18
Cody
With slow and steady strokes, Cody added a primer to the inside of the treehouse. All his sticky notes had been peeled off the wall and inserted into a folder, as he liked to keep a record of his early ideas. He wasn’t having the best day. Not only had he already received a rejection email from the one games company he really wanted to join, he couldn’t get Willow and Kip out of his head.
It had been a few days since he smacked the actor in the face, and he’d not said two words to the man since, but it still irritated him that Kip was around, especially on Silver Wish Farm.
Cody’s head whirled with questions and concerns, mostly about Willow and her obsession with soulmates and that stupid psychic reading she had squirrelled away in her inbox.
Not a lot made sense to him anymore. He was just starting to get a grip on life as well. The real problem was, he wanted Willow to look at him the way she did Kip. Well, the way she had, as she wasn’t talking to Kip either unless it was something to do with the play.
Oh, I’ve got it bad, and this isn’t good .
Cody sighed onto his paintbrush. At least he had the peace and quiet of the treehouse for company. He sat up and grabbed his laptop, wanting to do something to make himself feel productive. After a few taps and scrolls, he submitted his game to two more companies, trying hard not to feel defeated at the start line.
Rejection is redirection .
He hoped.
Humphrey was attending a job interview, so he couldn’t reach out to him just yet to share his insecurities and heartbreak, and no one else would understand.
Cody slumped back down to his elbow and continued to clean away all traces of Kip and Lavender’s moment of passion. He had to laugh, as Willow had got Josephine up the ladder with a bowlful of sage and a lighter that night. The treehouse stunk, and Cody was sure the old lady would set the tree on fire. Even Finn watched with eyes wide and a twitchy hand, ready to go full firefighter if need be.
Poor Willow was distraught, Kip was taking life in his stride, and Cody wasn’t sure what he should be doing, so he acted like nothing had happened and just offered hugs to Willow as and when needed.
Cody glanced at his laptop to see an email had arrived. He wished he hadn’t looked, as it was from one of the games companies already, telling him they weren’t taking on any submissions yet. He double-checked their website, annoyed they hadn’t bothered to mention that fact.
One down, one to go .
He flopped to his back and stared at the ceiling, wondering if it was worth it after all. He was stressed to the max, his stomach was playing him up, and the whole submitting process was leaving nothing but negative vibes, and he’d only just started.
Working with Heath in the woodwork world was calming, and Silver Wish Farm’s business accounts were a doddle, creating graphic novels was just a bit of fun, and bringing his grandad’s old kiosk back to life sparked way more joy than he knew he possessed, so did he really need to pin all his hopes and dreams on a board game? It was starting to feel like the wrong road.
Lance’s sedated voice called from below. ‘Cody, you up there?’
Cody poked his head out the door. ‘Yep.’
‘You’re late for dress rehearsals.’
‘Is that today? I thought it was… Oh, never mind. Be right there.’ He stuck the brush in a jar of water, placed the lid back on the primer pot, and scrambled down the ladder.
Lance had already walked off, but Cody wasn’t bothered. He wasn’t too fussed about the play, but like Willow had said, he couldn’t let the cast down now.
The show must go on .
He laughed to himself as he crossed the field, heading for the tent. All the money spent on his uni tuition and there he was off to act out some part in a play no one had heard of, with no intention of becoming an actor, which would probably please Zach, no doubt.
Inside the large canvas tent was awash with people, costumes, and the strongest scent of deodorant that choked Cody on entrance. He coughed, cleared his throat, then went off to find his name on a rail. Grimacing at the silvery-green, scaly fish suit, he double-checked it had his name attached.
It did.
His shoulders slumped as he headed off to one of the closed-off curtain areas to get changed. ‘Aquaman wouldn’t put up with this crap,’ he mumbled.
Scratching around his waistline whilst adjusting the crotch area, Cody was relieved to see that the rest of the cast was in full costume and some looking far worse than him.
Nora was sitting in one corner, making alterations whilst humming along to the background music Lance had decided would be the theme tune for the play.
Cody mentally shook his head at the sound, thinking it rather 1970s, but seeing how he didn’t know anything about the theatre world, he kept his opinion to himself.
Halloween soon, then this will all be over, and good bloody riddance .
It wasn’t the show giving Cody the hump. In fact, he’d enjoyed acting, in small doses, but it was easier for him to blame, rather than deal with his new confusing feelings and diminishing soul.
Kip and Lavender were front stage, performing, and Lance was standing on the grass, waving instructions up at them every other minute.
‘Can you just stop?’ said Kip, flapping a hand at Lance. ‘You keep interrupting the flow.’
‘Only when you’re doing it wrong,’ said Lance, retreating to a blue-and-white stripy deckchair.
Cody scanned over the script to see what scene they were at, then swallowed hard when he spotted his kissing scene with Willow was up next.
Great!
Taking a deep breath, he went off to position himself at the foot of the stage, ready to enter on cue. He really wasn’t looking forward to getting into the groove of things, as Lance had put it, but with most of the cast out front watching, he had to get serious and perform his best. There was only one more dress rehearsal after this, then it was showtime.
Come on. Just breathe. You’ve got this. It’s just acting .
He could see Willow over the other side of the stage as Kip and Lavender were joined by some others for a fight scene.
Lance spoke into a walkie-talkie, instructing the lighting man to set a different ambience, and it made Cody smile at the memory of when he had a set as a kid and gave one to Willow so they could play special agents around the farm.
