#buckysdingus

a stake out in the upside down was not on your bucket list.

you'd been to the dimension one other time: diving into the lake and going through a gate. that night didn't end well and you were hoping this one would. you didn't want to lose another friend.

the air had the same floating white particles as before and it was cold, and inside steve's car you couldn't be colder. your bones were stiff and muscles tense as you folded into yourself, hugging yourself trying to get some type of warmth.

"i can hear your teeth chattering," steve says with closed eyes. he shifts in the laid-back front seat, arm over his eyes. 

you'd both laid down, as much as you could in the small vehicle, to sleep but it was no use for either of you. you took the back seat, laying across them and steve in the front. with the cold sweeping further into your skin and bones and steve's apparent super hearing of your teeth biting together, neither of you were sleeping.

"i can't help it. i'm freezing," you stumble out in a shivering tone.

"it's not that cold," he states with a slight scoff to his tone.

you sit up with a huff, taking your freezing hands and put them on the sides of his neck and slightly moving them down to the top of his collarbones. 

he hisses, pushing forward to get away from the coldness your hands brought his warm skin. it was soothing for a moment. the warmth bringing on a smile to your face at the comfort he so easily brought. 

"jesus, you are cold," he sits forward, his own hands rubbing at the places where yours once were.

"well i wasn't lying," you sit up, pulling your legs to your chest. your attempts at warming yourself up were not working, the t shirt you had on wasn’t thick and when you put it over your bent legs it helped but not a lot. you’d breathed hard into your hands but your efforts didn’t last long.

“here,” he mutters under his breath. you watch him hook his fingers under the neckline of his sweatshirt and pull it over his head, handing it back to you.

“you sure?” you ask, brows raised.

“yeah, i’ll be fine,” he crosses his arm across his chest, leaning back to his position in the seat. he closes his eyes, trying not think about you but in his clothes. if he could just fall asleep without seeing you in his sweatshirt he’d be… okay.

but he just couldn’t let it go.

his eyes practically shoot open. he reaches up angling the rear view mirror down to see you. you’re laying down across the backseats, sweatshirt on you and your arms not even through the sleeves. your knees still at your chest under the sweatshirt, stretching it. he didn’t mind, anything to keep you in it.

he watches you breath steadily but there’s still a slight tremor to your body, your muscles tightening because of the cold.

he debates his next move. he either lays there, ignores the way you shake and doesn’t fall asleep or he can suggest a way to warm you.

“please don’t make me regret this,” he whispers to whatever power in the universe hears him, “i can come back there,” he says louder.

“what?” you shiver.

“i can come back there, lay with you. you know body heat and all. plus, i want to stretch out,”

you both knew damn well he wouldn’t be able to stretch out but neither of you cared. you tell him get back there and he pulls his seat up and opens his door, shuts and opens the one next to you. he climbs in, pulling the door shut and not so gracefully shifts in behind you.

his hand slips under the sweatshirt, first ghosting your lower back then moving round to your waist and finally to your stomach. you wanted to be nervous, happy even that you were in this situation but the euphoric feeling of heat was all that was on your mind.

it felt good, he felt good.

his other arm laid across the seat, your head finding it comfy. you practically fall back into him, the comfort overhauling your body. thanks to his and the sweatshirt, you could smell his cologne, the one you had said you liked the most a few months ago.

“this okay?” he asks.

you nod, snuggling deeper into his arms. your legs and hips shift as you attempt to get more comfortable against him.

your backside presses into his front and you hear him grunt softly. you tell yourself it his jeans and not him getting stiff.

“please stop moving,” he almost pleads.

you smile to yourself and decide to push your luck. you press further back, just to see what he’ll do.

it’s as if steve knew you’d do this. he’s closed his eyes and pressed his head against the seat, taking a deep breath as you moved against him. he didn’t how much longer he could take it. he could practically feel the smile across your face after he said it, he could feel the way you held in your laughter.

he pushed against you himself. his hips moving forward and grinding on you slightly.

“don’t start something you can’t finish harrington,”

steve takes his hand and slides it down your staunch to the top of the waistline of your pant. his pinky slipping under it and running along your skin. new shivers and chills cascade over your body but not from the cold this time, from

him.

he says you name in a soft but firm tone, a warning of sorts. his hand finds the button of you pants, undoing it and slowly moving the fabric down your legs. he sits up, loving his other from beneath your head. he sits on his knees, looking down at you.

“put your hands above your head,” he instructs, pointing towards the door behind you.

you lift your arms, crossing your wrists and waiting for his next move. he leans forward, grabbing the seat belt and pulling it towards you. he wraps the belt around your wrists and secures it tight. you give it a tug and watch a triumphant smile spread on his pretty face.

“done this before?” you ask, matching the smirk.

“never had someone follow my instructions so well,” he tells you, his hands reaching down and holding his fingers to the waistband of your under wear and pulling it down. he takes it off along with your pants and drop them to the floorboard.

you legs close together as you watch him pull his shirt off, undo his pants and pull them off. your thighs squeeze together at the sight of his chest, your drifting down to his cock and you almost moan at the sight.

steve’s hands grip your knees, pulling your legs apart and dipping down to your core. his hands are slow as the move down your thighs, his mouth following with gentle kisses to your skin.

once at your core, he takes his tongue and drags it through you. your arousal coats his mouth and chin, his moans vibrating against you, making you arch into him.

his tongue moves all around and through you. it circles your clit slowly, applying slight pressure then harder then pulling back. it make a your head spin and eyes roll back. your hands pull against the belt, the ache to thread your fingers through his hair becoming too much. you wanted to touch him.

your breathing becomes heavy as the pleasure builds, as the pool in your lower stomach beats up and builds bigger and bigger. your muscles tighten then loosen as he circles your clit only to pull away.

he takes two of finger, pushing them into your entrance and starting a pace that makes your head lean back as you pull your lips into your mouth and suppress a moan. he pulls away, eyes still on your core, admiring.

“good job staying quiet for me, don’t want anyone to hear do us do we?” he asks before going back you, continuing his movements.

his fingers pumping and his mouth sucking at your clit, pulling you closer and closer to your climax. his hands stay on the inside of your thighs, keeping them open while giving small squeezes as thank you’s for being quiet.

“steve,” you whisper the best you could, “i… i’m gonna-“

“i know i know,” he says against you, the vibrations of his voice making your walls clench and thighs nearly clamp around his head, “go ahead baby,”

his fingers pump harder and faster now, the movements of his tongue and mouth on your clit made your head light. you eyes rolling back, your back arching, and your nose scrunching.

“fuck! steve!” you shout, your thighs close around his head, and your wrists pull against the belt again.

steve’s eyes look up to watch as you release on his mouth, a smile on his face as he tastes you. he watches you pull against the belt again, a sense of pride swells in chest at his ability to tie the belt so well. another feeling swells as he takes you in, his sweatshirt still on you as you cum on his tongue. he laps at you before pulling away, licking his lips.

he pulls his fingers out of you, putting them

into his mouth, tasting you for a long moment before sitting up and leaning down to conner his lips to yours.

you kiss him like he the first sip of water you e had in years. the kiss feeling long over due, a small whimper escapes you as he pulls back. he lines himself up with you, slowly pushing in.

one of his hands going under your lower back and lifting you slightly for a better angle. his other hand disappears under the sweatshirt, his hand leaving a trail of goosebumps on your skin before resting on your breast. he massages your skin, pinching you nipple as you feel you climax busking again.

“stevie…” you whine, he takes you right leg and lifts it wrap around his waist, hitting a new angle again, “feels s’ good, you’re-“ you whine again, “big,”

“yeah?” he questions, pushing further into you, “you like that? hmm?” he hums, “tell me,”

“so good stevie, treating me so well. always do, ahhh,” you moan as he fully bottoms out in you. he stays there for a moment, slow pushes before pulling away out and pushing back in.

“you’re doing so good for me honey, squeezing me so well,” he praises as he moves, a hand coming up to your face, his thumb swiping your bottom. his thumb pushes into your mouth and suck lightly at it, keeping you quiet.

you yank at the belt unknowing, your hands itching to pull him closer. he takes his thumb out of your mouth and reaches up to the belt and undoes his work. your hands pull free, immediately grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him down to kiss him. he goes to sit up and your follow him up so you’re straddling him.

steve sits back in the seat, legs spread, and hands on your hips slightly guiding you. he watches you intently, eyes grazing your body as he watches you ride him in his clothes.

“look so pretty riding me like this, in my sweatshirt,” he leans forward, lips kissing at your neck, small marks be left in their wake.

you lean your forehead against his, your hands gripping his shoulders and his neck, “you’re pretty too steve, know how to fuck me so well.”

“yeah i do,” he mutters, you smile against his lips, kissing him again.

you grind harder on him, the waves a pleasure building up and the coil in your belly tightening so much you can’t stand it. you groan as the waves finally wash over you. the high and buzz from another orgasm making you shake against him.

he holds you through it, gilding you close. he plants his feet on the floor, and begins to thrust up into you. he fucks you through your release and builds his own.

soon his own pleasure takes him over and makes him tremble against you. you move against him still, riding him through his release. you cup his jaw, lifting his head to kiss him. your lips molding together, fitting so well together neither of you could deny it.

you pull back, forehead resting on his again. his hand rest at your hips still, but this time you’re both still. your breathing is hard, matching his.

“hardly seems fair i was clothed the whole time,” you laugh lightly.

“wanted to see you in my sweatshirt,” he shrugs, “looks good on you,” his hands run up and down your sides, “still cold?” he questions with a tilt of his head.

“hmmm,” you hum, you could feel the sweat on your back, “i might still be a little chilly, you should warm me up again,” you smile, leaning your mouth back down to his.

"i'm not talking to you anymore," you state, crossing your arms against your chest. your eyes burn holes through the windshield in front of you. you lean back into the front passenger seat, teeth barring down on your tongue to keep quiet while steve still talks on. 

"oh come on, really? were doing this today? right now?" he asks, his eyes moving from the road ahead then to you. he looks back and forth between you and the road in utter disbelief. he hated when you wouldn't talk to him and he did his best to play along and do the best he could to not interact. 

"fine," he mutters under his breath, "i don't want to talk to you either," he shrugs. he switches from steering with his left hand to his right so he can lean his left arm on the door, hand threading through the strands of his hair. 

you watch out of the corner of your eye as he rubs his mouth and jaw, stealing glances at you. if you were honest with yourself, you liked this game you both played, mostly because you always knew how it ended. you'd get back to his place, or yours, and be separate for about an hour before one of you went to the other apologizing and staying up into the late hours of the night proving to each other how much you loved the other. 

you two were never that mad at the other.

steve pulls into his driveway, cutting the engine almost immediately. he sits back, keys in hand and lets out a sigh. you don't give him a chance to say anything. you open your door, stepping out and slamming it shut. you walk to the front door, and twist the knob, pushing it open. 

steve follows close behind you, his voice low as he apologizes for the words he spoke in the car. you ignore the pleads, walking into the back bedroom and simply getting ready for bed. you slip on a tshirt and shorts, sliding into the bed, settling into the mattress. 

steve lays next to you, quiet and timid. he lays his hand on your thigh, soon turning his body towards you. his lips ghosting over your neck, making a chill shoot down your spine. your thighs absentmindedly squeeze together. he feels your thigh tense and release, a smile now against your skin. 

"still mad?" he asks as he drags his middle finger up your thigh to the waistband of your shorts. his finger dips between you shorts and underwear, the finger just over your clothed clit, making the smallest bit of friction. 

you hum, pulling you lips into your mouth and biting down to suppress the hum or moan, you weren't sure. you close your eyes, taking a deep breath and trying not to keep your promise. you weren't talking to him. 

"you sure?" he questions, bringing his hand up to the waistband of your underwear and dipping in between your skin and the cloth. his hand cups you, his palm rubbing small circles against you. your eyes roll back, your body rolling over to lay on your back, letting him take over. 

he drags two fingers through your folds, your slick coating his fingers. he groans at the feeling of it, his mouth watering at the thought of tasting you. he pulls his fingers up to your clit, circling the bud again, loving the little noises it pulls from you. your head pushes back into the pillow behind you, your back arching and hips pushing into his hand. 

his own hips press against your thigh, his bulge hard on your skin. his lips fully on your neck now, his tongue hot on your skin and teething nipping at you. you reach down, grasping him and earning a moan from him. his lips move from your neck, up to your jaw, leaving kisses in their wake as they land on your lips. 

he pushes back the covers, pulling away from you and sitting up on the bed. he taps your hip and you lift them, allowing him to pull your shorts and underwear down. he throws the shorts to the side but keeps your underwear on bed. you don't register it though, thanks to the speed of his hand back on you and working you.  

one of his fingers pumps into you, making you stifle a sigh, he adds another in no time. his hands moves slowly at first, only gaining speed when he hears your small moans and whimpers. 

"s... steve," you whine out. 

he shakes his head then cocks it to the side, "thought you weren't talking to me?" he questions, "what happened to your stubborn attitude?" he pulls his hand away, making you whine again. 

"please," you sigh. 

