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The air here hugs her skin; it’s what Caitlyn always misses the most when she’s away from home. The humidity is thick enough to taste. Her lungs are so accustomed to the extra moisture that dry air is a phantom feeling, sticking to Caitlyn's throat like sandpaper.
Her bedroom window open, white curtains dancing with the light breeze the summer night brings. Old rifle competition trophies still displayed on the shelf next to the window, Caitlyn traces the embroidered flowers on her bedspread, roses, and lilies, now softened from years of use. The humming of cicadas echo throughout the room but they cannot silence the pounding of Caitlyn’s heart or the thoughts racing through her head.
Every thought leads back to one person, who, without a warning, has taken up every corner of Caitlyn’s mind. Her parents' new farm hand for the summer, Vi.
The farm was from her father's side of the family, who came from humbler beginnings than her aristocratic mother. She never paid any mind to the slew of people who would come help out around here.
Until Vi.
🌻
When Caitlyn arrived back home for the summer this past Sunday, she was met with the sight of tattooed muscles underneath a cut out t-shirt, shaggy short pink hair, and the kindest eyes she had ever seen. No amount of humidity could help as Caitlyn's breath caught in her throat at the sight. The duffle bag strap now outlined into the palm of her hand at the pressure Caitlyn was exerting on it as she watched the most attractive woman ever walk across the yard to where she was standing.
“You must be Caitlyn, Tobias has told me all about you. I’m Vi, the intern for the summer.” says the beautiful stranger with a distinctive Appalachian drawl.
“That would be me,” Caitlyn says, still slightly breathless, she hopes Vi attributed this to the heat and not the obvious gay crisis Caitlyn was currently having.
“It's’ a pleasure to meet you, Ma’am,” Vi said with an easy smile and lifted out her free hand for Caitlyn to shake, she took it, noting how small her own hand felt in comparison.
“Oh you don’t need to call me ma’am, you look my age and you don’t work for me.” Caitlyn said, unable to hide her grin.
Vi moves to put the bucket she was carrying down, and in tandem brings her hand out of Caitlyn's, who tries her hardest not to feel disappointed at the loss of contact.
“Well then, Caitlyn, at least let me take your bag inside, it looks heavy and it’s so sweltering out here.” And oh the way Vi says her name, slow and sweet lingering like molasses, sent a shock wave of butterflies through her stomach and down her spine. Caitlyn nodded at Vi and let her take the bag off her shoulder, following Caitlyn up the steps of the large house. As Caitlyn let Vi take her bag up to her room, she wondered what Vi would see. As she lays eyes on the 4 walls that surrounded Caitlyn her whole life, she would let Vi know anything, do anything.
Suddenly, Caitlyn was really looking forward to this summer.
🌻
On Monday- Caitlyn stayed in the house, pretending to be busy in her room every time her parents walked by. When really she spent the entire day looking longingly out her window, white curtains pulled back providing a perfect view of the sprawling landscape, and the new intern working the farm. Every time she heard footsteps she yanked a book into her hands or shot up out of her seat pretending to be sorting through clothes or rearranging her pillows.
🌻
On Tuesday- Caitlyn ventured out early, hoping to make it seem to Vi that she was more than some rich aristocrat and knew all about hard work and getting up early. This was a little bit of a reach, as Caitlyn only ever went as far as grabbing some eggs out of the coop for breakfast. Academics always kept Caitlyn busy and she preferred it that way, nose in a book, educating herself about the wide world she couldn't wait to explore. But now after she’s gone on her adventures in college, it was nice to have this summer to come back home. Grounding even, especially now that her mother wouldn't be dragging her into town all the time for debutante balls and other bullshit social outings she never cared for. Now it was the simplicity of a rooster crowing and her alarm clock blaring at the same time, hoping she got up early enough to beat Vi outside.
She did not beat Vi, too busy applying make-up, deciding it looked like she put too much effort in, then scrubbing it off, then thinking she could go for a “natural look” with only some mascara and lip gloss, then deciding it wasn’t enough. This process repeated itself four times before Caitlyn deemed her face appropriate and rushed to change into the outfit she had laid out the night before- cut-off shorts, a tank top, and an oversized sweater. Caitlyn was in a race against the sun, knowing that when it rose, her father would be meeting with Vi. Caitlyn quickly made her way downstairs as quietly as she could, damn things creaked so much, then pushed open the screen door, slowly shutting it behind her.
