I woke up to Tim stretching his arm over me. His cheek rubbed against my head after he settled again. I blinked my eyes open but refused to move. I wasn't quite ready to get up and out of Tim's embrace.

I nuzzled my nose against his collarbone, taking a deep breath. He groaned and laid on his back. I pressed against his side and watched his chest rise and fall. I traced figures on his torso, loving how smooth his skin felt under my fingertips. I heard him breathe out my full name in response, but he seemed to be asleep still.

It was my phone that woke him up. His head jerked up and he rubbed his eyes. He drank a lot the night before, so he fell back as I crawled over him to get my phone. It was Jason Street.

"Hey, Street," I said, letting my body rest across Tim. Even in sleep, his hand found my butt.

"Is Tim with you?"

I looked back at the sleeping football player. "Yeah."

Jason sighed. "Can you tell him he's supposed to be over here helpin' with the house? Billy and Herc aren't here and I can't do this alone."

"I'll do my best to get him over there."

"Thanks, Catherine."

I hung up and got off of Tim. I slipped on his flannel shirt from the day before and climbed back onto Tim. I brushed his hair back and kissed his forehead. He stirred, blinked a few times, and relaxed again. I frowned and shook his shoulder. He still didn't wake up.

"Tim." His head moved. "Tim, wake up. Jason is askin' for ya to get over to the house. You have to get it finished."

"Mmm."

"If you don't get up, Riggins, I won't let you touch me for a long time." He sleepily reached out, but I leaped off of the bed. "Come on. Get up. My threat still stands. If you're not out of my bed by the time I get back with water and some aspirin, you're gonna be out of luck."

My threat worked because he was sitting on the edge of my bed when I came back. He rubbed his face and smiled at me. I gave him the water and pain meds that he promptly ingested before pulling me close. Tim caressed my stomach with his face while I brushed his hair with my fingers.

"You gotta get to the house today, Tim. You're almost done, so you might finish today."

"Wanna help us?" Tim looked up at me. "You're pretty good with paint, ya know."

"Wow, I never would have guessed." I bent over to kiss him. "Sure. I'll come help."

"And wear that, please," he said, tugging at his shirt. "You look real nice in it."

"I'm gonna wear pants, Tim."

His fingers trailed along my legs. "You still wear it though?"

I looked at it. "If you don't care about paint gettin' on it..."

"I don't care. I'll be too busy rememberin' this mornin' to care."

"What happened this morning?"

Tim wasted little time getting me back on my bed and showing me exactly what he'd be thinking about. He didn't even remove his shirt from my body.

Jason calmed down by lunch when Billy and Herc finally showed up. I was sitting between Tim's legs eating a sandwich when they walked in. Jason put them to work immediately while we finished our food.

I jumped when Tim's hand slid around to my stomach, a finger slipping between the buttons of the shirt. He ran his finger along the skin he could reach, giving me goosebumps. I looked over my shoulder at him when I could clearly tell he was getting turned on. He pulled my hair away from my neck and pressed his lips there. I couldn't resist leaning into him and letting my eyes shut.

"Really, Riggins?"

I jumped again from Jason's tone, refusing to meet his stare.

"We're on break, Six."

"Feeling up your girlfriend probably isn't the best thing to be doin' on your break."

I sat up straighter to put a little space between us. "If it's a problem, I'll go. I'm not here to distract Tim. I'll work in a different room."

Jason sighed. "No, don't go. Keep your hands to yourself, Riggins."

"We'll see," Tim said. He wrapped both arms around my middle and pulled me back against him.

The sun was long gone by the time we finished painting. All of us sat in a circle in the living room, drinking the case of beer Billy went out to grab when they finished the case from the morning.

I took a sip from Tim's beer, not wanting to drink much. He watched me as I handed it back. He surprised me with a soft kiss on my lips. My face warmed along with my heart.

"Get a room," Herc said. "I've been watchin' you two horny teenagers all day and I'm about ready to turn to God."

The guys laughed. Tim grinned and I stuck my tongue out at Herc.

"You're just jealous." I wrapped my arms around Tim's shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm jealous of a couple of high school sweethearts who will be over by graduation."

My face fell and I hid it against the side of Tim's head. I didn't want to think about it with graduation so close. College was on the horizon and I didn't know where'd we go or what we'd do.

"Herc," Jason warned.

Tim rubbed my arm. I barely felt it, barely heard the guys start talking about selling the house. Herc placed the thought back in my head and I couldn't think of anything else.

I kissed the spot beside Tim's ear and told him I needed a few minutes away. He watched me as I stood, all of them did. I glanced back at Tim as I started upstairs to give him a small smile. I heard Billy hound Herc on his comment before I shut myself in a room.

I sat in the center of the room, staring at the white walls for a while. I laid back and closed my eyes.

Herc was right. What would happen to us come graduation? Where was I going to go? Where would Tim go? Would he even go to college? We could be in separate states and I wasn't so sure I wanted that. Tim was a huge part of my life and I didn't want him absent during the most difficult time of it.

I felt tears forming and my chin tremble. I laid my arm across my eyes and tried to calm down. I didn't want Tim to worry about me or our future with his last chance to go State nearing. The Panthers were playing great. Tim was playing great. Worrying about us was the last thing he needed.

I didn't move with the door opened and closed. The way his boots shuffled across the floor told me it was Tim.

He took a seat next to me, placing his hand on my stomach. "I'm sorry about Herc, Cat. He says a lot of things without thinkin'."

"Do you think he's right?" I uncovered my face and stared at the ceiling. "Do you think graduation is the end for us?"

Tim said my name as he hovered over me. He kissed my lips and wiped away the drying tears on my face. "I don't know."

It made my heart stop and breath come short. Tim saw the panic in my eyes and held me close.

"I don't know because I can't see the future. I promised you back in Mexico that we'd stay together until we couldn't. I'm not seein' an end for us anytime soon, Barton. If you go off to college, I'll visit every chance I get. I'll still be here when you come back. Hell, I'll move into a place with you wherever you go if you want."

My laugh was more like a sob.

"We're gonna be fine, Catherine."

I brushed his hair back. "What about college for you? Don't you want to go?"

He chuckled. "I'm not lookin' around for anything."

"You're doing great with football, so you could get a scholarship."

"I don't care either way." Tim kissed my forehead.

"Why can't I stay here with you then? I don't have to go to college. I'll be 18 before this year is over, so my parents can't force me to go if I don't want to."

"No. You should go to college. You want to go to college. You'd hate it here if you stayed for me."

"No, I wouldn't." I sighed and kissed him. "Would you really come with me though?"

"Yeah."

"Even if I go somewhere cold?"

"We'll just have to have skin to skin contact to stay warm."

"What about if it's hotter than Texas?" I started unbuttoning Tim's shirt.

"We'll be naked all the time then, too."

I giggled and kissed his chest. "I love you, Tim."

Tim's lips were on mine again. "I love you, too, Catherine."