Lasagna, Mothers, and a Whole Lot of Love (Cody.)

[Jalen August]

Jalen had driven her red Prius to Cody’s place around three in the afternoon. They had been calling and talking almost every night, all night. Cody was the first thing the blonde thought about when she woke up and last person she wanted to see every day. It had been a couple weeks since their last date. He had been busy with the ranch and she had some studying to do. I wonder if Cody is any good with Calculus... She thought to herself, parking near the man’s house.

Tonight was going to be special. Not only was she excited to see Cody, but she was excited to get to know his mum a little better. Natalie knew all about Jalen’s plans... let’s just say the blonde had her ways. Rustling around in the trunk, Jalen pulled out a small grocery bag of stuff – long and thick pasta noodles, cream cheese, cottage cheese, mozza cheese, and pasta sauce. Cody’s mum insisted that she had everything else the blonde would need. Cody knew she would be here for supper, but he didn’t really know that she was there to make supper.

Shutting the trunk, Jalen walked up to the house and made sure the boy wouldn’t hear her. If he happened to look right now and notice her and her car, well... That was a different story. Hopefully, he was too busy to notice that she had come a couple of hours earlier than she was supposed to.

Like some kind of sidekick, Natalie rushed Jalen into the house, a huge grin on her face. “I usually don’t let my guests make me supper, but you’re quite the persuader,” she remarked about Jalen’s idea. “You seemed pretty excited about this soon to be lasagna over the phone Natalie,” she said as the older woman shut the door behind the seventeen year old. Setting down the bag on the counter, Jay unpacked everything and shooed Cody’s mom out of the kitchen. “Fine fine! But I am making dessert!” She said, leaving the house in order to distract Cody. It would take at least fifteen minutes to prepare the thing, another half hour to let it cook.

Tying her hair back, Jalen didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing her scar while cooking. She rummaged around for a pan with ease and coated it with Pam before placing the noodles down. A smile spread across her face as she preheated the oven to 370 degrees. Today was going to be fun! Jackie had found the blonde and was running around and between her legs, making Jalen laugh. “You can’t have any of the ground beef until it’s cooked!” She said, taking it out of the fridge where Natalie said it would be.

Letting the seasoned beef brown, Jalen layered the noodles and various kinds of cheese, along with the meat and sauce, in multiple stacks, impressed with her work. Wiping her hands on her new jeans that Cody had liked so much, the blonde was glad she decided to wear a light long sleeved black shirt to combat the heat– not that you could see it’s embroidery with the white apron she was wearing. The gold earrings were a bit annoying as they bumped against her face when she placed the pan in the searing oven, but they looked nice, so... She had to wear them.

[Cody Branson]

Cody had woken up early that morning after a lovely evening of talking to Jalen on the phone. He could feel that he was falling in deep with the girl, and he wasn’t complaining about it. The fact that she was still in school and was five years younger than him didn’t change his perspective on her. Age didn’t matter to him, as shown in his past relationships in school.

After taking a shower and getting dressed, his mother had come over to clean up the house before Jalen would arrive while Cody went outside and took care of the horses. He wore a new hat, seeing as his old one was Jalen’s now, and he made sure not to let Tank get a hold of it. Tank had suffered some mild stomach pain and had passed the shirt, but he knew now not to chew on any more clothing. Once the horses were turned out and the stalls cleaned, Cody took one of the other riding horses out to mend fences.

Aptly named for her speed, Zephyr was a mild-mannered chestnut mustang that Cody had adopted from the BLM in Montana. She was grazing while Cody mended the barbed wire, but raised her head when a little red car drove down the driveway. Cody didn’t pay attention, working to finish the fences before Jalen would arrive. Once the sun on his back got too hot, he shrugged off his shirt and hooked it on Zeph’s pommel and kept going. His mom came out and gave him some lemonade, checking the fences with him before walking back to the house with this smile on her face that made him a little scared.

A couple hours later, Cody rode up and cleaned off Zephyr and put her out with the other mares. He wiped off his face and put his hat back on as he walked towards the house, drenched in sweat, but he still felt good. He walked into the cool house and hung his hat on the rack near the door, taking his shirt and wiping the sweat off his arms.

