Theo

Confusion fills my spirit, and I get into the habit of gulping. "I thought you-"

"You thought I what?" She looks uninterested, which goes against everything I just heard her say. There is only one way I can find out what's really going on, I say to myself. "Where's Cooper?" I ask her. Although I hated seeing her cry, I can't help but wish she falls into the deep tears she was in before, and tells me all over again his jerkish movements.

"He's gone to take his sisters to dinner." I feel a magnificent drop in my heartbeat rate.

"So you two are-you're still together?"

"Why wouldn't we be? Dinner's ready."

"I'm not hungry."

"Tell my mother that." Just like clockwork, Eliza's mother suddenly appears up the stairs, and finds her way in front of me and next to Eliza.

"Dinner's ready," she voices dully.

"I'm not hungry," I repeat.

"Eliza, go downstairs and start serving yourself," Rosanne orders, causing a look of concern and curiosity to waver across her daughter's face, but she doesn't act on it, and instead nods slightly and walks away.

Rosanne turns to make sure she is out of sight, before she opens her mouth to speak to me. "Would you like to repeat what you just said to me?"

"I'm not hungry," I affirm.

"Who would have thought? Now let me say something to you. I don't care if you're hungry or not; I made food for the three of us, so you will come downstairs, and you will eat."

"I'll only waste it. I'm not hungry," I repeat again, hoping this time she will get the message.

"Well, how about this then," she begins. "Eat my food, or get out of my house."

I stare at her, and notice the seriousness on her face. She means it, and in this moment, a part of me so desperately wants me to just leave. And never turn back. But I can't. It's like she knows that.

I walk past her, and down the stairs, where I hear her footsteps behind me. I take a seat opposite Eliza in the kitchen, who is too indulged in her food to notice the longing look I direct towards her for a moment. I snap out of it once Rosanne takes a seat to the side of us, and hands me a plate with chicken salad on it. I can't help but look at her some more, as my appetite falters even more every second that passes by. But, I take a deep breath and after piercing the fork a little too hard into the chicken, I place it into my mouth and hope to myself that I don't end up throwing up.

The next morning, I internally celebrate at hearing Rosanne call out to Eliza that she is leaving for work. After a few minutes to ensure that the coast is clear, I make my way downstairs to grab a bottle of water. I am not prepared to see Eliza, but her slim figure takes up my vision as she sits on the kitchen counter, a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her. She turns around and after noticing me, she returns back to her food.

"Want some egg?"

"No."

"Good, 'cause I wasn't going to make it for you anyway."

"Then why did you ask?"

"Because you're a jerk," she says, the exact same moment the doorbell rings. She stands up and looks directly into my eyes before she walks over to the door, and I know it can't just be me who feels like I'm taken into another universe when I look into her eyes.

Her and Cooper walk into the kitchen, and the insatiable urge to punch him that intensified in my now confirmed dream returns.

"Theo," he addresses me.

"Cooper." Before I have the chance to finish off saying his name, him and Eliza are indulged in a sickening kiss that makes my insides turn. I feel an overwhelming sense of jealousy that nothing can get rid of, which leads to me saying the next words that come out of my mouth.

"Hey, um, Cooper." He turns to me. "Remember when you were offering to help me find a girl? Yeah, you're right. I need one."

My eyes pick up on both the emotions written on the lovebirds' faces. A smile spreads across Cooper's face, but anger is the only thing written on Eliza's face. But why would she be angry? It's not me she wants.

"Yes sir," Cooper raises his voice excitedly. "I'm glad you finally came to your senses. I can take you out tonight."

"Don't be stupid Coop, where would you even go?" Eliza spouts out with the most sour voice.

"Don't be silly yourself, Lize. To a bar, of course."

"Are you being serious right now? A bar?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"So all these drunk girls can be drooling over you and touching you? What's not wrong with it?"

"Well, obviously I'm not going to do anything with anyone, Eliza. Don't you trust me?"

My stomach begins to churn again, at hearing Eliza's jealousy towards Cooper going to a bar. A part of me hopes he does do something with a girl there, so I can report back to Eliza and see the end of this relationship finally.

"Of course I trust you, but with a catch like you, girls are obviously going to want you." Yawn.

