Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 79147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
After thirty minutes of making our way through the festival—Cody chatting up several of the artists and talking shop with them—we grab some more drinks and find a space in the grass to sit. I find myself nervous in ways I didn’t anticipate as I watch Cody sip his drink. Watch the way his mouth curves around the edge of the plastic cup, a warmth spreading through my stomach.
When Cody smiles at me, the heat only burns hotter and I realize how much I really do like spending time with him. How thankful I am that he came into my life.
28
Cody
“You’re looking at me like this is the first time you’ve seen me,” I tell Hayden before lounging back in the grass.
“Maybe it is,” he replies in this sexy, flirty little tone that does all sorts of unfamiliar shit to my insides.
“Being coy, huh? I see how you are. I’ll have to remember that. I can be coy too.”
“Yes and no.” He shrugs. I eye him, waiting for him to continue and explain what he means. “In some ways, you put it all out there. You feel something, you say it. Have a crush? Announce it. Want to fuck? You just say that as well, but there’s more to you that you keep hidden. Like you don’t want the world to know how deeply you really care, how much things mean to you and maybe how big your heart is.”
Wow…I… “I don’t know what to say to that.” No one’s really ever said something like that before. It’s true. I know it just as well as I know my name or that Doc considers me a son he never had, but I’ve never had someone else tell me they see it. Never had someone else put it out there like that. I think I like the fact that it was Hayden who said it.
“I guess…I guess there’s a part of me who believes what’s supposed to happen, will happen regardless, so what’s the point in denying something or holding something back? But on the other hand…well, I’m human, and even when we pretend we aren’t, all humans are afraid of being hurt.” I’m not sure there’s anyone else in the world I would have said that to other than Hayden.
“I think you’re right,” he replies before taking a sip of his drink and then moving close to me. “Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything,” I answer honestly. “Can’t promise you I’ll answer it, but I’ll do my best.”
“Are your parents still local? Do you ever think about seeing them? Even if it is just to show them how incredible you turned out on your own.”
My stomach tightens like there’s a fist around it. They’re obviously not my favorite topic of conversation. But I also understand why Hayden asked. “They live about an hour away, the last I knew. I haven’t talked to them since the day they told me to go.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispers.
“I already told you not to be. It is what it is.”
“But come on. It has to bother you some. I know it’s not the same thing, but even with my dad, him leaving like he did, that hurt. He wasn’t much of a dad. Hell, I think half the reason he was always running around on my mom was because he didn’t want to come home and face the fact that he was a father. And I’m not going to start boo-hooing about him or anything because I’m lucky to have had such an amazing mom, but it doesn’t change how him leaving like that felt. And that’s just with one shitty parent. I can’t imagine if both had been like that. It has to hurt.”
I’d be lying if I tried to say it didn’t but… “But just like you with your dad, I’m doing pretty well without my parents. Got friends, my own place, a career, Doc, and this really sexy guy who took me on a date today that means more to me than I could ever tell him.” Because he didn’t do something simple. Because he put thought into bringing me here today. He wanted to do something special for me. There haven’t been a whole lot of people in my life who wanted to do that.
“This is nothing,” Hayden says, his cheeks a sweet shade of pink.
“This is the opposite of nothing, boo. Thank you. Oh hey, I’m a poet!”
Hayden chuckles and shakes his head at me with that sweet, sexy smile on his face. I got it bad for this kid, and I can’t really deny that.
“You’re welcome,” he finally says. “I’m glad you liked it. I did my best.”
“Well, your best is pretty great. You could have fucking taken me to Chuck E. Cheese, and I would have been happy. Hell, if I tried to come up with it, I would have thought of some generic shit.”