[Hearts of Palomino 01.0] Love Is Eternal Page 4

  “Oh no,” I said, my mind already thinking of how bad this was going to go.

  “Exactly!” Her eyes went wide. “So, get this, my scene is first for the night. I go running down this path between two cabins. Here I am yelling, boobs bouncing everywhere, when two old guys come walking up, stopping dead in their tracks, and me as well.”

  “Oh, that’s terrible! Did they freak out?”

  She laughed as she shook her head. “I apologized. And then one of the old men, he had to be seventy, he goes, ‘Nothing wrong with that, honey, you keep jogging’.”

  We both broke out in laughter.

  She shrugged. “So, yeah, that was my short film career.”

  “That’s great. I can only imagine.” I stood up and looked down at her, offering my hand, which she took.

  “We’re going to burn up,” I said.

  “I think you’re right.”

  I pulled her up.

  “This is some high-class service,” she said, as I held her hand until we got to the chair. “What else is included in this package?”

  “The all-inclusive lotion application,” I said, grabbing the bottle from within my towel.

  “Hmm, sounds like something I shouldn't miss out on.” She dropped to her stomach, laying out.

  “Oh, you’re going to love it.” I put a dollop of lotion in my hand. My eyes roamed over her long shapely body, and starting on her legs, I worked the lotion in, running my hands up and down the smooth limbs, stopping at the top of the thigh. Moving around, I went to the other leg doing the same, my eyes glued to the firm round cheeks. I wanted desperately to seek the treasure hidden beneath the black fabric, but putting more lotion in my hand quickly, went to her back instead.

  “There,” I said a few minutes later, applying the last bit onto her arms and sitting down on my own chair facing her.

  “Well, I guess it would only be fair if helped you out.”

  For the next five minutes, her hands moved across my legs, arms, and back. Her fingertips sometimes trailing across softly, waves of heat forming and spreading across my body. Twice she came to my inner thigh, her fingers dancing across them teasingly as they moved up and then stopped.

  When she was done, we both lay out on our stomachs, seeming to talk about everything.

  “Hey, what’s your last name?” I said, looking at her.

  “Steele,” she said, then purred at me.

  “Wow, it sounds so…”

  “Porno?”

  “Well, yeah. Sorry, but it does.”

  She laughed. “You are too easy! It’s actually Mason, but you can call me Veronica Steele.” She bit her bottom lip, her eyebrows arching up.

  I laughed. “I just might,” I said.

  “Now, I told you my movie story,” she said. “You have to have a good story.”

  “I don't know, I'm pretty boring.”

  “Lies! Come on, tell me something. It’s only fair.”

  I thought for a few moments. What could I share that would be anything near as interesting as her story?

  “Well, I did something really bad my last year at high school.”

  “Oh, tell me!” she said, turning on to her back.

  I followed suit. “So, I went out on a date with this girl. I was grounded from my car at the time…”

  “Oh, a bad girl like me. Go on.”

  I laughed. “Well, I snuck out and took my dad’s truck without his permission.”

  “And did you get caught?”

  I shook my head. “No, I came home later and went to bed. See, I told you I was boring.” I felt a little embarrassed.

  She came over and knelt down beside me. “You’re far from boring, Julie,” she said.

  I watched as her eyes trailed over me as she made no attempt to hide what she was doing. Reaching her hand out, she took mine in it.

  “Let’s get back in the water,” she said.

  We went back into the pool and spent another thirty minutes just plain goofing off. Then things started to hit me. She liked me as much as I liked her, obvious from shared laughter and conversation. She was her own person, full of life and love. My feelings for her were starting to come together. It was as though a piece of my heart had always been missing and she seemed like the perfect fit.

  ***

  A few hours later we sat on the couch trying to figure when we could meet up next. The next two weeks we were both busy and I found myself getting irritated.

  “OK, I should have an easy week here around the first of July,” I said, looking at my pocket calendar I had made for school. “What do you think about that?” I glanced over at her.

  “OK, this really sucks. I’m leaving for a few weeks for training, restaurant management,” she said, biting at her lip.

  Of course, I thought. Nothing seemed to be working out, and I dropped my pen in frustration and leaned back into the couch.

  “I have an idea,” Veronica said, turning towards me.

  “Sure go ahead. I'm all out of them.”

  “Look, I really like you,” she said.

  I sat up, looking at her. I really liked her as well. Was she ready to try the next step? It was really soon, but why put a good thing on hold?

  “But right now we both are really busy. You have a rough summer schedule, and I'm going to be training away out of state, and then I will be bouncing around stores for a month.”

  I nodded. She was right, and now I knew where this was going.

  “As much as I don't want to say this, I think we should just stay friends for right now. The last thing either of us needs is to jump into a new relationship.”

  I felt my heart sink, but she was right. I had to put school first, and the way I was feeling about her, I would end up putting all that last.

  “Yeah, it’s a good idea,” I said, though my voice wasn't that convincing.

  “You can still call me if you want to. And if you’re busy, I’ll understand. Or if you want to move on…” She lowered her head.

  “No, it’s not like...” I started to say, and she looked up.

  “Gotcha!” she said.

