Part 2 - By the Lakeside

As I stirred, my senses slowly came back. Everything was pretty quiet, save for the soft crackling of what sounded like a fire. I was laying on something soft and comfortable. For some reason, I also felt quite damp around my shirt collar.

I opened my eyes. The haze in my vision cleared up and I swiveled my head around to scan my surroundings. From what I could see, I was in the living room of Applejack’s house. The flame in the fireplace illuminated the room with a soft orange glow, the shadows of the flames dancing in the background. Upon sitting up, I discovered I was laying down on a sofa, a pillow on the armrest I was leaning against.

“Ah, dammit.” I groaned as I rubbed my temples. A sharp pain ran through my head as I sat up. In fact, my whole body was hurting. My arms and legs felt like they were on fire, and my back was no better. My clothes felt extremely damp from what I deduced to be sweat.

To be honest, I didn’t remember how I got where I was. Everything after I collapsed in the apple field was a bit of a blur.

I rubbed my eyes of sleep and yawned deeply. Fuck was I tired. At that moment I really wanted to find a bed and collapse on it. But firstly, I needed to shower or wash really bad. I stank like a tuna sandwich left out in the sun and then stuffed into a plastic bag to ferment. Analogies aside, I remembered the way to the bathroom despite my disoriented state.

Stumbling through the hall, my eyes half closed and my vision a bleary haze, I tried my hardest not to trip and fall on something. If it was up to me, I’d fall down and collapse on the floor to sleep. Just so you can gauge my exhaustion.

The hallway was dark and quiet. No sign of Applejack anywhere. She probably went to sleep already. It was a clear moonlit night, white light shining through the windows, illuminating the hallway before me. Thank goodness I had something to see with or I would’ve knocked shit over.

I finally reached the bathroom Applejack told me was the one that contained a bath. I honestly couldn’t wait to undress and walk into a hot shower. But before that, I needed to wash my face and look into a mirror. I wanted to see what the day did to me.

To my right was a door with three apples on it. Applejack identified it as her room, so there wasn’t going to be any walking in there. Especially if she was asleep. To be honest, I was in no state to drive back all the way home. I was sure she wouldn’t have minded if I stayed over.

What struck me as peculiar was the fact that the bathroom light was on, the orange-looking light seeping out from the corners. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, I merely thought that Applejack had left the light on.

The wooden door was unlocked and ajar, so I pushed it open with my left hand and pushed past it. Strange, the bathroom was oddly steamy. Eh, she probably had just gotten out of the shower and left to her room. To the right beyond the door was a white porcelain sink that sat upon a wooden counter top. The faucet was a simple-looking steel top mount faucet with two handles for hot and cold water. The toilet sat right next to it on the left.

I gripped the cold water handle and turned it, placing my hands underneath the icy stream of water. It pooled in my cupped hands and I brought my face down into my palms. The water felt so good against my sticky face as I rubbed the water into my eyes and cheeks. Sweet relief.

This process repeated a few times until I regained full consciousness. Blinking my eyes a few times, I could see the world clearly again.

And… from what I could see… the bathroom mirror was completely fogged up and I couldn’t see a damn thing.

Odd…

Eh, whatever. I wiped off enough fog to be able to inspect my face.

Huh, I didn’t look too different from how I looked at the beginning of the day. Super. Not that it was a good thing. I didn’t have the prettiest mug.

Upon closer inspection of my face I noticed-

‘Wait a sec,’ I thought, as a realization struck me. ‘Why do I hear the shower running if Applejack is asleep?’ Slowly, with a weary hand, I wiped away more of the fog, revealing exactly what, or rather who, was standing behind me.

It was also at that moment, I really wanted a meteor to hit the Earth. Or if I could at least get sucked into a vortex leading to another dimension.

Or maybe just not be here at all.

My blood ran cold and my heart might as well have stopped.

In the reflection of the mirror, I saw the shower stall. It had a clear glass sliding door and a showerhead that was mounted high on the wall opposite of the door.

And literally the only other person in the house was occupying it.

In any normal situation, I probably would have stayed a little while and marveled at her beauty. Her undone hair was utterly wet and lay flat on her shoulders. The shower door was heavily fogged so I couldn’t really see much else.

I know this sounds ridiculous, but that was a good thing in this situation.

Either way, it didn’t stop me from seeing part of her midriff and most of her shoulders and arms covered in hot, soapy water. Her body was glistening from the steam and the warm water cascading over her entire body. Without clothes on, you could definitely see how toned she was.

I wanted to enjoy the view more, but the internal panic attack I was experiencing proved to be too much.

Applejack didn’t react the way I thought she would. We both kind of just stared each other down, but neither of us said anything. My jaw hung open slightly and my eyes were widened. I couldn’t move. I was stuck in place. Frozen. My fists clenched so tightly that they turned white, and my lungs began to burn as I had suddenly forgotten how to breathe correctly.

After a star’s lifetime passed, she finally spoke:

“Mav, ya mind lettin’ me finish before you can have a turn? There’s enough hot water for both of us.”

I only nodded, and quickly sidestepped my way out of the bathroom and out into the hallway. After closing the door, I turned around and leaned against it, letting out the deep breath I had in my lungs.

“Gaahhh!” I gasped as I placed my palms on my knees. “Oh my fucking, fuck, fuckery fuck, shit, dick, motherfucking, cock in the asshole!” My panic attack finally surfaced as I cursed silently to myself.

I slid down the wooden door until I was in a seated position, my elbows on my knees.

“What in the fuck have I done?” I grumbled to myself, rubbing my temples. “Great, now she thinks I’m a freak and a perv. Maverick, you fucking idiot.”

Picking myself up, I made the walk of shame back to the living room, where the fire had somewhat faded, but burned brightly enough for there to be light. I walked past the couches and into the kitchen, where I switched on the light and sat down at the table.

Welp. I was dead.

All I could do then was wait until she came out so I could face the music. Though I was doubtful at the time. If she was truly pissed off at me, she probably would’ve reacted a whole lot more violently. And I’d probably be buried six feet under next to a tree in the back of the farm.

Minutes went by before I heard soft bare footsteps coming towards me. I dared not look back as I waited for her to appear in front of me.

“Mav.”

She appeared to my right.

Well, well. Applejack had a pretty uh… interesting set of pajamas. Not in that way, though. She wore green pajama pants which was spotted with cartoonish apple printings. Cute. As for the rest, she wore a simple navy blue t-shirt which rose slightly above her hips. Her hair was still damp and stringy as it hung loose behind her back.

