Cooplee Fic: First Date 1/2

[jyl22075]

Yay my fist ficlet for my prompt table. This is for the prompt First for the table @ 10_dates 

Ashlee glanced through the window and spotted Coop sitting at the big booth in the back, papers spread out in front of him. She took a deep breath, pushed her hair back over her shoulders and walked in to Company. She had come here with the purpose of finding him, but now she was feeling a bit nervous. They hadn't talked much since she'd found out about Beth. That had been the crappiest day ever. All she remembered feeling was stunned and then upset, absurdly so considering she had broken up with Coop months ago. Somewhere deep down she had just assumed they would end up back together because that's where they were meant to be, with each other.

 

She kept that in mind as she slid in to the booth across from Coop. He glanced up and a look of surprise crossed his face. “Sorry to hear about you and Beth.” Ashlee lied. The truth was that when Daisy had mentioned that Beth had ended things with Coop, Ashlee had felt like dancing.

 

Coop lifted an eyebrow at her. “Really?” Disbelief was evident in his tone.

 

Unable to lie to him, Ash gave him an apologetic smile. “Well, no, not really... but I am sorry that you're hurting.” She was able to say this with complete sincerity.

 

The right side of his mouth quirked up in a half smile. “Thanks, but I'm fine... really.” He glanced down at the papers in front of him before mumbling, “I'm just wondering what it is about me that makes women dump me.”

 

His words hit Ashlee like a punch to the gut. She sucked in a breath without realizing. “Coop...” She began, not quite sure whether he was attempting humor or if he really felt that way.

 

He held up a hand to stop her words and gave her a sheepish grin. “That wasn't exactly what I meant to say.”

 

“Ah.” Ashlee responded, regaining some of her footing in this conversation. “So, can I crash this pity party or is it invitation only?”

 

Coop's eyes met hers for a moment before glancing away, but Ashlee knew she saw a flicker of amusement in those blue-green depths. “This is NOT a pity party.”

 

“Come on, Coop Cooper, I know a pity party when I see one.”

 

“I'm just grading papers!” He said in an attempt to distract her. Ashlee, of course, was not easily distracted.

 

She leaned toward him a bit and glanced at the papers. There wasn't a mark on them. “Well, either your students are all geniuses or you are a liar.”

 

He glanced down at the papers and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. “So... maybe I'm not getting much done.” He conceded finally.

 

“You know what you need?” He arched an eyebrow at her in question. “You need to get out of here and do something that will take your mind off of all the crap going on.” She stood up and tugged at his arm. “Come on, we are going to the movies, my treat.” Coop hesitated for a split second then began packing up all of his things.

 

“I hope you realize you are buying popcorn too.” Coop said as he followed her out of Company. Ashlee didn't respond she just let out a laugh. This was the first step in getting herself and Coop back to where they belonged... together. Whether Coop realized it or not, this was more than a friendly movie, it was a date. Their first date.... sort of.