The Lies and the Lives of the Taken

Frank 8

        Usually, the library is rather busy, many students doing research or studying. While it's not completely empty, it's not as crowded as it usually is. However, it is a Sunday morning so I'm not surprised. 

        The only reason I stopped by today was that Cody wanted to meet up. Up ahead, I see him approaching. "Hey, man," he says, taking a seat across from me. 

         "Guten tag," I say with a smirk. 

        Cody freezes up and looks at me with narrow eyes. "Please, don't. I've been struggling to get around these last few months as is." 

        I chuckle to myself. "Alright, alright. How's everything?" I ask. I start taking out my art history notes and reviewing the next chapter. 

        "Man, let me tell you, I just had the best sandwich you could imagine," he says. He starts unloading his bag and taking out some work for marketing. World Trade. "And let me tell you, if we're hanging out until lunch, I'm taking you there to get one with me."

        I crack a smile while twirling my pencil between my fingers. "Yeah, sounds great. I don't have any plans for the afternoon so we can."

        "Totally," Cody says. 

        "So is this why you wanted to study with me? A sandwich?" I ask. "Not that it wouldn't be worth it, but it is there anything else?"

        Cody's little smile fades off and he adjusts in his seat. "I just got back from the admissions people. I've been trying to extend my stay here." He winces and shakes his head. "I'm going back to the States by the end of the term."

        "What?" I ask, setting my pencil down. "You can't stay longer?"

        He shakes his head. "I mean, I still have time. We have this month, and then November and December."

        "Yeah, but we don't have the whole month. We have breaks in between. Are you staying for them?" I ask. 

        "I don't know yet. If I'm going to be flying back and forth, it'll be really expensive."

        "You have a paid internship," I point out. 

        He nods along. "True, but I won't get to keep it for long since I am leaving. And the internship only goes until  January anyway. So I'll basically be done by the time I do have to go back."

        "Man, that really sucks."

        "I know, I'm super bummed out," he says. "You managed to stay?"

        "I'm not sure yet. Since I originally only signed for one month, they're kind of irritated for me still being here when it wasn't in the original papers for me to stay this long. But I have good reports from all the professors so I'm allowed to stay here."

        "Say you can stay until the end of the year," Cody suggests.

        "Oh my god, that would be bliss," I say.

        He smiles, nodding along. "Would you then live in Austria or move back?" he asks. 

        I pause for a minute. "Um, I don't know. It would depend on a lot of things."

        "Like?"

        "Like...where job offers are coming from. I'll take option C and go to Japan if I get a good offer there. But if they're both here and at home, I don't know. I would like living near my family but at the same time, I don't have anything established there."

        "What do you mean?"

        "Like in New York, I've only lived at my parent's house and on the campus dorms. Here, I have an actual apartment. And that also depends on Jenna," I say. "She's been saying that she wants to move to the U.S. I don't know if that's one of those things she just says as an idea or something she actually wants to do," I point out.

        Cody's eyes turn soft at the mention of Jenna. "So if she ends up staying here, would you?"

        I shrug. "I might. She's my best friend. I've known her the longest out of everyone I still talk to. And if I have offers here, why not?"

        Cody nods. "And if she wants to move?"

        "Then...maybe I go back home." It falls quiet between us. The sounds of low murmuring and bookshelves rustling come behind me. "How are you with Jenna?" I ask. 

        "I mean...what's to say?" he mutters. 

        "Come on, it's not like I'm going to report this back to her," I say. "I'm just wondering. And sometimes it's better to say things to get them off your chest."

        Cody stiffens. "I think I love her," he admits. "I know that when we met, it was one of those wild summers with crazy nights but I just-I loved that summer. And I feel like it's still there when I'm with her, that feeling I can't help but let take over."

        I smile at him while he talks. Students who were going to start a study abroad in Austria in the fall were offered to take their summer up there so they can explore earlier so they can focus on school more. Not a lot of students did since it was an out of pocket expense. I saved up a lot of money because I knew this is something I wanted to do. 

        I officially met Cody at the airport on the way there. We knew each other from Bio 101 but we only talked in class, never outside. We sat by each other on the plane and talked the whole way there. And since it's an 8-hour flight, we definitely caught up, to say the least. 

        When we landed in Austria, we registered with the school and everything. I met Jenna at a cafe. It was really exciting but weird. It was the first time we ever saw each other in person yet we knew everything about one another. Summer was a blast, going through the cities, trying all the new foods, hiking around, and spending every single clear-skied night on the beaches. It wasn't just Jenna and I. We were a group of 10. Cody was with us and so was Lynn, one of the students who lives in Germany, and several others. 

        I could sense something sparked between Cody and Jenna after the first few nights. Just the way they clicked, they worked together. But Jenna was and still is oblivious to that fact. And she doesn't know Cody likes her. He's also too good of a gentleman to ever say anything to her while she's with Jakob. 

        "So when you leave," I say, "are you going to tell her?" I ask. 

        "I don't know," he sighs. "I want to but it's not my place to get involved."

        "Her boyfriend is awful to her," I say.

        Cody tenses up. "If he's lucky enough to have someone as incredible as Jenna, he should treat her better. She's absolutely perfect and he doesn't even care."

        "Yeah," I say.

        "I hate that guy," he mutters. "Not because he's dating her...because he treats her terribly. Like I'm all for her if she's happy but I know she's not. From what you tell me and what I see in her when we do hang out." He glances up at me. "is he still cheating on her?" he asks. I nod my head and Cody scoffs. "How could you cheat on your girlfriend when you're dating Jenna? You don't need anybody else if you have her."

        The two of us continue talking while studying. The subject switches to a lighter note. Around noon, we decided to head out and then go get those sandwiches that Cody dare calls life changing.