Elijah's Baby

Part 1

Cody rolled out of bed one rainy Saturday morning. He rubbed his eyes and stood up, crossing the room to the bedroom door. He walked down the hall to the bathroom, and when he returned, looked for a fresh outfit for the day.

It was his first day off in nearly a week, and he was glad to have time to relax. He pulled on a purple long sleeve tee and gray sweatpants. He brushed his shaggy blond hair lightly with his fingers and went to the kitchen to make coffee.

Cody practically lived off of coffee. He was never hungry until lunch time, and when he did finally eat, it was usually accompanied with more coffee. It wasn't the best, he knew, but he didn't need much food to be satisfied.

This morning is no different. Cody brews a big cup of coffee and adds a bit too much cream, heading back to his room to scroll through social media. He sips his coffee as he reads some posts on Reddit, then catches up on some of his favorites from Netflix.

By the time he finishes his drink, the rain has cleared up. This would be a good time to get groceries, so Cody grabs his keys and sweatshirt, heading out to his car.

He pulls out of the lot and heads to the nearest grocery store, a small shop that everyone goes to when they just need a few items.

After grabbing some eggs, milk, bread and cereal, Cody pays and goes home. While walking out to the car, he spots another young man, not much older than himself, getting out of his own car.

The other guy nods, and Cody nods back; standard greeting between two guys. Cody gets in his car silently and backs out of the drive, heading the way he came, unaware that the other guy was still watching him. He snaps out of his trance like state and walks into the store, thinking about Cody.

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Elijah couldn't get the other young man out of his mind, it was making it hard to focus. He was kinda small, maybe 5'5, and he couldn't be more than 110 lbs.

Though he didn't know this other boy, he wanted to help him. Elijah didn't know if he would encounter him again, but if he did, he decided he would introduce himself. After all, it wasn't easy to help someone if you didn't even know their name, right?

Elijah tried to set those thoughts aside for now and got on with his shopping, hoping to return home before 10 so he could clean up around the house.

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Cody was on the phone with his friend Daniel, talking about what they were planning to do the rest of the day.

"There's a party at my place tonight, you should come." Daniel offered. Cody thought on it for a bit. It had been a while since he socialized with anyone, so it should be a good time.

"Sounds great, man. I've gotta do some cleaning while I have the time, but I'll be there at 7." Cody said.

"Awesome. I gotta get going, see you tonight." Daniel replied.

"Later, man." Cody said, hanging up the phone. He flipped back onto his bed and stretched, breathing in deeply. This was gonna be great.

Before he got too comfortable, Cody got up and went to the coat closet, grabbing the vacuum. He got rid of all the dust that he had missed, admiring how just the smallest amount of work made the apartment look nicer. He put the vacuum away and started on dishes, distracting himself from the dull chore with some music.

After a good 30 minutes of light cleaning, Cody looked at his watch. It was 2:30, and he decided to grab a nap before the party later. He went to his bedroom and shut off the lights, falling back onto his bed. He laid awake for a couple minutes, thinking about the interaction at the store.