"mm mmm," he shakes his head again. he pulls his own clothes off, pulling the last of your clothing off too then throwing his leg across you, straddling you. he lines himself up with your core and eases into you, "stay quiet now, you'll be mad at yourself if you don't," he tells you. 

his hand grips your hip, his thumb pressing deep into your skin, just above your hip bone. he tries his best to keep your squirming self still. he settles between your thighs, sliding deeper into you, finding a slow pace. 

you do your best to bite back any words, but you couldn't help yourself. you couldn't help the way his name always slipped out when he hit just the right spot deep in your core. you bite the inside of your cheek but ultimately can't keep it in. 

"feels-" your sentence, or lack thereof, is cut short by his hand covering your mouth. 

"be quiet now," he says slightly breathless as his hips pick up their speed. 

your tongue pushes out, licking against his hand. he lightly scoffs and pulls out of you, leaving you empty and whining. 

"turn over, hands on the headboard," 

you follow his instructions, sitting up and moving to face away from him and towards the headboard. you reach out, back arched and hands gripping the headboard. his hands smooth over your ass, a slight squeeze before lining himself up again and replacing himself back in you. 

he moves slow, building his pace and speed back up to the previous pace. his hands grip your hips at first but as soon as he hears the smallest sound from you, one of his hands is back at your mouth, covering it to keep it shut. 

your lips purse, kissing his hand as he continues his motions in you. his other hand journeying around to your clit, creating small circles against it again, making your eyes roll back. your head dips forward, hanging down, getting lost in the building ecstasy that only steve harrington seems to give you. 

"feel good huh?" he asks, watching himself disappear inside of you then coming back out only to disappear again, "you like having me buried so deep?"

you nod, doing your best to not speak. but as he sped up, as he slammed into from behind, as you heard his own words- you couldn't help yourself. 

"fuck," you mumble against his hand, "stevie, feels good," 

he ticks his tongue. you could feel the faux disappointment he was trying to put on but you could also sense the smirk radiating from his mouth. his hand drop0s from your mouth to the bed and grabbing your underwear, bringing it to your mouth and shoving them past your lips. 

you lightly giggle at the action. 

"let see if that helps," 

he wastes no time pushing into you fast and hard. his skin slapping against yours and filling the room with obscene sounds. his own grunts filling your ears nicely with a slight whimper, but he covers it quickly. both of his hands help him pump into you, pressing his fingers into your skin, you accept the possible soreness you'll feel in the morning. 

you feel the building heat reach its peak in your lower stomach, your teeth clamp onto the cloth in your mouth and moan into it. your eyes squeezing shut and your hand gripping the headboard so hard, you feel as though you could break it. 

"come on, baby," he coos with a slight bite to his words, trying to last a bit longer, "fuck," he sighs, his head leaning back, "you always feel so good around me. always know how to squeeze and treat me well," 

he reaches forward, taking the cloth out of your mouth, "let me hear you,"

"please steve, please make me come," you all but beg. you move a hand from the headboard to lay on top of his hand, interlocking your fingers with his. 

he pushes a few more times before bottoming out in you and keeping his movements on your clit. you vision goes almost black as your pleasure hits hard and fast. you push back into him, keeping yourself and him there in the moment. 

as your walls clutch around him, his own release slams fast into him. he hunches over you, his chest on your back. his arm snakes around your waist, pulling you up and connecting his lips to your neck. 

he pulls out of you, helping you move to lay back on the mattress. he lays next to you, both of you back in the position you were when this all started. his hand on your stomach then cupping your waist and pulling you closer to him. 

"might start ignoring you more often," you laugh in an airy tone. 

he shrugs, "i like correcting that attitude," 

he looks at you, his blue eyes narrowing at you. a hint of annoyance swirling in them but it doesn’t stop the growing smile he can’t stop. he wants to be upset, mad even, show you that you can’t get under his skin but, if he was honest with himself, that’s all he wanted.

you give him a challenging smile, “stop biting them,” you mouth to him, your leg moves across the floor and knocks against his bouncing leg, making it stop, “stop.”

he sits forward, arms crossing on the table in front of him. he opens his mouth and moves his arm forward- knocking over your open water bottle onto the table. he shuts his mouth with a quiet hum.

he stands, walking over to the older lady at the check in and our desk, asking her something and her pointing to exit of the library. todd doesn’t look back to you as he walks out of the doors, you follow him though, you always do. and you knew he knew that.

you go out the doors walking down the hallway,

and turning the corner, coming face to face with todd who leans on the wall. his arms crossed over his chest, his head leaning against the wall too. a grin on his face.

“knew you’d follow me,”

you shrug, “you made a mess. was just going to help you clean it up,”

he squints at you but ultimately believes you, pushing off the wall and turning to the small supply closet beside him. he opens it and walks through, holding it open for you. once you take the door, he lets go walking into the small space, very small space.

you leans against the doorframe, “sorry i spilt you water,” he tells you as he searches for the paper towels, “wasn’t watching what i was doing,”

“seemed like you wanted to get your hands on me,” you tease him, giving a small laugh, “was almost done with it anyway.” you step forward.

“don’t let the door-“ the door clicks shut behind you. you reach for the knob and jerk it but it stalls. it’s locked.

you hear him sigh and your put your hand against you mouth, keeping in a laugh, “i’m sorry,” you wince, “i didn’t know it would lock.”

“uhh it’s alright, we’ll figure it out,”

you can feel his back brushing against the front of your body, there wasn’t a whole lot of space in this closet. you turn around, your hip hitting his ass, you search in the dark for a light and flip on the switch when you feel it.

and sure enough, your chest is against the door and you back pressed against todd’s. you can feel the ghost of his hand on your waist as he turns and you can hear him grunt.

todd regretted turning around. he didn’t know what he was thinking. if your hip touched him just from you turning around what made him think your perfect ass wouldn’t be against… him. he just hoped you couldn’t hear the way his heart started thrumming loudly in his chest.

he tries to take a step back but his back just hits a wall… immediately. he curses under his breath and rubs his forehead with his fingers. his mind racing between what he could do to get you both out of this closet and how he could get you to stop squirming around.

you move the knob again, “it’s not giving,”

“it’s not going to,” he tells you with a scary clam in his voice.

“how do we get out? just start banging on the door? barely anyone is in the library, not to mention it’s so far from this closet. what are we going to do?”

“relax, it’s not like we’ll be stuck here forever. the front desk lady knows i went to get paper towels. she’ll…” he clears his throat as you absentmindedly press back into him, “come open it soon.”

you put a hand out on the door, taking a deep breath. you needed to think about anything else than being trapped in here with him. your mind would begin to wander about his hands on you, his lips leaving trails on your neck and your body against his-

“were you getting any work done?” you squeeze your eyes shut, trying to think of anything expect his warmth radiating off of him.

“yeah, yeah. a good bit,”

“looked like you were doing more work on your fingers than your actual assignments,” you try the joke, saying it with a light laugh.

“i was getting some things done before you interrupted me and my hand, i was quite focused, really, and then you distracted me- i need you to stop moving.” his demand was a loud and firm, but you could hear the whine, the plead laced in his words.

“i’m sorry! there isn’t much room in here,” you frown, “i can’t get comfortable” your squirm more, “if i didn’t let the door close behind…” you mumble letting your words trial off, “i’m sorry,” you apologize again.

“it’s okay, just stop moving. please,” you can hear the shake beginning to sound deep in his voice.

“you okay?” you tease him.

“yeah, i-“ you move again, “please,” his hand grips your hip, “stop moving,”

this time you press back on him on purpose. he says your name as a warning. you never did listen to him so easily though.

“what’s wrong toddy? don’t like-“

his hands grip your hips tighter and pulls you against him tight. his hands rush to the button of your pants at your waist. he undoes the button, pulled down the zipper and shoves the pants down to your knees.

his hand cups you between your thighs, a wetness already covering his palm. his other hand tangles in your hair, pulling your head back. he lifts his hand, showing you your own wetness.

“all this while we were sittin’ down? were you doing anything except watching me?” his hand goes back down to cup you, two of his fingers pushing into your entrance.

you moan but keep your lips sealed tight, “mm mm,” you shake your head, “was getting a lot done,”

“oh i’m sure sweetheart,” he drags his fingers from your walls up to your clit, rubbing small, slow circles.

you whine at the slowness, the ache building in you making your skin hot and your mind foggy.

“what’s wrong?” he asks, “thought you wanted me to other work with my fingers? this still isn’t good enough?” he ticks his tongue, “guess i’ll try something else,”

his hand leaves your hair, and you lean your forehead against the door. your breath heavy as he keeps his painfully slow, movements at your clit. his hand undoes his khakis and pulls them down, he places his hand on your back, pushing your torso down. your cheek now against the door.

todd lines himself up, pushing into you at a such a slow pace that it’s almost agonizing. the stretch always surprising you.

“ah… shit- todd,” your voice came out louder than intended. his hand on your back lays itself on your shoulder and pulls you back up, his hand on your clit moving to your cheek. his fingers that are soaked with you brush against your lips.

“open,” his raspy voice whispers. at the slightest gasp his two fingers slide into your mouth. your mouth closes around them, slightly sucking at them. “good girl, now stop moving,”

his hand in your mouth keeps you quiet as his hips pick up a pace, he knew there wasn’t much time before someone came looking so the needed to make it quick. his hand on your shoulder moves to bend at your hips between your hip and thigh.

as he thrusts into you, he pulls you back by your hip, moving you quickly on him. he can feel you tightening around him, twitching and almost trembling.

“feelin good as always sweetheart. god i can never get enough of you,”

your tongue moves around his fingers, your saliva coating them now. your moans vibrating against them. he snaps his hips once making you cry out.

“todd!” you mumble against his fingers, “oh my god you-“ he pulls his fingers out quickly only to cover your whole mouth with his hand.

“gotta be quiet baby, someone might hear us,” you whimper into his hand, giving his palm a small kiss.

he moves quick again, keeping his own moans quiet. he moves the hand at your hip to between your thighs, his fingers back on your clit. a few circles and you falling against the door, completely coming undone on him. your walls clutching around him, making his own release build.

he pulls you close, pulling you up right so his lips can latch to your neck. he plants his lips to your neck, muffling his groans as he comes in you.

you shake against him as your high dwindles out, his own following suit. he pulls out of you slowly, gently turning your body so you lean against the door.

he kneels before you, his forehead leans against your thigh while he catches his breath. then his hands are opening your thighs and his tongue is dragging across the inside of them. he cleans you up with his own mouth.

a knock disturbs the peace you’ve both created, “oh dear!” an older woman’s voice sounds, “did you accidentally get locked in there?”

a quick kiss to your thigh and todd stands, his voice slipping into his perfect frat president tone.

“yes ma’am,” he says your name, “came to help me out and i let the door close us.” as talks he pulls your pants up, buttoning them and pulling the hem of your shirt down, trying to make it look like he didn’t just fuck you in a supply closet.

“oh my!” she exclaims. todd pulls his own pants up, fixing him before buttoning them.

you turn around, trying to hide the smile on your face as the door opens. todd is quick to grab the paper towels beside him.

“thank you so much, was getting stuffy in there,” you say to the woman, “apologies,”

“no dear i’m terribly sorry, should’ve let you know the door would do that,” though she’s almost certain she told todd.

todd’s hand lightly taps your ass and you step forward, “thank you ma’am, won’t happen again. come on,” he nods to the library while

ever since he saw you walk in for an orientation into riding he knew you'd be major competition. at first it was all competition and he wasn't going to let you one up him. he needed to prove to himself and his family that he wasn't letting anyone take his place.

you quickly proved you might just be better than him.

he also realized he'd been staring a little too long. he'd be stealing glances your way any time he could.

you watched from the rails as rhett sat atop a bull. he tightens his gloves, adjusts his hat and cocks his head sideways to see if you're looking.

you are. you always are.

your friends had teased you that this was more than a riding competition. all of it had to be more. any time they saw the two of you at a competition though you were always apart your eyes never were. your eyes were trained on each other like you were both scared the other one would disappear or hoping you would.

his lips pull up into a smirk and with a wink the rail opens in front of him.

the bull darts out bucking. he's barley out of the pin when it starts to buck. your eyes dart from him to the clock.

"come on," you whisper, "fall off dammit," your eyes dart back to the timer.

he needs seven more seconds to beat you.

the bull bucks hard and he loses his grip. he does go flying off but he didn't just step off either. he lands hard on his back.

you realize it immediately but you suck in a breath and hold it. watching two guys run over to him and kneel. they stay on their knee for what feels like hours.

then you see rhett's hand wave them away. he rolls over and does a push up off the dirt and stand, wiping his hands on his jeans.

you let out the held breath and fight the urge to bring your hand up to your fast beating heart. you just clench your fists and grit your teeth.

his head stays down for a moment before looking up and over to you. a small smile on your mouth tells him to look at the board. his eyes swipe over- beat him by five seconds.

he looks back to you and he grins. he fucking grins. he enjoys this.

he walks over to the rails and slips through them easily. you against the rails next to you with your arms crossed and a booted foot over the other. you watch him as he passes through the crowd, slipping through them like butter. his eyes trained on you with the same grin. people pat  his shoulder, try to talk to him but he doesn't give them the time.

he's got talk to you.

