Playing in the Rain

  He saw me and waved impatiently.

  I ducked down, feeling my heart pounding. What the hell was I doing? No, I’d had enough of doing what I was supposed to and playing it safe. I was going to do this—whatever this was.

  I rummaged through my dresser, looking for my one-piece swimsuit, but all I could find was my bikini. When I heard him honk the first time, I pulled it on, cringing at how much boob was spilling over the top.

  By the second honk, I’d dragged a brush through my wet hair and yanked on a pair of cut-offs and strappy t-shirt.

  By the third honk, I was racing down the stairs and Cody was leaning against the door of his truck grinning at me.

  “It’s rude to honk like that when you go to pick up a girl!” I snapped.

  “Made you move your butt though,” he snickered. “Come on, I’m taking you to breakfast.”

  My face fell. “I thought we were going to swim with dolphins?”

  “We are, but SeaWorld doesn’t open until 10AM.”

  “SeaWorld?”

  He pulled a face. “Yeah, sorry. I couldn’t find anywhere with wild swimming that was close enough. But this should be cool. We’ll be in the pool with the dolphins and get to feed them and play with them and stuff.”

  He looked so worried that I felt guilty when he’d planned this specially for me.

  “It sounds great,” I reassured him. “I’d never have gotten around to doing it by myself. So where are you taking me for breakfast? I could go a plate of home fries, scattered, smothered and covered.”

  “What the heck is that?” he laughed.

  “Hey, don’t knock it! That’s Carolina food at its best: home fries, smothered in onions and bacon, covered in American cheese and served with two scrambled eggs. Mmmm!”

  He grinned, looking relieved, and that darned dimple popped out again.

  “Well, I was thinking more Muffin Heaven. They do the best blueberry muffins ever. Wait till you try them.”

  Cody was right. Even though the small family bakery was only four blocks from my apartment, I’d never been there. The smell of fresh baking had my nose twitching, and Cody looked like he wanted to fight his way to the front of the short line.

  I couldn’t help smiling.

  “What?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

  “You’ve got the exact same look on your face that Oscar had yesterday when he was eyeing up my frozen cherry yogurt.”

  Cody laughed. “Yeah? But with less drool, I hope.”

  “Hmm, well, this friendship is fairly new so I’ll take a rain check on that. By the way, what sort of dog is Oscar?”

  “He’s a Bernese Mountain Dog, but not pure bred. I think there’s some Newfoundland in there, too.”

  “Does the father have visiting rights?”

  Cody grinned. “I don’t think he was the responsible kind.”

  “Uh-oh, one of those hit-it-and-quit-it types. How old is he?”

  “I’m not sure. Four or five. Getting on for a big guy.” Cody’s smile faded.

  “You’re not sure how old he is?”

  “Well, he’s not mine. He belongs to a neighbor. I just walk him sometimes. He’s good company—you know, the strong silent type.”

  “Hmm, makes a change from the chatty, crazy type who writes messages to random strangers.”

  He laughed, then looked at me quizzically.

  “Which do you prefer?”

  “The strong silent type, but the crazy type’s growing on me, too.”

  “Good,” he said, throwing a heated look that shut me up.

  When we got to the head of the line, Cody ordered two coffees and six blueberry muffins.

  “How many people are you feeding?” I asked, incredulously.

  “I’m hungry,” he defended. “You can have two.”

  “What if I want three?”

  He gave me puppy-dog eyes. “You’d eat my muffin?”

  “Just asking for an equal share, mister.”

  “Fine,” he said, with a smile. “I’ll watch you eat three muffins, then I’ll watch you throw up.”

  “Wow, how’d you get to be so charming?”

  “Practice.”

  “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

  “Only the pretty ones who want to eat all of my muffins.”

  “Just my fair share!”

  We sat in his truck, sipping scalding hot coffee and eating our blueberry treats. I managed two-and-a-half, but only because I was determined not to be a girl about it.

