In the Lyrics by Nacole Stayton

I have something to show you.” I hold my hand out to her. She is hesitant at first, but she grabs it as she catches a glance of my best pouty face. It sucks, but she buys it. Pulling her up from the chair, I lead her towards a small pond I noticed as I was driving in. My hand twitches to reach out and grab her as I keep it clenched at my side. We’re still walking a fine line, and I don’t want to overstep my boundaries. It’s a hard thing to balance when your mind and heart are pulling you in two separate directions, especially when you don’t know how the girl you’re diggin’ is feeling.
    It only takes a few minutes to get to the tiny secluded pond, and when we do, the little walk is worth it. There is a picnic table perched on the edge of the water right before it drops off into a swampy cat-tailed area. You can tell the trees have all been cleared out around it recently and you can see the moon clearly as it hangs over the night’s sky. This is what first dates should be made of, except this isn’t a date, but if it were, you better believe I’d get an A plus for it. The only thing more beautiful is the sight standing beside me.
    “It’s beautiful,” she whispers as she bends to take a seat on the old picnic table. I notice her shorts rise up a little bit to accommodate her movement.
    Looking up into her eyes, I say, “Yeah, it is.” My words have more than one meaning. Honestly, Hensley is the most striking woman I’ve ever met. Now that we’ve been around one another longer than a few days, I can see the real Hensley. And I know her badass attitude is all a front. It’s like she uses it as a mask to keep people away. She’s scared of getting close to anyone, well, anyone except for Dusty and the waste of air that is Logan. I feel her acting that way towards me. At first she was a royal brat, to put it mildly, but now I can see her fighting those feelings. Sometimes I can tell she wants to pop off and start throwing rude comments around, but she’s stopped for the most part. Refraining from doing so means more to me than I can even explain. It means she’s slowly stopped trying to push me away. Hopefully she’ll realize how much I like her, and hopefully soon she’ll realize she harbors those same feelings towards me.
    “Thanks for coming out tonight. I really do appreciate it. Dusty is…” she looks back to the crowd of people huddled around the fire’s flames. “Well, honestly, like I said before, I have no clue where he is,” she giggles and the sweet sound makes my heart skip a beat.
    Scooting down next to her on the bench, I reach my arm around her back. It’s a bold move. I know that, I just can’t help myself any longer. I need to be near her. “You’re welcome, Sunshine.”
    Reminding me she can go from sweet to salty in a nanosecond, she snaps, “It’s dark outside.”
    Ignoring her rude remark, I smile, “My life is always bright when you’re around.”
    “There you go, being all goofy and cheesy all the darn time. Do you even have a serious bone in your sexy body?” As soon as she realizes the words that left her mouth, I can tell she let them slip. Her face reddens under the moon’s light and she looks away. Her embarrassment gives me a little insight into her. If she doesn’t like me, at least I know she thinks I look good.
    “I’m always serious. You bring out the goofy in me.” She does. I can feel myself letting go of the pain I’ve harbored since losing my brother. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never forget about him, but slowly Hensley is healing me. Whether she knows it or not, her presence is helping. She keeps my mind occupied, leaving only time to think about the future, not dwell on the past.
    “Colby, I have something I need to tell you. I…” She turns towards me in a sensual slow movement that causes every hair on my body to rise. If I had a magic remote to freeze time, you could bet your bottom dollar I’d be pressing that pause button right now.