The Stars in the Sky

Chapter 13: Stars

After a few moments, Will got up, padded down the hall, and came back cleaned up. He opened a drawer, put on a pair of boxer shorts, and crawled into bed next to me.

"I'm sorry I called you an 'asshole' so much," I said quietly. "I kind of got a little carried away."

"You don't need to be sorry 'bout that. I am an asshole. I'm not going to apologize for who I am. And you don't need to apologize for who you are." He paused for a second. "Plus, I'm a kinky son of a bitch, so I like it that you get carried away. I want you to get carried away with me again."

Okay, then.

I snuggled into his chest and he played with my hair.

"It's still early," he said into the top of my head. "Wanna beer?"

"Yeah."

"It's a nice night. Let's go outside. I know the spot. You can borrow something to wear."

I thought about whether I wanted to wear something of his, or go get my own clothes, braving an inquisition at the bunkhouse. The thing was, there was little chance of an inquisition. Stephanie was gone for the weekend, visiting her parents. Janine knew that I had a date with Will, and heartily approved, telling me that she thought he was great, and that he was like a little brother to her. Since no part of Will seemed "little" to me, this was a funny comment, but it was comforting that she approved.

"I'll go get some sweats and meet you outside," I whispered.

"'Kay. See you in a few."

I gingerly got up off of the bed, found the small amount of clothes that I had lost in this room, and retraced my steps to the downstairs, adding clothes to my body as I went down the hall. Will followed me in his underwear, and once I reached the front door (and had my dress and shoes back on), he put his finger below my chin and drew me to him and kissed me gently. Then he put his forehead against mine, and whispered, "hurry."

I walked to the bunkhouse from Will's house, across the courtyard. Although there were a few outside lights on the buildings, it was a moon-less night, and the stars were out in full force. I hopped into the bunkhouse, skipped down the hall, and divested myself of my date outfit, putting on a pair of comfy yoga pants, a tank top and hoodie sweatshirt, and a pair of Tom's shoes. Janine was already asleep, so I tried to be as quiet as possible. I put my hair up into a messy bun on the top of my head, and headed out, where Will was already standing outside, wearing a dark t-shirt and loose, black track pants with gray stripes down the side, and flip flops. He was carrying two open beers and a folded up blanket.

"What, no Wranglers, Cowboy?" I asked, teasing him.

He smiled and handed me an open beer. "C'mon." He took my hand and led me toward a path that I had not been on before. I heard a jingling, and Trixie came running up beside us, tail wagging, eager to continue our date.

"Where does she sleep?"

"Dog house or my room. Depends on what she wants."

With how devoted that dog was to Will, I bet she spent almost no time at all in the doghouse.

We walked along a flat path that headed Northwest, and then headed up a small hill to a bluff overlooking the ocean. The path glowed pale so we could see without flashlights, as our eyes adjusted to the lack of light.

We stopped, he spread out a blanket on the ground, and gestured for me to sit. We could hear the crash of the waves, but no other sounds. He took my beer from me, set it beside his on the ground, and lay down on the blanket. "Make yourself comfortable."

I snuggled up next to him, but down his body a little bit, my head on his belly, my legs tangled with his. Trixie plopped down next to us. For a while, neither Will nor I said anything, we just looked at the infinite stars visible in this beautiful place and I felt the rise and fall of his belly, and heard Trixie's panting.

"You know," he said to the top of my head, surprising me by opening up, "I've grown up a rancher, and my dad was a rancher, and my granddad was a rancher, and his dad before him. I don't know what I would be doing if it wasn't for farming and ranching."

For once, I shut up and let him talk.

"Gotta offer to sell this place to some fancy developer. It would mean that I would never have to work another day in my life. And I just can't get myself to say 'yes' because I would miss coming out here and lookin' at the stars in the sky."

I propped myself up half way and looked at him while he was continuing to share. "Farming and ranching is more than just a job. It's who I am. And if I gave it up, I dunno what I would do. So I keep telling 'em 'no' and they keep calling me back and offering me more money."

I looked at him, and traced his handsome face with my fingers. "I don't know what the right answer is. I just know that it's beautiful out here."

"Yeah."

He sat up and pulled me in front of him, so I could sit, leaning against him. He reached over, grabbed our beers, and we stayed there, under the stars, drinking beer, in silence, for quite a while.

And then we walked back to his house, both me and Trixie following him inside.