  I laughed and then gave her a hug.

  “Be right back,” I said, going into the bathroom.

  A few minutes later I came out and heard another voice in the living room. It was Travis. Walking in, I heard Veronica talking to him. “I heard about you rubbing lotion on her, don't deny it!” she said, sounding angry.

  His face looked worried and then he looked at me, like a lost puppy looking for help.

  “Don't pay attention to her,” I said walking up, laughing.

  “Yeah, I'm just messing with you. I’m pleased to finally meet you. I have heard a lot about you.” She extended her hand.

  “You’re just as bad as her,” he said, looking at me and then back to her. “Nice to meet you too.” His face was now relaxed.

  “So, what’s going on, buddy?”

  “I got that one-piece you needed,” he said, digging into his pocket and pulling out a small box. “I can go put it on the washing machine if you want.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a screwdriver.

  “That would be great, thanks. Hey, did you want to stay and have some pizza? I'm getting ready to order some.”

  “Yeah, I love pizza!” he said, twirling the screwdriver in his hand and heading back to the small laundry area.

  “You are terrible,” I said, poking Veronica in the side. “You scared him.”

  She raised up both of her hands in front of her. “I know, I know…but it was funny, you have to admit.”

  “I will give you that,” I said, grabbing my phone and ordering the food.

  ***

  As we sat there eating the pizza and watching the game, I felt really happy. I had made two of what were becoming good friends, and better yet, they got along great. Travis had Veronica in stitches and she kept saying, “No, you didn't, did you?” as he told stories of growing up in a small farming community in Texas. Every time she smile
d or laughed, or even when she talked, my heart fluttered. And though there was something there, it would have to wait.

  Travis had left an hour earlier and I walked Veronica out to her car. The sun had gone down, and the night air blowing off the snowcapped peaks brought a nice chill over me.

  We walked up to a classic muscle car from the late 60s, and it seemed to be in really good condition. Even at night, the paint job shone.

  “Wow, this is yours?” I said, looking it over.

  “Yeah, I did a lot of the work on it myself.” Pride radiated from her.

  “Like what?” I asked, though I wasn't too familiar with cars myself.

  “Some bodywork, paint, minor engine repairs,” she said, putting her bag inside it.

  “That’s some skills. You’re going to have to take me out in it sometime.” I looked over the nice leather interior.

  “You got it,” she said.

  We both stood facing each other for a moment, silence between us. I wanted to grab onto her, touch her lips to mine, and have her hold me as I held her.

  “This was really fun. I had a great time. We’re going to have to do it again,” Veronica said, extending her arms.

  “I would love it. I’ll shoot you a text later this week,” I said hugging her. I felt all sorts of emotions run through me and pulled back quickly.

  “All right, talk to you later,” she said.

  I walked away and heard the car roar to life. She drove past, giving me a wave and was soon gone from sight.

  Chapter Six

  The next few weeks flew by and my class schedule and homework kept me busy all day. I would take some breaks and go over and hang out with Travis who had gotten me into playing video games, something I thought I would never get into.

  Between our hectic schedules, I would send Veronica a text and not hear back for a day or two. I had talked to her once briefly, and though it was only ten minutes long, I cherished every moment of it. I longed to see her, to hold her. I would daydream about kissing her, holding her hand. Going for a walk or maybe watching a movie together.

  Before I knew it, it was July 4th and Travis had talked me into going to a county fair and rodeo in town with him. He had let me borrow one of Alice's shirts, a nice cream colored white short-sleeved with some flowered decorations. It really wasn't my style but it didn't look too bad.

  “Hey, it’s going to be over by the time you’re done,” Travis called out.

  I smiled, double checked my lip gloss and headed into the living room. I wore a pair of black jeans I owned, and some black tennis shoes. I was not going to wear boots, I had to draw the line somewhere.

  “What do you think?” I said, looking down and brushing out the shirt a little. It was really tight and I felt my chest was on display. “You think this looks all right? I feel like my boobs are asking for attention,” I said, looking up at him.

  “No, they’re fine. I would pay them lots of attention,” Travis said, his face emotionless.

  My jaw dropped open. “Travis!”

  “Gotcha!” he said, then burst out laughing.

  “You…you…” I said, laughing and trying to form a sentence.

  “I’ve been waiting to get you back!” he said as I grabbed my purse. “Did I do good?” he said as we walked out the front door.

  “Yeah, you got me real good,” I said, closing it behind me.

  ***

  The sun was trying to peek out behind the clouds, and the smell of manure hit me as we went through the turnstile into the fairgrounds. The livestock was to our right, hidden behind the huge steel buildings. But to our left is where I wanted to go. There were a lot of rides, most aimed at small children but plenty for adults. I saw one that had a row of seats that went up high and then swung people around in a clockwise and then counter-clockwise motion.

  “We have to go on that, don't you think?” I said, looking up at it.

  “Yeah, definitely. But after we eat a lot of junk food first,” he said.

  We walked around and went to grab some cotton candy and fresh-squeezed lemonade. The lady making it crushed the lemons in a machine right in front of the customers as the glass filled up.

  “Two lemonades and one cotton candy; that’s eleven dollars, hun,” she said.

