Minnesota Girl

“Oh Sadiekins! You have work today!” Sheena exclaimed in an overly perky voice, awakening me from my deep slumber. I groaned and turned over to the wall.

“That place is hell on earth. I don’t know how Billie Joe’s mom has made it this long.” I mumbled into my pillow. “Wake me up when you have more promising news.” I added, not wanting to even bother lifting up my head.

I had worked at Rod’s Hickory Pit for a solid week and I already hated it. I hadn’t expected it to be as physically demanding as it is. I would never tell Billie Joe that, but damn it, it had become my own personal hell. Not to mention I was a little rusty. Okay, I was very rusty. I had broken six glasses and at least three plates this week and needless to say I was more than a little chagrined. I was embarrassed at the fact I was that bad and that Billie Joe had been the one to see me do it, almost every time. I wasn’t about to admit it to anybody, but I had been looking at him when he would come by and that was the reason we were now short six glasses and three plates. I couldn’t fucking believe that even the thought of him could send a swarm of butterflies into my stomach and leave a lump in my throat. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t attracted to him, but at the same time, it scared me to even think about liking him. Sheena of course is all for it.

“Sadie, get your ass up and go make yourself pretty.” She beamed happily.

I rolled my eyes in frustration. “It’s Rod’s Hickory Pit, Sheena. I wear a uniform.” I pointed out. She rolled her eyes sarcastically and flopped down on my bed, pulling me to officially wake up.

“Well, I’m sure that Billie Joe would do you anyway.” She giggled to herself.

My eyes widened with surprise. “Sheena!” I gasped, immediately feeling the familiar tent of red on my cheeks.

“What? You know that it's true. Don’t you dare sit there and tell me that you wouldn’t want to jump his bones.” She taunted me. I was cherry red by now and wanting to hide.

“Sheena.” I groaned, clearly not ready to have that kind of conversation.

“Stop.” I finally pleaded. She just shook her head and smirked.

“Don’t be such a baby, Sadie. I speak the truth!” She declared.

I groaned and started to rub the sleep out of my eyes. “Do you have to be so crude?” I complained again.

I knew the answer, but I could never seem to become immune to her references to sex when it involved Billie Joe. For some unknown reason to me, I was very shy at even the thought of it. I really just didn’t understand what was going on with me. How could I like him? How? In the beginning I thought he was a self-absorbed, snot nosed punk that I wanted nothing to do with and now I’m getting all embarrassed and tripping over my damn feet at the mere sight of him? My God, I’ve turned into that awkward chick in high school you always tried not to be. Even just hearing Sheena mention ‘jumping his bones’ made me blush like a school girl. Sheena cackled as she got off my bed.

“Sadie, now I know you are not that big of a prude. At least I hope you’re not.” She said sincerely. I watched as she threw the now all too familiar uniform I was forced to wear on my bed and put her hands on her hips. “Now, get your ass up and quit pretending that you aren’t just a little excited that you might see Billie Joe today. I know you.” She stated bluntly.

I sighed tiredly and slowly pulled myself out of bed and stood up. “Okay, okay geez, no need to go all mom on me.” I said with a wink. I knew Sheena was just trying to help, but she could be a little too bossy at times. What really sucked is that she was right.

“You like him and I know it. If you hated working at the Pit so much you would have already quit, but now you don’t want to upset Billie Joe by doing that so you’re toughing it out. I’m wise to you, Sadie Keaton.” She stated matter-of-factly. “You do like him, don’t you?” My cheeks grew warm and I looked down at my feet.

“I’m afraid that I’ll get hurt again.” I admitted. I knew how pathetic of an excuse that was but, I honestly couldn’t think of anything else to say. I hated when she put me on the spot like this. “I never said that I liked him.” I said while slipping my shirt over my head.

Sheena rolled her eyes in frustration and sighed.

“Are you really going to stand there and tell me that you don’t feel anything for him? For God’s sake Sadie you let him kiss you four times!” She exclaimed loudly. “I refuse to let you pass up on someone as great as Billie Joe just because you’re afraid. She said while making air quotes with her fingers.

I closed my eyes and nodded slowly. Sheena was right, and deep down I knew that everything she was telling me was the truth, but there was still a part of me that was afraid to let someone else in again. Rob had definitely done some damage, but there was something about Billie Joe that made me want to give him a chance. I finished tugging on my pants for work and turned to Sheena. “Are you happy now? I’m dressed.” I said while walking into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Sheena followed me with Tux trailing behind her.

“Yes, I am. I’m not trying to be harsh with you, but you’re an idiot if you think that you and Billie Joe wouldn’t be good together. Have you not seen the way he looks at you? Like, when he really looks at you, there is this sort of gleam in his eyes that only appears when you’re around. It’s really sweet, actually.” She told me.

