Authors: Quinn Loftis,M Bagley Designs
“Trey,” her voice is not loud, but it isn’t meek either.
I turn and look at her. Thankfully, she has stayed on the steps, a safe distance away.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” She asks, and I see the vulnerability in her eyes.
Reassurance Trey, I growl to myself, she needs reassurance.
“Will your parents mind if I pick you up?” I ask.
Her face brightens and I can nearly feel the warmth flowing off of her. She shakes her head, “No, they will most likely be gone by then, but even if they aren’t they won’t mind.”
“I’ll see you at 7:45.”
She nods and blushes as I wink at her. I close the door quickly behind me trying not to slam it. My good intentions and chivalry only run so deep, and like I had told her, the circumstances were way too perfect.
I get in my truck and grip the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turn white. I let out a slow breath and when I’m finally calm enough to drive, I start it up. As I’m driving home flashes of that kiss, of her lips, the way she felt, keep popping up in my mind and I resign myself to the fact that I’m going to have to take another shower before I go to bed, cold would be good, frigid would be better.
“I’ve decided that an excellent way to burn calories is smiling. My decision is not based on the fact that I can’t seem to get this ridiculous grin off my face. The fact that I think smiling burns calories and I can’t stop smiling is simply
a happy coincidence.” ~Tally
I swear I am nearly doing a victory dance right there on the freaking lawn, no joke. As soon as I walk out of my house and see Trey’s truck sitting in my drive way, I have to fight my hips from wiggling and my arms from rising into the air.
He climbs out of his truck and I’m mesmerized as he walks around the front and opens the passenger door. He is wearing his usual faded jeans, work boots, and this time a red polo style shirt. The red is arresting on him. It brings out the gold in his tan skin and makes his black hair appear even darker. I feel so plain in my shorts and long sleeve tee. It is a fitted tee so at least it shows what little curves I have. Even with the pink streaks in my hair, next to exotic looking Trey, I feel like I could simply blend in with my surroundings.
“Morning beautiful,” he smiles at me. My heart stutters in my chest and I bite my lip to keep from giggling. Bloody hell, what is wrong with you, I shout at myself.
“Morning,” I say simply. I walk up to the open door, but before I can get in Trey wraps an arm around me and kisses me on the forehead. I lean into him and hate that I have to get in the truck, because it means his arms won’t be around me. I climb in anyway, the door is shut, and Trey is in the driver seat before I even get my seatbelt on.
“Can I be frank?” I ask.
“I guess if you want, but it might be a little weird telling people that my girlfriend's name is Frank.” He shrugs at me, as if he is really serious, and I am really talking about wanting to be called Frank.
“Ha, ha, Swift,” I say, as I smack his arm lightly, “seriously though, I’m going to be blunt so I hope that you aren’t easily offended.”
He nods his head as if to say, ‘go on.’
“Is this really the way you are?”
He frowns, “What do you mean?”
“You know, so sweet and attentive. We’re not going to get six month
s into this relationship and suddenly you become an asshat right?” I know I must sound like a paranoid ninny, but I need him to be upfront and straight with me.
“This is the only way I know to be Tally,” he tells me gently. “I watched my father and how he adored my mother. He treated her like a precious gem. Their marriage wasn’t perfect, but there wasn’t a day that I ever doubted his love for her.” He pauses, “Do I need to back off?” He glances at me quickly before returning his eyes back to the road, and in that quick glance I see worry in his beautiful face.
“No,” I tell him quickly. I clear my throat slightly embarrassed that I just word vomited on him. “I mean, I’m not saying I don’t like it. I love it,” I duck my head not wanting him to see my humiliation at such a needy declaration.
“Hey,” he says softly. I glance up at him. He reaches for my hand though his eyes stay looking forward. I place my hand in his and feel the strength and warmth as he wraps his large fingers around my much smaller ones. “Don’t ever be afraid or ashamed to tell me how you feel or what you need. I know this is new, but how else will we learn if we aren’t open with each other?”
“Are you sure you’re only 18?” I ask, only half teasing.
A sly smile forms on his lips. “My grandmother tells me I have an old soul.”
“Add a
very
in front of old, and I will agree with her.”
We ride in silence the rest of the way to school. It isn’t
an awkward silence and I don’t feel the need to force conversation that just isn’t there right now. I keep stealing glances at Trey as he drives. I notice the tight muscles in his forearms as he grips the steering wheel, and can’t help but remember the few times he has wrapped me in those arms. The strong line of his jaw is relaxed, but his eyes are alert. I see his lips twitch slightly as if he’s trying not to smile, and I know I’ve been caught.
~
Natalie sees me climbing out of Trey’s truck and a smile the size of Texas spreads across her face. I groan inwardly knowing I’m never going to hear the end of this. She comes sauntering up, her hips swaying with a slight bounce in her step.
“Good morning, Tally,” she says sweetly, too sweetly.
“Nat,” I say, with a slight warning I hope she hears.
She ignores me, figures.
“Trey, my main man.” Her voice imitates the little girl on ‘Wreck it Ralph,’ and I have to stop myself from grabbing Trey’s arm and running.
“Good morning Natalie,” Trey says smoothly, as he takes my hand. Her eyes latch onto our clasped hands and if I thought her smile couldn’t get any bigger, I was smoking something good.
“How was the rest of your night after I left?” She asks me, as we all start walking towards the front doors.
I shrug, “Nothing exciting.”
Trey chuckles, and I nudge him with my shoulder.
Nat raises a brow at me, as her eyes narrow. “Uh-huh, right.”
“How was your night?” I ask innocently, totally ignoring her evil eye.
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, she is once again beaming.
“Bobby texted me,” she says, in sheer delight.
