Blindness(38)

He turns around in seconds and scoops her up, racing with her to the line at the barn and swinging her around to make her dizzy. Her giggle fills the air—it’s such a foreign sound, her happiness. The way she laughs, so freely and honestly. Nothing rehearsed—just genuine life happening, in the moment.

I turn to Cody, and he smiles with tight lips, and holds his arm out once again, his hands stuffed in his pockets. I can tell he’s a little cold. “Hey, do you need this?” I ask, starting to pull my arms from the sleeves of his jacket. Cody stops me instantly and just pats my hand as he pushes it against his bicep and pulls me in close.

“I’m fine. I got that for you,” he says, looking down at me with a wanting expression. I look away quickly, knowing if I don’t, I’ll be lost.

The closer we get to the door, the more nervous I am. I can hear people screaming, and the strobe lights are giving me short glimpses of fake blood and gory faces inside, making my legs want to run. My heart is pounding, and for once, it’s not because Cody’s next to me. No, this is actual fear.

It’s our turn next, and Gabe and Jessie run in through the dark hall, screaming with laughter. I squeeze onto Cody’s arm tightly and reach up with my other hand to blot away the tear that’s forming in my eye. I’m pretty sure I’m terrified. I’m done trying to hide it—instincts have taken over, and when we push through the first curtain and a zombie jumps out at me, I clutch onto Cody’s chest with my nails digging in hard.

Jessie and Gabe are long gone, probably joining in on the scaring fun, making others cry for help, no doubt. I’m clinging to Cody like a frightened kitten, wishing I could get closer to him and drown out the sounds. I feel his arm shift, and I panic that he’s trying to push me from him. He doesn’t; instead, he reaches around to the back of my head, pushing my face into his chest, and pulling his jacket up to protect me and hide my eyes.

I can feel his pace pick up, and I just let him guide me the rest of the way through. He steps quickly to the side, and I follow. I’m relieved when I hear a door squeak open and once again recognize the softer sounds we were hearing outside. Cody pulls me over to a bench and sits me down, then kneels in front of me.

“Charlie, are you okay? God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you’d get so scared,” he says, holding both of his hands to my cheeks and tucking my hair behind my ears. I let go of squeezing my eyes shut and open them to see Cody looking right back at me. He isn’t laughing. He isn’t even smiling. He’s just focused on me, and my fear—and making it better. I take a deep breath and reach up to grab his hands.

“I’m okay. I’m okay,” I say, moving to stand. He stands with me and puts his hand under my chin.

“Are you sure?” he’s so worried. And as much as I NEVER want to set foot inside that barn again, I wouldn’t trade the way Cody’s looking at me afterward for anything. I just gulp and nod, unable to speak. He pulls me in for a hug and holds my head to his chest for a full minute before he lets go, and I’m pretty sure I could sleep standing up if it were in his arms.

“We should find Gabe and Jessie,” he says, sliding his hand down my arm and grabbing hold of my fingers. It’s clear he isn’t letting go again.

We find Gabe and Jessie at a lemonade stand, and it’s cute to watch them from a distance. They’re sharing a drink, and even after knowing each other for so long, their love seems so young and new.

“How long have they been dating?” I ask Cody.

He smiles at first, then laughs softly to himself. “Pretty much off and on since the sixth grade. She’s in every school dance picture with Gabe, minus prom—she went to that with me,” he says. I must not hide my jealous response well, because he starts to laugh when he looks at me. “Not as my girlfriend. They weren’t dating at the time, and my date had just dumped me. She felt bad.”

“Oh,” I swallow hard, embarrassed that Cody noticed my green streak. “That was nice of her, though…I can’t really see you getting dumped. Are you sure it wasn’t the other way around?”

Cody’s face gets suddenly serious, and we stop walking. “I’m sure. I was in the chair for six months after my accident, and Kyla, my ex-girlfriend? She just wasn’t up for all that.”

“Hey, man, that was awesome,” Cody leaves me and starts talking to Gabe suddenly, clearly wanting to leave the conversation we were having. I touched on something, and I can tell it was uncomfortable for Cody, something he probably prefers to keep buried, and I get that—probably more than most.

“You okay?” Jessie asks, sliding up next to me, and offering me a drink of some frozen lemon thing.

“Oh, thanks. I’m good. Yeah, that was a little intense,” I gesture to the barn. “I’m sort of a wimp.”

She laughs, and then throws an arm over my shoulder, dragging me to a section filled with rides and carnival games. “Girl, that shit’s scary as hell. I laugh the entire time so I don’t pee myself. You’re not a wimp. You made it through,” she says, slapping down a dollar for a set of three balls. She throws them at a stack of jars and knocks down every single one. The guy hands her a giant stuffed monkey, and she pushes it back at him, scrunching her face. “Just give me the little one. I don’t have room for that thing.”

Jessie tosses the tiny monkey holding a heart to Gabe and blows a kiss in the air. He hugs it like a little boy and rolls his eyes at her, laughing. “I’m gonna marry him someday, you know,” she says, chewing on a stick of gum, and holding out her hand with the pack for me. I take one, hoping it will calm my nerves.