Cody

 

 

 

 

 

“Y OU’RE DOING IT WRONG,” Carrie says, grabbing the turkey baster out of my hand.

“Fine,” I say, laughing.

“Hey,” Ethan says, as he walks in the room and sets the bag of groceries down on the table.

“Get everything?” I ask him.

“I think so,” he says. He kisses me on the cheek and I edge away moving over to the groceries. He doesn’t say anything and starts setting the table.

“Thanks,” I say.

“Yep,” he says.

He finishes setting the table and goes into the living room.

“What’s with the tension?” Carrie whispers to me.

“It’s nothing,” I say.

“You guys have been weird for a few days now,” she says. “Usually you’re all over each other and now you barely speak.”

“Just not seeing eye to eye on some things.”

She goes back to the turkey and I look over at Ethan who is flipping through the channels on the TV. I know he means well with the whole Nathan thing, but it still bothers me that he’s trying to make it seem like nothing when he doesn’t understand the way I feel about it fully.

I make my way over to the couch and sit down beside him. He doesn’t look my way, or move in general, as I lay my arm against the couch behind him.

“What time is Hadley getting here?” I ask him.

“Soon,” he says.

“Cool.”

He goes to get off the couch and I grab his arm and pull him back down to me. He doesn’t look at me and closes his eyes as I wrap my arm around his shoulder and pull him into me.

“I’m sorry I pulled away from you,” I say.

“I’m used to it lately.”

“I’m confused about what to do with Nathan and I’m taking it out on you. I’m sorry for that.”

“It’s OK,” he says.

“No,” I say, turning his face towards me, “it’s not. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he says, laughing. “We’ll make up later.” He points towards the front door and in walks Hadley and Ian.

“Heeeey,” Hadley says, sitting down a bottle of wine on the table.

“Don’t you two just look adorable,” Ethan says, making his way off the couch and hugging Hadley.

“Hey, bud,” I say, shaking Ian’s hand.

“Thanks for the invite,” he says.

“Of course,” I say. “You’re always welcome.” Ian still doesn’t know about Nathan and I don’t know if I should even bring it up or not.

“Hi,” Carrie says, extending her hand out to Hadley, “I’m Carrie. Glad to finally meet you.”

“You too,” Hadley says, smiling. “It’s nice to have another girl around and not just a room full of sausages.”

“Really?” Ethan says. “Must you be so disgusting?”

“Shut up,” she says, punching Ethan in the shoulder.

“I agree,” Carrie says. “Sausage is great, but one is plenty for me.”

“Jesus,” I say. “I think everything is close to being done.”

“Just a little longer on the turkey,” Carrie says.

We make our way to the living room and sit around the coffee table. I sit in the recliner and Ethan sits on my lap, so Hadley and Ian can sit on the couch.

“So,” Ethan says, placing his hands over his knee, “are you two official or just having fun?”

“We’re getting to know each other, Ethan,” Hadley says.

“I see,” Ethan says.

“Just trying to take things slow,” Ian says.

“Whatever works,” Ethan says.

“What he means,” I say, “is that he think it is fantastic and he hopes it works out.”

“Yeah,” Ethan says. “Is that not what I said?”

 

***

 

 “Three brothers and four sisters?” Hadley says in amazement. “Jesus, all I have is Ethan and I can barely handle that some days.”

“I’m jealous of you guys, honestly,” Carrie says. “I’m not close to any of them. Which, that’s probably a lot of me being stupid, but it’s also hard being the youngest and then trying to get close to one of them when they’re all already paired off.”

“Do any of them live around here?” Hadley asks.

“No,” Carrie says, “they’re pretty spread out. A few are still in Wisconsin where my parents are. A couple of them are in Nevada. One is in California. There’s one in Texas I think and then…Idaho.”

“Idaho?” Ethan says.

“Idaho,” Carrie says, laughing.

“Speaking of Texas,” Ian says, “I had no idea you had a brother, Cod.”

“Oh,” I say, “yeah. I heard he was going to be working at your gym.”

“Yeah,” he says. “Is that cool? I mean if you don’t want him around there then I can find him something else locally.”

“No,” I say, “it’s fine.”

