it's just a crush

chapter 46 - july 2020

Time seemed to fly by for Meg. Days turned into weeks, and it felt like nothing could burst the bubble of happiness she was in. There were more covert dates, and Bobby would sleep in her bed whenever he didn't have to get up super early for a shift. There were few things she loved more than waking up in his arms and seeing his groggy smile.

Sneaking around wasn't always easy, but Meg was often able to convince Jen to invite Gary over to her place on nights they wanted to go out or be alone, which eased most of the difficulty. Noah was still around, but when he wasn't picking up extra shifts at the library, he was usually shut up in his room with a book. If he was aware of what was going on in the house, he kept it to himself. And it was surprisingly easy to keep the news from Chelsea, because she was spending every free moment with Kassam and their communication had been limited primarily to text.

Sunday dinners would have been more difficult, but Bobby excused himself to spend time with his family. He wanted Meg to join him, but she wasn't ready to meet his family or reveal their relationship quite yet. It was the only point of contention between them, but she wouldn't back down, and Bobby gave in. There was plenty of time, she kept insisting. They could afford to wait a little longer.

It was on one such Sunday that when Gary and Meg returned home, she found Bobby on the back porch nursing a beer. It was a hotter than usual day, and he had taken his shirt off after mowing the lawn. The scent of freshly cut grass filled her nostrils as she stepped outside and sat on the swing next to him.

"Hey," she said, dragging her eyes over his sweat-sheened skin. "How was your mum's?"

"Good," he replied, lifting his arm so she could scooch close to him. "I think Teddy grew an inch in the last week. And he's all about trains now."

"Done with dinosaurs already?"

"Yep. I want to get him a train set, but Amelia thinks he'll be out of the train phase and onto something new within a week."

"Train sets are fun, though!"

"Right?" Bobby grinned. "I remember being jealous of Gary's, and that was when we were fifteen!"

"Some things you never grow out of."

"Where is the ol' minger, anyway?"

"Talking to Noah. Jen wants to try setting him up with a friend of hers."

Bobby snorted. "Sounds like fun."

"Mmhmm."

For the next several minutes, Meg listened to Bobby talk more about his family. Despite the warm weather, she stayed pressed into his side, loving the domestic bliss found in sitting with a loved one on the back porch of their home, chatting about their days as they looked out over their yard. This was the life she wanted.

As Bobby spoke, she found herself tracing a finger lightly over his chest, connecting his freckles with imaginary lines and drawing invisible shapes. That turned to counting the small brown dots, her brow furrowing as she whispered each number under her breath.

She didn't notice he'd fallen silent until she found her chin being tilted up and her lips covered with his. She squealed in surprise before relaxing into his kiss, laying her palm flat against his chest.

"What was that for?" she asked, feigning consternation but unable to hide her giddy smile. "You ruined my counting!"

"You just looked so fucking cute," Bobby replied with a grin before brushing his lips against hers again. "I couldn't resist."

Meg slid her hand up and around the back of his neck, pulling his mouth back towards hers. She couldn't resist him, either; she didn't want to. She would give up everything to be with him if she had to.