  “I got this,” I said to Travis, handing the woman a twenty. Getting back the change, I thanked her, as we continued walking around.

  I loved the smells of cotton candy, hot dogs, popcorn. Combine it with the sounds of laughter and the music from the rides, it made for a great afternoon. The sun would pop out once in a while, but it was mostly cloudy, keeping the heat away.

  “Oh, look at that guy,” I said, nodding, then taking another bite of the cotton candy. A guy wearing a tank top showing off a lot of muscles was swinging a big hammer, sending an iron weight trying to hit the bell on top. “Whoa! He got to eight,” I said. “That’s pretty good, I take it, I mean look at his arms.”

  Travis laughed. “Please, let me show you how it’s done,” he said, handing me his drink.

  I watched him walk over and pay the guy. Oh, Travis, I thought. If he hurts himself, how was I going to explain that to Alice?

  I felt a bit nervous as he rubbed his hands together and flashed me a grin. The muscle guy was standing to the side, his arms crossed talking with his friend, both of them laughing at the skinny guy in the cowboy hat.

  Travis picked up the sledgehammer and held it over his shoulder. Then he brought both arms around in a swinging motion, the long hammer clearing a high arc before it slammed down, the weight going to the top and hitting the bell. A siren went off, a red light flashing as the game attendant yelled out, “We have a winner!”

  “Travis, you did it!” I said, running over to him.

  “Yeah, told you it was nothing,” he said, grinning and taking his drink from my hand.

  The old attendant came over. “Are you going to pick your prize or let the lady?”

  Travis turned to me. “Go on, pick one,” he said.

  “OK,” I said, looking over the stuffed animals. I went over the rows of them, some cute, others hideous. Then I found one I absolutely adored. It was large teddy bear holding two old western pistols in its hand and wearing a cowboy vest and hat.

  “That one,” I said, pointing to it.

  “Great choice,” the man said. “It’s the last one left too.” Using a metal pole with a claw at one end, he picked it off the shelf and then handed it to me.

  “Good job,” he said to Travis, then walked away.

  “Man, that was good, dude,” the muscle guy said, flexing his arms and then walking away.

  “See you at the gym, bro,” Travis whispered, and we both laughed.

  “You’re on a roll today!” I told him.

  “Yeah, really working on not putting my foot in my mouth.”

  “We have a winner!” I said, laughing, holding onto my new teddy bear.

  ***

  Later that evening we drove back home. The sky was dark as thunderstorms rattled above us. The rain was coming down hard and lightning was lighting up the mountain range to the east.

  “Hey, do you want to go to Johnnie 80s and grab a burger or something?” Travis said.

  I knew Veronica was back in town, having arrived last night, and was probably working. As much as I wanted to see her, I couldn't. I had missed her too much, and seeing her and then not being able to see her again for weeks was too much. Plus, I was afraid I would give up on my studying if I did.

  “No, would you be all right going to Jose's?” I said, turning to him.

  “Sure, that works as well. I haven't been there in ages.”

  My phone buzzed. It was Veronica. Opening the text, I read over it.

  “Hey there, busy at work but was just thinking of you. Would you like to hang out soon, when I get a day off!”

  I smiled and replied. “It’s funny you say that, I was just thinking of you. Hit me up when you have some time.”

  Hitting send, I
looked back over at Travis, who was driving.

  “Travis, how do you deal being away from Alice for so long. It can’t be easy,” I said.

  He sighed as the thunder rumbled around us. “No, ma’am, it’s not easy. Every day I miss her and you know that saying about absence making the heart grow fonder?” he said looking over at me.

  “Yeah.”

  “It’s true,” he said, slowing down and turning into the parking lot where Jose's was located. “I love Alice more and more every day. And the longer we’re apart, the bigger my heart grows for her. And the more I long for her, the more I realize how much I need and love her. So yeah, it’s hard being apart, and damn do I miss her.”

  I felt my bottom lip quiver as a few tears rolled out, falling down my cheeks.

  “Oh, sorry,” he said looking at me.

  “Stop apologizing,” I said, sniffling as I scooted over and gave him a hug.

  ***

  “Ha ha! Got you again!” he said as my car on the video game went flying off the screen. We had finished eating about thirty minutes ago and were now playing some game, which was supposed to be a racing game of some sort. But in the last ten minutes it had turned into a game of running each other off the road.

  “Ha! You cheated!” I said, my go-to excuse when I was losing at something.

  “Please,” he said. “But you’re getting better.”

  “Really?” I said.

  “No, not really,” he chuckled as my car was run off the road again.

  I set my controller down, feeling exhausted. It had been a long day and the fireworks had still not gone off. The thunder and lightning were getting worse and the lights had flickered a couple of times since I came over.

  “All right, my friend, I'm tired and I want to go to bed,” I said, standing up and stretching. “Oh, and I’ll return the shirt to you tomorrow.”

  “No problem, and thanks for coming with me today.”

  “Are you kidding? Thank you again. That was really fun. I'm glad you invited me.” I gave him a hug.

  He walked me to the door, and grabbing my new teddy bear, I turned to him. “By the way, this is great,” I said, lifting it up.