After work, Daryl pulled up into the gravel driveway and parked by the truck again. Heading out back, he saw Amy sitting on the glider again. She looked more relaxed than she had yesterday or even this afternoon. Probably had needed to get all that off her chest for a long time, and he was glad she had trusted him enough to confide in him. She smiled up at him as he strode toward her.

"How'd ya like a ride on my bike? Take ya down to my place and show ya around," he asked. She hopped up excitedly.

"Oh yes! I'd love a ride on your bike!" she exclaimed. She followed him out to the bike and he placed the helmet on her and helped her on. As he got on he told her to hang on tight to him, and she wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. He smiled and started the bike up and headed down toward his house.

Amy voiced her approval over and over as he gave her a tour of the yard and the house, oohing and ahing over all the work he had done, impressed with what he taught himself and acknowledging the hard work that had gone in to improving the place.

"it suits ya," she said as they sat on the porch, he on the rail of the porch, she in the rocker facing him.

He smirked at her. "Oh yeah?" he teased. She blushed.

"yep, it's exactly what it looks like-sturdy, safe, homey without being fancy or pretending to be fancy."

Daryl blushed at that and grunted. They sat in companionable silence for a while, silently studying each other when each thought the other wasn't looking. "Um, ya hungry?" he at last asked.

"mmmm, yeah a little," she murmured.

"Well, hop up. I'll take ya to a place I know. It's a ways out in the country, old greasy spoon kinda place, but they have the best fried catfish anywhere." She nodded and they got back on the bike and headed out to the place-little more than a shack out in a cottonfield, but the smells coming from it were mouth watering and there seemed to be a little line of people so apparently the food was good. The line moved quickly and after a short wait they found themselves seated in a room with slanting floors and the air was thick with the smoke from the fryers. There weren't very many tables, but what tables there were were steadily emptied and refilled with hungry people ordering massive plates of catfish, hushpuppies, fries, slaw and other side dishes.

They ate silently, enjoying each other's company and continued their silent study of each other. Amy realized anew how much she had missed Daryl, how much she had missed having somebody to trust as implicitly as she had trusted him all those years ago. She didn't doubt that she could still trust him as completely as she had then. He hadn't changed-he was still stable and reliable and safe. She felt more at peace in the last two days than she'd felt in many years.

For his part, Daryl watched Amy quietly, drinking in her presence and wishing time would stop so he could be with her like this always. It hurt him to look at her, and think of all the years between the last time he'd seen her and now and how those years had treated both of them. He sighed sadly, and then shook himself. No sense dwelling on painful things-like the thought of her going away in a few months to never be seen again. Best to enjoy her presence now, save the memories up for the future.

When they finished eating, they hopped back on the bike and he took her home. He walked her to the kitchen door and they stood in the doorway looking at each other. He cleared his throat and nodded at her. "Best let ya get some rest. Ya want me to come over tomorrow?" he winced at how anxious he sounded, like he was seventeen again. But Amy smiled and nodded.

"Yes," she said a little breathlessly. The light breeze lifted her curls slightly, and he reached out to smooth them down. He caught the light scent of vanilla, almost like the scent of that old tanning lotion she'd put on when they went swimming. The memory of them swimming at that old swimming hole made him tense up, and he backed away from her hastily. He didn't want her to see how the memory had affected him. Didn't know if she'd remember things the way he did. She looked at him questioningly. "What's wrong?" she asked. He shook his head and shrugged. Her eyes widened as she caught the scent of her own perfume. She realized it smelled like tanning lotion, that's why she liked it and wore it. It had always reminded her of swimming. And thinking of swimming, her thoughts turned to that summer years ago and the nights they had gone swimming at that old swimming hole. She gazed at him steadily, and he blushed even deeper.

Looking up at her silence, he saw she was remembering the same thing he was. He bit his lip and moved away from her in confusion. "Wait, Daryl," she said softly. He looked over at her, trying to hide his discomfort. "is that old swimming hole still there? Do people still swim there?" she said softly. He nodded slowly, his throat too dry to make a sound now. "Think we can go swimming there, tomorrow maybe?" she asked softly. He looked up at her and gazed at her steadily. Was she asking what he thought she was asking? He knew if they went to that swimming hole, he would be tempted to be with her in every way that he had been with her then.

"Ya sure ya wanna go swimming in that old place?" he asked softly, holding his breath.

"Yes," she murmured. "I want to. Like we used to. Spend the day there maybe," she finished hesitantly.

He grunted. "kay then, what time ya wanna head out?" He snuck a look at her and his heart felt like someone had squeezed it. He felt just like he had that summer, every time he'd seen her. Light headed, feeling like he couldn't breathe. He remembered that first time they'd kissed at the swimming hole, the night they'd decided would be the night they would sleep together the first time. The air had seemed to be full of static electricity, each time they'd touched they'd each felt a small jolt like a small electrical shock. And the first time they'd kissed, it was as if a bolt of lightening had hit them. They had fallen sideways, clasping each other frantically as if for dear life and found themselves kneeling in a bed of moss clutched tightly to each other. He didn't think anyone could've pried them apart if they had happened upon them. He cleared his throat again and stepped back another step. If he didn't leave now, he would find himself kissing her as desperately as he had then.

She looked at him, seeing in his movements that his mind was the same place hers was-that very first time at the swimming hole. Her face flushed, seeing the reaction his body had to that memory. She knew her own reaction was just as intense. She felt a humming from deep within her, remembered that electrical shock they'd felt that first time they'd kissed. She had never felt that with anyone else in all these years, and wondered if they would feel it again. She wanted to find out right now, but knew it would be better to wait. They both needed another night to think about this so they didn't rush into anything and hurt each other. She sighed and forced herself to stay clear of him.

"How bout two?" she asked. She wanted to go right now, her pulse was racing frantically and she knew she would never get any sleep tonight or be able to sit still tomorrow until he arrived. He frowned then nodded.

"kay, two it is," he replied gruffly, then turned and strode off toward his bike. She stayed on the stoop until she heard the bike start and head down the gravel, then went in and locked up. This was going to be a long night, but she smiled happily and went up the stairs to lie in bed and think about all those nights they'd spent at the swimming hole the summer she'd been fifteen.