Baited

Chapter 8. Tight-ass

After crawling into bed with Cooper last night, it was close to 3 in the morning when I finally fell asleep. Usually I am the first to wake between the two of us but this morning I woke to the feeling of eyes on me. It was Cooper. I cracked one eye open enough to confirm my suspicion but not open enough for him to notice; or at least that was my hope.

Why is he staring at me sleeping?

Pretending to still be fast asleep, as I turned over so that my back was facing him. If he's going to stare, enjoy the back of my head.

"Spence. You up?" Cooper whispered from beside me.

I slowly began to turn over onto my back and faked a yawn. My fake yawn, accompanied by a fake stretch with my arms reaching out above my head. I squinted my eyes and slowly began to open them and to meet Cooper's eyes still on me.

YAWN. "Wow. I am tired." I finally acknowledged Cooper. "What time is it?" I asked, my voice hoarse from sleep.

Cooper didn't respond at first. His eyes focused on mine; he looked almost angelic. The light shining in from the window met his still tanned chiseled face, specks of green danced in his hazel eyes. His shaggy dirty bling hair was a mess from sleeping but it suited him quite well.

He began to bite down on his bottom lip indicating he was deep in thought. He cleared his throat and then swallowed. I raised a brow to him.

"C-Can I ask you something?" Cooper spoke, no sense of the usual snarky sarcastic undertone present.

I sat up slightly on my elbows to look deeper in his eyes. I could usually read Cooper well and before I responded, I wanted to know what he might be feeling. To my surprise, I was no longer focused on trying to read my best friend. No. My eyes moved from his to his nose, then to his lips, his jaw, his cheekbones and every little nook and cranny of his face. I have seen his face thousands of times but this morning, it looked different to me. He looked -

"Spence?" Cooper called, snapping me out of my daze.

What the hell was that?

It was my turn to clear my throat. "Ahem. Yea, sorry man. Still half asleep." I lied. "What's up?"

Coopers bite down harder on his bottom lip. His brows furrowed and he looked down to his hands that he was now fidgeting with. He took in a deep breath and then released it. "I-I just. Oh man." He paused. "How much did you enjoy-"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Interrupting Cooper, our friend Jessica opened his bedroom door just a crack. "Coop?" She half whispered.

Cooper looked at me with sadness in his eyes. Whatever it was he was going to ask me must have been important to him. Don't get me wrong though. This is Cooper we are talking about. Many things are important to him. Like who ate the last of his favorite cereal, Fruity Pebbles. But the tone in his voice. The look on his face. This was different.

"Yeah." Cooper responded to Jessica. "We're up, Tits." And just like that, he's his playful self again.

"Tits?" Jessica came strolling in and threw her hands on her slender hips. Her brown eyes scanned over Cooper and I for a moment before readdressing Cooper directly. "Seriously though, Coop? Tit's? Did the Miami sun scorch whatever brain cells you had left because you've come up with some stupid nicknames for me but that one." She shook her head. "That was the lamest."

Cooper rolled his eyes and huffed. "I still haven't had my Coffee yet. Give me some time. I'll come up with something good?" He assured Jessica.

"Anywayyyyyyy." Jessica dragged out the last of the word as she jumped on the bed, right in between Cooper and I. "I didn't expect to see you here Spencer." She looked at me as she spoke. "Sophia told me you stayed home last night. I almost freaked out. I thought something was wrong but ugh... that god you're here. I've missed you bitches way too much." She paused to turn and look at Cooper. "If you assholes were fighting. I would have been pissed."