CALLAN
Chapter Three
We’ve had a busy day.
It’s rained heavily for most of the time I’ve been outside.
The tree irrigation system is flooded. Finn and I manage to get it fixed, but it’s dirty work and we’re both covered in mud by the time it’s done.
There's satisfaction in knowing we’ve overcome the elements and saved the trees, although Finn doesn’t enjoy it in the same way I do.
As we trudge back home he slaps my back. He’s not as tall as I am so he has to reach up to do it. Doesn’t stop him thinking he’s the boss, though. “You’re kinda distracted there, bud. Want to talk about it?”
I shrug. “Not really. We need to get some defenses in place for the storm, Finn.”
“It can wait until tomorrow. They’re saying it’s not going to get real bad until tomorrow night, so we can work on stuff during the day.”
I can tell Finn is itching to have a shower, crack open a beer and watch the game with my Dad. I’m still thinking about Paige. Having her so close by is unbearable, but I have no idea how I’m meant to approach her.
Instead of watching the game, I take a shower and lie on my bed, listening to the rain patter on the roof.
Usually Ace comes and lies on the floor next to my bed, but he hasn’t come in yet.
The clock reads after six and he’s almost always inside by now.
I sit up and go downstairs, pull on my coat and head outside to look for him.
I have a special whistle I use for him which is one long low note and two chirpy higher notes.
I walk around our property, pulling my hood up against the rain, but I can’t find him.
He must be around here somewhere, but I’m starting to get concerned.
This isn’t like him. I widen my search to the path near the back of the woods, whistling every few minutes.
“Callan?” It’s Paige.
“Paige?” I shout back, heading towards the sound of her voice.
She's standing outside her uncle’s cabin getting soaked by the rain.
Her top is semi-sheer from the damp and her nipples are poking at the cloth.
Seeing her like that makes my cock instantly hard.
I want to run to her and press my body against her, picking her up, holding her close to me and taking her inside.
It’s like my fantasy has sprung to life.
“Your lovely dog is here. He arrived about an hour ago. I don’t know if you still have your old number, but I texted you.” She brushes her wet hair away from her eyes so she can see me better.
I reach the cabin and stand looking down at her. “I don’t own a cell. We have a business line at the house for work but I don’t need one in the mountains. There’s no signal in most places anyway.”
“Wow. You’re only the second person I know who doesn’t have a cell phone.” She smiles a little.
I’m curious. “Who’s the first?”
“My ninety-three year-old Great Grandma. C’mon, I’m getting drenched out here. Your dog’s inside.” She turns and opens the door to the cabin.
I follow her, ducking my head to get inside. Ace is stretched out in front of the fire. He opens one eye, looks at me with a “...what are you going to do about it?” expression and then closes it again.
Paige walks over to the refrigerator, gets out a beer and hands it to me.
Her long, wavy hair is damp down her back and she reminds me of a mermaid.
That makes my cock even harder, thinking of her rising from the waves with her wet hair streaming over her naked breasts.
I’ve had a lot of time to fantasize about her over the years.
I hope she has no idea what I’m thinking about.
She walks over and scratches Ace’s back. He makes a sound which is half sigh and half contented huffing noise. He only does that when he’s really relaxed. It seems a shame to get him back out in the rain so quickly, even if this girl - woman - told me never to contact her again.
While Paige may have been angry with me for standing her up on prom night, I thought she’d understand once she found out about what happened.
But nothing - no contact. And then my grief for my Mom, helping Dad after the accident and taking on the business pushed it to the back of my head.
Part of me still wants to ask her why she never called me, but she’s a stranger now.
Seven years is a long time. And she looks so beautiful, her hair and skin glossy, wearing city clothes - she won’t be interested in a hick like me.
I walk over and crouch on the other side of Ace. His tail thumps a few times even though his eyes are shut. I want to say something, the silence is getting awkward.
Paige clears her throat. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Yeah, seven years is too long. How’s life in the city?” I can’t resist appreciating her curves in the shirt she’s wearing and the way her eyes look almost amber-colored in the firelight.
“It’s pretty stressful. I’m not sure why I’ve stayed there so long, really.
Once I finished college I had a few newspaper jobs, but then I went freelance, so I can kind of do my job wherever it takes me.
And it’s taken me back here after Uncle Patrick died.
He left me and my cousins his cabins so I thought I’d check mine out.
” Her eyes meet mine. It looks like she wants to say something else, but then her gaze drops back to Ace.
“This is good land here. Although I don’t think your uncle was up here very often.
” I stand up and look around. Paige has clearly given it a good scrub and cleaned it up, but there’s some peeling paint around the windows and judging by the uneven noise of the rain on the roof it may not be completely secure.
“Yes, this is a real fixer-upper.” She laughs. “Although my handy-woman skills leave something to be desired. My skills are more like write a 3000 word article about something random for a six-o-clock deadline.” She stands up.
“Well, that’s certainly something I wouldn’t know how or where to start. I enjoyed your articles in the school paper.” I can’t believe she’s right here in front of me. My perfect high school crush.
“Are you still taking photos?” She’s gazing up at me.
“Yes, when I get the opportunity. It’s busy here. I like to capture the change of the seasons. Fall is my favorite.”
“Mine too.” She smiles.
I can’t resist reaching forward and taking her hand. “It’s really good to see you Paige.” Her hand is much smaller than mine but she wraps her fingers around my rough ones.
She reaches up, standing on tiptoes, to gently stroke my jaw with her hand. There’s an electric charge between us and I step forward, holding her shoulders and inclining my head down to press my lips against hers.
Everything else goes out of my head. I’ve wanted to do this since high school, seeing her every day in the hallways with her unique amber eyes and silky hair, reading her incredible articles in the school paper, watching her laugh with her friends.
There was this guy Paul that was always around her and I knew it would kill me if he took her to prom, so on impulse one day I asked her.
And now Paige is kissing me back, her lips soft under mine as I explore her mouth with my tongue, pressing her body against mine as I run my hands up the curve of her spine up to the back of her neck. She’s breathing faster, her breasts rising and falling against my chest.
The wind blows something against the window and she breaks away. We’re both breathing hard and her cheeks are pink. The only noise is the rising wind, the patter of the rain and the crackling of the fire.
Ace sits up at the noise and I reach my hand down to pat his head. “It’s okay buddy.” I look back at Paige. “You know there’s a big storm coming this weekend? That ancient guy Carl who’s always by the fire at Friar’s Bar reckons it might be the biggest in fifty years.”
She stares back at me. “I should be okay. I haven’t forgotten my Snowflake ways even though I’ve been in the city for so long.”
This is awkward. I don’t know anything about her life.
Maybe she has a boyfriend. Maybe she’s one of those city girls who has a different date every night and she’s just trying on the country boy for size.
But I’ve always known it’s just her I wanted.
There’s been no one else. And when she goes back to the city it will break my heart. Again.
I put the beer down on the coffee table. “Thanks for the beer. Better get this boy back home for some more chow.” Ace’s ears perk up and he runs to the door.
Paige is standing there with that look on her face like she’s trying to tell me something.
Too little, too late. That kiss was amazing but it meant way too much to me. I need to protect myself.
“See you later.” I open the door and although I want to look back, I don’t.
I’ve just made everything way more awkward.
And why does it feel like I should run back and kiss her again?
Ace and I walk back home through the rain. Paige coming here was a bad idea.
I’m safer on my own.