"hey pretty girl," his grin stays, almost slipping into a smirk.

didn't help that rhett had the most gorgeous you'd ever seen. his voice was rush and smooth with a hint of rasp. his golden hair shines even in the moon light. the way his hair hair slightly curled from his hat made you want to reach out and expose the hair so everyone could see it.

you blink and remember you're supposed to be angry.

"do you get off to this or something?" you ask him with your head tilted and brows furrowed in honest confusion. "you like getting a rise out of me?"

"yeah," he laughs lightly, "i do," he rests his gloved hands on his hips, at his belt.

you roll your eyes, "you irritate me," you also fight a smile.

"i know," it's like his smile just grows, mockingly.

"still beat you by five points, a whole five," you rub it in deep.

"still gotta deal with me at finals," he says cooly.

"i'm gonna beat your ass at finals," you tell him.

"aren't we a little too old for this? this was cute when we were teenagers,"

this is how he really gets under skin. he throws your competitive-ness in your face. he somehow is able to deflate all of the air out of you.

"some of us can't afford to be lose by five points," your arms fall to your side as you take a step towards him, "some of us can't just do this for fun, some of us need that prize money rhett. and i intend on getting every last dime. don't get in my way," you stomp off ripping your jacket off as you do.

that boy heats up your skin and bones like no other.

if you were honest with yourself you don't just do this for the "fun" back and forth with him. when you stepped foot into that arena for the first time you knew this would the way to help. help yourself. help your family.

the house you're living in now, the car you drive? it's all going to be taken away unless you can get that money. your life, your family's life with be uprooted and you'll all have no where to go.

two nights later your mom announces the abbotts are coming over for dinner because "you and rhett got to the finals! everyone is so proud!" you held the eye roll.

your mom made sure, or at least convinced her self, that you were doing this because you enjoyed. she had a damn near heart attack every time you mounted one of them bulls but you looked like you were loving it.

you'd convinced her you weren't doing it for her, or the house or the car but for yourself. it's her fault she believed it.

you weren't even a thousand percent sure you enjoyed it. you just knew the prize money was good and you could hold on for a long time. you didn't plan on stopping now. if it weren't for you- you'd been gone. the house would be too.

the abbotts came around six pm. royal and cecilia were the first to come in. cecilia swallowing you in a hug and royal giving you a quick one.

your family had been friends with the abbotts for as long as you could remember. you and rhett had once been very close friends. time tore you two apart and it did it fast. you didn't like that it did that but if you wanted to save your family, save yourself, you had to be sorely focused on winning.

you shut him out.

perry came in with amy on his back, hiking her up every now and then. when she saw you though, man she looked at you like you hung the stars.

she could believe you rode bulls. she's told you multiples she wants to ride em like you one day but you can, sometimes, talk her down from it.

she hugged you tightly at your waist and began to talk fast about what she'd been doing at school recently. you smile and nod along and ask her questions until she got distracted by the smell coming from the kitchen.

rhett was the last to saunter in. the parents and perry went to the kitchen getting the rest of the food ready.

"hey," he nods at you taking the tooth pick out of his mouth.

"hi," you mutter, closing the door behind him when he fully came in.

you take a deep breath before turning around to face him. he stands still just a few feet from you, hands clasped together like a shy school boy.

you smile with a soft chuckle. he looks to you releasing his hands and quickly wiping them on his jeans.

"what?" he asks crossing his arms across his chest. his fists under his biceps, clearly showing off.

your eyes flicker down to one but quickly find his eyes again.

"you're standing there like a scared boy. you've been here a thousand times,"

"yeah well last time i was here i'd didn't know you'd only be talking to me with hatred afterwards," you think he meant it as a joke but it still felt like a kick to your chest.

you still almost stumble back. you couldn't blame him for saying it. it was true. you'd shoved everyone away to focus on getting money. you hadn't realized how that would have effected him if at all.

"rhett... i-"

"dinners ready!" your mom pokes her head through the door from kitchen.

you swallow your words, "uhm yeah, yeah we're coming,"

you mom gives you a smile. a smile that shows she thinks something cute just happened between you and rhett.

your mom disappears and rhett is the first to move. he walks to the door, opens it and stands aside. he holds it open for you.

you walk to the door and before passing in you turn to him, "rhett i didn't mean-"

"it's alright. shouldn't've said it," he won't meet your eyes.

had you hurt him that bad? had he been effected by your actions all those years ago that bad?

wine is poured for everyone, except amy, of course, she specifically asked for chocolate milk with her dinner. the plates are set, thanks to you, and you sit in your seat that you've sat in for years. your mom sits in her regular seat and everyone else just finds one.

no one sits in your dads seat. no one has for the past ten years.

rhett takes the seat across from you.

you pick at your food through the whole dinner. the tiny conversation you had with rhett playing over and over again in your head.

someone knocks your foot with theirs and your pops up and your eyes look straight ahead. rhett moves his eyes to the end of the table then back to you.

you turn towards the end of the table, "i'm sorry, just lost in space tonight," you force a smile.

"oh it's alright honey, i was asking what you were going to do with the money you might win," cecilia smiles looking between me and rhett.

"oh uhm haven't really thought about it,"

rhett knocks your foot again, silently saying "tell the truth,"

"maybe uh maybe a new car," he knocks your foot again. this time you kick his shin. he clears his throat as he holds back a groan of pain. your smile intensifies a little.

"of that'd be nice!" she exclaims, "i've asked rhett but he can't seem to give me a answer,"

"really?" you question looking back to rhett. you stare at him as if to say, "you knock me to tell the truth but won't answer yourself?"

"i still don't know what i'd do with it. honest," he shrugs.

the conversation of that subject ends rather quickly. you didn't miss your moms look of approval of yo saying you were going to use the money to buy yourself a car.

maybe you'd actually convinced her you weren't going to use the money for her.

you steal a glance at rhett again, his plate is mostly empty but he hasn't touched his wine and neither have you. he meets your glance and you two just stare at each other for moment. you silently sending a 'sorry' and him... well you can't really read him right.

he seems to read you like a book. a book he's read a thousand times. a book he has annotated with his favorite line. a book he has with notes scribbled in the margins. a book where every line of your dialogue and actions are underlined and highlighted.

you blink away from him, standing. all eyes look to you.

"i'm going to start the dishes," you force a polite smile as everyone thanks you and hands you their plates.

just as you get the last one rhett stands, "i'll help,"

"thank you rhett, you're so sweet," your mom says lovingly with a hand on his arm.

he smiles and nods.

"but it's expected of me," you barley mumble.

rhett picks up the rest of the glass and follows you to the kitchen. you start running the water and plug the drain. you squirt some soap in and watch at the bubble rise.

you and rhett are silent as it happens. you turn the faucet off and begin dumping the plate sin the soapy water.

"it-"

"helps calm you down. i know," he finishes your sentence.

he pulls to faucet towards him and holds out a hand to you, silently asking for the now soapy plate. you hand it to him and he rinses it off, setting it on the towel on the counter next to him.

"you didn't have to come help me,"

"i know. ma would've killed me if i didn't. plus," he pauses rinsing another plate, "wanted to talk to you,"

your breath hitches.

it's different now. right now. you don't feel a insane about of disdain or indifference towards him, maybe you never have. maybe you were just to scared to tell him-

"you really hate me?" he asks. there was no turn of his head or movement, he just kept rinsing dishes and setting them down.

"what?" you stop scrubbing the plate and let it fall into the water, "no," you say turning your body towards him.

"you have a weird of showing that you don't." he says plainly setting another plate down on the counter.

"i... i don't know what you want me to say rhett."

"anything," he says gripping the counter and looking over to you, "anything," he says defeated.

"i don't hate you, i know that. i never have. sure you get under my skin and irritate the shit out of me sometimes but i don't hate you," you tell him with all the honestly and sincerity you can muster. "why do you think that?"

it was a stupid question.

"have you been in our conversation the past few years? you actually asked me if i get off to angry and irritated at me." he says.

"you said you did,"

"i said i liked getting a rise out of you. i don't like when you're irritated or angry at me, for no reason might i add," he mumbles the last part.

"i don't have the luxury of not worrying about my family. or where our next meal is coming from. we're going to lose this house even the car if we can't figure something out. it's hard with my dad okay?"

there's some silence.

"there i said it,"

"i have to worry about my family too." he says lowly.

"i know. i had no right to always lash out. why do you feed into it?"

"because at least you look at me. at least you talk to me. at some point i didn't care if it was hatred towards me coming from you. as long as it was coming from you i didn't care," he admits, pushing off from the sink and turning towards you.

you don't know what to say. you can't move a muscle. you wish the floor would open and swallow you whole.

when you were young, you'd wish for those words. "as long as it was coming from you."

what are you supposed to do with that? you know what you want to do. you want to reach out, touch his face, kiss him.

"rhett..." you breathe heavily as he steps closer.

"stop torturing me," he pleads. his hands latch onto your waist with a slight squeeze, he pulls you close and you follow his lead.

you knew you couldn't do this without his help.

"i'm scared," you tell him.

"of what?"

"everything. my mom, myself, this,"

"why this?" he asks genuinely.

"i've only been mean to you. i didn't mean to be or want to be. i needed to be. i couldn't distract myself with you. now it's all i want to do. i find myself smiling because i know you'll look over to me before you ride. and after, i know you'll find me just so i can hurl insults your way. how could you want me after that? i don't want to you rhett."

"you won't. i won't say you haven't, you have a couple times but when i see you... it all disappears. all of it. i don't remember the things you've said when i look over as i mount those bulls. you're watching. that's all i e prayed for."

"you're too good for me rhett abbott," you smile.

he shrugs, "maybe," he smiles.

you push up, your body molding to his and lips closing in on his. your mouths move in sync, with a rhythm they seemed to always know.

you hands tangle in his hair and one of his reaches up to your face and cradles your cheek. it moves down slowly to your neck craning it back.

his lips move down finding your pulse point. there's a kiss and then teeth and then-

the door opens and then two of you pull away quick, heads snapping to the door.

amy stands with a disgusted face, "ew! gross!"

"what honey?" perry come up behind her, his face confused but it defuses when he sees the two of you. a knowing smile now covering his face.

"uncle rhett kissed her," the makes a gag noise.

you cover you face with a hand as you laugh quietly to yourself. you turn so you face buried into rhett's shoulder. rhett's head hangs as he laughs too, one hand rubbing his forehead and his other giving your side a squeeze.

the night ends with a promise that rhett will text you and he does.

that same night he sends, "tomorrow night. wear something pretty. i'll pick you up at 7."

you couldn't help but smile and hold your phone close to your chest.

the dress you wore was a red, mid thigh length sun dress that rhett seemed to like. you picked up on one night at a banquet you two had to attend last year for the finals.

every time you looked over at him, he was already staring.

now, he stands in your door way taking you all in.

he remembered the dress. you even did your makeup the same, he observed. he smiles seeing how you matched your lipstick to your dress.

he backs up, giving you space to step out of the house. you do and close the door, locking it. your mom had picked up another shift at the hospital in town.

he takes your hand and walks you to his truck. he walks you over to the passenger side and when you reach up for the door, he lightly smacks your hand away.

he reaches up and opens it for you.

"you don't have to do that,"

he shrugs, "i want to,"

as you ride to the restaurant your mind wanders and you start to doubt yourself. you start to doubt this whole thing.

rhett parks the truck.

"i'm sorry." you say loudly. you turn to face him, "i'm sorry sorry for how i've treated you. i shit you put all those years ago and i shouldn't have. you just wanted to help an do should've taken it. there's no telling where we'd be if i just accepted help. i don't know if you can tell but i don't do a great job at asking for help- or receiving it."

"i know," he nods, "don't matter anymore. we're here now," he takes your hand and squeezes it, "now come on they got some good steak in here,"

it was the best night of your life.

the next few weeks were the best of your life. you'd finally let him in fully, showed him all of you. and he liked it. he adored it. and you adored him.

the love for each other grew so big and so loudly. people weren't that confused. some thought you two were already dating.

the finals come around quick. it's the night and the last to go are you and rhett. rhett was before you.

you both stood at the gate you had to climb over to settle onto the bull. you stop him before he climbs up.

you tip back his hat and kiss him, "knock em dead," you smile.

"where's your competitive side?" he asks as he climbs.

"it'll come in about ten minutes when i sit on the bull. right now i'm your supportive girlfriend but when that clock," you pause and point to the board, "stops? i'm beating your ass,"

he kisses you one last time before he settles into the bull. he pulls the strap and grips the handle. you take a few steps back and watch as the bull already bucks once.

you suck in a breath but let it out as the bull seems calm for a moment.

you watch him grip the handle tighter as the gate opens.

his thighs lock onto the animal and it begins to buck out of the cage. you watch as his lower half snaps forward and the rest of his body follows.

you dart your eyes over to the board, he's at three seconds. he got a good bull and his form is almost perfect.

when it hits eight seconds, your eyes dart back and forth. you and rhett had always had another way to score yourselves- how long you could stay on. now that he's at eight it's a qualified ride.

then he's thrown off. at least he isn't bucked him off, just slung. he hits the ground and rolls. you go on your toes looking down at him. he's quickly to get on his feet, lifting his arms in the air.

he turns towards you with a wink and pointing to you.

his points come up on the board along with his time. ten seconds, forty six pints to the bull and thirty eight to him. eighty four points in total. he's in the lead.

not for long.

your turn.

after several minutes of getting your bull ready. rhett stands in the place you once were.

