Wrong Section (Cody.)

[Cody Branson]

She liked him. Well, the jeans he was in, anyway. He grinned when she walked over to his side and commented on how well he looked. His cheeks grew pink at her praise and he watched her as she walked back to the bench and sat down. “You’re too kind,” he told her before disappearing into his dressing room, but once she mentioned Starbucks he stuck his head back out and gave her the most dazzling smile he could.

“I like Starbucks,” he chirped happily before locking the door and taking off the jeans. Carefully folding the jeans, he picked up a pair that had some holes artfully cut into them, a pale wash jean that made him look more like a surfer than a farmer. He liked the color and the frayed edges, making him look edgy, and he came back out to the mirror. Matched with his black shirt, he kinda sorta did look like a surfer. He chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair.

“How do I look now?” he asked, doing a half turn for her so she would see all of the jeans. They hugged him in the right places, so it wasn’t too uncomfortable.

[Jalen August]

"Not too kind, just truthful," she said, watching Cody go back into the change room, only to emerge in a new pair of jeans. Jalen couldn't help but smile, "Wow..." She said before he could even ask her what she thought. Shaking her head, Jalen tried to collect her jaw off the floor, "Uh... You look great," she said, which was not what she wanted to say at all, which was: you look better than you did before.

Looking a little more sharp and clean than he did before, Jalen cocked her head to the side, getting a look at him from every view. "What do you want from Starbucks?" She asked to distract herself from getting up to stand next to him again - and grip his shoulders. There was just something the blonde loved about a man's shoulders, and they looked very grabable. Sighing, Jalen crossed her legs in front of her and tried to balance her clothes in her lap.

[Cody Branson]

Her reaction was what he had been looking for. Grinning from ear to ear, he walked back into the dressing room and took off the ripped jeans. He looked at the other two he picked and picked up the dark wash ones that he liked and exited the dressing room, putting his jacket on top of the jeans he liked. After he grabbed the jeans for his mother, he stood in front of Jalen, giving her a smile.

“Anything works for me,” he told her, facing the way towards the counter. The muscles in his back, arms, and shoulders rippled with the movement, now seen because he didn’t have his jacket back on. “I haven’t had my coffee today, so coffee would be nice.” Sending her a wink, he made his way to the counter and pulled out his wallet to pay for his purchases. The woman at the counter smiled and rung him up, bagging the denim while he swiped his debit card.

Once done, he turned around and faced Jalen, stuffing his jacket in the bag with the rest of the stuff. “Lead the way to the Starbucks,” he offered, grinning.

[Jalen August]

Following Cody to the checkout, Jalen was glad she didn't have to watch the boy putting on various items of clothing that were simply driving her crazy. She was already staring at him, and sometimes too much of a good things could turn into something bad.

After paying for her clothes, she managed to get ahead of the boy and lead the way. Once they were out of store, Jalen had no problem lacing her arm around his, still directing the way. She had left the store with more than just clothing - and the arm candy was way more exciting.

The mall wasn't that large, and soon the green and white glowing sign was in sight. "Here we are," she said, letting go of the man to stand in line. Stepping up to the cashier, she offered a smile and looked up at the menu. "Green tea frappucino please. Grande." Yeah, it was starting to show that Jalen was a regular. The guy was about to tell her her total but she stopped him, "And I'll pay for whatever he wants too," she added, a grin springing across the guy's face.

Jalen turned and grinned up at Cody, "He totally wishes someone would buy him expensive coffee," she said, waiting for the boy to order whatever he wanted. "Oh!" She said, before her 'date' could order. "Add two brownies to that order." Yes, anything to keep the cowboy here with her a little longer.

[Cody Branson]

Cody followed her out of the store, and once they were free she laced her arm in his. The contact of her body close to his made him shiver just a little; it had been a while since he had been in the company of a beautiful woman. He merrily smiled and walked at her side until he saw the sign. His mouth watered when she left him to go order her own. His mouth was open, about to order, when she offered to foot the bill. He grinned widely at the boy behind the counter.

“I’ll have a mocha frappucino, extra chocolate, two shots, and whipped cream,” he ordered, and before Jalen could protest, he slipped the boy a five, winking at him. “And here’s something for your troubles.” The boy grinned and looked at Jalen, spouting off the total before going to make their orders. Cody sighed at the smell of coffee and looked around for a table, picking one and plopping his stuff on a table before walking back to Jalen’s side. Feeling a bit amused, he casually linked one of her blonde curls around his finger and twirled it.

