AN: How happy are we about all the zoe/wade goodness of the mid-season finale? Eeeeek ammirght? What a good christmas present! Here's a little something. I see this is a bit new into their legit relationship.
Everyone in Alabama knew how to appreciate rain.
For the first time ever in his life Wade hated it, loathed it even, because it had broken the heat wave and caused Zoe Hart to break out of her heat induced lust (it did nothing for him).
It does redeem itself however when it traps him in a barn with her. This time it isn't the heat that's causing the tension.
The third time it rains heavily in Bluebell, Wade is seriously considering marking all the milestones in his relationship with Zoe by rain storms.
A heavy downpour has started and he's freaking exhausted from work, sitting on his sofa contemplating bed or video games when there's a knock at his door followed by Zoe breezing in clutching a bottle of wine and two glasses.
"Why knock if you're just going to barge in here anyways?" He asks her bemused, as she makes her way to his kitchen to find a cork screw, shedding her rain coat as she goes. She gives him a half scowl and continues on her search.
"Top right drawer!"
"I know." She says a touch indignantly.
Of course she knows. She's been in his house enough, afterall they spend almost every night together but the thought still gives him a funny feeling in his heart.
She comes to sit beside him on the couch and tucks her feet underneath her legs, pours them both a large class of wine, and hands him one.
"What's this for?"
"Its your rain check."
"Huh?"
"From last Christmas."
He remembers, emboldened by how excited she was about Rose winning and how pretty she looked in the Christmas lights, he had finally worked up the nerve to put himself out there and she had promised him a rain check.
"Last I remember I offered to buy you a drink."
"Yes well, I'm progressive."
"You're something." She sticks out her tongue at him, assuming he's making fun of her, and he is a bit but he's being honest too.
Yes she's definitely something.
Zoe takes a sip of the wine, and let's out a satisfied hum before moving her legs out and laying them across his lap. His one hand goes automatically to her ankle lightly massaging it as he also takes a sip of his wine (he's never been a wine guy, but then again he's never really been a monogamous guy either, things change and well he doesn't hate it..the wine or the other thing.)
"How was your day?" He asks her and she sighs, "Long, Jackson badly twisted his ankle climbing at the river and I had to convince his momma to take her to the hospital for x-rays just in case. Yours?"
He loves it when she sounds a little bit southern, a hint of a drawl, he's seemed to have rubbed off on her in more ways then one,"Also long, nothing as exciting as broken bones though."
She offers him smile at this, "I saw your dad in the square this morning, he told me to tell you that you were invited over for dinner this Friday."
He rolls his eyes and sighs a bit, he'll go, even though he doesn't really want too, but he'll go.
"Okay thanks."
Zoe looks a bit nervous as she picks at invisible lint on her sweater, "He uh-also invited me..."
Wade looks at her surprised, besides being protective over his dad he also is a bit embarrassed (which he hates himself for) and sure Zoe's been there before for armadillo hunts and leprosy scares but this is very, very different.
"You don't have to do that."
"Oh I know! I mean, if you wanted me there I wouldn't be totally opposed to it..."
She trails off and tries and fails too appear casual, her hands never finding a place to rest and she's biting her lip.
He thinks for a second, because for some reason this feels serious, like they could either be taking the next step in whatever they were, it didn't just feel like dinner, it wasn't even the idea of meeting the parents, its that Earl is a big part of Wades life he likes to keep private and he's not certain he's ready to let Zoe into that yet, he wants to be ready though, so he nods, "I'd like that."
She grins at him, and looks so pleased and happy he returns the smile. She pulls her legs out of his hands and leans over to kiss him. He can taste the tang of wine on her lips.
"Want to watch a movie?" She asks, moving away from him and he tried his hardest not to pout.
"Only if its die hard 2."
"But we watched the first one two days ago."
"So it makes sense to watch the second..plus if I remember correctly we didn't do much watching."
She blushes but concedes and stands up to put the dvd in. When she returns she sits right next to him, curling into his side and he puts his arm around her.
Its about halfway through the movie when he feels her breathing deeply beside him and he looks down to find her sound asleep on his shoulder. He's feeling pretty tired himself so he clicks off the movie and gently lifts Zoe up and places her down on the bed, joining her shortly after.
She immediately curls into his side and his heart stutters a bit. He's pretty sure he loves her. He's pretty sure that scares the shit out of him.
But he knows he could get use to this, the wine and movie nights and Zoe all soft,warm and sleepy in his bed. And the rain, especially the rain.
(It rains on their wedding day too.)
