(Stephanie's Pov)
Man has life been hard for me lately, I think as I turn my cup of coffee in my hands. I came outside to drink my coffee while Lester was in the shower and take the time to sit and reflect back on what's happened in the past, what's happing in the present, and what could happen in the future. Lester and I have been here in Tennessee now for over a week and a half, at first it was rough being here, but now it has started to get easier. Lester and I have sorta adopted this routine of getting up early, grabbing breakfast usually at the Pancake House, and then hitting the streets of Gatlinburg. When Les first suggested going to Gatlinburg I didn't want to go because I felt like I was being forced to get over and forget about Ranger, Lester being the awesome man he is talked to me and assured me that that wasn't the case and that Ranger would want us to go on and move forward with our lives. It was hard to do it but I did and for my efforts I was rewarded with a wonderful surprise of seeing Ecto One the car that the Ghostbusters fixed up and drove in the movie up close and personal.
Everyday since then like I said we have gone to Gatlinburg. The second day we went, Lester and I watched a demonstration on how they made candles back in the old times. The woman who had a shop saw us watching her and asked me if I would like to try making a few candles. Knowing how I can't cook and my potential of things blowing up around me, I looked over at Les with my lip between my teeth silently asking him if I should try it. Letting out a soft laugh Les let go of my hand he was holding and turned to me.
"Go one Beautiful, I don't think you can explode anything" he said and I gave him and evil look even though that was exactly what I was thinking.
Lester stood back as I went behind the counter with the woman. The lady handed me a long braided white string and then took another one for herself, she showed me how to start dipping each end of the string in the tubs of hot melted wax. By the time we were finished dipping, drying, and dipping again and again, we had made four long lavender scented taper candles.
"Thank you, I have never done anything like that before" I told the woman as she boxed and handed me the candles that I had made
"Come back anytime" she said smiling "I do and sell all kinds of candles"
"I will" I told her and felt the familiar hand of Lester entwine his fingers with mine as we were leaving the shop. From there on we have sampled fresh made beef jerky at another store and sweet tea from another. Man is that stuff sweet but with me and my sweet tooth I loved it.
Our days are filled with the busyness of basically being tourists, but our nights are filled with resting our tired worn out feet by watching movies we rented from the little local grocery store or watching TV. The nights were nice, Lester would lie out on the couch and have me sit between his legs as we watched the TV or I would lie next to him if he lay down. I don't think he realized he was doing it but since we started this after our days in Gatlinburg, Les always had to have his hands on me in someway as we lay together. He never moved beyond just innocent touches but sometimes when he begins to rub my arm or comb through my hair I would close my eyes and pretend that it was Ranger touching me, but now something has changed and some new feelings have surfaced. When Lester touches me or rubs on me, I know exactly who it is doing it and I find myself sometimes wishing he would go a little higher or lower.
Lester is a wonderful man, I think as I sip at my coffee as the morning mist rises above the big mountain in front of me. He has stayed by me through all of this even when he has his own grief to bear. He is so warm, kind, encouraging, and sexy as hell; with that thought confusion and pain enter my mind and my heart. How could I have feelings for another man when I'm still so in love with Ranger? How could I betray our love by having thoughts of Les?
"Hey Beautiful" I heard Les say as he came out and sat next to me on the step of the porch. When I looked over I sucked in a big breath when I saw him. Les was just out of the shower, his hair was still damp, and he only had a pair of jeans on, and was barefooted. Holly Hell not something I need to see with what I was just thinking on.
"I was thinking" he said taking my coffee from me and taking a drink "Why don't we go to that Dino place and waterfall place and play putt putt and then go around the Loop"
"The Loop?"
"Yea when we were at the store last night I grabbed a few travel brochures from the stand outside and there is this eleven mile loop road in the Smokey Mountains with old time cemeteries, churches, a real working corn mill, and a house they filmed a TV show once called Christy"
"I've never seen it" I told him
"Me either"
"There are also hayrides that go around it and then a pick nick area at the end where we could pack up some snacks and eat after we go around the Loop"
"Ok" I told him stealing my coffee back from him
"Great you ready?" he asked me looking me over
"Yea" I told him. I had gotten up before him and had my shower and stuff already done.
"All right let me grab and shirt and put my boots on and then we'll go"
"Cool" I said as I watched him walk back into the Chalet my head and my heart still in turmoil
(Lester's Pov)
Ever since that small kiss Steph gave me when I carried her to bed, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I know the timing is way off to try anything and I don't think the kiss meant anything to her because she has never mentioned it or brought it up, but that night I lay awake wondering if there could be any possible way that anything could happen between us. My mind kept saying no it's too soon, but when will it ever be the right time in this situation? My heart however was telling me you love her, you always have. I've tried to distance myself as much as I could but being in a state you don't know and living together in a cabin, there isn't a lot I could do in our circumstances.
Everyday from that night on, I filled our days with activities in Gatlinburg, because left alone I would begin thinking on Steph and I would end up doing something stupid that I couldn't take back and that would be dangerous for both of us. I used the activities as a distraction but the more we did instead of having distance, I found that I couldn't stand not having her near me and we would always somehow gravitate to each other, holding hands as we walked around town, and touching each other in some small way when we sat down to eat or rest at the end of our long day.
Shaking myself from my agonizing thoughts, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. With the door locked, I turned to see Steph waiting for me by the truck.
"Everything ok?" she asked probably wondering why it took so long since I was just putting a shirt and my shoes on
"Yea everything's fine" I responded getting a warm smile from her in return
As I walked across the porch and down to the truck, I held Steps gaze. She looked a lot better than she had when we first arrived here. A lot of her sparkle she had, had returned. It still dimmed when she remembered my cousin, but Steph bounced back better now and didn't wallow in the grief and pain like she did when this all started. Walking up to her, I wanted so bad to reach out and draw her into me.
"Ready to see the Dinosaurs?" I asked to keep my hands at bay
"Yea but what does Dinosaurs have to do with putt putt anyways?" she asked
"I don't know it's probably just their theme, but we drive by it each time we go there and when we come back from there"
"Yea I count on seeing it every time we're down there"
"Let's check it out"
"Ok" she said getting into the truck
"You know how to golf and play putt putt?" she asked
"No, you?"
"No" she said and laughed. I looked over at her and smiled. This has been our theme while we have been here in the South. We are virgins experiencing new things and finding that they are quite pleasurable, simple like sausage gravy and biscuits and sweet tea but orgasmic if you listen to Steph when she tries them. I hope that when its time to return home, we take back with us some of the easy going hospitable ways that we have seen and been witness too here in Tennessee and the South.