  Cody snatched the remaining crumbs out of my hand and stuffed them in his mouth, a look of triumph on his face that didn’t match his bulging cheeks.

  “Oh my God! You look like a hamster.”

  He mumbled something I couldn’t understand, then swallowed and proceeded to lick his blue-stained fingers clean.

  I was mesmerized by his pink tongue winding around his fingertips, wondering what else he could do with it.

  He caught me looking and raised his eyebrows.

  I should have looked away but his expression became serious. For a second I thought he was going to kiss me, and I really, really wanted him to. But then he cleared his throat several times before looking away and starting the truck’s engine.

  The awkward moment passed when he turned on the radio and a John Denver song blared out.

  Cody started singing along, his voice strong and surprisingly tuneful, with a rough, sexy edge. I could imagine him fronting up a rock band—he was certainly hot enough.

  “How come you know all the words to that?” I asked, when it had finished.

  He grinned, completely relaxed again.

  “It’s my mom’s favorite,” he smiled. “‘Some days diamonds, some days stones.’ It’s about making the most of what you get in life; you know, life deals you lemons so make lemonade and all that happy shit.”

  “Very philosophical.”

  He shrugged. “I like it.”

  We drove in silence the rest of the way to SeaWorld, each lost in our thoughts, although I saw him glancing across at me a few times, like he wanted to say something but wouldn’t or couldn’t.

  At the aquarium, we were taken to a small classroom with three other people—a mom and two children—and given a short lecture on dolphins, their behavior and habitat.

  Cody was as excited as either of the kids, and eager to get in the tank with the dolphins.

  “We’re going to meet a thirty-year-old dolphin named Mavis,” said the trainer. “She’s very friendly and loves being around people.”

  “Wow, thirty years old,” Cody said, softly. “She’s almost a senior citizen dolphin.”

  The trainer smiled.

  “Don’t let her hear you say that; Mavis is very spry!”

  We were shown to the changing rooms and given lockers for our clothes. I felt self-conscious in my bikini, but the mom who was with me sighed enviously.

  “What I’d give to have your figure. But having two kids … well, let’s just say that gravity isn’t kind.”

  I smiled and thanked her.

  “Your boyfriend is a sweetheart,” she said. “My two little trouble makers are quite smitten.”

  I knew the feeling.

  We made our way out to the pool area to collect our wetsuits.

  Cody was chatting with the trainer, and even though I’d already seen most of his body when he wore his running shorts, I couldn’t help but enjoy the very pleasant scenery.

  His mouth dropped open when he saw me, and I watched his eyes travel across my body with obvious appreciation. I shivered under his gaze, and was both relieved and disappointed when we were handed our wetsuits.

  We splashed the water with our hands, our greeting to Mavis. She swam toward us and I held my breath as she brushed against my hand. Her skin was slightly rough, slightly rubbery, but her touch was gentle. She circled us slowly, coming close in, then pushing away.

  “She’s checking you out,” said the trainer. “Just let her swim around y
ou a few times and get used to you.”

  “She’s smiling at me!” the little girl giggled excitedly.

  “Dolphins look like they’re smiling, but it’s their behavior that tells you how they’re feeling. Yep, she definitely likes you!”

  Mavis swam toward us again, then nudged me with her head, pushing me into Cody.

  “She thinks you make a cute couple,” whispered the mom.

  I felt my cheeks heat up but Cody laughed and put his hand around my shoulder, pulling me in closer.

  I felt warm all over: from the sun, from this wonderful experience, and from the man standing next to me, smiling like I was the best thing he’d ever seen.

  We stayed an hour with Mavis, playing with her, feeding her, sharing her environment, and getting our pictures taken with her.

  I was totally blissed out by the time we finished; deeply relaxed in a way I didn’t understand, but that was entirely new.

  We stayed a while, looking at some of the other sea creatures, but it made me feel sad seeing animals in captivity, even large, beautifully maintained aquariums like these. They weren’t meant to be caged; they should be in the ocean, free, living their lives. Not here, no matter how well they were looked after.

