Chapter 24 - Getting to Know Each Other at the Lake
The lake lay tranquil, its surface reflecting the golden light of the setting sun.
Cody moved slowly in the water, enjoying the cool feeling against his skin.
He wasn't angry. He wasn't frustrated. He just stood there, letting his mind wander aimlessly.
"This is what I needed," Cody thought, letting himself float for a moment.
The eliminations, the strategies, the small betrayals… it was all part of the game.
Thinking too much about Justin would be a waste of time, and Cody knew it well.
"Things go up and down. That's the fun of it," Cody mused, watching the gentle ripples of water expand around him.
But then, something broke the tranquility of the lake.
A loud splashing sound echoed near Cody, causing him to jerk his head up.
On the surface of the water, a moving silhouette began to approach.
Cody frowned, trying to identify who it was, but the shadow was too blurry in the glare of the sun.
"Did anyone else decide to swim?" Cody thought, staying still as he watched.
From the way it moved, the sudden speed and the lack of logic in the trajectory, I already had an idea of who it could be.
And then, without warning, the figure emerged from the water with an exaggerated movement, throwing small drops in all directions.
"I bet you didn't expect me!"
Izzy's energetic and completely unmistakable voice resonated in the air.
Cody was silent for a second, watching Izzy shake her head, letting the water run down her face.
She was in her swimsuit, with her hair wet and messy, and a completely radiant smile on her face.
"Obviously it had to be her," Cody thought, before letting out a small smile.
"Hi, Izzy," Cody said, his tone relaxed.
Izzy leaned slightly towards him, her expression sly.
"Did you miss me?" Izzy asked, with absolute confidence.
Cody let out a small laugh, shaking his head in amusement.
"I can't say I expected it, but I'm not surprised either," Cody said.
Izzy burst out laughing, enjoying Cody's reaction.
"Good! Because I never give notice before I appear," Izzy said, swirling in the water with an unnecessary but completely characteristic movement of hers.
Cody moved slowly through the water, still processing Izzy's sudden arrival.
She, for her part, floated face up without any logic, simply enjoying the moment.
"I didn't expect anyone else to come here," Cody said, laughing softly.
Izzy spun around as if gravity didn't exist, now facing him, with a sly smile.
"So what? Were you secretly waiting for me?" Izzy asked, her tone completely playful.
Cody shook his head in amusement, before turning to the side.
"Not exactly, but I admit I'd rather have you in a bathing suit," Cody said, completely honestly.
Izzy was silent for a second, before letting out an explosive laugh.
"Ha! Do you miss my melons, Cody?" Izzy said, noticing that his eyes had dropped slightly to her chest.
Cody blinked in surprise as he realized Izzy had caught him, before letting out a small laugh, shaking his head.
"Let's change the subject," Cody said, with a resigned smile.
Izzy moved closer, still smiling.
"Mmm… looks like you didn't deny anything," Izzy said, her eyes full of mischief.
Cody laughed louder, running a hand through his wet hair.
"Okay, okay! What are you doing here, Izzy?" Cody said, deciding to divert the conversation completely.
Izzy spun around again, now adopting a more serious, though still playful, expression.
"I was looking for you. I knew you'd be here," Izzy said.
Cody blinked, processing her answer, before raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Were you looking for me? I thought you just showed up wherever you wanted without a plan," Cody said.
Izzy shrugged, before making an exaggerated movement in the water, raising a small, unnecessary wave.
"That's true! But this time it was different," Izzy said.
Cody waited for him to continue, seeing that his expression had a strange balance between seriousness and chaos.
"After the bonfire, you left without saying anything. The others thought you were angry, but I knew you weren't," Izzy said.
Cody smiled slightly, before exhaling calmly.
"I had no reason to be upset. Justin did what he did, and he lost because of it. Nothing more," Cody said.
Izzy nodded quickly, before turning back into the water.
"Exactly! But that doesn't mean I didn't want to see you," Izzy said, with a small, sly smile.
Cody raised an eyebrow, before deciding to play along with the conversation a little.
Cody moved closer to Izzy, letting the water help him close the distance between them.
"So… did you miss me?" Cody asked, with a defiant smile.
Izzy blinked before letting out a low laugh, wrapping her arms around his neck without any hesitation.
"Could be," Izzy said, her tone a mixture of mystery and mischief.
The two were silent for a second, the water moving gently around them.
The air thickened a little, Izzy's eyes staring directly into Cody's.
It was that kind of moment.
Cody smiled with a playful glint, before doing something unexpected.
He leaned a little closer and kissed her forehead.
Izzy blinked rapidly, her eyes shining with slight surprise, but still smiling.
"Tch... I wanted it on my lips," Izzy thought, with a mixture of amusement and internal irritation.
But Cody had already stepped away, letting the tension of the moment fade gently into the water.
Izzy quickly turned around, before moving again, now with more room to swim.
Cody exhaled calmly, swimming at his own pace.
"I needed to clear my head. That's why I left," Cody said, his voice relaxed.
Izzy nodded, before making another exaggerated movement in the water.
"I understand! But now you're not alone," Izzy said.
Cody turned to her, his expression calmer.
"Yeah. And I like having you here," Cody said, without thinking much about it.
Izzy gave a small laugh, but there was something genuine in her gaze.
"Mmm… I like it here too," Izzy said.
The two continued swimming in silence, letting the water move between them with absolute naturalness.
The conversation had been chaotic and playful, but there was something else to it too.
Izzy hadn't gone there on instinct alone. And Cody hadn't rejected her presence.
The lake remained calm, with the sun gently setting, dyeing the sky a deep orange that was reflected on the surface of the water.