“Mav, you alright-”

“I swear I didn’t see anything!” I slammed my hands down onto the table. “I’m sorry for barging in on you like that, I didn’t think you’d still be up at this hour…”

“Mav.”

“...And I barely woke up, like, fifteen minutes ago and I was really damn sleepy and I wanted to shower up and…”

“Mav.”

“...Ugh, Goddesses you probably think I’m a freak for walking in while you were showering like that I should just leave shouldn’t I-”

“Mav!” She grabbed my shoulder and I looked up at her despite the embarrassment. “Mav, listen to me. It’s fine. I ain’t mad at ya.”

“You- you aren’t?” I asked, furrowing my brow. It was then I already knew the answer. The look on her face was all I needed to know. You know that look you get when you did something wrong as a kid, but your mom said it was alright? This was similar to that.

Her expression was soft as a cloud; a small smile on her lips and eyes half-lidded.

“No, I ain’t mad,” she replied. “Trust me, you’d know if I was mad.” And I believed her on that one.

“But why? I walked in on you showering. That’s incredibly… creepy?”

“I know it is, but I trust ya, Mav. I know you wouldn’t do that on purpose, ever. Besides, when ya walked in, you looked pretty dead.”

“Did I?” I scoffed. “I didn’t notice. By the way, I don’t remember much of what happened before. Mind filling me in?”

“Well, ya did pass out after I helped you cool down. I placed your feet in a bucket of ice water while I put a wet, cold towel on your shoulders. You guzzled down about five glasses of water, then fell asleep on the couch. After that I cooked up some food and ate dinner. I sat back and kept an eye on you for a few hours until ‘round eight o’clock. And, well, you know the rest.”

“Really...” I covered my mouth as I let out a deep yawn. “I didn’t realize I was that tired.”

“Your muscles feeling sore?”

“Hell yeah.” I laughed. “Right now all the muscles I never knew I had are hurting pretty bad.”

“Why don’t I heat you up some grub?” she asked with a thoughtful look in her eye. “I bet you’re pretty darn hungry right now.”

“I just really want to sleep honestly-”

Was there a dog growling in here? It sounded pretty angry. Oh. Nope. That was my stomach. My very hungry stomach.

My face flushed as I grinned sheepishly.

“Need I ask anymore?” she chuckled.

“Nope. Food sounds good about now.” I smiled at her and she grinned back, turning around and making her way over to the fridge, where she opened it up and pulled out a huge pot of what seemed to be stew.

“I cooked up some beef stew after you passed out,” she said as she walked over to the stove and placed it onto the skillet. “Want me to heat up some of that?”

“Yes, please.”

She got a bowl from the cabinet above the stove and used a ladle to pour about three scoops of the delicious-looking stew. Instead of wasting time to heat it up on the stove, she walked over to the microwave and punched in a few numbers. The microwave began humming as she pressed the start button.

“There, I put it in to cook for a few minutes.” She walked back to the huge steel pot and carried it back over to the fridge. “I hope ya like the stew. Granny taught me the recipe. Told me it’s a recipe that’s been in the family since before she was ever thought of, haha!”

“I think I’ll like it,” I replied, leaning my chin on my palm as I watched her sit down in front of me. “If it’s anything like the stew from today I’m sure it’ll be good.”

“So you really like it, huh? I didn’t notice by the way you swallowed it like a starving barn mouse in the middle of winter.”

Okay. That one made no sense at all to me. Sounded funny though.

“Hehe, really now.” I chuckled. “Can you blame me?”

“Nah, I can’t honestly blame ya,” she replied, leaning back against the chair. “You should see Big Mac after a full day of work. Granny makes double for us since we all eat like horses after working on the farm. Mac’s usually the reason why she makes so much. I don’t gotta a big an appetite as him, but I still eat pretty good.”

“I can’t really tell,” I teased coyly. “You look pretty fit to me.”

“Well I guess it’s ‘cause I burn off more than I can eat. A full day’s work here can burn off a good few pounds. Working here for nine whole years has done a lot of good for me. Just gotta be careful though. Don’t wanna go hurtin’ myself.”

A question popped into my head. “By the way, what are you gonna do after graduation? I think me and Note are gonna hang out somewhere. Probably find a way to acquire some sort of alcoholic beverages.”

“Ehhh, well, about that.” She leaned forward and placed her chin on her palm. “I don’t think I’m gonna graduate this year, Mav.”

What the fu-

*BEEP~! BEEP~!*

The microwave beeped loudly as it finished cooking the stew.

Before I could say anything, she got up from the table. “Lemme get that for ya, Mav.” She grabbed the bowl from the microwave and brought it over, setting down a spoon right next to it. “Here, eat it up before it gets cold.”

I watched the steam rise and dissipate into the air from the bowl. It even seemed to be boiling still. I bet this thing wasn’t going to cool down anytime soon.

But the smell was intoxicating.

Want. Food. In belly. Now.

“Alrighty, then.” I grabbed the spoon and dipped it into the thick, brothy, soup. Upon lifting it, there was a sizeable chunk of meat on it alone with bits of potato. My mouth watered. I put the bit of soup into my mouth and devoured it.

Big mistake.

“Mmm!” I screamed internally as the piping hot stew scalded the inside of my mouth. I didn’t want to spit it out at all, so I trudged through the burning pain and swallowed. Felt like I swallowed hot lava. “Gah, good goddesses. That was hot.”

“I’ll get ya some water.”

She went to the sink and picked up a cup, filling it with some water from the tap and brought it over to me; I took two huge gulps and it cooled down my now raw throat and mouth.

“Whew, thanks.” I breathed out a sigh of relief.

“I’d blow on it next time.” She laughed as I made to scoop up another bit of soup. “Otherwise you’ll burn yourself again.”

“Right, I got it.” A few moments of silence passed. Applejack lounged in the chair as she watched me eat my dinner. When the bowl was near half-empty, I finally gained the courage to ask what she meant before. “So, what did you mean you don’t think you’ll graduate? You’re so close already.”

“I know, but my counselor told me if I fail any of my final exams, I won’t be eligible for graduation. And if I don’t graduate this year, then I might as well drop out. Ain’t got no use for school since the farm is all I need.”

I knew that Applejack didn’t care much for school, but failing something as simple as high school was frustrating to hear.

