Cookies, Family, and a Whole Lot of Nerves (Jalen)

[Cody Branson]

To say he was nervous was an understatement.

Two weeks had passed since Jalen had spent the night in his home, in his bed. He had sent her home with a container of leftover brownies and a few kisses, and then she had been busy with school, while he had new clients coming in almost every day. He had sold a couple of his horses, feeling like they needed better homes, but his usual horses had been through some training and some work around the yard. Cody had gained some weight and muscle too while Jalen had been gone; it was hay baling season, and he had a contract with a local hay farmer that worked nicely for the ranch.

Now, a few days ago, his girlfriend had called him and asked him if he had wanted to meet her family. It was only fair, since she had met his mother, but he was still nervous. This was the third time doing this for him, but he hoped that it would be the last one for a long time. He wore a simple button down over a white T and jeans, had gotten a slight haircut, and shaved his jaw so that he looked somewhat presentable. He looked down at his dog, who looked unhappy at the thought of her master leaving her here while he visited her new best friend.

“Sorry, girl,” he told her gently, petting her head as he finished getting ready. We went back downstairs, his whining puppy following him, and put on his hat before grabbing the container of tiny chocolate chip cookies that he had made for Jalen’s family. He walked outside, his boots stirring up the dust, and opened the truck door, putting the cookies inside. He looked at his dog, sitting so dejectedly on the porch, and grinned, whistling her over. She gave a happy back and hopped into the front seat.

The drive to the lake was peaceful, with Cody singing to the radio and his dog sticking her face out of the window. He parked in the parking lot and spotted his girlfriend with her family. He grinned and got out of the truck, holding the cookie container as Jackie trotted over to lick Jalen’s hand and exchange pleasantries with the black Lab who came over to investigate. “Jalen,” he called out in a friendly tone as she started to approach them.

[Jalen August]

Clicking the end button on her phone hadn’t been easy. Talking to Cody over the phone was the only form of communication that satisfied his absence in Jalen’s life. She had been busy with final and he had been busy with the ranch, which was understandable. She couldn’t really expect the man to be at her every beck and call, not that she called that much. Still, she was very excited when he agreed to meet her family, and once the date was set, the blonde let her family know.

She was soon on the phone again doing just that, her mother sounding even more excited than she was. “I bet he’s more handsome and funny than you’re making him out to be,” Maria said, half covering the phone as she let her husband know they were finally going to meet Jalen’s man. The blonde laughed, shaking her head as she and her mother decided what to bring to the picnic. She had told Cody not to worry about it – her family was bound to bring more than necessary anyways.

Getting ready at her house, the blonde pulled on her high black boots over her dark skinny jeans, which only served to make her look taller than she already was. Her mother and father were already waiting in the family SUV and Anthony was flying down the steps to rush her. “Glad to see you’re more excited than I am,” she said to her brother, who was ruffling her poker straight hair. Tony was only an inch taller than Jalen, and had dark green eyes and short cropped blonde hair. There was no mistaking their relationship.

And he had that devilish grin that mimicked Jalen’s.

“I’m ready to meet this hunky dude mom keeps fretting over, she made those dainty little sandwiches she likes to bring to her fancy get-togethers,” he said in a very high, very fake girly voice. Jalen laughed, straightening out her hair first, and then her long sleeved dark purple blouse. Hopefully the top and silver earrings would offset the heavy eyeliner she was wearing. This was a style Cody would not be used to seeing on Jalen.

“I’m surprised you haven’t scared him off already actually,” Tony said as he held the door open for his kid sister, so he could lock up the house. Jalen held her smile and knew that his antics were only cover up. She was pretty sure that as soon as he saw her cowboy, the big-brother, over-protective crap would start happening. “Well, maybe you guys can take care of that part,” she said to him with a wink, sitting in the back with him.

“Take care of what, honey?” Mark was asking, putting the car in gear and hitting the road. “Oh nothing, Tony just seems to think that Cody should be scared of me,” she said, making a vampire face at her brother, which caused him to laugh. “You’re lucky I’m coming at all, I’ve been super busy lately,” he said, giving her a serious look. Jalen simply smiled, “You wouldn’t miss this for the world.” A knowing look passed between the two males in the car, while Maria looked simply excited. Hopefully this atmosphere would remain once they saw Cody.

