You Can Break Everything I Am, Like I'm Made of Glass

“I’m sorry, Mitch. That was uncalled for…” Forrest mumbled.

He looked towards his horse, and I knew he was deciding whether or not to leave. To make things less awkward, I went along with it.

“No you’re fine. I should be cookin’ dinner about now anyways.” I replied, gathering my reins to mount up.

Ace was more than ready to leave, and pranced in place while I got on. I had to back him up a few feet to keep his attention on me, and then proceeded to fall in behind Forrest as we left the shade of the willow tree. Orange and pink highlighted the sky as the sun began to fall beneath the forest line.
The ride home was silent. I relaxed in my saddle as Forrest rode ahead of me. What just happened? Forrest actually made a move! I didn’t know what to do now, or even how to act…
We finally arrived at the Bondurant home and dismounted our horses before leading them into the barn. Forrest reached back to take Ace’s reins from me.

“You go on inside and get cleaned up for dinner, I’ll bed ‘em down.” He told me.

Reluctantly, I dropped the leather straps in his hand and left the chilly night air for the warm smokiness of the house. I need some alone time to clear my head, and I’m sure Forrest did too. I showered quickly and was in a new dress, preparing the stove by the time he got inside.

I turned around to grab some spices from the cabinet and gasped when I saw Forrest. He sat at the kitchen table with his pant leg rolled up. There was a large gash on his shin, and he was bleeding all over the floor.

“What happened?!” I cried, rushing to soak a rag with warm water.

“Your Hercules horse kicked me when I tried to pick his feet. It’s just a scratch, don’t bother.” He told me.

I huffed at him, and smacked his hand away so I could cover the cut with the rag. I pressed gently on it to stop the bleeding; occasionally watching for his reaction to see if I was hurting him. His face was hard and expressionless, which was difficult for me to read.

“Does it hurt?” I asked.

“Nope.” He grunted.

I shook my head and reached for a dry rag on the sink, replacing the bloody one. Then, Jack walked through the front door and stopped to look at us.

“Gosh dang Forrest, you try to get fresh with Mitch or something?” he asked humorously.

“No, Ace kicked him.” I replied.

I lifted the rag to look at the cut. It was deep, and would need stitching.

“Jack, will you please find me some fishing line and a needle? I need to sew this up.” I asked him.

He nodded and hung his hat on the coat rack before disappearing down the hall.

“It don’t need to be sewed up, I’m fine.” Forrest said, stubbornly.

He began to stand, but I grabbed his wrist and yanked him back into the chair, giving him a stern look.

“Hush, stay in this damned chair.” I told him, and went to the hall closet for a large towel to soak the blood on the floor.

When I returned, Forrest was still sitting, giving me a dumbfounded look.

“What?” I asked.

“When did you get so bossy?” he asked.

“When you decided to be a tough guy and think you were just gonna walk around bleedin’ all night.” I said while placing the towel on the floor.

Jack returned with a spindle of thin, clear fishing twine and a sewing needle, handing it to me. I worked the twine through the needle hole as Jack sat at the other side of the table to watch.

“You got a strong stomach, lady.” He said with a grin.

I ignored his comment and looked up at Forrest with an expectant frown.

“You ready?”

“Just do it, I aint scared.”

I shrugged, and began to slowly stitch the cut closed, occasionally dabbing at the trickling blood with the rag to keep it clean.

“Pour some ‘Shine on it to stop infection.” Forrest told me.

Jack reached in the freezer for a jar of moonshine and unscrewed it for me. I took it from him and poured it onto the rag, then gently patted the wound, all the while keeping my eyes on Forrest facial expressions. He didn’t even blink, let alone flinch. I was in awe. These Bondurant boys thought they were so invincible. I continued sewing until the cut was closed tightly, and cleaned everything up afterwards.

“Want me to cook since you doctored me up?” Forrest asked once I began preparing the stove again.

“No, stay in that chair.” I told him firmly.

“Yes ma’am.” He replied sarcastically.

I turned and gave him a playful look. He just winked, and got up to limp out of the room with a smug grin. I sighed loudly and placed the chicken breasts in the pan. Jack wondered over to the stove to have a peek.

“You can cook?” he asked.

“Well of course, I’m a woman.”

He smirked at me.

“No you’re not; you’re a boy trapped in a girl’s body. At least you hit like one…” he said.

I smacked his arm and chuckled.

“The only reason I say that is cuz you got boobs. Otherwise, I’d just call you a boy.” Jack teased, jumping out of my reach.

I turned and gave him a look of disbelief.

“You’re not supposed to be lookin’ at them!” I shouted across the room.

“I can’t help it, I’m a man!” he called back, peeking around the doorway to see if I was going to throw something at him.

“Your brother don’t look, and he’s a man.” I said, gesturing at Forrest who sat in his recliner in front of the TV.

“He looks! I’ve seen him eyeballin’ you when you aint lookin. He’d let you get fresh with him if you wanted to. I think he likes you.” Jack said, giving cautious glances towards his older brother.

“Shut your mouth Jack, you don’t know shit!” Forrest groaned from the living room.

I just stood there, my cheeks getting as red as tomatoes.

