Hey guys! Again, I'm really sorry about the wait! I'll try to not do that again! As my apology, I made 2 chapters in the same day! :o Yay! I'll try to make some more this week since I'm on spring break c:
Chapter 15! C:
Disclaimer: I don't own the Suite Life.
Enjoyy!
"Are you sure that you don't want to come?" Maya asked.
Bailey turned another page of her book. "Yeah, I'm sure. I finally have time off, and I want to catch up on my reading."
Maya smirked. "Yes, because when I think of free time, I think of lovely books to read."
"You're so much like Zack," she said.
She stopped brushing her hair. "Anyways… do you think that you and Cody will be okay here all by yourselves?"
Bailey closed her book. "What does that mean?"
She chuckled. "Nothing at all. It was just a question." Bailey didn't believe her, but she nodded anyway. Maya's grin faded a bit. "Bailey, I really want to apologize for how I've been acting toward you lately."
"Don't apologize. I more than understand it. Breakups are hard," Bailey reassured.
"No, it's not really about that. It's about Holden." Maya turned away for a moment.
She sighed. "I didn't do anything with him, Maya. I don't have any interest in him. Besides, I'd tell you if I did."
"I know but whatever happened or didn't happen really upset Cody. I know what that feels like, and I couldn't stand seeing him so upset. Can you understand that?" Maya asked.
Bailey wasn't sure what to say. She knew that it would not be wise to say going to the dance with Holden was a part of the plan. "Yeah, I understand, but making Cody upset was never my intention. I didn't think that it would matter so much in the first place. He has a girlfriend." She looked down at last statement.
Maya gave her a look. "You don't actually expect me to believe that, do you? Come on, Barbara Brownstein? She is not his girlfriend."
Her statement made Bailey laugh. "Then what is she?"
She shrugged and tied her shoelaces. "I don't know, more like a distraction, I guess." She got up and grabbed her purse. "We should be back soon. Carey only needs to pick up a few things before everyone starts arriving in a few days. Zack and I will keep an eye on her."
"Good luck," Bailey said, giving her the thumbs up. Maya grinned and headed toward the door. "Maya, wait."
"Yeah?" she asked, stopping just outside the door.
Bailey tapped her fingers on her leg. "A distraction for what?"
Maya rolled her eyes. "I'll let you figure that one out." She gave her a wink and left the suite. Bailey tried to get back to her book. She really did want to read, but she did not want to be cooped up in her room alone. She took her book and glided into her slippers. She slowly walked out. She made herself hot chocolate and entered the living room. It was the perfect place for reading. However, the room was already occupied.
Cody was on the floor in front of the fire, wrapping presents. Bailey leaned against the wall and grinned. He was so concentrated on wrapping the gifts. He worked quietly and delicately. There was a side to Cody that most people did not care to notice. There was something so deep and precise about him. There was sensitivity and perfection underneath his intelligent and somewhat sarcastic exterior. Bailey knew that side. She had seen it time and time again. She was in love with that special part of him. She took another sip of her chocolate.
Cody looked up. "Hey, how long have you been there?"
"Not long," she answered, coming into the room and sitting next to him on the rug. "Wrapping presents I see."
Cody grinned beautifully. "Don't bother looking for yours. I wrapped it and hid it a long time ago."
She laughed. "That's just my luck."
"Well, you can help me with these." Cody gestured to unwrapped boxes.
"Sure," she said, taking a box. "Does it matter what paper I use?"
"No, whatever you think will look nice. I'm sure that you know a lot more about this sort of thing than I do," he said.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing fine," she reassured.
"Well, after the third try, anyone is bound to pick it up." He tied a ribbon and placed it on a box.
"I didn't know that you had so many people to give presents to," she said as she wrapped a box.
Cody sighed and ran a hand through his hair. His fingers got lost in his golden strands. Bailey was mesmerized. "I didn't realize it either. I have you, Zack, Maya, London, Marcus, Bob, Woody, Addison, Mr. Moseby, Ms. Tutweiller, my parents, and…Barbara. Hers is right there."
