Code of Love

by Sharon Cummin

  Between her schedule and Cody's, they were only been able to get together once a week, and each time they did, they met at a restaurant for dinner. When they were done, Cody would walk her to her car, and before she'd get in, he'd lean in and kiss her. Kissing him was amazing, but not one of those kisses had even come close to their first. When she'd get home, she'd text him to let him know she was there, and he'd let her know when he was as well. They spent at least a few minutes on the phone each day, some days much longer than others, and as soon as they hung up, she couldn't wait to talk to him again. Some days they talked about her classes and others they talked about development. It didn't matter what it was they talked about, she enjoyed it. He really was a great guy. Her dad and uncle had been wrong. She was sure of it.

  Julie had just come in from class, and her phone rang. Excited to talk to Cody, she swiped her finger over the phone, as she kicked off her shoes, without ever looking at it.

  “Hey there,” she said, with happiness filling her words. “How are you this fine day?”

  “You sure sound happy,” she heard his words, and she froze.

  It wasn't Cody at all. Instead, it was her father, and she couldn't help the disappointment that filled her. She hadn't talked to him since she told him she wouldn't be coming home. It wasn't like she never called home. It just hadn't been her father she'd been calling. Julie text her mom every day. Some messages were short, and some were longer, but she never missed a day. Her dad hadn't exactly been trying to contact her any more than she was him, and she was okay with that.

  “I am,” she said. “What's up? You sound pretty happy.”

  “Oh, I am,” he said. “You're never going to believe what I have to tell you.”

  “I can't imagine,” she said. “All of your competition went away?”

  Julie knew that wasn't the case. She was very aware that his competition was right there, closer than ever.

  “Very funny,” her dad answered. “That fucker hasn't gone anywhere.”

  “You do know that you have more than one fucker you're competing with, right?”

  “Julie,” her dad snapped into the phone.

  “Just checking,” she said.

  “You ready to hear what I have to say?” her dad asked.

  “Sure,” she answered. “My classes are going really well by the way.”

  “That's great,” he said. “You're going to change your mind about all that teaching business.”

  “Really?” Julie asked, with aggravation filling her tone.

  “Yes,” he answered. “It's about your brother.”

  “Mom said he's home,” Julie said. “How's that going?”

  “Good,” he answered. “Great actually. He's coming to work with me. Can you believe that?”

  Julie heard his words, and it felt like he'd just kicked her in the stomach as hard as he could. He'd said with me, not for me. Why was the one person that wanted nothing to do with the business was the one person their dad wanted next to him? She'd worked her ass off, but that still hadn't mattered, not one bit.

  “Really?” she asked. “You know he doesn't like what you do, right?”

  “He came to me,” her dad said. “He said he was ready. I told you that you needed to come home, didn't I? You could be here with us. That's where you're supposed to be. Why don't you pack up your stuff and get home? You belong here.”

  “What am I supposed to tell my students?” she asked.

  “Your students,” he said, as if he hadn't even thought of that. “Just have them put someone else in your place. We need you here, Julie.”

  “Are you actually hearing the words you're saying?” she asked.

  “Of course I am,” he answered. “You're my little girl, and you're supposed to be here.”

  “You drive me crazy,” Julie snapped.

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” her dad snapped back.

  “Nothing, dad,” she said. “It means nothing. I have to go. I have to plan for class tomorrow. I like what I'm doing, and I can't stand that you're brushing it off like it's nothing. I committed to teaching these classes. My students need them for their degrees. I will finish teaching them.”

  “Then as soon as they're over, you'll come home,” he said.

  “I have to go,” she said.

  “Julie,” he snapped. “This is serious. It's the family company we're talking about.”

  “The family company,” she whispered. “What a joke. Goodbye, dad.”

