Drover's Run...A few days later...
The girls have had the best day together .
Stevie is back to her old self.
Well almost.
They've worked hard and had a few laughs throughout the morning.
Stevie had apologized to everyone earlier in the week for her hostile and selfish behavior.
They all felt slightly uncomfortable initially but as the days drifted by and they threw themselves into work, that feeling had slowly passed.
...
As they sit together to eat lunch Stevie is feeling so much better than the previous weeks.
"When's Regan back?" Kate asks.
"Tomorrow week." Tess answers.
"Is she going to stay?" Stevie questions.
"I'm not sure, after everything fell apart with Dave she wanted to get away for awhile."Tess replies.
Kate rises and moves over to the back of the Ute to grab herself a cool drink.
...
Stevie lifts her chin towards her and quietly asks Jodi." She alright."
Jodi shakes her head.
Stevie touches her hand to her chin and looks deep in thought.
"She should tell him." Stevie offers.
"Should've taken your own advice." Tess remarks.
"Hmm." Stevie offers wistfully.
...
"Have you spoken to Alex yet?" Jodi asks.
" No not really he's been away at the sales." Stevie answers.
" He's back tonight." Tess comments.
" Yeah I know he's coming over for a beer after dinner." Stevie replies.
Tess smiles at her and she returns a nervous grin.
" Whose turn is it to cook?" Taylor asks.
" Moira's babysitting Claire this afternoon because Nick had business in town so she said she'd sort dinner." Tess replies.
...
Drovers Run ... Seven pm..
Stevie hasn't eaten much as the knot in the pit of her stomach is making her feel ill.
Standing in the kitchen scrapping the leftovers into the scrap bucket she rehearses what she'll say to Alex.
She'd rung him last night and asked him if he'd like to come over for a beer on his return.
He'd been surprised and delighted by her call and told her as much but she could also hear it in his voice.
They'd talked on the phone for over an hour about everything and nothing.
Each had skillfully skirted around one subject that needed to be addressed.
How they felt about each other was the proverbial elephant in the room.
...
Stevie had never wanted anything more than to have him in her life but the damage that had been done to both had changed them.
She wondered if who they were had changed too much .
One thing she knew for sure was that she missed him.
His voice and laughter soothed her agitated soul.
After finishing their conversation she had slept like baby.
...
"Hello!" His voice calls as the screen door squeaks closed behind him.
Her heart rolls to the base of her stomach then charges back into position.
She feels her face flush as he fills the doorway.
" Hey." She offers.
His smile helps her to relax.
...
" Hey! Thought you might like these." He replies handing her a bunch of flowers.
Taking them from him she replies." Thank you they're beautiful."
"That's why I bought them, they reminded me of you." He offers .
Her face burns.
...
He chuckles and pushes her with his elbow and quips. " Well that's a girly thing to do Stevie, you've blushed."
Her face blushes further and a nervous giggle escapes as she flicks him.
Taylor walks in with more plates and realises she's interupted something. " Oh hi Alex. Stevie I'll finish if you like."
" Yeah G'Day Taylor." Alex answers.
" That would be great Taylor are you sure?" Stevie asks.
" Yeah no worries at all and I'll put those in some water for you too if you like?" Taylor offers gesturing to the flowers in Stevie's arms.
Stevie hands them onto Taylor and turns to open the fridge.
...
Outside on the seat Stevie and Alex sit with a comfortable distance between them.
Cracking the tops off their beers Alex holds his bottle up to hers and says. " Cheers."
"Cheers ." She responds.
For a moment they look at each other.
Then each with a funny expression on their faces looks to the front.
...
"How were the sales." She asks before sipping her beer.
Dropping his drink from his lips he replies." Yeah they were good."
"Good." She replies.
She glances sideways at him.
He's biting his lip trying not to grin.
"What?" She asks sounding amused.
"Nuthin'"He replies.
...
Nervously she fiddles with the beer label.