  Eventually, we headed for one of the cafés and sat chatting in the sunshine.

  When we strolled back to Cody’s truck, he opened the door for me.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d enjoyed myself so much on a first date. Was this a date? It felt like one, but without the usual awkwardness. Maybe we were just two people making our wishes come true.

  As Cody climbed into the truck, I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

  “Thank you. That was amazing. One of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. Thank you for taking me.”

  He smiled and looked down to where my palm was resting on his knee, and he threaded his fingers through mine.

  “I’m glad you liked it,” he said, squeezing my hand gently before letting go. “Want to cross something else off the list?”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “Number one.”

  Uh-oh.

  “You mean…?”

  “Yep, tattoo time!”

  “Oh, I’m not sure about this.”

  “It’ll be fine, Ava. I’ll go first so you’ll see that it’s okay. But only get yours if you really want to; we can still cross it off the list if just one of us does it.”

  I agreed reluctantly, a queasy feeling in my stomach, and I was regretting the tuna sub that I’d eaten at SeaWorld.

  He drove into a part of the city that I didn’t know, following the instructions of his GPS, and finally pulling up outside a store front that had the words ‘Propaganda Tattoo’ painted across the large window.

  I peered out anxiously, and Cody had to coax me out of his truck with a promise of cookie dough ice cream later.

  He held my hand, rubbing his thumb across my knuckles to soothe me, then led us into the tattoo shop. I was surprised by the clean, open-plan space; I’d expected something grungy and dirty.

  “May I help you good people?”

  A huge man with tattoos scrolling up his neck and thick arms walked toward us. I hid behind Cody while they discussed his yin and yang tattoo.

  “Your girlfriend can wait out here or come and watch,” he offered.

  Cody winked at me, but didn’t correct the man’s assumption.

  “Do you want to watch?” Cody asked, looking concerned as the blood drained from my face.

  “Um … I’m not sure.”

  “He’ll be fine, honey. Maybe you could hold his hand for him—it’s always the tough guys that turn out to be wusses.”

  I laughed shakily but followed them into the booth.

  Cody sat in something like a dentist’s chair while the tattoo artist who called himself ‘Monk’ wiped the top of his arm with antiseptic and shaved it carefully. Then he traced out the transfer and positioned it on Cody.

  “Last chance to change your mind, man.”

  Cody smiled at me. “Nah, I’m good.”

  The buzzing of the tattoo gun made me feel faint. Cody didn’t move, but I saw a vein pulse in his neck, and his jaw showed tension. Without thinking, I pulled his hand into mine and held it tightly. He blinked in surprise, then smiled at me.

  Fifteen minutes later it was done. Cody’s skin looked a little pink around the edges, but otherwise not as raw as I’d expected.

  The yin and yang design was fresh and sharp-edged, and was about the diameter of a baseball. It looked pretty good.

  Monk smothered some gel over Cody’s new tattoo, and covered it with something that looked like saran wrap.

  “You gonna get a tat, little girl?” asked Monk, turning to me.

  When he smiled I noticed that he had a tooth missing. I couldn’t help wondering whether an unhappy customer had punched him.

  “You don’t have to, Ava,” he said, gently.

  Why was I such a chicken shit? I raised my chin sternly.

  “No, I want to get one, too. I want to remember this day.”

  Cody’s smile was so wide, he glowed with happiness.

  “I’ll never forget it,” he said, staring into my eyes.

  I leaned forward and his eyes darkened, the atmosphere heating between us, until Monk cleared his throat.

  “So what do you want, honey?”

  I blinked a couple of times, embarrassed by how I was behaving, but nothing about today had been usual.

  “I’d like the astrological symbol for Pisces, please.”

  “Not a dolphin?” Cody smirked at me.

  I ignored him and showed Monk where I wanted the tattoo.

