Southern Boy Charm | ✓

Chapter 8

Once again, Nick works me to death. He throws chore after chore at me, some that I'm almost positive that he made up just to see me suffer. However, this time, it's not as awful. I wish that I could contribute it to my growing strength or a newfound fondness for farm work, but that would be a flat out lie. The truth is, Nick has decided to not hate my guts today for whatever reason, and that alone is enough to make everything around me somewhat tolerable.

Nick is currently milking a cow, a chore that I refused to do, no matter how many times he asked. I decide instead to lay down on top of some hay in the corner, just far away enough to not have to hear Nick in action.

"Are you just going to lay there?" he asks, milking the large cow in front of me. I can hear the pitter of the milk hitting the bucket, and it takes everything in me not to vomit. How does he manage to do that so comfortably? I could live here for years, and I don't think that I would ever get used to it. The milk makes a loud, squirting sound and I audibly gag.

"I'm good right here," I choke out over his laughs.

"Are you sure?" he says, and I can tell just from the tone of the voice that he's up to no good.

"Don't you dare!" I warn, but by then it's too late. He's off the stool, picking me up from the floor ad carrying me close to the animal.

"Stop!" I squeal, flailing my limbs in an effort to escape his firm grasp, but it's no use. Not only is he faster than me, which I begrudgingly found out yesterday, but he's much stronger than me too. He must do some type of sport, because there's no way that he's this fit off farm work alone.

I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting to see the cow or the milk. There's something about seeing it fresh that makes me want to puke, and I'm afraid that if I see it now I may never be able to eat dairy again. It's weird and irrational, yes, but I can't shake the feeling.

After a few more moments of squealing and flailing, he seems to finally take pity on me. "You know that this is where ice cream comes from." He laughs setting me down. "And I can tell from how quickly our cookie dough ice cream has depleted that you're quite a fan."

I quickly turn my back to him and the cow. "That doesn't mean that I have to see it in the process," I whisper, for some reason not wanting the cow to hear me.

He leans in close to me, his mouth almost touching my ear, and I can smell a trace of cologne on him. He doesn't usually wear cologne, or at least not since I've been here. His usual scent of grass and sweat is replaced by a deeper musk, and I can't tell which one I like more. My eyes flutter shut slightly before I can even catch onto it.

What am I doing? Why am I suddenly so enthralled with Nick, especially when I have Jack waiting for me back home? Well, not necessarily waiting, but still.

Maybe it's just the heat. Yes, that's what it is, I decide. I'm just hot and overworked and stuck on this farm with no one but two older women and him. I find myself looking forward to the baseball match more now than ever. Baseball always has the ability to clear my head.

"Why are we whispering?" he says quietly, and his voice interrupts my thoughts so suddenly that I jump at the sound of it. I lose my balance and lean back onto his chest and his arms reach out to steady me with strong hands.

Get it together, Leighton.

I take a deep breath before spinning around to face him, deciding to change the course of conversation instead. "When are we leaving for the game?" I ask. His gaze is elsewhere, bright and unreadable, before he apparently snaps out of it, registering my question and staring down at his watch. His emotions are always so hard to read, which is immeasurably unfair considering how much of an open book I am.

"You should probably start getting ready while I finish up here," he says, resituating himself beside the stool. Maybe his emotions aren't so hard to read after all. With his cool demeanor, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that whatever I thought affected me had no effect on him whatsoever. Which is fine, because I wasn't really affected by him either, I tell myself. Only one person has the power to do that to me, and he's probably at Bethany's pool right now with the rest of my friends. My heart drops at the reminder of my absence. Maybe focusing on Ohio isn't the best idea for me right now.

I take Nick's advice to get ready, wanting some extra time since I'll definitely need a shower after the hard work of today. I spot Kelly, bent over the garden, working intensely, as I walk towards the house. She looks tired but relaxed, sporting her usual attire of blue jean shorts and a tank-top, and waves me over to her. As I grow closer, she appears to be picking some type of herb into a basket, and I sit down beside her, hugging my knees to my chest.

"How's it going?" she asks, busying herself with the work in front of her. "I feel like we haven't had anytime to talk since you've been here." As she says it, every cell in my body agrees. I haven't seen her in years, and I've missed her so much. Kelly used to be my second mom, and it upsets me that we've been apart for so long. I used to tell her everything, and my heart longs to be able to do that again.

"How about you and I have a girl's night," she suggests, turning towards me. "We can kick your mom and Nick out and watch some movies and gorge on candy. What do you say?"

A large smile grows on my face "I would love that," I say, leaning my head on her shoulder, because I really would. She pauses, stroking my hair as she leans her cheek against the top of my head.

"You kids grow up so fast. One day you're tiny, vulnerable babies who rely on us for everything, and the next..." she trails off, quickly swiping at her eyes. "I don't know."

She hastily returns to planting, but I can tell that she does so to mask her crying. I want to ask her if she's okay, but it feels like an invasion of privacy. Like I'm invading a moment that no one should have to share. She likes to be strong all the time, especially for Nick and I, and I know how much it must be killing her to break down now, in front of me.

"How is Nick doing?" she asks, her voice breathy and shaky. I pretend not to notice. "He seems to be in a much better mood recently."

So she's noticed too? It feels good to know that I'm not the only one keeping tally of his different moods. "I couldn't tell you why, but for some reason he's in a good mood today. He even invited me to play baseball with him and his friends."

Her eyebrows raise, unable to contain her shock. "Really? He seemed so adamant about not wanting you to come last night. No offense."

I shrugged. It doesn't make sense to me much either. "I've just decided to not question it."

"I have a pretty good guess as to why," she says. Her voice is in the usual tone that moms get when they know something that you don't. I want to dig deeper, hating the feeling of being out of the loop, when she interjects my thoughts. "When do you guys leave anyway? It's starting to get dark."

I'm reminded of why I left the barn in the first place, my memory already forgetting. "I was actually on my way to get ready right now. Nick's been working me to the bone, so I need a shower before I can do anything else." She laughs, and it seems that her tears have stopped.

"That sounds like Nick. You should get going, I don't want to hold you back."

She returns back to her gardening, her mood lifted from the beginning of our conversation. She's the usual Kelly I know, calm and collected. I wonder how long she can keep it together, pretending to be okay on the outside when she's not. We can only pretend to be strong for so long. Sooner or later we all break. All I can hope is that when she does, we can all be there to catch her.