  Julie hit the button to end the call, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she'd either hear from him or her mom, depending on how he was really feeling. Julie knew her brother was home, but she also knew that he didn't want visitors, and she'd respected that. When her dad told her Gavin was coming to work with him, she couldn't believe her ears. Her brother, the guy who couldn't write a line of code to save his ass, was working with their father, but Julie, who could write code in her sleep, was invited to work for their father. What a load of shit, she thought. Julie knew, in that moment, that she'd made the right decision, and she honestly wasn't sure that she'd ever work in the family business again. The craziest part of the whole thing was that it wasn't her she felt bad for, not at all. It was her brother. He'd never wanted a damn thing to do with that business, but their father had been pushing him since he was a little boy to pay attention, learn, and follow in his footsteps. Footsteps that Gavin honestly couldn't stand. Why, after serving his country, having his best friend killed beside him, and being injured himself, would he want to step into the one building he'd always avoided? Julie had no idea. All she knew was that she felt bad for him but also felt so much anger toward their father.

  When her phone rang, Julie jumped. Then she looked at the screen and breathed a tiny sigh of relief. It wasn't her father or her mother. It was Cody.

  “Hey,” she said, as she answered the phone.

  “Hey,” he said. “What's up?”

  “Not much,” she said.

  “You sure?” he asked.

  “Positive,” she answered.

  No matter how hard Julie tried to push her father out of her mind, she couldn't do it.

  “What's wrong?” Cody asked. “You don't sound like your chipper, smartass self.”

  “Nothing,” she said. “I'm fine.”

  “Was it your classes?” he asked. “Do I need to kick some young punk's ass?”

  “No,” she said. “It has nothing to do with class. It's a family thing. I'm trying to get it out of my mind, but it's really pissing me off.”

  “Pissing you off?” he asked. “That doesn't sound like you. I think you need a time out.”

  “A time out for saying pissing me off?” she asked.

  “Yep,” he answered. “I'm on my way.”

  “What?” she snapped out. “You can't come over now.”

  “Why not?” he asked, with a growl. “You got a guy there?”

  “No,” she said, totally shocked by his response.

  “Good,” he said. “I'm on my way.”

  “Aren't you working?” she asked.

  “I'll work tonight,” he said roughly.

  “Won't this break our once a week dinner?” she asked.

  “It sure will,” he said sternly. “I'll bring dinner.”

  “My sister is home,” she said.

  “I'll bring enough for her too,” he said. “I'll be there in thirty.”

  With that, he was gone. Julie jumped up, ran into the living room, and started picking things up.

  “What's going on with you?” Jessie asked, from her usual spot on the couch.

  “He's on his way over,” Julie yelped out. “He's bringing food.”

  “Who?” Jessie asked, with confusion in her tone.

  “Him,” Julie said, barely able to breathe from how fast she was moving.

  “The him that has my sister a tangled mess?” Jessie asked.

  “Get dressed,” Julie yelled out, as she ran into the other room. “He'll be
here in thirty minutes.”

  “I'm fine like this,” Jessie said.

  “You're wearing pajamas,” Julie said, as she stopped and narrowed her eyes at her sister. “It's the middle of the afternoon.”

  “On my day off,” Jessie said. “It's not me he has the hots for anyway, and I'm just fine in my stretchy pants. They fit my belly. I won't be changing.”

  “Whatever,” Julie yelled out, as she began again. “He does not have the hots for me.”

  “Oh, he most definitely does,” Jessie said. “Will you slow down.”

  “No,” Julie snapped out, as she whizzed by again. “I don't want him to think I'm messy.”

  “He might as well,” Jessie said, with a laugh. “Do you want him to find out later, once he's madly in love with you?”

  “Shut up!” Julie yelled out, as she shook her head. “It's not like that. It's business.”

  “Oh, I'm sure it is,” Jessie said. “It's business, and he's coming here.”

  “Ugh!” Julie let out.

  Jessie got up and caught Julie's arm on her way by. Julie turned toward her, and she laughed.

  “I'm just happy I finally get to meet him,” Jessie said.

