Hayin' Time

He continued to act like a jerk toward me, but they seemed to have an on again-off again relationship, going out more weekends than not, and he even seemed to act nice around her most of the time. I said nothing and avoided him as much as I could.

Unfortunately, I didn't have that option with Rebecca. I tried to stay away when she and Josh started going out regularly, but she made that difficult, whether it was accompanying me to check the herds, following me on a ride, going to the swimming hole, or coming out to the bunkhouse to watch TV or play cards with me. Over the weeks of working together, we slowly became good friends, though we avoided talking about Josh, as if he was the great big elephant in the room. In truth, I found myself enjoying her company more each week, but couldn't stand imagining Josh fucking her each weekend and her being willing to take it and his abusiveness.

"What's wrong?" she asked me on several occasions, but I always begged off on answering. That was true, too, when she asked if I'd heard from Carla.

"Uh, not recently." I wouldn't volunteer more and she would nod politely and not press the issue, though, almost like clockwork, she'd ask again the following week.

It was early in my final week on the farm when we were outside under the stars that she even encouraged me to call her Becky.

"All my friends do," she told me, but I politely refused.

"Sorry, but you're Rebecca to me. I hope you don't mind."

"Rebecca's fine," she said as she smiled at me and squeezed my arm. Arm in arm, I walked her back to the house and told her goodnight.

***

Friday was my last day of work; I'd be catching the bus home the next morning. I was quite happy but felt a bit melancholy as we finished transferring the last wagon-load of hay for the week up into the loft of Barn 1. Despite my initial misgivings, I really like the farm, enjoyed farm life, and, to my great surprise, I realized that I was going to miss it.

"Great job, everyone," said Mr. Johnson. Turning to Josh and his crew, he said, "Guys, let's meet at the house and we'll settle up wages for the week. I think Mrs. Johnson may have a tub of homemade blackberry ice cream waiting for us, too."

We'd had a couple of other flavors of Mrs. Johnson's ice cream earlier in the summer, so that was enough to get everyone to take off toward the house. Most of us made our way to the front wagon to ride together, but after we pulled away, I noticed that Rebecca wasn't on her tractor. I knew I'd be receiving my summer wages and bus ticket home that evening, so I told the others that I'd wait for Rebecca. Not waiting for a response, I jumped off the wagon and started back toward the barn to find her.

She wasn't around when I got back, so I assumed she was taking care of a call of nature in the outhouse out behind the barn. Therefore, I sat down on the front of the wagon and waited for her.

And waited. Getting tired of that and starting to worry that she might have gotten hurt or maybe accidentally locked in the rickety structure, I went around the barn and called her name, but heard no reply. Therefore, I went through the barn on the way back; I was almost to the front when I thought I heard something up in the loft.

I climbed the front ladder and looked up into the stair-step-like ranks of hay. The barn was over half full and it took a little searching before I spotted a few bales that looked out of place, sitting on top of each other out in the open rather than stacked like the rest. I was about to ignore it and climb down, but then I heard another noise from that area. Shaking my head, I climbed on up into the loft and made my way to the spot to see what she was doing.

I shouldn't have. On peeking over the bales, I saw Josh and Rebecca making out. His tongue must have been halfway down her throat. Or maybe it was hers down his; I couldn't be sure which. Her t-shirt was pushed up exposing her bra and one breast that he appeared to be mauling with his hand. Josh's pants were partway down and I inadvertently caught sight of his erect member while he was fumbling with the button on her jeans, trying to get it open.

I'd known what they'd been up to for most of the summer, but seeing it in person made me sick. All along, I'd thought that Rebecca could do so much better, but was quite disappointed that she wasn't even trying. Shocked and upset at what I was seeing, it slipped out. "God! You two get a fucking room."

Embarrassed beyond belief, I quickly made my way back down the ladder and started the long walk back to the house. The tractor engine started up before I'd gone very far and I heard it heading toward me. Spotting a few trees along the side of the lane in the distance, I ran, slipped inside the gate, and hid behind a tree trunk as Rebecca drove by with Josh sitting on the front of the wagon where I'd been only minutes earlier. He looked really pissed off, leading me to smile as I hoped he hadn't gotten lucky this once after all.

