katie porter
- february 22, 2020 -

PULLING MY PURSE HIGH ON my shoulder, I turned to look at myself in the shop window. Everything felt different now. I still walked to the strip mall past Main Street, but the ability to drive was right there. Right at my fingertips. Jackson and I'd been on a couple more lessons by then, but I don't think I'd be able to do it by myself any time soon.

            I had about just enough time to hit one more store before making the walk back to the apartments. A voice called me from down the sidewalk. Painting a smile on my face, I turned towards the sounds.

            "Katie!" Melissa waved; Caleb's hands clasped with hers, "How's the shop doing?"

            My eyes moved from their hands to her face. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text before putting it back in my pocket, "Oh good. Elisha said we're really close now."

            "That's great," her hand rested on Caleb's arm and he stiffened. Her brows furrowed, but she barely spared him a worried glance, "Anyways, we were just about to head to dinner. Date night and all that. What are your plans tonight?"

            I smiled, "Oh, yeah. Same here, he's just running a little late."

            "Wonderful! We'll all have to get dinner together sometime!"

            Caleb's eyes bounced between Melissa and I, "You're going on a date?"

            "Yeah."

            "With who?" Caleb didn't hide his feelings very well. His jaw clenched and I watched as he pulled Melissa closer to him. She smiled at the gesture and wrapped her arms around him. It took everything in me not to roll my eyes.

            "He's a literature professor at the college. Really nice guy."

            Melissa wiggled her brows at me, "A professor. How fancy," she squealed. "Where'd you meet?"

            I laughed, "Actually, it was at The Corner Bar... On my birthday. And you know what they say, the rest is history."

            Pulling up to the curb, Jackson flipped up the visor of his helmet and gestured in his direction. I waved to Caleb and Melissa and jobbed over to him. He held out a helmet and winked at me.

            "Ya need a ride there, Doll?" I put the helmet on and before I could even try the straps, Jackson reached over with his gloves and secured the helmet into place. I straddled the back of the bike and wrapped my hands around his abdomen. Revving the engine, the both of us laughed and he pulled onto the street.

            Zooming through the streets, I tightened my grip as he whipped between cars. We leaned together around curves and he stopped on a hill outside of town, just passed the one he'd help me home from. We climbed off the bike and put our helmets on the handle bars.

            "What are we doing here?" I asked following him down a gravel road.

            He barely glanced over his shoulder, "I want to show you something. The price for having me come save you."

            We walked for maybe a mile before we came up on the water tower. Pulling a key from his pocket, Jackson unlocked the gate keeping us out. I didn't say anything. I just looked from the keys and back to him.

            I laughed, but didn't move. He couldn't actually be serious. A water tower? That's what they did in those silly, little hallmark movies. It wasn't something people actually did in real life, plus it was illegal. Rules I broke; laws not so much.

            He took two long strides back to me and grabbed my hand, "Come on."

            "Jackson, how do you even have those? You work for a college."

            Smiling, he pulled me through the gate and shut it behind us, "Let's just say, my friend has a friend who kind of owes me a favor."

            We stumbled through the sagebrush and tumbleweeds. On one of the legs a ladder shot straight up to the base of the actual water container. Kensington didn't even use this water tower anymore.

            He gestured with his head, "Ladies first."

            I laughed, shaking my head, "Absolutely not. I know how that works. Up you go buddy."

            His smile widened, but he started up the ladder anyways. Crossing my arms, I watched him climb. He stopped a couple feet up and looked back down, "Are you coming?"

            "Yeah," I smiled, "I was just appreciating the view first."

            He held on with one hand while the other smacked against his chest as he laughed.

            My hand shot to my lips, "Hold the ladder, crazy!"

            This only made him laugh more, but he planted both hands firmly on the ladder. I was quick to follow him now. Once Jackson got to the top, he pushed the trap door open and climbed through. He reached down and helped me up.

            I turned to look, but it was just a bunch of sky and land. I furrowed my brows and looked at him. He shut the trap door and pulled me to the other side of the water tower. Kensington wasn't much, but from here it looked like a proper city.

