Status Updates From Soul Searching (Sweetwater ...

i’m just bored its taking me a while to

Brady pulled back and rested his forehead against mine.
His chest was heaving. "I forgot to breathe, he said. "You're so good that I forgot to breathe."
My lips stretched into a smile. "Careful" I said. "I might let that go to my head.
Brady kissed me again and then pulled back. "I think you should let it go to your head. I think you should be aware of how amazing you are, Collins."

"Do you ever miss her?" My voice was quieter than I meant for it to be.
Brady grabbed a plate and pushed the eggs out of the pan onto it, followed by the bacon and toast. Then he brought the plate to where I was sitting at the table. He put it in the middle and sat across from me. His eyes met mine. God, they were so blue. It felt like he was looking right into my soul when he said, "Not even once, Collins."

Before I could take the leap over to the rock, Brady grabbed my waist and pulled me back to him. I liked the weight of his hands on my hips. "What the fuck?" he asked over the roar of the water. "You were not about to just jump onto that rock.
Not after what just happened."
I turned my head to face him, and I felt his grip tighten.

"I think you talk a lot—at least to me?'
"You're one of the very few exceptions to the rule," I said. I really didn't mean for it to sound flirty, so of course, it did.
"I didn't think you were into rules." But I'm into you. And I was. Into him, I think. But I didn't really know what to do with that.
"I'm not," I said. "Which is why I'm breaking that one for you."

I stood up quickly, rising fast enough that when my head hit the ceiling with a resounding thwack, the momentum sent me right back down.
"Fuck, Collins." I felt his hand on my back and I wrapped my arms around the back of my head. "That sounded bad"

I wrapped my arms around myself. When did it get so cold up here? Within a few seconds, Brady unzipped his fleece jacket and put it around my shoulders.
"Oh," I said dumbly. "Thank you"
"Anytime" Brady responded.
The sides of our bodies were still touching. I looked up to find him already looking down at me.

"I've seen the movies" Collins nodded. "You've kind of got a rugged hero thing going on - in a more contemporary way.”
Her eyes tracked down my form and then back up. I hoped she couldn't see me swallow.
"Say thank you. Aragorn is hot." I felt my eyes widen. It's a damn good thing my hip was leaned against the counter, or I would've lost my balance.

"We are not going down there, trouble," I said—my thoughts about Collins slipped out as a nickname. I mindlessly rubbed my hand up and down her back. "Not after that"
"Boring Brady, she muttered, but she didn't push back. I took a few deep breaths, trying to get my heart rate to slow down, and I noticed Collins breathing in time with me.

Collins pushed back from my chest to look at me, and I brushed her hair out of her face. "Holy shit, she whispered.
When she leaned back to look at the hole that appeared a few seconds ago, I held on to her tighter. I wanted her to be as far away from it as possible.

I pulled her onto the stable part of the floor that didn't now have a Collins shaped hole in it. Her head fell onto my chest. I kept one of my arms wrapped tightly around her torso and moved the other hand to the back of her head. My heart raced against my rib cage, and I swore I could hear hers doing the same thing.
"Are you okay?" I breathed. I felt her nod against my chest.

"Thank you for ... getting me out of the way. I looked up at his blue eyes, and I felt like I was swimming in them, unable to tread water.
"N-no problem" I stuttered. I watched him look down at his chest, where my fist was still bunched in his shirt, and l immediately let go and took a step back.

"How did that even …. happen?"
"Uneven shelves?" I said hopefully, and he turned back to me. We were close. I thought I could feel his heartbeat.
He shook his head but didn't make an effort to move away from me.

Right as the jar was about to go over the edge, and before I could think twice about it, I reached forward and fisted the collar of Brady's shirt, pulling him toward me, and away from the shelf.
Half a second later, I heard the glass jar shattering and tacks clattering across the floor.

She opened the passenger door, but I reached over her shoulder and pushed it shut before grabbing the handle myself and pulling the door open.
When I walked around the front of my truck, I saw Collins lean across the bench seat to pop my door open.
"Returning the favor" she said with a sly smile when I got in the cab.
She screamed trouble.

"Fuckup extraordinaire" he responded. His eyes were probably pretty when they weren't tomato red. "I remember." I nodded, and decided now was a good time to pull my hand out of his. When I did, Brady looked down like he didnt realize they were still linked, but he recovered quickly and slipped his hand back into the pocket of his jeans.

Brady huffed a laugh. "Well, we can try again. Brady Cooper," he said with that same tilted smile. "Nice to meet you"
"Collins Cartwright." I smiled back against my better judgment.

"Don't worry about it," he said, and then took my hand in a firm handshake. I could feel the calluses on his palms.
"Um, are your eyes okay?" Why did it feel like I was blushing? I didn't blush. I wasn't a blusher.
"Fine" he said, and gave me a tilted smile. Well, shit. Apparently, I was a blusher. "Flushed em good, consulted Dr Google, and all is well."

I turned my face to Collins. My vision wasn't great, but her hazel eyes were wide as she looked up at me. "You okay?" I asked.
"Y-yeah," she breathed, and I felt it on my face. I watched her look down at my arm, which was still caging her in.
"Thank you."
I nodded, but I didn't look away.

I wasn't going to take her hand anyway, but I didn't havea chance to even try because the truck swerved, and my body crashed into Collins. I instinctively put my arm in front of her as Clarke tried to regain control of the truck as it hydroplaned.

"I don't know if I can open my eyes" he said with a groan.
"Yes, you can, you big baby," I said without thinking, and Clarke shot me a withering look.
The man-Brady-moved his hands off his eyes and looked up at me.

I grabbed a plastic water bottle out of the cupholder and scrambled out of the car. I kneeled on the other side of the man. "Open your eyes," I said to him. "We have to flush it out."
"No thanks, I'm good here," he said, and I almost laughed.