Coop blushed helplessly. He didn’t want to make a huge deal out of this, since it was only just beginning. He and Matty officially defined the relationship last night, after another round of hand jobs. After a month, Matty was getting used to his touch and wasn’t shooting his load right away, which Coop missed. He enjoyed how enthusiastic Matty was but was excited to take things to the next level. With them, it was a natural progression instead of a sprint around the bases.
Coop was still getting used to sharing personal things with Matty. He told Matty more about life as String Cheese, like the time he tried taking creatine to bulk up and ended up with a huge rash that made his body look like cherry swirl ice cream. He talked about what was going on with his family. His dad got a job working part-time at Trader Joe’s, and with his mom’s salary from her dental office assistant job, they were getting by. They continued to seek a buyer for the house, but they were more excited about downsizing. It still felt like defeat to Coop, but Matty helped convinced him it was a new chapter. Coop brought up things that he thought had been buried so deep down that they could never get excavated. With each admission, a piece of the old Coop broke off like ice and floated away.
“So where are you taking me tomorrow?” Rafe asked. He tried to skip a stone on the river, but it sank. “Saddlebags of Kettle Corn?”
“Settlers of Catan. It’s actually a really fun game. You’ll get into it.” Coop was looking forward to tomorrow night. He couldn’t believe he’d mocked the game at first. It was like an addiction, a fresh high of competition that he eagerly awaited. Maybe tomorrow night, Rafe would provide enough of a distraction to unseat Matty from victory.
“Are you sure I won’t be a third wheel?” Rafe asked.
“No. There are three other guys who we play with. You’ll be the life of the party.”
When they reached north campus, they hit the split in the path for them. Rafe was going back to their dorm room, and Coop…
“She’ll love you,” Rafe said. “You’re nervous. Don’t be nervous.”
“I’ve never met the family before,” Coop said.
“Because you’ve never had a boyfriend before. New territory. Same old charming Coop.” Rafe walked down his path backwards. “And it’s not even the whole family, just the sister.”
Matty had come out to his sister last week and dished to her all about Coop. Now she wanted to meet him. Matty hadn’t come out to his parents yet. That was further down the road, and Coop told him there was no rush.
“What do we talk about?” Coop’s comfort zone was nowhere to be found, and he was searching for solid ground.
“Talk about the turmoil in the Middle East or how Amy Adams has yet to win an Oscar. That’s a start.” Rafe spun around and went his separate way. Coop shook out his hands and continued on to Matty’s dorm.
* * *
Coop hadto catch his breath when Matty opened the door. This was his boyfriend. Those pouty lips, those dark eyes, those perfectly fixed strands of hair on his head. That was all his. What a concept. Matty shut the door and kissed him hello. Coop could’ve pushed him onto the bed. Matty started a dangerous chain reaction.
“Let me dial up Aditi. You’ll love her. She’s super cool.” Matty turned on Skype and got his sister on the phone. Coop could tell by her smile right away that she came in peace. And if he ever wanted to know what Matty would look like as a girl, he had his answer. He preferred the boy Matty, of course.
“Nice to meet you!” Coop said to the screen.
“You, too!” Aditi said. She and Coop exchanged basic information. What his major was (still undecided, but he had another year to decide), where was he from. It wasn’t boring smalltalk, and it wasn’t Rafe’s weird idea of smalltalk. It was a test, and Coop made sure to pass.
“Don’t worry. I’m taking good care of him,” Coop said.
“You better. I’m not scared of your Dwayne Johnson physique. I will hurt you if I have to.”
“Spoken like a true sister.” Coop was a fan, and the feeling seemed to be mutual. And now he pulled out the trump card to score major points with every Kapoor in this conversation. He pulled out his wallet. “So I have some exciting news. There’s a robotics expo at Penn in a few weeks, and none other than Dr. Kobayashi is giving a presentation showing off his latest inventions.” Coop took out two tickets from his wallet and showed them to Matty and Aditi. Matty’s jaw swung open.
“No. Way.” Matty had to take a step back. “No. Way.”
“Way.”
“You’re cool with going?”
“Yeah. It should be fun.” Coop doubted it be would fun, but hopefully it wouldn’t be a total bore. Maybe the Terminator himself would make an appearance.
Coop could tell Matty wanted to yank him into a kiss, and Coop wanted to do the same, but they had an audience.
“You are racking up all the boyfriend points,” Aditi said.
“Well, if I get two hundred more, I can trade them in for a free coffee.”
Matty hugged him and rested his head on Coop’s shoulder. He pointed to Coop for Aditi. “My boyfriend.”
“So Matty tells me you’re a rapper.”
