The Space In Between (10 page)

THE HOT STEAM filled the room,
fogging up the bathroom mirror and windows. “Cooper…” I moaned as he pinned me
against the wall and ran his fingers across my back. I watched as the water hit
against our wet bodies and delivered us with more passion than we had yet
discovered. He lifted my lips to his and slid his tongue into my mouth,
allowing his to cover mine.

“Coop, please…” I begged as he lifted my right leg up and
lightly massaged my upper thigh. My moans were growing louder and he lightly
whispered how much he longed for me, making me hotter and hotter.

The water dripped down his nose as I kissed his chin and
whimpered for more. As he reached to run his fingers through my hair, his arm
accidently hit the soap shelf and sent it to the ground, making a huge crashing
sound. I burst out laughing. He joined in on my laughter, and Ladasha started
banging against her bedroom wall, which was on the other side of the bathroom
wall of course.

“Keep it down, freaks!”

I couldn’t stop laughing. It was clear soda pop wasn’t in
the program for tonight’s events, so it was best the two of us let that idea
go.

The water kept showering down over us as we sat down in the
tub. Cooper’s body behind mine felt so right. We didn’t speak. We just lay
there with our eyes closed. Cooper kissed my shoulders, sending a coolness down
my back. I was slipping in and out of sleep as he whispered to me. I nodded,
stood up, and stepped out of the shower as he followed my suit, shutting off
the faucet.

His beautiful eyes studied my body as I held my arms up in
the air. He picked up my towel and wrapped it around my body. Enclosing his
arms around me, I led him to my bedroom. We lay there in the darkness next to
one another for what seemed like forever. “I should go,” he whispered into my
ear as I was almost asleep.

“It’s late. Stay,” I sighed. His soft kiss to my lower ear
and his arms wrapping around me told me what his choice was.

“I was wondering what it would be like, too.”

“What’s that?” I asked, looking into his beautiful eyes. I
chose to only blink whenever he did, just so I wouldn’t miss those eyes staring
into mine.

“Moving on.” He kissed the tip of my nose and closed his
eyes. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t sad anymore. I didn’t have
this ever growing numbness to my soul. I wasn’t emptied inside.

I could feel again.

SHE WAS SLEEPING when I woke up next
to her. I didn’t want to move. Dammit, she was so stunning. Her arms were
wrapped around a pillow and her beautiful body covered with a sheet. Her bare
shoulders peeked out at the top of the sheet, and I couldn’t help but allow my
lips to travel to them, giving her soft kisses. I watched her legs wrap
together and for awhile I just stared at her body rising and falling. Her
breaths were even, calm and steady. Hell, she even slept perfectly. If we never
left this spot, if she never rolled over to greet me, if our lips never found
way to each other again, I would be all right with that. This moment, right
here…This was enough.

I remembered her, from when we were younger. She probably
didn’t remember me as well. My nine-year-old self actually believed he loved
her at one point.

I was a smart kid.

My mind wandered back to my conversation with Kyle; I knew I
had to meet with Iris in a little while, but I hadn’t found the strength to
move my eyes away from Andrea.

I lightly kissed her nose and watched her wiggle it as she
opened her eyes. “Good morning,” I said.

A small grin rested on her face as she closed her eyes.
“I’ve been thinking. Eggs and bacon sound good.”

She wanted breakfast. With me. The walls she was so
determined to keep up were crumbling, and I felt for the first time, Andrea
Evans was finally letting me in. And I was about to crush that smile on her
face.

“I can’t. Not today.”

Her eyes reopened, and this time her blues were somewhat
embarrassed. Fuck me, I was a terrible person. “No. I was just kidding anyway.
Remember? The space in between. Nothing more, nothing less.” She sat up in the
bed and pulled the comforter closer to her body. My heart cringed as I watched
her toughen up.

“It’s not that. I want to get breakfast…I just need to
handle some—” My phone started ringing, so I glanced at it and quickly
answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Cooper?” The elderly voice on the phone was familiar to
me; it was Ms. Wells from my hometown in South Carolina.

“Ms. Wells, is everything all right?” I turned away from
Andrea as I listened, but I knew her eyes were glued to me.

“Oh, everything’s fine. I wanted to update you on your mom.
It’s been awhile since I called. She has had a few rough nights this past
month, but she seemed to settle down a bit this week.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. I gotta tell you though, she’s been asking for
you.”

I felt like such a shitty son that I hadn’t found the time
to visit my mom. I glanced at Andrea, who looked concerned. The thought about
how I didn’t want to push her away after she was slowly opening up to me filled
my mind. My conversation with Iris could wait, but Andrea couldn’t. Maybe if I
introduced a small bit of my past to her, she would open even more.

I went back to speaking with Ms. Wells, knowing Andrea was
listening to my every word. “Thank you for calling, Ms. Wells. I’ll be there as
soon as I can.”

Hanging up the phone, I ran my hands over my face. This
sudden plan of mine could really blow up in my face, but I had to take a risk.
Andrea sat up from the bed with worry in her eyes. “What is it?”

“My mom. She’s not doing so well.” I lied. I lied through my
teeth and promised myself I would make up for the lie later on. “She’s in South
Carolina, and if anything happens to her...I gotta get going.” I knew what I
was going to say next sounded insane, but I had to ask. “Will you come with me?
I just…I don’t want to do this alone. I would ask someone else but...” I
laughed. “There is no one else.”

Her brows lowered.
Please say yes.
She was in deep
thought and she finally spoke.

