Beneath the Country Sky

Chapter 10: Between Grief and Anger

Days blurred together for Cooper as he tried to settle back into his routine. The farm work kept him busy, and for that, he was grateful. Every time he focused on fixing the trellises or tending to the crops, it offered a brief escape from the gnawing ache that lingered in his chest. But no matter how hard he worked or how many hours he spent in the fields, one thought remained constant-Isabel.

He hadn't visited her in over a week, and he hadn't even driven by the school where she taught, though the temptation gnawed at him constantly. He knew better than to let himself slip into that spiral, watching her from a distance like he had before. It would only make things worse.

He kept replaying their last conversation in his mind, trying to decipher where it all went wrong. They'd been together since college-shared so many memories, weathered so many storms. How had things unraveled so quickly? He loved her. He loved her more than anything. But the distance between them had grown like a chasm, and every time he thought about confronting her, about hearing the truth straight from her lips, fear gripped him.

What if she didn't love him anymore? What if Chris had become more than just a passing reunion with an ex? The idea was almost unbearable, and it froze him in place, preventing him from taking any action. It was easier to avoid it, to keep pretending that maybe they just needed space. That maybe, in time, things would go back to normal.

But deep down, Cooper knew things weren't normal. Not anymore.

Scarlette noticed the change in him. Though he wasn't as outwardly broken as he had been the morning he got drunk under the mango tree, there was a lingering sadness in his eyes that hadn't been there before. He worked in silence more often, spoke less, and his sarcasm-the usual edge in his humor-was dulled.

"Cooper," Scarlette called out one afternoon as they loaded crates of bananas into the truck. The sun was high in the sky, casting long shadows across the plantation. "You've been quiet lately. You okay?"

Cooper paused, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He glanced at her, giving a faint smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Scarlette raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Look, I get it. Things are tough. But shutting yourself off isn't going to help."

He sighed, leaning against the side of the truck. "It's just... Isabel. I can't stop thinking about her. I want to talk to her, I want to fix this, but... I'm scared of what she's going to say. What if she's done with me? What if Chris is back in her life for real?"

Scarlette frowned, feeling a pang of empathy for him. "You don't know that for sure. Maybe you should talk to her, hear what she has to say. Avoiding it is just going to make it worse."

Cooper shook his head, the tension in his jaw tightening. "I can't... I can't handle it if she says it's over. We've been through so much together, and the thought of it just ending... I don't know what I'd do."

Scarlette stepped closer, her voice softening. "I get that you're scared, but you're torturing yourself by staying in limbo like this. At least if you talk to her, you'll know the truth. And whatever happens, you'll get through it. You're stronger than you think."

He looked at her then, really looked at her, and for a moment, he saw something in her expression-an understanding, a kindness that made him feel less alone. Scarlette had been through her own hell, and yet here she was, standing tall, encouraging him to face his fears.