“Look, AJ.” I put down my spoon. “If you want help with studying for exams, me and Note can help you out-”

“You don’t gotta do that, Mav. I know you and Note are probably gonna head to college and all that. Like I said before, I gotta stay and take care of the farm.”

“I know that, but I…” I paused, trying to tell her what I was feeling at long last. “...I don’t wanna go anywhere, if you’re not going with me.”

“Whaddaya mean by that?” She glanced away from my gaze, obviously flustered.

I reached forward with my hand and grasped hers. It was honestly now or never. Here we both were, completely alone. No distractions, no interruptions.

This was a gutsy move, but I had to go all in. She had to know how I felt about her.

I laid all my cards on the table.

“I want you to graduate with me. I couldn’t bear the fact knowing I’m leaving you behind like that. You worked too hard to just give it up at the end. The Applejack I know is stubborn as all hell, but you never give up on anything.”

Her eyes were wide as I spoke to her, her hand being held by mine. It wasn’t surprise or awkwardness that gleamed inside those emerald gems she had for eyes, but understanding. She understood what I was saying.

And it was in that moment, I feel like she already knew my true meaning when I uttered those words.

I stared into her eyes with all the seriousness and courage I could muster.

“Applejack… I want you to graduate. You and I have come too far. I don’t want to go off to another college knowing that you’d never get the same opportunity. Hell, if you don’t want to graduate, then I won’t.”

“Urgh, Mav, don’t be stupid!” She took her hand away from mine and stood up from the table. “You know school’s never been my thing and you don’t gotta go and risk your whole future for me like that!”

“You don’t understand!” I shouted back as I stood up and stared her down. “You don’t understand how… how important you are to me. I would do anything for you. Anything in the world.”

“Mav, you’re smarter than that.” Her expression softened. “You’re too smart to do something as stupid as risking your future for some old country girl like me.”

“You’re not just some country girl to me,” I replied. “You’re my friend. If not my best
friend. I don’t wanna see you fail. Ever. If staying close to you meant staying in this town for the rest of my life then I’d do it.”

“Why?” she asked the big question.

“Because, I…” My words failed me. A lump formed in my throat and I couldn’t speak anymore. I felt like I was overplaying my hand. I should fold while I had the chance. “...Nevermind. I’ll tell you when you’re old enough, heh.”

I close my eyes as I picked up my spoon and resumed eating.

She only rolled her eyes, smiled back and stood over me as I ate. “Alright then, I wanna hear what you gotta say. I guess finish up and I’ll show you where you’ll sleep.” Without warning she jabbed my shoulder.

Why did she feel the need to go and do something like that?

“OUCH!”

I nearly knocked over the bowl of soup from the pain that erupted from my sore shoulder.

“Oof! Oww! That hurts!”

“Would ya stop squirming? Hold still!”

“That burns! Ooh, wait! Ahh right there! Yep, that’s the spot!”

“That feels better then?”

“Yeah, sort of.”

Applejack massaged the pain cream into my back and shoulders gently, being sure not to cause me any more discomfort than I was already feeling. When I had finished eating and showered up, Applejack offered to wash my dirty work clothes and lent me some of Big Mac’s pajamas. They consisted of red, plaid pajama pants that were too loose without the waist string tied, and a white t-shirt that was a little too big, but fit alright.

For the night, I would be sleeping in Big Mac’s room, which didn’t have much in the way of luxury. Just a simple room with a bed, nightstand, a dresser that held clothes, and a closet as well. Just to the right of the bed was a window through which moonlight shone through.

I sat on the edge of the bed while Applejack sat on her knees right behind me, applying the IcyHot cream on my skin. A lamp on the nightstand illuminated the room, allowing her to see what she was doing.

Mostly, anyways. I was glad it was still dark enough so she couldn’t see the mad blush on my face as she massaged me.

Not to mention, I had a real hard time with the engineers in the downstairs department from raising the shields.

“Hmm, there I think you’re good.” She closed the bottle cap and placed it on the nightstand. “Tomorrow, if you’re still hurtin’, I’ll get you some pain medicine so we can get through the day, alright?”

“Alright then.” I grabbed my shirt and slid it back on. The sour smell of the cream filled my nostrils. Applejack got off her knees and sat by my side, where she then placed her head on my now hot, cold shoulder. Either way, the coldness definitely made the pain go away. “So, tired?”

“Yeah.” She let out a deep yawn. “We should be gettin’ to bed. It’s about nine o'clock and we should be asleep already. We need as much sleep as possible for tomorrow.”

“That we do, heh.” I placed my arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “I guess… I’ll be seeing you tomorrow morning then.”

“Mhm, well, I guess I’ll be headin’ off.” I felt goosebumps form on my skin as she leaned forward and planted a kiss on my cheek. Whoa, boy. I placed a hand on my cheek and rubbed the spot she kissed. Why’d she do that?

What a stupid question that was.

“That all you’re leaving me with?” I chuckled as she opened the door and stared back at me with a sly smirk on her face.

“Maybe I can leave ya with a little something more tomorrow night.” She giggled a sexy little giggle that made me wanna get up and do sex things to her. “For now, it’s late. Nighty night, Mav.”

She blew a kiss at me and I pretended to catch it and place it in my pocket. Applejack only laughed as she closed the door behind her.

I pulled back the sheets and settled into the cool bed covers. A wave of relief rushed over my sore muscles as I laid my head on the soft pillow. Soon, I started thinking about things. Mac had an alarm clock which ticked silently as the night went on. It hit me that I never bothered to set the actual alarm, but I assumed that Applejack would be waking me up.

The way she kissed me, though. She’d never really done that before. Ever. It’s as if what I told her might’ve had a more severe effect than I thought, but then again, I laid everything I had on the table and spilled my guts.

Well, mostly.

I didn’t want to tell her my absolute feelings just yet. Even then, I had a feeling the right moment was fast approaching. The question was, would I be able to pull it off when it came? Would I choke? Would I fuck it up?

The feelings I had for her were strong indeed. As I laid in bed, the thought of us sharing a kiss excited me greatly. My heart felt like a 747 taking off on a cross-country flight whenever I thought of it.

But soon, oh so soon, I resolved to make it a reality.

Sleep eventually took me. Before that, I leaned over to the nightstand and switched off the lamp. My eyelids grew heavy and my body was grateful that it gained the chance to rest for a few hours.

You know how I said I liked Applejack a lot?

Well, I’ll have you know something.

I really fucking hate her right now.

