Honey, I Love Your Love the Most
Two.
Moments later I hear commotion and see everyone start taking off towards random trucks. I know exactly what that means. Even though we live in such a small town where everyone knows everyone, cops are still cops and they don't go easy on any of us just because they know us. A lot of the people that are here tonight are underage and that can get all of us that are over 21 in more trouble than I'd like to be in.
"I need to get back to my friends." Savannah says with worry in her voice as she jumps down from the tailgate and starts to head back to where she came from which would be right where the cops are headed. I run around to the passenger side and grab her arm as I see the red and blue lights start to appear through the trees.
"Bad idea. Get in. I'll take you to wherever they are once we get out of here." I help her up into the passenger seat with a little convincing and run around to the drivers seat and jump in. The engine roars to life as I push the clutch in and shift into first and turn the wheel sharp to head in the opposite direction of the fire through the woods on the other side of the clearing. "Are all of your friends over 21?"
"Most of them. Maggie is only 20 though. And she was drinking the most."
"Well hopefully they got out in time." I steer my truck along the narrow paths through the woods, dodging trees and other debris. I've driven through these woods so many times I could do it in my sleep now. The trees slowly start to thin out and we come to a dirt road just outside of town. I drive up the side ditch and onto the road and head towards the few distant street lights ahead. We get back into town and I see most of the trucks that had been out at the fire driving around town, street racing and fooling around now that they know the cops are outside the town limits for the time being.
I see Brody's truck in the parking lot of the gas station and I pull up beside him. The cab and the bed of his truck are full of people, a few of which are Savannah's friends. Savannah hops out of my truck and steps up on the running boards and leans in the passenger side of Brody's truck through the open window.
"I'm glad you guys are okay." I hear her say to them. There is genuine relief in her voice and at that point I realize I judged her wrong. She's not like all of her friends who are judgmental and self righteous and think they are God's gift to men.
"Did you get some?" one of the girls in the backseat asks her and all of the girls start laughing. Savannah steps down and turns to me.
"Cody will be so proud!" one of the other girls shouts at her. The look on her face tells me her feelings are hurt and I can pick up a hint when it's thrown my way.
"Need a ride home?" I ask her as I lean out my window. She responds by making her way back over to the passenger side and hopping in. Her friends yell apologies at her the whole time but she ignores them. I back out and head back to the main road. I look at the clock on the dash and it says 1:37 am. "Just tell me where to go."
"Do you have anywhere else to be?" she asks and I give her a confused look as I shake my head no. "Turn left up here." I do as she says and end up on a road I know all too well. "And when you get to the old tire swing tied to the tree on the left-"
"Turn right. I know exactly where you're wanting to go." her head turns in my direction and there's a slight smirk playing on her lips. When I turn right the road narrows into nothing more than a trail my truck can barely fit through and drops off to a pretty steep slope. You wouldn't even know the trail was here if you hadn't been here before. I'd be worried about not fitting through the trees if I hadn't been down here more times than I can count.
"How have I never seen you down here?" she asks and I shrug my shoulders as I turn the wheel to dodge a fallen tree. The slope starts leveling out and I know now's the time to put it in park and ditch the truck. The terrain changes to sand and I'm not in the mood to get my truck stuck tonight. I hop down and make my way to the passenger side where I see her taking her cowboy boots off.
"They make me sink in the sand." I help her down and we make our way down to the edge of the pond. It's small, nothing to get too excited about but it's the peacefulness that I come for. The fact that no one else really likes to come here because the fishing isn't that great and it's not big enough for boats or anything exciting makes it that much better. Savannah makes her way to the edge of the water and sits in the sand.
"I use to come down here all the time when I was in high school. My mom and I would get into a fight over her drinking and I'd sit down here just like this for hours, watching the water and the sun set." I can tell she's rambling and I don't know if it's because of the alcohol or the fact that she is somewhere she feels comfortable. She turns back to look at me over her shoulder and motions for me to sit beside her. "Why did you come here?" I sigh and think about my answer.
"Same reasons, really. Dad and I would have it out and I'd come down here and play my heart out until it was so dark I couldn't see my guitar strings anymore."
"I can't believe we never ran into each other."
"It's probably a good thing that we didn't."
"Why do you say that?"
"After one of the fights between you and your mom, would you really have wanted to run into some random guy in the one place you felt the most at peace? Would you have wanted to know someone was using your place for the same things?"
"I guess you're right. Probably not." her gaze moves back out towards the water where it had been moments earlier. She licks her lips and brushes the hair out of her face and behind her ear. It takes most of my self control not to reach up and brush the remaining strand away from the skin of her cheek. "Play for me." she says and knocks me out of my trance.
"What do you want to hear?"
"Anything. But it can only be stuff you've written yourself." I roll my eyes in mock annoyance and she laughs.
"So picky." I stand up and walk back the little ways to my truck and take my guitar out of the case in the bed. When I get back she's standing up and dipping her toes in the water. I watch her for a second before she turns and catches me. Her smile is mischievous and I can't help but wonder how I ended up here tonight. I had no big plans to meet anyone. I was just going to a bonfire with a bunch of the guys. I planned on drinking some beer and passing out in the bed of my truck. I never expected to be here in this spot with this girl.
