Neither of us said a word as we headed to Cooper's car. Stepping out of the building, a wave of cold slammed into me. It sent shivers down my spine, and I stopped.

"Hey, it’s okay. I’m sure everything was fine. Aster wouldn’t do anything too risky, I promise. You’re shaking; here, let’s get you in the car.” Cooper ushered me over and opened the door.

"There's something watching us.” I stared at the building through the windshield as uneasiness swelled in my stomach. “We should go.”

"You don’t have to tell me twice. Tonight made my top ten weirdest moments list.” Cooper chuckled as he closed his door and started the engine. “Let’s erase this whole mess out of our heads and I have just the spot! What do ya say?”

"Oh captain, my captain,” I nodded with a slight grin.

Cooper stared at me in disbelief as the corner of his mouth twitched into a prideful smile. “Holy shit! You actually watched another movie I suggested! It’s about damn time! What did you think? So much better than the shit Rach watches, isn’t it?”

"Interesting, but half of the references to authors and old poets were over my head. I had to browse Wikipedia for over half of the movie to understand what they said. But it was very entertaining.”

"Ha, yeah. I didn't consider that, so probably not the best suggestion, but I'm glad you listened and gave it a shot. Next time, tell me and I’ll watch it with you and explain anything you need. I still can’t believe you watched it, though. I feel like a proud papa watching his baby take her first steps.”

Cooper wiped a fake tear from his cheek and pouted his bottom lip, trying to hide a sly grin.

"Oh, please, you’d be more like the creepy uncle staring from the corner.” I punched him on the arm. “Besides, it’s not like I haven’t watched some of your suggestions before. It was you who got me to watch the weird movie about the haunted house. I still can’t fathom the idea of a house being a machine and a prison for ghosts.”

"Yeah, that one’s a classic!” he said as he drove.

"Where are we going, anyway?"

"Don't you worry about it. A little place I go to sometimes when I need to decompress and think. It’s the best place for it, especially at night.”

I tried to guess the location in my head, but nothing rang a bell. Cooper had never mentioned his "spot" before, so the events of the night must have rattled him more than he let on. They had scared me shitless, and I felt them, so I can only imagine what seeing it would have been like.

Putting the thoughts behind me, I sank further into my seat and tried to enjoy the ride. The unease was still hard to shake, but I trusted him.

I must have dozed off for a short while because the next thing I knew was being nudged awake by Cooper, who was squatting by my open door.

“Wake up, sleepyhead. We’re here.”

The air had cooled since we had left Aster's, and it caught my senses first. As I breathed it all in, I scanned my surroundings. My face scrunched into a puzzled grin.

“This is your thinking place? A playground..." My eyes darted from Cooper to the seesaw, then to the swing set and back again.

“Have you ever heard the expression 'don't judge a book by its cover' or the one 'there's more to it than meets the eye'? Just wait. Come with me.” Cooper smiled and grabbed my hand, leading me down the pathway to the children’s play area. We stopped at a merry-go-round. "Lie down," he said, pointing to the section in front of us.

“Seriously?”

“Please lie down. Trust me. On your back."

“And you disagree with me on how you wouldn’t be the creepy uncle?” I scoffed.

Our eyes remained locked as I lay down in the small triangular section per his instructions.

"Okay, I’m here; what am I supposed to be doing…” my voice trailed off as I glanced up. "Whoa, oh my gods! Coop, this is amazing.”

“Right? There are no words. This is one of the few places far enough from city lights to see something like this, especially on a clear night.”

I stared at the bright sky full of stars and light. You could see the Milky Way in all its glory, and it appeared to be moving, or rather, I was moving. I dropped my gaze to Cooper, who was spinning the merry-go-round ever so slowly, watching me.

“It’s awesome, isn’t it?” he asked.

I nodded. “I can see why this is your thinking spot. Everything stands still here; it’s so quiet and serene.”

Cooper slowed the merry-go-round before lying in the section across from me, his head touching mine. He kept it spinning with one foot nudging the ground every few moments.

“Yeah, don’t tell anyone. It’s my secret spot. I come here when things get chaotic to remember the bigger picture—that I’m only a small part of this vast world and there’s beauty all around me.”

