friends //cody bellinger

six

   I woke up completely bare besides the sheets that were covering both me and Cody. I turned my body and my eyes met his green ones. "Good morning." He said with a smile. His voice was deep and raspy, sending chills down my spine.

   "Morning, how long have you been up for?" I ask.

   "Almost an hour, I didn't wanna wake you."

   I couldn't hold back my smile. He's been so sweet to me and he's helped me out so much in the single day I've known him for, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was just a way of using me.

I'm vulnerable and I'm young, an easy target for him. Is that how he saw me?

"What's going through that pretty little mind of yours?" He asks. Our faces were so close that our noses were practically touching. His lips rested only centimeters from mine, yet centimeters still seemed so far.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I whisper, only half of me wanting him to actually hear what I had just said.

    He looked confused. "Doing what?"

   After an intense mental conversation with myself, I dropped that subject and decided to pursue another, despite the tension it might create. "What is this to you?"

   He was silent. I knew this would happen, what did I do? Maybe it was for the best; maybe I won't end up getting hurt in the long run if I find out now.

   "I don't really do labels, if that's what you mean. What exactly are you trying to get at?" He finally says and I take a breath of relief knowing that I hadn't caused him to shut me out.

   I thought carefully before I spoke. "Is you "helping me" just you trying to use me?"

   He didn't answer. Instead, he leaves. He gets out of the bed and walks over to his dresser and pulls out a pair of underwear and sweatpants that he slides on. He hands me one of his shirts and tells me to follow him when I'm done putting it on.

What the hell?

   I slipped the shirt over my head and put the pair of underwear I had been wearing back on.  I walked out of the bedroom and tried to find where Cody had went.

I finally found him sitting out on the balcony. "So you walking out just now, is that just confirmation?" I stand in the doorway of the sliding glass doors, my voice making Cody turn away from the view of LA.

I sit 'criss cross applesauce' style on the chair next to him.

"You're crazy, you know that right?" he says.

I raise my eyebrows in confusion. Was he trying to insult me? "What do you mean?"

"You're crazy for thinking that I'm just using you." He says, giving me a small, but genuine, smile.

"Then what is this?" I wasn't a second choice and I would never settle for being one; I was a priority and if Cody wanted me he better treat me like one . So if he brings up something about another girl or just casual sex then I was out. I've been used so many times that I don't wanna waste my time with something nonsense anymore.

"I'd like to think it could be something exclusive. You're special and I wanna prove it to you." He says, putting his hand on my bare thigh and looking into my eyes with his green ones.

"Even though you just met me?" I question.

"Yes, even though I just met you. There's an obvious issue though."

He brings me up just to drop everything. "What issue?" I ask pushing my hair back behind my ear. My voice was full of innocence and curiosity, I couldn't think of a single issue that could result of us being exclusive. We already got me a new job so it wasn't like I was putting myself in "danger" anymore. What more could there be?

"We can't be exclusive yet 'cause you're still 17 and I'm 22." Oh. I totally forgot about the age difference.

"Secrets never hurt anyone."

He raises his eyebrow at me. "So you're fine with all of this if we keep it a secret?" He asks, a small smile playing on his lips. I could sense the eagerness in his voice even though he tried to hide it.

"I'm totally fine with it. Just one question."

"What's your question." He asks.

"If I'm gonna be around you more, what do we tell everyone else we are?"

He takes my hand and had me stand, slowly pulling me over to him.

He pulled my arm down, signaling he wanted me to sit with him. I sat on his lap, straddling him and wrapping my legs around his lower back.

He cups my face, lightly brushing over my jawline and lips with his thumb. He pulls my face down, kissing me softly.

"To everyone else, we're just friends." He says before kissing me again.