Chapter Text
The Coopers' kitchen table was covered in red and pink construction paper, Will was baking heart shaped sugar cookies, and Angie was leaned against his kitchen counter, watching Graham and Sophie make cards to handout in class, while bemoaning her own loneliness. It could only mean one thing: Valentine's Day. Technically, it wasn't Valentine's Day yet. It was the day before Valentine's Day. But it was close enough, as far as Angie was concerned. Everyone on the planet seemed to be in a lovestruck daze already, especially Poppy and Douglas (barf), and although Will hadn't mentioned his plans with Tracy, Angie knew he had something special planned just by the stupid look on his face. Also he kept humming to himself, which was not only annoying, it was also unsettling.
"Okay, I give." Angie sighed. "What are your big plans with Tracy tomorrow?"
Will looked up from the cookie he was piping pink icing onto, and beamed. "Well, my friend, I'm so glad you asked. We're going classic for our first Valentine's Day together. Candlelit dinner, roses, red wine."
"How disgustingly romantic. And boring." Angie stole an unfrosted cookie off of Will's cooling rack, popped it into her mouth whole.
He rolled his eyes. "Look, maybe the dinner doesn't sound super exciting, but it's still going to be nice. Besides, the dinner doesn't have to be exciting when I've got the perfect gift."
Angie swallowed the last of the cookie. "Oh yeah? Show me whatcha got, Cooper."
"Fine." Will dug in his pocket, and pulled out a small, black box. It wasn't the right size for a ring, for which Angie was unexpectedly grateful. It seemed more like a box for a bracelet, or maybe some dangly earrings.
"Jewelry," Angie nodded in approval, before grabbing the box out of Will's hands. "Can't go wrong there."
"Actually--" Will started, as Angie opened the box. Her stomach dropped when she what was inside. It wasn't a piece of jewelry at all. It was a single, shiny, brass key.
"You're giving Tracy a key..." Angie hesitated. "To your house?" She knew what this meant, of course she did, but she hoped she was wrong. God, she really hoped she was wrong.
"I'm going to ask Tracy to move in with me." Will said with a gentle, lovesick smile. Angie felt nauseous. Partially out of jealousy that she’d never admit, not even to herself, but mostly because Tracy's words from Thanksgiving still rang in her head: I don't like Sophie.
"Will..." Angie hesitated. Maybe Poppy was still right, and it didn't matter, maybe this didn’t change anything, maybe she shouldn't say anything.
"Ange? Are you okay?" Will closed the box. "Aren't you going to say something?"
Angie swallowed, and looked into Will's soft, trusting eyes. She could see him asking Tracy, and her rejecting him, or worse, Tracy saying yes, and eventually putting a strain on Will's relationship with Sophie. She knew Will. She knew that Sophie meant everything to him. She sighed. She had to tell him the truth. "Will, there's something I need to tell you about Tracy."
"About Tracy?" Will cocked his head to one side.
"Yeah," Angie took a deep breath. "You remember on Thanksgiving, when I told you that she'd said something I didn't like? And that I told you she'd said she was excited about Tony's turkey?"
Will nodded slowly, uncertain. "Yeah...I remember."
"The thing about that, is that, um. I was lying," Angie admitted. "At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. You and Tracy had--have--a good thing going, and I wasn't going to be the one to ruin it over something that might not have even mattered. But I think you need to know before you take such a big step."
"Wh--What did she say?" Will looked almost terrified about what he was about to hear, and Angie realized that maybe she was being a little dramatic, but she was in too deep to backdown at that point.
"She said that she doesn't like Sophie," Angie said. "She thinks Sophie is annoying."
Will's eyes widened with disbelief, and then deflated with hurt. "She...She really said that?"
"I'm sorry, Will." She stepped forward and gave him arm what she hoped was a comforting squeeze. "I really am."
Will took a deep breath. "Look, I'm not ready to break up with Tracy over this. It's been a few months, maybe she's changed her mind. I mean, really, how can anyone dislike Sophie?" He shook his head. "I need to talk to her about it, though. Don't I?"
Angie pursed her lips and nodded. "Yeah. You do."
Will let out a long exhale before knocking on Tracy's door. A part of him wanted to chicken out before she answered, to just pretend Angie hadn't dropped the bomb she had. It would be easier. But that was just putting off the inevitable.
"Whatever you're selling, I'm not interes--Oh," Tracy smiled. "Hey, Will. I wasn't expecting you. What's up?"
"We need to talk. Can I come in?"
Tracy stepped aside to allow Will into her home. "What's going on?"
"Angie told me what you said to her on Thanksgiving," Will said. "She told me that you don't like Sophie."
Tracy went quiet for a moment before responding. "Look, Will. Sophie is a great kid. But she's still a kid. Kids are annoying."
Will frowned. "So, it's true?"
Tracy nodded. "I'm not going to lie to you. But it's not like I hate Sophie, or I would ever do anything to hurt her."
"I know, I know," Will put a hand up to stop her.
"And I like you a whole hell of a lot," Tracy plowed on. "And I like what we have together. So why does it matter?"
