I do not own WWE or Cody Rhodes. Thanks to soccerbitch for helping me out with my dialogue.
The mountain loomed above the town. The lights glittered like jewels in the sea at the base. Narrow roads, hard to navigate, wound up like a twirling ribbon, offering tourist and secluded lookouts. For those not versed in the roads, the maze was difficult to understand. Cliff edges dotted the shoulders like a form fitting gown, sneaking a peak of a sheer drop. Katie tried her hardest not to look out the window as Cody sped on the twisting road, the car drifting smoothly with his confident steering. Her posture was tense as flashes of her past flickered unwelcome through her mind.
Cody picked up her nervousness immediately. Her stiffness and her hands worrying made him curious to the reasons behind her reactions. He knew his driving wasn't too bad. No matter what the speed, his driving was confident and safe. The mental limits were well known and weren't crossed. Cody would never drive too dangerously. And besides, he wasn't going too fast on this road, not compared to his usual speeds.
Before picking Katie up, he had talked to friends who had gone to the Victory party. Many spoke to her older brother, Kenny, who enjoyed partying a little too much. According to them, a serious accident had prompted the family's shift, but he wouldn't reveal exactly what. But if Cody was to hazard a guess, he would say that it involved the woman beside him. He heard her breath in deeply, in anticipation for talking. Keeping an ear tuned to her, he navigated a particularly hard corner.
Watching him carefully for a moment, Katie sucked in a breath. Catching his intense look, she ducked her gaze to her lap. She blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did," he pointed out, deciding to play cheeky and calm the mood in the car. Giving him an unamused look, she continued on. "Why are you hanging around with me? I mean, I'm just the new girl, who apparently isn't too popular with the cheerleaders."
"Cheerleaders are overrated," he told her, simply.
"Didn't answer my question." She replied stubbornly.
"Would you prefer I didn't hang around you?" he asked her bluntly.
"I'm not saying that, it just-" she sighed. "Most people wouldn't ditch their friends just to hang out with a strange girl."
"I see those other guys all the time," he told her as if it didn't matter what so ever. "And the cheerleaders? They have no substance, it's this guy did this, that girl's a bitch because, blah, blah, blah."
"Thanks for hanging out with me, though." She smiled. "So what are we doing?"
"Going to M.O.M" he said, hoping that she was as naive as he thought she was.
"MOM?" he allowed an arrogant smirk slip onto his face.
"Yeah, I told you somewhere you haven't been before." Katie looked at him suspiciously. She had heard something similar from her old school, the older girls talking about it loudly in the halls.
"You are as frustrating as you are good looking!" her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh god, I can't believe i said that out loud."
"You didn't say anything I didn't already know," he told her smugly, knowing that it would get a rise out of her.
Katie laughed at his expression. "You're arrogant too, I've noticed."
"Again, I already know this," he said as they came upon a mountain road crossing. S swift shift in gears and a gentle press of the breaks had them travelling down a different road. Katie began to notice the styles in his driving that she admired, like when a cliff was close to him, he would drift further to the centre of the road. He was careful in a maniacal speed freak way. A dirt road barely made itself visible before he drove down it.
She looked at him curiously. "Why are we going up here?"
"M.O.M." was all he said.
"So, what made you decide that you wanted to talk to me after I knocked you over yesterday?" Katie decided to try another conversation.
"You're different," he stated casually as he began to slow down.
"Different, how?" Most people at her old school ignored her and had no idea who she was exactly, except for Mike. She shivered, thinking about him. Cody tossed her a quick glance, all he could afford as the road got rougher on his BMW.
"You aren't like most girls here," he said unclear, unsure on how to describe his instinct to just talk to her.
She laughed. "King of vague."
"Gotta be good at something," Cody replied simply.
They made it up to the top of the mountain, his headlights making ghostly shapes with the trees and their shadows. Scenes from all her scary and romantic movies danced through her mind, giving her scenarios that she both enjoyed and feared. What would happen between them up here? She mused on it thoughtfully. Cody was an incredibly handsome guy. But that didn't mean that he was interested in her like she was in him. The car crawled forward, the road too broken to maintain a regular speed. Katie decided to swallow her pride and blurt out the question burning in her mind. "So, we are at a secluded spot on a mountain. Anything I should know about?"
"This place has a great view," shrugging, Cody used his mask of casual indifference to built up his courage.
"A great view?" she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He leaned over and covered his mouth over hers. Her lips were soft and welcoming, opening hesitantly enough for him to slip in his tongue and coax her to open a little more and participate. A soft cold hand began caressing his cheek before drifting down his neck and settling just underneath his ear. Her fingernails scrapped gently on the sensitive skin, sending delightful shivers down his spine. Smoothing a hand over her hair, Cody buried his hands in, loving the play of the silken strands as he took in the velvet warmth of her mouth. Their exploration of one another was unlike anything he had ever experienced. It was gentle, tentative even, like letting themselves physically get to know one another. All of his other conquests, the best word he could use to describe them, were a raw, passionate experience that usually left him feeling empty and emotionless the next morning. He knew that he wouldn't be able to go all the way with Katie; she was too pure and innocent for that. So he leaned back, allowing them to breath for a moment, a chance to regain their composure.