I continued brushing, but I was listening to every word she said. Sheena sighed and gave me those puppy dog eyes, that she knew would kill me. “Will you please give him a chance?” She begged. “It’ll be worth it.” She added.

I spit into the sink and looked at her. What did I really have to lose? I licked my lips and sighed. “Okay, fine I’ll give him a chance, but no more jokes about ‘jumping his bones’, got it?” Sheena grinned from ear to ear and nodded quickly.

“You got it, but I can’t promise it’ll be easy. Habits are hard to break.” She laughed.

I giggled to myself and wound up taking out my curly brown hair up into a bun before picking Tux up and loving on him.

“Are you going to visit your grandmother today?” Sheena asked as we walked from my room into the kitchen.

I shook my head while sitting Tux in the floor. “Not today, I work late and the nurse keeps telling me that I should space out my visits so that I’m not overwhelmed when her Alzheimer’s progresses.” I explained while tying my shoes. “I guess it’s for my own good.” I admitted. Sheena propped herself up on the kitchen counter and started shuffling through yesterday’s mail.

“Maybe Billie Joe could go with you next time.” She offered.

I shook my head slowly. “No, I don’t want him to have to feel like he has to. He already had to take me to the hospital when all of that shit went down.” I said firmly. “It’s not his problem.”

Sheena shrugged. “Well, you do what you think is best, but don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.” She commanded gently.

I smiled warmly and nodded. “Thanks Sheena.”

As much as Sheena could annoy me, I was grateful to have a friend that cared about me that much. She could be very pushy sometimes, but at the end of the day she was always looking out for me. I left about an hour later and couldn’t help but feel a mixture of excitement and anxiety. There was a part of me that hoped Billie Joe would drop by, but the other part didn’t want to screw something else up with him around. I didn’t tell Sheena, but the other night I walked right into the fucking door while carrying a plate of food because Billie Joe had called my name. It was beyond embarrassing and I don’t think I could have turned a deeper shade of red than I did. I’m honestly surprised that they haven’t fired me because if it were me in charge I totally would have.

When I pulled into the parking lot and started to get out of the car, I didn’t see Billie Joe’s car anywhere. My nerves settled instantly and I finally was able to take a deep breath. Granted, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t show up later, but at least I wouldn’t have to start out my shift with him here. I, unfortunately had to work until closing tonight, so I was preparing myself for a long ass night.

~***~

Nine hours and close to sixty-two orders later I was sitting behind the bar sleeping to my heart’s content. Today had been the longest and busiest shift I had worked so far, and I just fell asleep. I wasn’t sure exactly how long I had been asleep, and it wasn’t until I felt someone shaking me that I woke up. It was dark and for a second I didn’t know exactly who was waking me up. I blinked a couple of times and eventually realized that it was Billie Joe. My eyes weren’t completely adjusted, but I could tell it was him.

“Sadie, you need to wake up.” He whispered.

I scratched my head and tried to adjust my eyes to the darkness around me. “What time is it?” I wondered.

Billie Joe got up and turned on the lamp that sat at the end of the bar, which of course blinded me. “It’s a little after three. Sheena called me and asked where you were and that was about an hour ago.” He answered. I rubbed my eyes and groaned.

“Oh, shit. I didn't mean to fall asleep. How did you know I was here?”

Billie Joe shrugged and sat down next to me with a cigarette in his hand. “Well, for one your car is still here.” He pointed out while taking a drag from the cigarette and blowing the smoke out through his nose. His eyes glanced in my direction and he gave me a small, soft smile. “You’re pretty tired, huh?”

I slowly nodded my head. “I have never seen so many people in my life. Just when I thought it was going to be less hectic, a family with fucking six kids would show up and yours truly would have the pleasure of serving them.” I said while laying my head against his shoulder. I was so tired at this point I didn’t care if it made him uncomfortable or not. He chuckled lightly and patted my head affectionately.

“Poor Sadie.” He cooed as he stubbed his cigarette out on the tile floor and flicked it into the sink in front of us. My eyes grew heavy again and I felt Billie Joe shake me a little.

“Hey, C’mon, don’t fall asleep on me.” He laughed softly.

I stifled a smirk and kept my eyes closed. “Sorry, you’re comfortable.” I mumbled sleepily. Billie Joe sighed and draped his arm around me.

“C’mon, I’ll drive you home.” He said while trying to help me get up.

I started to decline his offer, but he stopped me.

“Sadie C’mon. It’s late and I’d feel better knowing that you’re with me.” He still insisted.

Just when I thought he couldn’t be any sweeter to me, he goes and says something like that. Maybe I wasn’t totally crazy like I had been thinking. I let out a deep sigh. “Lead the way, Captain.” I jested.

