The Sun, The Moon and The Ocean

chapter fifteen

I shut my door and trotted over to his, looking over my shoulder as I pulled it ajar. The waves were soft this morning, at least on this beach, and that was a good sign. I also opened the passenger door, letting Sydney hop down and giving her a few pets and words in baby talk. "Sophia, why do I have to take off my pants?" Cooper questioned again, a bit of annoyance in his voice and that made me even more nervous.

"We are going swimming, Coop," I said in the most casual way possible, then quickly adding, "You're not alone. I'm pantless as well," I forced a laugh. I decided that leaving Cooper confused and scared was not the best way to make this plan successful, so I told Sydney to sit and stepped in front of Cooper, who still sat in the passenger seat. His fingers were around the belt loop of his pants as if he was going to take them off then something told him not to.

I knew what that something was. I sighed and looked up at him, "Cooper," I began, "You have really helped me with.. everything since I've moved here," His face softly glanced downwards to the sound of my voice. "Between pursuing my dreams as an artist and standing up to my parents with confidence, you were there to cheer me on and fuel me with the encouragement I never thought I deserved. You've pushed me to do things I couldn't even imagine myself doing successfully but with your help, I feel like I can walk on water and do anything I put my mind to." I swallowed and blinked my eyes a couple time, noticing that I was getting emotional.

I softly brushed my face, trying to stop myself from bringing up my romantic feelings for him. That is not what this was about however hard it was to look up at Cooper and notice every individual curl in his hair, how he crossed his left foot over his right as he sat, how his jaw would clench and unclench as he ran through all the thoughts in his head and how wide his eyes were. It was so hard to avoid how hard my heart pulsed when he walks into a room and how easily he lifted my spirits. But remembering Cooper's face of discontent in the hotel room after he murmured the words "I can't give you what you want," just caused me to prove my point to him even more.

I took a deep breath and continued, "You made me face my fear and I came out feeling stronger than I ever have," I chuckled a little bit and met Cooper's eyes, which were staring down at me but seemed like he was looking at my eyebrows instead. "So, I just want to return the favor."

Cooper took a few seconds to think something over in his head then laughed, "I mean if you think it's a good idea, Sophie, then sure. How bad can it be?"

I sighed of relief, glad that we were going to start this off lightly. He unbuckled his belt and slipped off his jeans, making me blush a little bit. I never took this situation into whole thought, I giggled softly as he hopped down, a prominent tan line just above his knee.

Taking a step in front of him, I gently scooped up his hands into mine and looked up at him. He faced the breeze that blew through his hair gingerly. His rosy cheeks matched mine as we both felt the sparks between our finger tips. "I need you to trust me, Cooper. Can you do that for me?" Cooper just smiled and stated, "I already do."

Ignoring the thumping echoing in my chest, I remembered my plan and let go of one of his hands, kindly leading him with the one I still held toward where the water met the sand. When the water was about five feet from reaching us, I intertwined my fingers with Cooper's on his other hand once again. "Okay, take a deep breath," I told him, I waited until he did so to take the first step back. I knew he understood what was about to happen, he knew that he was close to the water and would have objected by now. I was proud of him.

I could see his throat swallow whatever breath he took. His fingers started to tremble and I held him tighter to assure he was alright. I took a baby step backward, then waited for his foot to follow. A few steps more, the water came up to our toes and Cooper breathed a little heavier. "It's okay, it's just a little water. You can do this."

Soon, the water reached our ankles. Cooper sucked in the air very loudly, which made me concerned. "Cooper, are you alright?"

He gripped my hands almost painfully, and I stopped walking backward, letting the tide rise to our ankles and down to our toes. "I-I've never felt this close to her since-since she..."His sentence trailed off but he didn't have to finish it. He was feeling connected to his sister, but I wasn't sure if I should stop. "I forgot how good the water feels," he said, a small laugh coming out. I saw his eyes start to squint because they started to water, and I smiled lightly and pressed my hand to his cheek. "Do you want to keep going?"

Cooper smiled slightly and nodded.

We continued one step at a time. As the water rose higher and higher on our skin, I noticed all the different emotions that flowed over Cooper's face. At first, he was scared and unsure, his eyebrows would furrow and unfurrow and like before he would suck his lips in. Then he would experience the feeling of his sister again, his smile would shine then fade as did his eyes, which would water then open widely with happiness. Nonetheless, Cooper continued walking into the water with me.

Watching him take these steps, I couldn't have imagined what was going through his head. Probably Ava. In his head, he was probably reliving the memory of her, even before the tragic day. He was thinking about his little sister and how much he wanted to protect her. Maybe he was remembering her smile, her laugh when her big brother would tell her a joke. I had no idea what he was going through, but seeing him step into the water touched my heart already.

The first wave crashed onto our waists and that made Cooper jump a little bit causing me to giggle. Suddenly, Cooper stopped in his tracks. I waited for him to speak or give me a sign of something, but he slowly slipped his hands out of mine then rose them up to my face. His big hands cupped my cheeks and something in my chest pulled my breath back into my throat. With big eyes, I looked up at him. He still faced the waves but he smiled so brightly then laughed out loud.

I joined him, flashing my pearly whites up at him. As he roared, small glistening tears came running down his face. Seeing that triggered my own eyes to start to tear as I admired him from below. He leaned down, kissed me hard once again. He then pulled away and spread his arms out wide and threw his head back, soaking in the sun. He laughed at the sky beaming down on him.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, staring up at his glowing silhouette in the shine of the sun. Witnessing him become so strong in such a short amount of time, feeling the sand beneath my feet, the water soaking into my skin, and Cooper's hair blowing in the wind, filled my heart with something I was too happy to even describe. I felt pride through my whole body, but in the pit of my stomach, at the bottom of my heart and in the middle of my throat, was love.

Absolute, undeniable love for Cooper swelled through my body.

I loved him.

As his voice began louder and happier, I found myself laughing with him. I wrapped my arms around his wide torso. There we stood, in the ocean, with nothing but delight gleaming from our hearts and smiles. I was content, holding him as he yelled out into the sky that he finally overcame this fear of his and felt one with the world.

"Sophia!" Cooper exclaimed out of breath, looking down on me. I looked up, my smile from one ear to the other.

"I want to see Ava."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

my heart has been beating the whole time writing this chapter! so much love for these two, love these characters. i hope you guys have fallen in love with them as much as i have. there's so much in this story to share and get from.

AS MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS CHAPTER: my bff madi is an amazing person as well as a writer here on wattpad and i would love it if you guys gave her some love. i'll share the link to her account down below. check out her stories! (WTS is my personal fav!) i love you so much madi, i hope you loved this chapter as much as i did. thanks for sticking by me :)

maadzzm

i love you all so freaking much! thank you so much for all the love and support you have shown this story, it means a lot. remember to vote and comment!