'husband?' he thought, a hint of sadness ringing in his head. 'She seems so unhappy that he's here. They must be divorced or something' he said to himself. Cody decided to remain silent. this was not his place. If Anna needed help she would let him know. He did, however, brace himself to get another charge. He didn't know why, but he was unknowingly ready to catch more accutastions for this woman he just met this morning. He didn't know what to do. All he knew was that if had to do something, he would.
“Really?” Harry pressed. “And when is the right time to talk about this?”
Anna lifted her chin and stared him down firmly. “Oh, go back to your gambling. It’s the only thing you were ever any good at.” Until he lost all of our money and I had to leave him.
In a flash of an instant, Harry reached out and grabbed her wrist. Anna’s eyes widened, and she tried to pull away, but Harry held fast.
He muttered something in her ear, and her eyes darted down to the runic-looking bracelet he was wearing before looking back up into his steely grey eyes. Some kind of understanding passed between them as he still kept her wrist in a close grip.
Cody jumped into action. He grabbed his hand and pried it off her wrist. "I don't care who you are to her. You never touch a woman like that." He spat harshly. Leading her away and widening the distance. He truly didn't care. Ex-husband or not, that's not a boundary you cross. And maybe he overstepped his own boundaries. maybe he just picked a fight with the wrong guy. All that mattered at that very moment was protecting her. He could tell. She worked hard for everything she had, and this guy tried to take it all away from her.
Anna's eyes widened, and she stumbled in her heels at the sudden pull. "Oh! Um, lovely to see you, Harry," she called in parting and quickly focused on righting herself to walk naturally. Her heart was racing, even from the small interaction, and she looked over her shoulder to make sure Harry wasn't following them.
"I was alright," she said once they were out of earshot, ignoring how she'd nearly twisted her ankle. Anna would be the first to admit that she wasn't exactly the most graceful at times. "I had it under control. But I'm sorry the whole encounter even happened. I should have known that wherever there are casinos… there's Harry." She tried her best to keep the bitterness out of her voice, but it didn't work.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. All i know is that it wasn't okay for him to do that. I completely forgot there was a casino down this end of the road. I should have just taken you the quick way" Cody said calmly. "Anyways. You can talk about it if you want, but we're almost there. If you take a deep breath you can smell the coffee!" He said, goofy smile forever plastered onto his face. He did as he said, and breathed deeply. The air smelled strongly of strawberries and coffee grounds. Not to mention the chilly autumn air nipping at his nose and fingertips and attempting to either sour or lighten the mood. It was up to them which they would let happen
(sorry it's short, i didn't know what else to add"
(Bestie, you’re all good! I’m chill about response length. Mine vary depending on my motivation/time I have available to write ;))
Anna shook her head. “It’s alright. How were you supposed to know? You know nothing about me, least of all my sorry excuse for a husband.” She drew up slightly at her own words and shook her head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I shouldn’t have said that.”
She cut herself off quickly to keep from rambling and did as Cody instructed. A grin instantly spread on her face. “Oh my God, you’re right! I can smell the coffee!” she laughed.
He smiled. His smiled turned into a laugh. Her laugh was not only contaigeous but intoxicating. They laughed together for a few moments, and when he caught his breath, he stopped in front of a well lit, cozy-looking building. "This is it" he said, guiding her in.
He looked around as always, and greeted the barista. "Hey Julie!"
The woman behind the counter smiled warmly at him. "Heya' Cody! Who's this? She seems lovely."
Julie spoke with a warm and bubbly voice, motioning to Anna at the last bit
Cody smiled back. "This is Anna! She's my friend. "
Julie held out her hand over the counter. "Nice to meet you Anna. I'm Julie. What can i get for you this fine evening?"
Anna grinned and let him lead her in. She nearly forgot why they were here in the first place, but the thought quickly slipped her mind again when they entered and stepped up to the counter. She flushed a bit at being called ‘lovely’ by the barista and offered a handshake and sincere smile in return. “Hello, Julie. Could I get an iced dirty chai tea latte?” she asked, slipping a hand into her purse to pull out her wallet.
"Of course. Coming right up. And anything for you Cody? On the house for bringing in such a charming lady" Julie smiled, writing down the order
"Just the usual please" Cody replied. "I get free stuff a lot here. do you want a danish or something? I can call in a favor." Cody asked, turning to Anna.
Julie wrote down something else, never dropping her smile, and turned to Anna "On me. I owe him one o two"
Anna had just shooed her other blush away when it came racing back. Charming? "Sure," she said a bit absently, still looking for her wallet. "Which one would you recommend?"
At Julie's words, she looked up and shook her head. "Nonsense. I won't hear of it. At the very least let me tip you for outstanding service."
Julie smiled a more genuine, and somehow brighter smile "Thank you Miss."
Julie and Cody then looked at each other then at Anna, before saying in unison "Strawberry Cream Cheese."
It was obvious it was their shared favorite. Julie spoke again "If that's what you'd like i can get that started for you right away."
"Please don't call me 'miss,'" Anna said softly. "It's just Anna." She blinked in surprise but quickly grinned at the easy nature between the two. "Yes, that sounds delicious. One for each of us, please," she said, placing a twenty in Julie's hand and looking at Cody. "Where would you like to sit?"
Julie nearly died on the spot. Her tips were never more than five dollars "Thank you so much Anna. I'll get that started immediately." Julie said excitedly and ran to go make the order
Cody smiled. "Thank you for that. She never gets much. I wish I had the money to do that." Cody said warmly. "Anywho, I have the perfect table." He lead her over to a table in the corner by the window. Nice, quiet and private. The perfect ambiance, and just the right temperature. "Here. " He said as he sat down.