“Hey Mum, I’m done with the fences,” he said as he walked into the kitchen, not looking up until his boots clicked on the tile floor. Looking up, his eyes widened as he saw Jalen standing there, dressed in those jeans he so loved on her, looking lovelier than ever, making dinner in his kitchen. And he was shirtless, sweaty, grimy, standing in his kitchen staring at her while Jackie ran in circles around him, yipping softly.

Well, this got awkward fast.

“Um, hello Jalen,” he said nervously, working on walking backwards out of the kitchen, but he misjudged the angle and banged his back against the wall.

[Jalen August]

“Hey Mum, I’m done with the fences,” Jalen smiled at the voice. She had already turned around when she heard someone’s boots clicking on the floor. Natalie had not been wearing boots this afternoon. “Hello handsome,” she said in a husky voice, looking through her dark eyelashes. It was cute how he just stood there, embarrassed. “Dirt suits you well,” she said, turning her back on him to ‘check’ on the lasanga she just put in the oven. She only looked away to resist tackling him and kissing him all at the same time.

Jalen didn’t mind a little dirt and hard work.

Stepping towards the sink to wash her hands, the blonde untied her apron and hung it on the hook on the kitchen door after drying her hands on it. Reaching into her bag of goodies again, Jay took out Cody’s old hat and put it on her head after untying her hair so it hung down past her shoulders. Just because he wasn’t freaked out by her scar, didn’t mean she had to show it off any more than necessary.

Crossing the kitchen barefoot, Jalen took out the pitcher of lemonade Natalie and made and poured a glass, offering it to Cody. “I hear you’ve been working hard today,” she said, approaching the boy. His mum had filled her in on what her son was doing around his ranch today after she came back from distracting him. If he wasn’t afraid of her scar, she wasn’t afraid of his work and the aftermath of dirt it produced.

“Oh,” she said suddenly, glancing at the oven as the smell of cooking past, cheese, and meat blended together, “surprise!” Jackie was at the oven wagging her tail vigorously. Was she drooling? “Hope you don’t mind, but I gave Jackie just a little bit of the ground beef when you weren’t looking...” She admitted, the dog had made her way over to the blonde upon hearing her name, licking Jay’s hand, looking for attention. Jalen smiled and sat on the tiled kitchen floor, and the dog happily took it as an invite to sit in the teen’s lap.

Laughing, Jalen looked up at Cody. Wow, he’s even taller from here... she thought to herself will patting Jackie. Not that there was much of a height difference – it was a miracle he was taller than the girl, yet another perk of him being older than her. “Looks like you need a shower,” She commented, teasing Cody.

[Cody Branson]

“Hello handsome, dirt suits you well.”

Those words made his heart quicken and his skin to heat up. Those eyes, like melted chocolate, poured on the heat as she looked him over. She broke the spell when she turned and looked into the oven, and he took a deep breath to calm his racing pulse. It kicked back into gear when she untied her hair and put the hat he had given her back on, offering him a glass of lemonade and smiling at him.

He drank to quench his dry throat, nodding in thanks because he didn’t trust his words. He smiled as Jackie played charming puppy and sat on Jalen. “I don’t mind, and I definitely need a shower,” he told her, clicking his tongue at his dog to get her to move. When Jackie moved, Cody leaned down and grabbed her hand, pulling her up into his chest as his lips captured hers. His arms wrapped around her waist to hold her close. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered against her mouth when he broke the kiss.

His mother chose to walk in at that point and grinned. “Cody Jacob Branson, go upstairs and clean yourself off before kissing the girl. Goodness, boy, you’re getting her dirty.”

Cody grinned and let go of Jalen, looking her over before turning and walking to his mom. “She’s still clean, mum,” he said before kissing his mom’s cheek. Sending a wink Jalen’s way, he took the stairs two at a time and locked himself in the bathroom, humming to himself.

[Jalen August]

Taking his hand as he lifted her up like she weighed like nothing, Jalen kissed Cody back as her arms wrapped around his neck. “I’ve missed you too Cody,” she said, looking up into his sky blue eyes. “Are we pathetic or what?” She asked him, her pointer finger tracing down the center of his chest and traveling down to his dusty abdomen.

Jalen nearly jumped at the sound of Natalie, shocked that she hadn’t heard her approaching. Was Cody really that distracting? A violet hue colored her face and the blonde shrugged, “Black never gets dirty.” It was the only thing she could think of saying.