"Because...Because..." Will trailed off, pulled out the key, and handed it to Tracy. "It matters because I was going to ask you to move in with me, over dinner tomorrow night."
Tracy opened the box and froze. "Oh my God."
"But I'm not going to do that now. Because living with means living with Sophie." Will shook his head. "Sophie and I are a package deal, so if we're going to have a future together, it matters that you like her."
Tracy closed the box and handed it back to him. "Then I guess we don't have a future together."
Will stared down at the box in his hand. "Are we breaking up?"
"Feels like it," Tracy nodded.
"I'm sorry, Tracy," Will shoved the key back in his pocket. "I really wanted this to work."
"I did, too," she said. "But I think I was just fooling myself."
"Fooling yourself?" He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"
"I guess Angie didn't tell you her secret from Thanksgiving," Tracy let out a sad laugh.
"What are you talking about? What secret?" As much as it hurt to find out that Tracy didn't like Sophie, the possibility of Angie keeping a secret from him might've hurt more.
Tracy rolled her eyes. "She's in love with you, Will. You can't tell me you don't see that."
"Wh-In love with me? What are you talking about?" Will's brain couldn't even begin to process that. Angie was his best friend. She couldn’t be in love with him.
"I'm talking about the way she looks at you, and the way you look at her. I didn't really want to see it, at first. I attributed it to the bond the two of you share over both being parents. But it's more than that."
"I'm sorry, the way I look at Angie ?" Will scoffed. "You're wrong, Tracy. I don't have feelings for her. She's my best friend."
Tracy nodded. "Yeah. Your best friend that your parents thought was your girlfriend."
"Tracy--"
"Just leave, Will." Tracy opened the door. "I'll see you at work."
Despite the fact that his brain was still buzzing with questions and confusing emotions, Will simply nodded and stepped out onto her porch without a fight. "See you at work."
If there was one thing Angie expected on her doorstep at 9 PM the night before Valentine's Day, it definitely wasn't Will Cooper. But there he was, looking slightly worse for wear, but still managing a weak smile.
"So...I talked to Tracy." Was all he had to say. She invited him in immediately, and guided him to her couch.
"You broke up, didn't you?"
He nodded.
"I'm so sorry, Will." She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "And the day before Valentine's Day."
He nodded again.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Angie offered, although she knew emotional support was far from her biggest strength.
"Not really." Will leaned back into the couch cushions. "I mean, I don't want to talk about the break-up. There's nothing to talk about, not really. You know what she said."
"Good point.”
"But I do want to talk about something," Will said quietly, not making eye contact.
"Okay..." Angie hesitated. "What do you want to talk about?"
Will was quiet for a moment, seemingly gathering his courage, before just blurting it out. "Are you in love with me?"
Angie was taken aback. "Am I what ?"
"Tracy said that you also had a secret at Thanksgiving. And that your secret was that you were in love with me."
"Oh," Angie sighed in relief. Plausible deniability. "No, no. I never said that. Tracy just sort of assumed it, for some reason? I don't even know why, to be honest. I'm definitely not in love with you. You’re my best friend."
"Oh," Will nodded. "Right. Of course."
Angie awkwardly patted him on the shoulder. "Glad that's cleared up."
"Definitely, yeah, me too." Will stumbled over his words, though Angie couldn’t imagine why.
"Hey," Angie gave Will the most reassuring smile she could muster. "How about we hang out tomorrow night? Since we're both single now. We could have an anti-Valentine's Day. We can eat cheap, drugstore chocolate and watch Joust ."
Will smiled, really smiled. "I'd like that. Thanks, Angie."
"Hey, what are best friends for?"
"Good point." Will stood up from the couch. "I, uh. I should get going. Get back to Sophie. Sorry I got a little crazy."
"No worries," Angie stood up, too. "If there’s one thing a D'amato can handle, it’s crazy."
Will chuckled, and made his way to Angie's door, pausing before he got there, and reaching into his pocket. "Hey, Ange?"
"Yeah?"
"I want you to have this." He pushed the small black box into her hands.
"You want to give me the key?" Angie swallowed. "A key to your house?"
"Yeah," Will nodded. "I mean, I don't know what else I'm going to do with it, or who else I would trust with it."
Angie smiled softly. "Thank you, Will."
Will shrugged. "You never know. You might need it someday."
"Yeah," her voice was soft and quiet. "I might."
They were silent for a moment, and Angie's heart raced in her chest. For a moment she wanted to throw caution to the wind and admit that Tracy was right. She wanted to kiss him and never stop, to wrap her arms around him and never let go. But she held herself back. She wasn't about to lose her best friend.
Will cleared his throat, knocking them both out of their thoughts. "I should really be going now."
"Right, yeah."
"Goodnight, Angie." He was smiling again as he opened her front door. "And, hey, Happy Valentine's Day."
Angie returned his smile. "Goodnight. Get home safe and stuff"
And then he was gone, and she was still staring at the spot where he had stood seconds before, clutching the small black box. She let out a deep breath, and looked down at the box. She opened it, and traced the key inside with her index finger.
"Happy Valentine's Day."