"Get out and take a look," he said, referring to her question.
Her bruised lips and flushed face where highlighted by the quiet lights of the interior. Katie looked at him curiously before getting out of the car, trembling at the aftermath of their encounter.
Cody, himself stayed in the car. He couldn't bear to get out. He hadn't visited this place in a long time. Not since his mother died. To be honest with himself, he was curious to see what her reaction to this place would be. It was an incredibly sentimental place for his brother and him. No one had been brought up here, not since they placed the memorial plaque.
Walking to the edge of the cliff, she mused on the kiss. It startled her with its timing, they had only known each other for two days. Did he expect anything from her now? She rubbed her arms over the thick fabric of her red jacket. What if she wasn't interested in him that way? She snorted. Come on, what would you feel if an increadibly hot guy leaned over and kissed you like that? Knowing that if he asked for anything more that just a kiss, she'd say no, Katie began walking around, admiring the view. Looking down at the ground, she noticed a raised plaque from the ground. Her fingers touched it lightly. Cassandra Rhodes. She looked over to the parked car. What on earth was going on?
Cody sat there, musing quietly, watching as she walked over to his side of the car and opened the door. "Cody?" she looked at him softly. "Are you alright?" she leaned down to look him in the eye.
"Fine," he said despondently. Katie sighed.
"What is the plaque about, Cody?"
Cody took a deep breath before saying, "It's just a stupid plaque."
"It has your family name on it," she crouched down and touched his knee.
"It's just a plaque," he repeated himself as he started the car up.
"Are you really going to leave me here?" she looked at him.
"Get in," he said bluntly. He felt foolish bringing her here. The night wasn't turning out like he had planned.
She frowned at his abrupt tone and walked around to the other side. She had barely closed the door when he slammed the car into reverse. "Whoa, buddy, what the hell is going on?" Cody's jaw was clenched and his mouth a tense line. "Cody, I know you don't know me very well, but I am a good listener."
"You think that will make me wanna talk about it?" he asked her incredulously.
She sighed. She was beginning to wonder why on earth she got into the car with him in the first place. "Alright then, where are we going?"
"You're going home," he told her, the trees passing quickly and quietly.
"What?" she looked at him.
"You're going home," he repeated. "There's something I have to do, alone." He turned out of the dirt road and began speeding down the mountain at a furious pace.
She nodded sadly. "I understand. I'm sorry for anything I've done."
"Stop apologizing," he told her as the speed came up to 75 mph
She nodded and decided to ignore his speeding. "Ok. It was a lovely drive up here though."
Cody didn't say anything, but sped up even more. He had to get it done, before he lost his nerve. And he would surely do that with Katie in the car. Sharp, panicked breathing drew his attention to her. Eyes clenched closed and a pale face made him wonder what the hell was going on.
"Um, Cody, I don't mean to sound like a wowser, but can you slow down a bit?" she said, her heat pounding and her breath short. Cody just looked out into the deserted road. No one was on the road because they were all celebrating the first win of the season.
She touched his hand on the gear shift. "Cody? Listen, I was in a car accident three months ago, my friend was speeding and I was in the passenger seat. He drove off a cliff and killed himself and almost killed me. Please slow down." her voice was slightly panicked.
Cody seeing the panic in her eyes slowed his car down to 60 mph, as they came off the mountain. He had his answer on why they moved.
"Thank you," she said, gratitude gleaming in her eyes.
Knowing that there was a light ahead, Cody, didn't stop. He zoomed right through it. There was no one around to yell at him for it. He knew exactly where everyone was at the time, so he wasn't too worried.
"Um, what the?" she looked at him stunned.
"What?" he asked. "Worried that I'm gonna get a ticket?" She gave him a look, her breathing easier."I told you Kate, I've never gotten a ticket."
"So why are you taking me home?"
"Because you have a promise to keep."
"So you're taking me home to pick up my brother who doesn't want to be picked for," she checked her watch, "Another three hours."
"I have something I need to do, alone," he told her. "And you can't come."
She sighed and nodded. "Alright then." they pulled into her driveway. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Look, its just some personal stuff," he said with a sigh. "I'll probably be back home in about two hours. My family, we're not exactly normal. This hasn't got anything to do with you; you haven't done anything wrong. I just have something to do."
"Ok. Well, have a good night then," she looked at the door, not really wanting to leave the car.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," he told her. "I'll see you tomorrow."
She nodded and impulsively leaned over and kissed his cheek before starting to get out. "Hope you'll be ok, Cody."
"Yeah, me too," he whispered to himself as she shut the door to his car.
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