Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me
Chapter 7: Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me
“Sorry I’m late,” Patrick said, kissing Cody’s cheek before taking his seat.
Cody brightened the moment his boyfriend spoke. “It’s okay. However, another ten minutes and the waitresses would have started on the pitying ‘he isn’t showing up, honey’ looks. Then I’d be mad.”
Patrick took a moment to process the rapid fire retort and nodded. “Good. Well, shall we order?” He flagged down their waitress and said, “I’ll have the steak and, Cody?”
“The salmon filet, please miss,” Cody said. He’d had a second job as a waiter to help pay for college and he knew firsthand how fancy restaurants like this were a drain on service personnel’s souls.
“Cody,” Patrick placed his napkin in his lap, “I asked you here tonight because I know it’s your favourite place. And might incite you to not cause a scene.”
Cody’s heart quickened. “Why,” he cleared his throat, “why would I need to cause a scene?” He’d seen Patrick fingering his pocket since he walked in and if this was going where Cody thought it was, there was going to be nothing in the world to keep him from screaming and flinging himself at Patrick if his boyfriend proposed.
“I’m not saying you would,” Patrick clarified, “just saying you might.”
“Well,” Cody smiled, “maybe you’d better go ahead and, you know, say what you’re going to and let me decide.”
Patrick nodded absently. “Good idea; let’s rip this bandage off then. Here.” He brought a small box from his pocket and Cody’s lips were already forming a ‘yes’ when his mind registered what Patrick pulled from it.
“This… this is the pendant I got your on our six month anniversary. It’s the Hufflepuff insignia because we went to the midnight showing of the third Harry Potter movie and we decided you were in Hufflepuff and I was in Ravenclaw. You bought me a matching pendant.” Cody dug the chain that the pendant hung on from under his black button-down. “Why in the world would you give this back to me?”
Patrick held up a finger as their salads arrived and waited until the waitress had gone again before he spoke. “I think we should break up. I need a change. I just can’t do this anymore.”
The world all blurred together for Cody and he took several deep breaths trying to regain his equilibrium. The blood pounded in his ears as he said, “No… no you can’t. Why?”
“I told you-” Patrick began, but Cody cut him off.
“No, this doesn’t make sense. There should be a reason you’re breaking up with me. You’re moving, or you found someone knew, or you decided you’re really straight or a goddamn psychic told you too. Not a lame ‘I just can’t do this anymore’. Why can’t you? What changed between today and yesterday?” Cody’s voice didn’t rise in volume, but it was drenched with desperation.
“This is what I hoped to avoid,” Patrick sighed. “You’ve always been very level-headed, Cody. I liked that about you.”
“Liked?” Cody couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You said you loved me. You told me that you love me. Do you remember the first time you said it, huh? ‘Cause I sure do! It was four months into our relationship. We’d gone for dinner at that little Italian a couple blocks from the store. I got gelato on my nose and as you wiped it off, you said you loved me.”
“I remember,” Patrick said, looking around to make sure they weren’t being observed. Not that Cody was raising his voice, but he was twisting his napkin tightly.
Cody stopped all movement and fixed Patrick with a look that made the other man very uncomfortable. “You’re right. I’ve always been the level-headed one. Well, you know what? Maybe it is time for a change.” Cody stood abruptly and threw his napkin at Patrick. But he didn’t yell or scream or accuse, he just headed towards the front to collect his coat. Trying to focus on anything other than his own thoughts, Cody listened to the music piped into the restaurant. “Love, you didn’t do right by me,” Rosemary Clooney sang. Cody almost laughed at the sheer irony.
As he waited at the desk, the waitress appeared. She presented him with a Styrofoam container. “Your dinner, sir. I… I’m sorry, for what it’s worth. He’s a fool.”
Cody floundered for a thank you and, as soon as his coat was in sight, he snatched it and ran to his car. Driving to his favourite spot in town on auto-pilot, Cody ate his dinner on the hood of his car as he looked out at the town from the top of The Point.
An alert on his phone caused him to look down. Nothing important, just a flag about the Dollhouse, which the family had been monitoring since it started up.
The Dollhouse, where people went or were taken to forget their real lives. To have their souls put on a shelf, while their bodies handled assignments.
Level-headed, that’s what everyone thought he was. Well, a level-headed person wouldn’t do what he was about to. He left a brief message on Sally’s voicemail, telling her and Dad that he was going to the Dollhouse and he’d see them in five years.
Maybe he’d be able to breathe again. Maybe he wouldn’t feel like his life was spinning out of control. Maybe he’d be able to think by then. He got behind the wheel of his car and started to drive towards Los Angeles.
