Page 48 of Slick Trip

“For fuck’s sake, Jon, stop saying emotional attachment and tell me what’s going on!”

“I’m in love with you, you idiot!” I snapped, the words tearing out of me. My heart was hammering furiously. “I’ve been in love with you for a long time, so when you presented, I presented!”

Cooper’s jaw dropped. His eyes moved over my face, my mouth, my shoulders, like he was assembling something piece by piece. Then he went red. All the way down his neck.

“Oh.”

Yeah. He got it now.

“I—” he whispered, grabbing the lilac blanket and dragging it over himself.

Then he was gone.

I stared at the lump. “You’re hiding.”

“Not hiding. Processing,” came the muffled reply. He shifted slightly. “You’re in love with me.” He sounded accusing.

“Yeah,” I said. “I am.”

The blanket twitched. “Oh my God.”

Then slowly—very slowly—the fabric moved, just enough for one curious eye to peek out.

“How long is a long time?”

“Coop.”

“But I want details!”

“And I want you to say it back. Unless . . .” My voice trailed off. What if Cooper hated me so much that I could never fix what happened? What if he didn’t love me the same way?

He flung the blanket aside, eyes flashing. “Oh, now you want me to say it? Well, just to put you out of your misery, yes, I love you too, but we’re not focusing on that right now. We’re focusing on how I was right—every time I told you you were being stupid and stubborn for ignoring this—” He gestured wildly between us. “I was right?”

“I guess so.”

“No, you’re not guessing, you’re knowing! Say it. Say—Cooper, you were right.”

“Cooper, you were right.”

“I can’t believe this.” He dragged the blanket back up. “I need a moment.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? I need to gloat. Obviously.”

“Obviously.”

“Don’t judge me! You’ve been pining after me, suffering in silence, of course I’m going to relish the fuck out of this!”

“I haven’t been suffering,” I argued. Then I sighed. “Well, maybe I have. But mostly, I’ve been waiting.”

That got him interested. The blanket moved again. “For what?”

“For a moment where wanting you and . . . loving you wouldn’t feel like hurting you.”

The words landed heavier than I meant them to.

“And this is the moment?” he demanded. “Right after I find out I build nests, you express your undying devotion?”