"break a leg darlin," he kisses you and steps back.

you take a deep breath and slide your hand under the leather rope. you pull the last strap tight and touch the bulls side.

"come on," you whisper to the bull.

you grip the strap harder and nod as you're asked if you're ready. you can feel rhett squeeze your shoulder before fully moving away.

your skin prickles.

"let's go," you say through a heavy breath.

it starts off good. the bull darts out and immediately starts bucking. hard. harder than you're used to. your grip somehow becomes tighter, you think you might break your hand.

your other hand lifted in the air, showing off your grip and posture. the bull is doing good. you're doing good.

you've been thrown off bulls before. practicing and during competitions. you've hit your lower, your head even broke your wrist one time. it was painful but you got through it.

this time was... different.

you felt yourself being airborne. you remember the air moving through your clothes, through your hair. the cold winds burning your skin lightly.

you remember seeing the moon and how bright it was. you remember how rhett's hair looked in this moonlight. it reminded you of chocolate.

then it went blank. it all went dark. there was a sharp pain in your skull then nothing.

he watch's with a held breath. the bull always strong, he could see that much. the bull would get a good rating and your form was phenomenal. your grip was tight, your body was locked in.

he smiles for moment of proudness. his girl is fucking killing it.

it hits ten seconds and he lets out his breath.

then he sucks another in.

your body lifts high into the air as the bull spins and bucks you off.

it happens fast but once he sees you in the air, time moves slower.

you're in the air. you spin one time and then your back hits the railing. you head snaps back and your lower skull hits one of the metal rails.

you hit the dirt ground and don't move.

he yells your name. then again.

you don't move.

he jumps the rails and begins to run. someone tries to hold him back but he pushes them off and they hit the ground. he runs faster to you.

the ground seems to grow in distance as he runs. he can't get to you fast enough.

he slides down to you and moves your hair from the side of your face. your head turned to the side and on the dirt.

he knows better than to move you. he saw your neck snap back, your skull hitting the rail along with your back. something could be broken and he won't make it worse.

he doesn’t know what to do. he can’t help you.

he’s helpless. his heart shatters as he watches you motionless on the ground.

“rhett,” a muffled voice calls to him but his eyes are locked on you.

“rhett, come on man,” perry’s voice pierces through the numbness and pulls him up form the ground. perry turns him away from you.

“hey, listen to me. you hear me? huh?” perry asks.

he nods.

“they ambulance is on the way, okay? we’re going to follow behind them,” he tries to explain.

rhett shakes his head, “no, no i need to be with her,”

“and you will be but she needs to be stable first yeah?”

rhett nods.

he felt so lost. so numb.

he stayed in the hospital for days. he didn’t leave. your mom was on duty and came to stay with you for a while but knew yo were in good hands with rhett.

he pulled a chair close to your bed and held your cold hand through the days. there were countless coffee cups stacked on top of one another. the dark circle under his eyes grew and continue to grow.

he’d take showers at the hospital and someone always brought him something to eat, even though he wouldn’t touch it.

he just sat there, holding your hand, watching you breath.

a week later, he still sits there.

you start to feel a light ache in your skull. the brought lights that met your eyes when you open them don’t help the pressure.

you groan in the pain.

you move your hand and fall something caging it. you look over and see him.

slumped back in an uncomfortable hospital room chair, his hand is covering his face but his hand is latched onto yours.

you squeeze his hand. then again.

he stirs and sits up catching his hat and placing it on his head. he looks over to see your eyes open.

“holy shit,” he sits up fast, sitting forward and moving some hair out of your eyes and forehead. “hey darlin’,” he smiles.

he presses the nurse button and calls for one in saying you’re awake.

“did i break a leg?” you ask with a smile.

“in the comp and your femur,” he chuckles.

you look down and, sure enough, your leg is wrapped in a cast and held up in a sling.

“you’ve been here?”

“the whole time,” he nods.

“i love you,” you tell him.

you were one of the only people in the world to ease his nerves, to let him come to you, to let him have a safe space with no questions asked. though you really did want to ask about what was happening with him, you knew he’d come to you when he was ready and that turns was quickly approaching.

“have you ever been in love?” his question was sudden and slightly confusing.

“no i don’t think i ever have, not in the past,” you tell him honestly. a small pit opened in your stomach as your cheeks heat up. front

he first time you saw bob enter the tower ally at time ago, you thought he was handsome. he’s kind too, he remembers small details about you and gets a little sad when you don’t follow him to his room after dinner.

you’d never felt in love in the past but you believe you may feel it when you look at him.

he clears his throat, “i think so, but the feeling it’s… new,”

“how new?” you ask, lifting your head and putting your book down. you sit up, turning your body to give him your full attention, your hand still in his.

“a few weeks now, i just don’t know how to…”

“say it?”

“yeah,” his smile laced with nerves and anxiety.

“can i say it first?” you ask him, taking your hand out of his and lifting it to ghost over his skin at his forehead, moving a few pieces out of the way of his eyes.

“please,” he tries to swallow the anxiety down.

“when i saw you for the first time, i got really nervous. i remember the team saying you’d be coming in and living here but when i saw you… the world stopped for a moment, i lost my breath,” you tell him in a soft, slow voice. your hand runs down his arm, your finger tracing the veins along it.

“remember how i stayed in my room the whole first week? you brought me food and left it outside, barely speaking to me. i was so nervous being here, and when you started making your way into my life i got scared but i think im tired of being scared,”

“then stop being scared,”

you face now a couple inches from his own, your breaths mingling before you, creating a closeness you two haven’t experienced yet.

“i think i love you,”

“think?” you tease him.

he smiles, his head dipping to rest at your shoulder. he slowly lifts his head, kissing you shoulder then looking at you, “i do, i love you,”

you pull your bottom lip into your mouth and smile, “good, i love you too,”

you push in, locking your lips to his. his hand disappears underneath your t shirt, his t shirt. his warm hand is firm on your skin, he’s sure of his movements and touches. you smile against his lips, your younger swiping across his bottom lip.

“can i?” his voice dipping into a deeper tone.

“please,” your breath hitching as his lips attach themselves to your neck. your hand comes up and tangles in his strands, lightly pulling at them, earning a small, quiet whine from him.

his hand disappears beneath your large t shirt, his warm hand no longer shaking but firm against your side. his thumb smoothing over your skin, almost comforting you.

bob has been through it, everyone knows but that doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of taking of others. it’s all he really wants to do, he wants to help. and you allow him to do so, you allow him to fully take over, take control when he feels out of it.

your other hand cups his jaw, bringing him up to your lips. his lips are tender against yours, as if they’re velvet. his touches are deliberate, leaving a longing feeling in their wake.

his hand on your side shifts up to your chest, his thumb brushing the underside of your breast, god how he loved your breasts. his thumb moves up to ghost over your hard nipple, a groan escaping his lips, you swallow it.

he pulls back from you, sitting upright on his bed, both of his hands taking the hem of your t shirt and pulling it up over your head. he straddles your thighs, you can feel his growing erection against your thigh. he leans down and draws your breast into his mouth. his tongue circling your harden nipple and sucking on your skin. his other hand showing your other breast some attention, pinching your nipple in his fingers.

he moans against your skin, saliva coating your breast and dripping from his mouth.

“bob,” you moan his name lowly, h your land back in his hair and holding him tight to your chest.

he pulls back, only a couple inches from your chest, “want do you want me to do?”

“want you in me,”

“yes ma’am,” he shoves his sweatpants down, pulling himself out. the tip already red and crying with pre cum. he reaches down and cups you over your panties, warm and wet.

he nearly whimpers at the feeling, all for him. he pulls your panties to the side, dragging his tip through your folds and slipping easily into your entrance.

“oh god,” you whine, your back arching up into him. your lips connecting to his again then to his jaw and neck. he bucks his hips a couple of times fulling settling himself into you, staying there for a moment.

“could stay here forever… with you,” he’s breathless.

“me too, baby, fuck!” you shout, your walls twitching around him then relaxing again. you were already so close.

“you keep squeezing me like that and this won’t last long,”

“i’ll stay all night,” you assure him.

“promise?” he asks, beginning to move his hips again.

“always,”

you feel him smile as his speed picks up and you can feel your release rising, higher and higher. his hand reaches down between you two and a couple of circles on your clit and you’re done around him. your walls clenching him, keeping him put the best you can.

you nails dig into his back, dragging across his flesh, clawing at him to be closer to you. your whines and moans like sweet music to bobs ears and he’s spilling over.

his hand slips behind you back and pulls you to be skin to skin entirely with him. his hips bucking and twitching as he groans against your ear and shutters against your body.

“there we go,” he whispers, “all in there,” he ruts in you a couple more times before filming pulling out, and laying you back down on the bed. he turns over and lays beside you.

he pulls the sheet that’s down by your feet and pulls it over the both of you, “can you stay with me?”

you sit wordless on the edge of your friends bed, propped up on one arm and shrug at them all. you learned long ago there was nothing you could say or do to change the mind of anyone here. if people saw you and luke arguing they were going to assume the worst they probably wouldn't be that far off.

"well? what happened?" sarah wouldn't stop until she knew every detail about said argument.

"we had a fight, i don't know what else to tell you," you tell her honestly.

"someone said you ran off crying, there's more to tell," she threw back you.

you stand from the bed, pulling your jeans up to sit nicely on your hips, "can we go please? i wanna drink," you all but plead for end to the conversation.

eyes were rolled but they all shut up about and piled into the car, sarah being the driver for the night. the car ride was silent save for the music blaring from the radio. you had plenty of time to stare out the window and think of all the ways to avoid your overbearing thoughts and how fast you could forget that day even happened.

the car pulled onto the gravel parking lot and came to a stop. you take a deep breath and open the door and step out onto the gravel. you smile at the bar.

the sweet smell of barbecue and sour smell of beer hit you as the bar sign buzzed and gave you excitement for the night. it was going to be a good night with your friends, you hoped.

"you okay?" sarah asks as the rest of the group walks to the bar. she reaches out and take your hand in hers, giving it a squeeze, "we can go home,"

you shake your head, "no, i'm fine. i just… i broke up with him," you finally let it out

a smile spreads across her face as her grip tightens on your hand, "well that's amazing news! now let's go get you drink and perhaps flirt with the cute bartender," she raises her eyebrows at you.

before you can come back with a rebuttal she's dragging you to the door of your favorite bar. the bar had been standing for years, a family business that landed in the lap of rhett abbott. you'd known since you were young, practically diapers. luke didn't like you going to this bar because abbott ran it.

the smell of beer and barbecue only enhanced when the door finally opened. the crowd was good tonight, barely any tables open. people lined the bar, others lined up for karaoke and the rest littered around tables.

your eyes scan the bar. you knew who you were looking for hoping he wouldn't be here but he was, he was always at a bar. luke sat at a round table with other tillersons, his focus no where on you. he is completely oblivious to your existence at the moment.

with a roll of your eyes you look else where to your friends at a table, waving you over. you hold up a finger and nod to the bar. you walk over and spot an empty seat, taking it with folded arms on top of the bar.

"look who showed up," his voice has always been deep with a touch of rasp to it. certain words make his voice deepen while others make it softer.

his smile always put you in a better mood. the way his lips curved up and teeth showed, the way the side of his eyes would crinkle and nearly closed when he laughed. it stoped you for a moment every time.

"hey bartender," you match his smile. he finishes wiping off the glass in his hand and throws the towel to lay over his shoulder. he sets the glass in front of you and wordlessly puts a cube of ice in it and pours some whiskey. it was your first drink every time you came.

"thank you," you nod, lifting the glass. the liquor slides down your throat with ease but also gives a sting that's just right. he always poured you just enough to take a shot.

"what's the occasion?" he asks, wiping his hand son the towel on his shoulder then splaying them out on the bar.

"none tonight, just here with the girls."

"somethin goin on with you and…" his words trail off but you know what he's asking. a sinking feeling settles into your bones, a weight that makes you want to run out. he's going to ask about, not for the same reasons your friends did though.

rhett treated you well. better than anyone else in this town. he never let you pay for your first drink, you weren't even sure he let you pay your tab. the last few times you've been to the bar and he's there your card is never charged, no matter how many drinks you have or don't have. that's the kind of guy he was- to you.

hell, he treated you better than luke ever has. he was going to ask you about the rumors becasue he wanted to make sure you were okay. if you weren't he was going to do whatever he could to make sure you were.

you and rhett always had a complicated relationship. in high school, you had a crush on him but you assumed every girl did. he had just begun his bull riding and you were at every rodeo cheering him on. you'd both go out on weekends to whatever tailgate was happening and never missed a chance at staring at stars in the back of his truck on his ranch.

then you started dating a guy, ended real bad and luke swooped in before rhett could. you still regret saying yes to the tillerson that night when he asked you out for drinks. you were lonely.

then, things got… not good with luke. he wasn't the nicest person and you were becoming quite irritated with him. one date night, luke took you to a restaurant. he blantantly flirted with the waitress and you saw him give her the receipt with dark scribbles on it.