"Well, I don't want them. The only girl I want is you." They kiss again, and my annoyance rises up to my brain and leads to me attempting to walk out of the room.

"Wait!" Cooper shouts. "So, I'll come pick you up at six yeah?"

I nod.

"And um, do you want me to find you something of mine to wear? Sweatpants aren't allowed." A patronising tone is hinted in his voice, but my desperation to get somebody to take away this burning feeling I have everyday is too strong to even care.

"Sure," I say. "Thanks.

"No problem." I proceed to the stairs, where I walk slowly, and hear a new conversation by Cooper and Eliza.

"Why did you even come, Coop?"

"Well, I did want to take you for breakfast before I go see my aunt and uncle later, but it seems like you've already got that covered. Why are you even angry?"

"I'm not angry, I just wanted to spend the night with you."

"Tomorrow night babe, I promise." Their voices fade out as I reach the top of the stairs, and slam the door shut heavily once I reach the room.

Eliza

I twist the key in the lock and force the front door shut behind me. No sound comes from the lower part of the house, and I can only assume the upper part is the same. I arrive into the kitchen, where I retrieve a yogurt from the fridge, and take a seat on the kitchen counter. On my third spoonful, I hear footsteps coming down the stairs, and brace myself for whatever encounter is about to occur with Theo, but to my surprise I see my boyfriend walking into the kitchen.

"Hey babe, where have you been?"

"I was with Olivia. What are you doing here?"

"Is this you trying to forget that I'm taking Theo out tonight? To the bar."

"Of course I didn't forget, I just meant what are you doing here right now. Isn't it still-" I tap the home button on my phone and my eyes widen once I see the numbers 6:12. "Oh. So where is he anyway?"

"Cooper number two? He's upstairs, he's putting on the clothes I brought him."

"Wow, he really is going to be Cooper number two now, isn't he?" I rhetorically ask, but it is not a good thing.

"Who could ever complain with two of us?" Me, I think to myself. At that, another set of footsteps sound down the stairs. I try my hardest to repel against looking at Theo, but I am not prepared for the shock my eyes receive when he walks beside me to join Cooper. He is decked out in a black hooded sweater, covered by a black leather jacket - one that I've seen Cooper wear a few times. Underneath that, he is wearing mildly baggy black jeans, and the outfit is topped off with a pair of black Nikes - shoes that I haven't seen Cooper wear before. My heart drops as I admire his newly shaved face that makes his skin look so clear and soft, and it takes a lot in me to fight the urge to not touch it. His eyes shine more than I've ever seen anyone's eyes shine, and they prick straight into mine, causing me to look away.

"What do you think?" Cooper smiles.

I turn my glaze to him, and smile slightly. "Well, you've always had great taste."

"That's why I'm with you," he teases. I notice Theo shift as if he is uncomfortable, but I don't get my hopes up thinking of the slight chance that he is jealous. He's had so much time and opportunities to tell me if he likes me, and he hasn't taken any of them, which of course would lead me to conclude that he feels nothing for me. In fact, maybe it's a good thing that he's going 'looking for a girl', because then that will completely dismiss anything ever happening between us. I need that dismissal.

"Alright, well we better go," Cooper says.

"Do you want my key?" I ask Theo, but instead of waiting for his response, I fish for my keys in my bag and throw it at him. He catches it by his chest, and throws another stabbing look at me, before walking to the front door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, babe." Cooper leans forward to kiss me, and I attempt to put passion into my kiss, but something at the back of my mind is keeping my feelings at a pessimistic level.

"Don't talk to any girls," I order.

"Don't miss me too much." He walks away too, leaving me seated on the kitchen counter, with a major drive to punch something. I think of all the possibilities that could occur tonight, but somehow they all involve Theo, and not Cooper. Even when I think about Cooper flirting with another girl, I am left with blank emotions, whereas when I think of Theo with another girl, I feel as if I have enough anger in me to take on an elephant. What if he meets a girl? What if he kisses a girl? What if he brings a girl home? Actually, no. I know he won't do that because he hasn't received consent from my mother, and I highly doubt he will go to the trouble of asking her, which makes me feel slightly better.

