The next few weeks onboard continued just the same as they had been with Cody, Bailey and all their friends getting into trouble and misadventures all over the world, but one way or another they always managed to come out on top without Mr. Mosby blowing his top completely. But now that they had completed their sailing in Europe, the S.S. Tipton was on its way back to the U.S. specifically Florida, and that was going to bring Cody some trouble.
He and Bailey hadn't had any issues since Bailey revealed her true gender to him, and no one else was the wiser. Unbeknownst to them a few others, mainly Zack and Ms. Tutwiler could tell something had changed between them but neither knew what exactly it could be.
That may be partially because neither Cody nor Bailey were even willing to admit to each other just how they felt. Despite the strong connection they had through all their shared passions and interests, both were keeping one more secret close to their chests, and both were crushing on each other more and more each day.
Bailey could listen to Cody ramble on and on about his favorite topics for hours. She knew his brain was like no one she had ever met before. And just as important was his heart, no matter how much trouble Zack or London dragged them into, he was always willing to bail them out. It was only because of him they hadn't ended up in more jail cells like on Parrot Island. And he was so cute with his adorable dimples and handsome smile. Despite Cody's thoughts to the contrary, Bailey had a feeling he could be a real player just like Zack was, but she was more than thankful he wasn't. Even if that was one of the reasons Bailey hadn't said anything about his chances with other girls. She knew they weren't together, but she was more than happy to keep him all to herself.
Meanwhile, every time Cody saw Bailey's smile at him, or heard her laughter, he felt like he was on cloud nine and all he wanted to do was pull her close in a hug. They hadn't had a reason to hug each other since that first day a few weeks ago, but those long tender moments were still seared in Cody's brain, and he wanted more. But he didn't act on his feelings for multiple reasons, for one he didn't want to do anything to risk his friendship with Bailey, which was why he had indeed crafted a six-month plan to win her over slowly. The other issue was Barbara.
Before he left Boston, he and Barbara had agreed to try being in a long-distance relationship, but that hadn't worked out for them at all. No matter what time of day Cody tried to call or text her, he wouldn't get an answer, usually until hours or days later just a message that she had missed him because of the time difference, even when he timed it to be in the morning or evening in Boston nothing worked. He hadn't spoken to Barbara at all since he'd gotten on board.
He had even confided in Bailey one night since he figured a girl's perspective might help him understand.
"Hey Bailey," Cody asked that night after they had both finished their homework for the day and were just relaxing in their cabin.
"What is it, Cody?" Bailey asked, looking up from the book she was reading.
"Do you mind if I ask you a question? I could use a girl's perspective."
"Sure thing, this isn't about cooking or cleaning, is it?" Bailey asked teasingly.
"Hey, if we were in Boston I would be cooking for you, and if you want to start cleaning the bathroom alone be my guest," Cody said jokingly back.
"OK, ok I get it." Bailey shook her head. "What's up?"
"So back in Boston, I was dating my girlfriend Barbara, and before I left, we agreed to try a long-distance relationship…"
Unknown to Cody, Bailey felt her stomach drop as he told her he already had a girlfriend, but she did her best to ignore her feelings and focus on Cody and what he needed.
"…but in the two to three months since we've set sail I haven't talked to her once, and even when I call her when I know it's the evening or morning in Boston, she never answers my calls or responds to my texts. She'll usually text me a day later that I called at the wrong time and that's it. Without any attempt to call me or anything."
"Ok," Bailey nodded, "so what's your question?"
"Do you know what that means? I've tried everything but I never get any response from her. I don't want to admit to myself that maybe that's it, and with the distance, we're just over, but what do you think?"
Bailey thought over Cody's words carefully for a few moments. "Well Cody I can only guess what Barbara is thinking, but at the very least it doesn't sound like you're a high priority in her life. Has she ever called you?"
"No, not once." Cody sighed.
"Ok, I don't want you to be sad Cody but maybe that does mean she didn't want to give long distance a shot. But don't let me put words in your head, you need to talk to her about this."
"I know I do," Cody sighed again, "it's just that even before I came on board, Barbara was the longest relationship I've ever had, and I thought liked me for me, even though she was super competitive. But I guess I was wrong… what girl could ever like me?"
"Woah, Cody hold up, what do you mean what girl wouldn't like you?" Bailey interrupted that train of thought in its tracks.