"what the hell luke?" you asked once you two made it to his truck after the dinner.

"what now?" he grunted, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"what did you write on the receipt? huh? first you flirt with her right in front of me and then what? put your number on the paper?" you accused with your arms crossed. it was cold and water started to drip from the sky. the moon was covered by grey skies and you just wanted to go home and forget about him for the night but you couldn't let this slide.

"you think i did that? you think im that stupid to do it in front of you? you're crazy, get in the truck," he scoffed

"stop talking to me like that," you nearly shouted, "i'm not someone you can just push around luke,"

he lightly laughed at you, "then what have i been doing the past six months?" he asked.

the question stunned you. was he admitting to purposefully making you feel bad? has he been treating you badly on purpose?

"find your own way home,"

he got in his truck and drove off, leaving you under a street light in the cold and rain. you wanted to be upset, be disappointed but this was just like him. leaving you here, by yourself. you couldn't help the small tears that pricked at your eyes.

you tried calling him, it just went to voicemail every time.

rhett always to you crying was for watching sad movies in the dark, not over someone like luke. and that a sad song was written just to break your heart, that wasn't supposed to be luke's job

you pull your phone out, typing his number. luke made you delete his contact, but you never forget the number. you could never forget rhett.

he picks up on the first ring.

"where are you?" was his first question. his voice was rough, no irritation just… expectant. like he knew you'd be calling him tonight

"rhett…" your voice was shaky, "i'm sorry. he just left, i don't know who else-"

"where are you?" his voice was softer now. you blew out breath: he isn't mad.

"odessas,"

"i'll be there in five minutes," the line didn't cut out, "are you safe? somewhere with some light?"

"yeah under a street lamp, right outside the restaurant,"

"okay, can you go back inside? i know it's raining and cold. i'll be there soon, okay?"

"yeah, okay, thank you," you go back into the restaurants seating area, get a sad look from the hostess and sit shivering on a bench.

situations like this make you feel awful. this is the second time you've had to call rhett to pick you up because luke has just left you. you hated having to call him, to constantly rely on him. when you bring up he tells you not to worry about it, to still call him when you need him.

rhett's knuckles couldn't turn more white from gripping the steering wheel even if he tried. he wasn't mad at you, he couldn't never find it in himself to be angry with you. he wanted to kill luke, he knew that much. rhett constantly kicks himself for telling you how he felt in general and earlier in life. maybe you both could be avoiding this situation if he just told you.

the radio was on but not loud. he could barely hear his own thoughts with the burning anger blooming in his chest and making his ears feel clogged. most anger towards himself and the rest towards luke.

he pulls up slowly at the curb of odessas, he cuts the engine and gets out of his truck. a light jog around it and into odessas.

he sees you immediately, sat on a bench with your thin jacket pulled around you like a blanket, staring at the ground, lost in whatever bad thought was swirling around your head.

rhett didn't hesitate, he shrugs his thick jacket off and slowly walks towards you. the close the get the more he can see the tear stained cheeks, the shivering of your bones and muscles.

you look up and his heart seizes. your eyes wide with sadness, a hint of fear and regret. you stand quick and wrap your arms around neck, your breath warm against his neck. his arms protectively wrap around you, holding you close.

"i'm sorry," you apologize, again.

"don't worry bout it, here," he gently sets his jacket around your shoulders. you push your arms through your own jacket and wrap yourself in his like a blanket. "c'mon,"

you follow him out of the restaurant and out to his truck. he opens the door for you, helping you in and closing the door. another light jog around the truck and he slides into his seat. he starts the engine, turning the heat on for you, and sitting back with a sigh.

"where do you want me to take you?"

that question always made you stomach clench. you had three options: your "shared" place with luke, your parents house or rhett's. and you knew the two places you weren't going tonight.

"can i stay with you?"

"course," he clears his throat and pulls out of the parked spot he was in.

it pained him when you asked. you asked every time. he wanted to be there for you, be who you needed but he also knew this wasn't good for him. he didn't care though, if you needed him- he was there always would be.

the ride was silent the whole way. when he finally pulled into his drive and park the truck you two sat there. still in the silence.

"i may not know what love is but i know what it ain't," he speaks up, "and that's not it," he jaw clench's, a small amount of regret twisting in gut but not too overpowering because you needed to hear it. maybe he could get you to see it.

"rhett…" your words trailed off.

"love ain't leaving out on the sidewalk in a new dress all alone, love ain't you callin me becasue he left you on the side of the street and isn't pickin up his phone."

his tone wasn't mean. it never was, just truthful. his tone was soft and slow, his words not biting at you just simply being told to you. more so desperate than anything else. he so desperately wanted you to see what him and everyone else sees.

"he can only show you what love ain't,"

"and you can show me what it is?"

"i may not know what love is but i know what it ain't," he repeats back to you, getting out of his truck and walking over to your door. he opens it, offering you a head.

even after a conversation like that he still jsut wanted to take care of you and make sure you were okay.

you sigh at his question, thinking of how to answer it. should you tell him or let him find out in about an hour when luke finally notices your presence?

"you're asking about the rumor," you state because it's not a question.

"not it you don't want me to. me and you know about rumors. how they are, how this town is with them,"

the next day, after he picked you from the night at odessas, a rumor began.

you were cheating on luke with rhett.

friends asked, your own mother asked and luke wasn't happy. everyone in town looked sideways at you. you went out to the market for some groceries and everyone had to throw a sid eye at you.

two months later is when luke had something to say about it. either he ignored it until he had an audience or he finally heard the rumor. he'd asked you about rhett before, you told him nothing was happening and that nothing ever had but he just couldn't believe you.

you met him at a hardware store, he needs something for his ranch. you walked with him for a little while and then he just… exploded.

"you and abbott?" he asked.

"what?" you asked with so much confusion. you hadn't talked with rhett in weeks.

"odessas that night? you called him?" he asked, anger seething through his teeth and vitriol building up to be spewed at you.

"i tried calling you. you left me luke, what was i supposed to do walk home?"

"id rather do that then call him. you know everyone's talkin about it," he would barely look at you.

"you left me," you emphasize each word, "you left me, not the other way around. i wasn't walking and i wasn't going back to our place."

"did you sleep with him?"

"what? luke no, i asked for help from a friend after my boyfriend left me ont he side of the road,"

"don't be dramatic," he spat at you, "now everyone thinks i'm datin a-"

"what? huh? what am i?" you asked, arms crossed.

"a whore."

"you're a dick,"

"at least i'm not sleeping with every guy i talk to,"

"you don't let me talk to other guys," you exclaimed, "you've taken every part of me and molded it into something you want,"

"because i don't want a slut for a girlfriend but here we are,"

"now you don't have one, fuck you," you walked out of the store, he didn't follow you. just threw more insults as you walked out.

"maybe rumors can be good or a person," you tell him, tracing your finger around the rim of the glass in front of you. your eyes anywhere but his.

"you know," he says leaning against the bar, "he hasn't looked over here the entire time you've been here. not even when you walked in,"

"and you have?" you throw back at him with a tempting smile.

"as if a spotlight was casted onto you."

you look up to his eyes. he looks at you like he's tempting you to keep the banter going, seeing how long you'll drag it all out.

"i broke up with him,"

he raises his brows at you, "really,"

"what? that wasn't part of the rumor?" you tilt your head to the side slightly, the smile not wavering from your lips.

"wanna give everyone another one?" he asks leaning over the bar and resting his arms on top of it. a sly smile raising the corners of his mouth.

"what're you thinkin cowboy?"

"'nother beer," the clank of an empty bottle on the bar top rattles next to you, his voice like nails on a chalkboard.

rhett's smile falls as he turns, grabbing and bottle and cracking it open for luke. he hands it over and you watch his jaw tick, as his shoulders broader and tense at the mere presence of luke. like hes waiting for him to do something.

"didn't know abbott let in-"

"careful with your words tillerson," rhett tells him, arms crossing his chest, "don't forget this is my bar,"

"you need all the money you ge for this place, i'll say whatever i want," he sets his beer on the bar top run his jaw and as he reaches back out for it rhett pulls it back.

"my bar. you talk to people with respect around here,"

luke scoffs, "respect huh? cause you're so full of it right? takin other peoples girls?"

"i wasn't yours to begin with luke," you stand up, inserting yourself in the heated conversation.

"no one was talking to you bitch-"

"get out," rhett announces loudly, he sniffs and wipes at his nose. he walks around the bar to put himself in between you and luke.

"come on abbott-" luke starts to laugh but rhett cuts it off.

"get out, now,"

luke reaches over and grips your arm, you yank back as rhett pushes him back, "get the fuck out of my bar," his voice firm and rough. his hands rolled into fists at his side, just waiting for the chance to collide with luke's jaw.

"come on," luke says your name but you don't move.

"i'm not going anywhere with you,"

"luke," rhett takes a deep breath, "leave,"

"im not leaving without-"

rhett's fist flies up towards luke's face, colliding with his jaw. luke stumbles back, losing his balance and falling to the floor groaning.

the bar falls silent, every eye now on the three of you. rhett calls for someone and nod him over. they pull luke out of the bar, they pull him up to his feet. you follow behind them, getting a small peek at the end of the one sided conversation rhett has with him.

"don't you touch her again," he pushes luke back and he stumbles away from the building.

you lean against the door frame, watching rhett shake out the rest of his anger and turning back or you.

"think we might have started another rumor," he tells you.

"let's really give em somethin to talk about," you grab his flannel and pull him towards you. you go on your toes and place your lips to his.

mav wraps up the debrief, satisfied with whatever hangman said and dismisses you all for the day. yes, the whole day was for this debrief that only took thirty to do. you all pile out f the room to a common area on the bad. nat starts the conversation about our weekley night hangout. 

"everyone still good for tonight?" she asks the group. there's a lot of nods, 'yeahs' and 'you know it' from the group. they all walk on while you hang back to throw away your cup. 

bob notices and stays with you, "good coffee?"

you nod, "real good, thank you. are you coming tonight?"

"yeah, yeah. of course," 

the two of you begin your walk to the rest of the team in the cafe. your elbow brushes his as you walk and creeping heat coming your neck, neither of you could walk a straight line you guessed. 

walking into the cafe was a mistake, it always was when you and bob walked in late behind everyone else. the hoots and hollers and teasing is at an all-time high. nats smile at you, roosters eyebrows nearly shooting up off his head and the ever-talkative hangman. 

"when will you two get it over with already?" hangman asks in his usual smirking, egging on tone. you couldn't roll your eyes hard enough. 

you ignore the sounds and words, sitting down at the table with bob at your side. his knee touching yours again when he sits down. 

there was one time you saw bob talking with another pilot. he never smiled at you like he was smiling at her. his eyes never looked at you the way they looked at her. there was a small pang in your chest, a small put that opened in your stomach at the sight. 

"no, i'm not looking for anyone right now," 

you walked away at that point, any feelings you thought you had was now buried deep down. 

bob saw you, he saw the way you walked away. he saw the anger in your leaving, in your stomps. 

the night came quick; everyone piled into the small apartment you and nat shared. you stand in your room suddenly too aware of your outfit choice and thoughts of what bob would think. you'd never had those thoughts until recently. what would bob think? does he think i'd look nice? you kidnly were upset you had become so obsessed with his thoughts about you. 

a soft knock sounds on your wooden door, you mutter a small, "come in."

your door creaks open and bob reveals himself, smile on his as he enters but it slightly drops as he sees you. the outfit was nothing crazy, sweatpants and tight shirt to be comfortable but you still saw the way his face fell slightly. 

"hey, was trying to find something to wear," you force a laugh and smile turning around to the mirror to avoid his stare. 

"you look nice, pretty,"

you laugh again, "thanks bobby, im sure i look really nice in these too big sweatpants," 

"you do. uh anyway, just came to see where you were, wanted to make sure you were okay," he tells you, looking only at you. 

"starting to miss me floyd?"

"i miss you every time you leave my sight," he tells you, his voice soft and testing, like he scared of your response. 

"right," you scoff, "you never let me out of your sight," 

the room is silent for a moment, and you can't help the words that fall out of your mouth. a loose string of them in the most quiet tone.

"you're not looking anyone right now?" 

"that's not what i meant and you know it," 

"how am i supposed to know when you don't talk to me?" you ask, turning around to face him. 

"what are you so afraid of?"

"the way you make me feel. when you look at me i feel like i could pass out and when you bump my knee or touch my hand my body heats up so much i can barely think. your cologne makes my head spin. hell, i've bene in this room since everyone got here wondering if you'd like my outfit. you mess with my brain and it scares the fuck out of me." you finally let the honesty roll of your tongue at a speed you weren't ready for. 

he says your name softly, reaching out for your hand but you don't move. he takes a deep breath. 

"every time i close my eyes you are the only thing i see. i open my eyes with a want to see you first. i wake up and you're the thing on my mind. what do i get her today? coffe, tea? energy drink? how could i possibly be more obvious in my... in my love for you? what else can i do to show you what you mean to me?"

