to the hill?” Crosby joked. He crashed his lips to mine at the red light.
The horns honked behind us, and a pickup full of their teammates swerved around us.
“You guys are whipped!” they screamed.
Crosby looked over at me. “And proud of it,” he said. He kissed me again before gunning the engine.
“Shit, man, slow it down!” Noah hollered, taking his mouth off Kedsey for a few seconds.
“Why don’t we drop them off and go back to my house? My parents are probably sleeping already,” I whispered to Crosby.
“Fuck no. You know Kedsey’s mom stays up until she returns, and she’s got damn cameras around that house. I need my girl tonight,” Noah spoke up.
Kedsey giggled her agreement. “Come on, guys. Have some mercy on us,” she added.
Crosby shrugged. “We’ll have fun,” he assured me as he squeezed my knee.
We got to the hill, and immediately, Noah and Kedsey snuck away.
That was the point of the hill. Teenagers would go up there, sneak into hidden dark areas, and have sex or drink. All four of us had done both, but tonight, I was only interested in spending time with Crosby. During baseball season, it was always hard to find time for one another.
With us graduating and off to college next year, our time was drawing to a close. Crosby had gotten a scholarship to Vanderbilt, and Kedsey and Noah were both going to attend State while Braxton and I were going to go to Ridgemont. Although Crosby and I would be separated, we were going to try the long-distance thing.
“Congratulations.” I knocked his shoulder.
He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close. He kissed the top of my head. “Thanks, babe.”
“That double play in the ninth was awesome. You and Noah make such a great team.”
“Yeah. Too bad it was our final game together.” He looked down at me, a gleam in his eyes. “Until the majors, that is.”
We laughed. All of them dreamed of going pro, but they knew how fortunate they’d be if one of them made it to the top.
Crosby led me through the trees to our spot that overlooked the plant. White steam rose through the night air from third shift. Half of the town was probably down there working right now.
“I love you, Ella,” he said, referring to my nickname from when I was in grade school.
“I love you.” I looked up at him, adoring those chocolate browns.
We sat in silence for what seemed like forever until Crosby picked me up and put me between his legs. I turned around to straddle his lap, and his hands molded to my ass, rubbing back and forth along my jeans.
I started nibbling on his neck. Quickly, he was on his back, and I was lying on top of him, grinding along his hardness. We’d had sex numerous times before, but the atmosphere tonight was different. Crosby held my eyes the entire time he rocked in and out of me. Even though we weren’t fully unclothed in case anyone ventured near, it was the most intimate time I’d felt with him.
After we finished, we buttoned up. He lay on his back, and I snuggled up to him. As we stared up at the sky, the what-ifs weighed heavily on us, the promise of our future looming overhead.
“I promise, Ella.” His voice cracked. “I promise I won’t let anything get between us.”
He was the optimist, and I was the pessimist.
My words at the time still haunt me.
“You can’t promise, Cros. How many couples before us have said the same thing?”
“Stop saying that shit. We’re different.” He didn’t say it to me though. He said it to the night sky, as though he were wishing it on the stars above us.
I stood and wrapped my arms around his waist, leaning my head on his back that rose and fell with deep intakes of breath. “I’m sorry. I can’t stand the thought of it. I figure, if I’m pessimistic but we make it, it will be all that much better.”
A tear fell down to his T-shirt, and he swung around, wrapping me in his arms.
“We need to be strong, and we’ll make it. We’ll get through college. You’ll be my team physician one day, and we’ll never be separated again.”
I laughed at him putting our dream professions together. I was going to be pre-med starting in the fall, and he was going to major in business, but we both knew he was hoping for the baseball call.