27. Cody
CODY
It took me quite a while to hear the pounding on my door. After telling Mia that I liked Beethoven, I’d put his seventh symphony, movement two, on repeat in my headphones. I liked how it kept building on itself, eventually becoming relentless, but beautiful.
Then the knocking.
As I pulled off my headphones, I half hoped it was Mia, but I couldn’t imagine her climbing an extra set of stairs for me in her current condition.
It was Aaron. “Hey,” he said.
“Hi.” I blinked at him, a little surprised. We were friends, but we usually met up in the common rooms of the house, not here. “What’s up?”
He stepped inside, scanning my room. It wasn’t a mess, exactly, just full. There was a keyboard on the bed. A guitar on the only spare chair. And sheet music on every flat surface.
I moved the guitar, and he sat. I returned to my desk which held another keyboard, two monitors, and a sound board and audio mixer. Then I waited.
“It’s about Mia,” he said at last.
“She okay?” I’d stopped by a few hours ago, and she’d seemed fine then.
“Yes.”
That was it, that was all he said. And I was supposed to be the silent one. “And?” I finally prodded.
“And, I saw the flowers you got her. I should’ve thought of that.”
It took me a moment to digest this. “So why didn’t you?”
“I don’t know.” He stared off into the corner of my room where there was nothing but an old metal music stand.
“I… I’d hoped that after she went with me to my grandparent’s party, that things might…
” He looked frustrated, with either the words not coming or at himself.
Both were sentiments I could identify with.
Finally, he looked at me. “I’d like to ask her out on a date, but when I saw those flowers…
I thought maybe you and I might have a problem. ”
He said it so dramatically that I had to bite back a grin. “Should we fight for her?”
“No,” he sounded shocked, and then seemed to realize that I was kidding. I gave him credit for that—most people had no fucking clue. “I just wondered what we should do about it. If you like her too.”
“We don’t do anything,” I said, side-stepping that last part. “It’s completely up to Mia.”
“I know that, but like… I figured we should talk.”
“And it’s going great so far.”
He shot me an annoyed look. “Could you not?”
I held up my hands in an apology. “Okay, but I still don’t know what you think we’re supposed to do about it. We each get a certain number of days to talk to her? We can take turns asking her out until she says yes to one of us?”
The glare looked out of place on Aaron’s usually serene face. “We all live together. This could become a problem.”
“Not for me.”
“Because you don’t like her or you just don’t give a shit?”
All right, he was clearly getting heated.
And while I didn’t share his concerns, I didn’t want to antagonize him further.
I didn’t have enough friends to be piss one off, though I seemed to do that frequently, anyway.
“I hear you, but I don’t see how there’s anything for us to do.
If you want to ask her out, go for it. If she wants to go out with you, she’ll say yes. Problem solved.”
“Don’t you want to ask her out, though? It shouldn’t be a matter of who asks first.”
“It’s not. She’s a big girl. She can make up her own mind.”
“Not if she doesn’t know there’s a choice.”
“Look, probably she thinks of us both as just friends. Hell, maybe she’s got a crush on Raymond. Talking about it doesn’t change anything.”
Aaron nodded, but he didn’t look happy about it. But he stood, clearly seeing that he wasn’t going to get what he needed from me. Most people came to that conclusion fairly quickly.
“I’ll let you get back to your music.” He vaguely gestured around my room which looked a bit like a used instrument store. “I’m going to talk to Diego about it. See you.”
“See you,” I echoed. I was absently staring at a spot on my carpet when he left, but then my brain kicked into gear.
He was going to talk to Diego about this?
Why the fuck would he do that? The dude wasn’t our dad or our brother.
And I liked the guy overall, but he was smart in some ways and clueless in others.
I had a sinking feeling that this was going to fall into the latter category.
“There she is,” Diego said as Mia limped her way across the backyard, Aaron holding onto her arm like she was going to collapse at any minute. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” she said, blinking in the sunlight. We all had jackets on, but otherwise, it was pleasant out here. She seemed to think so, too. “It’s nice to get some fresh air.”