“Aren’t you two dating?” Trey asks, as he looks around me to Nat.
Natalie frowns, “Does it seem like we’re dating?”
Trey shrugs, “He seems pretty into you, so I just thought you must be together.”
Her eyes dart from Trey to me. “Do you think it seems like we’re together?”
“Not from your end, but Bobby has been pretty blatant about how he feels, you’re just oblivious Nat.”
“Really?” She asks.
“Hey guys,” Bobby says, as he catches up with us in the hall.
“Hey Bobby,” Nat and I say in unison. Trey does the whole guy, head nod thing.
“Bobby, are you into Natalie?” Trey asks, bluntly.
My jaw drops open and Nat’s about hits the floor. I look up at Trey and then over to Natalie whose face is in more shades of red than Sherwin Williams offers. I look at Bobby, thinking that he’s going to be just as embarrassed, but no, he’s grinning like a damn fool.
“You’ve been here all of two days Swift, and you caught on that quick?”
“That’s why they call me Swift,” he jokes.
Natalie’s head whips around to look at Bobby. He grins at her and then wraps an arm around her shoulders tugging her to him. I hear him whisper, “Morning Angel.” They walk off together and I stand stunned
, looking from them to Trey.
“What?” he asks me.
“What was that?”
“I just figured they might as well get it out there. Natalie obviously doesn’t always have all her French fries in her happy meal, so I thought I’d help Bobby out.”
I laugh, “All her French fries?”
He smiles at me and I feel my stomach drop, yeah it’s one of those smiles.
“Come on, we don’t want to be late.” He tells me, as he lets go of my hand and wraps his arm around my waist.
My day is much like the day before, other than me fighting Trey the whole time of course. No one bothers me. We walk down the halls together hand in hand talking, laughing and no one says a thing. People always just seem to get out of Trey’s way when he’s walking so we never have to walk around anyone. There is just something about him that screams
move or die
, and yet I know just how gentle he can be.
~
“How is your one class without Trey?” Nat asks me, as we stand at her locker waiting on the guys.
“Everyone just ignores me and I want to keep it that way. So,” I say as I flash a smile, “what’s with you and Bobby?”
Her face, once again, flushes as she looks down and fiddles with the zipper on her purse. “He asked me out on a date.”
“That’s great Nat,” I pause, “right?”
She nods with a shy smile, “I can’t believe I didn’t realize he likes me. How long have you known,” she snaps, suddenly.
My eyes widen at her and I cringe as I say, “Like a year or so.”
“WHAT?” She nearly yells, catches herself, and then begins whispering frantically. “You’ve known for a year that a guy, a freaking hot guy, has liked, me and you didn’t bother to tell me? Isn’t that against some code in the handbook or something?”
“What handbook?” I ask with a frown.
“The girlfriend handbook, you know, hoes before bros, toys before boys, or, crap I don’t know, but there’s a handbook.” she snaps.
“I plead insanity,” I smirk at her.
“You can only milk that crazy crap for so long Baker.” Her words are sharp, but I see the humor in her eyes and know she isn’t really mad at me.
“So, where are you going on your date?”
“Paradise,” Bobby says, with a wicked grin as he walks up behind Nat. She turns her head slightly to look up at him and he winks. I feel arms come around me from behind and instinctively lean back against the firm chest.
“How did you know I wasn’t some strange guy getting grabby with you?” I hear Trey’s voice in my ear and his warm breath against my skin gives me goose bumps.
“There is no one in this school, save Bobby, who comes close to having arms as big as you. I was pretty certain it had to be my,” the words hang in my throat. I was about to call him my boyfriend, I mean, that is what he is right, I ask myself. But what if I’m being presumptuous? What if he doesn’t think of us in those terms, maybe he just wants to say we’re dating.
“Your what, Tally?” he says, loud enough for Nat and Bobby to hear.
I feel my face heat up and I try to duck my head but Trey deftly turns me in his arms and raises my chin to look at him. “Your what?”
“My, um, well you know,” I’m stumbling around like an idiot searching his eyes for the words he wants to hear, but he gives nothing away. “Grr,” I growl in frustration, “My boyfriend.” I finally snap out.
A huge grin spreads across his face and I start to smile back, but then I realize he baited me into admitting it. I slap him across the chest. “You butt head, I was all worried that you might not want me to call you that, why didn’t you just say it?”
“Because, I wanted to hear it from you,” he says, matter of fact, not bothered in the least by my frustration, or that I’m taking it out on him.
I hear Natalie clear her throat behind me. “So you guys are together?” She asks and I hear the smugness in her voice.
Trey looks down at me and the smoldering heat that seems to always lie just below the surface rises in his eyes, “We are definitely together.” He murmurs, and then leans down and kisses me softly.
~
“I have something to tell you,” Trey says, as he pulls into my driveway. I look over at him and the worry I feel must show on my face, because he smiles and says, “It’s a good something.”
“Okay.” I tell him, and feel my shoulders relax.
“I talked with Mr. Taggert and he said I can bring you out to see the horses any time.”
“Really?” I ask, and fight not to clap my hands like an over excited child.
“Yes really,” he smiles. “When would you like to go?”
I start flipping through my schedule in my mind, like I’m so busy. I have therapy on Thursday and that’s about it.
“How about Friday?” I ask.
He nods, “Friday it is.” He frowns briefly and I can tell that he is thinking about something.
“What’s up?”
“Shouldn’t I meet your parents before I take you on a date?”
I had honestly never thought about introducing Trey to my parents, but I suppose I will have to eventually. Part of me doesn’t want to. I want to keep him to myself as if he were my own secret paradise untouched and un-scrutinized by my parents.
“I guess so. I’ll have to see if they will be home. Their schedules are pretty crazy.”