The Way It Used to Be

38

Author's note:
Some slight adult content fluff for you Team Colton fans. ;)
Listen to the song above. Reminds me of Beau and Colt!
Sorry!

The late June evening air was hot and sticky, and her feet touched mine in the water. We sat, thighs touching, on the dock, our feet dangling in the water.  I placed a hand on her thigh and squeezed slightly. Her skin was a deep, dark tanned color from days out on the dock.

"What'd you do today, Beautiful?" I asked. I was still wearing my work pants and safety vest. I shrugged the vest off my shoulders and dropped it onto the dock behind me.

This was my favorite part of the day... coming home from work to her. I could imagine life with her... coming home to a white farm house, meeting her at the door, sleeping next to her every night. Her ring was tucked into a pair of socks in the top drawer of my dresser.  I had asked Verne as soon as she turned eighteen, and she had laughed, telling me that I ought to know any boy who could sneak into her house at night and not get thrown out was alright by her.

I didn't know when I'd ask. I knew she was going to college in a little over a month, and I was terrified.

".....so then I helped her do that, and I've been sittin' here ever since. Just waitin' on this boy I know," her voice trailed back into my thoughts.

"This boy you know, huh?  Not that crazy neighbor boy again, I hope," I teased, playing along with her joke, "He's way too old for you."

She giggled before responding, "Yeah, you should see the way he looks at me."

I was standing now, pulling my shirt up over my head.

"And the way I look at him..." she added, staring at me.  "What are you do—..." I cut her off, scooping her up from the dock and tossing her into the water. She screamed as she fell, flailing her arms a bit, and I jumped in after her.

When she surfaced, she was laughing. "What the hell?" she sputtered. "What was that for?"  I pulled her to me under the water by the hem of her wet T-shirt.

"I thought you needed to be cooled off," I responded, wrapping my arms around her waist before kissing her.

She raised her arms above the water and wrapped them around my neck before kissing me back. There was something different... something off that I couldn't put my finger on. "You okay?" I asked. She nodded, but said nothing.

We floated until it was dark. We watched the fireflies come to life, and when we finally got out, her teeth were chattering. She peeled off her wet T-shirt and shorts and dropped them onto the old, faded wood of the dock. I was never not going to be in awe of her when she took her clothes off.

She sank down into my lap on the dock, and I wrapped my arms around her again. Her legs wrapped around my back, and she buried her face into the crook of my neck.

I held her against me, sighing against her skin. "Hey, Beautiful," I started, leaning her back with my arms. "Talk to me, baby, what's wrong?"

There were tears in the corners of her eyes, and she was shivering. I reached for my own dry T-shirt and pulled it over her head. She pushed her arms through and then immediately tried to lean into me again. I stopped her.  "No, no... talk to me. You don't ever shut me out." I placed both hands on either side of her face. "What's wrong, Beautiful?"

She shook her head again, but she finally spoke. "I'm just... I'm going to miss you so much.... you know, when I leave."  She paused for a minute before the tears fell from her eyes. "What am I going to do, Colt?  How am I ever going to live without you?"

She leaned forward again, crying against my shoulder. My heart shattered, as it always did when she cried. In that moment, I would have quit my job and followed her to college just to make her stop crying.

"You're never going to live without me," I answered. "We're going to talk every day. I'm going to visit. You're going to get in that great little Jeep of yours and drive home to me.  I'm yours, Beautiful.  You'll just be a few hours away."

She nodded against me, and I held her. We sat like that for what felt like hours. The moon rose high in the sky, and I eventually spoke. "Beautiful, come on.  Let's get up. Get you to bed. Get me to bed," I teased. 

She nodded, leaned back, and looked at me. "Can I tell you something?" she asked. "Anything," I answered.

She put her hands on my face and looked at me. "I will always be in love with you, Colt. Always."

I stared at her, smiling slightly. God damn, I loved her. I was about to speak when she bent forward and kissed me.  I leaned back, taking her with me. She straddled me, kissing me, still. "Can we...?" I asked. She murmured "yes" against my lips, and I reached below her to undo the button on my khakis and pull her still-wet panties to the side.

I placed my hands on her hips and guided her body until I was inside her. When I let go of her hips, she sank down onto me and I moaned into the night air. "Oh, God, baby..." I whispered against her. She moved her hips against mine, grinding her body against me, moving up and down. She moaned against me, moving her lips to mine again. I bucked my hips against her, and she cried out against me.

"Are you okay?" I quickly asked.  I still wasn't used to this with her.  She nodded and added, "Yes, yes, don't stop."

I didn't. I put my hands on her hips again and held her as I moved. She still moved on top of me, and eventually, I could feel myself getting closer and closer to the edge... "Beautiful, I'm... I'm..." I tried to raise her upward, remembering this time that we didn't have a condom.

She shook her head, "I don't care, don't stop." I didn't, and when we both came, we cried out at the same time, holding each other.

She collapsed down on top of my chest, sticky with sweat now instead of just lake water. "Wow," she whispered, rolling off me and onto her back. We both stared up at the stars, breathing heavily. 

I would always be in love with her, too. I knew it.

We laid there for a few moments before I rose, pulling her up with me. "I'm gonna go home and shower, and then I'll be over to sleep," I said, kissing her on the cheek. 

She shook her head.  "Actually, I think I'm gonna spend some time with Aunt Verne."  My face fell, but she kissed me again. "Don't be that way," she teased. 

I grumbled, but kissed her cheek before pulling my khakis back on.  "Fine... wear my T-shirt home, though. It's chilly now that it's dark."

She nodded and took one last look at me before standing on the tips of her toes to kiss me again. She placed a hand on the back of my head and said, "Always, Colt. I'll always be in love with you."  I nodded, and she took off, bending to scoop her sandals and clothes up as she walked.