“Sorry I’m late,” Patrick said, kissing Cody’s cheek before taking his seat.
Cody brightened the moment his boyfriend spoke. “It’s okay. However, another ten minutes and the waitresses would have started on the pitying ‘he isn’t showing up, honey’ looks. Then I’d be mad.”
Patrick took a moment to process the rapid fire retort and nodded. “Good. Well, shall we order?” He flagged down their waitress and said, “I’ll have the steak and, Cody?”
“The salmon filet, please miss,” Cody said. He’d had a second job as a waiter to help pay for college and he knew firsthand how fancy restaurants like this were a drain on service personnel’s souls.
“Cody,” Patrick placed his napkin in his lap, “I asked you here tonight because I know it’s your favourite place. And might incite you to not cause a scene.”
Cody’s heart quickened. “Why,” he cleared his throat, “why would I need to cause a scene?” He’d seen Patrick fingering his pocket since he walked in and if this was going where Cody thought it was, there was going to be nothing in the world to keep him from screaming and flinging himself at Patrick if his boyfriend proposed.
“I’m not saying you would,” Patrick clarified, “just saying you might.”
“Well,” Cody smiled, “maybe you’d better go ahead and, you know, say what you’re going to and let me decide.”
Patrick nodded absently. “Good idea; let’s rip this bandage off then. Here.” He brought a small box from his pocket and Cody’s lips were already forming a ‘yes’ when his mind registered what Patrick pulled from it.
“This… this is the pendant I got your on our six month anniversary. It’s the Hufflepuff insignia because we went to the midnight showing of the third Harry Potter movie and we decided you were in Hufflepuff and I was in Ravenclaw. You bought me a matching pendant.” Cody dug the chain that the pendant hung on from under his black button-down. “Why in the world would you give this back to me?”
Patrick held up a finger as their salads arrived and waited until the waitress had gone again before he spoke. “I think we should break up. I need a change. I just can’t do this anymore.”
The world all blurred together for Cody and he took several deep breaths trying to regain his equilibrium. The blood pounded in his ears as he said, “No… no you can’t. Why?”
“I told you-” Patrick began, but Cody cut him off.
“No, this doesn’t make sense. There should be a reason you’re breaking up with me. You’re moving, or you found someone knew, or you decided you’re really straight or a goddamn psychic told you too. Not a lame ‘I just can’t do this anymore’. Why can’t you? What changed between today and yesterday?” Cody’s voice didn’t rise in volume, but it was drenched with desperation.
“This is what I hoped to avoid,” Patrick sighed. “You’ve always been very level-headed, Cody. I liked that about you.”
“Liked?” Cody couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You said you loved me. You told me that you love me. Do you remember the first time you said it, huh? ‘Cause I sure do! It was four months into our relationship. We’d gone for dinner at that little Italian a couple blocks from the store. I got gelato on my nose and as you wiped it off, you said you loved me.”
“I remember,” Patrick said, looking around to make sure they weren’t being observed. Not that Cody was raising his voice, but he was twisting his napkin tightly.
Cody stopped all movement and fixed Patrick with a look that made the other man very uncomfortable. “You’re right. I’ve always been the level-headed one. Well, you know what? Maybe it is time for a change.” Cody stood abruptly and threw his napkin at Patrick. But he didn’t yell or scream or accuse, he just headed towards the front to collect his coat. Trying to focus on anything other than his own thoughts, Cody listened to the music piped into the restaurant. “Love, you didn’t do right by me,” Rosemary Clooney sang. Cody almost laughed at the sheer irony.
As he waited at the desk, the waitress appeared. She presented him with a Styrofoam container. “Your dinner, sir. I… I’m sorry, for what it’s worth. He’s a fool.”
Cody floundered for a thank you and, as soon as his coat was in sight, he snatched it and ran to his car. Driving to his favourite spot in town on auto-pilot, Cody ate his dinner on the hood of his car as he looked out at the town from the top of The Point.
An alert on his phone caused him to look down. Nothing important, just a flag about the Dollhouse, which the family had been monitoring since it started up.
The Dollhouse, where people went or were taken to forget their real lives. To have their souls put on a shelf, while their bodies handled assignments.
Level-headed, that’s what everyone thought he was. Well, a level-headed person wouldn’t do what he was about to. He left a brief message on Sally’s voicemail, telling her and Dad that he was going to the Dollhouse and he’d see them in five years.
Maybe he’d be able to breathe again. Maybe he wouldn’t feel like his life was spinning out of control. Maybe he’d be able to think by then. He got behind the wheel of his car and started to drive towards Los Angeles.