Nico angled his head upward and puckered his lips. Cooper responded with a quiet laugh. “Kiss me or I’ll tie myself to an anchor and throw myself overboard.”
“You’re seriously threatening me with peace and quiet?”
Nico jerked backward, eyes narrowing on Cooper. He jumped to his feet, climbed onto the seat, and prepared himself to jump. “Goodbye, Jack.”
“You’re not going anywhere, Rose.” Cooper lunged forward, tackling Nico onto his back. He climbed betweenhis legs, his cock hardening once more. “You’re a simple man, Nico.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You just want the simple things,” Cooper whispered. “I adore that about you.”
Adore? That was another new word in Cooper’s lexicon.
The Florida sun battered down upon the boat and yet the weight of Cooper on top of him felt similar to a heavy blanket. It eased Nico’s mind and calmed his anxieties about the world and his position in it.
And when Cooper finally gave in to his wishes, pressing his lips against Nico’s, Nico wished they could stay on that boat forever.
july 2024 - columbus
The worst dreams Cooper ever had were when he slept during the day. That’s why he hated taking naps. The echoes of yesterday would storm his mind like the shadows of loss that lingered and prodded the darkest recesses of his mind. That afternoon, though, Cooper dreamt of something less of a nightmare and more of a hopeful prophecy.
He dreamed of a little yellow bird throwing open the door of the cage it had lived in his entire life, and though it had never flown before, it took to the blue skies as if it had been flying all its life.
When Cooper’s eyes flashed open, he immediately knew two things weremissing.
The first was Nico, who had crawled out of his bed at some point.
The second was the necklace he always wore around his neck.
He shot up in bed, his hands digging through the sheets. His eyes searched the room and snapped to the en suite as the door opened and out came Nico wearing Cooper’s boxers.
“Did you take my fucking necklace?”
Nico froze, his eyes shifting sideways. “Sort of.”
Cooper jumped out of bed and threw his hands outward. “Why the fuck would you do that? Don’t touch shit that isn’t yours.”
Nico scoffed quietly and scratched the back of his head. His head fell, his eyes meeting the floor. “I just?—”
“You just what?” Cooper snapped. When he decided Nico hadn’t answered fast enough, he continued, “I’m waiting for an answer, Nico.”
“I’m sorry.” Nico stepped to the dresser, grabbed the necklace from a pile of clean clothes, and tossed it onto the bed. “I thought I would do something cute.”
Cooper took a good look at the necklace lying on the bed. There was something else hanging from the chain. He looked back to Nico, but he was gone. Cooper grabbed the necklace and inspected it.
The ring with Luke’s name engraved was still there, but beside it was a small golden football with the letters CN on the back. By the time he realized what Nico had done, he received a notification from the front-door camera.
Nico hopped into his rental car and sped away.
Cooper sat on the bed, the weight of his body sinkinginto the mattress. He dangled the necklace in front of his face before placing it back around his neck. Once it was snapped shut, he rubbed the ring and football together and felt something unfamiliar.
He felt peace.
august 2024 - las vegas
On their last night of freedom before football season began proper, Nico and the boys hit the club.
Just one beer turned into just one shot and two beers.
