Falling for my Best Friend

Tire Swing Therapy

Kilian

I still don't know what to do but with more information, I might be able to figure it out, so even though I don't want to pry, I ask, "Tell me what's on your mind?"

"I'm tired," Wren sighs. "Tired of being the only person in this house with a brain, and what about Quinny? I'm wishing I didn't dump my dad's beer out right about now, because I feel like I need it," she says kind of sarcastically.

Lucky me, it turns out I have a plan for this. Before Hurricane Homecoming Proposal took over our night, I figured we'd all hang out at Wren's after the game so I prepared.

"No sink beer, let's go to the tire swing," I suggest as I nudge her gently with my shoulder, "I've got some smokes on me and we can swing a little."

Her face lights up with the pretty heart shaped smile I love so much, "Will you push me like old times?"

"Just like old times," I smile.

The truth is that I would do whatever she asks of me, that's how it's always been. I don't know if she knows she has that power because she doesn't ask me for very much. Wrenny is a kind and gentle soul who genuinely cares about people.

We sneak down the stairs and through the house into her backyard. It's dark but there is ambient lighting coming from the deck area as she climbs into the tire swing.

This swing has been here since I met her. We used to hang out here all the time but then we got older, life got heavier and things always got in the way. I hand her a cig and light it for her. Neither one of us smoke regularly, it just became this thing we sometimes did whenever I'm able to sneak them from my brother. I'm not even sure we like smoking but we're both sort of good kids, I think it makes us feel rebellious so it's a thing we do to relax sometimes.

We both take long drags and hang out in comfortable silence. When she flicks her cigarette into the grass, I take my cue and grab the tire. After pulling it back as high as I can I let her fly. She squeals a little at first and I love it because it's the first time I've seen her smile since I got here.

I whip my arm around and send her spinning through the air. She looks so happy. She always looks happy when there is wind blowing through her long red hair, beautiful too, I shouldn't think it but I do.

"Kilian," she laughs, "Stop me, it's too high," she giggles so I push her once more.

She squeals again and I don't want to scare her so I do my best to catch the tire and slow its momentum. The jolt of me grabbing the rope swings her around and into my chest again. Now that she's not crying, all of my physical receptors are taking over. I can smell her hair as I catch her and a tingling feeling spreads through my body. She smells so good, her regular musky scent mixed with the tree smells of being outside. I hold onto her for a second too long but once I realize it, I let her go.

She rolls her head back in a fit of giggles, "That's just what I needed!" she says, smiling.

Now it seems like all is right with the world. "Glad to be of service," I say with a goofy grin, I can't see it but I can feel it.

"We should try to get some sleep now, I don't know what tomorrow will be like. Even if somehow everything gets magically fixed by the morning, you still have a gazebo to build," she motions towards a sandy patch where Shane has clearly started to prepare for the build.

"Okay, let's go," I say as I start walking inside.

She tags along behind me but she's moving slower than normal almost as if she doesn't really want to go to bed. I open the back door and gesture for her to come inside. After she locks up, she starts heading back upstairs to her bedroom. While she stands on the stairs, she turns around and looks at me with a look I have never seen before. What does it mean?