Watching Cody leave, Jalen stared at the boy without blinking, before turning to look at Natalie, who had a grin on her face that she couldn’t wipe away. “You two are sweet, you’re just what he needs Jalen,” the woman said before opening up her son’s fridge. The blonde blushed even more, glad that she could hide under the hat that was now hers.

Checking on the lasagna, Jalen knew that it would be done in a few more minutes. “Need any help with the dessert?” She asked Natalie as she spun around to look at the woman, taking out eggs and a cutting board. “No way, you go ahead and relax, I’ll take your lasagna out when it’s ready” she said, it was her turn to shoo Jalen out of the kitchen. Grinning, Jay took out the iPod from her pocket and put the ear buds in her ears.

Stepping outside, Jalen sat on the front steps listening to Relient K – soft rock was definitely the way to go today. A happy smile was on her face and she sat with her elbows on her knees, looking up at the beaming sun through squinting eyes. Hopefully Cody would be done refreshing up soon so she could stop imagining him taking a shower.

[Cody Branson]

Cody took his time lathering and rinsing, making sure he smelled good. Yes, everyone, the cowboy was primping for his mother and his date. His date. The words made him shiver as he turned off the water and exited the shower. He toweled off and pulled on the dark jeans that Jalen had picked out for him and a nice polo shirt. Looking at himself in the mirror, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

He looked like he still belonged in high school.

Sighing, he exited the bathroom and walked down the stairs slowly. The smell of meat and cheese permeated the living room and he took a hearty breath, inhaling the aroma. Jalen made a mean lasagna. He peered into the kitchen to see his mother pulling out the dish, and he walked up behind her and hugged her, kissing her temple. Natalie chuckled and turned to hug her son back.

“Grab me the cooking chocolate and the vanilla extract and she’s sitting on the front porch,” his mother told him as she pecked his cheek. “You look nice.”

“Yes ma’am,” Cody said with a laugh, reaching into the top of the baking cabinet to grab said items and put them on the counter. Cody may be tall, but he didn’t get it from his mother. “And thank you.”

Cody walked out the front door and spotted his blonde angel. Grinning, he kneeled behind her and covered her eyes, moving her hair aside so he could kiss her neck. “Guess who?” he murmured in her ear, grinning widely.

[Jalen August]

Lost in thought, Jalen had been thinking about what it would be like to be Cody’s girlfriend. It wasn’t improbable, and he was basically wrapped around her little pinky already right? Sighing, the blonde continued to daydream and hope for the best from what they had. JD was but a distant memory.

Suddenly her vision blurred and she giggled. “Cody,” she answered with a breath of relief than anything else. The kiss gave her goosebumps and Jalen grabbed the guy’s hands. “You smell divine,” she said, looking up at him to give the boy a smooch on the lips. They were still just as soft as she remembered.

“Supper’s ready!” Came Natalie’s voice and Jalen smiled, taking her ear buds out. “Your mom is the bomb,” she commented, rising to stand for the food. “I’m starving, can’t wait to see what Natalie made for dessert,” Jay said, walking back up the steps to the porch.

Walking into the house, Natalie had the lasagna on the kitchen table already, but there was nothing to put the food on. Jalen went ahead and helped herself to setting the table, on her tiptoes to reach the plates in the cupboard. Unable to see, the stack of six quickly became a stack of three as the top bunch crashed to the floor, making a huge mess – and an unbearably loud sound. The blonde winced as her scar flared up, and she had to put the remainder of unbroken plates on the counter, grabbing at the back of her neck.

“Sorry,” she said, looking around and both Natalie and Cody, feeling like an idiot, her ears flushing along with her face. “I’m sorry...” she repeated, looking around for a broom before Jackie stepped on the broken pieces. Things had been going smoothly.

[Cody Branson]

“Thank you,” he said before she kissed him. She pulled back before he could respond, and his mother called them inside. He stood and followed her inside, snapping his fingers and pointing to the corner for Jackie. The dog whined, but walked to the corner obediently, settling on the bed there that was for her. Cody smiled until he heard a crash.

He turned around and saw broken porcelain on the tile floor. His mother gasped softly and walked to grab the broom under the stairs as Cody walked on the clear tile floor he could see, reaching Jalen’s side. Seeing her face and her hand over her scar, he guessed that the loud sound had made her hurt.