Feeling something wet suddenly touch her cheek, Jalen yelped at the two solid black eyes looking at her happily. “What the...” It was only Bobo, wagging his tail and barking softly in the back of the ride. Tony laughed at her and messed up her hair again. “What’s with men and their obsession with my hair?” She asked her brother, fixing it for the second time. Tony raised an eyebrow, “What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, his voice a little defensive. Jalen shrugged, looking out the window. There was the protective Anthony she knew and loved – sometimes. How would he react to Cody being older than he was? Mom was the only one that knew Cody’s age... This would be interesting.

Parking the car, the August’s hopped out, Mark carrying the bulk of the food. His dark brown eyes were warm as Jalen looked at him. “Need any help?” She asked, to which he simply shook his head no. Maria was holding onto Bobo’s leash carefully as he tugged her along, her forest green eyes looking helpless. “Um, let’s sit over here I guess,” she said, trying to keep up with the dog. Mark set down the basket and Tony unfolded the oversized blanket. Hopefully it would be big enough for five. Jalen was just about to sit down when she spotted Cody.

She had every intention of announcing to everyone that he, and Jackie, had arrived. Jalen was staring openly at the man approaching – he looked slightly different than she remembered. Her family stared at her strangely as Cody’s canine licked her hand and she smiled warmly at the dog, rubbing at her ears. Her family’s attention went to Cody, as Bobo panted and checked Jackie out, before they started chasing each other in fun. Jalen managed a wave as her boyfriend called out to her. “That’s him?” Tony asked, crossing his arms in front of him, “sure he isn’t too old?” For that comment he received a smack on the back of his head from their dad, and Jalen laughed, snapping out of her dream-like state.

“Cody! Hi!” She said, biting her lip immediately afterwards. It just sounded so... stupid - and like she was head over heels for the guy. Maria smiled and wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “He’s every bit as handsome as you implied,” she said, cocking her head to the side as Cody approached, “maybe more so.” A sly grin crossed the older woman’s face and Jalen laughed. “Mom!” She said, hitting her mother’s shoulder lightly in play. “Cody,” she said once he was finally close enough, and hopefully hadn’t heard that comment, “this is my mom, Maria,” her mother smiled, her long elegant arms draped at her side, accentuating her long lean figure which was draped by a long pink summer dress. “And my dad, Mark,” Jalen continued. Mark was taking the food out and stopped only for a second to give Cody a small smile. He wasn’t trying to be cold, and Jalen knew that, but hopefully her boyfriend wouldn’t feel like he was being brushed off. “And Tony, the brother,” she said, her eyebrows waggling in mock horror. Tony stood there with his arms crossed still, trying to look intimidating. Trying, being the key word.

“Guys, this is Cody,” she said for him, not shy in the least bit. Would it be awkward now to lace an arm around his like she wanted to? Judging by Tony’s reaction, it wouldn’t be wise to do that just yet – not until they had the ‘man talk’ or whatever. It was something that happened every time Jalen found herself in a new relationship. Hopefully it wouldn’t have to happen, but she had made it pretty clear to her family that she was serious about Cody; she only hoped he felt the same about her.

[Cody Branson]

She turned to face him and it was a face that was different from the girl he had seen weeks ago. She looked edgier, darker, more of a rocker than a lover…and she was sexy as hell to his eyes. He looked from his girlfriend to her family and quickly made notes of each family member. The blonde with the dark green eyes had to be Jalen’s brother, Anthony, he flicked his glance to her mother and noticed that Tony had their mother’s eyes. His girlfriend and her mother seemed pretty close, which made Cody feel that much better as he finally stood in front of her.

“A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. August,” he greeted, shaking the woman’s hand. “Jalen is a very beautiful girl, so she must get it from you.”

