Just Kidding | ✔️

Chapter 46: Always

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"Oh my goodness it's so warm!" I hum, jumping into the water and splashing everyone around me. There's speckles of snow falling from the troubled skies but nothing that could do too much damage.

"Is Cooper on his way?" Chris asks, shrinking away from me.

"He is. Soon she'll be contained." Chloe hops back into the hot tub.

"Well until then, I'm out." He jumps out of the water.

"What? Why? Who's Cooper?" Patrick inches further towards the rim of the jacuzzi.

"He's not a virus, chill out." I pout.

"No, he's worse. He's your boyfriend." Chris wraps a red and white towel around himself and sits on one of the many lawn chairs. "I love the guy but he scares the shit outta me. Being seen with you wearing that, it's a recipe for disaster."

At the comment, Patrick slips out of the hot tub and joins Chris.

"Guys!" Riley pouts. "You're such wimps."

"Easy for you to say. He's not going to beat you up." Chris scoffs.

"Why do all guys overreact?" Chloe groans.

"Hell if I knew." I shrug, reaching for her glass of alcohol but she pulls it back and shoves me away.

"Hey!" I chuckle.

"You don't need anymore." She says, simultaneously the sliding glass door opens then closes seconds later.

"Just a little. . ."

"Cooper! My man!" Chris greets and my head is snapping to the side to find Cooper in a black form fitting t-shirt paired with dark denim jeans.

His eyes skate across mine just then and he smiles.

"Cooper." I jump out of the water and jump into his arms. His hands support my bottom as mine hang loosely around his neck, legs wrapped around his waist.

"You're in so much trouble." He whispers in my ear so that only I can hear.

Squirming in his arms doesn't prove to work until at least ten seconds later and he's dropping me. "Wanna come in the hot tub?" I start towards the bubbles, a couple steps in and I'm whirled around.

"Not a chance in hell. Come on." He lifts me over his shoulder and we're starting back towards Chloe's bedroom. Once the door is shut he sends me into the comforter on the bed. Face down, ass up. "I'm really not sure where to start with you right now."

Turning around I'm facing the bubbling anger in his dark eyes.

"This excuse for a swimsuit, or you being drunk."

"I know I'm sorry." I sigh. "I just. . ." Do I tell him about the aches and pains? All the while I'm thinking this, I don't realize that the conversation is already heading in that direction.

Cooper curses under his breath. Yanking my hips to the edge of the bed he pulls the side of my thong down and lightly brushes a finger over my bruise. "What the hell is this?"

"A bruise."

"Yeah no shit it's a bruise. What happened?"

Slowly sitting up, I shrug. "I don't know. It just appeared."

"That looks like someone punched you, Kyla. A small bruise I understand but. . .not that." He says.

"I'm telling the truth I swear." I lower my head.

"What's going on? Hm?" He kneels beside me.

"I didn't want to worry anyone." I answer. "But ever since I woke up, I haven't felt good."

"Okay, tell me what hurts."

"Everything, Cooper." I cry. "Everything hurts." I fall into his chest.

Being in his arms almost makes the hurt go away but not as much as I'd like. "Shh, I'm here. You're okay. It's okay." He pulls me to his chest. "Do you want to go home?"

"No. I-I wanna stay. I just wanna lay here a while." I lean back into Chloe's bed.

"How about you put some clothes on. Get comfy?" Just as Cooper says this, the door to the room opens and Chloe walks in. "Need any help?" She asks.

"Do you have any pajamas or something that she could wear? She's not feeling well and I don't want her in. . .that, any longer."

"Yeah, just a second." Chloe reaches into her dresser drawers, pulling out plaid pajama pants and a grey Top. "Here you go." She hands it to Cooper who immediately starts pulling up the pants.

"I'll be in the hot tub. Let me know if you need anything else." She says, leaving Cooper and I to ourselves.

Unhooking my swimsuit top, he pulls the shirt Chloe gave us over my head and lays me back in the bed. "Are you going to lay with me?"

"Of course." Kicking his shoes off, Cooper hops into bed with me and holds me tightly to his chest. Warming my soul and my skin. "Thank you for coming." I say. "I know I've been getting in a lot of trouble lately."

"I'll always come for you. Always."

"I believe you."

After being there in my sickness and health, my good days and bad days. Through thick and thin. Cooper hasn't once run off screaming, it's almost like I'm already married to the guy.

It's weird. Once upon a time I couldn't stand to be around Cooper and now I can hardly stand being away from him. I guess it was inevitable from the start, it just took me so damn long to accept it.

Now that I have. I'm never going back.

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A/N: super short chapter but I hope you guys liked it. And also if it seems like Kyla is always around Cooper that's because when I'm re-writing this I realize I had so many fuller chapters and even if I deleted a few, I rather not delete them all. So I just fill them with something decently interesting. Anyways, thanks for reading.

Xoxo