"Well, you know, nerdy, unathletic, not good at flirting or anything like that. Girls like guys like Zack who are confident, troublemakers, who care about sports and fun more than school. That just isn't me."
"Well, Cody you can stop thinking that right now. I'm sure any girl would be lucky to have you as her feller." Bailey said. "I like your brain, and you are so kind to everyone, no matter what. And I know that's just the tip of the iceberg of all your amazing attributes. I could go on if you want me to, but if Barbara can't see how wonderful you are, then she's a fool."
"You think so?" Cody asked, finally raising his head again to look up in Bailey's eyes.
"Oh, I know so." Bailey promised, "But tell me what you need, and I'll help you out however I can because you are an amazing guy Cody."
"Thanks Bailey…I guess I just wanted a second opinion to make sure I wasn't going crazy. I know you're right, but I still don't know what to do."
"Well, are you going to break up with her?"
"Maybe, but to do that she'd have to answer my call. Or she and my friend Bob are supposed to visit the ship when we dock in Florida in a few weeks, so if nothing changes by then, I'll have a choice to make."
Bailey tried to ignore the flutter of her heart when Cody said that because she knew that was wrong. "Well, if you ever need more help figuring out the female mind just let me know." Bailey grinned to try to bring some levity back into their conversation.
"Oh, I will," Cody laughed. "Have any questions you need a dude to answer?" Cody asked jokingly.
"No, thankfully let's just say I left my dating troubles back in Kansas." Bailey laughed.
"Oh really? What troubles did you have?" Cody asked.
"My first boyfriend Moose, we dated for a little less than a year, and we had a lot of fun together, but I eventually realized he didn't respect me or my opinion. We finally broke up when I told him I was leaving for the ship. He couldn't accept that I had bigger dreams than to be a farmer's wife." Bailey rolled her eyes. "So, I broke up with him, and honestly I've been so much happier ever since."
"Why is that?" Cody asked.
Because I met you. Bailey thought, but she knew she couldn't say that. "Because then I came here, where no one's trying to tell me what my dreams should or shouldn't be. I know this is right where I want to be and I'm living my best life, even if I have to hide from everyone but you."
"Don't worry Bailey, maybe we can figure out some way for you to be your true self eventually and everything will be back to normal, and then maybe we'll both be happy."
"I hope so too Cody." Bailey smiled at him, neither noticing the not-so-subtle glances they kept sneaking at each other that night before they finally went to bed.
That had been a few weeks ago and now Cody was nervously pacing around the lobby of the S.S. Tipton waiting for Barbara and Bob to show up. No matter how much he and Bailey had practiced what Cody would say to Barbara, he was still terrified. He wasn't one for confrontation, plus he had never been in the position to be the one breaking up with a girl. He didn't know what was going to happen.
Zack was waiting in the lobby with him, along with Bailey wearing her boy clothes like normal. Bailey was there to help give Cody the moral support he needed, while Zack was there to greet Bob.
"Hi, Barbara." Cody smiled and walked closer to pull Barbara in for a hug the moment he saw her.
"Hi, Cody." Barbara hugged him back, meanwhile, Bailey had to fight to ignore the rolling of her stomach when she saw Cody hug another girl. She knew what he was going to do, plus everyone else thought she was still a guy. That couldn't change.
"Bob!" Zack ran over to Bob and practically leaped into his arms as they greeted each other.
"You look great," Barbara said slowly.
"No, you look great.' Cody said back, feeling super awkward and nervous now that Barbara was finally here in front of him. Although he couldn't help noticing the old spark of excitement that he always had whenever he saw her just wasn't there anymore.
"So uh, you're going to love the boat. It's just like the Tipton but if you walk out the front door you'll drown." Cody joked.
"Ha ha, still as funny as ever." Barbara laughed lightly.
"Yeah," Cody nodded and bared his teeth in a grimace as he prepared himself. "So, Barbara, look I need to talk to you about something."
"What is it, Cody?" Barbara looked closely into his eyes.
"I uh…shuffleboard at 3!" Cody smiled brightly. Mentally kicking himself as he backed out of confronting Barbara.
"Oh, well, I'll go tell Bob." Barbara smiled and walked back over to Bob, and at the same time, Bailey stepped closer to check on Cody.
"Cody, what's wrong? We practiced this." Bailey asked him. "Do you not want to break up with her?"
