Always

Ethan drove home from the park with the windows down, the warm evening air doing nothing to cool the heat still humming under his skin. The almost-kiss with Mia kept replaying in his head — the way her body had pressed against his during that long hug, the way her eyes had flicked to his mouth like she wanted it just as bad as he did. His cock was still half-hard from the whole day, from the dream that had felt so fucking real and from the way Mia had looked at him when they finally pulled apart. He gripped the steering wheel tighter, trying to focus on the road instead of the way her ass had filled out those cutoff shorts or how her tank top had clung to her full breasts when she stretched earlier.

He pulled into the driveway above the garage and killed the engine. The house was quiet — his mom was still at the diner for the late shift. Ethan headed upstairs, stripping off his work clothes and stepping into the shower. The hot water pounded on his back as he stood there, letting it wash away the grease and sweat from the shop and the park. He thought about Mia again, about how she’d listened when he talked about his dad and the letters he’d left behind. About how she’d admitted things with Derek felt off. About how close they’d come to crossing that line today.

What the fuck am I doing? he thought, resting his forehead against the tile. She had a boyfriend. This was Mia — his best friend since they were twelve. The girl who’d punched Tommy Kline in the mouth for making fun of his dad’s old truck. The one person in this town who made him feel like he could breathe. But the dream… the way she’d ridden him by the river, moaning his name… it had felt too good. Too right. And the hug at the park had only made it worse.

He toweled off, pulled on clean jeans and a dark t-shirt that hugged his broad shoulders and lean waist, and checked his phone. Another text from Tyler.

Tyler: Dude, quarry’s already popping off. Get your ass here.

Ethan typed back quickly: On my way.

He grabbed his keys and headed out again, the sun starting to dip low over Willow Bend. The drive to the quarry took ten minutes down the old backroad. The place was already alive when he pulled up — music thumping from someone’s truck speakers, a big bonfire crackling near the water’s edge, coolers scattered everywhere, and half the graduating class plus some college kids home for summer splashing in the swimming hole or standing around in groups laughing and drinking. The quarry had always been the spot for parties like this — deep water, high rock walls, and enough privacy that the cops usually left them alone as long as nobody got too stupid.

Ethan parked at the edge and scanned the crowd. He spotted Tyler first, waving him over with two beers in hand.

“About time, man,” Tyler said, clapping him on the back and handing him a cold one. “Whole town’s here. Mia’s over by the fire with the girls.”

Ethan’s stomach flipped again at her name. He took a long drink and followed Tyler’s nod. There she was — standing with a small group near the bonfire, wearing a red bikini top and those same cutoff shorts from earlier, her dark wavy hair now loose and falling around her shoulders. The firelight danced across her skin, highlighting the curve of her full breasts and the smooth line of her stomach. She looked relaxed but there was something in her posture — a little tension in her shoulders — that only someone who knew her as well as Ethan did would notice.

She turned as he approached, and that smile hit him full **** again. “E! You made it.” She broke away from the group and gave him a quick hug — shorter than the one at the park but still close enough that he felt the press of her body and caught that vanilla scent mixed with woodsmoke from the fire.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Tyler said it was already going off.”

They stood there for a minute, the party noise swirling around them. Tyler wandered off to talk to some guys by the water, leaving them in a pocket of relative quiet. Mia took a sip from her red solo cup and looked out at the quarry.

“Feels weird, doesn’t it?” she said after a moment. “Last big party before everyone starts scattering. You staying in town, right? With the shop and everything?”

Ethan nodded, taking another drink. “Yeah. Mom needs the help. And… I don’t know. Dad loved this place. The river, the fest. Feels wrong to just leave it all behind.” He glanced at her. “You still thinking about art school?”

She nodded, but her smile was smaller. “Yeah. But it’s expensive. And Grandma’s health isn’t great. My parents keep dropping hints about staying close, helping with the farm. Derek keeps saying I should just come with him to State and figure it out later.” She shrugged, but Ethan could hear the frustration under it. “It’s like everyone has this plan for me and I’m just… going along with it.”

