Last Shot {C.B}

9

Nervous is an understatement. I don't know why just I was a bundle of nerves. Mainly it all started with a single text.
Cody:
Be there at 7

I wore a tight black dress that I didn't even know I still had. I paired with my tan Louboutin red bottoms and finalized the look with my gold jewelry. My hair was curled with red lips and a Smokey eye look. 

Cody has arranged for Chris to watch Tatum, who had already called me three times to tell me how excited she was to be with Uncle Chris.

At 7 on the dot there was a knock at the door and I knew it was Cody. When I opened the dour there he stood in black dress pants a white button down and a bouquet of lilies. "Hey." He smiles. "I got these for you."

I couldn't help the blush rise to my cheeks. 24 years old and here I am blushing still at a boy I've known since I was little. The boy who also broke my heart a few years ago.

"You didn't have to." I say taking them and leading him to the kitchen where I grab a vase for them.

Cody chuckles and shakes his head. "I wanted to."

"Well thank you." I smile smelling them. Lilies have always been my favorite flowers and he knew that.

"Are you ready to go?" He asks catching my attention.

I nod. "Yea let me grab my coat." Walking over to my closet I grab the coat and meet Cody at the door.

Cody places his hand on my back as he guides me out to the car. He opens the car door for me and helps me in.

Retreating back to his side he climbs in and starts the car. "I want to go ahead and clear this up but I am intending on this being a date.... if that's ok with you."

I chuckle at his bluntness. Do I want this to be a date though? "We'll see." Was the only answer that seemed logical.

"Fair enough." Cody nods. The car falls silent for a moment before Cody speaks again. "I've really missed you Aubs."

I smile softly. "I've missed you too Cody." I admit and it was truthful. The whole time I was in Florida I felt like there was a hole, a Cody James Bellinger sized hole.

Cody just smiled as he headed down the road. We fall into small talk about Tatum and the baseball season. We soon pulled into an extremely fancy restaurant. "Is this place new?" I ask confused, this hadn't been here when I lived here.

"Opened about a year ago. Come on." He nods his head as he gets out and opens my door.

He holds his hand out for me to take which I do. The familiar feeling runs from my fingers through my whole body as soon as I do. "Reservation for Bellinger." Cody day as we reach the host.

"Of course, right this way Mr. and Mrs. Bellinger." I go to correct her but Cody just squeezes my hand and drug me along.

We were seated towards the back of the restaurant where the table was lit with candles. Cody and I sit opposite each other. "Can I get you two something to drink," a waiter asks.

"I'll have a water and she'll have a glass of your finest Chardonnay." My eyebrow raises as the waiter walks away.

"What if I didn't want wine?" I question.

Cody chuckles and shakes his head. "Bre when have you ever turned down a glass of wine?"

" touché." I smirk. Our drinks were brought out and soon our order was taken. As we waited for our food we fell into conversation again.

"So I wanna ask you something it's uh been bothering me for a while." Cody scratches the back of his head.

"Ok..." I trail off not knowing where this was going.

Cody looked as if he didn't know how to start. "In Florida, did you ever uh date anyone?"

I knew this would come up, I just wasn't prepared for it to be this soon. "I, Yea I did." I nod.

Cody's face dropped. "Oh um was it serious?"

I shrug. "We dated for around a year. But he just wasn't ready to be a dad and I don't blame him." Cody nods. "What about you? Did you see anyone?" I ask leaning forward.

"No, Chris and the boys tried to get me to but I just kept comparing everyone to you if I'm being honest." I found it hard to believe he hadn't dated since us.

"I find that hard to believe." I find the words tumbling out of my mouth.

Cody chuckles at me. "And why's that?"

I shrug. "I don't know maybe because you were a player before."

"Keyword is before." He winks taking a sip of his water. "I didn't want anyone other than you."

Cody never ceases to amaze me. "So uh this ex boyfriend of yours... did he ever meet Tatum."

I knew this question was coming. "He did, I introduced him as a friend though, I didn't want to confuse her on anything. It was hard enough explaining to her why her parents lived on opposite sides of the country."

Cody sighs leaning back in his chair. "She'd ask you that too?" He questioned.

"Yea, as soon as she realized that wasn't what normal families do." I nod.

"There are so many things I wish I could change." He sighs across from me.

I smile softly at him. "Me too, but what happened, happened."

"But I wish it hadn't. If I could go back I never wouldn't gone out with the guys that night." I could see how much it bothered him so I reached across the table and rooming his hand.

"Cody, there isn't a day that goes by that I wish everything didn't go down the way it did, but we've both grown from it." I say. "And even though it hurt, I think in a weird twisted way.... it needed to happen."

Cody gives a dry chuckle as he shakes his head. "I'm the one who screwed up yet here you are being the positive one."

I give him a soft smile. "It's just who I am."

"I know that what I love about you." Love. Present tense.

Cody's eyes stay locked with mine when he said that yet I couldn't find any words to say back. "You don't have to say anything, I just want to put it out there."

I debate my next words carefully. "Cody, I know what I want to say but I just can't right now."

I could see the corners of his mouth turn up a bit before straightening out. "I get that."

Our food soon comes out and our conversations turn to an array of different things. "Has Chris found anyone yet?" I ask as we eat.

Cody chuckles and shakes his head. "No he's just being Chris. I think it's gonna take someone with a kid to get him to settle down." Now this sparked my interest.

"Why's that?" I question curiously.

Cody shrugs taking a bite of his food. "I just see the way he interacts with Tatum, and he keeps saying how he just wants a kid of his own."

"I just want to see Chris happy." I sigh. "You know there is a girl at work with a little boy, she went through a horrible relationship, maybe I can see if she would be interested." I suggest.

"Let's set it up, you talk to her, I'll talk to Chris." And just like that it was just like old times.