5. Sweat

The fire crackles in the hearth as you sit looking over at Austin waiting for him to speak. Finally he sighs and looks down as he says, "I'm sorry I wasn't here this morning." You tilt your head and try to read his cloudy expression before telling him it's okay. You don't exactly mean it but you don't want to tell him how disappointed you were. He gets up and walks over to the window and leans his arm above his head on the frame as he looks outside. He's tall and well built and you blush as your eyes trace over his body. After a moment you hear him softly say, "I'm not good at this kind of thing." You pause for a moment before getting up and moving over to stand next to him. He doesn't look at you but you can see a hint of pain in his eyes. You gently reach your hand out and place it on his bare forearm and feel a small spark of electricity. He turns his head down and looks at you silently for a moment before lowering his arm and placing his hand over yours.

He lifts your hand up and runs his thumb across it's top before gently lowering it. "I should get going." You frown at his words and take a step away from him. Austin runs his hands through his messy hair but doesn't say anything else before leaving. You spend another restless night thinking about everything that happened. When the light of dawn peaks in through your window you're already awake. You roll over in bed and watch the sun rising outside for a few minutes. Eventually you get get up and dressed before going to the door. You pause when you step outside and hearing hammering coming from the barn. You slowly descend the steps of the porch and make your way toward the noise. One of the large barn doors is half open and you slowly lean your head over to look inside. Your breath hitches when you see Austin's shirtless body standing in the barn facing away from you.

His broad shoulders are tan and muscular but your eyes are drawn to his strong arms. Sweat glistens on his back as he begins sawing a large plank of wood. You pull your head away and let out your breath shakily as you lean your back against the barn door. A minute later you stand up and go back up to the house, coming out moments later with a glass of water. You return to the barn and push the door open all the way. Austin stops what he's doing and turns around to look at you. Your eyes drift down his muscular torso before you catch yourself and step forward to offer him the glass. He thanks you and tilts his head back as he puts the glass to his lips. You watch his Adam's apple move up and down as he drinks. He sets the glass down when he’s done and you move over to look at the work he's done. "Thank you for coming." You say as you walk around the workstation he's set up. You feel Austin's eyes on you as you turn to look up at the rafters of the barn. After a moment you feel him walk up behind you and tense as you feel warmth radiating from his body onto your back.

A jolt of electricity shoots up your arm when you feel him place his hand on it. You slowly turn around and look up at him. His blue eyes look soft but somewhat distant as he looks back at you. After a moment he pulls away and walks back around to the other side of the barn. You exhale and run your hand up along your arm where his hand had been before walking towards the barn doors. You take a glance back at him and see him run a hand through his hair while shaking his head. When you get back to the house you sigh and slowly sit down on the porch steps. After a while you have to go feed the animals and spend the rest of the day slightly distracted. A few hours later you see Austin coming out of the barn with his shirt back on. You walk up to meet him and are slightly dismayed when he informs you he's done. "I really appreciate it." You tell him as you follow him to his horse. When you arrive he turns and faces you frowning slightly.

"There was another fire in town yesterday." Your brow furrows as you look up at him questioningly. He tells you they were able to put it out quickly but it's why he wasn't here earlier the day before. "It's okay." You say taking a few steps closer to him then reach up to push his shaggy bangs away. "You need to make sure to get some rest." He gives you a small smile when you say this then turns to leave. That night you pull a chair up to the window and sit staring at the direction of the town. You wonder if you'll end moving there after you and Austin get married. The thought doesn't exactly thrill you but you're not sure he'll want to move out here. You place your forearms on the window sill and lay your head down on top of them. You're just starting to dose off when you hear a rustling noise coming from outside. You lift your head up and start outside groggily when you don't see anything you get up and move to the bed.