"No." Cody shook his head, "I just need to find the right time to do it. Maybe I'm wrong and she does still care about me."
"Oh," Bailey again felt a pit in her stomach, "Cody I'm going to give you the same advice you gave me a few weeks ago. Follow your heart, but at the very least you need to talk to her about your concerns, or else you'll still be just as miserable when you think about her as you have been."
"Thanks, Bailey, and don't worry I know I can do this." Cody insisted. But Cody kept putting it off. It was easy at first since he, Bailey, Zack, Barbara, and Bob were spending a lot of time all catching up together, but Bailey for one couldn't help noticing how much Barbara and Bob seemed to be sneaking away together whenever they got the chance.
But the next day, Cody and Barbara finally got a chance alone while everyone else was hanging out on the Skydeck, and both of them finally seemed ready to talk. Although Bailey was hovering just within earshot, ready to support Cody however she could.
"Cody, we need to talk," Barbara said.
"Yeah, we do. " Cody agreed with a nod of his head, "About our relationship…Look, let's face it when people are away from each other, things happen. They grow apart, come close to new people." Despite Barbara standing in front of him, all Cody could think about was Bailey and how amazing she was.
"You know?" Barbara asked, as she suddenly looked nervous.
"Know what? We haven't even talked in 3 months." Cody reminded her.
"That Bob and I are dating," Barbara said, stepping away from Cody and cuddling up to Bob's side in a side hug.
"You're what?" Cody demanded, and despite him knowing his plan going into this, he felt his heart break in his chest. "When did this little love connection happen?" Cody angrily demanded.
"Well, you remember the day you left Boston on the ship?" Bob asked.
"Yeah." Cody nodded.
"That night," Barbara said.
"Look, we never meant to hurt you," Bob said, looking genuinely regretful.
"Hurt, me? I'm not hurt." Cody insisted he turned his face away and he locked eyes with Bailey' whose heart immediately broke for him. She could tell how much he was hurting and wanted to do anything to make Cody feel better, and maybe teach Barbara a lesson. She got an idea.
"Yeah, Cody." Bailey jumped into the conversation and put her hand comfortingly on Cody's shoulder. "Maybe Cody would be hurt if he didn't already have a girlfriend on the ship!"
"Wait what? Dude, have you been holding out on me?" Zack asked, and Cody looked at Bailey in confusion, so Bailey sent him a silent signal to just go with it.
"You have a girlfriend?" Barbara asked, slowly stalking closer to Cody and Bailey, looking genuinely angry.
"Yeah her name is…"
"Kaylee!" Bailey whispered in Cody's ear.
"Kaylee!" Cody shouted.
"Kaylee? You never mentioned any Kaylee." Barbara said.
"Well, you've never mentioned you and my pal Bob." Cody shot back. He was still confused at what exactly Bailey's plan was, but he could go along with it.
"Ok, ok. So I guess we've both moved on." Barbara said, losing the venom in her voice and backing off slightly.
"Yeah, I tried to stay faithful, but Kaylee is gorgeous and she was all over me. I'm a man, I'm weak."
"Seriously what are you talking about Bro?" Zack asked.
"Oh yeah, she's a real looker. Cody is one lucky guy." Bailey added.
"I'd love for you to meet her but she's…" Cody started but then trailed off.
"At work right now at one of the ship's clothing stores." Bailey added, "But I ran into her earlier and Cody, she can't wait to spend the rest of the day with you when she gets off work."
"Right of course, so like I said, Barbara, Bob, I can't wait for you to meet her," Cody said.
"OK then." Barbara crossed her arms but leaned closer to Bob as well. "I can't wait to meet her either."
"Yeah, why don't we all do something later? Like, go to the movie." Bob motioned to the large poster standing a few feet away.
"Flowers and Chocolate?" Zack asked in disbelief, "Isn't that some Hugh Grant thing? I'd rather remove my eyebrows with duct tape."
"Oh yeah Caylee mentioned she wanted to surprise Cody with the movie tonight," Bailey said.
"She has?" Cody asked her.
"Great then we'll all go together." Bob declared happily.
"Looks like I better find some duct tape." Zack joked. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Bailey are you going to be doing anything that's fun later?"
"Actually, I have to leave the ship and visit my cousin Cletus's gator farm." Bailey said, "Speaking of, Cody can you help me with something in our cabin? I'm sure Kaylee will be done with her shift pretty soon."
