Mine To Kiss (Southern Wedding 0.50)

I shake my head. "Definitely not the question I thought you would ask." I wink at him, making him laugh, and the nerves leave me finally. "My family owns a couple of farms." I can’t help but light up as I talk about it. "Generations of farmers in my family."

"That sounds very, very cool," he says. "So you have hands-on knowledge?"

I take another sip. "From when I was younger, all we did was ride horses. I think I rode a horse before I could even walk. I remember when I was eight, one of our prize horses had a foal. My father thought it was a great learning experience for me." I laugh, thinking back to it. "My mother didn’t talk to him for a week after that, but I just remember being in awe of the whole situation." I shrug. "Besides, who doesn’t love playing with puppies and kittens." I joke with him, and he nods his head. "What about you, Travis? Why do you want to be a vet?"

four

Travis

I look at how her green eyes light up so bright as she talks about her family. The smile on her face makes the corners of her eyes crinkle. When my roommates messaged me about a study group, I was going to pass and just go home. But I knew I would just ignore my homework and crash if I went home, so I came. And boy, am I fucking happy I did. When the door opened and I looked at the girls coming in, my eyes found her right away. I couldn’t believe my luck that she would be here. I knew I would see her again tomorrow in class, but seeing her tonight was just what I needed, and I didn’t realize it until now.

The last hour has been a war in my head. Every single time I tried to look at her without getting caught, she would sense me looking at her, and she would catch me. But every single time I felt bad about it, I would look up and find her looking at me, too. I tried to hide the smile that came out sometimes, knowing she was feeling something toward me. At least that is what I was hoping.

"What about you, Travis?" she says, sitting back in her chair. "Why do you want to be a vet?" She brings her cup to her lips, and I wonder if I kissed her, if it would taste sweet because of the coffee or because of her.

I smile, looking down in my cup of coffee, and a pang of sadness fills my chest. "My dad." I inhale a deep breath and fight back the tears. I can see his bright smile in my head as if I saw it two days ago.

"Oh, your dad is a vet?" she asks with all the enthusiasm, and the lump in my throat grows. I take a couple of seconds before I can find the words.

"No. He was a lawyer.” I laugh, hoping she doesn’t catch the past tense.

"Was?" she asks, her voice going low as she looks at me, and I can see her eyes going just a touch darker.

"He passed away six months ago." I keep thinking that saying the words would hurt less than the last time I said it, but I’m reminded that it doesn’t. Harlow sits up, leaning over, and her hand covers mine on my leg. She squeezes my hand under hers.

"I’m so, so sorry," she says, and her voice cracks. "I can’t even imagine what it feels like." The softness of her voice melts a piece of me. Something in her voice tells me she means every single word of that sentence. You hear from everyone how sorry they are, you hear from friends near and far that they are thinking of you, but you know they’re just words. Except for her. I honestly believe everything she is saying. She swallows as she blinks away tears. "I wouldn’t have brought it up," she says, looking down.

"It’s perfectly fine." I don’t want her to feel bad for bringing it up. "You didn’t know." I smile to make her feel better.

"He must be so proud of you," she says, and she lifts her hand that isn’t holding mine to brush away the tear that comes out of her eye. She smiles, trying to be brave, and I just want to hug her for trying to make me feel better.

"I hope," I reply, squeezing her hand in mine. "He used to always say to me, ‘Son, you need to be friends with five people. A doctor, a lawyer, a mechanic, an accountant, and a veterinarian.'"

She smiles. "My grandfather says the same thing. Except he also adds a plumber and electrician to that," she says, and I can’t help but laugh.