Maria laughed as her husband finished putting out the food and came over. “Oh, you’re charming, just like Jalen said,” she replied as Cody shook Mark’s hand. Her eyes landed on the container in his hand and it was whisked away from him. “You didn’t have to cook anything, Cody,” she was saying even as she opened the lid, and Cody knew when Jalen’s mother was hooked on his cookies. Mark took one look at his wife and laughed.

“She’s a sucker for the cookies,” he murmured to the other man, watching as his wife set the cookies on the blanket. Warm brown eyes met his, and he knew that this was the test he needed to pass. “Have you been good to my daughter? Is she being treated right?”

“Yes on both accounts, sir,” Cody replied with an easy smile, knowing he spoke the truth. “My mother didn’t raise a fool when it comes to women.”

Mark seemed to accept that answer, but Tony wouldn’t have it. As soon as his father left, the older brother made himself walk forward to meet the cowboy, dark green eyes defiant. “What makes you think you’re good enough for my little sister, hm?” the younger man asked him with a tone that made Cody’s eyebrow quirk upward. “You look like you should be married and have kids by now, not courting a high schooler.”

Cody chuckled and grinned at the younger man. “Yeah, I should be married and have kids by now, but your sister was so dang interesting that I decided to forgo my stereotype and pursue something real,” he answered, and watched as the hard look dissolved from the younger man’s face.

“I like your sense of humor,” Tony said before clapping his hand on his shoulder. With the acceptance of Jalen’s family, Cody whistled for Jackie to come near. She came loping along, stringing the black Lab behind her like a crush. He knelt beside the dogs and lavished attention on them before he felt Jalen near, and he stood to kiss her forehead gently, looking into her milk chocolate eyes.

“Missed you,” he said softly into her hair, grinning down at her. “You look very nice.”

[Jalen August]

Jalen smiled, glad that Cody was sucking up to her mother already – she would be wrapped around his little pinky in no time, especially if he kept using his southern drawl. It was her turn to watch her man interact with everyone, and she sincerely hoped that nothing would go seriously wrong. At least there weren’t any dishes to break here – all paper and plastic.

“I think I told you once or twice that Cody makes the best cookies mom,” Jalen said as her mother placed the cookies on the blanket. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes as the one hundred and twenty questions game commenced. She loved that her family looked out for her, but she hated how overbearing they could be to a complete stranger – especially one who was her boyfriend. She only had to meet Cody’s mom, certainly he was way more nervous now than she had been a couple weeks ago.

It was something special, watching Cody and her dad interact. Truly if her father couldn’t accept him as her boyfriend, Jalen would have a hard time dating him. She may have looked like a rebel, but she was a daddy’s girl at heart. Jalen wanted to speak up for him when he was asked the question but he didn’t need help – he seemed to say all the right things.

Noticing Tony zoning in on Cody, Jalen turned to her dad and gave him a side hug. “I know that smile dad,” she commented as Mark tried to wipe away his grin. “He isn’t a liar, that’s for sure,” he said, glancing back at the two young men. “You’d love his mum, I’ve never met anyone so friendly,” she said, her dad nodded a couple times before making to sit at the picnic. She could tell he was hungry.

Jalen spun around, an eyebrow raised, amused grin on her face. “Not good enough? Two seconds ago you were saying I should’ve scared him away by now,” she said, putting her two cents in. Tony looked back at her with that smartass grin of his and she shook her head. Cody was going to think this was some kind of test, but hey, as long as he thought he was passing, that’s what really mattered.

The blonde girl watched her older boyfriend draw near the two dogs, petting them and making himself comfortable. He fit right in. Only a moment had passed but Jalen was captivated by the man before her, the look she was giving him was a testament to that. Blinking a couple times, Jalen could feel herself nearing him and it felt like she was in a trance. When he stood to kiss her, she couldn’t believe it was for her. “Hi,” she murmured again after the kiss, her eyes heavily lidded. She blushed as she felt many sets of eyes on the two of them. “You look...”

“Come on you two, this picnic isn’t just sandwiches,” Maria said, sitting next to Mark. Jalen smiled up at Cody and left his side, snapping back to reality. She took a seat next to her mom and Tony immediately sat next to her. He seemed to be giving both her and Cody a look that said ‘deal with it’. “Don’t mind Anthony here, he seems to think he’s the only one capable of protecting me,” Jay said, jabbing her brother hard between the ribs. “Ow,” he said, rubbing at the wound.