“So soft,” he remarked nonchalantly.

[Jalen August]

Handing the cashier cash for the goods, Jalen thought it was birthday money well spent. Taking both brownies with her, she went to go wait at the end for their drinks to be made. At least Cody wasn't dense, he didn't need her to tell him to go do things, he went and fetched them a table. Tables were snatched up fast at Starbucks. Too many coffee drinkers, not enough tables for them all.

He was back at her side soon enough, and she handed him his brownie. She kept the bigger one for herself. "You almost done there bud?" She asked him, shooing his hand away from her hair. Cute cowboy better not be turning into some kind of weirdo. A smile was on Jalen's face though, it was kind of cute. Sitting at the table that had all their bags, the girl sipped at her mossy green drink. "Do you often start playing in girl's hair?" She asked him, poking fun at the gesture. She hadn't even said thanks for the compliment - Jalen just didn't take positive remarks well. Especially not from handsome men.

"So tell me about yourself Cody," she said, a happy smile on her face as she held his eyes with her dark ones. She swore she could swim in those eyes all day.

[Cody Branson]

Graciously accepting the brownie from her, he noticed that hers was bigger and pouted a little bit, but he took a bite of his brownie before he could complain. Well, they weren’t bad, that was for sure, but he could make better ones. He followed her to the table and sat, sipping from his drink. Aaaaahh, chocolate and coffee, his favorite mixture. Well, besides horses and pretty girls, but that wasn’t the point.

“Just yours,” he remarked with a smile, continuing to eat his brownie and sip his coffee. Soon his brownie was gone, a pity really, but he still had the chocolate his body was craving in the mocha. Jalen asked him about himself and he looked up into those milk chocolate eyes of hers, transfixed. It had been like this since the moment he had met her. One look into those eyes and he would do anything she wanted him to do…even wear those disgusting neon yellow jeans earlier, if that was what she wanted. “But really, I’m sorry I did that. I didn’t know what I was thinking.

“Well, I’m twenty-two, for starters,” he began, now fidgeting under the looks of passing people. “I lived in Montana for the first ten years of my life with my parents, then they got divorced. Mom took me to Kentucky, where I met the rest of her side of the family and got to watch horses race. When I was thirteen, I got my power, went to Hammel, graduated with good grades, and went back to Montana State University for my bachelor’s degree.” He took a pause and sipped his coffee. “Came back here when my uncle died and my aunt gave me the ranch. Pretty much sums it up.” He looked down, then back up, his bright blue eyes looking at her through the veil of his lashes.

“What about you, miss Jalen?”

[Jalen August]

Jalen thought Cody was pretty cute while he ate, and she really didn’t know why. Maybe he was just easy on the eyes no matter what he did. The blonde smiled, “Fair enough,” she said, chewing on her brownie. “Don’t be sorry, it’s not like you hurt me or anything,” she added, running her own hands through her hair. Damn, it really was soft! She tapped her drink absent mindedly, and wondered why Cody couldn’t have gone to Hammel while she attended it. She was intrigued with him, and there was a chemistry between them that didn’t exist with JD.

Cupping her head in her hands as she rested her elbow on the table, Jalen listened intently. She had always been a good listener. She had a few questions to ask, “Wait? Hold the phone, you own a ranch?” She asked, wondering if she should be impressed yet. “What kind of Bacehlor’s did you get?” She asked curiously, genuinely interested. Jalen was more than just a pretty face.

“Well,” she started, sitting up a little straighter, “I’m seventeen, graduating from Hammel next year hopefully... Not so good with Calculus,” she added with a smirk. She wasn’t really that worried, and she hoped that showed. “I live with my parents and older brother during the summer here in Pilot Ridge, stay in dorm during the year. Um, no one in my family has powers, and I want to go to University for Fine Arts,” she said simply. Nothing was really set in stone. “Maybe take a year off for traveling or something, get a job at the local bar,” she carried on, rambling a little. “I’m talking too much...” She said, looking down at her hands which had started to interlace and unlace while she spoke – one of her many nervous habits.