“Careful, Coop, people might think you’re actually human and somewhat charming.”

“I mean it, Savi, not a soul.”

“Why did you bring me here, then?”

“Honestly, after what happened tonight and the look on your face, I felt like you could use it. And with the way things have been going lately, I'm worried about you. You don’t even realize how much what happened last year affected us all, especially Rach. She’s super worried about you too.” Coop stopped our spinning and took a deep breath.

I tried to hide the falter in my voice as the memories of last year flooded back. “There’s nothing to worry about; I’m fine.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Savi, you were in a coma for four weeks. That’s not something we want to repeat. So you would tell me if you felt like you were getting bad again, wouldn’t you?” He leaned on his shoulder to stare down at my face to show how serious he was.

“I don’t know what led to it. The doctors call it a mental breakdown, but I didn’t see it coming. How can you break when you’re unaware it’s happening? It wasn’t easy for me either. When I first woke up, I felt as I had the night of the bridge.”

Cooper shifted to his back as he listened, and we started to spin slowly again.

“Then my body just slipped into a coma for no apparent reason, and it terrified me. I still don’t fully understand what happened. I heard your voice in the coma, Rachel’s too, but also other things I can’t explain. I don’t care what the doctors speculate; I’m not schizophrenic. I’ve researched it enough to understand it doesn’t fit. I feel it deep down—it’s not right.” I paused, willing the tears to regress back into my eyes. “Besides, I’ve never heard voices outside of what happened. It doesn’t make sense.”

“I know, I bet it was scary for you. We didn’t know what to do, or how to react. We saw your change over the weeks leading up to it. You pulled away and spent way more time alone after every therapy session. We assumed it was part of your recovery process.”

“Change? What do you mean?” I asked, trying to get more information. This was the first time we had spoken so openly about what had happened.

“I don’t know, Savi, you just weren’t your usual self. You were more agitated, forgetful, and kind of depressed-acting. Schiz or not, whatever it was, it was far from normal. Like I said, I assumed it was therapy and had something to do with the night I found you. I know I’ll never forget that night.”

“I’ll never forget it either. Trust me, that’s not something you forget.” I chuckled, trying to hold back my real feelings about it. "You're the one who gave me my name anyway, so how could you forget?"

“I know. I still swear on my life you said 'Savi', not 'save me', when you fell into me and I'm sticking to it. By the way, have you thought more about your permanent name once you get your papers soon? You’ve only got five weeks left!”

“I’ll likely keep it Savi Morgan. It’s grown on me, and the Morgan Street bridge will always have a special, albeit awkward, place in my heart. I’m content with this decision. I still want to know who I am, where I’m from, and how I ended up on the bridge, but it feels like I’m getting nowhere. Dr. Barnes keeps saying it’s time to move on and accept this as my new normal, and that I might never find those answers. Maybe he’s right.”

I sighed as I sat up and crossed my legs. “I guess I’m not worth searching for, and since no one is looking, maybe I should give up too.” I choked back tears and stared at the ground.

"Oh, Savi, never. You listen to me right here, right now. You are worth more than you could ever know. You are so kind and beautiful and full of such life. You amaze me every day.” Cooper sat up and touched my face to make me look at him. "I’m so lucky to have you in my life and I don’t even want to think of what it would be like had we not met. You’re amazing, Savi, someone truly extraordinary. Anyone who doesn’t believe that is a damned fool if you ask me, and you’re better off without them.”

I stared into his eyes. For the first time, I felt as though I saw the true Cooper. Not the goofball weirdo he’s always acting like, but the loving, caring, thoughtful Cooper. For a moment, I was drawn to him. Attracted to him in a way I couldn’t explain. He must have felt something too and cleared his throat as he pulled away. He shifted onto his back and peered at the night sky.

“I mean, it’s not every day someone gets to meet a naked woman covered in blood, with no memories on a dark and stormy night. It kinda sticks with you and makes you curious, ya know?”

Cooper snickered, trying to laugh off the situation. I'm sure he could sense the emotions swelling inside me from the unsteady breaths I muffled.

I'm certain he felt the same after letting his true self show. “It’s getting pretty late here; we should head back," I said.

