He’s back.

“So, I didn’t understand any of that, I hope you know,” I say, not thinking, and leaning into his side. His muscles tighten at my contact, and he folds his arms across his chest, almost as if he’s protecting himself from me. His smile is tight-lipped, and I’m worried I’ve already ruined this progress.

“Well…I seem to remember a certain concert that a certain someone promised in exchange for tutoring?” Cody says, his eyes staying on mine, playful, and not shying away.

I laugh at his comment, mostly to buy myself time. I don’t think Trevor would mind if I took Cody to the concert. I just don’t know if it’s a good idea anymore.

“Sorry, I get it. We don’t have to go. I didn’t really expect to anyhow…” Cody’s already backtracking, and it causes me to take a leap.

“No, no…I just didn’t think you wanted to go…you know, with me?” I admit.

Cody stops walking and tugs lightly at my sleeve, turning me to face him. “I’d go anywhere…” he says, stopping short, and leaving me to fill in the blanks, unravel the words unspoken.

My head feels light, and I’m starting to sweat. Not wanting to misstep, I just smile. “Well, that’s good, ’cause you’re driving. Show’s next Thursday,” I walk ahead, in the direction of Cody’s truck, secretly hoping his eyes are following me.

The rest of the week continues the same. Every morning I get up and meet Cody downstairs. He even drops me off at my internship and is waiting for me when I’m done. Things almost feel normal, like this is our routine—what we’ve always done as friends. It’s Friday. He’s driving me home from tutoring, talking about the Killers, while I thumb through his music on his iPhone. When he’s not looking, I tap into my iTunes account and secretly download a few more songs that I think he might like, making a Charlie playlist. When my phone buzzes, I jump in my seat and quickly put his back in the center console. I look down at my phone in my lap and am torn when I see Trevor’s name.

I almost don’t answer, but Cody turns to me and smiles. “It’s okay,” he says, leaning his head forward, urging me to answer.

“Hello?” I say, timidly, like I have no idea who’s calling.

“Hey, baby. Flight’s leaving in an hour. Just missed you,” Trevor says, his voice happy and naïve. “Oh, you sound like you’re in the car. I’ll let you go, drive careful.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m with Cody,” I say, not able to stop my words. I shut my eyes and brace myself for his temper, expecting a lecture.

“Oh, good. Hey, put him on,” Trevor says, shocking me. I’m not able to speak for a good four or five seconds. I hold the phone in my lap and look at Trevor’s name and picture, then turn to Cody, who’s listening to every word despite his laser-like attention to the road.

“He, uh…wants to talk to you?” I say, not sure if Cody’s okay with this. By the look on his face, I can tell he’s just as surprised as I am. I think we both thought Trevor would get back to Washington and forget about the bond they started to forge last weekend. Trevor never once mentioned Cody or his contract plan during my nightly phone calls with him. Of course, I never asked either.

Cody takes the phone from me and presses it to his ear with his shoulder; I struggle to hear both sides of the conversation.

“Well, I guess I have that…I mean, it’s not really anything formal, like written down and shit, but I can put something together,” Cody says. A few minutes pass, and I can tell he’s listening.

“Uh huh…Okay…Yeah, man,” Cody says, pausing and taking in a deep breath. “Seriously…thank you.”

When Cody hands the phone back to me, I notice that Trevor’s hung up. I look at the blank screen for a few more seconds before I push the phone back into my purse and stare at Cody. He’s rubbing his neck with one hand and gripping the wheel with the other. When he finally glances at me, he forces a smile, and then turns his attention back to the road.

“What…did he want?” I ask, confused that Trevor spent more time on the phone with Cody than with me, and even more confused at Cody’s reaction to it.

“Oh, he, uh…He’s pretty serious about this plan of his. He needs my business plan, five years, ten years, you know the drill…at least, I hope you do, because I don’t know a thing about business plans,” Cody says, laughter seeping into his words. His smile lifts more with every second. “This really might work, huh?”