“Mav~! Wake up, sleepy butt~!” Was all I heard right before I felt her belly flop right onto my stomach. All the air in my chest was knocked out and my eyes snapped open. After I regained my senses, I could see Applejack sitting on my stomach, her arms crossed as she smirked down at me.

Why, oh why did I pick this girl? I felt the incredible urge to knock her off if it weren’t for the embarrassment. My face grew red and I gripped at the sheets tightly. Not to mention, she was sitting painfully close to my crotch.

“Gah! Applejack! What the hell?!” I shouted, leaning up on my elbows. Okay, now our faces were even closer. “Why’d you do that?! What time is it?” I asked as I furiously rubbed my eyes.

“Oh it’s about four thirty in the mornin’.” She shrugged casually. “I figured we’d get an earlier start today. We start around five, we can get done around four or five in the afternoon.”

This woman, with whom I am in love, is insane beyond all measure. Inhuman really. What kind of mortal soul has the ability to awaken at this hour?

“W-what the- four in the morning?” I slurred drowsily. “You are just, I- just wow. Honestly. Why are you sitting on me?”

“Heh, reasons.” She smiled. “Now c’mon, get up we’re burning daylight. Uh, you okay there, Mav? You look a little red there.” Oh now she was doing this on purpose. I felt her press her ass down harder on my stomach, almost as if she was sliding backwards onto my-

Oh you clever little she-devil.

She reached forward and pressed the back of her hand against my forehead. “Oh my,” she drawled softly, but I could hear the sarcasm in her voice. “You’re burnin’ up ain’t ya?”

Yes and something else was too. “Oh, Applejack whatever do you mean,” I said as I arched a brow sleepily and rubbed one eye. “Could you please get off?”

“Hold on, now.” She then started feeling around my chest area and shoulders. “You feelin’ better? Muscles still sore?”

Fucking depths of oblivion. The way she was running her soft hands over my upper torso felt heavenly. Good. Goddesses.

She was just toying with me now. “Alright, alright, quit it now.” I tried grabbing her hands but she swatted them out of the way. “H-Hey, c’mon. Let’s just get dressed already.”

“Hold up, I need to see if you’re feeling better!” She laughed as she deftly avoided my hands. We fought for a while before she finally grabbed my wrists and pinned them back against the mattress. My embarrassment multiplied ten fold. “Now, are you gonna let me do what I gotta do, or do I have to tie ya down?” she said as she leaned down and looked me right in the face, our noses almost touching.

Somehow, the tying me up part turned me on more than it freaked me out.

“Uhh,” I looked away from her. “S-Sure. Just be careful.”

A few minutes went by as she applied pressure on several spots on my shoulders and chest to see if I was still in any pain. Or so she told me. For all I knew, she was doing this just to mess with me.

Finally she stopped and crossed her arms again. “Welp. I think you’re good to go. I’ma go and start up breakfast. Your clothes are in the washroom down the hall. Meet me down in the kitchen when you’re ready, ‘kay?”

“O-Okay.” I nodded. She nodded back and finally got off my stomach, strutting over to the bedroom door. From what I remember, she put more emphasis on her hips as she walked.

This girl, was an absolute tease. I knew for a fact she was taking an advantage of what I said. She knew what I meant. I could tell she knew that I liked her. Quite a bit.

And now I was paying for it. But, whether she felt the same, was a mystery. Applejack was always a bit of a teaser. During school she would sometimes play little practical jokes on me.

What she did there, was plain cruel. I could handle jabs on the shoulder, or her telling me there was a bug on my shoulder, or hell, even some elaborate prank would’ve been okay.

But that… ho boy. THAT. Was not, nice. At all.

I would get her back somehow. When the time came.

That would come later though, as I got up from the bed, now fully awake from the little fiasco.

Eventually I got all my clothes on. I threw Mac’s pajamas into a hamper in the washroom and got my jeans and t-shirt back on. My boxers were clean as well, thankfully. I went back to the bedroom and picked up my sneakers, trudging my way back downstairs to the kitchen where I could smell the scent of fried eggs being made.

My stomach rumbled madly.

Sneakers in hand, I walked over to the sofa and sat down, putting on my shoes and lacing them up.

“Hey, sugarcube.” Applejack stood in the entryway of the kitchen, spatula in hand as she leaned on the corner of the wall. This time she was clad in one of her signature red plaid shirts with a black t-shirt underneath this time. Her feet were bare of her usual boots. Her hair was already tied up into a ponytail, which hung off her shoulder as it always does. “You feeling good for today?”

“I feel a little more refreshed than last night, yeah.” I chuckled as I finished lacing up my shoe. I arose from the couch and stretched before I walked past her into the kitchen, where I sat down at the table to await breakfast. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Eggs, toast, bacon, and orange juice,” she replied, going back to the stove where the food was cooking. “That sound good?”

If the smell was anything to off of, then hell yes it was good. “Yeah, sounds great.”

She served us up some food, which we both ate pretty quickly. I forked all my eggs and shoved them into my mouth and munched on the toast. Table manners were all but forgotten.

Eventually we both finished around five-fifteen so we were making good time.

I walked back into the living room to check on my shoes to make sure they weren’t damaged. Upon inspecting them, the soles of the shoes were quite worn and the bottoms were torn up to hell. There was even a hole forming on the side where my pinky toe goes.

“Agh, AJ,” I muttered and she walked over to me, hands on her hips with a curious expression adorning her face. “My shoes. They’re all torn up from yesterday. I dunno if I can use them without giving myself some bad blisters.”

“Darn, well, hold on a sec.” She pursed her lips and looked up at the ceiling in thought. “I got it.” Snapping her fingers, she turned around towards the hallway behind her and walked over to a closet, where she shuffled through its contents. “Aha! I got em!”

She returned to me with a pair of black work boots that looked incredibly sturdy.

“Here ya go, try ‘em on!” I took the heavy boots from her and took off my worn sneakers, tossing them off to the side. The boots were lace up ones so hopefully they would fit well. I slipped on both of them and they seemed to fit my feet good, if only slightly loose. After I laced them up, they fit like a glove. “Well, how do they fit?”

“Wow, they fit pretty good.” Rising up from the couch, I walked around with the clunky boots, my feet thudding loudly against the rugged wooden floor. “Thanks a lot, AJ. Whose boots are these?”

“Oh they were Granny’s before she stopped working in the field for good.” she laughed, waving her hand slightly.

Oh, great. I was wearing old lady boots.

