Page 59 of Out for the Night

“Let’s play it by ear.” Matty gave him a sincere look, even though his mind was deep in computerland. “Coop.”

Matty placed a hand on his tapping foot.

“Right.” Coop made his foot go still. He got up and walked to the exit. “I’ll let you get back to it.”

“I’m sorry, Coop. Three weeks. That’s all I need.”

Matty ran to him and threw his arms around his neck. He kissed him like he was same old Matty, like nothing had changed in this past week.

Coop rested his forehead against Matty’s. He ran his fingers through the back of Matty’s hair. He wanted Matty to kick ass at this contest. He was just used to seeing Matty more frequently, and it was being yanked away without warning. “Three weeks. I’ll just consider it a Lent extension.”

“Don’t be that drastic!”

“I can hold out. It’ll only make me want you more.”

“Thanks for understanding.” Matty pressed his palm over Coop’s heart. “Maybe tomorrow night we can hang out.”

Tomorrow night. The beach party.

“I have plans. With Rafe.” Coop hated lying, but telling Matty all about his business might lead to more questions he didn’t want to answer. Plus, a part of him was upset with Matty for locking himself up in this lab, and he didn’t feel like sharing. It was stupid and selfish, but Coop was acting in the moment.

“Three weeks,” Matty said.

“Three weeks,” Coop replied.

* * *

In the morning, he was going to text Matty, but didn’t bother. The ball was in Matty’s court. If he wanted to take a break from roboting, he could contact Coop. He went to the gym for an early morning workout. That usually cleared his head.

At the gym, Coop warmed up with a jog around the indoor track. Bright sun beamed through the windows. He thought about he used to get winded so easily in high school. He was skinny and slow, a horrible combination.But not anymore.When he got off the track, he checked himself out in the mirror by the water fountains.Not any-freaking-more.

“Looking good.” Kelvin waited behind him. He barely had any sweat on him, and he wore a Ralph Lauren sweatband around his head like he came from a tennis match at a country club in 1988.

“Don’t tell me you followed me here.” Coop took a sip of water.

“No. This is quite serendipitous. I’ve been planning on reaching out to you, and then I run into you when I’m going to my morning yoga class.”

“Why are you reaching out to me? I told you I’m done.” Coop entered the weight room.

“Hear me out.” Kelvin stood next to him while he did bicep curls. “I have a proposition for you.”

“What? You have your curve.”

“And now I want the research slot.” Kelvin had a face of determination.

“But you were barely passing the class before.”

“So was everyone else. Now the game has changed. The lab position is available to anyone who wins the competition.”

Coop thought of Matty. He wondered what time he got home from the lab.

“I can’t build your algorithm thing for you.”

“But you can keep distracting your boyfriend.”

Coop hated how he said boyfriend, like Matty was just another settlement or road that could be thwarted on a Settlers of Catan board. The comment burned through his skin.

“I don’t do that anymore. We are no longer doing business together,” Coop said firmly.