Unpredictable and Irresistible

Chapter 2

Cody took off his seatbelt and opened the car door cautiously, so as not to scrape it against the oak tree by the side of the road. Cody went to open the trunk and Maisy followed him, leaning over whatever was inside and blocking her view.

"What's in there?" Maisy asked timidly. She had several ideas of what could be in there and what he might want to keep hidden. One of her farther-fetched ideas was a dead body.

"Nothing you need to worry about" Cody stood upright holding a backpack, which he must have gotten from the trunk. Maisy stood on her tiptoes to peer over his shoulder. To her relief, there was no dead body in the trunk. Her eyes slipped past a spare tire and toolbox to focus on a bucket filled with trophies. Maisy had never won a trophy besides a sportsmanship one for joining the tennis team back in eighth grade. Still, she thought it was odd to keep trophies hidden in the trunk of a car where no one could see them. Cody noticed what Maisy was looking at and hurriedly closed the trunk, hoping she wouldn't ask any questions.

He wasn't surprised when Maisy asked anyway "Are those your trophies?"

Cody nodded, but didn't say a word.

"Why are they in the trunk?"

"I'll tell you when we get to the top."

"Top of what?"

Cody pointed to the beginning of a long dirt trail which led to an overlook on a hill. He hoped she would forget to ask him by the time they reached the top. However, he had a feeling that was extremely unlikely. Nothing seemed to slip this girl's mind. Maisy's eyes followed the shape of the trail, which resembled a coiled snake. She was eager to discover what was at the end and led the way. Cody followed her, gravel crunching beneath their footsteps. She was once again reminded how beautiful the day was. If she was stuck in the classroom right now, this is what she would be missing. Everything that had been trapped below the snow in winter was now free to grow and paint the world with its colors. There was not a single cloud to obstruct their view of the crystal blue sky. Step by step, they were getting closer to the top. Cody felt the sun hovering over him and decided to take off his sweatshirt. Maisy stopped to wait for Cody and watched his shirt rise with his sweatshirt, exposing a tan and toned belly. She turned away before he could notice her cheeks blushing red. Cody threw his sweatshirt into his backpack and grabbed a water bottle to take a sip. Then, he kindly offered it to Maisy. Maisy accepted and drank a good amount to sooth her parched throat. She thought about how his lips touched the edge of the bottle just moments before her lips did now. As she handed the bottle back to Cody, her eyes were drawn to his lips like a magnet. They looked soft and welcoming and she could only imagine how good they might feel against hers. Cody cleared his throat, bringing Maisy back from her trance. Maisy continued leading the way up the trail, forcing her thoughts of kissing Cody to the back of her mind. Cody wanted to break the silence, but he didn't know what to say. He was comfortable in his own thoughts, listening to the birds calling from above and squirrels whooshing from branch to branch. Cody hiked this trail every weekend because he enjoyed the quiet time away from his hectic life. No sports coach to yell at him to run faster. No mom to interrogate him about his grades.

Maisy broke the silence by clearing her throat "Tell me something about yourself."

Cody knit his eyebrows together, trying to think of a response. He continued to hike the trail for a minute before finally saying "I like birds."

Maisy was surprised by this random fact, but glad nevertheless that he gave her a straight answer. She looked up at the blue patches of sky that weren't concealed by the treetops and caught sight of a small gray bird with a head that appeared too large for its body. The bird flew effortlessly with its wings spread wide as though it were gliding on ice.