They talked for a while longer, the conversation flowing easy like it always did. She asked about the shop and how things were really going with his mom. He told her more about the letters his dad had left — nothing earth-shattering, just little notes about fighting for the things that mattered, like the river and the town. Mia listened the way she always had, really listened, her brown eyes soft in the firelight.

At some point the music shifted to something slower and people started pairing off to dance near the fire or jump in the water. Mia looked at him, biting her lip a little. “You wanna walk? It’s getting loud over here.”

Ethan nodded. They wandered away from the main group, down toward the quieter edge of the quarry where the water lapped against the rocks and the stars were starting to come out. The party noise faded behind them. It felt like old times again — just the two of them, talking about everything and nothing.

They stopped near a big flat rock overlooking the water. Mia leaned against it, and Ethan stood close, his shoulder brushing hers. The moonlight hit her face just right, and for a second he couldn’t look away.

“I keep thinking about earlier,” she said quietly, not looking at him. “At the park. That hug… it felt different.”

Ethan’s heart started pounding. “Yeah. It did.”

She turned to face him fully then, her eyes searching his. “Ethan, I… I don’t know what’s happening with me and Derek. It’s been off for months. And you’ve always been there. You get me in a way he never has.” She stepped closer, close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating off her skin. “I don’t want to mess things up. But I can’t stop thinking about you.”

He didn’t answer with words. Instead he leaned in and kissed her.

This time there was no hesitation. Her arms went around his neck immediately, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened. Her tongue slid against his, hungry and warm, and he backed her gently against the rock, his hands sliding down to grip her hips. She tasted like beer and cherry lip balm and something that was just Mia. His cock was already hard again, pressing against the front of his jeans as she arched into him.

Her hands slid under his t-shirt, fingers tracing the lines of his abs before moving higher, exploring. He groaned into her mouth and let his own hands wander — up her sides, under the red bikini top, cupping one full breast. Her nipple was already tight under his thumb, and she moaned softly when he teased it, pressing her body harder against his.

They made out like that for what felt like forever — hot, deep kisses, hands roaming under clothes, her grinding against the hard bulge in his jeans while his fingers slipped inside her bikini top to play with her nipples. She was breathing hard, her body trembling slightly against his, and he could feel how wet she was getting even through the layers of denim and bikini fabric when she rocked her hips.

But then she pulled back, just a little, her forehead resting against his. Both of them were panting.

“Ethan…” she whispered, voice shaky. “We can’t… not here. Not like this. Derek… and everything else…”

He nodded, even though every part of him wanted to keep going. His hands stayed on her waist, thumbs stroking the bare skin above her shorts. “I know. I’m sorry. I just—”

“Don’t be sorry,” she said quickly, looking up at him. Her eyes were dark and full of the same want he felt. “I wanted it too. I still do. But we need to figure this out. I don’t want to hurt anyone… or lose you.”

They stayed like that for a minute, breathing each other in, the party sounds distant behind them. Eventually they straightened up, fixing their clothes, but the tension between them was thicker than ever. They walked back toward the main group slowly, shoulders brushing, stealing glances at each other.

The rest of the night passed in a blur of more talking, more drinking, more stolen moments when no one was looking. Mia stayed close to him the whole time — dancing with him near the fire, her body moving against his in ways that made it hard to think straight, laughing at his jokes, touching his arm or his back like she couldn’t help herself. At one point Tyler raised an eyebrow at them but didn’t say anything, just smirked and handed Ethan another beer.

By the time the party started winding down around midnight, Ethan felt like his whole body was buzzing. Mia walked him back to his truck, and before he got in she kissed him again — softer this time, but still full of heat.

“Text me when you get home?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah,” he said. “You too.”

He drove home with the windows down again, the night air finally starting to feel cooler against his skin. His mind was racing — the dream, the park, the make-out session by the water, the way she’d looked at him all night like she was seeing him for the first time. Or maybe like she’d been seeing him all along.

Back in his room, he lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, replaying every moment. His cock was still half-hard, but he didn’t do anything about it. Not tonight. Not when everything felt this close to changing.

Willow Bend had always been home. But tonight, for the first time, it also felt like the place where everything he’d been holding back was finally starting to come undone.