She spotted Vi walking near the barn, wearing cargo pants, work boots, and a ribbed white tank top. The baseball cap resting atop her pink hair sported the Appalachian trail logo, same as yesterday, Caitlyn noted.
But before she goes over, she hears someone else shut the door behind her.
“Caitlyn!” Her father exclaimed with a smile, “What a treat to see you up so early!”
“Well, there goes my cover.” Caitlyn thought, not that she had much of one, to begin with, she was hopeless with this shit, and not in a flirty “oh come help me do this bats eyelashes” way but more of an “oh this girl needs serious help” way. Maybe her dad coming outside saved her from the inevitable humiliation that would have occurred had she asked Vi if she could be of assistance to her.
🌻
On Wednesday- the high was 95 degrees and Caitlyn’s room had turned into a sauna, the ceiling fan offering no reprieve. Throwing on a bathing suit of old that did little to cover her current curves, Caitlyn went outside, hoping to find some relief in the above-ground swimming pool Caitlyn had begged her parents to install years ago. Walking up across the small deck, Caitlyn grabs a float and jumps into the water having warmed but still offering some relief compared to the outdoors. The feeling of the water and the familiar scents and sounds surrounding the pool wash over her- the sun lulling her into a space between dreams and reality. The sound of clunky footsteps aroused Caitlyn, pushing her sunglasses up her head and putting a hand over her eyes she squinted to see who was walking by.
It’s Vi.
Vi, who no longer has a shirt on.
Vi, who has a full back tattoo; gears and smoke, and patterns she can't quite decipher but wants to trace with her fingers and find out.
Vi, whose name just left her lips: “Vi!” Caitlyn calls out in a raspy voice.
Vi turns around, and now Caitlyn has a new problem on her hands, attempting not to let her gaze drop to Vi’s torso. She fails, miserably.
Caitlyn's gaze follows a bead of sweat down until it reaches the band of Vi’s boxers.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Vi says, snapping Caitlyn out of her stupor while raising an arm to wipe the sweat off her brow. “It’s real sunny out here, sure you won’t get burned?”
“I’ll be fine, really, I’m built to last through this, can’t say the same for you though.” Caitlyn lowers her sunglasses to emphasize her point, taking note of the red flush across Vi’s chest and shoulders, and the freckles that dance across her skin.
“How's the water?”
“Better than out there, hot enough to make the devil sign, why don’t you hop in with me, cool off for a second? Looks like you need it.”
Vi smiles, “Cute”
Caitlyn stills, “Pardon”
“You let your accent slip a little right there, I liked it”
“Oh, I-”
“It’s a good thing I promise, your voice is lovely”
Caitlyn messes with the plastic on her floaty. “You’ve barely heard me talk.”
Vi is smirking and walking closer to the edge of the pool, hands drifting to her belt, long fingers undoing the buckles with a click.
“Hearing you right now, I wanna keep hearing you, if you’ll let me.”
The question hangs in the air for less than a second before Caitlyn quickly replies: “Hop in.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” and with that Vi drops her work pants- revealing black boxer shorts low on her hips, and jumps in. Water sloshes around the small pool and Caitlyn unceremoniously falls off her float with a shriek. When they both come up for air- hair plastered on their faces, water coming out of all orifices, they laugh. Vi’s smile is striking, perfectly straight teeth on display, sparkling white in the sunlight. “I’ll try to soak this up as much as I can, gotta get back to work in a second,” she said with a sigh.
Caitlyn's immediate instinct is to ask Vi not to go, but she knows that's not possible, she’s here to work.
“Fine, but enjoy it while you have it, don’t want you getting heat stroke on my watch.”
Vi once again flashes her that smile, now standing up, water coming to her waist, droplets falling from her short hair dripping down her abs.
Caitlyn was snapped out of her thoughts by Vi, who had begun talking in a wistful tone.
