Him.
Maverick Bennett.
Fifteen years ago….
Laying in the dry grass, I hear the bugs cricketing around me. Opening my eyes, I watch Storm and Dusty grazing away next to each other, linked up to the hitching post that we had installed a few years ago. I breathe in deeply and smile.
“Mav? You awake?” I ask, nudging Maverick on his side with my elbow.
“Hmm?” He doesn’t move; hat hung over this forehead covering his eyes and face away from the burning sun.
“Mav?” I whisper in his ear, shoving him harder as I turn onto my side. He moves this time, bringing his arm up to lift his hat just enough that I see his left eye open and look at me. He smirks.
“I’m trying to nap woman, what’s up?” He says, sitting himself up into a hunched over position, as if admitting defeat on his task of trying to nap.
He places his hat firmly back on his head and faces me.
“I just wanted a kiss.” I wink at him, sitting up alongside him.
The chuckle that leaves him almost sounds like a growl.
Lifting his hand to my neck, like he does so many times a day, I feel his thumb stroke my jawline. He smirks at me with a devilish grin.
“Well, no matter how tired I am, I’ll never deny you that, Firefly,” hereplies, holding the grin firmly in place.
Pulling my face closer to him, our mouths within touching distance, his hot breath mixing with mine against my chin.
Me and Mav' have been together forever. With our parents being best friends, and our birthdays only two months apart, we’ve been joined at the hip our whole lives.
Mav’s older, his birthday being July twentieth, mine being October first. Mav’s in my brother’s grade at school, just missing the cut for my grade. I really wish he was in my grade; I hate only seeing him during our lunch break there.
I also hate that he’ll be leaving before me.
We learned how to roll over, sit up, crawl and walk together.
One always encouraging the other.
At five-years-old, we would run around always holding hands, always together.
He would wipe my tears away when I scraped my knee and would threaten anyone who dared to touch me even when we were small.
At seven-years-old, he told me that I was his to keep and I never argued, even then I was besotted.
At twelve-years-old, he finally took the plunge and kissed me for the first time, right in the field we are currently sitting in. Not on the cheek either like he always had done, but an actual kiss.
We decided to go for a ride, ended up here and he sealed the deal. Even then, I had butterflies.
A first long-lasting, loving kiss.
Right here, in this spot. In this field that we now lay claim to.
I am Maverick Bennett’s girl. Always have been, always would be.
Now we’re sixteen, it feels like the world is ours for the taking. The fire in our bellies and the dreams of forever so close within our reach.
Feeling his lips graze mine, I open my mouth to let his tongue in. I’d do anything for this man. If he said jump, I’d say how high.
Matching his rhythm, I settle into our kiss, until suddenly he’s pulling me onto his lap, now straddling him in the field, each one of my legs around his thighs.