  “Just here.”

  I unstrapped my watch and showed him the place on the inside of my wrist.

  “Sure, honey. But just so as you know, it’ll hurt some because you don’t have much flesh and it’s near to the bone.”

  I’m pretty sure every drop of blood left my face and I swayed slightly.

  “Um, Ava? I’m not sure this is such a great idea,” Cody said, worriedly.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  My voice sounded faint even to my own ears.

  Monk shook his head and sighed, before settling me in the chair and cleaning my wrist.

  He was right: it did hurt, and the vibrations of the tattoo gun made me feel like my teeth were rattling. I couldn’t look, but Cody held my hand until it was finished.

  “All done.”

  I stared at my wrist, slightly appalled. I looked like I’d been branded, but I was also rather pleased with myself, and with the small symbol that was now indelibly inked onto my skin.

  Once again, Cody refused to let me pay, pulling out his wallet and handing over a bundle of bills.

  “How can you afford to do all this stuff when you don’t have a job?” I grumbled. “Don’t you have college loans to pay off or something? Or are you just rich?”

  Maybe the ink had gone straight to my brain, because I knew I was being rude. Cody didn’t answer immediately, an oddly opaque expression clouding his face.

  My knees buckled as I left the shop, and I gripped onto the doorframe when a wave of dizziness seized me.

  “Whoa! Are you okay?”

  Before I could answer, Cody swept me up into his arms and carried me to the truck. My head felt like it was revolving slowly; but resting against his firm chest, focusing on the steady beat of Cody’s heart, I began to recover. I became hyperaware of the faint smell of chlorine on his skin, a hint of the cologne that he’d worn earlier, and the subtle scent that was all his own.

  I was just beginning to enjoy the experience, when he placed me carefully onto the passenger seat.

  “How are you feeling now?”

  I laughed awkwardly.

  “Embarrassed, mostly.”

  A soft smile highlighted the relief on his face.

  “Maybe I should take you somewhere and feed you.”

  “Are you kidding? You?
??ve already bought me a tuna salad sub and two muffins. I’ll be the size of a water buffalo if you carry on like this.”

  “Two-and-a-half muffins.”

  “Whatever!”

  “Well, I did promise you cookie dough ice cream.”

  I sighed. “Yes, you did. But I’m paying.”

  “I like it when you boss me around,” he said, with a wicked grin.

  I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t entirely hide my smile.

  We drove out to the Moo Time Creamery in Coronado and sat in the sun, enjoying our cones.

  “You never answered my question,” I said, licking the last ice cream drips from my fingers.

  “Which one?” laughed Cody. “Some people around here talk non-stop.”

  It was true: we’d been chatting away like old friends. Everything with Cody was easy. Almost everything. I was still wondering why he hadn’t tried to kiss me.

  “Are you rich?”

  He laughed huskily.

  “Not so as you’d notice—rich in experience, maybe.”

  “So how can you afford all this? I mean it’s really nice of you…”

  “Really, Ava, don’t worry about it. I’ve got some money saved up. I’ve been planning this for a while now.”

  “Yeah, but I can’t pay you back. I … I kind of quit my job, or maybe I was fired.”

  His voice was full of concern.

  “But … you’re not sure?”

  “Well, I was working as a paid intern at this Accounting firm—it was supposed to be my big start. But then my boss, who also co-owns the company, he suggested that if I could ‘help’ him, he could ‘help’ me, if you get what I’m saying.”

  Cody’s expression darkened and his full lips were pulled into a hard, flat line.

  “Say the word, Ava, and I’ll go beat the ever-living shit out of that bastard. I mean it. He can’t get away with that.”

  He looked so furious that I knew he’d do it if I said the word.

  “The guy’s a douche, but I’m not going to let him ruin everything,” I sighed, trying to believe the words I was saying. “I really like living out on the west coast. I’ll find another job.” Eventually. “But I can’t pay you back yet, “and I don’t like being in debt.”