“The mountains at least gave me a little reprieve, the winds usually blowing in from somewhere, we didn’t have central AC growing up, just window units. Fancier places had it though, always felt like a luxury when I went over to someone's house that had it. Don’t think I could function out here without it.”
Caitlyn wanted to hear all about Vi’s life, which prompted her to ask: “Where are you from?”
“West Virginia.” Vi replied “But I’m going to agricultural school in Kentucky.”
Caitlyn smiles imagining Vi among the lush green mountains. “Mountain girl down here huh? What made you come?”
“Got a connection up at school, I want to focus on sustainable agriculture, and your farm seemed like a great place to be and learn.”
Thank god for that connection, Caitlyn thought, but said: “Did you grow up on a farm?”
“Hah, nowhere close.” Vi chuckles as if reminiscing on an inside joke, and Caitlyn yearns to be in on it. “I’m from a poor mining town with a single dad and a shit load of younger siblings I had to look out for. That's why I’m here, but I miss them like hell. I’m trying to make the world a better place, for them, you know.”
Vi already had Caitlyn's attention but now she had her admiration as well, it was never easy leaving home and for Vi to be doing this for her family makes Caitlyn’s fondness for her grow.
“I don’t have any siblings as you may have noticed, but I went to school to study law. I’m thinking of immigration as my concentration. Somehow, I want to work to make everything better.” They share a knowing glance at the current state of things. “I don’t know though, sometimes it’s hard to know if what you're doing actually makes a difference.” Vi considers this for a second and Caitlyn can see the wheels turning on her beautiful face, the solution to the problem running through Vi’s head is found when she says “Nah princess, you will make a difference, you are, I can tell, you’re determined.”
Caitlyn's heart leaped at the compliment. “Well I can tell, you have a good heart, Vi.” There could have been a blush on the farm hands cheeks if the sunburn there wasn't covering it up.
Vi was pushing herself out of the pool then “I hate to cut this short but I’ve gotta get back to it, thanks for sharing your oasis with me, Caitlyn.”
“See ya soon, Vi.”
Caitlyn spent the rest of the afternoon watching from her perch on the porch, a glass of lemonade long forgotten, condensation dripping through the wicker patio furniture and onto the floor, drying up on contact in the sweltering heat. She had half a mind to go and offer Vi some but figured that would be one porn cliche too far. Instead, she settled on a little wave every time the farm hand walked by, her mind drifting around all the things she wanted to do to the sexy butch who fell out of the sky and right into Caitlyn's lap.
🌻
On Thursday- Caitlyn went on a long walk, venturing farther past the farm than she usually does. Choosing to forgo her headphones this time, she takes in all that surrounds her. Dusk was settling in now. Plush grass beneath her feet, the sound of bullfrogs in the pond, and the easy sway of the Spanish moss were all so pleasantly familiar to Caitlyn. Breathing in deep through her nose when she smells it.
Rain.
“Shit.” She cursed to herself. She’s at least 20 minutes out from the house at this point and the rain will probably start in less than 10. A little rain never bothered Caitlyn but she could tell by the way the sky was getting gradually darker, everything deepening in color around her that this would be a thunderstorm. Par for the course for a low country summer night, Caitlyn can’t believe she didn’t check beforehand. But oftentimes they just come out of nowhere. Caitlyn starts to run, not wanting to get caught in the worst of it. She runs up the dirt path when the rain starts, the atmosphere releasing its humidity in the form of thick warm drops. Running faster when she hears a strike of thunder, she hears a truck behind her.
“Get in darlin’ you’re gonna melt out there.”
It’s her voice calling out from the beat-up pickup
Rushing as fast as the wet grass will let her, Caitlyn jumps into the passenger door of Vi’s pick-up that the farm hand had pushed open for her. She’s met with Vi’s striking smile, eyes blown wide, taking in Caitlyn's drenched state. After Caitlyn catches her breath, she takes in Vi’s truck's interior for the first time. It smells faintly of cigarette smoke, the cloth seats well worn, this was a pickup that has been used as intended. Not the bullshit lifted ones boys from the burbs used to rev in the school parking lot. There was something so sexy about Vi driving this type of truck. Capable, that's the word Caitlyn would use to describe Vi, she’s aced every task Tobias has thrown at her. Despite Caitlyn wanting to get in with her every chance she got, Caitlyn knew Vi was here to work and learn, and it has been Caitlyn's absolute pleasure to watch Vi work.