“Oh. Well, uh,” I scratched the back of my neck. “Tell her I said thanks when you see her again.”

“Will do, sugarcube.” she nodded happily. “Oh! I forgot about one thing!”

“What?”

“Do me a favor,” she began before walking back to the hallway again. “Close your eyes right quick!”

“Uh, why?” I asked, utterly confused.

“Just do it will ya?” she demanded, her voice echoing from the hall. “And don’t you dare peek! It’s a surprise!”

“Alright, I guess.” I shrugged my shoulders and closed my eyes tight. My heart raced from the sheer curiousity as I wondered just what the hell she was planning. Of course, my perverted eighteen-year-old mind came up with several scenarios that I dare not speaketh of.

The sound of her boots impacting the floor reached my ears. I felt her footsteps through the floorboards get closer and closer; my heart raced evermore quickly. The suspense was killing me. I really wanted to snap my eyes open, but I didn’t want to upset her. Ever.

Finally, the moment came.

“Alright, now hold out your hands.”

I did what she said and held out my hands with open palms.

“Turn ‘em over.”

I flipped my hands palm-up and waited for what she was possibly about to give me.

And then, she placed what felt like an unwrapped box in my hands.

“Alright, go on and open ‘em up.”

My eyes popped open and there she was standing no less than inches away from me, grinning from ear to ear, her bright green eyes twinkling in the light of the fireplace. Looking down, there was a brown box with the flaps open, but they obscured the view of its contents.

I looked up at her. “What is it?” I asked.

“Don’t stand there and ask, ya dummy.” She chuckled, shoving me lightly. “Open it up!”

“Okie dokie.” I shrugged and sat down on the sofa, the box in my lap. I carefully pulled back the flaps of the box to see what was inside…

Inside… there was a… a hat. A black Stetson cowboy hat.

“Applejack....” I asked warily. “What is this?”

“I dunno, what’s it look like to you?”

“A hat.”

“Well it’s sure as hay a hat!” She laughed.

“Whose is it?”

“Why, I dunno, Mav,” she drawled sarcastically, but also with a hint of sincerity. “I think it’s yours.”

“Mine?” I blinked owlishly at her. “What do you mean? You- did you get this for me?”

“Sure, I did.” She sat down on the sofa arm next to me, a small little smile on her face. “Last night after you passed out I figured ya needed one. So I went down to a hat store owned by a cousin of mine and he gave it to me free of charge. I even got it embroidered right there, see?”

I flipped the hat over and just under the brim of the hat was my name in white cursive stitching. Something warm burned in my heart. Like, that feeling you get when you see the waiter bringing your food. It was a lovely feeling. Almost as if, my heart suddenly took off on a runway. What was this feeling?

“Wow.” I grabbed the hat and felt its rough texture. “This hat looks great, AJ!”

“You gonna try it on?”

Gripping the hat, I turned it over and placed it gently on my head, pushing it down so it fit snuggly around my cranium.

Perfect fit.

“Man, it fits perfectly!” I chuckled as I continued adjusting it.

“I’m glad ya like it.” She laughed as well. “Hold on, lemme fix it for ya.” Reaching forward, she pushed back the brow of the hat until it was out of my sight and up above my forehead. “There, now ya look like a real cowboy.”

“Well thank you, little lady.” I tipped my hat as I attempted to use my southern accent.

“Easy there, roadhouse.” She rolled her eyes. “Now c’mon, sun’s about to start risin’. Wanna come sit outside to watch before we start workin’?”

“Sure thing, ma’am,” I said with a pseudo southern accent and tipped my hat again, causing her to thump the brim of my hat and bringing it down over my eyes.

“Jeez, give a man a hat and he’ll start thinkin’ he’s king of the world.” She chuckled, pulling down her hat from a rack near the door.

“Heh, only if you would be my queen.” I chuckled slyly, pulling up my hat to smirk at her.

Hah! Her face was as red as an apple.

“V-Very funny, cowpoke,” she shot back, the blush on her cheeks betraying her tone. “C’mon, let’s get outside.”

She opened the screen door that led out onto the front porch, where I followed suit and closed the door behind me, allowing the cool early morning breeze to flow over my body. This time, I felt equipped to handle whatever the day had to throw at me. My soreness from the previous work day was now all but gone.

I guess this hat she got me has some sort of magic power.

There we both stood on the wooden porch of her farmhouse. The sun was just about to peak over the trees of the orchard. I looked over at Applejack, looking content as can be as she took in the peacefulness of the late spring morning. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, oblivious to the fact that I was staring at her.

It was hopeless for me. I couldn’t help but gaze at her every chance I got and marveled at every little feature from her beautiful golden blonde hair, the cute little freckles on her cheeks, her luminous smile or those gorgeous gems she had for eyes.

“It’s beautiful ain’t it, Mav?” she said as the sun rose over the top of the trees, a rooster crowing off somewhere in the distance. I pulled down my hat and glanced over at the sun. Its bright light was soon cast over the farmhouse, and the day had fully begun. “Mav? I said, ‘ain’t it beautiful?’”

I turned back to her and nodded.

“Yes, yes it is.”

Yes, you are beautiful.

“Alright, well let’s get down to it shall we?”

“Right behind you,” I said, smirking at her. We stepped off the porch and down onto the dirt road leading to the barn.

We had a long day ahead. And we were just getting started.

The day went by smoothly. Much more smoothly than the previous one. I didn’t know why, but my body felt as though it had adapted to the situation and improved itself. Almost as if I leveled up or something. Whatever it was, I moved with vim and vigor, the likes of which I had never seen.

And neither had Applejack. More than once she commented on how fast I was moving.

We worked together as a team, picking apples and taking them back over to the barn so that they would be ready for sorting later. I counted at least thirty five trees were done before we decided to take our first break.

“Whew!” I breathed as I removed my hat, using my shirt sleeve to wipe off a good amount of sweat. “How long has it been?”

Applejack did the usual thing of lining her fingers up with the sun and measuring how much time has passed.

“Seems as though it should be close to ‘bout ten o’clock,” she said as she leaned against a tree. I figure we work for a couple more hours than head back in for lunch. I think we still got some apple pie. I also think I could make us some roast beef sandwiches or something. Don’t got enough ingredients for a whole stew.”

“Aw, really? I like that stew.”

“Maybe later tonight.” She laughed, walking over to me and placing her hand on my shoulder. “Now c’mon, let’s finish up our work.”

