The one he never claimed. (Complete)

25.

"Cody you better have washed your dish!" I scream to the man who likes to get on my nerves downstairs.

This is a song I sing every day and I won't stop singing until he finally understands that leaving dirty dishes in the sink brings cockroaches.

"Yes babe!" I ignore the sarcasm in his tone.

I love the man but could he possibly be more annoying? Why are men such babies? I swear mom got lucky with dad.

I then smile when he finally comes to the bedroom to join me in bed not too long after.

"And..."
I can't stop myself from giving the wide smile that paints my face.

We didn't have dinner together because he was running late, and I'm only getting the chance to really speak to him now. To finally ask him the thing I'd been thinking about the whole day.

"I got it." He says with a shrug, confusing me. I thought he wanted this as much as I wanted it for him?

"Wait... are you serious?"
I practically jump from the bed to straddle his lap and give him the tightest embrace. I'm really proud of him.

He might not be excited but I am.

"Yea, and it's all thanks to you." He says bringing his face closer to mine. Finally giving me the excitement I'd been expecting from him and I let myself welcome the butterflies that come with our lips touching.

"Hey, stop that. This was all you! You're a hard worker Codes, I'm so proud of you." I say after our short kissing session. He doesn't like taking credit.

A few weeks ago Cody's boss announced that someone was due for a promotion. He hadn't said who as he hadn't yet decided. I knew who it belonged to. Cody has been giving his all to the company since he started there a few years ago. He was doing part-time for them while he was still in varsity before they took him in full-time.

If anyone deserves a promotion it's him. I knew he wanted it too even though he'd acted like it wasn't a big deal. But looking at his contagious smile now, I can't help but be filled with so much pride.

He gives me the credit because I always pushed him when he wasn't feeling the greatest, which happened to be a lot of the time. Because well - Cody struggles a bit with his self-esteem.

But it was all him, he was the one who put in the effort. He was the one who stayed up late to make sure that deadlines were met.

"They finally see you for what you're worth."
I say as I continue staring into his eyes lovingly.

He's one of the smartest people I know. He'd been a bit of a nerd all his life and it's paying off.

I ignore the phone vibrating on the nightstand as I go in for a more passionate kiss. But,

"Babe, I gotta take this?"

You're kidding me, right?

"Cody you promised not when we're together."
If he wants me to share him that's fine but my turn is my turn. He can't be answering their calls when I'm with him.

"I know I know babe, I just need to confirm something with her for tomorrow. I'm sorry."
He says and I make no attempt to stop my eyes from rolling to the back of my head.

I then get off his lap to go to the kitchen to wash the dish I know he didn't wash. I don't want to be in the room listening to him talk to his mistress.

I let the music play in the background on my phone as I now clean the already tidied kitchen. I like to clean to clear my mind.

I respect the fact that he's not ready to settle down and the fact that he was honest about it. I actually appreciated that, but am I selfish for asking that he at least respect me and not do it when I'm around? Am I selfish for asking him to ask them to respect our time together? I know about them and I know they know about me too. I don't call when he's with them.

He's just gotten back from a date and I waited patiently for him at home and I still have to deal with this?

Every day that I'm with him I fall harder and I'm in so deep now that the thought of leaving him is not an option anymore.

"What are you thinking about?"
I hear him ask as he creeps up to hug me from behind.

"Nothing. Just cleaning up." I partly lie. I'm supposed to be 'understanding' about this whole thing. The last thing I want is to make him feel bad about following his heart.

One thing I appreciate about Cody is his honesty. That was something I lacked greatly with my ex. I appreciate that he came clean instead of going behind my back. He told me what he wanted and we're working around that. And yes it's not easy but we'll figure it out.

"Well the bed is awfully empty without you. Didn't you clean the kitchen two times already?" He asks now kissing my neck softly and I hate how good that feels.

"Well if someone had cleaned his dish like he said he would, I wouldn't have to do this right now." I redirect, I seem to have gotten really good at that.

"Hey." He says now turning me around and I'm face to face with his beautiful hazels.

"What's wrong?" He asks making me sigh.

Well if he insists,

"I hate that you're seeing other people," I say and now he's the one who releases a short sigh. I know he's annoyed by this but so am I.

Every day that I see him chatting, calling, or going to meet someone else, I wonder if it's worth it.

But when he says,

"Baby, you know there's no one like you." My insides melt. I hate the hold he has on me.

I don't even know what exactly that means but that doesn't stop it from calming my heart without my permission.

"Don't worry about them, I'm not with them right now, am I? I'm with you!" He keeps saying 'them' but won't tell me how many they are.

"You're the one I sleep next to every night and you're the one I wake up to. I wouldn't have it any other way, ok?" He says now calming my heart further.

Even though I know there are others, I'm the one he eats a lot of dinners and breakfasts with. I'm the one he calls when he's going to be home late. So,

"I know. I'm sorry. I just - you know how I feel about you." I've been transparent about my feelings for him since day one. He owns my heart and he knows that. A part of me is scared because this now leaves me completely vulnerable. I'm head over heels in love with him and I'm afraid of the pain he's capable of inflicting on me. The pain I've already been through. But I shouldn't stop myself from loving because of what I've been through, should I?

Love is a risk, isn't it?

I don't want to prevent myself from experiencing it because of the fear of being hurt again.

Cody is different. He's kind and he's loving. He's nothing like Ezra so it wouldn't be fair for me to compare them.

Just because Ezra did what he did to me doesn't mean Cody will do the same.

And so what he wants to figure things out? Should I bail because of that? Doesn't that make me a coward?

"Hey, I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere." I hear him whisper to me reassuringly, getting me out of my daze. I feel my heart believe him. He's not going to leave me and he will never hurt me. So,

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"Yea."

"Yea?" He says and I slap him on his shoulder jokingly before I allow him to kiss me and then carry me to our room, where we make love until our bodies give in to exhaustion.