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...
"On that note, I'm leaving." She gives his leg a quick tap before taking off towards his door. "Rest up, Cooper. You're going to need it if you want to beat me tomorrow."
"Hey, El," he calls, stopping her in her tracks. She turns around to see his eyes trained on her, an adorable smile on his lips as he says, "I love you."
All words leave her in that moment as she makes her way back to the bed, sitting on the edge and leaning over Cooper to connect her lips to his. He grabs onto the ends of her hair, admiring the way they look between his fingertips before her hand is on his cheek, directing his gaze to hers. "I love you too. But don't think that means I'll take it easy on you tomorrow."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
She leans down, planting one last soft peck to his lips before pulling back and standing from the bed. "Good. Now rest up. Drink lots of water. I need you in tip-top shape for tomorrow."
He flips back over onto his stomach, burying his face into his pillow once more and allowing his eyes to fall shut. Ellie turns off the light, opening the door to leave when Cooper mumbles a quiet, "I'm on it."
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Ellie admires the way she looks in the reflection of the mirror; hot pink tutu, sparkling gold leggings, and hair in pigtails. She was sure this wasn't what Cooper had in mind when he'd hinted at dressing sexy, but here she was anyway.
She gives herself one last look over before grabbing her bag and making her way down the stairs. When her mom spots her in the kitchen, her eyebrows shoot up. She tosses the dish towel over her shoulder, fixing her daughter with an amused stare. "And where are you off to?"
"Cooper's," she says before deciding she should probably explain her odd choice of attire. "I'm putting a pageant on for him."
"A pageant?" Her mother says, her face lighting up with excitement.
Ellie squirms uncomfortably. "It's a one-time thing."
Her mother's face dims. "Oh. Well... have fun."
"Thanks, Mom. I'll see you later tonight." Without waiting for a response, she grabs onto the door handle, eagerly making her way towards her car.
She gets in, turning the car on and backing out of the driveway, ready to begin her journey to Cooper's house. As she continues down the road, she notices the sun shining brightly in the sky, not unordinary for a crisp Spring day in Seattle. Turning up the radio, she welcomes the warmth that the sun provides, a smile gracing her lips.
Her smile fades slightly when she hears her phone's ringtone sound from her bag.
Frustrated with herself for forgetting to silence it, she turns back to the road, ignoring the call. Immediately after it ends, it starts up again. Still, she ignores it, set in her ways about not checking her phone while driving. When the phone rings for the fourth time, she groans, pulling over to the side of the road and reaching for her bag.
