When former beauty pageant queen, Ellie Wilde, hears of her grandmother's sickness, she's the first to offer to drive her to her chemotherapy. What she didn't know she was agreeing to was an obnoxiously cheerful blond boy somehow nudging his way int...
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The lobby is cold but Ellie can't find it in herself to care. Her hands shake with anticipation as she waits, seated in yet another scratchy chair in the same godforsaken hospital. She hadn't even noticed that Cooper left until she sees him making his way towards her with a coffee in his hand.
He exhales loudly as he plants himself in the seat next to hers. She can feel his eyes trained on the side of her head but she continues looking forward. When she hears a loud gulp from his direction, she considers breaking her stare from the slightly off-white spot on the stark-white wall, but she doesn't.
She considers moving again when Cooper's hand shoots out in front of her, holding a freshly made coffee out for her to take. But still, she stays put. Her mind just as frozen as her body.
He finally drops his arm and relinquishes a sigh. "I got this for you. Thought you could use a pick-me-up."
She doesn't say anything, much to his dismay. She knows that if she were to look at his face right now, it would be dancing with worry and uncertainty—probably unsure how to handle her when she's like this. He's never really seen her shut down before.
He tries a short chuckle and even through her sadness, she feels her heart warm slightly at the sound. "I think my theory about hospital coffee grows stronger and stronger with each sip. I don't know how you do it."
He sighs again when she doesn't answer. She doesn't know what to say. It's not that she wants to sit here silently, ignoring his attempts at cheering her up. But she doesn't have anything to say. Her mind is void of all thoughts. All thoughts besides her grandmother.
When his hand shoots out and encloses around hers, she finally flinches. Glancing away from the spot on the wall to observe the way his hand sits loosely on top of her own. When she looks to him for an explanation, he merely smiles—a comforting smile that relaxes her shoulders and eases her thoughts.
"You're going to be all right, Ellie," he says softly, giving her hand a quick squeeze for reassurance.
She still can't seem to form any words, so instead she continues staring at him, hoping her eyes can convey what her mouth cannot.
"Miss Wilde," a nurse says, causing Ellie to spring up from her seat in a hurry. "You can see her now."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Cooper asks shyly, ducking his head as he grabs the coffee from the table next to him.
She stares back at him briefly, contemplating whether or not she really wants to have him here with her during this intimate moment with her family. Before she can overthink it, she's nodding her head and wrapping a hand around his as she leads him back to see her grandma.
Realization hits halfway to the room that their hands are still entwined. Ellie makes a move to drop her hand from his but Cooper's grip tightens, stopping her. He's quick to clear his throat and loosen his grip, but this time, Ellie's hand tightens around his.
