Enjoy!
Xoxo JL
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Chapter Fifty-Six
-Sugar Plum-
As Taylor got into the car, he took a deep breath and gave me a side eye.
"So, the horse didn't impress you?" He asked and I laughed.
"Taylor," I rolled my eyes. "It was impressive that you didn't get bucked off and break your neck. It impressed me, but it was dangerous and completely unnecessary."
"This is because you're a hillbilly isn't it?" He asked and I glared at him.
"Better than being a germ phobic metrosexual," I bit back at him.
"Oh, I do love it when you talk nasty to me," Taylor purred at me and I rolled my eyes again.
"Where are we going?" I asked, impatiently.
"Well," Taylor huffed. "I was going to take you to a nice restaurant, maybe a night time stroll, finished with hot sweaty sex in the back my car, but apparently you don't dig the metropolis way of life."
"Oh yes, that all sounds so appealing. I'm guessing the night time stroll is next to an algae filled toxic bath of factory chemicals with the occasional three eyed fish popping up to say hello with its last breath," I drawled. "And then turning belly up as we continue on."
"The three eyed fish don't actually speak," Taylor rolled his eyes condescendingly. "They mostly just gargle, because they're suffocating in all the chemicals. God, you bumpkins are so backwards. Did you even graduate primary school?"
"Yes, my bathtub gin was top of the class," I replied, dryly. "They'd never seen such alcohol purity from a twelve year old."
"Well, that is an impressive life skill if I ever did see one," Taylor laughed. "We're not going to a restaurant, you're lucky I have a plan B."
He drove... and drove... and drove... and thirty minutes later, we weren't in the city anymore and headed somewhere I was assuming to be dark and dangerous.
"You're going to murder me, aren't you?" I asked, eyeing him off. "Be warned, I know how to make a mean homemade pepper spray. Us country folk are resourceful."
"You won't need it where we go, cupcake," He whispered, not moving his eyes from the road in front of us.
"Creep," I muttered and he laughed.
"You are so sweet tonight, no wonder I want to take you out somewhere remote and secluded," He grinned.
"You started it," I bit at him, childishly.
"Any other girl on campus would have wet panties the moment they saw me on that bloody horse, trust me to pick the one girl that is jaded and bitter about it all."
"Knowledgeable and well-informed about what a horse is capable of doing to an idiot that can't handle the animal," I corrected him and he rolled his eyes.
"Well, if you don't like what I have planned for you," He glanced over at me. "Well, no one will ever hear you complain about it anyway," He winked at me and I glared at him.
"If you murder me, I swear to God," I warned him.
"You're very well about to meet the big man upstairs, dumpling. I'd be careful what you say to Him."
"How much longer?" I asked, impatiently.
"So quick to meet your demise, little girl," He purred at me.
"Oh my god, you're the weirdest person I know," I groaned and Taylor laughed.
"Got to keep you entertained and interested somehow, sugar plum," He grinned at me. "We're just about here."
He pulled off the highway and into an even more remote and secluded road, with no street lights. It was a familiar scene to me, but disturbing considering the company I currently had.
"...Taylor," I murmured cautiously and he laughed.
"Seriously, if I haven't killed you yet, it's not going to happen," He rolled his eyes. "Even if you are ungrateful and infuriating."
"The horse could have killed you," I groaned.
"I don't care, I was trying to do a thing and you ruined it," He bit back.
"I did like the horse," I grinned and he rolled his eyes.
"You were meant to like me more," He huffed.
"I do like you more," I admitted and the exasperation softened into amusement.
"Good."
He pulled off the road onto an unsealed dirt road and he took it slowly as he manoeuvred onto what I assumed was someone's property. Even for Taylor... maybe because it was Taylor, this was weird.
"Do people know we're here?" I asked, and Taylor huffed at me.
"For the last time, I'm not murdering you."
"Not because of that," I laughed. "We're on someone's property. Do they know we're here?" I asked and Taylors face dropped.
"Oh," he murmured. "Yeah, I told him that we might come out tonight and what my cars make was. He was super scary like that. Fully expect him to have stray backpackers chained up in his cellar. Best to keep on his good side."
"That is so comforting, Taylor," I laughed. "Thank you."
He finally came to a stop next to what appeared to be a hut. It was kind of random, as it was right in the middle of a field that we didn't have to drive through any gates or live stock to get too. Had it have been bigger, I might have assumed it was for covering hay in the baling season but it was too small for that. Maybe it was simply used as a pit stop for smoko, it did have a bricked floor.
"The family camps out here," Taylor told me, seemingly have read my mind. "They use this shelter if rain comes on suddenly, apparently."
"Makes sense," I muttered, opening my door and climbing out of the car. There was nothing to be seen in every direction I looked and I looked at Taylor questioningly over the cars roof. Smirking, he simply pointed up and waited for me to comply. I never did get over seeing the sky completely filled with stars in a way that city folk would never get to experience in their natural habitat. Looking up, I took in what Taylor had brought me out here for and I couldn't keep the grin off my face.
"You like?" He asked and I laughed.
"I love. You brought me all this way to star gaze?" I asked and he shrugged.