“Cody, take this,” his mother said, walking into the room and handing him the broom. Cody nodded and took the broom from her as Natalie grabbed Jalen’s hand, tugging her towards the dining room. “Here, dear, sit in this chair and let Cody take care of the mess.” Natalie set a glass of water down in front of the girl and sat in the chair next to hers.

After a few minutes, Cody emerged with more plates and set the table quickly, putting his hand on Jalen’s shoulder when he was done. Natalie then went into the kitchen to finish her dessert as Cody kneeled before Jalen, looking at her with worried eyes. “Are you okay? Is everything okay?” he asked softly, holding her free hand as his hand on her shoulder moved to cover the one covering her scar.

[Jalen August]

Jalen followed Natalie to the couch, unable to look Cody in the face. She felt bad for letting him clean up his dishes which she broke. "I'll buy you a new set..." She said, although her voice didn't sound like her own. Sipping at the water put in front of her face, the blonde looked down at the clear water, hoping that she would melt into the couch. The scar was searing to the nerves in her neck and back and she gritted her teeth and bore the pain - this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. At least it was on a lower scale.

When Cody approached her, Jalen had her eyes closed. "I'm sorry Cody..." She muttered, looking down at the glass of water in her lap. "I guess my accident last month has left me a little sensitive," she said, opening her eyes again. The man had reached up to touch her scar and she winced, moving away from his touch as tears filled her eyes, what she had been trying to hold in for some time. A couple tears fell down her face and she wiped at them quickly. She wasn't sure if she was crying over pain or humiliation.

"I'm sorry I wrecked dinner," she said, unable to look at Cody as she stood up to set the glass of water on the coffee table, hurrying up the stairs before anyone could stop her. Reaching the bathroom, Jalen pulled away her hair and checked her scar. It hadn't opened up or anything, but it was beet red. The girl closed her eyes and sat on the toilet. She just needed a moment.

[Cody Branson]

“It’s fine, Jalen, really,” he reasoned with her. “I break plates all the time, I always have extras.” He tried to comfort her, but she shied away from his touch, and that hurt worse than the pain she must be feeling. He felt the tears on his hand as she stood up and ran to the bathroom, standing to follow her when his mother stopped him.

“She’ll be fine, Cody. Let her calm down,” Natalie advised, knowing the signs of a panic attack. When she had found out she was pregnant with Cody, she had acted as Jalen had done, but Harrison had sat outside the bathroom door and waited for her to calm down. She waited for a few minutes before walking to the kitchen and pulling out the brownies.

Knowing that as a signal, Cody went up the stairs and stood outside the door for a moment. His hand rose, ready to knock, but chose against it, laying against the door. He sighed and laid his forehead on the door. “I wish you would let me in, Jalen,” he whispered before turning away and sitting on the top step, waiting for her to come out.

[Jalen August]

Allowing only a few more tears to fall, Jalen wiped at her face and stood to look at herself in the mirror again. She hadn't been in here too long, but to stay in here any longer would be ridiculous - and childish. Not that the hospitable people downstairs didn't already think that. Fixing her blonde waves around her shoulders carefully, Jay froze upon hearing footsteps creeping closer.

Listening a little more carefully, she could tell by the sound that it was a slightly heavier person than Natalie - and it certainly wasn't the tapping paws of Jackie. "I wish you would let me in, Jalen". The blonde frowned, wondering what exactly he meant by that... He didn't know she was listening, so did he mean literally, or emotionally? Maybe she was just over analyzing things again. It wasn't easy for Jalen to let others in. She was so sick of saying sorry. Jalen looked at herself in the mirror as Cody stayed nearby, she knew she couldn't stay in here anymore.

Opening the door slowly, Jay emerged with a few signs of having cried - puffy red eyes. She didn't feel pretty but that was tough luck. "Now that I've successfully made a fool of myself," she said, holding Cody's eyes momentarily before taking a deep breath, "let's have dinner with your mum before the lasagna gets cold." Don't cry don't cry don't cry... Her joking around with him was the only way to avoid what she was really feeling. The thought of sitting through dinner now made Jalen's gut clench. Even if it did go well, they would always remember her as being the girl who broke the dishes, not who made the wonderful lasagna.

Maybe she was too young for him after all... He deserved someone better.

[Cody Branson]

He heard the door open and stood on the stairs as she came out, looking all weary from her crying. She tried to joke and he wouldn’t have any of that. He took her hand and pulled her closer, hugging her tightly, his face in the crook of her neck opposite her scar. His arms wrapped around her waist, offering her comfort. He would hold her until the tension diffused.