"bob, i thought-"

"i love you. i love the way you roll your eyes at hangman when he torments us with side comments when we walk into a room later than everyone else, i love the way you nose scrunches when you hear something you don't like, i love the way you can cry at literally anything because you care so much. you are the reason... you are my reason."

you take a few small steps towards, your hand reaching out and taking his. you give it a small squeeze and pull yourself by his hand into his arms. you feel him sigh against you, as if a weight fell from him when his arms wrap around you. 

you lift your head, planting a small kiss to his jaw then to his lips. his hands place themselves gently on your face, cupping your cheeks. you can feel him smile against your lips, spreading wide and cutting the kiss short.

"i've wanted to kiss you," you admit.

"yeah, i've been wanting to kiss you for a while."

you laugh lightly, your forehead leaning forward and resting against his should with a groan. 

"hangman is never going to let us live this down. the teasing is never going to stop," you tell him, your eyes slightly rolling.

"he'll be telling us to get a room," he says, his fingers playing with the ends of your hair.

"we've got a room right now," you shrug, "think you can be quiet officer?"

"with you? no, i'll let everyone know how much i want you and how good you make me feel," he grins at you making a slight blush cross your cheeks. 

you knocked for what felt like five minutes in the frat house door at eight in the morning. you heard muffled shouting at someone to get the door.

the door opened slowly to reveal, who you thought was a guy named mitch. he held his hand up to shield his eyes from the morning sun, you thought you actually heard him hiss at it.

"i need to see tom," you sigh, your little brother was roommates with mitch and yet you still couldn't fully remember what the boy looked like.

"okay," mitch said slowly with a shrug, as if he was confused by your statement and didn't understand what it had to do with him.

he turned and screamed your brothers name. you cross your arms over your chest taking an annoyed stance.

"who's at the door," someone asked, you knew it wasn't your brother. the thick, raspy accent belonged to someone you knew. the clench of your jaw indicated it was him.

todd stevens.

"i don't know, some chick for tom,"

"he's my brother," you speak up, you hated that they acted like you weren't standing there.

the door opens wider, revealing the pebble in your shoe.

he says you last name with a grin and rub of his jaw, then matches your stance with his arms crossed.

"stevens,"

"now mitch," he says gripping the boys shoulder, "we don't talk to ladies like that,"

“i can take care of myself, thanks. where’s my brother,” you ask more firmly.

todd’s brows furrow in confusion at your tone and choice of words. you didn’t fall to his feet. you didn’t thank him for standing up for you and trying to make mitch apologize. it’s as if todd’s brain short circuited.

“mitch, go get tom,” todd instructs. mitch rolls his eyes but walks off out of your sight.

you sigh lightly, arms still crossed. your eyes everywhere but the man in front of you. just looking at him made your blood boil.

one thing about todd is that he thinks he’s always right. he knows what’s wrong with your essays, he knows what’s wrong with the professors calculations and spelling, and apparently he knows somethings wrong with you.

“what happened?” he asks, hands now in his pockets with his head slightly tilted. his eyes scan your body once then he narrows his eyes at you as if he’s reading you like a book.

“you can’t read me like a book,” you tell him so.

“i have a minor in literature, specifically poetry,” he tells you with a faint smirk on his mouth.

you bite the inside of your cheek, trying to hide the smile that was betraying you, your eyes turning to slits. what was his motive? what was his intention.

“you think you’re funny stevens?” you ignore the pit in your stomach that opened, allowing butterflies to float around, banging against your stomach and chest.

“sometimes, but that wasn’t a joke,” he says, taking one hand out of his pockets and leaning against the frame on his forearm.

your eyes jerk to his forearm, veins protruding from the buttoned up long sleeve that was rolled up to his elbow. the veins going down to his hand, dipping under his watch.

you look back to him, his smirk on full display. you roll your eyes.

tom shows up behind him, your eyes slicing to your brother.

“hey, what’s wrong?” he asks rubbing his eyes from the brightness of the sun.

todd moves his arm and steps back, but not fully walking away.

“do you mind?” you ask him, blinking at him.

he lifts his hands in mock defense, “i’m going, see you in class,”

“can’t wait,” the sarcasm was impossible to miss.

“what’s up?” your brother asks.

“tiff is getting married,” you tell him, he doesn’t seem to see the importance. your cousin was a very busy woman who did everything last minute.

“okay?”

you sigh, “we have to go, problem is it’s this weekend, saturday. it’s out in tennessee and i don’t know if we can find a flight out there in time. i also don’t have a date but that’s not your problem,” the last part was just you talking out loud.

“what about that guy you were seeing?”

you shake your head, “didn’t work out. he was… weird,” you close your eyes and take a deep breath remembering how awful he was. he didn’t have the nicest words aimed at you, you left before it got physical.

“okay well i have things to do this weekend for the frat. i can’t miss out on them,” he tells you with a shrug.

“it’s our cousins wedding tom,”

“yeah a cousin i barely know and a cousin you don’t like. you don’t have to go either,” he says.

“i know, i just… i want to. i like weddings. i just need a date,”

“you want to show tiff up,” he says scratching the back of his neck.

“oh hush,” you wave a hand towards him, “you can tell mom you won’t be there,”

“and you can tell her you don’t have a date. that’ll be fun for you,” he mocks.

you were always expected to have a date at the family functions. you’re about to graduate and your parents expected you to be married or at the very least have a boyfriend. and you were not going to your cousins wedding, who’s constantly one upping you, where your parents are going to be nagging you about not having a boyfriend without a date.

todd appears in the door way, “i can help,”

“what?” you and brother say in unison.

“my truck can make it tennessee,” he says, “we can leave tomorrow and make it by friday night,” he shrugs. he’s got a smile on his face and you don’t see anything evil behind it, maybe he’s just being genuine. maybe he actually wants to help.

“no,” you tell him turning back to your brother, “call mom and tell her you aren’t going,” you couldn’t let it go, you turn back to todd, “aren’t you the president? shouldn’t you also be here for whatever horrible thing you’ll be doing the freshmen this weekend?”

todd clutches tom’s shoulders, “tom here is going take over for the weekend. planning on him bein the next president,” he smiling squeezing tom’s shoulders.

“right, well good luck,” you turn away walking from the house, “call mom!” you shout back to tom.

“let me know when you want to take me up on that offer,” todd calls out to you.

you lift a middle finger in the air and hear him laugh as the door shuts. you walk back to your own dorm, trying to come up with someone to take.

maybe you could ask tyler from your communications class or will from your art class. you sit at your desk, arms crossed trying to think of someone. someone other than him.

but he’s the only person that keeps coming to mind. you soon imagine him holding your hand, giving it a squeeze when your mom makes a comment about your life, the squeeze telling you it’s okay and he’s there and she’s wrong.

his hand on your lower back, guiding you through the crowd to the bar. him holding your hips as you two sway back and forth to whatever slow song is playing on the speakers.

before you knew it a couple hours had gone by of you just merely daydreaming of him being your date. you wanted to kick yourself.

todd stevens wasn’t a good guy. you heard the stories, him being a dick to girls, him being a dick to new pledges. you hated the idea of hazing especially for the guys. you’ve seen documentaries on hazing and it’s disgusting to say the least.

you didn’t know what tom had to go through, and maybe you didn’t want to, you know you didn’t want to know all that todd had put them through.

you go to sleep that night with todd still on your mind. luckily he had escaped your dreams and the next morning came fast.

you show up a few minutes early to your eight am political science class. you knew he’d be there, he sits in your same row, a few seats over.

this morning, however, he sits right next to you. you check your small watch on your wrist, ten minutes until it starts.

you roll your eyes, pinching the bridge of your nose. his arm reaches back and lays itself on the back of your chair. he leans back in his chair, turning his head towards you.

“we can leave today,” he tells you, “we can make it tonight too. i can pick you up at… say…” he looks at his watch, “ten? we can make it by seven,”

you turn your whole body towards him, leaning an elbow on the desk, “what’s your motive stevens? what do you get out of this?”

“nothing,” his face stoic, his eyes won’t meet yours, “i can’t help out the sister of a fellow brother?”

you squint at him, “you won’t get anything out of this,”

todd thinks: i’ll be with you.

“i know,” he nods, bringing his arm back from behind you to cross them across his chest, “you need help, i’m offering,”

you lean against your hand, starring at the man in front of you. you try to break some sort of exterior wall he has up to try and catch him in a lie.

you won’t get your heartbroken by him. you won’t.

you sigh, biting your cheek to hide a smile, you eventually are able to swallow the smile and be stoic like him.

“i have to get a dress,” you tell him, “i was going to get one tonight.”

“i have a suit,” he says with another shrug.

“no no no,” you shake your head, “i’ve seen you in what you think is a suit. with my family you have to be in a nice suit, like never worn before suit. you’ll..” you pause for a moment, squeezing your eyes shut, “just have to come with me,”

a grin spreads across his face, “okay, when’s your last class?”

“this is my only one today,”

“i got one after this, but i’ll pick you up at one, yeah? take you to lunch too,” his grin stays and you can’t help but match it with a smile.

“don’t get me in trouble this weekend,” you tell him, pointing a finger at him.

he holds a hand up in mock defense, “yes ma’am,”

“i’m serious-“

“alright class!” the professor begins as he interrupts you.

“and todd,” you reach out, touching the top of his hand, “don’t fall in love with me,”

he furrows his brows and scoffs, “no problem,” he lightly laughs turning to the professor.

you would’ve been upset by his response. you weren’t that bad. you would’ve been hurt by it but you didn’t miss the way he stole glances at you during the class.

you simply clench your jaw and act like you don’t see him, and you hated to admit it but you might have liked the attention he was giving you.

todd picks you up at one pm sharp from your dorm building. he gets out of his truck, walking over and opening the passenger side door for you. you stop a couple feet away from the door and look at him.

“what are you doing?”

“blame it on my southern hospitality,” he smiles, leaning his forearm on the door, “and i’ll take this,” he reaches out for your bag taking it and putting in the back seat floorboards.

you step up into the truck, using the handle at the top of it. you settle into your seat and buckle up. todd closes the door and goes back to the drivers seat.

you give him directions to the dress and suit shop and the thirty minute drive is mostly quiet, until about five minutes in.

“are we good to leave after getting the dress and suit?” you ask looking at phone for updates on anything to do with the wedding.

he nods, “yeah i already got a bag in the back next to yours,” he nods.

“okay, i need to give you a run down of my family and how this is going to go this weekend,” you say.

“hit me,”

you turn to face him but take a small moment to take him in. he drives with his left on hand on the wheel and his right arm resting on the center console. his body is leaned ever so slightly towards you and his eyes go from the road to yours a few times.

the sun comes through the windshield, hitting his face perfectly. his stubble shining in it, his brown curls are illuminated. you blink a couple times before continuing.

“uhm my mother will be very… inquisitive. she will ask you any and everything. my father will more than likely just stare at you, he has a real problem with that. my mother wants me to be with just someone and my father believes no one is good enough for me so there’s a lot of differences between them.”

he nods, his brows furrowed in attention.

“okay, my cousin who’s getting married is going to grill you. so we need to make sure you know at least a little bit about me,”

he nods again, “no problem,” he pulls back into a parking space, his right hand on the back of your headrest as he twists to look behind him. you look down, his white t shirt exposes the smallest bit of his tummy, you look away quickly, biting your tongue.

stop it, you tell yourself, stop.

as soon as he stops the truck and puts it into park you open your door, the fresh air resting your mind. you hop out turning back to him, “ready?”

“let’s do it, sweetness,”

you roll your eyes but have a smile and shut the door.

the two of you walk up to the boutique and he open the door for you, you thank him and he follows closely behind you.

todd has money, he’s a president of a frat and has a trust fund. but he’s never been in a place like this. the walls are a cream color and the warm lighting is nice. there’s dresses set up on one side and suits on the other.

“hi! i’m charmaine, what are we looking for today?” a woman with bleach blonde hair was dressed in the hottest pink dress you’d ever seen that matched her nails.

“hi,” you smile, “we are going to a wedding and need a dress and suit,” you tell her, clasping your hands together. you can feel the nerves building up in your body.

“oh goodness how fun!” charmaine exclaims, “what are the colors,” she asks walking towards some dresses.

“navy,” you decide, something to help you blend in to the crowd.

“oh what a lovely color. i’ll show you what we have,” she starts to walk away but you become overwhelmed fast. the dresses everywhere, the lights, the loud music. your thoughts race as you try and think of a dress that would please everyone. you didn’t know if todd like navy- why did you care if he’d like it? he’s the one who-

you close your eyes for a moment and take a deep breath.

a hand touches your lower back, the softness snapping you out of the anxious moment. you feel todd’s breath on your neck. your skin becomes a vast land of goosebumps as your hair stands up on your arms and neck.

you almost shiver form it.

“you okay?” he asks.

you turn your neck to look over and up at him, his eyes are full of genuine concern.

“yeah,” you force a smile, “i’m fine. sorry, i don’t know what happened,” you step away quickly from his touch, the coldness of his absence isn’t very welcoming.

you catch up to charmaine as she shows you different dresses in the color you’ve chosen.

you grab a couple of nice ones and go to the fitting rooms. charmaine starts to drag todd off but you stop them.

