Johnnie
THEN
I was surprised to find two of my favorite people conversing over sweet tea when I returned home. Not at all disappointed, though.
“You know you’re drinking tea from margarita glasses, right?” I kick off my shoes and remove the crossbody from my shoulder, placing it on the hook beside the door.
Nan looks at their drinks, cocks her head, smiles, and says, “Well, would you look at that? Sometimes my old mind gets the best of me.”
“Works just fine for me,” Collins speaks up. “I think it tastes better this way.”
He gives her a flirty smile, and she beams at him in response. Collins raises his glass toward Nan, and they clink their glasses together. As he takes a drink, his toffee eyes find mine over the rim, and he winks.
When he does that—when he winks at me—my insides start to absolutely melt. I’m a complete puddle when it comes to him.
By the evening’s end, the tea has turned into tequila for Nan and Collins, the record player on full blast. As I make my way back to them after a shower, I find Menace and Mayhem, the unlikely duo, in the middle of the living room, dancing.
Collins has his long arm around Nan’s shoulders, she has an arm around his back and they both sway and sing to Willie with their glasses raised in the air.
“You two look like drunk dudes at the bar.” I don’t think they can even hear me over the music; all I get in response are smiles and their singing voices amplifying, monumentally out of tune.
It’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen in my life.
Walking through the haze of smoke ghosting between the walls, I take a seat on a barstool.
“Whiskey river don’t run dry,” they both sing to the ceiling panels, and I can’t hold back my laughter.
I also can’t hold back my love for this boy. If I wasn’t already in love with him before tonight—in this moment, dancing and singing with Nan—I definitely fall all the way.
Eventually I convince them to switch over to beer, figuring they’re less likely to spill liquid from a can than a large-rimmed glass. Taking care of these two tonight must be payback for Collins having to deal with me after the party the other night.
When it’s about time to call it a night, I start doing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen while they still carry on like teenagers.
“Nan!” I call, trying to raise my voice above the music without much success.
No response.
“Nan, it’s time to take your medicine.”
Gathering the nightly pills in my hand and making my way over to where she’s moving the needle on the record player, I hand them to her. She grins, eyes narrowing, then takes my offering and slugs them back with the rest of her beer.
“You really should take those with water, you know.”
Swatting the air between us, she kisses me, then Collins, on the cheek.
The force of nature that is my grandmother takes off across the room, dropping ashes in her wake.
Through a crackling cough she bids us good night, stumbling down the hallway.
“See you tomorrow, kids!” She kisses two fingers and presses them against the photo of my grandad on the wall as she passes.
Collins takes a seat on the stool beside me. “Are you mad at me?” He looks like a child about to be scolded, and even so, still manages to look sexy as hell.
“Why exactly would I be mad at you?” I look at him, quirking an eyebrow.
“I might have accidentally gotten drunk with your grandmother.” He presses his lips together and opens his eyes wide. I’ve never met someone with funnier facial expressions in my life. He has the best energy. He’s addicting.
Yes, I think I’m addicted to him.
“I’m just glad you two had fun. I’m not mad.
” I scrunch my nose at him and cross my legs, spinning around in the barstool.
I get going pretty fast when two long arms come down on each side of the stool to slow me, making me laugh.
Collins doesn’t have a smile on his face anymore.
He puts his forehead down on mine and bores those eyes that never fail to hypnotize me, right into mine.
I swallow hard just as I notice his Adam’s apple bob on a gulp of his own.
“Are you going to kiss me, Collins?” I lean slightly more forward angling my lips to the side of his mouth.
“I’m going to kiss you, Johnnie.”
My heart bottoms out like usual and then our lips crash.
He doesn’t waste any time swiping his tongue in to brush against mine and the mixture of tequila and beer makes me dizzy.
Maybe it’s the alcohol but his whole body seems more relaxed than normal and he starts to devour my mouth like he can’t get enough of me…
isn’t able to consume me fast enough. I still sit here, cross-legged, as his hands come from resting on the stool up to my face, grabbing my cheeks in desperation.
The tingling sensation over my entire body turns me into an inferno, and I bring my hands up, covering his as I stand.
He backs me up until I’m flush with the front door, the coolness of the metal would take my breath away if there were any air left in my lungs.
When I move my hands to dive into his hair, one of my favorite things to do, Collins reaches for my thighs, and I wrap my legs around his waist. I can feel the tension straining against his denim and it does dangerous things to my composure as we continue tangling tongues with reckless hunger.
It’s almost too much to handle, so I break free from his mouth and lean my head back against the door, inhaling deep.
Collins presses his lips to my stretched throat and uses his weight to pin me to the door. My eyes roll back in my head when he grinds his center into mine, bringing his kisses up my neck and to my cheeks before diving back to my mouth. If he moves one more time, I’m going to come undone.
That’s what is going through my mind just as I hear it. A loud thunk shakes the trailer.
We both freeze, and even though I didn’t think my heart could beat any faster, there it goes.
Our heads simultaneously turn in the direction of the loud noise that came from down the hall.
Collins quickly slides me back down to the floor, and we both take off toward Nan’s room.
He opens the door before I can get there, but I bust through, afraid of what we’re going to find.
There, in a heap on the floor beside the bed, is what I assume to be my grandmother tangled up and completely engulfed in blankets.
“Nan, are you okay?” I hedge.
The blankets slowly start moving and muffled slurring of some sort comes from underneath. I walk over and start to unwrap them, managing to find a mess of white hair attached to all five feet of Nan, who’s…laughing? Yes, she’s definitely laughing and spewing tequila-laced breath in my direction.
“Well, dammit. I needed a smoke, so I sat up to light my cigarette, but it was the wrong end, so I panicked. And next thing you know, I’m caught up in sheets, here on the floor.
” She coughs and lets out another belly laugh before adding, “Thanks for the help, sweet pea, now on you go.” She looks up at Collins who has moved behind me now and waves her hand in the air, attempting to shoo us out. “I’m fine.”
“What are we going to do with you, young lady?” Collins’ tone is serious but his eyes are alight with amusement. He takes Nan by the arm and helps her into bed.
I head back to the living room as he gets her settled, shaking my head and grinning as I go.
A moment later, he emerges from Nan’s room. We lock eyes and laughter bursts out of us both. When the laughter dissipates, Collins walks slowly toward me and places his hands on my shoulders. I crane my neck to look at him.
“I want you to come camping with me this weekend. For your birthday.” He gives me a quick kiss on the cheek before heading toward the front door, like it’s not up for debate. “I already got Nan’s permission. Have your things packed by noon tomorrow.”
He’s opening the door when I cross my arms, raise an eyebrow, and say, “And what if I don’t want to go camping?”
He takes his hand off the doorknob and saunters back toward me. He stops when we’re toe to toe, lacing his fingers through my hair, gathering it all in one hand before bending down and grazing my ear ever so slightly, and whispers, “Will you please go camping with me?”
Goose bumps erupt at the sensation of his breath skimming my skin.
“Absolutely.” Because how in the world am I supposed to say no to that? Besides, I’d go anywhere with him. It’s just fun to make him work for it.
He’s halfway out the door when he responds. “That’s what I thought.”