[Cody Branson]

When her face lit up with interest, Cody smiled at her. It was the first time in a long time that someone was interested in what he did. “Yeah, I do,” he replied, grinning as he sat back and gave her a view of his upper body. She seemed to like it, and he seemed to like her, so why not? “I breed, raise, and train horses. My aunt gave it to me when my uncle died, so I took over the family business. I own a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences, equine division.” He took another drink of his coffee while she spoke.

Pretty average for someone like her, he mused as he listened to her, sipping his coffee. She had dreams, like he did, and they were wonderful. “It’s always a good idea to take some time off to do what you love to do,” he advised her, swirling his coffee in his cup. “I took a couple years to stay at my father’s ranch and learn his tricks of the trade before my uncle died.” He shrugged and looked at her, smiling.

“Whatever you decide to do, you should love doing it, no matter where it is or what people say. If you become a bartender, however…” He winked at her. “I may have to come out to the bar sometimes just to see your pretty face.”

[Jalen August]

“That’s impressive,” she said, liking Cody more than she already did. It was hard for a girl not to appreciate a man who didn’t mind getting dirty to make life work. Imagining him doing intense work only made Jalen’s smile wider. “Of course,” she said, feeling a little, well, blonde for even having asked. “Do you race them too?” She asked, getting excited over the subject. Jalen didn’t mind showing her true emotions around the right kind of person. Maybe Cody was pressing all the right buttons – for now.

Jalen grinned, “Thank you for the wise advise, sage,” she teased, sipping at her drink. It was cold, and delicious. “I want to go to school to do what I love – music,” she added, her eyes darting between his face and the rest of him that she could see. He was also quite delicious. “Do you see your dad much?” Jalen asked uncandidly. She was quick to get to know people, and didn’t see the harm in asking people questions that some people would find too personal to ask upon meeting someone for the first time.

Sighing, Jalen frowned, “Maybe I’ll just work at Starbucks, not as many tips I guess, but at least I wouldn’t have guys hitting on me left right and center,” she said, looking back up at Cody. “Not that that’s not already happening,” she joked, leaning closer on the table to grab his full attention. “So, what kind of crazy shenanigans did you get into while you were at Hammel?”

[Cody Branson]

Race his horses? “I have a filly I call Nimrod, since she’s such a dork it’s funny,” he told her with a laugh. “She’s always running into things, but she’s not blind or anything. When she’s on a racetrack…” he whistled softly. “She’s the fastest thing you’d ever seen. She’s the daughter of my stallion Trojan Warrior, and her full name is Crisis Angel.” He shook his head in amusement, remembering the chestnut filly he adored. She was so cute.

“Music is always a good career,” he told her, finishing off his coffee. “I know some friends who went to school for music. They have nice jobs now being teachers for music at some of the more prestigious schools.” He looked down at his cup until she asked the question about his dad. Thinking about it, he looked back up at her. “We see each other every now and again. We’ll trade horses and tricks, and he’ll refer me to some people he knows about getting more horses.”

She mentioned coffee and he grinned, winking at her. “If you made coffee for a job, I would pay you myself to make me coffee,” he told her, grinning wider. “I love the stuff.” His cheeks went pink, but he listened to her question, and threw his head back and laughed. It was a laugh that drew attention, a deep bass that made the table vibrate. “What didn’t we do?” he said when he regained his breath. “We saw girls skinny dipping, we threw eggs at people’s cars, you name it, we did it."

[Jalen August]

Loving the way he brightened up when he spoke about his horses, Jalen couldn't help but smile along with Cody. "I bet she's a real winner," she said, thinking it adorable that he was so completely attached to his animals. Great names too, very creative. The blonde probably appreciated that part the most, seeing as she was terrified of horses and all. Did people ride horses when they raced them...? Hmm.

Jalen had never thought about being a teacher before, nor did she ever want to be one. "I can't wait to be done school, I don't think I ever want to go back," she said, finishing off her brownie - finally. It's not like she wanted to be famous or anything, but it would be nice to have a couple low key records produced or something. You know, once she got past being nervous about singing in front of other people. Her brother was always telling her she had an amazing voice. Coming from him, that truly meant a lot - brutal honesty ran in the family. "I'll figure something out," she said softly, her mind becoming a little over burdened. She was graduating next year. She was graduating next year!