“Yeah, I'm starving! I don’t know about you, but I've worked up quite an appetite. We’ve got some frozen pizzas at home. How about we head back, ponder how Rachel’s date is going, and veg out with some pizza and a movie?”

Cooper jumped up, dusted off his jeans, and held out his hand to help me up.

“Sounds like a plan to me. You know I’ll never turn down some pizza.”

We rode in silence, with only quick glances in each other's direction the whole way home.

Bumps and moans greeted us as we entered our apartment. This confirmed that Rachel was still on her date and that she had also brought him home.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Cooper threw his hands in the air, listening to the sounds of pure pleasure echoing down the hall. “I thought she was going out tonight?"

“I guess they decided to stay in,” I whispered, gesturing to the remnants of dinner and drinks on the kitchen table and to the candles lit by the fireplace.

“Wonder how long they’ve been at it? What do you figure the ol' chap has left - two, five minutes? Maybe 10?” Cooper joked as he pulled out the frozen pizzas.

"Please, not every guy is a minute man like you, and who knows? With our luck, it will be all night,” I snorted.

“Hey hey hey, two things, one - who told you my secret? And second - ouch, you’ve hurt my feelings.” He pouted and pulled a theatrical hand to his chest. “ Wellps, it doesn't look like a movie is possible, given how loud Romeo's making Juliet in there. What do you say we eat out on the balcony? Why don’t you go ahead and head out, I’ll bring it when it's ready.”

“I will do no such thing. I know you; the moment I walk out there, you’re gonna go mess with them. Aren’t you?”

“Le gasp! How dare you assume I was going to do exactly what I was planning to do? I declare!” Cooper threw another theatrical hand to his forehead and fell onto the counter.

“Shhhh! I mean it! Don't do it; we’ll never hear the end of it. And knowing Rachel, she’ll make the poor guy keep going out of spite!”

"Okay, okay, okay, pizza-making only. Man, you take the fun out of everything.”

Cooper groaned as he took the pizzas out of their boxes and set them on stones for the oven. He was trying his best to make as little noise as possible.

"Didn't you just tell me how amazing I was, and how lucky you were to have me in your life?”

“I knew I never should have said that. Give you an inch and you’ll take a mile. Dammit. I've created a monster.”

“Not yet, but close. Hurry out with those as soon as they’re ready! I call dibs on the stuffed crust! And NO MESSING WITH RACH," I hissed back as I headed out the patio door.

Cooper wrestled with the oven door and muttered to me before I shut the door. "For the record, ten minutes, not one, so booyah.” He chuckled, thinking he was so clever and funny. I shut the door behind me and giggled to myself.

It was peaceful on the balcony. Cooper was right; you couldn’t hear a peep out there. I glanced at the sky and thought about tonight's events. Wishing I could still see the same beautiful sky I could at the park, I sighed and pulled out my sketchbook from my bag. I sat at the outdoor table and pulled out my travel watercolor set and my water brushes and began painting.

I didn’t even notice Cooper come outside until he plopped a plate of pizza down next to my sketchbook, making me jump.

"I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I said your name to help with the door, but you didn't answer, so I managed… thanks, by the way."

“I didn’t hear—I mean, what? I'm sorry. I must have gotten so lost in this painting."

“It’s the Milky Way! That's gorgeous! I knew you’d like the view there. May I?” Cooper asked, reaching for my sketchbook.

“Yeah, sure, go ahead. But no pizza fingers, please.”

"You mean don’t make it any dirtier than it already is, gotcha.” Cooper studied all the marks and scuffs along the cover and spine and laughed.

“What? I can't help it if it gets dirty out in the world, and besides, it's the beauty on the inside that matters, right?” I laughed as I reached for a huge slice of pizza.

“Given you take this thing everywhere, I’d say it’s bound to get a little banged up; I agree with you there.” He flipped through the pages. “Wow, Savi, these are amazing! Where is this place?”

“I don’t know. It’s the place I see in my dreams.” I sighed and stared off into the darkness below us.

Cooper shut the book and set it beside me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“No - it’s fine. It’s been a long day; how about some tunage? That always helps!”

“I know just the playlist.”

He pulled his phone from his pocket and turned on Pandora Radio. We sat in silence, both eating our pizza as the early guitar riffs of a Nirvana song filled the air.