Kisses of Fire (boyxboy)

Chapter 32 - Thanksgiving

In New York, Cooper felt happy. There was hardly ever sun, so it never got too hot, and he didn't mind the rain, snow, and cold. He was always willing to put up with anything his grandmother and family just to go to New York.

His grandmother lived in a small town about 45 minutes away called Scarsdale; It's considered to be one of the richest towns, which was fitting for her. She used to be a fairly successful fashion designer back when his mom was growing up, but sort of retired and went on to own a store, and his grandfather was a physician until his death years ago. His mom didn't like to say it, but they were rich; she grew up with money but never acted like it, thanks to her father.

Once his grandfather passed, his grandmother started seeing a man named Richard a couple of years later. They weren't married, but they did live together.

"How does it feel to be back in New York, Cooper?" Richard asked as they walked across the street to get to their next destination. He was pretty tall and had a full head of salt and pepper hair, more grey than black. He was in pretty great shape for his age, which is understandable, seeing how he and his grandmother met while working out.

Cooper liked Richard; he was always amiable and understood the bond Cooper and his grandfather had, so he never overstepped. "It's great; I missed it." He smiled.

His parents were behind them talking about who knows what when Richard playfully elbowed Cooper. "How's school going? Got a girlfriend yet?"

He awkwardly let out a laugh. "Heh, yeah, actually. She's pretty cool." He suddenly started coughing, only stopping when someone accidentally bumped into him.

"That's good. Young love, eh." He said, elbowing Cooper again. "Just don't become a heartbreaker."

Cooper just smiled and kept walking.

.

When they got back home after their long day, he noticed a couple more cars in the driveway. His grandmother had been taking care of business, so they hadn't seen her when they first landed two days ago. She was there now and went up to hug him.

"Cooper! How are you?" She pulled away and looked at him up a down, "You've gained some weight."

His mom came up behind him and started to take off her jacket and gloves. "Mom, he's perfectly healthy."

Squeezing his arms and tucking a piece of hair behind his ear, his grandmother looked at him while speaking to his mother. "Well, I hope that's just muscle, Lilly make sure he's on a healthy diet and get this boy a haircut, for god sakes." He was supposed to get one the other day to avoid this, but they had run out of time.

"Yes, mother." His mom said in a bored voice, walking to the kitchen.

His grandmother then looked at his dad and did nothing but nod, "John." She said curtly.

"Linda." He copied her actions.

Turning her attention back to Cooper, she put an arm around him and walked him over to the couch, sitting down, "Now, I know it was your birthday last week, so Happy Birthday." Cooper lightly smiled and thanked her before she continued. "I had no idea what to get you, so instead of getting you an actual gift, I put money in your college fund." She'd been doing that since he was born; he's pretty sure there's enough to cover all four years.

"Just kidding, you didn't think I'd only put money in your fund; of course I got you a gift." She handed him the small box, and he took it, unwrapping it.

Eyes wide, he smiled at her. "Oh, wow. Thank you so much." They were the AirPods he'd wanted for the past year.

She gave him another squeeze before getting up and going to the kitchen. His dad sat with him, and they looked at the AirPods until his aunt Krystal came in, holding her baby. "Hi, Cooper! It's been so long. You've grown so much since I last saw you."