  “I'm not,” Julie said, and Jessie gave her a confused look.

  “Why is that?” Jessie asked.

  “No reason,” Julie said, as she pulled her arm away and hurried to her room.

  “Something tells me I'm not the only one with secrets,” Jessie said.

  “No secrets here,” Julie yelled, as she walked back into the room.

  “Then why don't I believe you?” Jessie asked.

  Just as Julie opened her mouth to reply, there was a knock on their apartment door.

  “Shit!” Julie gasped. “That was not even close to thirty minutes. He had to have already left work before he even called me.”

  “More like he already had the food when he called you,” Jessie said.

  “I swear,” Julie snapped out, as she headed toward the door. “That man does whatever the hell he wants.”

  “Sounds interesting,” Jessie said.

  Julie stopped at the door and looked back over her shoulder at her sister.

  “Not funny,” she snapped, as she took a deep breath, turned back toward the door, and turned the knob.

  Please let this be okay, Julie thought in her mind over and over, as she pulled the door open.

  Chapter 10

  Cody

  Cody couldn't get Julie out of his mind, and there was no way he was waiting two damn days to see her. He'd already ordered food and left the office by the time he called her. She wasn't going to put him off, he wouldn't let her.

  When she answered the phone with sadness in her tone, he knew that he'd made the right decision. Whoever caused his little, smartass to be sad was going to deal with his wrath, he thought. Shit! She wasn't his, not at all.

  Cody thought about turning around and going back to the office, but he couldn't do it. He wanted to be there for her. He wanted to be the one to make her happy again. She wouldn't tell him what was wrong. The most she'd given him was that it was a family thing, and Cody couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with her staying at school instead of going home. Either way, she was sad, and he didn't like it, not one bit.

  He told her he'd be there in thirty minutes, but that was a lie. There was no way he was giving her time to leave her apartment. She hadn't invited him in that first day, and he hadn't been back since. There was something going on, and he wanted to know what it was. What was she hiding?

  When he knocked on the door, he could hear what she was saying from the other side, and he couldn't help but smile. When the door opened and he saw the aggravated look on her face, he burst into laughter.

  “This is not funny,” she hissed.

  “Oh, it is,” he said, as he took a step forward, waiting for her to step aside.

  When she finally did, he walked through her living room and into the kitchen. It wasn't a bad place for two college kids, but both Julie and her sister had graduated. Why hadn't they gotten something bigger, he wondered? Julie was teaching, and her sister was a nurse. Not to mention all of the money their dad made. They could definitely have afforded something bigger. Maybe she wasn't staying, he thought. Was that it? Was she going home in the fall? When a sad feeling moved through him, he quickly shook it from his mind.

  “You coming back out?” she asked, as she rounded the bend. “My sister is dying to meet you.”

  “Oh, really?” he asked, snapping back to reality.

  “Yep,” Julie answered. “She wants to meet the guy that irritates the shit out of me.”

  “What a potty mouth,” he said. “We better not keep her waiting then.”

  Julie turned around and walked back into the living room, and Cody followed. As soon as he turned the corner, he saw them both and smiled. His mind had been so stuck on Julie that he'd forgotten the two sisters were twins. As he looked between them, he saw their differences. One of which was that Julie's sister was pregnant, and he couldn't believe it. That was one he hadn't heard, and he wasn't sure how he'd missed it. Gavin definitely would have been talking about that around the coding community. He was going to be a grandpa. Wasn't he proud? Then it hit Cody, she hadn't gone home. Did her dad even know? Shit!

  “Earth to Cody,” he heard Julie say.

  “Oh, sorry,” he said.

  “This is my sister, Jessie,” Julie said, with attitude in her tone. “We're twins.”

  “You mentioned that before,” Cody said. “It's nice to meet you, Jessie. I hear you're a nurse.”

  “She's talked about me?” Jessie asked, with a huge smile on her face.

