Hello. I've been working on this oneshot a little for about a week, but wrote most of it last night when I couldn't sleep. It's inspired by the song Tim McGraw by Taylor Swift (who else?).
Anyway so this oneshot is brought to you by Taylor Swift and my terrible sleep schedule.
I actually really like this one. Enjoy.
***
Waverly feels her eyes well up. She's been cleaning her room out, thoroughly, for the past day and a half. This clean out has resulted in finding many long forgotten bits and pieces, like the letter she just found in a box beneath her bed. A letter she never sent. It contains a million memories from a few summers back, from a summer love that fell to the ground with the leaves that autumn.
The breeze cools their sun kissed skin as they approach the edge of the lake. The tall redhead sways, with the weight of the girl on her back finally becoming a little too much. She straightens up and let's Waverly down, releasing the grip on her thighs. The brunette slips down with a giggle and a messy kiss to Nicole's cheek.
"Aunt Gus is gonna kill me for being out this late," she says, almost proudly, as she watches Nicole settle on the grass. Nicole laughs.
"Waves, it's barely 5 o'clock. You're sixteen, shouldn't you be allowed to stay out and have fun? It's not like you've got school to worry about." Waverly nods and sits down beside Nicole.
"Thursdays are for family dinner and I was supposed to wash Curtis's truck today," Waverly explains, trying not to feel guilty. But she's a natural rule follower so it still eats away at her a little. She shrugs, like it's nothing, as Nicole's mouth falls open just a little.
"I could've helped with that, and maybe even gotten a dinner invite." Nicole looks to see Waverly's reaction but Waverly won't meet her eyes. "I can't believe you still haven't told them about me. It's been a month!"
"I'm the baby of the family, they won't approve of anyone. And..."
"And what?" Nicole pokes her arm until Waverly leans against her and continues.
"And you're older." The brunette pulls at a long blade of grass until it snaps free then she starts tearing it to bits.
"Less than two years, that's nothing."
"You go to college!"
"Waves, are you uncomfortable being with me? Because I don't want you to be."
"It's not that. I love being with you. And I like having you all to myself... like a whole different world that's just you and me."
"Okay, okay," Nicole gives in and kisses Waverly on the cheek before laying on her back. Waverly leans back and rests her head on Nicole's chest. She smiles at the familiar feeling of her girlfriend's hand running through her hair. The grass is prickly under their backs but it doesn't bother them too much. Another breeze blows by.
Waverly debates ripping the letter to pieces after she reads it over but she can't bring herself to do it. She folds it back up with a sigh, slipping it back inside the yellowing envelope and puts it up on her dresser. She doesn't let her mind wander to it until she finishes her clean out, has dinner and returns to her room for the night.
She holds it again, laying on her bed and thinks back to that summer.
"It's not that deep, come on."
"I don't want to," Waverly protests. "I don't know how to swim," she adds in a mumble, her cheeks turning red. "Not well."
Nicole is already ankle deep in the water, her faded blue jeans rolled halfway up her shins and her long, red hair blowing in the wind. She holds her hands out. "I got you." Waverly sighs in a loud huff before taking her outstretched hands.
Nicole guides her steadily into the water, linking an arm around Waverly's waist once she's closer. They walk on the floor of large rocks out a littler deeper until water starts to seep into Nicole's jeans. "See it's not so bad." She smiles down at Waverly's nervous face, ignoring the fingernails digging into her hip where Waverly's hand holds her tensely. "Wanna sit down?"
"Our clothes will get soaked."
"I've got towels in the truck. It's calming to just sit in here." She guides Waverly as they both sit down and stare out across the lake. "Tomorrow we can bring swim suits or a change of clothes and I'll take you out deeper and teach you to swim."
"Maybe. Isn't there a pool I can learn in?" Nicole laughs at her.
"Where's the fun in that?"
"I'm more concerned with the safety element."
"Hey," she coos, "I promise to keep you safe. I've been swimming here a million times and I'm an excellent swimmer." She brushes Waverly's shoulder with a wet hand. Waverly leans against her and smiles.
"You're so humble," she jokes, then adds, "thanks."
"If you're really worried, I could bring a life jacket, just to start with."
"I'm not a child, Nicole."
"I know, baby. I just want you to feel safe and sound."
Waverly finds herself at her desk, writing out a new letter:
"Here's a letter I wrote three summers back. I meant to send it to you at college but I chickened out. And then you never called or wrote. I cried through all of September. So much I confessed everything to Wynonna.
Anyway, I heard you're back in town now. And working at the law firm like you told me you dreamed about.
I found this while spring cleaning and I can't bring myself to throw it out so I decided you should have it. Actually I don't know if I'll even go through with that yet, but if you're reading this then obviously I have.
I hope you still think of me when you hear our song on the radio... because I do.
Hope you're doing well
Waverly Earp xx"
She just about balls the paper up but decides against it. Now there's just the decision of whether to deliver it this time. The only conclusion she comes to is that she'll decide in the morning.
As she pulls the covers up and closes her eyes she watches a movie of memories play out in her head.
"Aunt Gus is gonna be so mad."
"Should I take you home, then?" Nicole offers, genuinely but with a half hidden frown.
"No way. You went to all this trouble and I want to stay." She grabs onto Nicole's forearm, letting her help her up into the bed of her old, red pickup truck.
"It was no big deal. I just want to spend a night with you under the stars, by our lake."
"This lake isn't ours. We don't own it," Waverly giggles poking her in the side. Nicole swats her arm away.
"It's ours. Nobody is ever here. But just in case I constructed this tent over the truck bed, amazingly if I do say so myself, so we can have some privacy."
