“Nice?” Her eyes narrowed, and I could see the wheels turning in her head. “What kind ofniceare we talking about, Cody?”
Fuck!
I couldn’t tell Aunt Sue. She just spilled the beans about the first phone call I had with her about Rafael, and that was nothing. This was a bombshell of epic proportions.
“He’s just cool, alright. Cooler than I thought. We play hockey together; we chill with the same crew. It’s just…normal.”
Aunt Sue cocked her head and her brows knit together. “Okay…”
She knows. I can’t hide anything from Sue.
She took another sip from her drink before she added, “Well, if you ever need to talk about all of the nice things Rafael is doing, you know I’m always here for you.”
Where’s our waiter? Can I get some more water here? Actually, now’s as good a time as any to start drinking. I’d like a mimosa. No glass; just put the pitcher down in front of me, thanks.
Mom returned, and I couldn’t have been happier to see her.
I had to cool it. While I was ready to shout from the rooftops that Rafael was my dude, I knew he wasn’t. I didn’t want to scare him away, and I knew our folks were going to be an issue.
Now that we were back together, in our weird way, I didn’t want to be without Rafael again.
I needed him, and I could tell that he needed me too. Even if he constantly tried to hide that part of himself.
Chapter 26
Rafael
Hank and Jill were out again, and Cody wanted to drag us to a movie theater to see a showing ofThe NeverEnding Story.He said it was a seminal movie of his youth and sparked his undying love for fantasy. I’d heard of it but never saw it.
He was driving, so I took it upon myself to do a little research on this cinematic masterpiece on our way to the theater.
“This movie is from 1985!”
“Yeah?” Cody replied.
“How the fuck did you see a movie from 1985?”
Cody smiled, but it wasn’t a happy one. It was a wistful smile. “Aunt Sue showed it to me. She still had a DVD player and she loved this movie, too. I spent a lot of time with her when…”
His voice trailed off, and his eyes looked sad. I shouldn’t have pressed him on it, but I knew so little about Cody. I desperately wanted to learn more.
“When what?” I asked.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed. When he spoke next, it was as if his voice was trying to break through the emotion. “When Mom had her breakdown – I’m pretty sure that’s what it was – right after my Dad bailed on us, Sue took us in. She showed me this movie.” The light returned to his eyes, and his chest puffed up as joy infused his voice. “The movie is narrated through the eyes of this young boy reading a book, and this book takes him on a fantastic journey away from the pain of his life. I remember thinking how much I wanted that. “Sue bought me a ton of fantasy books after that. I think she saw in my face how much I loved it. Maybe even how much I needed the escape. That’s when I started reading anything I could get my hands on. It was the one thing I had that was all mine. Guided by the words on the page, my mind could leave whatever was happening and go to the most magical places.”
Cody didn’t look at me the entire time he spoke. I think he felt embarrassed by his confession, and my fucking heart was in pieces for that poor little boy who had to grow up too quickly.
We were approaching a red light, and Cody slowed to a stop. I unbuckled my belt and closed the space between us to kiss him. It was supposed to be a little pec, but it morphed into something more—something passionate. Cody’s hum of surprise was quickly followed by his soft mewling that I loved so much. We kept kissing until the douchebag behind us honked. I groaned and stuck my head out the window on my side and yelled, “We’re having a moment in here, asshole.” Cody cackled and started driving. “Don’t provoke the asshole.”
“Can’t he see we’re having a heart-to-heart? Fucking people these days.” He just laughed and used his free hand to grip mine. The touch of his hand sent a jolt through me. He’d touched me a hundred times, but the way he held my hand in the car felt profound, and something happened that I never expected. I got scared. I wasn’t scared of him or of us. It was something else.
I was afraid of myself.
Cody
Rafael liked the movie, which was a huge relief. I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t liked my favorite movie of all time.
After our little moment in the car, things shifted. He wasn’t cold or mean, just a little awkward.