  “Of course,” Cody answered.

  “This is Cody,” Julie said.

  Jessie reached out to shake Cody's hand, so he took it in his.

  “Cody Williams,” he said, and there was no way to miss the way her hand jerked when he said his name.

  “You met my sister at school?” Jessie asked, as she pulled her hand away and took a step back.

  “I did,” he answered. “I was speaking in one of her classes.”

  “Interesting,” Jessie said. “She hadn't mentioned that.”

  “Oh yeah,” he said. “She was the only one that took notes on what I'd said.”

  “I bet,” Jessie said. “She's very passionate about coding. I'm assuming that was what you were talking about.”

  Cody looked over to see a very nervous look on Julie's face.

  “It was,” he said, as he turned his attention back to Jessie.

  It wasn't a guy at all that had Julie not wanting him to come over. It was Jessie. Julie didn't want him to meet her, but why?

  “Well,” Jessie said, as a smile appeared on her face. “It's all boring to me. When that subject comes up, I want to run away as fast as possible.”

  “It's kind of a love or hate kind of thing,” Cody replied.

  “Yes,” Jessie said. “Julie is the only one that loves it in our family.”

  “Are we going to eat or what?” Julie snapped, and both Jessie and Cody's attention turned to her.

  What the fuck was that, Cody wondered? Out of everything they'd said, why was that the part that had pissed Julie off?

  “I'm just hungry,” she quickly said, trying her best to cover up her tiny freak out.

  “I am too,” Jessie said.

  “You're always hungry,” Julie said, and Jessie shot her a dirty look.

  “If you don't shut your pie hole, I'll eat you too,” Jessie said, as she turned and walked toward the kitchen.

  “Will not,” Julie said. “You love me too much.”

  “You're right about that,” Jessie said. “You're the second most important person in my life. If anyone ever hurt you, I'd kill them with my bare hands. Let's eat.”

  When Cody walked back into the kitchen, he felt Jessie's eyes on him, but he didn't react. He couldn't. Julie hadn't once mentioned her father or their company
, and there was no way he wanted Jessie to be the one to do it. If he avoided the subject, everything would be fine. Out of everyone, he knew Julie would know who he was, especially after the talk he gave her class, but there was no way he ever expected her sister to recognize his name. How had she? He knew for a fact that Jessie avoided anything and everything that had to do with Gavin's business. She'd said herself that she ran away at the mention of the word coding. So, how the fuck had she known his name? She definitely did. The second she heard it, he felt tension oozing off of her. If she could have, she probably would have shot daggers at him. What had her acting that way?

  Cody looked over at Julie, and there was no missing how nervous she was. She was trying to get the containers of food open, but her hands were shaking so damn bad that she couldn't. In that moment, the only thing he wanted to do was calm her nerves and let her know that everything was okay. He walked around the counter to her, and he put his hand on her lower back.

  “I'll get it,” he said, as his other hand reached for the container she'd been fighting with.

  She looked up and back at him, and he smiled.

  “It's okay,” he said. “I'll get it.”

  She dropped her hands, giving him the container of food.

  “I'll get plates,” she said.

  As Cody opened each of the containers and set them out, he couldn't stop himself from wondering what exactly was going through Julie's head. Why was she so nervous? Why had she been keeping him from meeting her sister? What exactly did she think of him?

  Jessie was the first person to grab a plate and fill it. After her, Julie grabbed one and scooped a tiny bit of food onto it. When she turned to walk away, Cody reached out and grabbed her arm.

  “Is that all you're going to eat?” he asked.

  “I'm not that hungry,” she said.

  Cody had no idea why, but he couldn't help the protective feeling that came over him.

  “That's bullshit,” he said. “You just said you were hungry, and you need more food than that. Your ass could eat a plate double that size and still have room for dessert.”

  “Cody,” she said, barely loud enough for him to hear her.

  He grabbed her plate and loaded it with food. Then he handed it back to her.