He nods eagerly, doing precisely what I said, taking his time to really make a show of it before holding my gaze as he licks and sucks his fingers clean.
“Good boy,” I praise when he finally pulls off with apop. “That was hotter than any porn I’ve ever seen. I wish I’d been recording somehow,” I say offhandedly.
“Do you want me to send you videos when I get myself off?” he offers, sounding very into the idea.
“You’d do that?”
“That sounds hot, knowing that you could watch me whenever you wanted. I already told you that I trust you,” he adds with a smile.
“Fuck, you’re perfect,” I say, still somewhat in shock about his offer.
He laughs and grabs his phone as he finally stands from the couch.
I remove my shirt and use it to wipe up the rest of my mess. Cody must have taken his phone with him to get dressed because I’m watching him pull on loose gray sweats in what appears to be his closet.
When we’re both settled and focused back on the phone, he’s giving me a shy smile. “Well, that was fun,” he says cheekily.
“It really was,” I agree.
“I miss you,” he admits, and his cheesy grin falls into a much softer smile.
A knot forms in my chest at his words. “Miss you too.”
I don’t know what we’re doing. Neither of us is in a position to compromise our career for the other. I’ve never been in a real relationship, and now that I think I want one, it seems impossible. But at the same time, I know we're not ready to say goodbye.
“I get to see you next week, though!” Cody adds, no doubt trying to lighten the mood.
“Thank fuck.”
Cody goes on to update me about his day, telling me about all of his friends that he saw and the presentations that he gave. I swear he could describe the most boring day and still make it sound like the best time.
I love that about him. How eternally happy he is.
I tell him about my day too, and then we talk about our plans for the rest of the week.
At some point, Cody moves to lie down in bed, his phone propped on the pillow beside him. His eyelids are growing heavy, and after the third yawn, I know I should say goodnight, but I can’t bring myself to end the call.
“Go to sleep,” I tell him, and when he starts to protest, I add, “I’ll stay on the line, but you need to rest.”
With a contented smile, he nods, eyes already closed. “Night, Beck,” he whispers.
“Goodnight, baby,” I say so quietly that I don’t think he hears. The term keeps slipping out without much thought, but looking at his peaceful expression, grinning even in sleep, it feels right.
After finding an old Werewolves t-shirt in the closet of my office, I settle back into work, reviewing everything I need to do before tomorrow. By the time I finish, it’s nearly one a.m. I leave the physical copies on Adrian’s desk with a note explaining I might be a little late in the morning and head back to my condo. I'm glad I drove today, even though it’s only a few blocks away. I hate walking when it’s this late, and I’m happy that I don’t need to bother anyone else to drive me at this hour.
I keep the video call with Cody up the entire time, carrying his beautiful sleeping face with me as I prepare for bed. When I finally get under my covers, I plug in my phone so that it’s lying next to me on another pillow.
With my eyes closed, the sound of his soft, steady breaths fills the room, pulling me back to the weekend I spent with him, curled in my arms. I can’t remember ever sleeping that soundly.
When I wake up the next morning to that god-awful alarm tone, Cody’s face is no longer filling my screen. I’m hit with a surprising wave of disappointment at the realization before I see a text from him.
Goldie
Waking up next to your sleeping face is my new favorite thing.
Goldie
Sorry I had to end the call. I had a sunrise hike this morning and knew I’d lose signal eventually.
