I’m not sure why but Wednesdays have turned into the most boring days at Sweeties. It doesn’t help that it’s been raining the last few days. The wettest September we’ve had in a while.

“This shit is depressing,” Cherry sighs as she comes out from the back. “We’re gonna need a boat to float down Main Street if this doesn’t let up.”

“I know,” I agree. “I can’t even make my colorful board because it gets washed away as soon as I sit it out there. The only good thing is it looks like nobody else around here is getting any customers either. I think everybody is heading for higher ground.” I come out from behind the counter, going to one of the empty tables. “You mind if I work on some of Slater’s stuff?”

“No.” She waves a hand in my direction. “I’m legit about to put on some Sons of Anarchy on the main television so we at least have something good to watch.”

The two of us purse our lips, look at each other, and whisper. “Jax Teller.” At the same time.

“Damn that show for giving me unrealistic expectations of hot as hell bad boys,” Cherry whines as she logs into her streaming account on the TV in the lobby.

I smile, shaking my head as I listen to her. “They had the love though, until people got in the middle of it. They were happy, they had it all, until other people had to put their nose where it didn’t belong.”

“Do you kinda feel like that’s what’s going to happen with you and Slater? Now that he’s had to make a public post and you’ve had to make your IG private?”

Me making my IG private had been a knee-jerk reaction, and I know that if I’m going to stay with him, I’m going to have to learn to be more public. It’s who he is, and it’s what his fans and PR want to see. I know that from my own experience.

“I just wanted a little more time, ya know? This thing with him. Even though it’s the most comfortable feeling I’ve ever had, it’s still new. We’ve not really made a commitment to one another. He’s going to go away, and what if he doesn’t want me to go with him?”

“That’s the biggest line of bullshit I’ve ever heard.” Cherry snorts as she turns the TV down a little so we can talk.

“No, hear me out. In some ways I feel like I’m in Groundhog Day, with the old Slade and Mal. We’re faced with some of the same decisions as we had back then.”

Opening the pages I need on my laptop, I sigh as I start making the graphics needed and begin setting up posts to automatically populate throughout the next few days.

“But wouldn’t you change how you did some things from back then? I know you’ve kinda talked about it. Fuck, it’s written all over your face when I ask about in a very non-threatening way.”

“I’d be stronger, I’d be willing to tell Slade the things that scared me, ask him why things have to be so cut and dry. I’d demand to be my own person but ask if I can be the one to support him. I’d do a lot differently, but I’m still not sure he’s completely ready for the stronger me.”

“You never know until you give it a try, and in the short time I’ve known you, I’ve not known you to be shy of anything.” Cherry glances over. “Or scared of anything, so I’m not sure why he intimidates you this much.”

To be honest I’m not sure either, but one thing I do know is that I don’t want to wonder what if anymore. I’m totally and completely done with that.

“Wanna run with me?” I ask Malone as we walk swiftly around the track.

“You know I’ve never been a good runner,” she pants.

Truth be told, I’ve almost got her running now, just trying to keep up with me. “Come on, we have two more laps to finish this mile and it looks like the rain is gonna come down again.”

“You’re killing me, Slade. Just go on without me.”

“Never leave your wingman.” I give her a grin.

“Don’t quote my favorite movie and act like you’re cute. I’m dying here,” she pants, holding her side.

“You’re about to be wet.” I stop, glancing up at the sky and just as I do, it opens up, rain coating our bodies thoroughly.

“No!” she screams, running back toward the truck.

“Now I see you know how to run,” I tease her as she picks up speed toward the truck I drove in high school and college. “You know that thing doesn’t have any air, it’s gonna be stuffy as fuck in there.”

She stops, putting her hands on her hips. “You’re right. At least the rain is kind of cold.” She tilts her head back, in turn thrusting her chest out.

“Yeah.” I grin, wiping away at some of the water on my lips. “I can see just how cold it is.”