Bailey looked to where Cody gestured. It made her laugh it was easy to tell which one was hers. The wrapping paper was hot pink as was the bow. It was a tiny box. It made her heart jump. "What did you get her?"
"Um, some earrings. Last time we were in One of a Kind, she told me about how she lost a favorite pair. I knew the story was more of a hint than a real story. The ones I got her look just like them," he explained.
Bailey rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink. Using guilt against Cody to make him do things was becoming more and more of Barbara's style. "That's very sweet of you."
"Yeah, I guess," he mumbled. They were silent. Bailey wrapped the presents and watched Cody. They were so close. She could feel his warmth. He looked so stunning in the firelight.
He looked up as she was staring at him. She immediately turned away and blushed terribly. "So, w-why didn't you go out with the others?"
"I wanted to get this finished, and I don't like shopping," he said.
When Bailey thought that it was safe to look up, she did. Ron was gazing into the fire. "I know what you mean. It's a gorgeous day for reading."
He turned to her and laughed. "Doing a science experiment would be more efficient."
"Oh, please. Reading a book is way more relaxing then doing a science experiment. Okay, that's my last one," she said, finishing the bow and setting the gift on the table.
"Thanks, I got done in half the time," Cody said cheery.
"You're welcome," she said.
Cody exhaled deeply and leaned against the couch. Bailey took a chance and did the same. He turned to her. "Bailey, I'm sorry."
"For what?" she asked confused.
He moved a little closer to her. "For the way I've been treating you lately. Well, for how I've been since the dance."
"Please, don't apologize for that," she said.
Cody placed his hand on hers. It was big, soft, and warm against her skin. She melted against his touch. While touches from Holden and Moose made Bailey feel frigid, a touch from Cody instantly relaxed her. Cody's touches had always made her feel safe and they felt so good. She wondered what her touches did to him, or if he felt anything at all. "No, I do. I had no right to get upset with you. Regardless of how I feel about Holden, it's not my business or my place to tell you what you can and can't do with him. My opinion doesn't matter."
Bailey took her hand into his. She laced her fingers between his and squeezed. "That's the thing, Cody; I didn't do anything with him. Everyone thinks I did and I know that Holden probably isn't helping to persuade people to the right idea, but it doesn't matter. I did not sleep with him. I-I barely let him touch me." For some reason her saying that to Cody made her body heat up. She could feel herself blushing.
Cody looked at her. His bright blue eyes didn't leave her. "Really?" His voice was soft and gentle.
"Really, Cody, I didn't and I would never. You're also wrong. It does matter what you think. I would never date someone who would come between us. You are and will always mean more to me than some guy. You're too important for me to lose." The words were honest, and she felt amazing telling him the truth for once. She looked him in the eyes regardless of fear. She wanted him to know.
He tightened the grip on her hand. "That's how I feel, too. I think that's why I got so upset. Holden…he's just terrible, and he's terrible for you."
She smirked. "Oh, really, so, who is right for me?" Cody turned away and shrugged. "What, you have no opinion?" silently hoping he would say himself.
He turned back to her. "You deserve…someone else. Someone better." He had a serious expression on his face, and his tone was just as serious.
Bailey could feel the sweat and heat between their held hands. She had to let go before she started shaking. She rubbed her palm on her leg. "Well, I could say the same thing about you, Cody. You ran off as well."
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but we didn't do anything."
"And that's why she's mad at you?" she asked.
"Don't say it like that. We're just having some issues right now. Anyway, that's not the point. I want you to know that I didn't do anything with her. It's-it's important that you know that," Cody said, taking her hand back.
"Good, I'm glad you didn't, Cody," Bailey said quietly.
Cody slowly smiled. "I'm glad you didn't do anything with Holden." Bailey returned his smile and squeezed his hand once more. It was perfect. Cody was perfect. The door opened. He immediately let go of Bailey's hand and got up.
