It's the little things in life
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When I arrived home late last night, the sun had been replaced by the indigo of the night sky, the horizon speckled with dazzling stars. The crickets sang their song so loud that it could be heard from inside, chirp after chirp. I found the lights in all of the rooms were switched off except for a lamp in the family by the front door. It was left on, shining a light against the doorway as if Caroline was expecting my arrival at some point. I'd gone and checked on the boys in their rooms to find them all sleeping peacefully. And then I decided to check on Caroline. I had no idea why, I just felt like I should. As I opened her door, I didn't find her sound asleep in her bed. Rather, her bathroom door was cracked open enough allowing a sliver of light to shadow on the floor.
"Leah, I don't know what to do. I told him I love him and I don't think he feels the same." She had said into what I'm guessing was her phone.
Caroline became quiet for a moment and then I heard it. She sniffled and I could tell she was crying. My heart broke in two.
Today was a new day. I got ready for the day and came downstairs to find my mug filled to the brim with piping hot coffee and a spoonful of creamer, just the way I like it. Next to it sat the daily newspaper that I read every morning while I sipped my coffee. I sat down at the kitchen island just as Caroline came zooming into the kitchen, holding Bo and Tate's backpacks. She set them on the counter before pulling out a Spiderman lunchbox from each bag.
She groaned before yelling. "Bo, Tate, Til, hurry your butts up! Y'all are gonna be late!"
Caroline fixed up quick lunches and placed them in the lunch boxes before stuffing them back into the backpacks and zipping them up. The kids came thundering in the kitchen, filing behind one another.
"Daddy!" Bo and Tate squealed.
I stood up and hugged them both. "Hey guys I missed you!"
"Hey Uncle Luke, I see you're back. Can we go fishing tomorrow by any chance?" Til asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know, I'll see. No promises though."
Caroline dug into her purse that was hanging on the island bar stool and fished out a few dollar bills before handing them to Til for his lunch. It was then that I noticed she was still in the sweats and tshirt she had slept in. She didn't have makeup on and her hair was in a messy bun, yet she still looked gorgeous, managing to take my breath away. I stared at her, looking her up and down, biting my lip every so often. Then I felt a nudge in my arm and looked to see Til smirking.
"Quit starin' Uncle Luke. She's gonna catch you one of these times." Til said.
He walked towards the front door and I shot him a glare. "What do you mean one of these times?"
He smirked. "Don't act like you don't do it all the time."
I felt my cheeks burn red and I just eyeballed him. Caroline ushered Bo and Tate towards the door as quickly as she could.
"Do what all the time?" She asked.
Til and I spoke in unison. "Nothing."
Soon Caroline arrived back home and changed into some clothes. And some rather... nice clothes too. She wore tight jeans that fit her curves perfectly and a flannel button up with a tank top underneath. Lets just say she left one too many buttons undone, enough so that I could just see her cleavage. I enjoyed watching her prance around the house in that outfit, cleaning and doing things. But in the end, she avoided me at all costs. She didn't even speak one word to me, and I didn't dare try to talk to her either. All I could think about was how I made love to her once.
"Why don't you go over to her and quit gawking Luke. Lord, you look like a dog drooling over table scraps." Carter said.
"Nah man, I can't do that. She's definitely got a boyfriend. I mean, look at her." I said.
We were at a bonfire with the rest of my Sigma Chi boys and the ADPis. She sat alone on a tailgate swaying to some music that was blasting out of the truck speakers, her little tan legs were swinging to the beat. She was gorgeous.
Carter groaned. "She came into Dingus MaGee's the other week alone, and I've seen her walking around campus alone. I've never once seen her with another guy. Get your ass up and go talk to her."
I took a swig of my beer, finishing the last few drops before setting it on our tailgate. I hopped down from the truck and turned when Carter spoke.
"Oh and Luke," He said.
"Yah?"
"Actually find out her name this time." Carter smirked.
I smiled and walked away towards the blazing bonfire pit that was in the center of the circle of trucks. I pulled out two beers from the cooler that sat there and took them over to her.
"Hey," I said nervously.
The girl grinned. "Hey, I remember you." Her southern accent pulled me in just like that and I melted at the words rolling off her tongue. "You were at Dingus MaGee's the other week!"
I chuckled. "Yep, that's me."
I hopped up on her tailgate and sat down next to her, handing her the Miller Lite. She graciously accepted it and popped it open, immediately taking a swig. My kinda girl...
"So, I never caught your name last time darlin'." I said.
She smiled softly. "Caroline, my name's Caroline. You can also call me Carol if you'd like."
"Well then, Caroline, where are ya from?" I asked.
"Slow your roll, cowboy. How about I get your name first?" She laughed.
I chuckled. "Oops, guess I'm so eager to get to know a beautiful girl like you that I forgot to tell ya my name is Luke."
She blushed and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. I felt my hear swell and I smiled, knowing that I could make her blush like that.
As the night wore on, we talked some more, getting to know each other better with each passing second. At points it felt like I had known her my whole life, not just for a few hours.
"Oh my God!" Caroline screamed.
I shot her a funny look at she laughed as she jumped down from the tailgate.
"This is my song. Cmon' come dance with me." She pleaded, pulling at my hand.
I listened and noticed that "Strawberry Wine" was playing through the speakers. I smiled and stood, pulling her close to me. We danced together swaying in front of the tailgate. I felt content with her head resting on my chest, all was right in the world at that moment. She looked up at me and smiled, I spun her around before finally tipping her back only to bring her right back up to me. We stared into each other's eyes as the song faded out. I so badly wanted to kiss her, but I didn't dare do so. Suddenly she cupped my face and kissed me. We stood there kissing for a while before I whispered in her ear.
"Let's go."
We ran to my truck and hopped in. I drove as fast as I could towards her dorm. She led the way, leaning up against me the whole time. When I pulled up to her dorm, we sat there in the truck. "Can't Get You Off Of My Mind" played in the background. She sat on my lap and I cradled her face in my hands and we sat there making out before I pulled back for air. I smirked and hopped out. She followed suit. She jumped into my arms and we ran into her dorm. When we entered I laid her gently down onto her bed before tossing my shirt to the side. I hovered over top of her.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked.
She nodded. "Yes, so sure." She whispered.
When I went into the kitchen, I noticed that papers I needed to take into the studio tomorrow were laid out on the counter, ready to go, with an apple. Caroline was always on top of things and even knew I liked apples on days I'd go into the studio to work on the new album. That's when I started to realize all of the things Caroline really does do. She has my coffee waiting for me in the morning, the way I like it with the paper. She makes sure I have things I need for work. She buys my favorite foods and makes sure to cook my favorite meals every now and then. She makes sure that the boys have their lunches ready to go the night before. She makes sure Lays Potato chips are always stocked. She places my boots in front of the shoe rack because she knows I wear them often. She's always asking me how my day was and is there for me when I need support. And then she does all these little things to draw my attention. She laughs a little too loud, she stares a little too long, she smiles a little too big, and talks about me a little too much. And it's definitely working, because she's crossing my mind a little too often and I am clearly falling a little too hard.
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Author's Note:
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