Parallel (Travelers Series Book 1) Read Online Free

twenty-one. At the very least, he definitely appears more mature than any of the other guys I’ve come across at school.
    “So, do you want some cream or sugar?” He offers.
    “No, I’m good.” The fragrant smell generating from the steaming hot cup tells me I don’t need to sully it with added crap.
    “I’m Cooper.” He grins, flashing a perfect set of teeth. This is a guy who probably never had to wear braces and will never need to spend a dime on tooth whitening strips. His smile is that flawless.
    “Etta.” I extend my hand to shake his. “Thanks for the coffee. Um, I’m actually here with a friend, I just don’t know where she ran off to.” Single girl survival tip 101: always let strange men know you’re not alone. This way they know not to try anything stupid like slipping roofies in your drink. Okay, I know we’re in a coffee shop, but a girl can’t be too careful.
    “If you’re talking about that blonde you came in with, I’m sure she got sidetracked talking to some guy.”
    Great.
No doubt he’s only sucking up to me so I can later introduce him to Jaime. I got so caught up talking with him that I didn’t stop to question why a good looking guy like him would buy a girl like me a cup of coffee.
    “You’re probably right.” This isn’t the first time Jaime’s forsaken me for someone she just met.
    I feel a big tug on my right elbow. Speak of the devil—I turn just in time to see Jaime looking beyond annoyed. “Hey, where’d you run off to? I was looking for you.” Now that I’m talking to Cooper, I wish she’d stayed where she was.
    “What are you doing here?” She hisses.
    At first, I think she’s addressing me, but one look at her face indicates her irritation is aimed directly at Cooper. Does she know him? I’m sure Jaime would have mentioned knowing him. Taking a protective stance, her hand moves from my elbow to my shoulder.
    “It’s a free country, darlin’. I can patronize any establishment I want.” He counters back. Unlike Jaime, he seems to be enjoying this.
    We’ve been sitting for several minutes and this is the first time I notice the drawl in his voice. Perhaps he’s one of those people whose Southernisms come out when they were drunk, provoked, or in this instance, amused.
    “Hey, Jaime, I’m—” I try to break away from her hold, but this only tightens her grasp on my shoulder.
    “Come on Etta, we’re leaving.” Jaime attempts to drag me out of the place. From the look in her eyes, she is hell bent and determined to get me out of here, even if it means dislocating my shoulder. This isn’t good. She must know him or she wouldn’t be acting this way.
    “What? Why? I don’t understand.” Confused, I look over at Cooper. He doesn’t make an effort to move from his seat and watches as Jaime pulls me out of the chair, clearly entertained by the spectacle we are no doubt creating.
    Jaime looks him square in the eye. “You need to go back to wherever it is you came from.”
    “Why don’t we just let Etta decide?” His attention shifts from Jaime over to me. “Etta, do you want to leave or do you want to stay here and talk? Don’t let her bully you into anything.”
    A small crowd begins to gather where the three of us are arguing. Again, this isn’t good. The familiar feeling of my blood pressure rising is never a good sign and I don’t know what’s going to happen if I end up getting upset. Will my temper affect Jaime or Cooper? It’s not like I can control whatever it is I have. I don’t even know how it works. All I know is that any time I get upset or felt threatened, bad things happen. What if I get angry and I inadvertently hurt someone? I’m not willing to take any chances.
    So as not to cause an impending scene, I decide to go along with Jaime and leave. I’m not thrilled with her telling me what to do and I still think she’s taking things a little too seriously, but this Cooper guy must be an ex-boyfriend or they wouldn’t be