Pawn Shop Diamond Rings - Zach Bryan

two

- the Times Before -

Six Years Ago

"Come on!" Anna shouts to her boyfriend as they race through the corn field across from her house. Zach laughs as he catches up with her, wrapping an arm around her middle before bringing both of them to the ground. Anna squeaks, falling hard against his chest as his back makes solid contact with the muddy ground.

It's currently pouring in Oklahoma, the ground is still wet but that doesn't bother either of them.

"C'mon kids!" Anna's mom shouts from the front porch, holding her hand up to shield her face from the rain. "Y'all're gonna get sick!"

"Comin' momma!" Anna shouts back, laughing as Zach pulls her to her feet.

When they make it to the front porch, Vera gasps at the sight. "Y'all're a mess! Upstairs, right now!"

Zach and Anna share a look then race each other up the creaky wooden steps to the bathroom.

"Dibs on the first shower." Anna says quickly, elbowing past her boyfriend who grabs her arm and pulls her back.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Dude!"

Anna jabs him in the side then starts pulling her muddy clothes off, dropping them in a pile on the floor. Zach blushes and quickly looks away.

They've been dating for almost a year and they haven't had sex yet. They aren't really in a hurry.

"Your turn." Anna says with a robe tied around her and her hair wrapped in a towel. She grabs a few spare clothes he brought with him and sets them on the bathroom sink.

His folks are out of town and he really didn't want to be alone so Vera gladly let him stay.

Anna cuddles under the sheets of her bed, the rain hitting the window and roof perfectly, that south relaxing her almost immediately. A couple minutes later, Zach joins her.

He kisses the side of her head before pulling her close, wanting her to rest her head on his chest and she does, her eyes closing quickly. It's nights like these that need to last forever but the sun comes up way too quickly.

+++

Zach sighs as he parks his bronco in his designated parking spot at Anna's house. He just got back from a meeting with a couple of military men to discuss his basic training. He leaves in a couple months.

This is going to shatter Anna's heart.

She loves Zach and would do anything to make him happy so he knows she'll hide her real emotions.

He lets himself into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. He knocks politely. "Come in."

Zach sighs again as he opens the door, his eyes landing on his girlfriend typing away on her laptop. "Hey! I was just thinkin' about you." She leans up to kiss him then gets comfy back into her spot in bed. "How'd the meeting go?"

"Good, yeah." He nods, kicking his boots off. "Yeah, y'know, good."

Anna chuckles and gives him a weird look. "What's up?"

"I found out where my training is at." He says, sitting on the edge of her bed, running a hand over the back of his head and neck.

"Where? Here?" She asks, hope in her voice.

"Missouri." He mumbles.

"What?"

"Missouri."

"Oh."

Zach nods, pressing his lips together to keep tears in. He has no idea how he's going to do this without her. She's been his rock since basically day one.

Anna clears her throat, setting her laptop aside before kneeling behind him, wrapping an arm around his chest. She presses a sweet his to his temple which ultimately causes a couple tears to slip down his flushed cheeks.

"Hey..." She says softly, moving so she's straddling his lap. "Look at me." He looks away to hide his tear streaked cheeks but she nudges him back. "It's gonna be okay, okay?"

He nods, closing his eyes to keep more tears in. "I love you." He whispers, his heart beating hard in his chest.

"I love you too." She replies, brushing away tears from his cheeks with her thumbs. "We'll be okay." He nods again, looking her over before kissing her innocently at first but as soon as his hands grasp her waist, that kiss turns needy.

He's running his hands under her shirt while she's tugging on the belt looped through his jeans, both their bodies burning.

+++

"When do you ship out?" Anna asks quietly, her head on his bare chest as she fiddles with his fingers.

"Couple months." He replies, his voice vibrating in his chest. "I'm gonna miss you so much."

"Well, don't miss me yet. I'm still here and you're still here, okay?"

"Yeah." He swallows hard. "True."

Anna leans up. "Also, that was the first time we, y'know, had sex." His blush matches hers. "How're you feelin' 'bout that?"

"Good. Really, really good." He smiles. "Yeah, what about you?"

"Good." She smiles back. "I love you, Zach. We're gonna be fine. It'll be scary, yeah, but when you come home, it's gonna be like a- like a thunderstorm."

He chuckles. "I love you too, Annie."