“By the way, I was coming to tell you about my dad.”
“Your dad? Is he worst? Did something happen?” I squeezed her hand reassuringly.
“No, nothing like that; in fact, it’s the opposite. He heard from this place that wants to test out a new trial drug on him or something like that.”
Even the excitement from that news had been tainted. “Really? That’s amazing.” Her eyes, when I turned my head to look at her, were bright and her smile wide. “We should celebrate.”
“Yeah, we should, but not tonight. I have something I need to take care of first.”
“Oh!” Her voice sounded sad, and that light in her eyes dimmed just a little. I felt like a piece of shit for putting that look on her face. Sure, I can see why she’d fallen for the ruse, but it doesn’t make it any less painful, which begs the question of why I was taking it so hard. I knew, of course, knew that I’d fallen hard and fast, and though it’s not scary because I don’t intend to lose her, it’s new. It’s new for her, too, my little innocent.
Remembering that she was indeed an innocent somehow made the anger and disappointment fade away, and I turned to wrap my arms around her. “It’s okay; we’re okay. I’m just going to find out who did this to you, to us.”
“What’re you gonna do?” She grabbed my shirt as if that would make me stay put. So cute with her little self.
I couldn’t resist kissing the tip of her nose, and that easily, the last of my anger really did leave me. My anger and her doubts are exactly what whoever did this wants. So, instead of blaming her for her reaction, it’s best if we stick together in this, as I’m sure that wasn’t the last little act of subterfuge we were about to face.
“Lisa, I know we don’t know each other very well yet, but can you try not to think the worst of me next time? Can you talk to me first before being so hurt and alone?” Yeah, her tears and the way she looked when I walked into that room was another thing that was messing with me.
I never knew someone else’s pain could affect me this way, except for my dad’s, of course. But seeing her looking like that had done something to me. So I’m standing here trying to comfort her and control my rage at the same time. “Here!” I passed her my phone.
“What’s this?” She turned it over in her hand as I started to walk again with my hand around her shoulder.
“It’s my phone.” I gave her the passcode. “Open it, go through the messages, and anything else you’d like.”
“Cody, I don’t….”
“Yeah, you do need to. I trust you; I need you to trust me. I don’t want what happened tonight to ever happen again.” I realize that it was the fact that she’d been hurt that pissed me off more than anything else.
Lisa is the type of girl you shield and protect; it’s written all over her. So much so that I’ve already started dreading the time when I’d have to leave her here in a year or so and go off to play ball. It’s weird and just a little bit frightening to feel so much for someone I just met.
But I’ve always been the guy who knew what he wanted and went about learning how to get it. Outside of football and my father’s full recovery, she’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted this completely. And somebody was trying to fuck it up.
I made her go through my phone while we drove back to campus, even though she argued that it was not necessary. I was doing this for her benefit in more ways than one. Once she’s seen that I don’t even have another female’s number saved and have had no communication with any going back years, that should put her mind at rest.
It also means that when this person tries something else, she’d already know the truth and won’t doubt me again, which would eliminate the chances of me getting royally pissed at her again. The fact that I’m letting her do this shit should tell her something. But then again, she’s so innocent; she probably thinks it’s normal to have to go through your boyfriend’s phone to prove that he’s not cheating on you.
“We’re here.” She’d been busy going through my photo album, looking at old pictures of me, mostly in my football gear from high school. She’d have seen that there were no pictures of girls past the age of about fourteen, except for my mom.
“Your mother is gorgeous, and so is your dad.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure which of them I get my looks from.”
She grinned just as I wanted her to, and some of the spark was coming back to her smile. I got out and walked around to help her down and kept her hand in mine as I walked her to her dorm room door. Jess snatched it open before I could knock. “Cody, we wanted to apologize for coming to the wrong conclusion.”