(Stop, I love Julie XD)
Anna gave the woman a warm smile. "It's much deserved," she said kindly before following Cody's lead again to the corner window. Her eyes lit up at the sight. "Oh, isn't this darling?" she asked with a smile, slipping into the booth and looking over at Cody. "It's a bit like we're isolated from the rest of the busy world now, don't you think?"
"Yea! That's why I like it. I come here a lot to think. Now what is it you wanted to talk about?" Cody asked inquisitively
Julie walked over with a tray. She set it down on the table, before placing Anna's danish and latte in front of her, then turning to cody and placing down a hot chocolate with whipped cream and a danish as well. "Enjoy your food!" Julie said before walking away as the bell of the door sung through the cafe
(Imma go to bed. Goodnight!)
(Goodnight! Quick question tho, lol, did someone come in the café, and if so, who are you planning on it being?)
(Goodnight! Quick question tho, lol, did someone come in the café, and if so, who are you planning on it being?)
(Yep. It's gonna be his sister :) )
(Cool cool! Hey, guess what.)
"Well," Anna said slowly, "I was hoping to discuss-" She quickly cut herself off as Julie came over to place their orders down in front of them. "Thank you," she acknowledged with a smile. Once the waitress was out of earshot, Anna looked over at Cody with a solemn expression. "I was hoping to discuss anything about your past that you're willing to talk about." She lifted her drink to her lips and sipped slowly.
"Of course. Well where do you want me to start. Childhood? First arrest, First crime? What?" He looked around, and smiled. "I can start wherever." Cody enjoyed this cafe. It had always been his favorite place, and held a sentimental meaning for him. He took a sip of his hot chocolate through a straw like a child.
"Truly, wherever you feel comfortable," Anna said, giving Cody control over the conversation. "Wherever you feel had the most impact on your life. And would you mind if I made some notes?" she asked, setting her drink down to look through her purse for her notebook and pen.
"No at all. I guess I'll start from the beginning to give you more of a feel for why I did the thing I did." H began "When I was younger, I had only had my mother. We were happy. we didn't have a lot of money, or anything for that matter, but we were making it work. We used to go to this cafe, all the time. Julie used to come here with her dad and older brother, her dad was the owner of this place, and her brother was the manager. That's how I know Julie. But it went along like that for a few years. When I was about 13, my mom got raped. She came back pregnant and had my sister.. She became overwhelmed… She was okay with just one, but the weight of not only what had happened to her, but the financial problems with an additional child, was all to much for her. She killed herself when I was 14. At that point we went into foster care. we bounced from house to house, and no one would keep us. I became a juvenile delinquent. my first crime was assault when I was 15, and that landed me some time. Then it was shoplifting. Then breaking and entering. Trespassing. All the works. Then at 16 got tried as an adult for assault again, and got 3 years. I met a guy in there who was a convicted rapist. I tried to kill him with a shank. That's when I got my attempted murder charge. Got an additional 4 years. When I got out, my sister was still there for me, and she had a part time job at the local bowling alley. She worked hard for everything she had when I was gone. So I decided that I had to do something to help her. We were living in a Motel 6 near her highschool. I tried to go to college, but they wouldn't accept me. I tried to get job after job but no one would hire me. So i resorted to grand theft. I stole the 10,000 dollars in an attempt to help out with our living situation. I got caught a the scene, but they couldn't find any evidence on me. They pinned me as a suspect, put the charges on me, and let me out on parole until my trial." He said, stopping every now an then so she could take notes. He took a large sip of his hot cocoa, and a bite of his danish, and awaited a reply.
(Okay, before I even respond as Anna, I just have to say… wow. If you just made Cody for this rp, I would have no idea because that backstory is so deep. Damn… okay, now wait a minute while I put Anna's words together XD)
Anna listened to his story, nodding at parts and jotting things down as quickly as she could. When he finished, she continued writing for another moment before gently setting her pen down and looking at him in almost… awe. She shook her head and opened her lips, but closed them before saying anything. She tried again and still was unable to speak. When she looked at him, her own eyes were glistening with held-back tears.
"I'm so sorry," she finally whispered, "for all the atrocities you've had to overcome."
He smiled warmly. "It made me the person I am today. Not a very good person, but still a person nonetheless." He looked around and gasped "Oh my gosh Anna I have someone I need you to meet." He said excitedly, Jumping out of the booth. He ran up to a girl in her teens with black hair and square bangs, with sky blue eyes and fair skin. "Paige!" He yelled and hugged her, picking her up She smiled and laughed "Hi Cody. What are you doing here?"
"But that doesn't make right all the horrible things that happened to you," Anna replied, but she blinked quickly at his exclamation. "Oh! Alright!" She rose from her seat and smiled at the interaction. Paige. Cody had never mentioned his sister's name, but the woman was convinced that was her. He hadn't mentioned anything about a girlfriend. "Are you Cody's sister?" she asked almost knowingly.
Paige turned to Anna after Cody put her down.
She smiled warmly "Yes. My name is Paige, And you?"
Cody smiled. His brand new friend meeting the person he cared for the most in the whole world. Anna was quickly becoming a very important part in Cody's life, and for the first time. He didn't mind one bit
"I'm Anna. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Paige. Cody has told me a lot of amazing things about you," she said with an equally warm smile. Her eyes flicked to Cody once before going back to Paige.
Paige's face flushed a little "Oh really? Well thank you for whatever you said Cody" Her blush dissipated, and she laughed. "How are you today Anna?" She asked kindly. She was a very nice person
"I'm well, thank you," Anna replied easily. Paige was very well-spoken. "How are you? Would you like to come and join us?" She motioned over to their booth with their drinks and danishes still on the table.