"Cody, come see what I got for your father!" Carey said.
Cody grinned and held out a hand for Bailey. She took it and he helped pull her up. "Thanks," she said.
He smirked. "Anytime."
They went into the kitchen. The table was overcrowded with bags. "Wow, you got a lot of stuff, Carey," Bailey said.
"She couldn't stop. Maya and I tried our best to make sure mum didn't buy out all the stores in Boston," Zack explained.
"Or put us out on the streets," Cody mumbled.
"Oh, I didn't do that badly, did I Maya?" Carey asked.
Maya scratched her head. "Oh, um, no, not at all, mom. London usually makes three trips like this back and forth to the shops."
"See, I told you, dear," Carey said.
Zack rolled her eyes and so did Cody. "So, what did you get dad?" Cody asked.
Maya laughed. "You don't want to know." She searched for a bag and pulled out a very expensive looking teal guitar.
"Wow that looks…expensive," Cody said taking it gently from Maya and studying it.
Carey beamed, "Yes it is! It cost me almost $5,000."
"Where did you find it?" Bailey asked amazed.
"In some weird music shop that we didn't know existed," Maya explained.
"Yeah, they have guitars, keyboards, drum kits, and every instrument you can think of," Zack explained to Bailey.
"Well, I'm not sure about all that stuff, but I know about these. Kurt told me years ago he wanted to have a teal one," Carey said excitedly.
"But it's so heavy," Bailey said struggling to hold it.
"Well, I know Kurt's been using much heavier guitars so it won't bother him…at least I hope not," Carey said.
"Can you play it?" Cody whispered to Bailey, gazing at guitar in her hands.
Bailey laughed and strummed it. "Yep, but I'm not going to right now. Zack and I will explain when your dad opens it up." She made the mistake of looking up at Cody. He was staring at her. She was so close to his face that she could feel his breath. She felt her knees shake.
"Well, we need to put all this away so I can start dinner," Carey said.
Cody turned away. "Okay, mom."
Bailey finally exhaled when he walked away.
The rest of the day was nice. The guilt and shame that Bailey had felt over the past few weeks seemed to be dissolving. Time away from school and some of the people who stressed her out seemed to be helping. However, her situation with Cody was still up in the air. Things were getting better. They were talking and were closer than ever before. However, there was still this wall between them that Bailey didn't know how to break.
"Maybe you should just tell him now," Zack said with a shrug. They were alone in his room while Cody and Maya helped hide presents.
"Well, thank you for your magnificent words of wisdom," Bailey said sarcastically while rolling her eyes.
Zack laughed, "Sorry, but that's all I have. Things seem to be going great between you two. What's wrong with saying it now?
"I don't know. I think that is the main reason why I am so afraid to say anything. Things are great at the moment, but what if I tell him and he reacts badly to it? I couldn't stand the idea of us not being the way we are now." Bailey leaned against the banister of Cody's bed and thought about how beautiful and warm everything was when he was around her.
"So, what's your plan?" Zack asked. He laid down on his bed.
"I'm not sure. I keep telling myself that he will say something, but I don't know. I guess that's hypocritical of me," she answered dully.
Zack chuckled. "Just a bit, Bailey."
She threw a pillow at him. "Oh, like you're so wise. What about you? Have you told Maya yet?"
He sat back up. "Actually, I did."
Bailey's jaw dropped. "Really, you told her?"
"Don't get your hopes up. I just told her that I love her," Zack said causally.
She got up and sat next to him. "And what did she say?"
Harry smiled broadly. "She said that she loves me."
Bailey's heart skipped a beat. She wrapped her arms around Zack's shoulders and squeezed him. "Oh, Zack, I'm so happy for you. No wonder she's been so cheerful lately." She pulled away and realized that Zack wasn't nearly as excited as she was.
