I Love You Like I Always Did

Jackets and Trees

Small A/N: I think it's better if I keep this story strictly Pidge's POV since I found it super hard to switch from Pidge to Keith in the last chapter. I wanted to have at least 2,000 words, half Pidge, half Keith; however, I tried and failed. I may change my mind occasionally if I know exactly what I wanna do. Anyway, enjoy!

Pidge POV

     This is embarrassing...

     I woke up to a pool of wet, not only on my skin, but on the lining of my shorts, between my thighs. The uncomfortable walk to the washroom for a change of sheets prompted me to take a shower, and to wash my clothes while I did.

     I let the hot water run down my back, as I faced away from the stream, scrubbing my face clean. It actually feels nice, not having to rush my showers for once. Having a shower before training always seemed pointless, but I didn't bother explaining why after the first time. Facing back towards the water, I rinsed my face clean and started washing down the rest of me, starting with my hair.

     Could I... like Keith?

     The thought of me liking him has never occurred to me before, but now I assume some part of me always has. With dreams I've been having lately, along with the funny feeling I've been getting around him can only confirm my thoughts. But, why is this just now happening?

     Suddenly, the tingly feeling came back, sending another wave of liquid running down my leg. I shivered at the sensation, running my hand over the liquid to wash it off. The tingling became more intense at the touch of my hand so close to relieving it. As if I touched a hot coal, I quickly moved my hand away, feeling my legs begin to tremble.
    
     So... It's just a case of teenage hormones... It'll go away... Hopefully...

     My legs continued trembling, not letting up, begging for my touch. Never before have I felt the intense heat forming inside me before. I wouldn't know what to do if I decided to even try. And I began to repeat that statement to myself, rinsing out my hair and the rest of my body.

     I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do.

     I shut off the water, before drying myself with an overly large towel from the rack beside the shower door, wrapping myself in the softness. After I'm warm enough to let myself out of the towel, I quickly put on my clothes, and dry my hair. Turning to the mirror, I examine myself, brushing my hair, and picking off any stray pieces of lint and fluff from my shirt, before leaving to wait on Keith.

     The kitchen is empty, so I grab a bowl of food goo, and lay against the counter. After I'm done, I set my bowl in the sink, just in time to see Keith walking in, with a towel laying across his shoulders, sweat dripping off the ends of his hair, and his jacket in his hand.

     "Well someone's excited for our date," he joked, wiping his face with the towel, before rubbing his hair dry.

     The tingling jumped from my stomach, up to my throat, before falling back down to the space between my thighs.

     He paused a second, taking note of the shock on my face. His expression dropped slightly.

     Panicking, I quickly smiled and asked, "You're here just as early, so you must be excited just as much as I am then."

     His face returned to the smile, before he approached me, dropping the towel, and placing his jacket around my shoulders. Surprised, I looked up to him, waiting for an explanation. Instead, he nods his head towards the door.

     "Let's go ahead and go."

     I put my arms into the jacket sleeves, and run after him.

     Once we're in the docking area of the ship's recreational vehicles, Keith walks me down to the end of the row, where an uncovered red and black hover bike was. He walked up to the bike, tossing me a helmet, before putting his on, and climbing onto the seat.

     "Front or back?" he asked, prompting a sudden redness to form on my cheeks, before the realization of what he said clicked, "Ah! I meant the bike! Do you wanna sit in front of me or behind me?"

     The redness slowly dispersed, before being recalled as I climbed onto the bike, in front of him, placing my hands on the show grips. The new position satisfied the sensation briefly, before gaining intensity when I felt him shift behind me. He leaned forward, pressing against my back, revving the bike up, before taking off at full speed.

     The planet was beautiful; covered in trees of all colors, grasses of green and rainbowed patterns from the wildflowers that littered the ground as far as you could see. The streams and rivers we passed contained a species of aquatic beings I'd never seen before, who leapt out of the water, waving as we zoomed by. For brief moments, I could ignore the tingly feeling beneath me.

     Then, Keith leaned down beside my ear, "Enjoying the view?"

     "Yes! This place is amazing!" I answered, as the bike slowed down, parking in front of a canopy of trees.

     He hopped off the bike, offering his hand out to me; I don't remember taking it, or the stories we shared after, along with the food we ate, but I remember the feeling of fluttering in my chest overpowering the tingly feeling I had had only hours before. Somehow, we ended up laying beside each other, as close as the bike ride here. I was close enough to faintly hear his heartbeat, along with his steady, strong breathing. Under the canopy, we barely noticed the time passing, and therefore I began to doze off as it got darker.

     "Hey Pidge? Don't fall asleep just yet. There's something I gotta show you," he said, gently nudging me awake.

     I sat up, stretching, and slightly startling as the pressure of his hand on my lower back, "So... What did you wanna show me?"

     He sat up, crawling forward to the edge of the canopy, where the dark met the grass field, beckoning me to follow him. I followed, making the same quiet movements as him. After a minute or two of staring, there was a slight movement in the far distance of the field. It began shuffling closer, and closer, and closer, until it was only yards away. Soon after, another shuffle of movement in the opposing corner drew the first away.

     It wasn't until it leapt off the ground that I realized what they were...