Izzy continued floating along completely unconcerned, while Cody moved calmly, enjoying the moment.
"So... do you know how to use guns?" Izzy asked suddenly, breaking the silence with a completely random question.
Cody raised an eyebrow, unsure where this was going.
"Guns? It depends. Do you count video game ones?" Cody asked, with a small smile.
Izzy spun around with a sly expression, before nodding quickly.
"Of course! But tell me something real. Do you know how to shoot?" Izzy asked.
Cody laughed softly, shaking his head.
"My tactical knowledge comes from Call of Duty… and something else," Cody said, sounding mysterious.
Izzy raised an eyebrow in interest, swimming closer with a curious smile.
"Something else? Are you part of a secret organization? You work for the CIA?!" Izzy asked, with absolute exaggeration.
Cody let out a laugh, before leaning slightly towards her with a playful look.
"That's classified information. But I'll tell you this…" Cody paused for a second, making sure Izzy was paying attention, before blurting out:
"If you ever need to run away from an explosion, always run in a straight line. Do you know why?"
Izzy was silent for a second, before laughing out loud.
"HA! You know more than you let on, Cody," Izzy said, looking at him with renewed curiosity.
Izzy moved a little further in the water, now with an energetic smile.
"I do know how to shoot," Izzy said, with complete confidence.
Cody frowned slightly, before leaning in with interest.
"Really?" Cody asked, not sure whether to believe him or not.
Izzy nodded quickly, with a proud smile.
"Yeah! I was in military training for a while. I learned combat tactics, extreme survival, and how to neutralize an enemy in less than five moves," Izzy said.
Cody let out a small laugh, before shaking his head.
"I don't know if I believe half of what you say," Cody said.
Izzy stepped closer, her gaze challenging.
"Then try me! Ask anything about combat," Izzy said.
Cody thought for a second, before smiling slyly.
"Okay. What's the best color for a covert mission?" Cody asked.
Izzy frowned for a second, before blurting out a completely unexpected response.
"Red," Izzy said, with absolute confidence.
Cody blinked slowly, before letting out a small smile.
"Mmm. Good choice. I always thought red was perfect because if you get shot… the blood doesn't show as much," Cody said, his tone relaxed.
Izzy was silent for a second, before suddenly bursting into laughter.
"Ha! You know too much! Now I'm scared," Izzy said, but her smile didn't disappear.
Izzy looked at Cody more closely, now seeing that his knowledge wasn't just about video games.
"Did you really think about that at all?" Izzy asked.
Cody shrugged with a calm expression.
"You never know when you need to use tactical information. Although I'd rather not get shot," Cody said.
Izzy let out a genuine laugh, before moving closer again.
"Hmm... maybe you're not just a video game guy. Maybe you're more interesting than I thought," Izzy said, with a sly look.
Cody smiled, enjoying the conversation.
"Well, I like to surprise," Cody said.
Izzy spun around in the water again, still looking at him with that mixture of amusement and interest.
"Mmm… yeah. I definitely want to know more," Izzy said, as the conversation moved to a completely different energy.
The sunlight was already beginning to fade, turning the sky a deeper, redder hue.
Cody and Izzy continued swimming, now with less conversation and more enjoyment of the moment.
Izzy floated carefree, while Cody moved calmly, letting the water do the work of relaxing him completely.
"That was good," Izzy said suddenly, breaking the silence with a calmer voice.
Cody turned slightly towards her, with a relaxed smile.
"Yeah. I didn't think I needed it until it happened," Cody said.
Izzy nodded, a small flicker of satisfaction in her expression.
But then the air began to cool, and the surface of the lake became calmer, indicating that the day was about to close completely.
Izzy stretched vigorously, before moving towards the shore.
"Time to go," Izzy said, not waiting for an answer before starting to move.
Cody watched her as she came out of the water, not thinking too much about it.
Izzy stood up easily, shaking the water off her body before walking calmly towards the shore.
And without meaning to, Cody stared longer than he should have.
Her back, her wet hair falling over her, the way the swimsuit accentuated every curve and God what an ass!
Cody didn't react immediately, simply going with the moment without processing his own gaze.
Izzy noticed it immediately, and a sly smile crossed her face without any discretion.
He stopped for only a second, long enough for Cody to realize he'd been caught.
"Do you like what you see?" Izzy asked, her tone flirtatious and challenging.
Cody blinked rapidly, before letting out a small laugh and shaking his head.
"Maybe," Cody said, not trying to hide his reaction too much.
Izzy laughed softly, enjoying the moment more than she wanted to admit, before turning completely around and walking back to camp.
Izzi's confessional
The camera turned on, capturing Izzy with her hair still wet and a smile that wouldn't quite disappear.
"I'll say it without a doubt: I have an amazing time with Cody," Izzy said, with a slightly more relaxed energy than usual.
He leaned forward, as if he wanted to make sure no one else heard what he was going to say.
"And those Cody eyes… they don't lie," Izzy said, letting her smile get more mischievous for a second.
Izzy relaxed in her seat, crossing her arms in satisfaction.
"You know, if I had met him outside of camp, I think things would be a lot different. But… there's always time later," Izzy said, giving one last smile to the camera before the image cut out.
Cody finally emerged from the water, exhaling contentedly as he shook off the excess water.
He ran a hand through his hair, letting the fresh air help him relax even more, before walking towards his cabin.
It was a different night.
It hadn't been just a break, it had been something more.
As he closed the door to his cabin, Cody smiled in amusement, remembering Izzy's last comment.
"There's definitely something to it," Cody thought, before plopping down onto his bed and closing his eyes in absolute peace.