“Oh, come on Forrest! You two are gonna end up together someday, I just know it. I see the way you look at her.” Jack said, sitting down in the chair beside Forrest.

I finished the chicken, and set the table before calling the boys in. The two of them washed their hands in the kitchen sink, then sat down on either side of me and began shoveling food onto their plates. I sat patiently, waiting for a response on the food. This was the first time they’d ever tasted my cooking, and I wanted them to be satisfied. Jack was the first to bite into the chicken, and his eyes widened as he chewed eagerly.

“Dang Mitch! This is some good chicken!” he said happily, still chewing.

“Thanks Jack. I told you I could cook.”

Forrest nodded, giving me his approval also. I smiled happily and started to eat, too.

After dinner, Jack offered to wash the dishes for me. So I figured I’d go into my room and read a book before bed. There was no lock on the door, so I took my dress off and replaced it with an oversized button down dress shirt. It just barely covered my bottom, but I wasn’t worried about anybody walking in, it was comfortable. I laid stomach down on my bed, reading an old book my mother had given me before she died.

FORREST’S POV
I felt weird about kissing Mitch earlier, and I decided to go tell her I was sorry. I know she’s not interested in a man like me. I don’t have anything to offer, and she was so beautiful. She deserves someone with a future. I was getting old too; I’m twenty-nine years old. She was twenty-two. Still just a girl, really.

I walked silently down the hall towards her room, ready to knock gently on the old wooden door. Then I noticed a small crack in it, with a hold just big enough to see inside. Curiosity got the better of me, and I pressed my face against the door to peek into Mitch’s room. There she was, lying on her bed reading a book. I could see her underpants; she was wearing a shirt for pajamas and it was a little short.
I tried hard to keep myself together, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen a woman without proper clothes on. I watched as she reached back and pulled the shirt up higher to scratch the small of her back. I gasped slightly, and stepped back quickly when she looked quickly at the door.
I knocked 3 times, and heard her say ‘hang on’. I waited a few minutes, and she finally opened the door. She was still wearing the shirt, but had on a pair of long johns to cover her legs. She smiled up at me, and suddenly I was at a loss for words.

REGULAR POV
Forrest stood in my doorway, giving me his regular nonchalant gaze.

“Yes?” I asked.

He didn’t speak. He just looked at me, scanning my body. Something told me he was peeking through the hole in my door. Yes, I knew it was there. I guess he knew too.
I didn’t expect him to speak; I just grabbed his hand and gently pulled him into my room, shutting the door behind him. I led him to the edge of my bed and instructed him to sit. He did, keeping his eyes on mine while I began to unbutton my shirt. His eyes began to widen, and he cleared his throat softly.

“What are you doin?” he asked calmly.

“Shhh.” I replied, reaching the last button and letting the shirt fall from my shoulders.

My bare chest lay exposed to Forrest, no more than 8 inches from his eyes; level with them. He shot a glance at them, and then looked down at the floor nervously.

“You shy?” I asked with an innocent smile.

He gave me a smirk.

“Naw, it’s just that a lady shouldn’t do all the work.” He said, then grabbed my thighs and pulled me down to straddle his lap.

Involuntary chills ran down my spine when he spoke those words and smiled that smile. I didn’t think Forrest was like that. His hands rested on my hips while his hot breath warmed my neck. He trailed kisses down my collar bone until he stopped, looked up at me with intense blue eyes, then began kissing my breasts.
I let my head fall back as he returned to my neck, sucking gently on my sensitive flesh. A small whimper traveled through my lips as his hands slid up and down my back.
Then suddenly, his arms wrapped around me and he laid me down on the bed, now on top of me; in one swift motion. I reached up and began to unbutton his grey cardigan, eager to see what was beneath it. He helped me remove it, along with his under shirt, and sat there with his olive-tanned chest exposed to me. His abdomen was finely shaped and rock hard with hints of his hip lines rising above his pants. His chest hair surrounded his dark pink nipples and turned into a thin line of hair trailing down his stomach and disappearing beneath the beige corduroys.
He leaned down and pressed his chest against mine as he continued to kiss up and down my neck. I snaked my hands around the back of his neck and played with the baby hairs at his nape.
He pulled his head up to look at me, and then placed his lips on mine in a soft kiss. I kissed back eagerly, feeling the tingle in my uterus as his tongue slipped into my mouth.
The kissing got hotter, and soon he pulled away to remove both of our pants. I pulled the blanket up and slipped underneath it and Forrest followed suit. He immediately got on top of me and resumed our heated kiss.

An hour later, we lay in my sweat dampened bed, tangled in each other and still breathing fast. I didn’t know Forrest Bondurant had all of that in him. I turned slightly, so my back was against his slick chest and our hearts beat in time with each other. He placed his hand on my waist, and stroked his fingers up my side and down the length of my thigh as we collected some energy and our panting quieted. Then Forrest cleared his throat and spoke first.

“I’d like to sleep here tonight, if it’s alright with you. I don’t think my body would let me walk all the way to my room.”

I looked at him with a smirk.

“I don’t think I’d let you leave anyway.” I told him, and closed my eyes to fall asleep.