"What are you waiting on! Play!" Savannah encourages as she comes back over to me and sits down. I sit beside her and slowly start to strum a few chords. "Remember, only stuff you've written. So I don't want to recognize anything."
"Trust me. You won't."
"I need to get back to my friends." Savannah says with worry in her voice as she jumps down from the tailgate and starts to head back to where she came from which would be right where the cops are headed. I run around to the passenger side and grab her arm as I see the red and blue lights start to appear through the trees.
"Bad idea. Get in. I'll take you to wherever they are once we get out of here." I help her up into the passenger seat with a little convincing and run around to the drivers seat and jump in. The engine roars to life as I push the clutch in and shift into first and turn the wheel sharp to head in the opposite direction of the fire through the woods on the other side of the clearing. "Are all of your friends over 21?"
"Most of them. Maggie is only 20 though. And she was drinking the most."
"Well hopefully they got out in time." I steer my truck along the narrow paths through the woods, dodging trees and other debris. I've driven through these woods so many times I could do it in my sleep now. The trees slowly start to thin out and we come to a dirt road just outside of town. I drive up the side ditch and onto the road and head towards the few distant street lights ahead. We get back into town and I see most of the trucks that had been out at the fire driving around town, street racing and fooling around now that they know the cops are outside the town limits for the time being.
I see Brody's truck in the parking lot of the gas station and I pull up beside him. The cab and the bed of his truck are full of people, a few of which are Savannah's friends. Savannah hops out of my truck and steps up on the running boards and leans in the passenger side of Brody's truck through the open window.
"I'm glad you guys are okay." I hear her say to them. There is genuine relief in her voice and at that point I realize I judged her wrong. She's not like all of her friends who are judgmental and self righteous and think they are God's gift to men.
"Did you get some?" one of the girls in the backseat asks her and all of the girls start laughing. Savannah steps down and turns to me.
"Cody will be so proud!" one of the other girls shouts at her. The look on her face tells me her feelings are hurt and I can pick up a hint when it's thrown my way.
"Need a ride home?" I ask her as I lean out my window. She responds by making her way back over to the passenger side and hopping in. Her friends yell apologies at her the whole time but she ignores them. I back out and head back to the main road. I look at the clock on the dash and it says 1:37 am. "Just tell me where to go."
"Do you have anywhere else to be?" she asks and I give her a confused look as I shake my head no. "Turn left up here." I do as she says and end up on a road I know all too well. "And when you get to the old tire swing tied to the tree on the left-"
"Turn right. I know exactly where you're wanting to go." her head turns in my direction and there's a slight smirk playing on her lips. When I turn right the road narrows into nothing more than a trail my truck can barely fit through and drops off to a pretty steep slope. You wouldn't even know the trail was here if you hadn't been here before. I'd be worried about not fitting through the trees if I hadn't been down here more times than I can count.
"How have I never seen you down here?" she asks and I shrug my shoulders as I turn the wheel to dodge a fallen tree. The slope starts leveling out and I know now's the time to put it in park and ditch the truck. The terrain changes to sand and I'm not in the mood to get my truck stuck tonight. I hop down and make my way to the passenger side where I see her taking her cowboy boots off.
"They make me sink in the sand." I help her down and we make our way down to the edge of the pond. It's small, nothing to get too excited about but it's the peacefulness that I come for. The fact that no one else really likes to come here because the fishing isn't that great and it's not big enough for boats or anything exciting makes it that much better. Savannah makes her way to the edge of the water and sits in the sand.
"I use to come down here all the time when I was in high school. My mom and I would get into a fight over her drinking and I'd sit down here just like this for hours, watching the water and the sun set." I can tell she's rambling and I don't know if it's because of the alcohol or the fact that she is somewhere she feels comfortable. She turns back to look at me over her shoulder and motions for me to sit beside her. "Why did you come here?" I sigh and think about my answer.
"Same reasons, really. Dad and I would have it out and I'd come down here and play my heart out until it was so dark I couldn't see my guitar strings anymore."
"I can't believe we never ran into each other."
"It's probably a good thing that we didn't."
"Why do you say that?"
"After one of the fights between you and your mom, would you really have wanted to run into some random guy in the one place you felt the most at peace? Would you have wanted to know someone was using your place for the same things?"
"I guess you're right. Probably not." her gaze moves back out towards the water where it had been moments earlier. She licks her lips and brushes the hair out of her face and behind her ear. It takes most of my self control not to reach up and brush the remaining strand away from the skin of her cheek. "Play for me." she says and knocks me out of my trance.
"What do you want to hear?"
"Anything. But it can only be stuff you've written yourself." I roll my eyes in mock annoyance and she laughs.
"So picky." I stand up and walk back the little ways to my truck and take my guitar out of the case in the bed. When I get back she's standing up and dipping her toes in the water. I watch her for a second before she turns and catches me. Her smile is mischievous and I can't help but wonder how I ended up here tonight. I had no big plans to meet anyone. I was just going to a bonfire with a bunch of the guys. I planned on drinking some beer and passing out in the bed of my truck. I never expected to be here in this spot with this girl.
"What are you waiting on! Play!" Savannah encourages as she comes back over to me and sits down. I sit beside her and slowly start to strum a few chords. "Remember, only stuff you've written. So I don't want to recognize anything."
"Trust me. You won't."
♠ ♠ ♠
:))))