Before I Forget

The Name of the Rose

This chapter contains spoilers about Anna Karenina.
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"So you didn't want to go to Disneyland, then?" Sky asked when they stepped in through the doorway of Cody's home.

He glanced at Sky, shrugging off his leather jacket and kicking off his Cowboy boots.

"Damn, these shoes are killing me—" he muttered, and then with a dry laugh: "It wasn't that I didn't want to go. Halloween at Disneyland with David and Leigh? It would have been awesome."

His words made Sky frown. "What - your parents didn't ask you to go? They just left you?"

"Like I said. Their family, not mine." The bitterness in Cody's voice was evident, he didn't even try to hide it and suddenly Sky felt really bad for him. She couldn't even imagine what it would feel like to live with people who treated you like that. She had always known Dad loved her more than anything - and yes, she took that love for granted, but didn't all children? Parents were supposed to love their kids and take care of them, no matter what. And Cody clearly didn't have that—

To think of it, Sky had no idea what his birth parents had been like - but they had to be even worse than this family since he was a foster child.

That thought felt heavy and sticky, like tar. She wanted to ask him about that, about his family, his birth parents, his early years - but realized they just didn't know each other well enough for that kind of a conversation. Besides - maybe Cody didn't want her to know those things about him - it wasn't like Sky wanted him to know about her past either.

"Wow," She said, for lack of better words. "Your folks suck."

Cody let out a dry laugh, and started walking toward the kitchen, signaling her to follow him. Sky stuffed her hands into the pockets of her Ravenclaw robe and felt the phone in the other, the coin purse with pills in the other. After her argument with Sam, she had felt so shaken she had considered taking another pill, but there hadn't been an opportunity - she suspected Cody would protest since he had already given her something - and now, well, they were here, and Sky was hoping that soon there would be something else that would take her mind off things she didn't want to think about.

"Well, Yeah." Cody said. They had reached the stylish, steel and marble kitchen, and he went straight to the fridge, yanked open the stainless chrome door. "My so-called parents truly suck. David and Leigh though, they are awesome."

"I bet they would have loved to have you in Disneyland with them." Sky replied, taking a seat at the table.

"Damn right, they would have loved that." Cody noted, observing the contents of the fridge. "They fucking adore me - God knows why. You want cheese?"

Sky couldn't help laughing. She leaned her elbows on the table, her chin on her hands. "Cheese? You're trying to seduce me with cheese?"

"And Champagne." He flashed her a wicked grin and picked up an expensive-looking bottle. "We might as well make the most of the fact that my folks are away."

His smile took her breath away. It was wild and wicked, like he really enjoyed this little mischief they were about to commit.

"Won't your parents freak out?"

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a Damn." Cody laughed and opened the bottle, making a fountain of champagne squirt all over the table because he had forgotten to take glasses for it in advance.

"Shit—!" he kept laughing, trying to salvage the mess, quickly finding a couple of thin champagne flutes and filling them with the golden, bubbling wine.