"You once mentioned it was your favourite thing to do," he smiled boyishly at me. Studying him, I wondered if he knew how much this would mean to me. I also wondered if he knew just how attractive he was right now, because I was almost at completely forgetting every single thing he'd done to me and nailing him on the dusty ground right beneath my feet.
"This isn't fair," I grinned at him.
"All is fair in love and war," He countered, walking around to the car boot and opening it as I laughed.
"All you need to do is pull out a packet of-" He cut me off by throwing something at me. "Chicken twisties," I murmured catching exactly that, looking at the object of my thoughts. "This is very impressive, Cadley," I grinned at him, wondering if he could pre-empt my every whim. "Shirtless Luke Bryan," I murmured and Taylor looked up at me confused from where he was fiddling around in the back of his car.
"What?" Taylor asked and I shook my head. Damn it.
"Nothing," I smiled sweetly.
"Okay?" He looked at me questioningly for a moment and then shook his head. "Anyway, in keeping with your little stargazing tradition you have, I stole Blake's doona to lay on to keep us clean and I brought mine to keep us warm," Taylor grinned and I rolled my eyes.
"You stole your roommate's blanket, Taylor?" I demanded, and he shrugged, still grinning.
"You would have figured I was up to something if I stole Kathy's," He replied, simply.
"We can't dirty his doona," I shook my head. "Hey, the engine would still be warm. Let's lay on that," I suggested.
"Pssh," Taylor snorted. "Fine."
Like back at home, every inch of the sky was littered with bright tiny specks that had me awe of their simple, yet stunning beauty. Glancing over to Taylor, he handed me a sandwich triangle half and I laughed.
"We're having vegemite sandwiches for dinner?" I asked, taking the offered food.
"Well, I didn't know if we would end up doing this, so I needed something that wouldn't smell or go gross if it was left in the car while we had dinner at a restaurant," Taylor grinned. "Also, I know better than to offer you peanut butter."
"Damn straight you do," I nodded at him. "So what made you decide that I wasn't worth a fancy restaurant?"
"When you didn't melt into a puddle at the sight of me playing prince charming," Taylor laughed. "For a simple country hick, you sure are high maintance in your own way."
"Oh, yes. How difficult it is to save the three hundred dollars you would have spent at a restaurant, for vegemite sandwiches and chicken twisties under a blanket of stars," I laughed and he rolled his eyes.
"It is difficult," Taylor insisted with an easy grin. "Did you not see those pot holes I had to avoid? I'm going to need that three hundred dollars for a car service and wheel alignment tomorrow."
"Was it worth it?" I asked, and his easy grin turned bright.
"Completely," He nodded.
"That horse was truly ridiculous," I murmured, still amused.
"So I have been told," Taylor sighed.
"For someone so anxious about screwing everything up, I'm confused as to why," I told him. "You're so amazing, Taylor Cadley. How do you not see that? You showed up on a fricken horse just to try and impress me," I laughed. He glanced up at the sky and then slowly over to make eye contact with me.
"You're worth being anxious about losing you," He shrugged, his half smile missing his customary arrogance. "You're worth getting it right for." Leaning over, I held his eyes with my own as I brushed my fingers over his light, short hair. Taking my time to look him over, taking in his each and every one of his handsome features I shook my head slowly at him.
Everything I was sure I was meant to feel when I saw him on that stupid horse, burst when he said those last dozen words or so. Leaning in and closing my eyes, I kissed him for the first time since Sunday. It didn't have any of the desperation that kiss had had. Gently moving my mouth against his, he sighed into me as his hand came up to hold the back of my head. Even though it tasted like vegemite and we were on the top of his car, leaning against his windshield and the wind had started picking up. Even though this boy was ridiculous in his attempts to push me away and then reel me back in. I'd never felt something more powerful.
"I love you," Taylor murmured against my mouth and I grinned.
"I love you so much," I replied and it made him groan and pull me closer with the hand that had been resting on my leg. As he continued to move his mouth against mine, his hand kept creeping up my leg. When he finally reached high enough that my dress started moving with him, I laughed against his mouth. "Where are you going?" I asked breathless, resting my forehead against his.
"Well I was off to the honey pot," He murmured, as his hand slid up even higher. "But there is just so much fucking fabric. I thought you were joking about the granny panties," He groaned, pawing the material of my undies. "What am I meant to do with these fucking parachute underwear?"
"Nothing, that's why I'm wearing them," I laughed and he groaned again. Pulling me closer to him again, he held me against him and I breathed him in, from where my head rest in the crook of his neck.
"Just give me a minute and then I have another grand gesture for you," He murmured, scrunching his eyes as if to banish a bad thought. Probably the granny underwear that were currently cock-blocking him.
After a moment, he pushed us both off the car and grinned at me as he turned and opened the car door. Knowing that grin, he was probably going to jump in the car and leave me here. Though he didn't actually get into the car properly, so I waited patiently. As he fiddled with the car, I admired his butt that was sticking out of the open door and suddenly music filled the quiet space we occupied. Standing up right, Taylor flicked something inside the car and the cars lights came on and his eyes positively sparkled as I looked back to him.
"Dance with me?" He asked, and he may as well have changed his name to Prince Charming, because this could have easily been my happily ever after.