“i need his opinion,” you fight through the words. you couldn’t believe you were even saying it. you didn’t need to convince this worker you two were dating.

half of you did want to know what he thought.

she smiles and nods, “of course, let me know when you’re ready for the suits,”

you thank her and todd takes a seat, his legs spreading as he does. his lays his hands on his thighs with a sigh, not a bored one. it was more of sigh of relief like he couldn’t imagine not being with you in store like this.

you hang the dresses up in the private room and begin talking again, “another thing, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. you let me know when or if you become uncomfortable and i will shut it all down. i promise,” you look him in his eyes so he knows just how serious you.

“what about you?” he asks.

“what?” you blink at him.

“what if you’re uncomfortable? it sounds like your family makes you pretty uncomfortable sometimes,”

your jaw ticks, “i can handle myself. i can handle my family and others can’t. i don’t expect you to be able to handle them,”

his arms cross across his chest, “im the president of the most popular frat in the university, i think i can handle one of their families,” he tells you with tilt of his head.

“that cocky attitude is going to get you in trouble. i can stand up to family for other people, i’ve learned it’s easier to just take it from them for myself. don’t make me go back on my offer,” you point at him, leaning against the dressing room door frame.

“i can handle myself,” he throws back your first response.

you turn around closing the door and try on the first dress. didn’t like it. you walked out to show todd and it wasn’t his favorite either. he said it looked like you didn’t like and that was his only comment. the second one: you hated it.

the third one was beautiful on the hanger. you step into it and bring the straps over your shoulders. the smooth satin felt nice against your skin, it was form fitting and a shade above navy but you still loved it so far.

you reach back to the zipper on your back, but you can’t reach it. the other two had zippers on the side but this one… you’d need help.

you whisper a small prayer asking for your arms to grow longer or the ability to zip but it didn’t happen. you sigh in frustration and open the door, cracking it slightly in case anyone else was in the boutique.

“i need your help,”

todd was on his feet the second he heard “need”. he walks over, his body filling the small crack you made.

“i need you to zip this up for me,” you say turning around to face the mirror, you move your hair to side, holding it there.

you hear the door open to the building and laughing, a big group surely coming in. you didn’t want anyone to see you half naked, you already hated that todd was.

“come on,” you shimmy in forget to the room, but todd just stands there, “come on,” you repeat, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the room. the door closes behind him.

“it’s okay, we’re adults. i just need you to zip this up, please,” you ask in a quiet voice.

his finger find the zipper and pulls it up. the warmth of his hands radiating off of him onto your cold back. one hand stayed at the bottom of the zipper just above your ass as he pulled up with his other hand.

his hands then reach up, taking your hair. his eyes catch yours in the mirror and neither of you look away. he takes your hair and pulls it back, it falls down your back. he moves some pieces from your shoulder.

his hands linger on your shoulders, his eyes never leaving yours. you stomach twists and knots in anticipation. what’s his next move? what’s your next move?

his hands ghost down your arms, they land at your wrists and he wraps his hands around them, pulling them up to your stomach and he begins to sway you back and forth to the soft music playing on the speakers.

he moves so he can turn you around.

he looks you up and down, “it’s pretty,”

“i think so too,” your voice is barely above a whisper, too nervous about what’s about to happen.

“the necklace you wear sometimes. the one small gold chain? it would look nice with this dress,” he tells you, his voice matches your volume. is he nervous too? does want to kiss you as much as you want him to?

“yeah,” you nod, “it would look good.”

“you look good,” he tells you after a beat.

a pink blush rushed across your cheeks. your ears heating up at the moment you two are sharing.

his eyes flutter close and you follow quickly, going to your toes. you can feel his breath on your face, his lips ghosting yours, he stops.

“see?” he says, you open your eyes to see him looking at you, “i can play the part,”

he drops your hands, reaching back and pulling the zipper down with one hand and turns walking out of the dressing room.

what the fuck was that?

the door closes, bringing you back to reality. you were about to kiss todd stevens and he did that?

fuck this guy and this situation.

you change back into your normal clothing and exit the room, passing the dick standing near the suits and straight to charmaine at the desk.

“i’ve decided on this one. so just this and whatever suit he needs,” you force a perfect friendly smile.

charmaine looks at you confused, “oh dear, he’s already paid for the dress and his suit,”

you turn around to look at him, he pays you no mind as he looks through the navy suits. you force all your emotions down. you wipe away what just happened for a moment.

“alright, thanks charmaine. we’ll get his suit and be on our way,”

she nods with a polite smile, if she could feel the tension on the room she wasn’t showing it.

you pick up the dress, now wrapped in plastic and walk to todd, “find anything?” you ask in an even tone.

“yeah, i already know my size. you ready to go?” he asks turning around, holding a suit wrapped in plastic.

you don’t respond as you walk out to his truck. you don’t give him the light of day just like you should’ve been doing before. you open your own door and climb up and slam it shut, folding the dress in your lap.

he opens your door, “let me see the dress,” he says reaching out a hand, “don’t want it wrinkling,” you don’t look at him as you hand over the dress.

he opens the back seat doors and hang the dress and suit on the small hook and lay them out on the seats. once he’s done, he closes the door and goes to drivers seat.

he sits there for a moment, waiting to see if you’d say anything.

he starts the truck, putting it in drive and pulling out of the space. he drives for about ten minutes before pulling into a restaurant.

“what are we doing here?” you finally break.

“told you i’d take you out to lunch,” he shrugs opening his door.

“oh fuck that todd,” you exclaim at him, he closes the door sitting back in his seat. his expression confused.

“what the fuck did you just pull in the fitting room?” you ask loudly, your tone showing just how much you cared about the whole interaction.

“just showing you that i can make it look real. your family won’t be able to tell, it seemed like i had to convince you as well,” he shrugs. his eyes stay looking out the windshield or at his hands. he won’t meet yours.

he won’t look at you as he admits he just did to prove a stupid point. a point that you didn’t even doubt. it feels like he did it to piss you off.

“you couldn’t keep your eyes off of me this morning but now you can’t even look at me,” you scoff, opening your door and hoping out. you shut the door and walk over to his opening it for him.

“i’m paying,” your tone cold.

you walk away, and hear him get out himself. he shuts the door and the truck beeps signaling it’s locked. you walk to restaurant and holds the door for him. he grabs it by the top and you slip in under his arm.

the waitress sits the two of you and you eat in silence. he asks you about your classes, you ask him about tom and completely ignore whatever happened in the truck.

this drive was going to be long.

an hour in to the nine hour drive you speak up, “thank you for doing this,”

“no problem,” he says, eyes trained on the road in front of him.

“why did you?” you ask looking over to him.

“helping out a brother,” he shrugs, eyes still forward.

“you don’t look at person when you lie,” you mutter.

“okay that has to stop,” he says, now his eyes going from the road to you, “stop reading me like that, like you know me,”

“i do know you todd. you’re the fraternity president that even just fawns over and loves. you don’t do anything unless you’re getting something out of it. you aren’t a nice guy, i’ve heard plenty of stories to back it up too. i don’t know why you’re doing this for me but it’s feeling like a mistake. you say it’s to help tom out and if that’s true that’s great, thank you but don’t expect me to fall at your feet that everyone else does,”

that shuts him up.

your words were harsh and loud. you regretted some of them when they came out. you half expected him to turn the truck around or tell you to get out of his truck but he didn’t. he gripped the steering wheel and sped up a couple of miles.

your fear of… something was taking over you in the moment. the fear that he’d back out? that he didn’t like you? that you liked him?

you let the words hang in the air, “sorry,”

“it’s alright. you think you know me, you know the stories of me. not me,”

“i know i have no right to say this after what i just said but: will you tell me?”

“hm?” he hums confused.

“tell me then. tell me who you are,”

he takes breath and let sit out slowly, “i am the president of a frat, ill give you that but that my identity. i happen to be very smart and i would like to think im kind. i try help those guys be more kind but im doin a shit job,”

he pauses looking for more answers, “i like the color navy, it probably my favorite color. i like chicken and working out sometimes. it helps get my mind off of things.”

“did you know you scratch the bottom of your chin with your thumb when you’re concentrating, sometimes you pick at your stubble too,” you tell him a smile growing on your face.

he looks over, “see you know more about me than i do,”

“i’m sorry again, i shouldn’t have said all that,”

“it’s alright,” his hand reaches over and grips your lower thigh, he turns his head to look at you, “i forgive you,” with a slight squeeze his take back his hand back to the center console.

the next few hours were you two talking about anything. from his childhood stories to yours. from your freshmen years fuck ups to yours. from your weird teenage years to his.

you learn a lot about the man who has volunteered to be hassled by your family for a day.

you find yourself leaned against over the center console, starring at him as he speaks with a glint in your eye. his smile grows when he looks down at you then back to the road.

you made fun of how big his hand was, pulling it from the console and comparing it to your own hand. his interlocks your fingers and you don’t move.

the last two hours were you were sleeping against the passenger side window. he hits pot hole on the road that stirs you awake, before you fully sit up your eyes open and see you’re still holding his hand.

you try your best to play it off, yawning and pulling that hand to your mouth.

“well good evening,” he says.

you look out the window to see the sun setting. you shouldn’t have slept that long but road trips are tiring and you couldn’t help yourself.

“sorry for the bump,” he apologizes, “tried to miss it,”

“it’s alright. how much longer we got?” you ask turning the radio up slightly.

“about twenty minutes to the hotel. is it the same one your family’s at?” he asks, looking to his phone for direction then back to the road.

you shake your head, “god no. the venue is a few miles away and we’re at the second closest hotel. i couldn’t stand to be in the same building as them as i slept too,”

he chuckles and nods, “fair enough,”

twenty minutes later he pulls into the hotel and parks. he gets out quick, rounding his truck and offering you a hand. you take it.

“thank you,”

he nods, “yes ma’am,” he opens the back grabbing your bag and his.

“i’ll get the dress and suit,” you take the two items and follow behind him to the front desk of the hotel.

the receptionist greets the two of you with a smile, “hi! what can i help yall with?”

“uhm we have a room, under the name…” you tell them your last name.

“ah yes,” she says clicking a few times on the keyboard, “here you go. room four-twenty-six.

you take the two room keys from her, “thank you,”

you walk off, todd following behind you. you step into the elevator and he hits the fourth level button and you ride in a comfortable silence.

the doors open and you walk down the hallway and you reach your room, you swipe the card and open the door for todd. he sticks out his foot and holds it open and lets you go in first. you roll your eyes with smile as you walk in.

you hang the dress suit on the bathroom door and then meet todd at the bed.

singular bed.

“oh my god, this was supposed to be a two bed room,” you say in horror. you look around for your phone, taking your bag from todd’s hand and search for your phone. you look through your emails for the confirmation email and when you find it you realize you did indeed book a one bed room.

“shit, i am so sorry,” you rub your temples, “i thought i’d be coming alone,”

“its okay. i can sleep on the floor with a couple of p-“

“what? no im not making you sleep on the ground. we’re both adults, alright? we can sleep in the same bed.” you say honestly.

“you sure?”

you nod, “yeah, everything will be fine. tomorrow will go by quickly and we’ll be back home on sunday and everything will be fine. my parents aren’t going to make a big deal out of anything i do, tiffany won’t make fun of me for anything and my mother will still love me after this weekend,”

the anxious tears begin to well up in your eyes. when todd sees this he doesn’t hesitate. he pulls you into his chest.

“hey, it’s gonna be okay. i’ll be there the whole time and im great at talking to be people, it’s kind of my job,”

you chuckle against his chest, thanking him for the effort of making you laugh. you wrap your arms around him and let him hold you for a moment.

you enjoy his warmth. you enjoy the sound of his heart beat. you enjoy the steadiness of his breathing. it calms you for a moment, he makes you forget about the big day tomorrow and how poorly it could go.

he’s here and that’s all you need.

the thought caught you off guard and you find yourself pulling away from him. you give an excuse about needing to use the bathroom, as you walk away his hand follows down your arm to your wrist to your hand and your fingers.

you flex your hand at the memory of his hand in yours.

you close the door to the bathroom and start the shower. the hot water couldn’t replace the warmth of his skin, no matter how hot the water it couldn’t compare to him.

half you wished he’d knock on the door and ask to join you. your mind wonders to how his hands would feel on you. your chest, your core. his fingers gliding through you as your head falls back and his lips leave marks on your neck.

your hand journeys down to your thighs, ghosting over your mound. your head lolling to side so the warm water hits your neck.

your finger slips into you, the thought of his finger replaces yours. your hand massaging your breast as you imagine his hands on you.

there’s a knock at the bathroom door, interrupting your fantasy. you pull your finger out and straighten up in the shower, clearing your throat, “yeah?”

“you doin okay? you been in there a while,”

“yeah yeah, i’m good. i’ll be out soon,” you plant a hand on your forehead, lightly rubbing against it.

what was wrong with you? a few hours ago you were grilling him and now you wanted him to what? fuck you?

yeah, you did.

you wash your face and finally step out of the shower. you realize you left your clothes out in your bag, you open the door to shout for todd but you look down and you have clothes sitting on the ground, folded neatly.

you pick them up and bring them inside the bathroom. you put on the fresh clothes and walk out of the bathroom, seeing todd laid on the bed, one hand behind his head showing off his biceps as he flips through channels on the tv.