"Sure thing," Cody agreed and followed Bailey to the elevator that would take them down to the deck with their cabin. Leaving their three friends above in various states of confusion.
Once they were inside the cabin Bailey immediately turned to Cody and placed her hand comfortingly on his shoulder once again. "Cody, are you ok?"
"Honestly… I feel like an even bigger fool now. How could Barbara and Bob start dating the night I left Boston? He's one of my best friends and she was my girlfriend. It wasn't just that she lost interest in me, she was cheating on me. Do I have sucker written on my forehead?"
"No, no definitely not. Cody, I have no idea why Barbara made the choices she did, but trust me she'd have to be an idiot to ever just throw away a guy like you. Not only are you the smartest guy on the ship, but you are also the kindest, most caring, polite, clean, and creative person I have ever met, and there is no other guy on board I would feel nearly as comfortable around or share my secret with. You are amazing Cody, and if Barbara can't see that she must really need her glasses." Bailey said while looking directly into his eyes.
"Thank you, Bailey. I knew it was over, but the fact that I didn't know it was over for so much longer hurts a lot."
"I can't even imagine what you're going through right now but let me know if you ever want to talk."
"Thank you, I know I can trust you when I'm ready to talk, but first off, I have to know what exactly is your plan and who's Kaylee?"
Bailey felt herself blushing, but she wasn't going to back out now. "Oh, well what do you say we get back at Barbara and show her how much better your life is without her in it."
"I'm still not following."
"Easy, you and Kaylee are dating, and Bailey is going to be at his cousin's gator farm, and so I am going to play Kaylee for you," Bailey said, taking off her ever-present baseball cap and hoodie to reveal her long dirty blonde hair.
"Really? You'd do that for me?"
"Of course, I would. I want to do anything I can to help you feel better, and I know it may not be the best method morally, but sometimes there's nothing better than giving someone payback."
"OK, if you want to do this, let's do it." Cody nodded, "But what if someone realizes it's you?"
"Well realistically I think all we have to worry about is Zack, I saw Woody following London earlier dressed in a fancy suit for some reason. And I think between the two of us we can handle Zack."
"OK then, Caylee. Let's do this." Cody smirked, "But if we're doing this, we need to do it right, which means we need to come up with a big romantic love story for us by tonight so we can really rub it in Barbara's face."
"I like the way you're thinking," Bailey smirked back at him. "Let's get to work. We're going to make Barbara regret even looking at Bob."
A few hours later they were ready. Bailey was finishing getting ready in the bathroom, and she wanted to look great not only to stick it to Barbara but also, she figured if this was her one chance to truly be herself out in public she wanted to impress. Also, she had kept this part, especially to herself, but the idea of being Cody's pretend girlfriend for the night was very appealing to her. And based on the epic love story they had come up for themselves to fool Barbara this was going to be a night to remember.
Cody meanwhile was slowly pacing around his bed, he was all in for this plan, but as they had written their epic love story that afternoon, he started letting his imagination run a bit more wild because now all he could think about was how he was about to go on a date with Bailey, the most beautiful and most amazing girl he had ever met. Sure, it was a fake date, but maybe it could be a practice date for his six-month plan.
Bailey stepped out of the bathroom, and when they saw each other, they just froze in surprise. Neither was too dressed up, but this was the first time Cody had seen Bailey wearing any makeup at all, and as much as he usually wanted to tell Bailey how beautiful she was, it was even more now, not to mention the pretty, yet casual summer dress that showed off her feminine features made her look even more beautiful.
At the same time, even though Cody was just wearing a simple, light green short-sleeve button-up, Bailey too was momentarily lost in the idea of them being on a date together once again.
"Wow, you uh look great," Cody said when he finally got his wits about himself again.
"You do too Cody," Bailey replied. "So, are you ready to give Barbara the show of a lifetime?"
"Oh yeah, I think so." Cody nodded.
"Then let's go, I think this will be fun."
"Every day I spend with you is fun, but I think you're right," Cody replied. He then extended his arm out to her in a gentlemanly fashion. "You ready to go?"
"Let's do it." Bailey smiled as she intertwined her arm in his own and held his hand gently yet firmly. Both felt a tingle of happiness at their close contact. Neither could hide their grins as they slowly made their way back up to the Skydeck.