It was then, as I watched them disappear down the lane into the distance that I realized what I'd been denying to myself for weeks, as if it was on the tip of my tongue but I was unable to say it. I no longer had a thing for Carla; I'd moved on from her and now cared for Rebecca, my friend, who saw me strictly as a friend rather than a potential romantic partner. I liked her—a lot, I realized—but I knew it didn't matter. Not being a cheater or relationship wrecker, I wouldn't try to come between Josh and her, no matter how little he deserved her.

Disappointment lay heavily on me as I started the long walk back to the bunkhouse.

***

"Eric, you've been a great hand," said Mr. Johnson later that evening, "and I'd be proud to have you back to work with us any time. If you need something again next summer, you let me know and I'll bump your hourly rate up because you have some excellent experience now." He handed me an envelope with my check inside.

"Thank you, sir. I hope to be able to find something in my profession next year since I"ll have a some engineering classes under my belt, but I'll keep you in mind." Even as I said it, I felt doubts in my mind that would continue to grow over the coming days and weeks.

"Good. Now get dressed in something nice. The family and I want to take you to dinner in town."

The thought of spending time looking at Rebecca and thinking of how he'd been all over her made me blanch.

"Are you okay, son?" he asked.

"Uh, no, sir. I'm actually kind of sick to my stomach, so I appreciate the offer for dinner, but I think it will be best if I stay in tonight. Please give my apologies to your family and tell them goodbye for me. I wouldn't want to get them sick if this bug is contagious."

"Okay, will do, Eric. Get some rest and I hope you feel better in the morning. I'll have Becky ready to take you to the bus stop at 7:30 in the morning."

"Uh, sir, can...can Toby drive me instead? I wanted to, ahem, talk to him about something."

Maybe my request resonated with him, or perhaps it was the look on my face, but Mr. Johnson gave me a sympathetic look and a nod before saying, "That will be fine. Have a good night."

***

Toby drove me to the bus stop in town in virtual silence the next morning. I was very tired after a restless night in which Josh taunted me and Rebecca laughed at me for daring to care for her. When he pulled up in front of the drug store, I thanked him and said goodbye as I got out of the truck before getting my duffel bag out of the truck bed. He waved to me to come to the passenger side window before he drove away.

"Eric, you gonna' see your girl when you get home?"

I shook my head. "I thought this girl liked me but she didn't really. She's got a boyfriend now, too, so..." I shook my head again.

He looked at me, a frown on his brow. "You know, son, sometimes ya' just gotta say what's on your mind."

"Ah, what do you mean, Toby?"

"Just what I said, son. Sometimes people think they know what you're thinkin', but they usually can't be sure so nothin' comes of it unless you say what's on your mind. You'd best remember that. Now, take care, Eric."

He drove off leaving me to wonder ponder the truth of his words and to wonder why he'd said them to me.

The ride home was long and boring. I spent far too much of the time thinking of Rebecca and wishing there was a way to unsee what I'd seen of her and Josh in that loft. Perhaps the memory would fade in time, but it wouldn't be soon, I knew. Each time I closed my eyes to try to doze, the scene replayed itself in my mind and I hated myself a little more for falling for someone involved with someone else. Eventually exhaustion overcame regret and I dozed as we crossed the state.

My mom picked me up from the city bus station late that evening. She gave me a big hug like moms tend to do and then chattered mercilessly the entire way home. Despite my naps on the bus, I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and I slept until mid-afternoon on Sunday.

The week passed all too quickly, with a stop at the bank to deposit my check and a couple of shopping trips for new school clothes supplies being among the highlights. Mom suggested that we visit the Pittinis, but I nixed that idea. I was done with the past, and was looking forward to the future. I'd be a junior this year, I told myself, and I would actively try to meet new girls and date rather than being tied down by the ghost of Carla Pittini or the spectre of Rebecca Johnson and her stupid boyfriend. That I kept adding an adjective for Josh eventually made me realize that it might take a little longer to get past Rebecca than I hoped.

By Friday morning, I was packed for the new school year, but Mom, a realtor, had a special showing come up, so we didn't leave home until early afternoon. Ron and I had decided to live together again, but this time, we had individual rooms with a connecting bathroom between us. He was already unpacked and had gone out before I arrived, leaving me a note taped on the bathroom mirror with his proposed itinerary where beer would flow freely. Of course Mom saw it first, leading her to give me the annual booze and grass lecture.