Looking over at her warmed his heart and soothed his adrenaline for a moment. She always had the ability to calm him. Why hadn’t he seen what was under his nose all those years? It made no sense that she held his heart and yet his brain failed to let him know.
Do you know?
Her gaze fell upon his for a split second before the scene on the stage ended and it was time for Cody to play his role.
He waited for the lights to give him his cue, then entered stage right and said the first line.
A forbidden love, an itchy costume, corny lines, and big chestnut eyes gazing dreamily swept Cody away into the story.
‘I can’t keep away from you. I never want to,’ he told her character.
‘Whatever happens next, we’ll face it together.’
‘It won’t be easy.’
Willow placed her hands on his chest, closing in on his personal space. Pure love sparkled from her eyes as she lifted her chin so their lips were inches apart. ‘I don’t care, as long as we’re together.’
Cody’s gaze fell to her mouth. ‘We’ll always be together. It’s our destiny.’ He knew he was supposed to kiss her at that point, but he was frozen, locked with her eyes reaching into his soul.
Willow pressed up against him, taking control of the scene. Lightly, she placed her lips upon his and closed her eyes.
There was something strange that happened to Cody in that moment, but he couldn’t quite place his finger on exactly what. All he knew was, somewhere high in the sky, he danced with Willow on moonbeams amongst the shiniest stars.
Neither of them moved for a moment. Not even one twitch of the lips exchanged between them, but then Cody slowly slid his arms up to rest around the back of her shoulders, and Willow pressed a little more against his mouth, and Cody was sure he had made it to heaven.
With a still heart and the flight of butterflies, Cody parted his lips slightly, and Willow did the same. Her hands raked into his hair, and he needed to kiss her properly, deeply, with passion and meaning, but just as he went to hit that level, Lance called, interrupting his rapidly growing desire.
They broke apart, not making eye contact, and stared over at the director, who looked rather pleased.
‘Great,’ said Lance. ‘Do that every time. Right, next. Come on, why is everyone so slow today?’
Cody watched Willow leave the stage before he turned to walk away on jelly legs. He received some praise as he joined the others watching, then stole a glance over at Willow, wondering if she was feeling as shaken as him.
Bloody hell. Why did we have to be on the stage? I could have… I so could have… I need to talk to her .
He went to manoeuvre through the huddle but stopped when he saw Kip approach her. There was no telling what he was saying or how it was being received. Not that it mattered, because as soon as they stood side by side, all the fluttering and rainbows disappeared in a flash.
She’s still hung up on finding her soulmate, and if it’s not Sleepy over there, she’ll just search again for the face in the picture. I’ve got to get over this. This is ridiculous .
Cody flopped into a nearby foldaway chair, deciding to focus on the play. He had another scene in a bit so thought it best to concentrate on things he could control.
At least I didn’t slobber on her or anything. Oh great, we’ve got to do it again. And again .
He happily took a bottle of water from a cool-box someone was passing round and washed away the taste of Willow on his lips. She must have been wearing peach lip-gloss, because the flavour seemed to linger somewhere in the back of his throat, tormenting him.
Side-eyeing Willow and Kip in conversation, Cody could see it look amicable enough, but he didn’t smile to himself until she walked away to chat to some others. Whoever she ended up with as her partner had to be a decent man, and that wasn’t Kip Kirkland, that much was for sure.
Willow caught his eye as he turned to place his bottle of water on the grass. She smiled sweetly, making his stomach swirl and his mouth dry again. He had no idea how to respond, so just offered a small wave, thinking himself an idiot.
It’s just Wills. Act natural. Argh! It’s not just Wills anymore, and I can’t act natural. Now what?
Life was a lot easier when he didn’t have feelings for her, and that kiss had just made everything worse. None of the other actors were making a big deal out of their intimate scenes, they were simply getting on with their jobs. Willow wasn’t a co-worker. She was his best friend, and now so much more.
Willow pulled a chair to his side. ‘You okay?’ she asked quietly. ‘You look a bit… I don’t know, lost.’
‘Oh, I got a rejection on my game earlier. It put me on a bit of a downer, that’s all.’ He wasn’t fully lying but wasn’t prepared to talk truths.
Willow curled his hand in hers. ‘Oh no, that sucks, but their loss.’
He smiled softly, keeping his eyes on the stage.
‘Seriously, Sully. I’m a great believer in what’s meant for you won’t pass you by.’ She looked over at Lance and giggled. ‘I guess we’re meant to be here then.’
Cody glanced her way. What if she was right and the universe did work its magic in bizarre ways? Was that really how they were supposed to share their first kiss? His gaze dropped to her lips for a second, but then shot away when she noticed. His stomach was in knots, and he was sure she’d be able to feel the thumping in his heart through their linked fingers.
‘Everything will be okay,’ she whispered, leaning closer to him.
‘Yeah, who told you that, Mystic Maureen?’ He quickly scrunched his eyes, hating himself for his sarcastic snap. ‘Sorry,’ he added gently.
Willow chewed her bottom lip, then smiled a weak smile, revealing the awkwardness he had just placed into her.
‘I am sorry, Wills. I’m just being a moody sod today.’
‘Probably doesn’t help being dressed as a weird fish.’
Cody burst out laughing, earning him a glare and a shush from Lance. He mouthed an apology, then turned back to Willow. ‘Guppy-girl.’
‘Barnacle-boy.’
‘Seaweed-woman.’
She tickled his ribs, and he fought back, causing them to almost fall off their chairs. They continued to nudge arms, telling each other to stop and be quiet whilst giggling, and just like that, everything felt normal between them again.