“A homecoming date should be more expensive and memorable than a normal date.” And since I was paying for the restaurant, I’d chosen it. If I had to spend the night watching Cooper and Dahlia slow dance, I deserved something good to eat beforehand. Kind of the same principle as a last meal.
Cooper’s thumb tapped in an increasing tempo. “When some guys spend a lot on a girl, they think she owes him something. TC might be that sort.”
“I guess I’ll skip the pricey desserts then,” I said, unworried.
Cooper shook his head and his jaw went tight. “Do you know what he said when he tackled me? ‘If you thinkthathurts, wait until Madeline tells you how much fun we had.’ He also said he was going to show you his moves and make sure he had a real good time tonight.” Cooper sent me a meaningful look. “He wasn’t talking about dancing.”
I nearly said, “Those were stupid taunts. I told TC that you and I weren’t interested in each other.” The assertion felt like a lie, though. At least on my part. I studied Cooper’s expression. His profile in the darkness didn’t give away much. Was he jealous or just warning me out of concern?
I smoothed out my dress. “Those aren’t half as bad as the things Dahlia has said to me.” I’d never told him about all the shade she threw my way. I’d worried that if I did, he’d feel the need to reassure her about how much he cared.
“What did she say to you?” There was a tone of alarm in Cooper’s voice.
I had no choice but to tell him a few of her lines. “Is it hard to act like someone he’d actually go for?” And, “Playing pretend girlfriend doesn’t make you real competition.” And, “Desperate much?”
Cooper blew out a breath. “Why didn’t you tell me she was hassling you? I would’ve told her to stop.”
Yeah, right after he gave her mouth-to-mouth reassurance. “The point isn’t that your date is a shrew. That’s been a given all along. The point is that if I don’t have a vote about who you ask out, then you don’t have a vote about where I go to dinner with TC.” I folded my arms, suddenly in a bad mood. “That’s how things are between us, isn’t it?”
I wanted him to deny it. I wanted him to tell me he had feelings for me and neither of us should be going out with anyone else.
He didn’t say those things. He just blew out a breath and gritted his teeth. “This is why you’re the one who needs your phone. You’re too stubborn and naive for your own good.” He took his phone from his pocket and handed it to me.
I put it in my purse.
Neither of us spoke again until he pulled into the restaurant parking lot. TC was waiting for me out front, wearing a grey suit. I had to admit he looked nice, like a young professional who was really fit. That was a consolation at least.
I didn’t want to turn to Cooper to say goodbye because I knew I would compare the two and might decide TC didn’t look quite as good.
“See you later,” I said and slid from the car. I had every intention of avoiding him at the dance.
I greeted TC with a smile and a quick hug. I didn’t turn to check whether Cooper had seen the hug or not. Probably not. He peeled out of the parking lot pretty quickly. No doubt he was in a hurry to pick up Dahlia. I turned and wandered into the restaurant with TC, a sigh hovering unspoken on my lips.
While we waited in the lobby for our table, TC asked, “How did your photo session with Nash go?”
I didn’t really want to talk about Cooper or think about the kiss he left on my cheek. “It was as fun as parental photo shoots ever are.”
“How is your plan to keep your parents apart going?”
“It’s a work in progress.” The two hadn’t seemed worried about our relationship when they took pictures. They’d seemed proud, like tonight was one more milestone in our lives, and they were happy to be a part of it.
“Well, you need to get some pictures with your real date.” TC stepped close, slung his arm around my shoulders, and took some selfies with his phone.
I smiled and pulled a few poses.
When he finished, he said, “I’ll send you my pictures after the dance.” His hand dropped from my shoulder and slid down my back until it rested on my waist. Smooth move on his part.I wondered if it was part of his usual repertoire. Maybe this was his classictake a selfie with the girl so you can touch hertrick.
I thought about the things Cooper had told me about TC and shifted away from him. “Cooper said you were talking about me during the game.” It was more of a question than a statement. “He seemed to think I might need to flee from you at some point in the night.”
TC scoffed like it was a ridiculous assertion. “I was just messing with him. It’s part of the game. You always trash-talk your opponents and try to rattle them. Cooper just made it easy.”
“How did he make it easy?”
TC gave me a look that said he thought I should know. “Because he cares about who you’re with.”
My mouth opened and shut. I wasn’t sure how to respond. Cooper didn’t care about me in more than a general, platonic way, did he?
TC tilted his head. “Are you sure everything between you is fake?”