“Got it.” I nodded and we both continued our work.

Lunchtime soon came.

“Say uh, you want this well done or what?” Applejack asked over the sound of meat sizzling on the stove.

“Yeah, sure!” I replied, chopping up some vegetables for us to top our sandwiches with. If there was ever one thing that I knew how to do, it was how to cook. More than once I’ve had to cook my own meals and I got quite good at it too. I’ve even gone online to look up recipes and cook them up in my kitchen.

I carefully cut the lettuce into small slices, as well as the tomatoes. The knife she gave me was pretty damn sharp so I had to be careful not to cut myself.

By the time we finished preparing the food, we got down to making our sandwiches. She had pre-cooked roast beef in the fridge, but wanted to warm them up on the stove. I slathered some mayo on the wheat bread and made myself a good ol’ fashioned roast beef sandwich with lettuce and tomato.

Applejack had some non-alcoholic cider in the fridge and popped the caps off the bottles. They were just some store-bought brand known as Red Deliciousness. For most of the time we ate in silence, chewing thoughtfully on our food, stealing a few glances at each other before smiling and going back to our sandwiches.

I was about halfway through mine before she spoke up.

“So, Mav…” a chunk of lettuce hung from my mouth as I looked up at her. “You said that Note and y’all could help me study for my exams right?”

Pulling the piece of lettuce from my mouth, I quickly swallowed the chunk of food I was chewing. “Well yeah, of course. I’d do anything to help you out.”

“I know that for sure.” She giggled, leaning her chin on her palm as she stared right at me, her trademark little grin on her face. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be here would ya.”

“You’re probably right about that,” I shrugged casually. “But, I guess I have to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For giving me something else to do besides sit on my ass all day at home,”

“Heh ha ha!” She snorted, looking down at the table as she laughed for a brief moment. “Then you’re welcome. And I think I owe ya a bit of thanks too. Without your help I wouldn’t have gotten as much work done as we have together. I guess you’re not completely useless after all.”

I arched a brow as I smirked coolly at her. “Oh really? What about those times I let you cheat off me in Algebra II junior year? Or how I helped you write and edit those numerous essays in Comp IV?”

“Okay I guess you are pretty useful,” she drawled, rolling her eyes.

“That’s what I thought.” I smirked triumphantly as I crossed my arms.

“But, either way, I appreciate you comin’ here.” She reached forward and softly grasped my free hand. My hand twitched when I felt those soft, yet calloused little digits of hers curl around the back of my hand. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

I pulled back my hand slightly only to wrap my fingers around hers. Next thing I knew we were outright holding hands, smiling at each other. Though, our smiles held a little something else behind them. A certain softness that one could not really call “friendship”.

No. This was something else. Something stronger. Warmer, fuzzier even. I didn’t know what to call it at the time. I wanted to think that it was love. The way we looked at each other was just something more than the way two friends would.

Maybe, just maybe there was a chance. A chance that perhaps she felt the same way I felt about her.

“Mav?” she asked, still looking directly into my eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask ya something?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Do you li-”

Her words were cut off by the ringing of my phone. I forgot I had the damn thing in my pocket and I could only guess who was calling me.

“Urgh, hold that thought.” I groaned as I reach into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Upon reading the screen, I saw that it was indeed my mother calling me from their trip.

I walked into the living room and swiped right, and began talking to her.

“Hello?”

“Maverick? Is everything alright?”

“Yes, ma, everything’s fine. Just having a little lunch before we get back to work.”

“You’re not overworking yourself are you?”

“A little, but I’m fine.”

“Alright, just be careful okay? I don’t want you getting hurt. How’s the house?”

I actually forgot that I haven’t been home in a day. I had no idea how the house looked. Not that she needed to know that.

“Eh, it’s fine. Don’t worry I’ll make sure it doesn’t burn down.”

“Okay, good. You wanna talk to your father?” I looked back at the kitchen where I saw Applejack picking at her sandwich.

“I can’t actually. We’re about to get back to work already. I’ll be sure to call back later tonight okay?”

“Okay then, Mav. Be careful okay? I love you~!”

“Eheh, love you too, ma. Have fun on your trip.” With that I hung up and pocketed my phone, and I sat back down in front of the kitchen table. “Sorry about that. It was my mom.”

“I know, heh. How they doin’?”

“They’re doing okay, I guess,” I replied, taking a swig from my cider bottle. “What did you wanna ask by the way?”

“Ah it’s nothin’.” Goddesses, slap me in the face why don’t you. “It’s about time to get back to work. I’ma head off to the bathroom and wash up. What about you?”

“The same I guess. I’ll handle the dishes.” I stood up and grabbed both of our plates. I placed them both in the sink and turned on the water, washing off the crumbs and dumping the leftover bits of sandwich into the trashcan. I heard Applejack march off into the house and most likely to the bathroom.

The whole time I washed, I wondered just what she wanted to ask me.

What would my answer have been?

In the end, things always reveal themselves.

“Wow.”

I could not find any words to say. The amount of apples we had picked was astounding really.

“Did we really pick all these apples in just two days?”

“Pretty much,” she agreed, leaning her elbow on my shoulder. “What do ya think?”

“I think I’m tired.” I sighed, closing my eyes and letting out a deep breath. My shirt was once again covered in sweat. My hat was now officially broken in, the damn thing covered in sweat and dirt. The boots I had on were covered in dirt once again, but thank the Goddesses I didn’t have to wear my sneakers for this.

The two of us put in a massive amount of work, and a sea of apples lay in the barn, ready for sorting and packaging.

We stood in the entryway of the barn, the sun was now going down for the day and twilight was setting in. Our shadows cast over the piles and piles of apples.

“So, now that we’re finally finished,” I began, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. “And I’m not dying from heat exhaustion, what do you wanna do now?”

“Well, now that we have time, wanna do something fun?”

“What do you got in mind?”

“I got a little idea.” She smirked. “C’mon. Follow me!”

She grabbed my hand and dragged me along. We half-jogged together around the back of the barn. There she led me down a trail that ran a ways away from the barn, and out into the outer limits of the farm.

And we walked quite a distance until we finally reached a medium-sized lake. Suddenly I had an idea what we were about to do and I immediately initiated the panic mode protocols.

I had nary a fucking idea how to swim.

“So, you ready to cool down, Mav?” Applejack asked as we reached the wooden dock on the edge of the lake. “I know I am.”