"Well, it wasn't exactly as romantic as it sounds. We were talking about her breakup with Bob. She was upset, we hugged, and I said it. I think she assumed that I was just saying it to comfort her, and I'm pretty sure she meant it as friendship. I didn't exactly clarify what I meant." Zack sighed and kicked at the floor. "Things are going so well. I'm afraid telling the truth will ruin anything. She loves Bob. She told me that. Even though she wanted to break up, she still loves him."
Bailey was not sure what to say to Zack. She didn't have any comforting words for him because she felt the same way. No matter what she wanted to say to Cody or what she wanted to do, he was in a relationship. He was with Barbara and even though it killed her inside, she had to honor it and support him.
"That may very well be the case, Zack, but she loves you. Maya loves you and I think when she said it, she meant it as she has since she was twelve. She wants you," Bailey said. She smiled and rubbed his back. It seemed to do the trick. Zack smiled and nodded slightly as if he agreed.
It was hard for Bailey to get to sleep that night. She had too much on her mind. She turned over again and tried to fluff her pillow. "Having trouble sleeping?" Maya asked.
"God! I didn't know you were awake, sorry," Bailey said, jumping slightly from fright.
Maya chuckled. "Didn't mean to scare you. Don't worry. You didn't wake me. I can't really get to sleep."
"Me neither," Bailey said. She grabbed her flashlight and lit it toward Maya's direction.
Maya lit hers and faced her. "Anything on your mind?"
"A lot actually," she said.
Maya nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Do you?" Bailey asked.
She sighed and sat up in her bed. "I don't know what to do."
"About what?" Bailey asked, sitting up in her bed as well.
"I feel better," she said.
Bailey gave her a look. "I didn't know that was a bad thing."
Maya laughed. "No, I mean I feel better…with Zack. He's been really great."
"He cares about you a lot, Maya," she said.
Maya smiled. "I know but I don't think that I should be feeling this good. I told myself that I wouldn't get this way again. Everything I've worked so hard to build seems to be falling apart."
"Maybe it's supposed to. Maybe it's a sign that this is how it's supposed to be," Bailey explained.
She didn't seem convinced. "I don't know. I miss Bob. He texted me, but I haven't texted him back. I really care about him."
Bailey waited for her to continue. When she didn't she added, "I feel a but coming on."
"A major but. I think that I'm getting too close to Zack. He told me that he loved me the other day. I know it was just to comfort me, but it got to me. It's what I've always wanted to hear from him. I told him I loved him, too, but I know that he didn't think anything of it," Maya said.
Bailey had to bite her tongue to keep from blurting out the truth. It was Zack's place to tell, not hers. "Maybe you should talk to him about it."
"And say what? I don't want to jump into this. I haven't even figured out what I'm going to do about Bob. He'll be waiting for me to have an answer when we get back to school. I don't know what I'm going to say to him or to Zack." Maya's eyes were massive. She looked so lost and lacked all the confidence that she normally had.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You can't leave them both unanswered," Bailey said.
Maya rolled her eyes. "I can say the same about you."
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.
"Please. You may fool Cody with it, but that's thing I don't have in common with him," Maya said. "I know that you love him. Why haven't you said anything?"
Bailey wasn't sure if she should play it off or if she should tell the truth. She searched for words but wasn't sure of what to say. "He's with Barbara," was all she could come up with.
"I'm sure if you told him that you'd rather it be you instead of her that he kissed, he would soon leave her," Maya joked.
She didn't find it funny. "It's not like that, Maya. Even if I did like him…I don't think he feels the same way I do-uhh-would. He seems to be very happy with Barbara. He bought her a gorgeous pair of earrings."
Maya wasn't impressed. She made a fake gagging noise. "Whatever. It's just another material item. That doesn't mean anything, Bailey, and you know it. She would probably cry all over the place if he didn't give them to her. Why are you giving me all of this advice but not taking your own? Why aren't you going after Cody? I hope that you're not waiting on him. It's not going to work that way."
