Why are the robes in a hotel room so much better than those at home?
Though they don't always feel better to the touch, and the materials aren't always the best, they're much more fun to wear.
It was all I wore between naked romps with Cooper, abandoning my clothes the moment I stepped into our room until our room service arrived.
It was actually a beautiful room in one of the new boutiques on Collins Lane. Only a two-minute walk from the office, it didn't matter; I was trapped in the city for most of the weekend. It didn't matter; I could still hear the hum of stressed-out office workers or bustling tourists.
I had my own little space with my champion.
And I wasn't letting it go.
"Do you want to go out for dinner?" Cooper pondered as we floated around the spa bath and drank straight from a bottle of Verve.
"I want to take you to a little place down the road here, but there is no way you can get me out of the room any time soon."
I watched him giggle at his assessment, splashing me to make me laugh too.
As I stared at him, watching his eyes observe my every move, I had to know one thing. How long would this moment last? How long should I stay in this bubble? And as much I attempted to keep this thought private, the words slipped from my mouth.
"Coop, how long are you here for?"
He didn't lose his gaze on me. "I'm here for as long as you want me to be. I dropped the title last night."
"You did? Are you serious?"
Dropping the title was a big deal. It meant he was no longer the champion. He was no longer the face either. The one action told it was someone else's turn to take the spotlight.
It was a sacrifice, the biggest one a wrestler could make. It was as good as quitting your job for the person you loved.
"Yeah, I spoke to Chris, and I'm taking a break from GCWW to be here with you. And I have my house down here and the gym I own, so I have a lot of things to keep me right by your side."
He kept his focus on me, his eyes unwavering in his conviction. "Only if you want me to. Only if it's what feels right to you."
Cooper kept doing that to me - checking in. Checking to see how I felt about his decision which impacted me. Decisions, mind you, I had a right to have a say in, but the people in my life, of late, didn't afford me.
"The scary part for me is that it does feel right. I hate saying that because I feel like I'm dragging you away from your life. I don't want to do that. But I want you near me."
"You're not dragging me anywhere. Melbourne is an important place for wrestling, bigger than Surfers Paradise. And your man here hasn't held a title down here for over a decade. I'm due for a win."
Cooper was saying all the right things, making all the right moves with all the right intentions. But for some reason, I couldn't contain the guilt. Was he doing all of this for me?
No man had done anything like this for me before. No man ever moved or adjusted his life to be by my side, let alone so I could pursue my dreams. Was I in the presence of a unicorn, or was this what a real man was?
"So, you have a house and gym here?" He nodded. "Do you think I could train there sometime?"
"You want me to train you?" He started to splash me again. "You want me to tell you what to do, and if you don't, then punish you?" His voice kept teasing as I pretended to defy him.
"Yes, Cooper, punish me! I've been so bad!"
You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.
By the way, this all started when Andie turned thirty-five, and her then-boyfriend didn’t call her.
Or the day after that.
Or the day after that, too.
Everything started to unravel when her BFFs got into bed with her ex, too… ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
Just a moment! 1 Lovelock Drive is a reader-supported publication (I can’t do this without you!). If you love what you read, and want to receive the next instalment and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber!
A little lost on what’s happening at 1 Lovelock Drive?
Well, you see, Andie’s break-up started back in February and so much has happened since then. These stories will help you catch right up! xx