The Space In Between

Chapter Thirteen

I DIDN’T KNOW what I was doing. How did I end up sitting next to Cooper on an airplane to another state? If there was ever a moment to scream the word panda, now would be that time. I knew Roger was going to flip with me missing work, but it seemed Cooper’s wallet would keep Roger quiet as long as needed.
He looked extremely drained as he stared out of the window. I could tell his mind was racing, probably thinking of the worst possible outcome. I knew the look because I had been there all too often.
“What is she like?” I asked. I placed his hand in mine and held on to him tight, letting him know he wasn’t alone.
Cooper turned to me and I watched as his eyes softened from his troubled look. “She’s funny. And artistic. Clever. She bought me this camera.” Cooper looked at the camera around his neck and quickly snapped a photo of me. My lips curved into a smile as he continued. “She also bought me my first camera. She’s the reason I got involved with photography. I remember when she gave it to me, she said...” He paused. He was getting lost in his mind again, but this time with warm memories. I patiently waited for him to share with me.
“She said that an okay photographer could capture a surrounding. A good photographer could capture an expression. And a great photographer—a great photographer could change someone’s destiny for the best. And she leaned in and kissed my forehead and said ‘Son, what are you waiting for? Go save some lives. You are destined to be great.’”
“She was right.”
He shook his head in disagreement. “I photograph weddings and had a reality television show. I sold out my greatness for money.”
“If you could do anything, what would you photograph?”
“Children.” I saw a spark in his eyes as he said this. “I want to work on this one project where I photograph children’s expressions next to the elderly. You would be shocked by how much emotions don’t change throughout life. Happiness is the same in the eyes of a one-year-old and a one-hundred-year-old. It’s a beautiful thing.” I could hear it in his voice—his passion. It was like he wasn’t even speaking to me—he was feeling what he loved.
He went on to tell me how interested he was in human beings as a whole. How complex we were as a species, how much darkness and light lies in each of us. “So if I could showcase any of my work to the public, it would be that. I would showcase us.” He paused and wiggled his nose. “Well not ‘us,’ you and me, but you know. ‘Us’ as a universal whole.” He rested his head against his seat and tucked a piece of hair that had fallen before my eyes behind my ear. “Although I would love to photograph us, too.”
“I think it’s brilliant. You should do it. And for the record, just because you went through a period of time where things were rocky doesn’t mean you still aren’t destined for greatness.”
His crooked smile appeared as he nudged my shoulder. “Ditto.” He lifted the armrest separating us and stared at me. I knew what he was wondering, and it made me smile because I could tell without him even asking.
“A studio. I wanted to open a dance studio.”
“Wanted to?”
I grinned as he ran his fingers through my short hair. “I want to open a studio. My mom says it’s unrealistic and I should really think about going back to school for a more career-focused major. That’s just Mom though. She worries. Daddy says I inspire him to dream big. He’s my biggest fan.” I chuckled to myself, thinking about how heavy-footed Daddy was. “He even took dancing classes for my…” I stopped. My wedding.
Cooper could tell what I was going to say and he rubbed the back of my neck. His eyes told me that he was fully invested in our conversation. He listened without judgment of any kind. I wiggled in my seat, feeling a bit uncomfortable with how relaxed I was becoming around Cooper. But I couldn’t help it. He made it so easy to not be…sad.
“I would love to see you dance.”
“I would love to see your photography. Do you really believe what your mom said about a great photographer? That they could change someone’s destiny?” I asked.
“Definitely.”
I laughed a little. “Maybe you should take my photo.” I yawned and thought of the lack of sleep from the night before. Cooper lightly tugged me closer. I effortlessly curved into his body and rested my head on his shoulder. “Maybe we should change the rules a bit,” I suggested. I bit my bottom lip, unsure of what he would say. All I knew was I liked learning more about who he was. And I liked having someone I could speak to who wasn’t from my small town who knew everything about Derrick and me.
“What are you thinking?”
As he studied my face, I studied his. His perfectly chiseled jaw line made me melt every time I looked his way. “Maybe we should be friends.” It was as if I could feel his grin as he kissed the top of my head.
“I would love to be your friend, Andrea Evans.” He paused and I watched him travel into the depths of his mind, stroking his fingers up and down my arm. “You know what else my mom said when she first gave me my camera?” He asked. I waited for his reply and listened closely as he continued, “She told me the first picture I should take should be of something beautiful and I should allow it to change me.”
“What did you take a picture of?”
His eyes shifted to the window. He stared out into the clouds and his voice softened, “You.”