Bailey felt irritated. She knew Maya was right, but she didn't want her to be. She didn't like the focus on her. "I think I'm going to make some tea to help me relax. Do you want some?"
Maya shook her head. "No, I'm okay, thanks."
Bailey quickly got up and slipped on her slippers. She quietly out of the room. She made her tea and walked into the living room. Once again, Cody was in there. He was snuggled up under his blanket and flipping through a Chemistry book. She smiled. Cody really was a sight. "Hmm, this is worth taking a picture of," she joked.
Cody dropped his book and swore. "Dammit, Bailey, don't do that you know I hate getting my picture taken."
She covered her giggle and joined him on the couch. "Here we meet again."
"What are you doing up this late?" he asked, picking up his book.
"I couldn't sleep. I thought I'd make some tea to calm my nerves," she said.
Cody picked up his mug and chugged the rest down. "Great minds think alike, I guess."
"And I see you that brought late night reading material," Bailey teased, gesturing toward the book.
"I needed something to do and after our talk earlier, I thought that I would give your way a try. Sort of like a trade off," he explained.
Bailey frowned at him. "What trade off? I don't remember agreeing to anything."
"Well, if I read for fun, then you have to come do an experiment with me," he said.
"Ha! We'll see about that," she mumbled.
"Please, it's fun! You love science, too," Cody urged.
"Yes, but I'm more of a book learner, not experiment learner. Besides, what if something goes wrong? Science experiments can be dangerous," Bailey said.
He rolled his eyes. "You're one of the bravest people I know. Besides, do you really think that I will let anything happen to you? I'll protect you, I promise." His words were once again sweet and gentle.
Bailey lost herself in his blue eyes again. They were so bright and open. His lips were so full and smooth. The freckles on his face gave him character and looked like specs of sugar on his pale skin. Cody was the sexiest guy in the world and the most amazing person that she had ever met. He astounded her every time. She couldn't say no to him. He was her greatest weakness. "Well, as long as we don't do anything that involves exploding chemicals, I guess it would be fine," she said, almost out of breath.
Cody smiled. "Sounds good to me." He opened his book and went back to reading as if nothing had happened. Bailey sipped her tea and tried to find comfort in the steaming liquid. The suite was freezing.
"Cold?" he asked.
"A little. I should have put socks on," she said.
"The hotel gets really cold like this at night. I'm used to it," he said.
She nodded. "It helps that you have a blanket."
Cody shrugged. "I guess so." He then turned very red. "Um, do you…do you want to share?"
Bailey felt a bit of heat on her skin. "Share the blanket?"
"Or I could get you another one if you'd like," Cody quickly added, turning redder.
"No, no, that's a great idea. Yeah, there's no need to get another one. I'll share with you, sure," she jabbered.
He grinned and pulled the end of the blanket off him. Bailey moved next to him and pulled it over her. It smelled like him. "Thank you," she whispered.
"No problem," he said.
She looked around, trying to focus on anything but how close she was to him and how her leg touched his. All she had to do was move her face and she could have been nuzzling his neck. "Maybe I should go get a book."
"We can share this, too," Cody said, pointing to his book.
Bailey laughed. "Thank you, Cody, but Chemistry isn't exactly what I had in mind."
He nudged her shoulder. "It won't hurt you. Besides, I need to teach you some things before your big experiment."
Bailey chuckled. Her insides danced, and her heart raced. She moved even closer to Cody so that their bodies touched. He put his arm behind her, and she settled against his chest. Even through his shirt, she could feel his warm skin. He smelled so good. She wrapped her arm around his back to get more comfortable. Cody put the magazine in his lap.
"Comfortable?" he said in a somewhat shaky voice.
"Yes, you?" she asked.
"Yep," he said quietly.
Bailey couldn't look up at him. She was too afraid. "So, um, where do we start?"
"Well, let's go to page one." Ron turned the page back to the beginning. The hand that was on the couch moved to her shoulder.
