Sold Out - Michael Hardy

SEVEN

Cassie looks over the menu in front of her and hums to herself, a newfound tune running though her cluttered mind. She bounces her foot in time with her chorus, popping her lips.

"What's up?" Michael asks, looking over at her through his new glasses.

"Huh?"

"That song you're hummin'."

"Oh, it's one me and Ern been workin' on." She shrugs back, leaning over to pull her phone from her back pocket. "Check it out." Michael holds the phone to his ear and listens.

"...Whose hand's out the window when the window's down? (Ain't me, ain't me no more) Who's turning up the radio way too loud? (I did when I was yours) Who's beer bottle buzzin' on that bench seat, got you parking lot parking like you're seventeen? Whose new perfume is fading mine out? Who's that pickup picking up now?..."

Michael can't help the smile on his face. "You got some big things comin' your way, baby. I can feel it."

She chuckles as she pockets her phone. "Is that Haley?" She asks, looking up at Morgan walking toward them with a girl behind him. "She's beautiful."

"Yeah, that's her." Michael nods, turning to smile at them. "What's up guys?" He asks, hugging the two before gesturing to Cassie to do the same and she does.

Haley isn't at all what Cassie expected. She's incredibly down to earth and laid back, it's actually really nice.

The date of four turns into two groups of two; Michael and Morgan and Haley and Cass.

Morgan can tell the two girls are going to be incredibly close and it's slightly worrisome. Cassie, on the other hand, decides that it isn't her place to tell her what she did- not yet anyways. Now is not the right time nor place.

"You worked on a farm?" Cassie asks, her body pointed toward Haley as they chit chat.

"I still kinda do. Me and my brothers took it over from my daddy a couple months ago."

"That's so badass."

"Thanks." She grins. "And you, what about you? You work with Morgan, right?"

"Yes ma'am, I do."

"That's so cool to hear about a female writer. All I hear is boys and boys. I'm proud of you, babe!"

"Oh my gosh, thank you." Cassie grins, a small giggle bubbling from her lips.

There's no way Cassie can break Haley's heart now. Now that she's met her, they're practically best friends.

The guys are starting to get bored sitting there. They've run out of things to talk about while the girls are still talking.

"Babe, you ready?" Michael asks, leaning on his elbows as they rest on the table.

"Huh? Yeah, uh, Haley, here." She hands her her phone. "Gimme your number."

"Okay!"

Morgan smiles but Cassie can see the uncertainty behind his eyes. She gives him a look that tells him he's in the clear for now- it's a conversation they're going to have later but it should come from Morgan.

"It was so nice meeting you." Haley says, wrapping the taller girl in a tight hug. "We should go out next weekend! Yeah, we should do the Broadway scene!"

"I can be a DD." Michael offers. "Unless y'all wanna have a girls night."

Haley glances at Cassie. "We can take an Uber there and if you wanna pick us up...? I know Uber stops running after a certain time to Nashville."

"Sounds good."

Cassie grins and hugs Haley again. "I'll talk to you in a bit!"

"Okay!" Haley giggles back.

Morgan slides his hand into Haley's as Michael's hand graces the small of Cassie's back, they two trying to get their girlfriend's out to their trucks so they can go home.

As soon as Michael and Cassie are in his truck, she reaches over and grabs his jaw, kissing him hard. He's surprised at first but kisses her back with the same heat, his hand trailing from the back of her arm to her ass.

They both want her to crawl over the center console to sit on his lap for a possible quicky but there's no way in hell they can swing that- not with this busy parking lot.

"I need you, Michael." She says in a sotto voice, her breath causing goosebumps to litter his tanned, inked skin. "Take me home."

+++

"Hey, that song you showed me at the restaurant, what brought that up?"

"The idea? Just, y'know," Cassie trails off, mindlessly running her fingers over her thigh tattoo.

That gets Michael's attention real quick.

And she notices.

Cassie teasingly trails her fingers further up, tugging on the hem of her shorts to expose more thigh and Michael bites his lip.

"I wrote the chorus after running into you at that Titans game." Michael nods, his big brown eyes fixated on her thigh. "Ern helped me write the verses."

Michael leans over and presses a soft kiss to her neck, smirking when her head falls back.

"Stop it." She says weakly, pushing him away. "I gotta- I gotta get this chorus finished before I forget..." She sighs as she pushes him back against the couch, straddling his lap as she kisses him hard, gripping his shirt tightly.

"I love you." She breathes, her legs shaking as she comes, an arm tight around his shoulders and a hand in his hair.

Michael's heart stutters at her words.

They aren't dating yet.

Ah, there's no way that she actually means that. It's just, y'know, middle of sex I love you.

Does it mean something or does it mean nothing?

It can't mean anything.

But what if it does?

Does this mean they could get back together?

+++

Pickup - Mackenzie Porter