I bite my lip, unable to keep my next words in. Part of me is afraid to ask, but I need to know. I’m still fumbling with the blanket without realizing it. “Do you think... things could still work between us?”
“I don’t know, Luc,” Cody replies, sighing. “Half the time, I don’t know what it is you want. And I’m not sure if we want the same things.”
I clench the blanket in my fist, disappointment filling me. “Right.” That makes sense, I think to myself. Chances are, Cody doesn’t want to move to France with a twenty-one-year-old cake baker. He probably doesn’t want a dog either. He likely longs to go back to Canada and continue his life there, once he’s done here in Brussels.
“But maybe we can try to figure it out,” Cody adds, and the statement grants me a flicker of hope.
“I’d like that,” I quickly say, sitting up because I can’t contain my excitement. “Really like that. And I’ll wait if you need me to; I can be patient. I’ll come over tomorrow, and we can just... hang. No pressure.”
“Okay, sounds good,” Cody says, sounding more relaxed. “Now, try to get some sleep, sweetie, alright? I’ll see you tomorrow.”
We hang up, and honestly, I would sleep if I could, but... I’m far too excited about Cody calling me sweetie.
Chapter 19: Luc
The following day, I head to Cody’s place with a small box of cake tucked between my arm and my chest. The weather has completely turned around; it’s pouring. With ten more minutes of walking ahead of me, I’m soaked, and I still have around ten minutes of walking ahead of me. I’m cold and wet, and without a jacket, I cannot protect myself or the cake I brought from my dad’s shop.
That’s the worst part about all this. I had to fight for these pieces of strawberry cake. It was either this or the prune cake, and if I show up on Cody’s doorstep with a dessert I know he hates, I might as well stay away.
“Please, Claire,” I’d said in the shop, finding myself begging once again. As a person who takes pride in being independent, I hated doing it. I didn’t have a choice, but I pray it was the last time I had to. “I really need two pieces of that strawberry cake.”
Claire shook her head, unwavering. “I can’t give them to you. I need this whole cake for an order.”
“Please, you don’t understand. My future depends on it. I need them to win someone over, someone I...” Nope, I thought to myself. I can’t say love yet. “Someone I really like. And I won’t have a chance with him if I bring the prune cake. I might as well not try at all, and I have to try. I promised him I would.”
Claire frowned at my plea. “Your future with someone depends on whether or not you bring him strawberry cake?”
“Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. Just tell the customer we ran out and delay the order. I’ll tell them myself; I’ll do anything.”
Finally, she agreed—probably because of how desperate I looked—but only under the condition that I’ll be the one tellingthe customer their order is delayed. That’s going to suck, no doubt, but not as much as missing my chance with Cody.
And so, right now, I’m walking as fast as I can to his house, mentally crying at my situation. The cake is in a paper box, and if it continues to rain like this, it’ll get soaked. All that’ll be left is a drenched mess, and I’ll have fought for it for nothing.
I repress a sob. Everything seems so hopeless lately, even the weather. The walk to Cody’s house feels like forever, and even when it comes into view, my prospects seem bleak. Still, I ring his doorbell, because there’s no way I’ll back down after all this effort. No matter how hopeless or miserable I am, I will keep trying.
Luckily, once I ring Cody’s doorbell, it doesn’t take him long to open the door. No one else is in sight. At least that’s something I have going for me.
“Luc. Jesus, get inside. It’s pouring,” he says as he steps aside to let me through. I quickly enter, shivering and dripping water onto the floor. “What were you thinking coming here in this weather?”
“I promised I’d come see you,” I tell him. “And I brought you cake.”
I hand him the wet box with a shaking hand, and he takes it. He puts it on a nearby cabinet, then quickly brings his attention back to me. “You’re soaked”, he replies, looking me up and down. “And freezing.”
I nod, because I am absolutely both of those things, and what’s worse is that I’m afraid it’s all been for nothing.
But then something unexpected happens, something that makes all the misery worth it. “Come here,” he says, opening his arms. Before I know it, he pulls me close, his hands rubbing my arms to warm me. My God, it feels so nice to have him holding me. As I’m standing here, safe and warm, I’m pretty sure I would have let someone pour a bucket of water over me if I knew itmeant he would hug me. It’s only been a few seconds, but I can already feel my heaviness lifting, the sadness and misery fading. Being near Cody does that to me. He has a miracle touch, that’s the only way to explain it.
There’s just one problem, though. Now we’re both wet. Dark spots are appearing on his shirt from my dripping hair. “But you’re getting wet because of me.”
I immediately regret saying it because it might mean he’ll pull away. But to my relief, he stays where he is and shakes his head. “Don’t worry about that.”
I groan and sink into the hug, trying my best not to get him soaked, but it’s pointless. The least I can do is refrain from wrapping my arms around him and getting his back wet. Instead, I clench the sides of his shirt in my fists, never wanting to let go. This is what I love about him; I hurt him and he’s mad at me, but he still tries to help me. I’m cold and wet, and he truly cares.
“I’ll get you a towel,” he says after a while, pulling me out of my spell. “I’ll put your clothes in the dryer and give you some of mine to wear. They’re probably too big for you, but a sweater should work, and I’ll see if I can find some pants you won’t drown in.”
I nod, even though I’d much rather stay in the hug. There’s no chance of that, though; I’m dripping water on the floor and getting Cody almost as soaked as I am. We can’t hug forever, no matter how tempting it may seem. If anything, I should feel happy with what I’ve received so far.
Cody steps away, motioning for me to follow him. He leads me into the bathroom and hands me a dark gray towel before leaving again. I don’t know where he’s going exactly, but I’m cold and eager to get out of the wet, uncomfortable jeans sticking to my legs. My shirt hangs from my shoulders, heavy from all the water it sucked up, and I hurriedly free myself of my clothesuntil I’m wearing only my underwear. I snatch the towel I placed on the sink and start drying myself off.