"Yes, Mom, I know," I agreed, wondering if she'd waste her time with it if she knew how little beer I actually drank. "I love you, too, and be careful on the way home."

With that, I got her out of the room and, minutes later, I was off in search of Ron. The parties were wild and the beer at the fraternity houses was being dispensed as freely as he'd suggested, so I never found him. I met a few freshmen girls but could barely hear their names over the insanely loud music. Frustrated and fed up, I was back in the dorm by just after midnight and asleep minutes later.

***

Ron awoke me with knocking at my door far too early in the morning for a civilized person.

"Hold on," I called, climbing out of bed and opening the sliding door to our shared bathroom. When the knocking continued, I realized it wasn't Ron and it was coming from the front door rather than where I thought.

I opened the door to see Rebecca, dressed in shorts and a tank top and looking as perky as if she'd been up for hours, standing there with her fists on her hips.

"Hi, Eric. Do you have any idea how hard it is to track down someone's dorm room before the student directory comes out? Inside. We have to talk."

She gave me a little shove inside and shut the door behind her, locking it as she did.

"Rebecca, why are you here?" I asked. "Your boyfriend wouldn't like—"

I saw it coming as soon as the word boyfriend left my mouth but I didn't believe she was doing it until her fingers connected with my cheek. The slap wasn't too hard or all that loud but it stung; she shook her fingers, too, as if it hurt her as much as it had me. I stared at her in disbelief for a few seconds before noting the tears in her eyes.

I don't know why I did it, but I reached out and took her hands, as gently as my callused hands would allow, and asked, "Rebecca, what's wrong?"

She moved forward, sinking against me, putting her head on my chest. I let go of her hands and slid my arms around her, to hold her, and she quickly did the same to me. I'm not sure what it was but it somehow felt right as we stood there holding each other and it seemed to give her some degree of comfort and courage to continue.

"Eric, please listen; I need to say this. I agreed to go up in the loft to make out with Josh. He thought I'd just been playing hard to get all along and that when the opportunity presented itself...."

"Wait. You mean you two hadn't been, ah, having sex all summer?"

A fist hit my chest, though not too hard. "Asshole. What on earth gave you that idea?"

I tried to remember her exact words. "You said all he was interested in was sex."

"Him, yes. I didn't say I was."

The light went on in my mind. "Oh, no. I thought you meant—"

"Eric, shut up and hold me. Josh isn't a bad guy, he's just...well, not too bright sometimes. He's only interested in sex, guns, motorcycles, and his pickup truck. He's a good kisser, a really good kisser—"

"I didn't need to know that."

"—but he couldn't maintain a conversation for five minutes...without getting into one of those, anyway. He's fun when you're miles from anywhere, but he's not someone I want to marry. When you showed up and he saw your expression and then mine, he realized I really meant what I'd been saying: I wasn't going past a certain point with him, no matter how much he begged for it. I really didn't care for him like that. It was the first time I've ever seen him look hurt, about anything. He was really embarrassed and apologized."

"Really? I'm shocked. "So why'd you see him all summer, Rebecca? You couldn't have been having that much, ahem, fun, if you were having to fight him off all the time."

"Eric, I'm a country girl. I know how to distract a guy, and keep him at least a little happy, without letting him into my pants, okay?"

I pulled away from her, shaking my head as I turned away. "Please, I don't want to hear any more. I think you'd better go."

She took my hand and turned me back toward her. "Really, Eric? That's all you have to say?"

I looked at her and shook my head. "No, not all. I better stop, though." I didn't mean to say it, but it slipped out. "Rebecca, you could do so much better."

She frowned at me. "I started liking someone else, but he had a girlfriend so I figured I'd stick with Josh until there was an opening."

"Who?"

This time when her fist hit my chest, it hurt. "What was that for?" I exclaimed.

"Eric Crenshaw, are you as dense as Josh or are you just playing with me? You, you idiot, and your precious Carla. Though Toby told me you said you weren't seeing her anymore. Is that true?"

My heart was racing. "You liked me? But wait, you didn't tell me because I liked Carla?"

She looked up at me, biting her lower lip, and nodded, leading me to laugh. "O. Henry would get a kick out of that."