"I think I know some of the basics, Cody. I do have an A in Chemistry," she said, distracted by his hand on her.
"Yeah, I know but-wait a second." He moved his arm.
Bailey moved forward a bit. "Am I hurting you?"
Cody blushed. "No, no. I just need to adjust. You can go back to where you were." She settled back against the cushion. Cody moved his arm from behind her shoulders to behind her back. He wrapped his arm around her waist so his hand rested on her hip. "Is this okay?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, it's fine," she said just as quietly. They were so close. She tried not to think about it. "I know some of the compounds," she blurted.
"Yeah, what are they?" Ron asked. She could fell his heartbeat against her back.
"Well, there's Hydrochloric acid, water, carbon dioxide, and so many others," Bailey said. The hand that was touching Cody itched.
Cody chuckled. "That's great." He turned the page.
Bailey reached for her tea. She quickly took a sip, hoping that it would help her incredibly dry mouth. It didn't seem to. She sat back. Cody once again put his hand on her, however, in her maneuver, her shirt rose up a bit, so his hand touched the bare skin on her side. She froze. She did not know rather to pull her shirt down or leave it be. Cody's hand practically burned against her skin. Goosebumps pricked everywhere. She noticed Cody barely moved as well. Then, he slowly, almost painfully, moved his fingers. His gently dragged the tips of his nails across the side of her stomach and up and down. Bailey whimpered and jerked a bit. She couldn't help it.
Cody immediately stopped. "I'm sorry," he said hastily.
"No, don't be sorry, please, don't be sorry." Bailey finally looked up at him. His face was incredibly red.
"So, this is okay?"
It was perfectly okay in Bailey's eyes. In fact, it was the most right thing in the world. Something so natural seemed to come out of her, and Cody made her feel so in control and secure. She had no problem with him feeling her body and the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had always felt that way.
"It's more than okay," she answered truthfully. She lay back against him. Cody went back to caressing her side and stomach. Wherever he touched, her skin burned with pleasure. The hand that was against him moved as well. She slowly went under his shirt and touched him. His skin was piping hot and incredibly smooth. She loved him. She loved him more than anything. She could not think. Her head felt clouded with desire.
A door creaked. Bailey practically flew away from Cody and to the other side of the couch. She gulped down her tea. He flipped open the book.
"Well, I was wondering if you had gotten lost, but I guess you're okay."
Bailey looked up. Maya was standing at the door with a wide grin on her face. Bailey opened her mouth to speak but blushed even harder than she already was.
"Do you need something, Maya?" Cody asked. She shrugged and continued to smile. He got up from the couch. "Well, I think the tea helped. I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight." He gently pushed passed Maya and gave Bailey a nervous smile. She returned it.
It was not until Cody was out of sight that Maya finally let her laugh out. "So, I bet you're nice and tired now, too, right?"
Bailey was sure that if she were any redder, her face would bleed. "Goodnight, Maya." She moved past her as well and went towards her room but turned around.
Cody was standing outside of his door staring blankly at it. Bailey searched his face in fear, looking for any sign of regret in his eyes. He smiled and rubbed his neck. "Um, goodnight, Bailey."
Bailey returned his smile. She gently waved at him. "Goodnight, Cody."
He nodded. Ron turned around and went into his room. Bailey leaned against her door and exhaled deeply.
Everything was more confusing than ever.
I'll end it here because this was a long chapter! C: Hope you liked it! Thanks so much for all your nice reviews! Keep 'em coming! It keeps me motivated to keep writing this story.
Okay fangirl time: AGHHH ASDFGHJKL; THAT CAILEY SCENE! –spaz attack- They. Are. Amazing. Together. I know, I know…Cody and Barbara need to break up. C; Just be patient my amazing readers! It'll happen eventually, I promise! Keep in mind, I plan to make this a VERY long story!
Anyways…Stay tuned for chapter 16! I won't be able to write tomorrow because I'll be working. But maybe tomorrow night if I have time!
Love from,
Sophie