“Iced tea, orange juice, or rootbeer?” Mark was asking everyone, glancing around at no one in particular. “Orange juice!” Jalen said a little too quickly, a smug grin on her face. She knew the orange juice had been brought just for her – she felt so loved.

[Cody Branson]

She never got to finish that thought, for her family summoned them to the table. He grinned and followed her, taking off his hat as he noticed the placement of Tony between him and Jalen. Well, you can’t always win them, he mused as he sat on Tony’s other side and looked at the spread. There were sandwiches that looked so good that Cody’s mouth watered, and hamburgers with all of the fixings, and a salad that looked so fresh Cody still expected water to be on the lettuce. His attention was directed to Jackie, who was sniffing at a pasta salad that drew Cody’s nose as well.

“Behave,” he told the dog, who only huffed a breath and laid down to watch the humans eat all the good food. The black Lab laid beside her too as Cody passed out plates.

“Honey, you don’t need to do any of this,” he heard Maria say, and Cody smiled at the woman. He opened his mouth to say something, but her husband beat Cody to it.

“Let him, Maria,” the man reasoned. “His mother obviously raised him right; let him show his manners. Now, Cody, iced tea, orange juice, or root beer?”

“Iced tea, please,” Cody said, grinning at Tony as the boy huffed, obviously not impressed with Cody’s skills with his parents. He waited until Maria and Mark had fixed their plates before slipping his hand to grab a half of a sandwich, a hamburger with everything on it, some pasta salad, and some of the fresh salad. Content with everything on his plate, he noted Jalen’s reaction to orange juice and filed the little tidbit away for later, taking a bite of everything before humming in approval.

It was delicious.

[Jalen August]

Taking a plate from Cody, Jalen glanced at Tony and frowned. “You forgot the dog treats, didn’t you?” She asked as her brother gave a guilty smile. “Ah, they’ll be alright, dogs are always hungry, you can’t fall for the puppy dog eyes.” Jay smiled, shaking her head once more. Grabbing the drink from her dad, Jalen settled into her spot on the grass, sitting cross-legged, back straight in order to keep good posture.

Watching Cody show off his manners, Jalen didn’t have to wait to get her own food. She started with dessert. Taking a fork to the lemon meringue pie, the blonde was eating happily away as her mother glanced at her, giving her a frown. “What?” She asked the older woman, who was trying to hold back a smirk. “Your manners don’t match your boyfriend’s,” she commented, taking a small bite of the sandwiches she made.

Jalen was rolling her eyes, but she couldn’t help the blush that rose to her face. She hadn’t really been thinking about being lady-like, she was just ready to eat. “So Cody,” Mark stepped in, trying to side step his daughter’s embarrassment, “Jalen tells us you own a ranch. How’s that going for you?” Jalen looked at her dad, a smile on her face, thankful for the distraction. She glanced back to Cody, locking eyes with his, an encouraging smile on her face. Mark was just trying to see if he was as great as Jay made Cody out to be.

[Cody Branson]

Cody fed his dog small bites of his sandwiches as he ate his way across his plate, enjoying the good food laid before him. Of course Jalen would reach for the dessert first, he thought as he rolled his eyes subtly. He sipped his iced tea, enjoying the flavors on his tongue. It was a nice day, he was with good company, and he was enjoying good food with his girlfriend’s family.

Cody looked from his food when Jalen’s father spoke to him, and he put his drink down as he smiled. “It’s going well for me,” he replied politely. “I train and raise horses, often for other people, and when I’m not in business, I’m helping my mother’s family with the horse racing business. It’s time-consuming, taking care of the horses and traveling, but it makes me happy.” He smiled and ruffled Jackie’s ears, letting the dog rest her head on his leg. He looked at Jalen and winked at her, finishing his food with a happy sigh.

“That was delicious, Mrs. August,” Cody told Jalen’s mother. Maria gave him a flattering smile and cut the rest of the pie, placing some of his cookies on the side. The others started digging into the dessert too.