“Sheer luck you found me out here like this.” Caitlyn maneuvers on the seatbelt, trying to control her slippery hands.
“I was out here workin’ and was fixin' to go in when I saw you off in the distance, couldn't let you walk back alone in this.” The chivalry in the gesture was not lost on Caitlyn, who knew Vi would have come to get her no matter how far away she was.
Caitlyn relaxed back into her seat, hearing the rain slam against the windshield, Vi had put the car in park, not seeming like she was in any rush to get driving, much to Caitlyn's excitement. “You got a good eye then.”
“I could say the same about you darlin’”
Had Vi seen her shooting trophies that first day when she helped Caitlyn with her bags? The thought of Vi paying that deep attention to her sent a thrill down her spine.
“How do yah mean, see my shooting' trophies?” Vi blushed at that, exhaling a breath that caught on the passenger side window, fog was quickly collecting on the glass around them, creating a barrier between them and the outside world.
“Yes that, but well uh” Vi’s eyes flit from Caitlyn to the window, “I see ya lookin’ at me a lot is all.”
“Oh” Caitlyn manages to get out, hope and dread are screaming in her mind and she doesn’t know which one seeps into her tone.
“Hey, never said it was a bad thing,” Vi said with a wink, and Caitlyn's heart soars.
“Actually, I meant to ask you, are you free tomorrow night? It’s Friday and I was just thinking I’d like to talk without having to worry about work.”
Caitlyn has never said a faster: “Yes”
“Alright then princess, let’s get you back and we can continue this tomorrow, yah?”
🌻
The clock hits 10 pm. Caitlyn stands from her bed and peers out the window, moving the curtain out of the way slightly with pink-painted fingernails. Looking down her heart leaps as she sees Vi waiting outside for her, right on time. Caitlyn begins her journey out the window and onto the roof. At 21 she doesn’t really need to be sneaking out like this, but the floors creak on the stairs and she doesn’t want to risk waking anyone. She did not need her mother asking when she was, because if all goes according to plan, Caitly won’t be making this fateful journey back through her window until early tomorrow morning.
Vi is looking up at her with a glint of concern in her eye.
“You got that princess?
“Do you have no faith in me Vi”… Caitlyn steps down onto the side of the roof “Just cause I don’t got your muscles don't mean I can’t climb out my own window, I am a seasoned professional” emphasizing her point as she dodges the rain gutters and gracefully lands on her feet “I ran track and danced ya know.”
“Is that so, a professional at sneaking out, dancing, and track” Vi lets out a low whistle, nudging Caitlyn with her broad shoulder “You sure are full of surprises Ms. Kiramman”
“Oh please, that’s my mother's name”
At the mention of Caitlin's parents, Vi looks around nervously. “Pretty sure my boss's daughter sneaking out her window to see me may be grounds for a talking to from your folks.”
“You asked me out remember”
“And I let you pick, wasn’t exactly expecting this escape mission.”
“Well, it's because I gotta show you something, and it’s best at night come on.” The pack with bug spray, blankets, snacks, and flashlights clapped against Caitlyn's back with each skipping step she took, excitement coursing through her veins.
The woods next to Caitlyn’s home are uncharted territory for Vi, who has only tended to the farmland. Any reservations she had were abandoned when Caitlyn reached her hand out for Vi to take.
Vi takes her hand, gray eyes reaching cerulean blue, determination now paints Vi’s features as they walk through the small path etched into the thick brush. The humming of cicadas and the low crawl of bullfrogs form a harmony as Caitlyn leads Vi to her favorite spot on the property. Lightning bugs illuminate the air around them, and thick mossy brush and small palm bushes brush their calves with every step. The flashlights ignite the Southern live oaks' low branches on both sides of the path. Mud coats their shoes from the previous night's rain, but that doesn’t stop Caitlyn. On the final leg of their journey, wood planks akin to a boardwalk greet them, creaking with every step, Caitlyn can sense Vi’s hesitancy in the slowing of her pace and the perspiration on the other girl's palms. Caitlyn turns around, her flashlight hitting Vi’s features illuminating her face, shallow water beneath looking inky black in the moonlight.
