I Have Been Chosen

Cody 16

Monday 9th February

Once Cody finished work, he quickly changed out of his chef's uniform and grabbed his belongings. His coworkers were surprised by his haste, as Cody tended to stay a bit after his shift to ensure the staff swapping over was okay. However, Cody did not want to waste any time; he wanted to ensure that he was waiting outside, ready for Oliver, in case that prick Miles was lurking near the exit as always.

But he wasn't. In fact, Cody didn't see any sign of him.

When Oliver got into the car, he explained that Miles had called in sick, though he was unsure how long he would avoid work for.

Cody was about to ask how Oliver's day went but avoided it, remembering what day yesterday was, the death anniversary of Oliver's dad.

They drove to their usual coffee shop drive-thru, Oliver moaning about his favourite drink gone, but having come prepared this time with bringing his own mint syrup, which he could add to his coffee. Oliver chose something that would closely resemble his long favourite drink, whilst Cody opted for something more simple instead of following his sweet tooth. The two talked about coffee syrups for a while, then pastries, and then the perfect breakfast.

When they finally arrived at the car park at Cody's apartment complex, Oliver did not get out of the car straight away. He sat there as if in contemplation. Cody remained in his seat, too, unsure of what was going on or if Oliver needed a moment.

And then Oliver turned and looked at him directly with such seriousness that Cody was startled.

"Are you free Saturday evening?" Oliver asked. "Or will you be working?"

"I've got work until 5:30 pm that day," replied Cody. "Which is nice since I usually do the long horrible shift, but I swapped it with another coworker..." he trailed off, not knowing why he felt it necessary to tell Oliver all the details.

Oliver stared at him for a moment, his eyes narrowing, before saying, "I have a reservation for two on Saturday at a steakhouse at 6:30 pm if you are interested."

Cody paused. "Wait, didn't you say you were going with Kara?"

"I asked Kara about it, and she's fine with it." Oliver shrugged. "She's vegan, and she saw on the menu that there was nothing she would want to eat since she's so picky."

There was a pause.

"Ah, I did this a bit out of order, sorry," said Oliver. "I should have stated first that it was a date I had in mind before you had a chance to say yes or no."

"Huh?"

"And if you do say yes, we can see how things go from there," continued Oliver. "But ideally, I am seeking a long-term relationship. That sounded rather formal, didn't it? But Darren said I should state my intentions with you straight away. That, again, sounds too formal; I blame Kara. She made me sit with her and binge-watch a bunch of Jane Austen movies yesterday."

"Wait, you asked Darren about-" Cody stopped, too many thoughts travelling through his mind, trying to make sense of everything, trying to believe this was happening. "You're asking me out on a date?" Cody said slowly.

"Yes," Oliver said bluntly and stared at him for an answer.

"Sorry, I'm still trying to..." Cody trailed off.

Oliver looked away. "Ah, yes, I understand. You are not ready to date yet-"

"No, that's not what I meant!" Cody swallowed, glancing away as he saw the seriousness in Oliver's eyes, waiting patiently for an answer. "I would like to go on a date with you; I just didn't think you were interested in me like that."

Oliver blinked, then frowned. "I am confused. I thought Zeke sent you those videos too?"

"Videos?"

"Of the last performance," Oliver said slowly. "Did you not get sent them too?"

"I did and..." Cody fell silent and said quietly, "even with Zeke's teasing, I thought it was just a misunderstanding, misreading it all. I guess I just don't expect anything to avoid disappointment." He swallowed, daring a glance back at Oliver, who was still gazing at him with such transfixed sincerity. "You are being serious right? About this date?"

"Yes," Oliver answered simply.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Cody was again taken aback by how much conviction Oliver spoke through him. With some semblance of reality finally settling in Cody's mind, he returned to his joking himself. "So, what was it then? My beautiful voice? My good choice in music? What about that performance?" Cody was about to add they he played that specific song, Build Me Up Buttercup, but felt that it was still too fresh with the anniversary happening yesterday.

Oliver paused in thought for a moment, then replied flatly, "I would say the night you got beat up by your ex's brother." He unbuckled his seatbelt and then opened the car door.

"Wait, what?"Cody froze. "But that was so long ago-"

"Okay, I'll text you the details for Saturday; see you tomorrow." Oliver waved, closed the door and walked off, leaving Cody in his car.

Cody remained there for a moment before saying a small, "oh..."

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Just Can't Get Enough by Depeche Mode

[Another key-focused song to allow Rheanna to shine, along with a repetitive bass and drum to allow Darren and Kara to go on auto-pilot and sing along to the repetitive lyrics. Sasha and Zeke take centre stage on the dance floor, practically screaming the words and jumping up and down in excitement.]