“These cookies are amazing, Cody,” Maria said once she had eaten a couple. Cody laughed gently and took a bite of the pie.

“Your pie is delicious. Maybe we should swap recipes,” he suggested, grinning when Jalen’s parents and brother nodded. Soon enough the cookies would be gone.

[Jalen August]

“So long as you’re happy,” Mark said with a small smile, looking back down at his food. Jalen was glad things weren’t getting awkward. She had told her parents she was serious about Cody – not that she usually dated just for shits and giggles. But they knew better than to embarrass her outright, only small embarrassments would be okay today.

So her mum had fallen for Cody’s baking as well. Pretty soon he would be able to do no wrong by them. “Actually,” Jalen said with a happy little grin, “I made the pie.” Maria smiled proudly, “You made it because you love dessert more than anything on this earth.” Everyone laughed, including Jalen, who glanced over at Cody for a second, glad that he was here with her.

“Well,” it was Tony speaking, brushing his shorts off, “it’s time we took the dogs for a walk don’t you think, Cody?” He asked the older male. Jalen raised an eyebrow at her brother, wondering what game he was trying to play this time. “Don’t worry Jay,” he said with a wink, “I won’t tell him anything embarrassing about you.” Jalen simply sat there and stared at the two young men. She was worried that if she provoked further, Tony would do just the opposite.

Tony stood and offered a hand to Cody, before retracting it again. The dude was buff, he could handle getting up on his own. “Ready?” He asked, snapping his fingers at Bobo so the dog would become more interested in going for a walk than Jackie.

[Cody Branson]

Cody looked at Jalen when she spoke, pride filling his eyes. “It truly is a delicious pie, sweetheart,” he told her with a wink, finishing the pie and cookies and placing the plate on the blanket. He was well and truly full, a feeling he liked feeling from time to time. He worked hard, long hours, and he needed the energy food gave him. “I am filled to the brim with all of this awesome food, thank you for having me,” Cody extended his thanks to everyone in the family, his blue eyes glittering.

When Tony spoke, Cody looked away from Jalen’s parents and up at the younger man, an eyebrow quirked over a darkening blue eye. Without saying a word, Cody got up fluidly, Jackie on her paws beside her. Cody smiled at Jalen in comfort and laid his hand on her head before following the boy a ways away, Jackie staying by his side as the black Lab bounced around, his energy a bright thing. Cody wondered what Tony was wanting from him when the younger man spoke rather abruptly.

“How do you feel about my sister, Cody?” Tony asked, looking at the older man. Cody blinked in surprise; it was rather unexpected. It also made him uncomfortable. “I’ve seen the way you’ve looked at her,” Tony continued, making Cody even more uneasy, “And, truth be told, you look like you love her. Is that true?”

Once Tony stopped, Cody took the time to reflect his feelings about the blonde girl who was his sister. She was warm and charming, charismatic and sweet, flirty and vulnerable. She had shared her story of her scar, trusted in him when others had run, and he had told her of his own past; nothing as traumatic as hers, but still soul-scarring. They were comfortable around each other, so much so that Cody often forgot that she was five years younger, and he couldn’t imagine someone else by his side. Cody looked at the younger man, with stark intensity in his eyes, and spoke only four words.

“Yes. I love her.”

[Jalen August]

Jalen blushed when Cody called her sweetheart, her mother giving her a knowing look. She would have to have a chat with him later, about how shy she was about this kind of stuff in front of her family. She scratched the back of her neck, looking down. It always felt strange to be shy, it just wasn’t her personality. Seems like Cody brought out all kinds of personality traits she didn’t know she had.

“You’re quite welcome kiddo,” Maria said, patting Jalen’s Cody on the knee. “Next time Jalen will make her famous lasagna.” Jalen glanced from her mom to Cody, a grin spreading across her ever reddening face. “I, um, that’s what I made for him and his mom a couple weeks ago,” she admitted, almost like it was a bad thing. Her mother looked shocked. “Well when am I going to have some again Jay?” Her mother asked, a mock hurt expression on her face. Jalen laughed, “Soon mom, soon.”