Billie Joe grinned and slipped his hand in mine to pull me towards the exit. This time I didn’t even try to pull away. He didn’t let go until we approached the car and I almost didn’t want him to. His car was cool compared to the humid night air and I was really having to fight the sleep away when we started moving. I stayed awake for almost ten minutes, but pretty soon the rumbling of the car against the road lulled me to sleep.

~***~
I was woken up to my name being called very softly. I felt Billie Joe’s hand brush against my cheek as he whispered to me, trying to shake me awake as gingerly as possible. “Sadie, we’re here.” He said gently. I nodded my head very slowly and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to wake myself up. “Saaaadie.” He sang in my ear. I shook my head and kept my eyes closed. Not long after that I heard the sound of his door opening and shutting and wondered if he was going to just leave me in here. At this point, I was okay with that. My door opened and a warm breeze hit my skin. Billie Joe then lifted me up and carefully shut the door with his foot. My head was buried in his chest as he began walking.

“Where are we going?” I mumbled.

Billie Joe laughed. “To your apartment, silly.” My eyes fluttered open, but I couldn’t really tell where he was walking, and it wasn’t until he started up the stairs that things started looking familiar.

“Why are you carrying me?” I asked. I wasn’t complaining by any means, but I did wonder as to why he didn’t just make me walk. I knew that he was a nice guy, but this was beyond what I had expected.

“I’m carrying you because I didn’t want you to kill yourself walking up these damn stairs.” He laughed. His grip tightened around me as we reached the top of the stairs and I couldn’t help but feel safe. “Remind me to never get you drunk.” He joked lightly. He came to a halt and I assumed we were at the front door. I was about to tell him to put me down, but somehow he managed to get the door open. He shut it as quietly as he could behind him, and I was ever so thankful that Sheena had left the hall light on.

“Which room is yours?” He asked while still carrying me.

I yawned and gripped his shirt. “The one at the end of the hall.” I answered. Tux greeted Billie Joe as he got into my room and carefully laid me down on my bed. Tux didn’t like strangers so I was surprised that he wasn’t under my bed. Billie Joe unlaced my converse and gently pulled each of them off before letting them drop to the floor with a thud. I let my tired gaze wander up at him and he smiled.

“Go to sleep, Sadie.” He said gently. I smiled and reached for his hand before he turned to leave.

“Thanks Billie Joe, for everything.” I whispered again.

He smiled. “You’re welcome, Sadie.” He said to me softly.

It was in that moment that I finally saw what Sheena had been preaching to me for weeks. I stopped lying to myself and really looked at him the way Sheena had said he looked at me. He was staring into my eyes so intently that I felt as if I would drown in a sea of deep green. He stooped down and ever so carefully pressed his mouth to mine, kissing me with slight force. It wasn’t an ‘I want to fuck you let’s get naked kiss’ it was sweet and lingered on my lips even after he pulled away.

I smiled to myself and was grateful for the darkness around me. “You’re pretty good at that.” I confessed. Billie Joe chuckled softly and began to pull my blankets over me.

“Well, I try.” He joked lightly.

His hand brushed over my cheek again and he leaned down to kiss me again. This time when he pulled away, he didn’t stand up right away. Instead, he squeezed my hand and smiled. “I want to take you somewhere.” He paused and whispered softly. “Tomorrow, I mean.”

I smiled and felt the butterflies in my stomach return. “Where?” I inquired.

He chuckled to himself and stood up. “It’s a surprise.” He answered simply.

I sighed tiredly and went for his answer. I was too tired to even try to convince him to tell me. He began walking to the door and stopped as his hand was on the door knob. “Goodnight, Minnesota Girl.” He said very quietly. I smiled at the mention of the nickname I had grown accustomed to and felt my heart flutter.

“Goodnight, Billie Joe.” I whispered. He shut my door quietly behind him and I was so thankful that Sheena hadn’t woken up. My eyes grew heavy once again and I smiled as Tux hopped onto my bed and curled up in a ball next to me. My lips still tingled from the kiss we had shared and the last thing I remember before letting exhaustion overcome me was Billie Joe singing softly to himself in the car just before I drifted off. I didn’t know why he started singing, but it was part of the reason I had fallen asleep so quickly. It wasn’t until now that I realized what song it was. It was by The Beatles and it reminded me of my dad and how he use to play their records around the house when I was younger. I had missed hearing them. I let the song replay in my mind, remembering the words he had been singing over and over again. It was like a chant that I couldn’t get out of my head. Maybe it was a sign?

Who knows how long I've loved you?
You know I love you still.
Will I wait a lonely lifetime?
If you want me to, I will.