“Okay,” he says. “He’s a really nice guy. He stopped by the day after you guys had dinner. He had nothing but good things to say. I couldn’t believe who he was when he told me.”

“We…don’t really talk,” I say.

“Oh?” Ian says.

“But, seriously,” I say, “it’s fine.”

“I hope you guys like leftovers,” Ethan says. “We don’t eat anything more than once.”

I make my way out to the balcony after dinner and lean my elbows on the porch railing. I feel like I’m going to vomit from all the food I’ve consumed and all I want to do is stay out here and not feel so confined inside the apartment.

The sliding-glass door opens behind me and Ian leans on the railing beside me.

“You want to tell me the story with your brother?” he says.

“Last week was the first time I had seen him in years. The first time since he left once he graduated. He’s been in Texas ever since.”

“And you just haven’t talked?”

“There’s more to it,” I say, “but it’s not important. He was a good fighter when he did fight. I’m sure he’ll do a good job training.”

“You’re sure it’s cool, him working there? I don’t want to make things weird for you.”

“Really,” I say, “it’s fine.”

“Well, this is cool, though, right? Him moving up here and you guys can talk again?”

“I’m not so sure,” I say.

“Look,” he says, “I have no idea what went on with you two, but take it from me, if he was to leave this earth tomorrow, you would regret it. Maybe there’s something that can be saved there, is all I mean.”

“So,” I say smiling, “just taking things slow, huh?”

“I’m still trying to figure her out,” he says, laughing. “She’s a lot like Carrie, and that scares me. I was a kid when I was with Carrie and I wasn’t ready for something real. So I don’t want to mess things up with Hadley.”

“Thanksgiving with her is a pretty good start to not messing it up I’d say.”

“I don’t have anybody special, anyway, so it was nice to come,” he says.

“So,” I say, “did my brother say why he came here?”

“You,” he says. “He told me when I first met him that his brother lived in the city and he wanted to be closer to him. I had no idea it was you until he told me after the fact. I think he thought he wasn’t gonna get the job because of what happened to him, but I don’t judge people. It’s who we are now that matters, not who we used to be.”

“Because of what happened to him?”

“With the injury and the drugs,” he says.

I lose my breath and look at him surprised.

He raises his eyebrows and says, “Why do I get the feeling that I wasn’t supposed to say that?”

 

***

 

Everyone leaves and I do the dishes while Ethan helps Carrie take stuff out to her car. Carrie is going on a trip for a few days to get away from work and school and I get Ethan all to myself tonight.

“Today has been so long,” Ethan says, shutting the door behind him.

“We should find a way to properly wind down then,” I say. I dry my hands as he wraps his hands around my waist.

“I’m sorry for pushing,” he says.

“It’s OK,” I say. “Maybe there is more to it then we know.”

“I don’t know,” he says. “I’m gonna go shower.”

He makes his way to the bathroom and once I hear the shower start running, I make my way into the bathroom, as well. I sit my clothes in a pile beside his and walk closer to the curtain. I pull it back and Ethan is leaning against the side of the shower, drenching his head in the hot water.

He looks over at me and smiles as I put my hands on his hips and bring him closer into me. I kiss him on the lips as he puts his fingers in my hair. I make my way from his mouth to his neck and he puts his hand on my head, burying me deeper into him.

I grab a washcloth from behind him and lather it with body wash. He flips around and I run it along his neck, down his back and between his cheeks. I kneel down and run the washcloth up his legs, into his thighs, and flip him around. I run it down his stomach and he moans once I make my way to his cock. I let it fall to the floor and grab a hold of his cock, rubbing the tip with my thumb.

He grabs a hold of it and smiles as he gently smacks it against my lips. I take it in my mouth and swing his hips to the side as he leans against the wall of the shower. He stand on one leg and sets the other on the edge of the bathtub as he motions his hips back and forth, thrusting himself deeper and deeper into my mouth. I play with myself a little, moving with the motions of his hips, as he digs his hands in my hair and lets out an ‘oh fuuuck’.

“I’m close,” he says. He speeds up his thrusting and I speed up my jerking as his legs start to buckle and he comes in my mouth. I come all over the bathtub floor and lie back as he lies down in my lap and wraps his hands around my neck.

“Never a dull orgasm with you,” he says, resting his head under my chin.

“Never.”