaking.
“Hook up with my best friend?” Cooper’s slurred words tumbled out, his eyes unfocused as amber liquid sloshed over his red cup’s rim. “That would be…” His voice firmed with certainty. “Weird.”
Even now, years later, that memory twisted like a knife in my gut, the acid taste of rejection rising in my throat as vivid as the night it happened.
