Marisol's POV- April 2018

"Hi boy" I greeted as I closed and locked the front door.

I reset the alarm and made my way down the hallway. Dad was seated in his usual spot on the couch.

"Hey" I said getting his attention.

He paused his TV show and smiled at me.

"Hello, darling"

"Did you just wake up?" I asked.

Dad still had bed hair.

"I guess you can say that"

"Did you eat already?" I questioned.

"Yes"

"And what did you eat?" I wondered.

"I made myself a breakfast burrito"

He gestured at the plate on the coffee table.

"Dad, we have coasters" I complained as I noticed his mug was placed on top of the plate.

"I didn't stain the coffee table"

I shook my head at him.

"So I'm headed to James' place in about a half hour. Do you want to come or do you have plans?"

"I've got plans" I informed him.

"Do I bring you back dinner?"

"I'm actually getting sushi with Cody" I disclosed.

"Huh, you seem to be talking to him...a lot"

Dad raised an eyebrow.

"I guess I have" I noted.

"You're allowed to bring him into the house, and inside your room, I trust you two will behave"

I scrunched up my nose cause gross.

"Will I expect you home?"

Why was he asking me this? Of course, I would come home tonight.

"He seems...very interested"

"I will be home tonight" I confirmed.

"Why? Enjoy your night, you certainly deserve it"

"First off, eww" I stated.

He chuckled.

"Lucy is actually coming over, it looks like Anthony is trying to talk to her," I said.

Dad snorted.

"It took him a little over a year to realize he fucked up"

"Basically" I answered.

"If it weren't for the hockey player, she would have been a giant mess"

Ain't that the truth.

"Is she dating him?"

"They're just good friends" I responded.

"Such a shame, he seems like a good kid"

Adrian portrayed himself as a cocky guy, but he was actually pretty down to earth.

"Eric seems to like him"

"Well he did help heal his baby girls heart" I pointed out.

"Eric did not like Anthony"

"But he didn't voice how much he disliked Anthony until after they broke up," I said.

He chuckled.

"Oh he voiced it, he just made sure only the adults heard"

Interesting.

"So, are you going to get ready?"

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I questioned.

"You could look nicer"

"Well that's rude" I commented.

He smiled.

"Maybe pull that hair of yours out of a bun"

My hair was at an odd length where I could pull it up into a small top knot.

"You've been picking at your face, so you should put on some makeup to cover that up"

"Alright, I'm leaving," I said.

"You're beautiful, just enhance it a little bit!"

"Please never say that again," I told him as I grabbed my backpack and made my way upstair.

Once I was in my room, I got to work. Just as I finished curling my hair, I got a text from Cody telling me he was on his way.

"Come in" I called out as I heard a light knock on the door.

The door opened and dad peaked in.

"I'm going to head out. Don't worry about feeding Bugs, I fed him already"

I smiled at my dad.

"You're the best," I said thanking him.

"I know I am"

He winked.

"Anyways, enjoy your night"

I nodded.

"Have fun at James" I called out.

He laughed.

"I hate that I agreed to help him"

A couple of minutes later, I heard the alarm system reset itself. I finished getting ready and made my way downstairs. While I waited for Cody, I played a bit with Bugs who was happy for the attention. My phone interrupted our bonding time though, and he was not happy about it"

"Hello," I greeted.

"Hey, I'm outside of your house"

"Great, I'll be right out," I said.

I ended the call and grabbed my purse.

"Take care off the house," I told my pup as I reset the alarm system.

I quickly made my way out and closed the door behind me. A sports car was stalled in front of the house. Cody stepped out of the car and made his way over.

"Hey"

"Hi, you look nice" I commented as he leaned down to kiss my cheek and squeeze me.

"Thanks, you look beautiful"

I smiled as he handed me a single pink rose.

"For you"

"Thank you" I replied.

"Let me hold the door for you"

He opened the door to the passenger side, and I took that as a sign to take a seat. Once I was inside, he closed the door and made his way around. The door opened just as I composed myself. He took a seat and looked at me as he put on his seatbelt.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes," I confirmed.

I was starving.

"How was your day?"

"Long" I admitted.

Seminars sucked because it meant I had one class for almost 3 hours, once a week. The good thing was that I did not have any 8 AM classes.

"Well you're done for the day"

"How was your day?" I asked.

"I really didn't do much"

"I'm sure it was productive" I stated.

"Not as productive as yours"

I smiled.

"What did you spend your day off doing?" I questioned.

"It was pretty boring. I went to the grocery store with Chris, and after we got back we cleaned up and organized everything"

"I'd say you had a productive day," I said.

"Then I fell asleep"

"Speaking of sleep, how'd you sleep?" I wondered.

He glanced at me before turning his attention back to driving.

"I slept well, thanks again for staying up with me"

"It was not a problem, you fell asleep pretty quick," I told him.

"I'm sorry I was a bit of a burden"

I shook my head.

"You were not" I assured him.

"It's just, it's childish that at my age I don't like being alone"

"It's not childish, I think everyone is afraid of being alone because we may not really be alone" I stated.

He nodded.

"It's why I have a dog" I stated.

He chuckled.

"We're not allowed to have pets"

Well, that sucked.

"My dad sometimes works night shifts, and he feels at ease knowing Bugs is there with me," I told him.

"A dog is not low maintenance...at all"

I shrugged.

"Just a suggestion," I said.

He slowly nodded.

"Can I ask you something"

"Sure" I answered.

"What came first, the chicken or the egg?"

"The egg was laid first" I answered.

He glanced at me.

"Explain"

"Two birds that weren't chickens created the egg, and a chicken hatched," I said.

Conversations were never boring with Cody. We got to the restaurant and were quickly seated.

"Do you just want to order a bunch of sushi, and share it?"

"Sure" I found myself saying.

Guess we were both starving because we ate everything we ordered.

"We should head out, you do have to meet up with your friend"

I had actually forgotten about that, guess I was enjoying my time.

"Let me pay for you"

I pursed my lips and slowly shook my head.

"Come on, I invited you"

That's true.

"Okay," I said agreeing.

He smiled and placed his credit card into the small little folder.

"So what time are you usually done with school?"

"I'm usually home by 4 PM, 5 PM the latest" I answered.

"But even when you're not in school, you're studying and working on assignments"

I nodded.

"That's dedication"

"Well, it's like baseball. When you're not playing a game, you're practicing or recovering from a game" I pointed out.

He slowly nodded.

"Whether you want to or realize it, you're always thinking about baseball" I stated.

"I never thought of it that way"

"You're baseball savvy," I told him.

He chuckled.

"I guess I am"

I admit, I thought Cody was a bit of a ditz when I first met him, but he was actually able to retain a lot more than baseball.

"Sorry for asking so many questions"

"It's okay, I like that you ask them. It means you're genuinely interested in whatever we talk about" I answered.