What she didn’t say, and what we were all wondering, was what the hell we were doing out here. I suspected Diego had chosen this spot for lunch for privacy reasons, but I hadn’t seen Jenna, Evan, or Raymond all day, so it seemed dumb not to use the dining room. Fewer leaves falling in our food.
We took our seats as Aaron unpacked the large white bag he’d brought with him. First thing he opened up was a Styrofoam container of chicken noodle soup. “For you,” he said, putting it in front of Mia with a flourish.
She smiled. “Thank you, but I’m not sick.”
“Chicken noodle soup will help you stay that way,” Aaron said.
“I’m not sure that’s scientifically true.”
Aaron laughed. “You and Cody are the ones taking the chemistry class, so I’ll bow to your authority.
” I snorted. Mia had felt well enough to attend class today, but it was such a long walk that we’d compromised.
I’d propped my phone up on the desk next to me, facing the professor so that she could watch the lesson from home.
Then I’d happily resumed ignoring Dr. Beringer.
Listening in once this week had been enough.
Aaron continued to pull out a random assortment of containers. The logo on the bag was from a high-end deli I’d passed by but never ventured into. Too rich for my budget.
I ended up with a Mediterranean grain bowl that looked decent. Colorful and fairly well-balanced. I took a bite, chewing slowly. The chicken was okay—maybe a little dry. Not marinated long enough, probably. The quinoa had flavor but was a bit too chewy. Probably undercooked.
Grudgingly, I had to admit that it was nice out here. The sun was high in the sky. The remaining leaves in the trees held on valiantly despite the wind. The food was decent, if not spectacular. Yet I was pretty sure I wasn’t the only one who was as uncomfortable as hell.
Diego was quiet as he ate. He somehow gave off the impression that he was sitting at the head of the table even though it was a square folding table with equal sides.
Aaron kept trying to draw Mia into conversation but got short answers in return.
She didn’t look pissed, just… wary. As if she, too, knew that Diego hadn’t just randomly thought that today was a good day for a picnic.
As if reading my mind, he set down the rest of his sandwich and said, “It’s a nice day.”
Brilliant opening line, dude. But we all nodded.
“I thought it would be a good spot for us to talk.”
Crap.
“About what?” Mia asked. Her curls bounced across her shoulders as she turned her head.
Diego hesitated. “About you, actually.”
“I’m fine,” she said immediately. “I’m not going to be running any footraces, but I’m much better.”
“Good to hear,” Diego said, a bit absently. “But this is about something else. Something a little awkward.”
Shit. I wanted to say, if it’s awkward why bring it up? Not that that would stop him.
“The thing is, we’re all friends here and roommates,” Diego began. “And we need to keep certain boundaries in order to keep living in harmony. I know it might be a little difficult, since there aren’t many women living here.”
That was a lot of words that didn’t amount to anything.
Evidently, Mia thought so, too. “Just say what you mean.”
Diego sighed. “I think… I suspect that more than one person in this house has an interest in you, Mia. A romantic interest. And without some open communication, that could lead to hurt feelings and an uncomfortable living situation for us all.”
We all stared at him, even Aaron looking surprised though presumably it was his talk with Diego last night that had led to this.
Fire showed in Mia’s eyes, but when she spoke, she was calm and concise. “I see. I’ll try to keep my supposed romantic entanglements from making you uncomfortable.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about.” Diego said, and his gaze cut over to me. Right, because out of all the damaged people here, I was the most damaged. Good to know that was the prevailing thought.
“Leave me out of this,” I snapped.
“I can’t. It’s my job to make sure that we’re all comfortable living here.”
“No, it’s not,” Mia said. “It’s your job to keep the house running smoothly and to give a well-practiced welcome speech. You’re not a therapist.”
“Very true,” Diego said smoothly. “But I do try to step in if I feel that some of my roommates are going to get hurt.”