"I don't want to be a maid Cody," she said with bright laughter, glad she was pulled out of the abyss she almost feel into. Why did being a teenager have to be so stupidly hard sometimes? His laugh only made her smile deepen. It was warm and inviting, just like him. It drew her in further and she perked up at the reaction. Her sensitive hearing probably had something to do with it, right? Nearly spitting out her drink, Jalen raised her hand to her mouth, regaining composure. "So dreamy cowboy is actually a creepy peeping tom?" She teased the boy, laughing to herself. "Ever have pranks pulled on you?" She asked, since he mentioned egging people's cars. "I have. This girl tried pranking my roommate, but got me instead. Let's just say my hair wasn't very pretty after the blue dye hit it."

[Cody Branson]

“Oh, she is,” he told her, smiling gently. “That filly has won so many races, and she’s only three years old. She’s a prodigy.” He loved his life too much to ever give it up. He looked at Jalen and tried to imagine her around his horses. He knew Jackie, his blue merle Australian Shepherd, would be running circles around the girl, just begging for attention with her blue and brown eyes. Jalen would like the foals and younger horses; they weren’t as tall, and they were always eager to see a new face around the ranch.

Her comment about school made one of his eyebrows quirk upwards toward his hairline. So, she was one of those teenagers, he thought to himself. He had liked Hammel when he went, so much so that when graduation rolled around, he hadn’t wanted to leave. Millions of times he had thought about going back and applying to be a trainer, someone to help another kid who was like him harness their power, but his life had demanded his full attention up until now.

Her laughter was like sunshine warming his skin and his smile grew wider with her enjoyment. He was happy that he could make her smile and laugh with such ease. “Nah, I don’t peep anymore,” he told her honestly, kind of wishing he had never told her that part. “I was fifteen when that happened, and some of my friends dared me to do it. Now I live out of town with a lake just a few miles away and I can go swimming without anyone peeping on me.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Somehow, my roommates could talk to other animals, and if one of us was ever pranked, the other ones would find out who did it and made sure they paid. My roommate got pranked once, I can’t remember what it was, but I remember we took a field trip to a farm for some of us who could only speak to horses and cows and such like that, and I made a horse kick his own dung at the guys who pranked my roommate. The whole bus stunk on the way back and I got detention, but I didn’t care. It was hilarious.”

[Jalen August]

“That’s what all creepers say,” Jalen said with a sly grin, looking up at the boy. If he was a creeper, there wouldn’t be much to creep on – especially if he’d done that about a decade ago. “I’ve never gone skinny dipping, nor do I prance around nude on a regular basis, so I guess I have nothing to worry about,” she added, stirring her drink around with the dark green straw. Why did the goodness in her cup have to melt funny? How was she supposed to drink it if it was all lumped together like that?

Laughing at the prank Cody pulled, Jalen sighed. The conversation was light and fun. “I haven’t done much pranking myself,” she said, slurping on her drink again. Damn, almost finished she thought to herself, looking at the handsome man before her. It really had been a stroke of luck, being in the same place at the same time. What were the chances he would be in the women’s section? Which reminded her, “I guess your mum’s gonna want those jeans soon hey?” She asked, nodding towards Cody’s plastic bag. Jalen was fresh out of ideas for keeping him in her sight.

[Cody Branson]

Oh, the pictures that swam behind his eyes on the thoughts of Jalen skinny-dipping, prancing around nude…it was almost too much for him. The image of her walking around his house in only his shirt made him fidget uncomfortably, his jeans suddenly a bit too tight. Damn it, why couldn’t he enjoy her company without thinking of her naked?! “I guess you’re safe then,” he said, his voice husky from the restraint he was holding not to pull her against him and kiss her.

With her mention of his mother, he sighed and looked at the bag. “She’s out of town for the rest of the week, so I won’t be able to give them to her yet,” he explained, shaking his head before leaning over the table. “And that’s fine with me, since I’ll be busy this week anyway.” He smiled gently at her, getting the crazy idea to ask her out. She was only, what, five years younger than him? “I’m not busy this Saturday night, though, and I was wondering if you’d like to go out on a date with me. A picnic, perhaps, or somewhere in town, you name it.” Please, please, please say yes, Jalen. I don’t want to let you go yet.