She glances down at her chest. Two peaks poke out against the soaked fabric and my mouth fucking waters as I take her in, pretty as a picture.

“Don’t even think about it, Slade.” She holds up her hand, walking backward away from me.

“Oh, I’m gonna do more than think about it.”

When I capture her, she laughs into my chest. “We’re out in public.”

“Trust me, the only people out here are us and the fuckin’ ducks. Let’s have a little fun.”

She gazes up at me under impossibly long lashes matted together by the water, causing her eyes to look even more green than normal. “A little fun, huh?”

“As much as you can stand.” I pick her up with my hands on her ass, leaning her against the quarter panel of the truck, my mouth immediately going to the beaded skin underneath the fabric of her shirt.

“Oh fuck, Slade,” she moans as she threads her fingers through my hair, holding me tighter to her.

The rain has us in an almost dream-like state. It’s quiet, yet loud at the same time, washing over our bodies, causing our clothes to press against us so much it’s like we’re naked.

Walking us around to the back of the truck, we work together to let the tailgate down. Sitting her down, I stand in front of her, rubbing her thighs, pushing them as far apart as they’ll go before I climb up on the tailgate myself. Knee be fucking damned. And then we’re rubbing against each other, thrusting, humping, moaning, and grunting.

“Rub against me,” she whines as she angles her pussy in such a way she catches the bulge of my cock.

“I don’t even know how we’re doing this through clothes.” I fist her hair in my hand, exposing her neck to my hungry mouth.

Her taste is hers alone, and fuck me if I don’t crave it. Reaching up with my free hand, I rub my thumb against her lip, letting her suck slightly on me before pulling it away and then shoving that hand into her shorts.

“Are you wet?”

“In more ways than one, Slade.” She makes a joke, but there’s nothing joking about the way she opens to me.

Spreading her legs as far as they’ll go again, she gives me plenty of room to go underneath her shorts and panties to shove my finger into her tightness, to work her clit with the palm of my hand.

“Take me out,” I grunt as I continue thrusting toward her. “Take my cock out.”

“Here?” Her voice is full of awe. “What if someone sees? Are we gonnna be plastered all over the headlines again?”

“Don’t give a fuck, sweetness, I need you to come and I need to come. The outside world be damned, this is about us. Besides nobody is following us since I had my agent threaten to sue anyone who takes unauthorized pictures of us anymore.”

She does as I ask, jacking me slowly at first, but the circle of her fist feels better than I imagined it would.

“Faster.” I move my hips back forth helping her to jack me. “Don’t stop!”

She moans, thrusting her pelvis against my hand. I can feel her tightening, the quickening of her thrusts and the beating of her heart. “Kiss me,” she pants. “I’m gonna come. I’m gonna scream, kiss me.”

Right as I take her lips with mine, she does come and she does scream. It’s muffled as she thrusts through it, tightening against my fingers, tightening her grip on my cock. We keep kissing as she picks up the pace on my flesh, and out of nowhere I feel myself spill against her.

Tearing my lips away from hers, I give a grunt that I’m almost positive can be heard from at least a few feet away as I shoot against her clothes. Her hand falls to the side, and I reach down, giving my still-hard cock a few more tugs as a few more streams jet from the tip.

“Holy fucking shit.” I’m breathing heavily, as I kneel over her.

Her dark clothes are painted with splashes of white, and so badly I want to remember this moment, for one of those times when we won’t have it. I almost take my phone out and take a picture, so we can remember it when things aren’t perfect between us.

Instead I lean forward, kissing her softly. “I love you, sweetness.”

She grins, yawning softly as the rain stays slow and steady.

“Love you too, Slade. More than you know.”

“So next week, I have to go to my friend, Caleb’s wedding, which is about two hours outside of Birmingham. Think you’d want to be my plus one?”

She laughs against my shoulder. “Yeah, maybe one day I can be your forever plus one.”

I kiss her forehead, a smile spread across my face. “Maybe you can.”

And in that moment I have a thought. This is what life is supposed to be like.