Page 72 of Enticed
“Cooper, it can’t be. What Clara said…”
“Was fucked up and wrong, Perry,” I cut her off and shoot her a glare. “I’m in love with her, it wasn’t just about sex between us, and she just shit all over everything that we’ve shared for months.”
“Yeah, but I think I know why,” she pleads.
“What does it matter? I should have just ended this weeks ago, or told everyone myself—because deep down I knew she wasn’t going to have the balls to do it. She fears what everyone will think instead of focusing on the one thing that matters—her and me.”
“That’s just it, Cooper. You don’t see it, do you? Clara hasneverdone this before—been in a relationship or with a man she actually cares about. I’m not defending what she did—but I know she loves you too. I saw it in her eyes that day when she told me about your relationship. But before we found you two on the side of the house tonight, I’m pretty sure she overheard a conversation she shouldn’t have…” Perry lowers her head down in shame and then the wheels start spinning in my head.
“What kind of conversation?”
She sits back up and inhales deeply before explaining. “When she left to go outside, it was the first time she’d been away from us all day. She told me you guys were planning on coming clean, and I wanted to help it along—you know, so you guys could finally be out in the open and happy. I told Liv and Amy in the kitchen that she was seeing someone—kind of planting the seed before the reveal, so to speak. And then Amy and Liv said some pretty awful things about her—about how she isn’t capable of being in a relationship and only wants men for sex. I’m pretty sure I saw Clara’s shadow outside of the kitchen window and she overheard because the words she used when she told Liv about you two—those were some of the exact words that Amy said.”
“Fuck,” I slouch over and brace my forearms on my knees. No wonder her words were so callous and cold.
“Yeah. Amy isn’t in a good place right now and she’s projecting that onto everyone. I’m sure she didn’t mean to be so cruel, but I can see how Clara hearing those words from one of her best friends could send her spiraling out of control.”
“This is so fucked up—but bottom line is, Clara had the opportunity to set things right and she didn’t…” I turn to face her again and see the anguish on Perry’s face.
“I’m not saying that what Clara did is okay. All I’m saying is that I kind of understand why she acted that way.”
The details Perry provided definitely help to clarify Clara’s change of heart so suddenly—but it doesn’t negate the fact that she used that moment to hide instead of stand up for us—and that’s what I think hurts the most. We’ve been so vulnerable with each other in our time together and last weekend I finally felt like we were on the same page. But then she flipped a switch on me so fast, I was left spinning in a cloud of her dust.
I don’t want to be with someone who makes split decisions without thinking about how it could impact us both. I don’t want to constantly worry about whether Clara is going to be my partner, or if she’s going to only think about herself in moments when we need to be a team.
I don’t want to feel this hole in my chest ever again.
So even though I’m sure she made a mistake and probably knows she was wrong, it doesn’t change the fact that she burned me and let me down—and that is where I think this anger is coming from.
“I appreciate you trying to clear things up, Perry… but Clara needs to explain this to me herself. I need her to look me in the eye and tell me how she didn’t stop and think about how her words would impact me before she spoke them. And then she’s going to need to be the one to fight for us if that’s what she really wants—because I can’t keep walking on eggshells for her anymore. It’s exhausting…” I move to stand as Perry reaches for my forearm, stopping me before I walk away.
“Don’t give up on her, Coop. I know she loves you. And she made a mistake. But I’ve never seen the two of you happier than when you’ve been together. Don’t let one bad decision ruin that…”
“That’s up to Clara, Perry,” I pull my arm away and walk back to the waiting room, where my dad is sitting in the same chair I left him, his head resting on the wall behind him as he snores in the quiet room.
Reclaiming my seat, I follow suit, closing my eyes and willing my mind to rest while we wait for my niece to make her grand entrance.
“She’s here!” My mom’s shouting wakes me from my slumber, the crook in my neck shooting a pain down my spine as I lift my head from the wall. Glancing down at my watch, I realize I’ve been out for over an hour.
“She’s here?” My dad reacts, emotion clogging his throat. We both stand simultaneously as my mom nods with tears streaming down her face.
“She is and she’s perfect! Seven and a half pounds of beautiful baby girl! She looks just like Kane but has Liv’s lips. She’s being cleaned up right now and then we can go back in in a few minutes. Our first grandbaby is here!” she cries as my dad encompasses her in his arms.
“Congrats, Uncle Cooper,” Perry walks over to us, hugging me and then taking turns doing the same with my parents. “Grandma and Grandpa… those are two new names you’ll both have to get used to.”
“With pleasure. How’d our girl do?” My dad asks, wiping tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.
“She was a pro. Only pushed five times and she was out,” my mom boasts.
“Lucky. I was pushing for an hour with both of mine,” Perry chides.
The four of us continue to converse before the ding of the elevator alerts to the arrival of someone on the floor.
When we turn to look in that direction, my heart rises in my throat, and then plummets to my stomach.
“Hey, Clara,” Perry says, shooting me a side-eye and weak smile before walking over to her and throwing her arm around Clara’s shoulder.
“Hey,” she says, avoiding my face and then greeting my parents.