Watching as her favourite guys left to take a walk, Jalen smiled at the picture. The two dogs bounded around them and Mark glanced at his daughter. “I like him sweetheart,” he said, poking at the fifth sandwich he was having on his plate. The blonde girl smiled, her warm eyes meeting his. “He seems to like you a lot,” Maria said, packing up the food and other things that people weren’t using anymore. Jalen was cleaning up the garbage. “I think I, well...” she hesitated, glancing at her parents, her mom busy looking at the food but her dad staring right at her. “I think I love him.”

Tony quirked an eyebrow up at Cody’s response. “Have you told her yet?” He asked, interested. It wasn’t often that he got to harass Jalen’s boyfriends, and Cody seemed especially awkward when asked these questions. Anthony was truly having a good time with this. Tony pat Jackie’s head as she neared this new person, letting him pet her cautiously.

Jalen watched for a reaction her parents would have, and it surprised her that her dad was grinning. “That’s exciting,” he said, taking a bite of his sandwich. His answer amused Jay – he had always been a man of few words. Her mom, on the other hand, was hugging her and squealing as though she had gotten engaged or something. “Relax mom,” she said as her mum released her from her vice grip. “Well you’ll know it when it hits you square in the face.” Jalen had to laugh at this.

Hopefully Cody would be coming back soon and this genuine family moment would end.

[Cody Branson]

Cody was truly uncomfortable now.

It had only been a couple months since he and Jalen had met, only two weeks since he had asked her to be his girlfriend. He had had time to process his feelings for Jalen, blaming it on being a healthy male in his prime lusting after a beautiful female approaching her prime, but the depth of the need he felt for her, the protectiveness and peace he felt when he was around her, attested to what his heart had already known.

“No, I haven’t told her yet,” Cody told the younger male, letting forth a sigh as Jackie came back to his side. “I don’t even know if she likes me that way, Anthony. She’s young, she had a life ahead of her.”

Tony laughed. “From the way she looks and talks about you, I think she’s been in love, man,” he said to Cody, making the cowboy blink. “You need to look closer. And,” Tony said, stepping closer with a hard edge to his eyes, “If you hurt my sister in any way, shape, or form, I will hurt you in a way that you have never been hurt in before.”

Cody looked at the younger man and saw the protection there, a need to guard his little sister from a cruel and demanding world, a compulsion to protect her even though another man had already sworn to do so. Cody nodded slowly, which placated the younger man, and they headed back to the picnic in time to see everything cleaned up.

Before Tony could do anything, Cody took the seat next to Jalen, entwining their fingers together and smiling at her. When he was with her…it was when he was most happy.

[Jalen August]

Jalen smiled as her guys approached – Tony looked absolutely satisfied. “He didn’t hurt you did he?” She asked playfully, giving Cody’s hand a tight squeeze before slipping her hand away from his. It wasn’t like she didn’t like it, it just felt too... out in the open. The blonde got up to throw the trash away and came back to her family, and Cody. She just couldn’t stop smiling at Cody – he was wonderful. She did love him, there was just something special about him. Something totally different about the way he treated her. He wasn’t just older, he was more mature than most of the guys she had dated.

“Alright, so we’re going to go home Jayjay,” her mum said to the girl, giving her a hug, interrupting her daughter’s thoughts. “In other words, you two get some privacy,” Tony said, blocking his sides as Jalen tried to punch him in the ribs. “What do you think we’re going to do in the middle of the lake?” She asked, punching her brother in the arm instead, making him wince. “Okay you two, that’s quite enough. Tony, let’s go,” Mark said, turning to Cody before heading to the car himself. “It was good meeting you Mr. Branson, we’ll do this again some time.” Maria quirked an eyebrow at her husband. “What he said,” she said quietly, smirking at him. Mark wasn’t usually one to talk.

“Bye guys, thanks again,” Jalen said, hugging her parents, trying to avoid Tony but he snatched her up in a hug. “I think Cody has something to tell you,” he said, winking at her sister’s boyfriend before heading to the SUV. “Bye!” Jalen said, waving, the word was echoed back at her in three different tones.