“thanks for setting out my clothes,”

“yeah, no problem,” he smiles looking over to you. his eyes linger on your bare thighs before he sits up, “guess it’s my turn,”

you nod, pursing your lips, “yeah, okay. i’ll find us a movie or something to watch. i’ll order room service too,”

he thanks you as he gathers his own clothes and goes to the bathroom. you lay on the bed where he was, sinking into the mattress.

you flip through channels as you wait for him to shower.

as you flip you begin to hear grunts form the shower. a groan or two, you turn down the tv volume to listen closer.

your name is said in a moan.

you bite your lip trying to hide a smile.

he was touching himself to the thought of you. your hand floats back down to your core. you bends your legs, giving yourself more access.

your fingers drag themselves through your folds and your slick coats you and your fingers. you give focus on your clit and immediately feel a shiver run through you.

you hear your name again, you whisper his as you move faster. you head tilts back and you close your eyes, taking in the feeling. the more you hear your name the faster you go.

soon you’ve already hit your climax and breathing hard. you can tell he did too. you take your hand out and throw a blanket over you. you remember to order room service and a few minutes later he comes out of the bathroom.

he has his boxers and a t shirt on and sits on the bed next to you.

“find a movie?”

you shake your head, “nope. nothing good on,”

you two end up talking for an hour until the room service comes. todd gets the door and helps bring everything. he thanks the worker and shuts the door.

he rubs his hands together, “so what’d you get?”

you open the tip of the plate to reveal his meal.

“chicken and mashed potatoes for you, and chicken parmesan for me,” you smile.

he smiles, looking over to you, “chicken?”

you shrug, “you said it was your favorite,”

“thank you,” he says, he looks at you like he might reach out and touch but he decides against it.

you two eat and end up in bed at midnight.

you wake up to a nice smell. a cedar smell that brings smile to your face. you’re not sure what it is, couldn’t be perfume or the scent of the pillows.

maybe aftershave.

aftershave.

you open your eyes and realize you head is on todd’s chest. his arms draped around your waist. you think you’re supposed to pull away. you know you’re supposed to but here you, your arms locking around him a little more.

as you shift, so does he. you close your eyes quickly, his arms pull you close as he hums against you.

todd’s eyes blink open, your shampoo is the first thing he smells. a mix of different fragrances and it bring a small smile to to his face. he looks down and see you there, head on his chest, arms around him. he can feel your legs wrapped in his.

he sighs into you, the smile growing.

he doesn’t know how he’s going to do this. he thought the dressing room incident would help the feelings he has towards you. make you hate him and it’d be easier to walk away from you after today. it wasn’t working.

he thought of you in the shower last night and he heard you saying his name at the same time. there was something between the two of you but you told him not to fall in love with you. he did that before you had said that to him though.

you decide to pull away first. his closes his eyes, making it seem like he’s asleep. he lets you go and yo hair up in the bed. you rub your temples and stand, going to the bathroom to get ready.

a few minutes later, todd sits up and orders breakfast for the two of you. waffles and fruit.

the next few hours are silent between the two of you. after breakfast you speak up thank him him for breakfast and telling him your going to get ready for the wedding.

you had a few hours before it started and needed to do all the things. your makeup, hair and putting the dress on.

you lean against the bathroom counter as you fix your hair into a simple style and begin to apply your makeup.

todd slips into the bathroom.

“do you mind?” he asks lowly.

you shake your head, “no, not all,”

he uses the other sink next to you to brush his teeth and get ready himself.

you apply eyeliner and mascara and set it with some spray.

“i’ll need your help with the dress again,” you murmur, remembering what happened the last time you asked him to zip up the dress.

he nods, turning away from you so you can strip out of your bed clothes and into the dress. you step into the dress, standing in front of the mirror.

todd catches the smallest sight of you in the mirror, not on purpose, there were lots of mirrors in this bathroom.

your long legs stepping into the dress, how the dress fell against your chest. it made his heart race and his pants tight.

“alright, you’re good,”

he turns around and clears his throat, he walks behind you and takes the zipper in one hand and his other resting at the base of your spine like yesterday.

he pulls the zipper up and looks at you in the mirror.

“you look beautiful,”

you smile and look to the ground, “thanks, but you don’t have to say that,”

his fingers hook under your chin pulling your head back up to look at him in the mirror, “did i look away from you?”

you shake your head, “no,”

“then i guess i wasn’t lying,”

your stare holds his and you think you might just turn around and beg him to take you on the bathroom but instead you grab his tie that was resting on the counter and wrap it around his neck.

“now it’s my turn to help you,” you tie the tie around his neck and pull it up to his throat. your fingers brush his throat and his adam’s apple bobs. you avoid his gaze that stays locked on you.

“thank you,” he says, you smile and begin to walk away but he grabs your wrist pulling you back.

you come back to your spot in front of him and he pins you between himself and the counter behind you. you can feel his tightness.

his hand goes to your jaw, some finger som your neck and his thumb on your cheek.

“i don’t think i can keep doing this,” he tells you, his thumb ghosting over your lips.

“doing what?” you ask, your eyes never leaving his.

“you know what,” he says. you stick your tongue slightly out, his thumb going against the tip of it.

“when we get back,” you tell him, “just help me get through this night,”

he nods, stepping back, “i’m sorry,”

“no no, hey,” you pull him back to you, “don’t apologize. we’ll talk about when we get back yeah?”

he rubs his jaw and scratches the back of his neck, “yeah,” he walks out of the bathroom.

his absence too great to bare.

he walks you to his truck, opening the door for you and drives the two of you to the venue of the wedding.

it’s already started and you stand in the back as the vows wrap up. you wish part of you felt bad for missing most of the ceremony but you couldn’t find the empathy.

todd’s arm is around you, hand resting on the side of your hip and thigh. his comfort being the only thing keeping you from collapsing form anxiety.

it wraps up and you make sure to make yourself and todd blend in the crowd. you make it to the reception.

you mother and father spot you at the back of the room.

“my darling girl, how are you,” yo step away from todd and regret it, you hug your mother and father only to step back into todd’s side.

“i’m well,” you smile, “school is good,” you nod.

“and who is this?” your mother raises her brows.

“this is todd stevens,” you say turning into him and placing a hand on his chest.

“nice to meet you todd,” your mother pulls him into a hug.

“you’re the president of the frat our son is in,” your father questions him but it sounds more like a statement.

todd nods, “yes sir. your son has been a great addition to the house and brotherhood,”

“so has our money,” your father comments.

you reach your arm around his taking his opposite hand and put your hand into todd’s and squeeze it, an apologizing squeeze.

“and we thank you for your donations,” he ignores the jab, throwing one back. at least he can keep up with them.

“sweetie this dress looks bigger than the size you normally wear,” your mother tilts her head.

“i am a woman mom, my weight with fluctuate.” you sarcastically smile at her.

“well you could lose a few,” she says, bringing a glass of champagne to her lips.

todd’s hand that rests on your hip kneads at it and moves to your lower back, “do you want to dance?” he asks, trying to diffuse the tension.

“i’d love to, if you’d excuse us,” you say to your parents and pull todd towards the dance floor. but your luck runs out quick as your cousin stops you.

she says your name with excitement, “i’m so glad you could make it,” she exclaims.

“me too tiff, you look amazing. i’m so happy for you,” you smile stepping forward to hug her,

only to step back into todd. his hand immediately returns to your side.

“and who is this?”

“this is todd, he’s my…”

“boyfriend,” todd speaks up, “we’ve been together for a few months,”

“well you chose a very cute one. that dress is killer on you,” she tells you, “she’s a hard one to keep up with,” she tells todd, “lots of… issues with this one,”

“she’s perfect to me,”

“you’ll see through it soon enough,”

you watch todd’s jaw tick and his eyes harden, “we’re going to dance,” you break the tension.

tiff nods and tells you to go.

you pull todd to the dance floor. your arms around his neck, and his around your waist.

“i’m sorry about them,”

“why did you want to come again?” he asks you.

you shrug, “it’s my cousins wedding and i haven’t seen my parents in a while. i thought… i think every time that they’ve changed just a little bit but i’m always wrong. i’m sorry i dragged you to this.”

“it alright, glad i was here,”

you lay your head against his chest, “me too,”

you sway back and forth, his chin resting on your head.

after a moment he pinches you side and squirm away, “ticklish are we?” he asks smiling down at you.

“don’t start something can’t finish,”

needless to say you ditch the rest of the wedding. you irish goodbye and you take him to the truck and he drives you two back to the hotel. he sped the whole way, you smiled through the ride knowing what was about to happen.

you reach your hotel door and when it closes, he’s grabbing you by the waist and pushing against the door. his lips on your neck and your hands in his hair.

he trials his lips up your neck to your jaw the to your lips.

you moan into his mouth and open your mouth so his tongue can slip in. you think he’d swallow you up if he could.

“mmm,” you him, “todd,” he hums against you, “todd,”

he pulls back, “what?”

“i told you…”

he steps back, pinching the bridge of his nose, “do you want the truth,” he asks, he doesn’t wait for your answer.

“i have been in love you since the first project we did together. since i saw you help your brother move in to the house. i see you class and watch your little mannerisms. the way you squint when you catch a mistake on a paper. they way you head tilts to the right side when you don’t really understand what’s going on. you have such a big heart and i want to experience it. i want it. i want you. and i don’t know why you’re so hesitant to let me in. you know me now, i let you. let me use my lit degree. you are my favorite poem. one i want to read forever.”

he pauses, “and neither the laughter in heaven above, now the demons down under the sea, can ever dissever my soul for the soul of the beautiful…” he replaces the famous name of the poem with your own.

“todd… i’m scared. not of you but of the feeling you bring out of me. i haven’t felt these before. you’re the only who can make me feel this. i tried to hate you, but the past two days have been… bliss.”

“ill catch you,” he pleads, “let me show you,”

he reaches out pulling the straps of your dress down.

you nod and he’s on you. his hands pulling your dress zipper down, you let the dress fall, nothing else on you. he steps back taking you in.

“fuck whatever your mom said, your prefect.” you whispers, stepping forward again, his lips on yours. he’s a hungry man and your his first meal.

his hands go under your thighs and he pulls you up. you do a little hip and wrap your legs around his waist. he carries you over the bed and when your back his the bed you unhook your legs as he undoes his belt and pulls his pants and boxers down.

you grab onto his tie and pull him down to your lips. he trails his mouth down to your collar bone, leaving small marks. he wants everyone to know who’s you are now.

his hand hooks under your leg, pulling it up slightly to wrap around his waist. your hands begin to unbutton the the shirt he wear but you find trouble. he stand quickly, ripping the tie off and ripping open the shirt. the buttons pop off and you laugh lightly at his urgency. his mouth shouts you up.

he can’t wait. he lines himself up with you and pushes in slowly.

“oh fuck todd,” you exclaim. he stretches you out slowly, sinking into you just as slowly.

you moan against his lips as he drowns out your moans.

he sinks lower, his own moans going into your mouth, “god you feel good sweetness, bet you taste just as good too,”

“find out,” you tell him. you look at each other and he raises his brows. he pulls out of you, you whine form his absence.

he falls to his knees, grabbing your hips and pulling you down towards him. his kisses down your thighs and at your entrance.

“stop teasin toddy,”

he groans against you as he inhales your scent, “fuck,” he groans and then he’s quick to lick you.

you’re already soaked and it doesn’t take much to push you to your climax. a few swipes of his tongue, his fucks you with his tongue, his nose nudging your clit in a perfect rhythm. you good his face against you as you cum.

a shout leaving your lips as he fucks you through it. his arm laying across your stomach, keeping you down as your hips try to pluck up into his face.

then he’s up at your face again, “you do in fact taste just a good,”

there’s now break before he bottoms out in your.

“too big,” you whine.

“you’re alright baby, you’re doing so good. look at me,” he tells you.

you open your eyes and see him looking down at you, “there those pretty eyes are. you ready to cum again?” he asks you with a tilted head.

you nod, “yes, please,”

“good job using your words baby,” his hand placing itself on your cheek with a swipe of his thumb across your bottom lip.

his lips meets yours as he begins to move back a forth. his pace is slow and you tell him as much. he takes that as an invitation to speed up.

he slams into you a couple of times. back and forth of nothing but pure bliss.

“todd im gonna-“

“hold it, come with me,”

he goes a few more times, his hand moving to your clit and rubbing. you clench around him and he close.

“okay, ready baby?”

you nod fervently.

“ come on,”

you both finish together. his pace slows as you both come. it’s a sweet, slow movement that helps you stay on the high for a while. he collapses beside you for a moment before rolling over and kissing you.

“nice job baby,” he tells you. you’re blissed out, head spinning and dizzy.

he laugh lightly and stands, he walks to the bathroom, running water over a wash cloth and coming back to clean you up.

he wishes you down, and places his t shirts over you. you slips his boxers on and slides in next to you.

he pulls you close to him, your body pressed against his. he kisses your neck.

“thanks for coming with me,” you mean it in more ways than one.

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