Theo

Cooper and I take our seats on the leather plushy seats of the bar, as Cooper spuds one of the bartenders making a drink.

"Where you been, bro?" The bartender asks him.

"I've been in college, man. I go Massachussetts, remember I told you a couple months before I left?"

"Oh yeah, right man. How's it going though?"

"Yeah, it's whatever, man. But I'm not here to talk about that today. My man's on the look out," he says to the bartender as he taps me on my arm and points at a tall, slender beautiful blonde, dressed in a past the knee black dress, and walking down from behind us, waving around a shoe. She touches Cooper's leg, and he points her to my direction, leading her to touch my chin and rub up and down my chest. I should be turned on right now, I think to myself. I should be relishing at the prospect of having a beautiful young woman paying me attention but all I can think about when her eyes are puncturing into mine is, they're not hers. They're not Eliza's. She obviously seems to get the message that I'm not into it as she breathes a heavy sigh, and continues walking in the direction she planned to before.

"Man, what the hell was that?"

"I don't know," I lie. "I wasn't really feeling it."

Cooper shakes his head, and turns back to the bartender. "Anyway, Carl, can I have my usual, and... What's your drink me number two?"

"Um, I'll have a vodka, please. And did you just call me you?"

"Yeah, cause you look exactly like me." He laughs, and I feel to throw his drink all over myself, so I have an excuse to take the clothes he gave me off of me. I don't want to be anybody's number two, or replica, certainly not this hair greased loser. I down the vodka I've just been given in one, causing the reaction of a "whoa bro" from Cooper, and a disdaining look from the bartender.

"Oh look, more ladies are coming your way," Cooper sings, as we both eye two brunettes waking in our direction with beckoning smiles.

I roll my eyes at the thought of me having to pretend to be attracted to them so he doesn't get suspicious, and it proves even difficult when one of the girls falls on me as she mumbles a crusade of non-existent words.

"You're drunk," I groan at the girl, as I try to pull her off me, but her hands remain too firm on my hair. I look over to Cooper to see if by some heavenly chance, he is flirting with the other girl, but to my disappointment I notice similar smiles shared between her and the bartender.

"Do you need some help, man?" Cooper laughs, then he turns to the friend next to him. "Hey, Becky right? I think you need to take your friend home. She's too drunk right now. Here," he says reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wallet. "Money for the cab fare, get home safely." The girl smiles and takes the money from his hand, then proceeds to pulling her friend off me, with my help. I see her throw one more flirty smile at the bartender who winks at her, before she walks off.

Just as I breathe a sigh of relief, like clockwork and as if somebody is playing a game with me because they know my inner desire, I turn to my right to see another girl sit on the stool next to me. "Hi," she says, in a sweet voice.

I feel Cooper nudge me, and feel compelled to build something with this girl, but my yearn for what I can't have outweighs the opportunity for what I can have. How are you?" She asks.

"Great, and yourself?"

"I've never seen you here before," she replies, completely disregarding my question to her.

"I've never been her before," I state dully.

"Are you single?"

I take a pause, before downing the remainder of my drink. "Yep."

"What a coincidence, so am I," she laughs. "So maybe we should-"

"Look," I burst out, my patience wearing thin. "You're a nice girl and everything, well from what I've seen and heard so far. Truly, you're beautiful and sweet, but I'm just not really into this right now, okay?"

She looks slightly dejected, but quickly nods and rises from the seat, murmuring "fine" in her sweet voice, before striding away.

"Okay, now seriously what the hell was that?" Cooper questions. "You literally just had a beautiful girl eating out of the palm of your hand."

"You have her then," I respond distastefully.

"I'm going to pee real quick, and you're giving me a headache," he says to me, before standing up and messily trying to walk. He seems a little drunk, but I am too tired of him to refuse this opportunity of having a few minutes away from him. When he is gone, I turn back to the bartender and place my empty glass in front of him. "Another one please." He eyes me warily before taking the cup.

"You're in love with someone aren't you?" He finally spouts out.

"What?"

"You're rejecting every girl that comes near you despite you thinking they're beautiful, you're downing vodka like you're gaining an instant pass to Heaven from it... You're in love aren't you?"