Turning to Cody, Jalen laced her fingers through his, an apologetic look on her face. “I’m sorry for, uh, not liking PDAs in front of my family.” She said with a shrug, pulling him into a huge kiss, making up for the lack of contact. Once they pulled apart, Jalen looked up questioningly at her boyfriend. “So did Tony give you a lecture?” She asked curiously, standing in front of him while holding both of his hand with hers. He was precious.

[Cody Branson]

She squeezed her hand around his but slipped away, and he understood her need to be somewhat detached in front of her family. “No, he didn’t hurt me,” Cody said with a small smile, watching her as they stood. He watched as she and her mother embraced, then looked at Mark as the older man approached him. Cody nodded, wincing a little at the “Mr. Branson” part; that was what everyone called his father, not himself. “Of course,” he told her parents as they departed. He waved along with Jalen, smiling.

He turned to her when she apologized to him and was about to say something when she kissed him. He groaned softly and held her close, enjoying the taste of her. He looked down at her when she pulled back, looking at him with her honest eyes. He couldn’t lie to her, wouldn’t lie to her. He squeezed her hands gently. “No, no lecture from the older brother,” he told her with a soft smile, reflected into his eyes as he gave her his attention. “He merely asked me about how I felt for you and told me that if I hurt you in any way, he was gonna kick my ass three ways to Sunday.”

He chuckled, shaking his head a little, and opened his eyes to look at her. “He asked me how much I liked you, and I couldn’t give him an answer,” he kept going. “It’s just…I don’t just like you, Jalen. I…” He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers, exhaling a soft sigh. “I…I love you, Jalen.”

[Jalen August]

Jalen laughed, stroking Cody’s arm lightly. “Tony would do that – not that he’d ever be able to back up his words,” she said, looking at her fellow blonde. There was no way Tony could take Cody, one was lanky and the other, well, beefy. There was no way her brother could take her boyfriend, but the thought that Tony had put into protecting her was so sweet. It was a side of him she didn’t get to see very often.

When Cody first started giving his explanation, Jalen worried. He didn’t like her? Anxiety was written all over her face but she waited before speaking – for once. She felt him close in and the next moment seemed to slow down. A slight blush graced her face and she smiled after he spoke those few words, his forehead pressed again hers. Jalen wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him slowly, trying to entice him to open his eyes and see those baby blues again.

“I love you too Cody,” she said softly, but there was something special about the way she said it. Her powers had fluctuated from the feelings coursing through her body, the words she spoke might as well have been butterfly kisses on his ears. It would’ve been like nothing Cody ever heard before – intoxicating and totally exclusive, just for him. Jalen smiled up at her boyfriend and waited for him to feel relieved, and hopefully special.

“I hate being without you Cody, you mean the world to me. I feel safe with you and I know we haven’t been together long, and I know I’m young, I’m just really excited that you feel that same way about me I do about you.” She said in a rush, uncomfortable with sharing her feelings with him, but wanting to share them anyways, even if she didn’t do it eloquently. She pecked his lips before smiling like the giddy high school girl she was once more.

[Cody Branson]

Her arms moved from his hands to around his neck, and he opened his eyes after she had done that, looking down at her. His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close as she told him the words back. His heart broke in his chest and reformed, with her name on it now, forever ingrained. It was different, her voice; it brought to mind of candles and roses and champagne, dark red sheets and passionate murmurs and sweat-slicked skin sliding together. His eyes darkened slightly, but he kept his desire in check.

Her next words made the desire melt away, replaced by a tenderness he hadn’t known existed. He wanted to give her anything she wanted, anything to keep her happy, even if that meant she needed to be happy with another man. That thought made him see red, but he tempered it down. He waited patiently until she was done, then nuzzled his nose against hers and kissed her lips back.

“I’m alone when you’re not around me,” he murmured, his voice husky with emotion. “I feel cold, and your smile is like the sunshine, warming me up. I don’t care how old you are, or what other people say, but I love you and I want you with me and I want us to be together.” With that said, he took her lips in a gentle kiss, holding her close until the world faded around them and it was him and her.