Tennessee Tipsy - Morgan Wallen

Four

Haley parks in the gravel driveway and looks up at the house in front of her. It's a nice blue house; looks like a farmhouse with a huge wrap around porch that she's jealous of. She hops out, grabs her bag from the back hatch and heads up to the front door. She knocks against the white wood then tucks her hand in her denim jacket pocket.

"Comin'!" She hears from inside and smiles to herself. "Hales- hey!" Morgan grins, waving her inside. "Come in!"

"Thanks for invitin' me out here." She smiles, stepping out of her sandals.

"Thanks for comin'. You hungry or anythin'?"

"Sure. Whatcha makin'?"

"Chicken and dumplin's." He says, reaching into a cabinet for a couple plates. "Drink?"

"Whatever you got." She nods, sitting at the small kitchen table. He sets lunch down in front of them, grabs two glasses of lemonade then sits across from her. "Thank you." They sit in a somewhat awkward silence as the eat.

After the meal, Haley volunteers to do the dishes. "Hales, what're you-"

"It's only fair." She responds. "You cooked, I'll clean." Morgan sighs, watching her set the dishes in the dish rack as he leans against the counter. "I can feel you lookin' at me."

"Sorry, you're just so beautiful." She blushes and rolls her eyes. "Seriously, you're probably the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

"You're full of shit." She snorts, shaking her head.

"I mean, my momma's real pretty too. You're a close second."

She laughs a genuine laugh, her pretty blue eyes scrunching up. "Thanks." Morgan picks up a dish towel to start drying off what she's washing, making small talk the whole time.

***

"You got a real nice house." Haley says, looking at a picture frame hung on the wall.

"Wanna tour?"

"Sure!" She grins as he stands.

"This is the living room, I don't spend much time in here." He takes her hand. "Bathroom's here and here is the kitchen, through there is the den and laundry room." He leads her up the stairs. "Bathroom, guest room, guest room and my bedroom." She takes a few steps into the third bedroom, Morgan's bedroom and looks around.

She points up at a baseball team photo. Morgan reaches up and takes it off the shelf then looks it over. "High school me." He hands the frame to her. "Third in from the right."

"That's you?" She snorts. "Look at your hair!"

"I know, I know!" Morgan's cheeks go pink, holding his hand out to put it back.

"No, you look cute!" She teases. Morgan snags the frame back. "C'mon now. Got anymore pictures?"

"I dunno." He shrugs with a small smile.

She sits on his bed with her long legs crossed. "Please."

The look she gives him makes him smile shyly to himself as he turns to pick up a box from the top shelf of his closet. "Here." She lifts the shoebox lid and starts to go through the abundance of old pictures.

"Who's this?" She asks, laying on her front with a small picture in her hands.

Morgan looks over her shoulder and sighs. "That's my, uh, ex."

"She's pretty." Haley says. "Recent?"

"Over six months." He shrugs. "What about you?"

"What about me?"