I come up behind her, peering in.
There’s nothing.
No trace of anyone living in this room.
But more specifically, nobed.
Curious, and slightly panicked for Amara’s sake, I peek into my grandpa’s room.
Empty.
I don’t have time to process how I feel about it, because part of me is thankful. But in this moment, I’m more worried about where Amara is going to sleep.
“Did she really only keep one god damn bed in this place?” I sputter, pulling out my phone.
I angrily hit my sister’s number.
“Hey, bud,” she says, a little too chipper.
“Did you tell me that you got rid of all the beds in this place besides mine?”
There’s a snort on the other end of the line. “I didn’t tell you that. But kinda figured you’d catch onto that when I begged you to come clean out your room.”
“Are you fucking with me right now?”
“Cooper, why would I keep my stufforgrandpa’s stuff in a house that no one lives in? Remember what happened to the Robinsons? They had a beach house they left untouched,and it was broken into like, at least a dozen times, before they realized what was happening.
“I just wish you had warned me before we got here, is all,” I seethe.
“Don’t get your panties in a twist. Ya’ll are fine. Sleep on the floor if you can’t be an adult and sleep in the same bed.”
She hangs up the phone before I can retort. This is starting to feel a little more intentional.
I turn to Amara, tossing my hands up. “I’m not sure what to do, but I can sleep on the floor,” I assure her.
“No,” she says firmly. “Sleep in the bed with me. Natalia is right. We’re adults.”
I can’t quite decipher the emotion in her eyes. Whether they’re nerves, or anger, or sadness, or a mixture of it all, I’m not sure.
Or maybe it’s just that she’s simply tired.
“Okay,” I agree softly. “We’ll sleep in my bed.”
You’ll be fine,I tell myself.
It’s not like you’ve been wanting this your whole life.
CHAPTER 34
AMARA
While beach sounds used to settle me, right now, I don’t feel settled at all.
The waves that used to soothe me are only a reminder that I’m back in my hometown. Not only that, but I’m in my hometown with Cooper’s torso pushed into my back.
I swear these beds seemed so much bigger when we were younger. I haven’t had to deal with fitting into a bed this size with someone since smuggling men into my loft bed in college, and those men werenotsix foot five.
“Why is your heart beating so fast?” I mumble, and I can physically feel Cooper smile.