When they arrived, a large projector screen was set up against one side of the Skydeck, with several rows of chairs sitting before it. Barbara, Bob, and Zack were all standing off to one side. As Cody and Bailey walked up to them, all their eyes widened in surprise.
"Hey guys, I'd like you all to meet Kaylee." Cody smiled brightly. "Kaylee, this is my twin brother Zack, and my friend Bob, and my ex-girlfriend Barbara from Boston."
"It's so nice to meet you all." Bailey smiled widely.
"Dude!" Zack sidled up to Cody to whisper in his ear. "Where did you find a babe like that? Have you been holding out on me? How is she your girlfriend?"
"Well, we met one night in the library. She's in the grade above us so unfortunately, we only share a few AP classes which is probably why you've never seen her around the ship Zack."
"I thought you always studied with Bailey?" Zack asked.
"Of course, I love studying with both Cody and Bailey. Both of them are so smart but I have to admit when it comes to…nonacademic traits Cody is definitely more my type, I mean he is so sweet and caring. I call him my little feller and he's always there for me." Bailey said while looking happily into Cody's eyes.
"Wow Cody, so you met in the library, how exactly did you guys start dating?" Barbara asked.
"Oh, honestly I think it was all Bailey's idea. Despite how much we both denied it he could tell we were falling for each other, because I mean look at him. Cody is so cute with his adorable dimples, and beautiful blue eyes." Bailey swooned.
"And Kaylee is just amazing, I mean look at her, but it's her heart and mind I fell in love with, she truly cares about all her friends so much."
"So, one night we arranged to grab a pizza before we all went to a Japanese movie together, and Bailey told us he had to take something to the mailroom to send home and then he'd meet us there."
Bailey then picked up the story, "But when we arrived at the pizza parlor, we both got a text from him telling us to enjoy our night without him."
Cody added, "Well actually he told me I should finally make a move instead of following my ridiculous six-month plan. And we just enjoyed our time together and went to the movie, but then this romantic scene came on, and I don't know what possessed me to give me the courage, but I finally told Kaylee how I felt."
"And I told Cody I felt the same way. So, from that day we've been boyfriend and girlfriend." Bailey pulled Cody close to hold him in a tight hug for a moment while Cody just smiled.
"Wow, and how long ago was this?" Barbara asked in suspicion.
"About 3 weeks ago, and every day has been amazing since." Cody smiled happily. "I wanted to tell you, but gosh darn I just couldn't get the time difference right, now, could I?"
"No, I guess not." Barbara choked out, as she not so subtly kept glaring at Cody and Bailey.
"Hey, would you look at the time, we better find our seats." Bob pointed out and they all sat down, with some more protests from Zack over how terrible this romance movie was going to be. But they ended up sitting in a lineup of Cody, Bailey, Zack, Bob, and Barbara as they settled in for the movie.
Cody and Bailey both kept an eye on Barbara, and they could tell she had her eye on them more than the movie, so they gave her quite the show, taking turns feeding each other licorice, Cody stretching his arm behind Bailey and allowing her to cuddle against him, or whispering lighthearted jokes and sweet nothings and giggles into each other's ears. They were having so much fun with it, and they could also tell Barbara was just getting more and more angry throughout the movie.
But Cody and Bailey were enjoying themselves not just due to Barbara's anger and their successful plan, but holding each other close, like this, both had to consciously remind themselves that this was all just pretend. To both, holding each other close, just felt right, like as long as they were sitting beside each other, feeling each other's warmth against their sides, their life would be complete. Cody could feel his heart doing jumping jacks but what really surprised him was that he didn't feel nervous at all. Even when he'd been dating Barbara for months, he'd never felt like this with a girl before. He silently promised himself that someday, in about 5 months this would be reality.
Near the end of the movie, the leading man is about to propose to his one true love, Bailey carefully looked out of the corner of her eye over at Barbara, and rather than watching the movie, her eyes were angrily locked onto Cody and Bailey seemingly enjoying their time together.
"Ready for the K.O. hit?" Bailey whispered to Cody, while she could feel a flutter in her chest for what they had planned to happen next.
"Oh yeah." Cody grinned, but knowing what was about to happen next, this time he couldn't keep his voice from shaking a bit as he whispered, both from anticipation and nervousness.
Neil proposed to Michelle onscreen and throughout the audience, the women in attendance all let out sighs of happiness.
