Straight As A Garden Hose

Chapter 17

"Well well well, how was the barn loft?" Grey asked, hooking his arm around my neck as I walked into the pub. I gave him a glare with a hint of a smile, and he laughed.

"So you two did sleep together?" he asked in confirmation.

"Well, yes," I replied after a moment of hesitation. "But I don't know what we are yet."

"What do you mean you don't know what you are yet, you've never wondered that before with any girl," he questioned, coming to stand in front of me and lean on the bar. I reached for a towel and avoided eye contact.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that you are actually catching feelings for her?" He asked, bewildered. I glanced up at him, not saying a word, and his eyebrows shot up.

"I never thought I'd see the day," he muttered with a shit-eating grin. I cocked an eyebrow at him with a warning glare.

"If you say anything to anyone, I will literally chop your balls off, understand?" I replied in a hushed, harsh tone. He nodded, his hands up in mock surrender.

"My lips are sealed," he chuckled as he backed away. I rolled my eyes.

Even though I was tired from lack of sleep, I didn't regret one moment of our last night in the loft. Everly was so beautiful. Shy, yet confident and sexy as hell. She was innocent, but definitely not at the same time. And I still didn't understand why she wanted anything to do with me, knowing that I was that typical bartender that was a little too slick with the ladies. And she still didn't know the rest of my ugly, recent past. But somehow she didn't seem to mind. Somehow she had an amazing amount of trust in me not to break her, even if we weren't in an actual relationship yet.

Or were we?

I had no idea.

All of this ran through my mind as I whipped down the bar top. But suddenly I felt arms wrap around my waist from behind, disrupting my thoughts. I smiled as lips pressed against the back of my neck, followed by the feel of her breathing me in.

"Hi," Everly said simply from behind.

"Hi to you too," I replied, turning in her arms and leaning us against the counter. She pressed her body against mine, and we melted together perfectly.

"I hate Monday's, but at least they're spent with you," Everly said, looking up into my eyes. I chuckled.

"Monday's can suck my dick, especially after vacation," I groaned playfully, my hands traveling down her back, slowly heading south. She laughed, her hands sliding up to my chest. She was about to say something else when we were interupted.

"Get a room Luck," Wynonna called out, faking gagging noises. I shot her a glare and Everly pulled away, her cheeks crimson.

"Thanks Wyn," I replied with a roll of my eyes, going back to cleaning the bar, my gaze following Everly as she walked away.

****

The day went by pretty fast, and before I knew it, Everly and I were on our way home. Grey and the others were going to Senorita's, but we were ready to call it a night.

I pulled the truck into my parking spot, and was about to get out when Everly spoke up.

"Did you forget something in your glove compartment?" she asked vaguely, and small smile on her lips. I looked at her, confused, as she opened the small door by her knees and pulled out a box that made my heart stop.

"Where did you get that?" I questioned, a slight and unwanted tremor in my voice. She glanced at me cautiously, obviously not getting the reaction that she thought.

"Your Mom told me to give this to you. She said you should have it," she replied, setting the box lightly down on the arm rest beside me. "I'm sorry if this upset you, I didn't think-"

"It's ok," I assured her. I took a moment to collect myself, then slowly reached down and opened the lid with shaking fingers, the interior of my truck suddenly feeling tighter. Inside the box, laid Camren's dog tags on a small chain. I inhaled, then exhaled before lifting the necklace out and slipping it over my head.

"It suits you," Everly whispered softly, bringing her hand to mine comfortingly. I smiled up at her, then gazed back down at the necklace. After a moment, I spoke.

"My Dad and I used to argue about who should get these. He wanted to keep them, but my Mom always thought they should go to me," I sighed.

"I'm glad you got them," Everly said.

****

Thanks to Monday's being slow at work, it was only 11:30 by the time we walked into my apartment. We kicked our shoes off and both collapsed on the couch, her legs draped over mine comfortably. We sat in silence for a moment, just listening to the sounds of the city below, until I sat up and placed my hands on her knees.

"I want to tell something about my past, and I know you won't judge me, but I want you to know that I've never told anyone else except David, so I'm a little apprehensive to tell you. But you need to know," I rambled uncharacteristically.

Everly slowly sat up, a concerned look on her face, and she placed her hands on top of mine, silently encouraging me to continue. I sighed, and mentally prepared myself.

"After Camren died, I kinda went crazy. I started drinking a lot, and doing some pretty heavy drugs. I slept with a lot of different girls every night. And I didn't care about myself or anyone else," I said, tentatively looking into Everly's blue grey eyes. She ever so slightly nodded, so I continued.

"I became so addicted to alcohol and cocaine that I had to go to rehab for six months. Thankfully my parents haven't found out, because they'd be so disappointed," I said, looking down at my lap. "And I'm so ashamed of what I was, and how low I got."

I felt Everly's hands squeeze mine, and I looked up into her eyes once more, which were full of an emotion I didn't recognize.

"But your past doesn't define you. It's not who you are today. It's the past, and you're obviously a different person," she said softly. She then leaned forward and wrapped me into her arms. I exhaled a sigh of relief, then breathed her in.

"You were right about one thing," she whispered.

"Hmm?" I muttered against her neck.

"I'm not going to judge you. Not ever," she replied. I smiled and pulled back to rest my forehead against hers.

"Thank you," I whispered back.

Heyo, thanks for bearing with me here! Work has been insane, and I haven't had any time to write, so this is kinda just a filler, but some pretty big things are happening soon, so stay tuned!
Comment/vote to keep this story going! I love you all ❤️