Surface R: Reunion

Part 04.1

::CODY::

I watch Sean exhale one more time and, sadly, pulled his hood back on.

"I still have to think, I can't promise."

I frowned. "Okay." I feel like he's shutting himself away from me again and it hurts, but I keep saying in my mind that if he stays, it's all gonna be fine. "But you'll think of staying?"

"I guess so," He answers distantly. "I'm still not sure."

Same answer as before. "Why do you want to go back?" I've repeated this question a million times over in different ways, but he still hasn't given me a real answer. I want to know.

Sean shrugs. "It's where I belong."

"It doesn't have to be," I tell him eagerly. "you could belong here. I could tell that Rhys liked you. You two got along, and you could help him make stuff for us. I think you'd really like it."

Sean sighed. "It doesn't work like that, Cody."

"Why not?" I insisted. "it can if you want it to. People are always telling me you can't do things a certain way, but I try to prove them wrong sometimes. You won't know till you try."

"It isn't that simple, in this case." Sean points out. "I can't just experiment briefly and then go back. I can't change my mind later on."

"But you'd be happy here, Sean. I know you would. You can help Rhys build machines, make friends, play when you have energy..." I listed.

"Maybe." He looks unsure.

"You don't have to figure it out right now." I said. "But when you have to make up your mind, think about that okay? It'd be much more fun up here than it would be down there. I don't think I'll like living there much if you choose that."

Sean turns to face me completely, and the look on his face is pure shock. "Living there?" he repeats, as if he thinks that he didn't hear right.

"Yeah, I've decided I don't want you to be lonely." I said, now letting some of that determination in my voice. "so if you're going back, so am I!"

Sean stared at me. "You can't go there!"

"Yes I can!"

"I won't allow it!" He snaps, eyes blazing. "not hardly! You aren't coming back with me, Cody. So don't even think that you are! That's ridiculous!"

"But Sean..." I can feel my eyes filling and blink. "I really want to be where you are. I really like you, Sean. You're fun to be with, I don't know why, but you make me real happy."

"Cody, I don't understand." Sean stares at me, confused.

"Me neither, but I feel like we shouldn't be separated..."

Suddenly, we're interrupted. "Cody! We need you to help block off the entrances, come on!" Bryce calls us.

"Coming!" I stood up. "I gotta go, you want to stay here or do you want to come?"

Sean stands up. "I'll come."

We climbed back up the hill we rolled down on. I'm still upset. Why can't he be happy here? Why can't he realize he is happy here? It doesn't make sense. Only one thing does: Wherever we are, we're supposed to be together. Whether underground or up on the surface. I know... I feel... It's the way it's suppose to be...

Like we've been finding each other for a long time, unaware we were searching.