The Space In Between

Chapter Twelve

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. F*ck 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.”