Miss. Diva, that trollop that must’ve been hiding somewhere inside me all these years, saw the look in his eyes, the look that belied his words, and swooped in for the kill. “But I liked it. Why’d you make me stop?” Who are you? I’d never pouted so much in my life, and here I had done it twice in less than an hour.
I moved in; he moved back with that grin that made my insides quiver. No wonder she’s nuts for him; the guy is hot as all get out and when he grins like that, have mercy. “Lisa, baby, what in the world has gotten into you?” He grabbed my hands, putting a stop to my crawling fingers that were playing on his chest.
My ears were ringing; I have no idea why. And my body felt the way it does when I have a fever, but I didn’t feel ill; I felt… alive. Maybe it was delayed victory from the night’s progress, maybe it was just being near him, I don’t know, but something wild and untamed beat inside my chest, and then it hit me. The rational, clear-thinking part of me that herein laid one of the reasons I knew and was convinced that Cody was the one for me.
Anyone else, without exception, would take advantage of the situation. If he’d just been in it for a quick score, I’d just given him the perfect opportunity, but my Cody wasn’t like that. And now, as we stood looking at each other, so close only a breeze could get between us, that half-smile on his face and a questioning look in his eyes, I felt my heart melt and reform itself with him inside.
This is love! Odd, I thought there would be more fanfare than this, more of a rush and chaotic movement, but no, this moment was as peaceful and as enlightening as any I’ve ever known. I didn’t know that tears had gathered in my eyes until he wiped the corner of my eye with his thumb.
“Hey, baby, what’s wrong? I didn’t mean to reject….” That’s as far as he got before I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. Not like the octopus I’d been just a few short seconds ago, this hug was calm and filled with warmth and tenderness. It was everything that I was feeling at the moment, and I couldn’t believe that the night had brought me this.
“Cody, I love you.” His body stiffened for a moment, sending panic rioting through me, but as worried as I was about his reaction, I had no urge to take those words back. Not that I could, because all the air had been sucked out of me, and I was barely standing while my heart ran away from its place in my chest.
I was terrified of what came next until his arm tightened around me, and he lifted my chin with the other to look down into my eyes.
“I love you too!” Have you ever been in a friend circle when something good happened, and you all just jumped up and down with glee? Well, neither have I, but I’ve seen it on TV before, and that’s exactly what I felt like doing.
I wish the girls were here so I could share; I wanted to run outside and tell everyone we met. It was too soon, too new, too everything that the books say it shouldn’t be, and yet I knew. I knew in every sacred part of me that he was telling me the truth; how you might ask? Because I’d fallen for him too, so why not?
I forgot all about Susie; even my need to jump him had been tamed. The look in his eyes calmed me down. I still wanted to hug and kiss him to death, but the feeling had been tempered by the new mellow glow that had started in my tummy from his words. He looked at me for the longest time, not saying anything, as if he were reading something on my face.
“Lock the door behind me, baby. I’ll call you as soon as I reach the dorm to tuck you in, okay.” I nodded my head in answer and followed him to the door, wondering with each step how this had turned out to be the best night of my life. As soon as the door closed behind him, my knees gave out, and I slumped to the floor.
I was a mix of confusing emotions. Fear, excitement, joy, terror, they all had a place in my heart tonight. This was huge, at least for me, it was. This put all those things I’ve been feeling into perspective now that the words had been said between us, and there was no room for doubt. Cody Baxter is officially mine.