Taking another swig of his beer he sits wondering what to say next.
Stevie squirms around beside him and shifts herself to an angle so she can look at him.
" Alex I didn't just ask you over to have a beer." She begins.
" Yeah I know. It's not as easy as I thought it would be." He replies.
Frowning she asks." You're not comfortable?"
"Not really." He answers honestly.
...
" Fine I'll try to make this quick then." She states.
He looks concerned.
" I just wanted to say...I... I never meant to..." She stumbles.
Placing her beer down beside her chair she looks back at him.
He swallows the last of the contents of his beer and rests the empty on the table beside him.
..
" Alex...I.."
Her pulse changes rapidly as he reaches over and takes her hand.
" Come on Cowgirl it can't be that difficult! It's me you're talking to remember." He encourages.
She looks at their hands then back at his face.
Pulling her hand from his she remarks." Can you not do that please?"
A look of disappointment washes onto his face.
...
" I can't concentrate when you do that and I need to get my thoughts and words out Alex." She gushes realising he's taken her comment the wrong way.
With a cheeky smirk on his face he questions." So you like it when I touch you?"
She feels her face burn again.
" Focus will ya!" She quips.
" Right." He drawls amused by her reaction.
...
" I want to apologise Alex but I can't find the right words." She states.
" A kiss is all the apology I want." He suggests.
The expression on her face makes him want to kiss her even more.
He leans in.
Placing her hand on his chest she says." Whoa! Get back over there will ya! I want to do this properly."
Grinning he sits back and cautions." You've got two minutes and then I'm kissin' ya whether you're ready or not."
She shakes her head but smiles at him.
...
" I'm sorry for treating you the way I did Alex . It's no way to treat your best friend and I'm ashamed of myself for doing that to you. I was so stressed out I blamed you for everything."
" That's ok."
" No ! It's not. If I'd had the courage to tell you how I felt the day of the fire none of this would have happened." She confesses.
" You're not fully to blame Stevie. This is a two way street ya know, I never said anything either."
She searches his face.
" Two wrongs don't make a right." He muses.
...
" I was confused by what I felt and I thought you'd laugh at me or not want to be my friend anymore."
" I wanted us to be more after the veil incident but you just wanted to be friends. I thought that was all you wanted." He responds.
Looking down at her hands she laments." We've wasted so much time."
"Is that it?"
" Is what it?"
" Have you finished?"
" What do you mean?"
"Your apology! Are you finished?"
" I guess so."
"Good!" He chuckles as he moves closer.
...
Alex! You should be taking this all seriously." She warns moving back on her seat.
"Why?"
" Because I don't want you throwing it back at me later. We need to talk more." She answers.
Sounding annoyed he replies." Enough Stevie you're flogging a dead horse you apologised and I accept your apology. I don't want to talk anymore."
...
Retreating she moves away and calls." I'll get some fresh beers."
He stands up feeling angry and walks backwards and forwards along the veranda.
When he hears her walking back out he leans against the veranda post.
" Beer?" She asks.
He doesn't reply.
...
Placing the two bottles on the table she walks over to him.
" Are you alright?" She asks.
He doesn't reply or look at her.
"Alex?"
He doesn't move.
Touching his arm she steps back as he turns.
His lips are soft and he tastes like beer as he roughly draws her in.
With one hand resting on each of his upper arms she doesn't have time to react or think.
...
This kiss is so much better than the one they shared when the old Merc broke down.
Just as she's willing him to never stop , he does.
"Well do you still want to keep talking?" He asks his face expressionless.
She can't find any words so she just shakes her head.
"Good." He states as he gently slides one arm around her waist and the other across shoulder.
Her eyes hold his as she links her arms around his neck.
"Now where was I?" He whispers softly before covering her lips.
The End...
This little ripper deserves some reviews and you all know it..:)
Come on , I spent time writing this for you how about you spend a little time telling me what you think Cheers kepc