"Oh isn't he so romantic Codykins?" Bailey said, just loud enough that she knew would catch Barbara's attention even if she hadn't been staring daggers at them all night.
"Oh yeah, are you saying I need to step up my game Sweetie?" Cody said back.
"No way, you're always just as romantic as Neil is. That's why I'm the luckiest girl in the world." Bailey then leaned in even closer to Cody, and Cody was doing the same, both stared into each other's eyes, unknowingly sending so many thoughts between themselves about how much they cared about the other.
And then their lips met, and they both closed their eyes as they equally melted into happiness on the inside. They had been acting before, but neither were acting anymore, they held on for as long as possible, and neither wanted to be the first to let go until they had to to breathe again. And when they did, both could feel their faces flushing, and both were thankful that the night sky beneath the stars was dark enough for them to hide.
"Um… sorry I got a little carried away." Cody apologized in a whisper.
"Don't be." Bailey smiled at him and then couldn't stop herself from giving him a quick peck on the cheek before they both settled down again, and when Cody snaked his arm over Bailey's shoulder, both Zack and Bob were giving him appreciative looks, while Barbara practically had steam rising from her ears. Cody was grateful he wasn't in foot-stomping distance, but he didn't care. Right now, he wanted to shout to the world how amazing that kiss had felt, but he did his best to play it cool while they continued watching the rest of the movie.
But when the movie finally did end, everyone stood up and upon Cody and Bailey's recommendation, they hit the ship's ice cream parlor for a late night treat. They continued playing up their romance, making sure to almost always be holding hands or holding each other close, or lightly tickling or teasing each other, and even sharing a few more kisses on one another's cheeks. Still, they agreed to only have one long make out session, not that they would have minded another go but they didn't want to push things to far with each other.
And to top it all off, by the time everyone headed back to their cabins for the night. Bob seemed to have noticed just how angry Barbara was with Cody and Kaylee and the two of them were arguing as they headed back to their cabins.
Zack unfortunately stuck with them, which put them in a predicament they hadn't planned for. How was Bailey going to get back in her and Cody's cabin? Because Zack could not be allowed to see her walk inside with Cody for the night, otherwise her secret would be out.
"So, what's up next for you two lovebirds?" Zack asked, rolling his eyes.
"Well, I better walk Kaylee back to her cabin, and then I'm going to call it a night," Cody answered.
"Great, you do that, and then Codester, you are so filling me in when you get back."
"Um…" Cody rushed to think of something to say to that, and so he leaned close to whisper to Zack. "Well, between you and me, it may take us a while to say goodnight if you know what I'm saying. So you should just head to bed."
"Bro you dog!" Zack said appreciatively, "Fine, but you are telling me everything tomorrow."
As Cody and Bailey made their escape, Bailey just laughed, "Do I want to know what you told him?"
Cody grinned back, "I merely implied it would take us a while to say goodnight and he shouldn't wait up but don't worry, we'll just head to the girls' wing and then I'll head back and make sure the coast is clear for you to come to bed."
"Sounds like a plan Cody. And by the way, I'm pretty sure our mission was a total success."
"Only thanks to you and your phenomenal acting ability and your planning. Seriously Bailey, thank you for helping me not feel like a loser today."
"Of course, I wanted to help you after everything you've done for me. And it's clear that right now Barbara thinks she's the loser. And you're a pretty great actor yourself mister."
"Oh, trust me, I wasn't acting." Cody joked but then stopped himself because he was letting out a little bit more than he wanted to.
"Oh really?" Bailey asked.
"Yeah, I mean I was just having fun with you like normal, we romanced it up a bit tonight…but it was still fun…wasn't it?" Cody asked both slowly and nervously.
"Oh yeah, of course, just like normal," Bailey said, but she lost her beautiful smile as she started thinking over Cody's words. Maybe she was just crazy, and he hadn't felt the same way as she did about their kisses and hugs and cuddles and everything else. "You know what, I'll hide in here, you just text me when it's safe to come back," Bailey said, finally letting go of Cody's hand that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding to slip into a maid's closet in the hallway.
"Oh yeah, sure thing. I'll text you." Cody said, pulling away slowly, as he walked away, he was blaming himself, Bailey must not have believed him when he said it was just like normal, why did he say he wasn't acting? He didn't want to make things awkward between them. He was an idiot, why did he agree to this? Why did he have to be greedy and think Bailey could like him? So he just trudged back to their cabin in silence, and he waited a few moments outside Zack's door, but all was quiet inside so he quickly texted Bailey it was safe for her to come back and then let himself inside his cabin.
