I stare at him, slightly horrified by how much he’s eaten. We got here about fifteen minutes ago, and I’ve watched this man down three of them already.
“Football players are an interesting breed, that's for sure.” I take a sip of my coffee.
“We work off a lot, gotta keep up the carbs.” He wipes his mouth with a napkin.
“Yeah, that does make sense. You guys are beasts out there. I thought playing looked rough, but that has nothing on practice."
“Tell me about it,” he huffs, leaning back in his seat. “Sometimes I dread practice because it’s always gruelling.”
“Then why do you play? If it’s more work than fun, what's the point?”
“Practice and games are two different things.” He smiles. “On game nights, the whole atmosphere shifts. We’re there to win, to show off just how much work we put into this game, to get where we are. And the thrill with every good pass, killer catch, and epic goal? Worth every single second.”
“I guess when you put it that way, I could see how rewarding it can be.”
“Do you have anything you’re passionate about?” he asks.
“Not really.” I look down. “It’s stupid.”
“Hey,” Cooper’s voice takes a softer turn. “Tell me. Trust me, nothing you can tell me is stupid.”
Why does he keep saying things like that? Like what I have to say matters, that my feelings mean something? The scariest part is that I can hear the sincerity in his voice. He cares, not because he’s trying to be friendly or polite. And I don’t know why.
Lifting my eyes up to his, I find him waiting. “I like to play video games.” I shrug. “Watch anime.”
His eyes sparkle. “What kind of video games?”
“Ah, mostly shooting games, some racing games, stuff like that. ButCall of Dutyis my favorite. My online friends and I play most nights after school.”
“That is amazing,” he chuckles. “What's your gamer tag?”
My brows pull together. “Why?”
He grabs his phone, then frowns. “Shit. Is it for Xbox, playstation or PC?”
“Xbox.” I’m so confused.
“Fuck yes.” He chuckles, looking back down at his phone. “Here. Search your name so I can add you.”
He hands me his phone, and I stare at the Xbox app.
“You play?” I ask, looking up at him with a furrowed brow.
“Oh, I play.” He grins from ear to ear. “Fucking amazing at it too. We should play sometime.”
The corner of my lip twitches, and a warm sensation flutters in my chest. “Yeah, okay, cool,” I mumble, typing in my name.
Why is my heart pounding so damn hard?
I add him, then hand his phone back. “You busy tonight?”
“No,” I say slowly.
“We should play.” He returns his phone to his pocket.
“Really? Tonight?”
“No. Next week,” he teases. “Yes, tonight. It’s been a few weeks since I played, and man, I miss it. The start of a new school year is always time-consuming, but now that I have you saving my ass, I don’t have to stress as much. Seriously, Blake, you’re a lifesaver. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be a mess right now. It’s like the first time since coming to college that I can breathe. Like, my head isn’t always a constant mess of worry. Am I going to be able to keep up with school, with football, with work? I used to feel guilty for going out with my friends because it could have been time spent studying. Only, when I studied, I’d always end up feeling more stupid than I did before.”