“Uh, y-yeah, heh,” I agreed nervously. Oh fuck me. She wanted to go for a swim and I had no idea how to. Not only that, I didn’t bring my swim clothes. How in the hell did she wanna go swimming?

I’m not as good as Note when it comes to math, but I put two and two together and…

Skinny dipping. Did she seriously want to go skinny dipping?

I found that thrilling yet terrifying at the same time. I knew this day was going somewhere.

“So, uh, what now?” I asked as we reached the edge of the deck. “I didn’t exactly bring any swimwear.”

“It’s fine, just swim in your skivvies,” She took off her hat and stepped out of her boots, placing them off to the side. “That’s what I’m gon’ do.”

“Wha?” Before I knew it, she actually started to strip right in front of me. She started unbuttoning her plaid shirt and I could only watch. About halfway through taking off her shirt, she stopped and looked back up at me.

“So, you just gonna sit there and watch me get undressed? Or are you gonna get undressed too?” I felt my cheeks burn up as I blushed and my whole body tensed up.

“Uh, no!” I replied, looking away from her. “I just uh, um…”

“Mav it’s okay to look.” She laughed. “I don’t mind. Heck, I ain’t ashamed of nothin’. Are you?”

I felt a little ashamed. Yes. “No. Just- just a little unusual is all it is. Never really seen you quite like this before.”

“Yeah, well, it’s no big deal,” she said casually. She resumed her undressing, and next thing I knew she completely unbuttoned her shirt, exposing her abdomen and navel, revealing a white bra underneath. “So, go on. Get undressed.”

“Uh, yes, ma’am.” I didn’t know why I said ‘Yes, ma’am’, but it felt appropriate. I started with taking off my hat and unlacing my boots, placing the two articles on the ground and off to the side. Next I lifted up my shirt and placed it next to my boots and hat. Before I started working on my pants, I took another peek at Applejack and- holy sweet Goddess of Love in the heavens resting in her bedchambers.

Applejack was practically naked save for her white bra and underwear. Good Goddesses. Her body was something that other girls wish they could have. The muscle tone on her arms, legs, abs, and hell even her shoulders were clear as day. For a farm girl, she had the body of an athlete.

Either way, she was glorious.

“Enjoyin’ the show, Mav?” Her voice broke me out of my adoration of her body. “You know, nobody gets this show for free.”

“Well, I’d pay anything for a show like this,” I blurted out before I even realized what I was saying. “Uh, I mean, uh… you look, good?”

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” She giggled, placing her hand on her chin.

What she saw in me I’ll never know. I hardly ever exercised. My body was mostly thin with hardly any muscle tone. The only reason I wasn’t so pudgy was the fact that I didn’t eat so much.

“So, you gonna swim with your pants on or somethin’?”

“Uh, right, heh.” I undid my belt and slid my pants down to my ankles and kicked them off. So, there I was, as half-naked as she was. “So, now what?”

“Gee I dunno, Mav,” she drawled, placing a hand on her hip. “I think now that we have our clothes off, maybe we should play some checkers.”

“Okay, sarcastic,” I deadpanned as we both walked to the edge of the dock in our pseudo birthday suits. “So, we uh, gonna jump in?”

“You first, pardner.”

“No no, I believe in ladies first.”

“Hey, Mav.”

“What?”

“Look over there.” she pointed behind me.

A classic trick. One that I fell for.

“Where?”

“There.” I felt her push me from behind and I fell head first into the cold depths of the lake.

Again, why did she feel the need to do that.

I heard the faint sound of laughing as I struggled with all my might to stay above water, my arms and legs flailing wildly against the resistance of the water. No matter how hard I fought, my body sank deeper and deeper into the water. Next thing I knew I was underwater, deaf to the world as I held what little breath I had in my lungs and fought my way to the surface.

A losing battle. My lungs burned as my breath finally ran out and I opened my mouth while submerged in an effort to get oxygen into my chest. The water was murky as hell, so I couldn’t see anything and my eyes burned.

I thought I was going to drown cause of a harmless practical joke Applejack pulled. She didn’t know any better since I failed to tell her I couldn’t swim for shit. Maybe she and I weren’t meant to be. Maybe she was supposed to go off and marry some tough guy from the football team. I guess this was the Goddesses’ way of telling me ‘nice try’.

Before I passed out from lack of oxygen, I felt a pair of hands wrap around my chest and pull me up up to the surface of the lake. Boy this day has been a doozy. The moment I opened my eyes again, I saw two emerald eyes staring back at me only inches away.

I regained coherence of the world and discovered that Applejack had pulled me away from Death’s door. She held me pretty tightly under my armpits and close to her own body. Underwater I felt her legs kicking to keep the two of us afloat.

“Mav! You okay? Ugh, you scared the living shit outta me!” she yelled in my face. “Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t know how to swim?! I woulda helped you!”

First I coughed all the water that was in my lungs before I spoke. “I… I didn’t want to look weak?”

“You idjit, do you know you coulda drowned?!” she asked, her face contorted into a concerned, yet angry expression. “Mav, you don’t gotta impress me. If you didn’t know how to swim you shoulda said somethin’!”

“I’m sorry, AJ,” I muttered, looking away from her embarrassed to all hell. “I just… I don’t know what to say.”

“Mmm, well thank the Goddesses you’re light as a feather.” She chuckled half-heartedly. “Otherwise I don’t think I’d be able to hold you up like this. By the way, first lesson in swimming: Kick the hell outta your legs if you’re in deep water like this.”

“Heh, right.” My hands found their way around her waist as I held on for dear life. Even underwater her skin felt smooth and soft. “Thanks for saving me by the way. I thought I was a goner.”

“Not on my watch, you ain’t gettin’ off that easy.”

There we floated in the water for a little while. Just holding onto the other, not wanting to let go for a second. Her grip on me tightened, her fingernails digging into my skin. Almost automatically, my hands wrapped themselves tighter around her toned lower back. So badly did I want to simply touch her and feel her rippled skin under my fingers. I fought back the urge to run my hands up and down her body.

My heart was racing as I stared into her eyes. My head was slowly inching forward. I could feel her breathing on my lips. I glanced down at her lips, those luscious lips of hers. How they would feel on mine was something I wanted to find out.

“Hey, Mav,” she half-whispered to me. “You doin’ okay?”

“Yeah,” I whispered back. “But, I feel weird.”

“How so?”

I leaned closer to her, pressing my body tightly against hers.

“Like… there’s butterflies in my stomach.”

“You too?”