Bailey walked back slowly. Cody had been so excited and happy all night, but then right before they separated, he seemed to shut down for some reason. Why could that be? She thought getting back at Barbara was going to make him feel better, but now it didn't seem like much had changed since earlier that afternoon. Just like her and the Mulch Festival, Bailey promised herself she would get to the bottom of this and make Cody happy again, no matter what it took.
Bailey walked in their cabin, and she could tell Cody was already in the bathroom, likely getting changed into his pj's for the night, so she sat on her bed and waited for him to come out, which he did, and he was still acting pretty quietly, so Bailey ran into the bathroom herself to get changed, and when she did, Cody was just lying on his bed and looking up at their ceiling.
"Cody?"
"Yeah, Bailey?" Cody sat up to look at her.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, no it's not. Everything's fine." Cody insisted.
"Really? Because you were acting so happy earlier but now that it's just the two of us again you seem sad."
"No, seriously Bailey I'm fine." Cody insisted.
"Is this still about Barbara? I know it was my idea to make her jealous, but do you regret what we did? Do you still have feelings for her?"
"What? No of course not. I…I've moved on. I have, and I know it may be wrong, but that revenge did feel pretty good tonight. It's just… something I can't tell you."
"What do you mean Cody?" Bailey moved over to sit on Cody's bed beside him. "Cody, I promise whatever it is, you can trust me. Just like I trust you with my secret, and now it's my turn to help you with whatever you need, just like you did with the Mulch Festival."
"Um… I guess I don't know how to say this… but um… Bailey, I really enjoyed our kiss together… and to be honest a lot of tonight I wasn't really acting, sure the love story was made up, but all my emotions were entirely real. I like you, Bailey." Cody finally revealed. He swallowed, "As uh more than just friends, more than best friends even…"
"Oh Cody…" Bailey started.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I know I'm an idiot, especially in this situation we're in, the last thing I ever wanted to do was make you uncomfortable but I've…I've liked you ever since I saw you were a girl because you're so beautiful and smart, and funny, and you just seem to get me, but I didn't want to be a creep and-"
Bailey finally leaned close and pressed her lips against Cody's finally stopping his terrified and erratic thoughts in their tracks.
"What, what was that for?" Cody asked.
"You were babbling." Bailey smiled at him.
"Maybe I should babble more often." Cody smiled.
Bailey reached out to gently hold Cody's hand. "Cody, I have another secret I've been keeping too. The truth is, I've liked you too, and as more than friends, or even best friends. You're unique, unlike any guy I've ever met before, and everything about you seems perfect to me. I've been feeling the same way as you, I never seriously let myself consider the possibility until I told you the truth last month, but ever since I've had to constantly remind myself that I can't creep you out either because I didn't want the greatest guy I have ever met to hate me just because of my feelings. I know I said I wanted to help you, but I may have had my motivations too once the idea popped into my head. That long kiss and every other kiss we've had tonight has been better than I could ever dream. You are amazing Cody Martin."
"Right back at you Bailey… but what does this mean then?"
"Well, I have an idea of what I want it to mean." Bailey smiled brightly at Cody.
"You know what? I do too." Cody agreed. "So um, Bailey what would you say if I asked you to be my girlfriend, and to be clear, my real girlfriend, not my fake girlfriend?"
"I would love to be your girlfriend, because like I said you are the most amazing guy I have ever met."
"And you are the most amazing girl I have ever met. I feel like we both understand each other so much already. But from now on no more secrets between us."
"Never again." Bailey smiled, as she leaned in closer to kiss Cody once more, both equally lost in their happiness and care for each other. They were both tired of hiding and ready to be completely open with one another.
When they finally separated, Cody grinned. "As much as I could do this all night, we did agree to see Bob and Barbara off tomorrow morning, so we better get some sleep."
"Yeah, we should. Goodnight Cody." Bailey said as she walked back over to her bed.
"Good night, Bailey." Cody nodded at her and then shut off the lights. "Sweet dreams."
"Oh they will be, but they'll no longer measure up to reality." Bailey smiled in the dark with certainty, her dreams would never be the same again.