            The lights from the tops of buildings and street lights winked at us.

            "I never realized how beautiful this place is."

            Jackson leaned against the metal railing that kept us close to the water tower, "Most people don't. They're too focused on everything else. It's too small. Too rural. Too boring. Most people don't take the time to actually look at this place."

            He turned to look at me, "But the view from the other side is ten times better."

            We stepped around the other side and I scanned the area, but it was just all black. I couldn't tell where the land ended and the sky began.

            "How is this better?"

            Laughing, Jackson pointed, "Look up." I looked towards the sky. Stars twinkled above us. I turned to him and raised a brow.

            "Look," he pointed again, "there's Orion's Belt and if you look over there, that's Canis Major and if you try really hard, you can see the Gemini constellation. That's just not something you get every day in a city."

            I smiled, planting my hand next to his on the railing, "Thank you for showing this to me."

            "Yeah," he shrugged his shoulders, "I thought maybe you could use a breather. I can take you home now."

            Nodding, we made our way back down the ladder and back up the road. I kept looking over my shoulder at the water tower as it grew in the distance. I guess some things were just cliché and cheesy for a reason. We wish they were the things people did for one another. That they'd climb water towers with us or confess their undying love in the middle of a rain storm.

            That's why there are movies and novels and songs written about it. I'd passed that water tower a million times and it didn't mean anything, but now when I looked over, I'd see the tail end of Canis Major and I'd smile.

            Once back on the bike, we went back to the apartment complex. We both sat on the bike when we stopped just behind the car. His hand came up to mine wrapped around him. I took in a deep breath and slowly removed my arms. That ride was far too short.

            Pulling off the helmet, I handed it to him and waited. He swung a leg over the bike and took off his helmet, hanging them on the handle bars. I dug through my purse for the keys to the front door, but frowned when I instantly found them.

            "Thanks for picking me up," I smiled, pushing open the door. "Do you want some coffee?" I gestured behind me. Standing there, he looked small. His hands shoved deep in his pockets and a lopsided grin on his lips.

            He shook his head, "I shouldn't. I still have some papers to grade that I've been putting off."

            "Yeah, no problem. Maybe next time. I had a lot of fun tonight."

            His eyes scanned my face before landing on my lips. Closing his eyes, he smiled and shook his head, "Damn, I'd really like to kiss you right now."

            Instantly, my eyes found his lips, but soon went back to his eyes. Those eyes of his, they had a force that pulled you into them, "What's stopping you?"

            His brows knitted when he looked at me, "Are you sure?"

            I laughed, "I've been waiting on you to kiss me."

            His hand came to rest on my waist and the other slipped behind my ear and into my hair. There was something about the way he took his time. We had nowhere else to be. My breathing couldn't decide whether it wanted to quicken or stop all together. Still, I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

            He leaned in and stopped mere centimeters from my lips. I breathed slowly, "A girl could wither away waiting for you."

            His laugh came out low and his words brushed against my lips, "Would you rather I not kiss you?"

            I hummed and shook my head.

            "I could quote you poetry if you'd prefer. 'If I could write the beauty of your eyes and in fresh numbers number all your graces, the age to come and say, 'This poet lies; such heavenly touches ne'er touch'd earthly faces.' So should my papers, yellowed with their age, be scorn'd, like old men of less truth than tongue, and your true rights be term'd a poet's rage—"

            "Damn it, Jac—"

            He cut me off when his lips connected with mine. I pulled him in closer, there was surely no more room for Jesus between us. Breaking our kiss, he dropped his hands. It was simple and short, but somehow the perfect amount of time for a kiss.

            "That was worth the wait," I spoke without opening my eyes.

            "I think you're amazing and I really like you and I'm so sorry that anyone made you feel anything different." I opened my eyes and went to speak, but he held up his hand.

            "Wait... I really like you, but I want you to find yourself. I've been in that position before. I know how difficult it can be to figure out who you are when you're in the middle of figuring out someone else. And I don't mind. I don't mind waiting for you, Katie."