I feel wetness on my cheeks and quickly wipe it away. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I booked a flight right away. I had to finish up a few things. I got here as soon as I could.”
My breath catches. “You….”
“What?” He’s smiling down at me, and it’s the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen.
He pushes a piece of my hair out of my eyes, and I confess, “You’re amazing.”
“Nah, you are, love.”
I quickly grab him again, this time wrapping my arms around his waist. God, he smells so damn good. I let my face plant itself on his hard chest. I blink a few times because of all the yellow in front of me. I pull back and look at his T-shirt. It’s the Iowa State rugby tee. “Oh my God. You’re wearing the shirt. Dan and Bull are going to flip. Out.” I’m tempted to grab my phone right now and let them know he’s here, but no, I want him all to myself for as long as I can.
“Are you going to introduce me, Q?”
I turn my head and see Tayler. “Oh, right.” I step to his side and point at his stomach area. “Tayler, this is Cooke Thompson.” I look up at him and point at my friend. “Cooke, this is Tayler Sorenson, my oldest and dearest friend.”
“Delighted,” he says, taking her hand and kissing the top of it.
It makes me break out into girly giggles. When I look at Tayler, she’s blushing and doing her own version of a girly giggle. It’s something to see, because Tayler isn’t the type to blush, and I swear I’ve never ever heard her giggle. But something tells me Cooke Thompson makesallwomen giggle.
Pulling farther away from him, I take his hand in mine—it feels amazing—and pull him over to my table. As I gather my things, I start chattering at about one hundred miles per hour. “Are you hungry, Cooke? Thirsty? Tired? Do you need to rest? I need to get to class, but I could skip it. I can’t skip work later, though. I’m new, so I don’t think Luke would appreciate it, you know?”Wait!How long can he stay?
Tayler snickers, “Slow down, Q. You’re sort of acting like a crazy person.”
“Well, of course I am.” I point in Cooke’s direction. “This guy flew across the pond to seeme.” I pause to look at him for a second. “Right?”
“Absolutely.”
“So, are you hungry or tired or thirsty?”
Cooke laughs softly. “I’m all of those things, but more than any of those, I’m just happy to meet you in person.”
I smile wide. I know all my teeth are showing. “You are?”
“I am. But you must be off to your course. I don’t want you to skip anything. I’ve booked a room at a hotel. I’ll head back there, have a bite and a lie down, and then I’ll come to… what’s it called? Cy’s Roof?”
I roll my eyes and laugh. “Cy’sRoost.”
“Right. Roost. I’ll be off and see you there this evening. How does that sound?”
Without saying a word, I move closer to him, holding my arms out for another hug. He doesn’t disappoint. Cooke does what he did before, wrapping me up and holding me tight.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I murmur.
“Me as well, love. Me as well.”
* * *
If you assumeI paid little to no attention in my afternoon class, you’d be correct. I could barely contain my excitement. I mean, Cooke Thompson ishere. In Ames, Iowa. To. See. Me. So as soon as we were dismissed, I literally ran out of the room and was out the door to the nearest bus stop in minutes. From there, it took me at least thirty more to get home. That’s okay; I still had plenty of time to shower, change, and actually put on some makeup before I needed to be to work. As the bus moved at a snail’s pace to west Ames, I decided I needed to ask Cooke a question.
Me:Do you mind if I let Dan know you’re here? I can tell him you’ll be at Cy’s later.
I send that message, then add:
Me: And can I invite my roommates? And Tayler?
Cooke:Of course, Q. (I’m using your friend’s moniker.) I’d love to meet the rest of your mates.