“Give me a few minutes to pack,” she whispered.

While Andrea packed, I stepped into the hallway and called
Kyle to let him know what was up. First, he yelled at me about rescheduling my
meeting with Iris. I told him I was going to see my mom. He felt extremely
guilty and sent good vibes. He loved my mom like he was her kid. Growing up, my
mom made sure to look after him as much as she looked over me. He would always
deny it, but I knew he would go visit her when I was on a long photo shoot or
filming the reality show, to make sure she wasn’t alone, and I’d thanked him
for that. He’d just grumbled, calling me crazy, and delivered me his smart ass
smirk which told me all I needed to know.

I wished the meeting with Iris could go without happening,
but alas, Kyle went on to plan a new meet-up time. “You ready?” Andrea asked me
as she glanced outside her front door into the hallway. I hung up my phone and
smiled.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

I DIDN’T KNOW what I was doing. How
did I end up sitting next to Cooper on an airplane to another state? If there
was ever a moment to scream the word panda, now would be that time. I knew Roger
was going to flip with me missing work, but it seemed Cooper’s wallet would
keep Roger quiet as long as needed.

He looked extremely drained as he stared out of the window.
I could tell his mind was racing, probably thinking of the worst possible
outcome. I knew the look because I had been there all too often.

“What is she like?” I asked. I placed his hand in mine and
held on to him tight, letting him know he wasn’t alone.

Cooper turned to me and I watched as his eyes softened from
his troubled look. “She’s funny. And artistic. Clever. She bought me this
camera.” Cooper looked at the camera around his neck and quickly snapped a
photo of me. My lips curved into a smile as he continued. “She also bought me
my first camera. She’s the reason I got involved with photography. I remember
when she gave it to me, she said...” He paused. He was getting lost in his mind
again, but this time with warm memories. I patiently waited for him to share
with me.

“She said that an okay photographer could capture a
surrounding. A good photographer could capture an expression. And a great
photographer—a great photographer could change someone’s destiny for the best.
And she leaned in and kissed my forehead and said ‘Son, what are you waiting
for? Go save some lives. You are destined to be great.’”

“She was right.”

He shook his head in disagreement. “I photograph weddings
and had a reality television show. I sold out my greatness for money.”

“If you could do anything, what would you photograph?”

“Children.” I saw a spark in his eyes as he said this. “I
want to work on this one project where I photograph children’s expressions next
to the elderly. You would be shocked by how much emotions don’t change
throughout life. Happiness is the same in the eyes of a one-year-old and a
one-hundred-year-old. It’s a beautiful thing.” I could hear it in his voice—his
passion. It was like he wasn’t even speaking to me—he was feeling what he
loved.

He went on to tell me how interested he was in human beings
as a whole. How complex we were as a species, how much darkness and light lies
in each of us. “So if I could showcase any of my work to the public, it would
be that. I would showcase us.” He paused and wiggled his nose. “Well not ‘us,’
you and me, but you know. ‘Us’ as a universal whole.” He rested his head
against his seat and tucked a piece of hair that had fallen before my eyes
behind my ear. “Although I would love to photograph us, too.”

“I think it’s brilliant. You should do it. And for the
record, just because you went through a period of time where things were rocky
doesn’t mean you still aren’t destined for greatness.”

His crooked smile appeared as he nudged my shoulder.
“Ditto.” He lifted the armrest separating us and stared at me. I knew what he
was wondering, and it made me smile because I could tell without him even
asking.

“A studio. I wanted to open a dance studio.”

“Wanted to?”

I grinned as he ran his fingers through my short hair. “I
want to open a studio. My mom says it’s unrealistic and I should really think
about going back to school for a more career-focused major. That’s just Mom
though. She worries. Daddy says I inspire him to dream big. He’s my biggest
fan.” I chuckled to myself, thinking about how heavy-footed Daddy was. “He even
took dancing classes for my…” I stopped.
My wedding.

Cooper could tell what I was going to say and he rubbed the
back of my neck. His eyes told me that he was fully invested in our
conversation. He listened without judgment of any kind. I wiggled in my seat,
feeling a bit uncomfortable with how relaxed I was becoming around Cooper. But
I couldn’t help it. He made it so easy to not be…sad.

“I would love to see you dance.”

 “I would love to see your photography. Do you really
believe what your mom said about a great photographer? That they could change
someone’s destiny?” I asked.

“Definitely.”

I laughed a little. “Maybe you should take my photo.” I
yawned and thought of the lack of sleep from the night before. Cooper lightly
tugged me closer. I effortlessly curved into his body and rested my head on his
shoulder. “Maybe we should change the rules a bit,” I suggested. I bit my
bottom lip, unsure of what he would say. All I knew was I liked learning more
about who he was. And I liked having someone I could speak to who wasn’t from
my small town who knew everything about Derrick and me.

“What are you thinking?”

As he studied my face, I studied his. His perfectly chiseled
jaw line made me melt every time I looked his way. “Maybe we should be
friends.” It was as if I could feel his grin as he kissed the top of my head.

“I would love to be your friend, Andrea Evans.” He paused
and I watched him travel into the depths of his mind, stroking his fingers up
and down my arm. “You know what else my mom said when she first gave me my
camera?” He asked. I waited for his reply and listened closely as he continued,
“She told me the first picture I should take should be of something beautiful
and I should allow it to change me.”

“What did you take a picture of?”

His eyes shifted to the window. He stared out into the
clouds and his voice softened, “You.”