Rebecca gave me a quizzical look, not realizing that I"d let her believe in my pretend romance with Carla because I thought she liked Josh. "So you're really not seeing her anymore, right?"

"That's not exactly what I told Toby, but it covers it well enough. I won't be seeing her like that again. Ever."

"Good. Now that's out of the way..." She straightened up, leaned in, and her lips met mine. She wanted it as much as I did and the proverbial fireworks were going off in both of our minds as our mouths and tongues explored each other hungrily. We were breathing heavily when we pulled apart, looking into each other's eyes.

"Can we continue this on the bed? I wouldn't want one of us to get dizzy and pass out while we're standing up. I'd have a really hard time explaining to Daddy if you were to, say, bump your head or something. He really likes you, you know."

I turned red at the thought of her dad knowing what we were doing, leading her to giggle as she started kissing on my neck and pulling my t-shirt over my head. Her tank top followed a second later and she whispered, "Hooks in the back."

I fumbled with them for a few moments before they finally came apart, and her bra fell forward revealing both of her beautiful breasts. My penis became several degrees harder on seeing them and she slid my hands onto them, kneading them and rubbing her nipples between my fingers. So soft, so sweet. So perfect. I squeezed a bid harder, and leaned in to kiss.

"Gently," she warned, "particularly with the left one. It's still a little sore. Yeah, like that. Oh, I think you've got it." She breathed a long, contented sigh. "Oh, yeah!"

My excitement level was building and my dick was completely hard, but it was now uncomfortable in that position, so I shifted a bit to straighten out the works and to keep Rebecca from feeling it. I succeeded on the first part but was too late, I discovered, on the second; her hand started rubbing me through the front of my shorts.

I gave a contented sigh as she rubbed me, leading her to tip my head back so the kissing could resume. She wasn't a tongue down the throat kisser, liked I'd once believed. Instead, she was slow and steady, working her way around my lips and slipping her tongue just between my lips, a little tangle, a flick, and a quick retreat to allow me to do the same. A soft moan told me she was really getting into it just like me, but then she pulled back a bit and pushed my shoulder down on the bed so I was flat on my back.

I leaned up to try to reach her again but she waggled a finger at me as she straddled my waist and leaned forward to kiss my neck and earlobe as her nipples just brushed against me. Shifting back a bit as she kissed down my neck and onto my chest, she found her crotch atop my hardness, so, as she continued to kiss my chest, she started rocking forward and back with her pelvis, thrusting herself against me, rubbing and causing my excitement to build.

She moved on after a few seconds, as if intent on prolonging my pleasure. Her kisses trailed down my chest, extending to one and then the other of my nipples before kissing on down my stomach. Following a summer of strenuous exercise, my abs weren't quite a washboard but they were defined and she ran her fingers over them as she kissed.

When she came to the top of my athletic shorts, I believed the party was over, that she'd work her way back up, but my surprise was complete when she hooked the top and pulled the shorts and my underwear down, exposing my dick. Her fingers ran over it lightly, almost causing me to quiver, before she gave a little kiss to the front and then pulled it up a bit so she could swirl her tongue all the way around the head. Two, three, four times she repeated this before, with a grin, she sucked me into her mouth.

I'd never experienced a blow job before, but Rebecca appeared to be quite good at it, taking it slow and steady, building my excitement as she worked the knob and slowly pumped my base with one hand while cupping and rubbing my testicles with the other. I propped myself up so I could see better, leading her to look into my eyes quite frequently as she continued her work.

She grinned after a few minutes, leading me to ask, "What's wrong?"

Rebecca wet her lips with her tongue before replying. "I forgot to ask—you don't have to be anywhere anytime soon do you?"

My head shook faster than her finger had. "No, this is the most important thing I know of today."

"Good. I just wanted to make sure I didn't have to hurry." She returned to her work, kissing, sucking, and rubbing my cock and giving me an exquisitely slowly buildup unlike anything I'd ever felt.

When the excitement reached the point of no return, I said, "Rebecca, I'm about to come."

Rather than taking me out of her mouth or pointing me in a different direction, she went down as far as she could as I exploded in delightful agony, my initial jets shooting directly into her throat. She backed off a little after the first few, and caught the last couple in her mouth. She smiled at me, ran her tongue around her lips, and then swallowed the last of my cum before smiling again.