“My mom can wait, and the lasagna won’t get cold,” he told her, his voice muffled. “Jalen, you didn’t do anything wrong. Things like that happened all the time.” He snuggled closer. “You know, my mom almost did the same thing when she met my dad’s parents. She broke a vase, a priceless one that my grandparents got on their many adventures into the Oriental East. That vase could never be replaced.”

He lifted his head and pressed his cheek against hers, sighing softly in her ear. “That lasagna smells amazing, Jalen, and I want to taste it,” he told her gently. “Sure, it happened, but we will be able to laugh about it later. Please don’t think I need someone else.” He looked up at her, smiling gently. “I want you. Only you. Nothing is going to chase me away.”

[Jalen August]

Jalen could feel herself melting into Cody’s embrace. It was not okay that she felt vulnerable around him. It was no okay that he had to fix her messes and pick of the broken pieces of her pride. It was not fair that he liked her enough to do all this for. She didn’t get it; didn’t guys hate girls who were emotional wrecks? Not a word was spoken but Jalen nestled closer to Cody and embraced him tenderly, feeling a little more relaxed, although unsure.

The story about his mum sort of made her feel better, but no smile crossed her face. Jalen’s ego was bruised and she wasn’t used to being nursed by a totally attractive man. She was looking down as he carried on trying to make her feel better. Why was he doing this? “Are you a mind reader too?” She asked, still trying to joke around. She was hearing the words coming out of his mouth but she really didn’t understand. Was he completely delusional? “You’re just saying that,” she said, mentally running away from her emotions instead of considering that maybe someone actually liked her and actually wanted to be with her.

Jay winced slightly, her scar giving her problems. She remembered seeing a medicine cabinet in the washroom. Turning to go back to the small room, she opened up the cabinet mirror and pulled out a small container of Tylenol, taking out a couple and putting the medicine back, closing the mirror. Cody stood with her in the reflection. She looked down and took the pills silently, letting the pills travel down before speaking. “You really want to be with me?” The blonde asked the reflection of the man, a very serious look on her face. She just didn’t see what he did.

[Cody Branson]

He shook his head, smiling a little as she went back to joking. “No mind reader,” he assured her, stroking her cheek gently. “And I’m not just saying that. I really mean it.” He watched as she went back into the bathroom, following her and leaning against the doorframe. She took some Tylenol, which was good, and he froze when she asked her question.

Why would she ask such a thing?

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. “I really, really want to be with you, Jalen,” he replied gently. “You’re like sunshine, and you know how I love the sunshine.” He smiled. “The last two girls I dated each treated me like a trophy, some man to hang off her arm and show off to everyone. You’re not like that.” He pecked her cheek.

“Now, let’s go downstairs. Mom made brownies for you,” he told her, grinning.

[Jalen August]

Jalen grinned and looked at the two of them in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. He could make her beautiful when she was determined not to be. Wrapping her arms around his, she sighed and decided to was okay to feel this way. Vulnerable around the right person would turn out alright, so long as he didn't break her heart. She appreciated getting to know him more right then than at any other point in their relationship, and she was eager to learn more. "If I thought you were some trophy, I definitely would've paraded around school with you by now," she said, "not making lasagna for you and your mother."

Turning around in his arms, Jalen kissed the boy deeply and let herself be in the moment. She was all about being in the moment, living life to the fullest. It was about time she trusted someone as much as they trusted her. "You're a wonderful man. I don't know anyone else who has stuck by me like this, other than family," she said honestly, even though being so open left her feeling a little uncomfortable. It was easier to run and hide, or joke around, but she really meant what she said. "And I really want to be with you too Cody," she said, followed by another kiss on the cheek.

Lots of love equaled lots of smooching.

The brightness in Jalen's eyes returned and she gasped a little. "Brownies? Seriously?" She asked, giddy for the dessert already. "Let's go," she said without hesitation, dragging Cody behind her as the descended the stairs hand in hand. The blonde watched Natalie take the lasagna out of the oven once more - she had kept it warm. Jay let go of Cody's hand and sat at the table, hoping he would sit next to her as his mum put the pan down. "I really hope you guys like it," she said happily, looking down at her plate. She wasn't trying to forget the incident now... She was just trying to move past it.