“Try stepping back out,” I muttered. There were so many things I wanted to say, but they always got jumbled up in my brain and didn’t come out right. Like what happened after the movie night with Mia.
“We’re not trying to put you on the spot, Mia,” Aaron said, and her head swirled to him. She might have felt a little betrayed, but at least he was man enough to admit that this dumbass conversation wasn’t just Diego’s idea.
She set down her drink. “What are you trying to do?”
Aaron sighed, not meeting her eyes. “I guess I’d just like to know where I stand.”
“And that couldn’t be accomplished by asking me?”
“No. Not when there may be another person here who likes you.”
Jesus. Did he have to beat around the bush so much? There were three of us here with her, so he didn’t have to be so damn subtle. And also, I was pretty sure he was miscounting. “Just one other?” I asked.
Both Mia and Aaron turned to stare at me. Diego, however, just looked at his food.
“Who brought Mia the flowers?” I demanded.
“I thought you did,” Aaron said.
I shook my head. “If it’s not music, I don’t give a fuck about it.”
“That tracks,” Mia muttered. “So who did get them?” Her gaze went back to Aaron, who did seem like the most likely candidate.
“I did,” Diego finally said.
Mia’s jaw dropped, as did Aaron’s.
“Why?” I demanded.
Diego response was only for Mia. “I just felt so damn guilty. It was my fault you cut your leg in the first place.”
Aaron and I exchanged a glance, not sure why he thought that. But it didn’t matter. “So it was just out of guilt?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Bullshit,” I said, and to my surprise, Aaron nodded in agreement.
Mia looked thoroughly confused. “I don’t know what’s going on here. For a conversation designed to keep people from being uncomfortable, it seems to be doing the opposite.”
“I’m sorry,” Diego said. “But this is important.”
If it was so damn important, he might consider actually saying what he meant.
For the millionth time, I wished I could find the right words when I needed them.
To remind Diego that we were all adults, and that Mia was not a situation to be handled.
But as usual, the words weren’t there. There was another way I could share my thoughts, but no one here would understand it.
“So what are you saying? That I need to make my love-life, if I even had one, public knowledge?”
“Not publicly,” Diego said. “But there are people here who need to know.”
“Including you,” Aaron said, coming around to my way of thinking.
Diego didn’t say anything to that.
“So I’m supposed to choose one of you, is that it?” I wasn’t sure the others could see the steam that was practically coming out of her ears, but I could. “Or maybe a coin toss would be more fair? Anybody got a quarter?”
I snorted out a laugh. This girl had spirit.
“Mia, we’re just saying—” Diego tried.
“I think you’ve said enough. I came here to Haverford with my sister.
And then she left, right before I moved in here.
And then I had nobody, but somehow, amazingly, I moved into a house full of good people.
People who’ve become my friends.” Her gaze swept over all of us in turn.
“And now you’re saying I just have to choose one of those friends? ”
Diego sighed, his hands folded on the table in front of him. “You can be friends with whoever you want?—”
“Thank you for admitting that,” Mia snapped.
“But if you want to be more than friends with someone, you should be open about that.”
“Why?”
“Because…” We waited a minute, but that was as far as he got.
“You don’t get to decide that. You don’t get to decide any of this. Maybe I’m a shitty person who enjoys toying with people’s emotions, ever think of that? You’re not the morality police. This is none of your business.”
“Except he wants to be part of your business,” I said quietly, and earned a glare from both Diego and Mia.
There was a moment of silence, and I hoped that my dig hadn’t hurt Mia. She pulled herself together and pushed her chair back from the table.
“Thank you for the lunch-slash-ambush, but I think I’ll go back to my room now.”
She stood up and Aaron popped to his feet, ready to escort her back to the house, but she waved him off, limping away.
Instead, it was Diego who called her name and went after her.
Leaving Aaron and me in awkward silence with a bunch of mediocre food on the table between us.
“Thanks for the lunch, dude.”