“I promise it’s sturdy, haven’t you hiked on a bridge like this, mountain girl?” Caitlyn says in a teasing tone.
Vi’s next words come out in a fast jumble, showing her nerves again: “We don’t have gators in Appalachia, this is different.”
Point taken
“I promise just another few minutes and we will be there, and I promise to protect you if the gators come, which they won’t” There’s a bit of light up ahead, and the boardwalk becomes a small square in the middle of the shallow water. There aren’t as many trees here, creating a perfect patch for the full moon to shine down.
“You took me to the middle of a swamp,” Vi says, voice laced with awe as she takes it all in.
Caitlyn can’t shake her gaze from Vi, her namesake tattooed on her face, dancing as she smiles, eyes wide.
“Sure did”
Caitlyn found this place in high school when she went exploring, she doubts her parents even know it exists, it quickly became her favorite hideaway, the sounds and scents surrounding them now familiar to her, but new to Vi whose gaze has now fallen to Caitlyn. She takes off her bag and unfolds a picnic blanket, turning off her flashlight as the full moon allows her to see everything she is doing, Vi looks at her to offer help but Caitlyn quickly shrugs it off. Vi does so much work every day she wanted to do something special for her tonight. When Caitlyn is finished setting up she gestures for Vi to join her.
“The view is best if you lay down,” Caitlyn says peering up at Vi under mascara-coated lashes. Vi lets out a laugh at this, shaking her head slightly, taking off her flannel to ball behind her head she joins Caitlyn lying down. Caitlyn then turns towards Vi, a fresh scent surrounds her, warm and comforting with some pine mixed in, a testament to where she’s from. Caitlyn can’t help but breathe in deeply, foregoing the fresh woodsy air for what her heart craves much more.
Vi turns to her, all bright smiles and twinkling grey eyes, there’s a distinctive bit of mischief under her kind gaze. “I thought you took me here to look at the stars?”
“I did.”
“Then why are you turned so that you can’t even see them?” The tease is evident in Vi’s tone as her scent surrounds Caitlyn making it hard to think straight, prompting the truth forward as she says: “I have seen the view a thousand times, I more care to see your reaction, I more care to see you.” Vi’s blush deepens “I’d rather see you too”
Breaking into a wider smile then, Vi turns her body towards Caitlyn so now they are both on their sides, face to face. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed what you’ve been doing all week.” Vi’s eyes take in every feature on Caitlyn's face choosing her next words while Caitlyn waits with bated breath.
“The porn cliches were very flattering, truly, but you didn't gotta do all that, you caught my eye too, Caitlyn.”
Caitlyn's face grows red, her mind processing Vi’s admission. If Vi feels it too, that makes this moment real, blooming forth like spring, the potential for something new.
Vi’s gaze is solidly on Caitlyn when she says: “How could I not, I mean look at you. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could come this far from home and find someone to ground me to earth the way you have. I was so nervous to come here, but I knew it was best for my future to have this opportunity but I miss my family like hell. But from the moment I saw your smile and all those silly gimmicks you did to get my attention, I knew I had made the right choice.”
What a gift to learn how you are viewed from another's eyes. Vi’s confession touches Caitlyn to the core, she closes the slight gap that exists between their lips and kisses Vi who immediately reciprocates with her own ferocity, strong arms, and calloused hands grip at Caitlyn's face and neck pulling her in closer. Caitlyn rips off Vi's hat and relishes in the feeling of her hands running through Vi’s hair, which is rough and soft all at the same time, just like Vi, who holds Caitlyn like she never wants to let her go.
🌻
On Saturday
Caitlyn wakes up in a room not her own, borrowed clothes on her frame, and the smell of coffee wafts around her.
Sunlight was streaming through the windows, shadows dancing on Vi’s bare back as she reached into the cupboard for 2 mugs.
Caitlyn has never been happier to be home.