"Privacy," Waverly repeats. She brushes her hand up against Nicole's. "I bet you say that to all the girls you sleep with in the back of your truck by this lake."
"Well yes, because that's only you. I mean," Nicole stumbles over her words, "I'm not- I don't... I-"
"I know, I know; you're not actually trying to get in my pants. But anything's possible tonight," she winks. Nicole laughs, which makes Waverly smile and her eyes shine. She gazes out at the stars as Nicole keeps her eyes on her, enchanted by her beauty. "The stars are so beautiful out here. There's so many."
"Mhmm. Your beautiful eyes put them to shame though... nothing sparkles brighter than your eyes when you smile, not even starlight." Waverly's cheeks turn dark pink and she's thankful for the darkness that she's sure is disguising her face.
"You're such a flirt," she teases. She holds onto Nicole's hand and squeezes it gently.
"I'm not a flirt, I'm just a smooth talker," Nicole says, pretending to be offended but a smile creeps back to her face.
"Call it what you want, flirt!"
Waverly tries desperately to think of something else, trying not to remember the rest of that night. Not the music or the way Nicole's lips tasted. Not how alive she felt to be out there in nature at night with her lover. She pushes away the memory but it forces it way back to the front of her mind in flashes of touches hot to her skin, red hair in her hands, discarded clothes and a feeling of ecstasy she'd never felt before.
Waverly has barely slept a couple hours by morning light, after tossing and turning and trying to shake the dreams of a certain redhead. She grabs the letters from her bedside table on her way out of her room, after getting dressed, and heads downstairs.
Her mind is still on Nicole as she moves around the kitchen making toast and tea and being badgered by a hungover Wynonna.
"What's with you today?" Wynonna grumbles as Waverly angrily draws the curtain shut over the window above the sink.
"It's too sunny," she grunts. Wynonna laughs and squeezes her shoulder.
"Says miss sunshine herself." Waverly glares at her, her eyes daring Wynonna to keep talking. "Let me get some coffee in my system and then we can talk, okay?" Waverly grunts and resists the hug her big sister wraps her in. She wipes her forehead after Wynonna kisses it, like a child would do after being greeted by a great aunt they don't recognise.
"I'm going out."
"Delivering letters?" Wynonna asks with a glance at the two sealed envelopes on the table. Waverly sends another glare her way as she finishes spreading jam on her toast. Wynonna shrugs and pours herself a mug of coffee, taking it to the table.
Wynonna draws a chair back and sits down, soon joined by Waverly and her breakfast. "What's the matter, baby girl? You've not been this unhappy since that year your summer love dumped you. What was her name? You never told me." She sips from her coffee, wincing at the burning heat on her tongue. Wynonna glances up from the mug to see Waverly scowling.
"I'm not telling you her name, because you'd probably track her down and beat her up."
"Sheesh, fine. Wait this isn't about her is it? I thought she moved away."
"She didn't move away she just returned to college for the year," Waverly admits. Wynonna chokes on her coffee.
"Returned to college? You weren't even 17 yet, that summer!"
"She only turned 18 in May that year... it's no big deal. Anyway you dated Doc when you were 16 and he was like 30."
"He was only 19!"
"That's older than Nicole was!"
"Aha! We have a name!"
"Shit," Waverly mutters. "Wynonna don't go looking for her, okay?"
"Is she living in Purgatory?" She sees right through the lying shake of Waverly's head. "I'll be beating her ass before sundown." She goes to stand up, lifting slightly off the chair.
"Wynonna," Waverly grabs her wrist from across the table, "I'm serious! Don't!" She sits back down and Waverly releases her.
"Fine. You're not going to see her, are you?"
"Probably not."
"Waves," she warns.
Waverly ignores her, picking up the letters from the table and heading for the door. She looks back, waving, just in time to see Wynonna snatch the last piece of toast that she'd abandoned.
By the time she was in town, Waverly had thought of a plan. The first part was to find out Nicole's current address, and she knew the perfect person she could weasel it out of.
"Sheriff Nedley!" she calls out, walking into the police station, smiling and waving. "How are you?"
"No bad, Miss Earp. What can I do for you?"
"I'm actually here on a personal call," she begins, leaning on the bench that separates them. She twists a finger in her hair nervously. "I heard that an old friend was back in town, after college, and I was hoping to surprise her with a visit. Only problem is, I'm not sure where she's staying and then I remembered she's your niece so I thought maybe you could help me out." She smiles sweetly.
"My niece? Oh," he nods, "you mean Nicole Haught?" Waverly nods eagerly. "Well she's not actually my niece, but she's family all the same. I was always hoping she'd come work here with me, but I'm glad she reached that bit further for what she wanted. Made me proud, that one." He ruffles his greying moustache with his forefinger and thumb. Then he spots Waverly's wavering patience, hidden poorly behind her faltering smile. "Nicole's address. Let me check my book."
He wanders away, disappearing for a few moments into his office. Nedley returns with a small paper in hand, a minute later and passes it to her. "Here you go, young lady."
"Thanks, Sheriff."
"No problem. You know, I never noticed you were friends with Haught. You were always around my Chrissy back in ya school days. Anyway, don't let me keep ya."
"Bye!"
She's out the door and into her car in no time, punching in the address into her phone. It's a 10 minute drive from the station. Suddenly Waverly feels like she can't breathe, her chest tightens and her stomach does a few backflips.
When she arrives on the street, she parks down the road, as if Nicole might recognise the car. The car she didn't have back when they were together. She shakes her head and walks up the front steps of the little house. Waverly stares at the door and debates knocking, but she shakes her head again and rests the letters on the top step before walking away.