He didn’t look too convinced, but whatever. He’s taken to looking over my shoulder these days with the excuse that I can’t be trusted. He’d tabled our discussion about the whole Susie thing while my family was here, but I knew that day was fast approaching, though I hope he’d forget about it now that she was gone and no longer in our hair.
“You excited?” He sat next to me on the couch and lifted me onto his lap to straddle him.
“About what?”
“The new apartment, getting married, choose your pick.”
“I think I’m still processing it all. I’m still a bit gob-smacked that my family just accepted you so easily.”
“You still hadn’t realized that they knew all they needed to know about me before they got here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, your parents and mine have been talking ever since we became a couple; they’ve had ample time to collaborate. From what mom told me when I asked why she didn’t warn me that they were coming; there were quite a few brainstorming sessions.”
“Apparently, they were looking for an excuse, and you gave them the perfect one with the apartment thing.”
“And you’re not worried about any of this? It doesn’t strike you as odd?”
“No, not in the least. My dad has always watched over my mother, so I’m used to that sort of stuff and always planned to do the same with my woman. So, if you’re looking for a sympathetic ear, you’re not gonna find one here.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he kissed me to shut me up, and I soon forgot the argument anyway as I got lost in his kiss and the tender way in which he held me. He might think that he’s the same, but he’s not. I can deal with his protectiveness all day long as long as it comes with his kisses.
“Still sore?” Before I could finish shaking my head, he was lifting me and carrying me back to his room.
LISA
Moving day is finally here. It’s been a hectic last couple of days with all the preparation needed, though not so much when I think about it. I’d wanted to get the whole experience, of course, even though there wasn’t much for me to pack. But mom had already hired a team to come in and take care of it.
Since we weren’t taking anything but our personal belongings, there wasn’t much for them to do, but it was fun watching Cody experience his first real taste of what my family can be like. He took it all in stride, though, only snatching his underwear from one of the movers when she started folding them. It was too hilarious for words; my big tough jock was blushing.
Moving day or not, we still had to go to class, which we now did together as we did pretty much everything else to the delight of whoever writes the campus gossip rag because apparently everything we do is newsworthy and ends up as fodder for the masses.
I, of course, only know this because of secondhand knowledge since I have no interest in reading it, and that’s why I was blindsided that day at lunch. It started with whispers, then stares, smirks, and grins all throughout the day and came to a climax at lunch when Cody and I were approached by one of the girls that used to hang around with Susie.
“What do you want?” I doubt Cody even recognized her as one of Susie’s friends; he just doesn’t like unknowns in my vicinity since that whole thing happened at the party. Heather, as I recall is her name, held her phone out with a sticky sweet smile. At first, I thought it was a message from Susie because she held it out to Cody, but I got a glimpse at the screen and froze.
“Get the hell out of my face.” His tone didn’t change, but I knew better. He was pissed.
“Don’t kill the messenger. I just thought you should know since everyone seems to think you two are getting married.” She gave me a sly look after saying this, which made my stomach drop even more.
“I said get the hell away from me.” My stomach was already twisting itself up in knots as the others at our table looked on questioningly.
“What’s up?” Chad asked with a worried expression. But it wasn’t long before it seemed like everyone’s phones started going off with alerts, and then the whispers grew louder, and the stares were no longer hidden. I felt exposed, demoralized, and close to tears until Cody put his arm around me and pulled me close to kiss my temple while they all watched.
“It’s not what it looks like. He ran up to me that day and put his arm around me. I thought it was you at first, that’s why I smiled, but once I realized, I told him off and have been avoiding him ever since.”