“You feel it too?”

“Yeah. I do.”

Time slowed down. We floated aimlessly in the calm, cool water of the lake. I felt weightless. My heart was beating a mile a minute and my stomach was doing cartwheels. What was this feeling?

“Mav?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember when I was gonna ask you something?”

“Uh huh?” Our faces were mere centimeters apart, our noses almost touching.

“Well, mind if I ask it again?”

“Go right ahead, AJ.”

This feeling. My body felt so warm in the cold water. I could only describe as passion? Lust? No, not lust. It was something more than that.

“Do you like… no, I mean to say…”

Her words echoed in my head as she uttered the next phrase.

“Do you love me?”

I couldn’t speak. I was far too mesmerized by her already. Therefore, I did the one thing that I felt was necessary to do.

Without uttering a single syllable, I quickly closed the distance between us and pressed my lips against hers. She gasped as I pulled her even closer, my eyes shut tight. Her arms clenched around my chest and I felt her lean into the kiss, a satisfied moan echoing from her.

So she wanted this as bad as I did.

I get it now.

This feeling.

Love. That’s what this feeling is.

Our first long-awaited embrace lasted for quite a while. Our bodies floated in the lake, neither of us willing to let go of the other. I felt like this was how things were supposed to end up. All those years we’ve known each other, every moment I’ve spent with her, every laugh we’ve shared all led up to this.

I knew right then and there, exactly how she felt about me. She didn’t need to tell me, I could already feel it. Not to mention, her lips are so soft and sweet. I had very little knowledge on how to actually kiss correctly, but she seemed to be doing most of the work.

She moaned silently as our lips glided over each other. I pulled back only for a moment, before I moved down to her neck and began kissing and pecking at it. To be honest, I was only doing what felt natural and right. And sweet Goddesses did this feel right.

Her moaning increased in volume as I buried my face into her neck, the smell of apple-scented shampoo filled my nostrils, increasing my desire for her. Her wet, golden hair tickled my face as I began using my teeth to softly bite down on her supple flesh.

I felt her hand cradle the back of my head and she pulled me in for yet another kiss, this time, however, she stepped up her game. Her tongue pressed tenderly against my lips, asking kindly for entry, but she didn’t need to ask. Parting my lips slightly, her wet muscle slid its way into my mouth, and began poking at my own tongue.

At first, I was a bit nervous and didn’t know what to do. I fought back gingerly, trying my best to keep up with her, our embrace deepening with every movement we made. My hands made their way slowly down the small of her back, and I could feel every line of muscle tone along her spine. Finally, they reached her hips, and I grew courageous.

They slipped down past her waistline and grabbed onto her taut rear. I squeezed gently, her round, tight ass giving slightly. I heard her gasp as we tongue-wrestled, wrapping her other arm around my neck. How she could do this and keep us afloat I’ll never know. She pulled back from the kiss for a moment, only to bite down hard on my bottom lip.

I groaned loudly, opening my eyes halfway to see her eyes full of desire, staring back at me. Behind those emerald gems, there was the fire of passion and love. Sucking on my bottom lip, I felt her kicking increase and the two of us drifted off from below the edge of the deck off to the shore of the lake.

I closed my eyes again, I pulled away from her grip on my bottom lip and resumed my assault on her lips. This time, I used my own tongue and snaked it into her mouth, feeling it clash with hers was a feeling unimaginable.

The fire burning in my chest grew to an inferno as my want- no, need for her grew. And I sought to convey that feeling, as did she. Before long, I felt my feet slide against the dirt of the shore, and then my back soon landed ashore, with Applejack on top of me.

How she kicked us all the way over here, while kissing the hell out of me is unknown to this day.

She straddled my legs and sat atop my stomach, her arms wrapped around my neck as we kissed. My own hands held onto her hips, slowly running up and down her now damp body. Her braid had come undone from the water and it flowed over my face, its sweet scent making my mouth water.

Minutes went by before we pulled back, only to gaze into each other’s eyes.

I only had one thing to say.

“Yes.”

A grin cracked on her lips, as she laughed and hugged me for all I was worth. I hugged her back as well, holding her tightly. I couldn’t help but smile too, a lump formed in my throat.

This moment, for the both us, held more meaning than you could ever know.

We were two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl, until we found each other at last. I know it sounds cheesy, but I felt a strong urge to cry. The love I felt for her was strong. What I thought was simple admiration, turned out to be so much more.

And I think she felt the same way at that moment.

After we cuddled on the soft, wet dirt of the lake shore for a few minutes, with her lying on top of me as if I was a pillow, Applejack sat up on top of me. A very different look on her face. A look that almost scared me, if I wasn’t so turned on.

She bore an intense look, her eyes half-lidded and brow furrowed, a sly almost predatory smirk appeared on her lips. But behind that, there was a sliver of desperation in her eyes.

A want. A need.

She wanted me. She needed me.

“Mav,” she whispered.

“Yes, beautiful?”

“I’m real sorry, but I want you really bad. Right now.”

“I’m all yours.”

Her smirk turned into a grin as we resumed our heated makeout session. It wasn’t long before I felt her begin to grind her ass on my crotch. My arousal hit the roof. My wet boxers immediately became too tight for me to wear. I wanted them off.

“Mmm,” She moaned into my mouth before pulling back. “Hold on a minute, lemme get these off.”

I couldn’t get a word out before she got off my lap and sat back on the sand.

Oh, fuck me.

She slid her fingers under the waistband of her white bikini briefs, lifted her hips up off the ground, and promptly slid them down past her knees and kicked them off her feet.

Holy fuck. What.

“I’m sorry, Mav,” she muttered, before kneeling down in between my legs. “But, I don’t quite got any time or patience right now for teasin’.”

“Fine by me.”

So there she was now a third of the way naked. And yes I stared. Oh fucking hell did I stare.

Next thing I knew, she was pulling down my boxers until they were well past my knees. My ass was getting covered in wet dirt from the shore. I didn’t care though.

She didn’t really say what she was going to do. Her actions spoke loud enough. With her hand she started to stroke me, softly at first just to get me going. Goddesses it felt good. Amazing even.

This was something I had never experienced before. I had never been with a girl prior to this, so the feeling was foreign, but good nonetheless. Faster she stroked, and I felt myself stiffen even more, all the while she looked into my eyes with that sly, naughty grin.

“That feel good, Mav?”

“Oh yeah.” I groaned, my fingers digging into the sand. My head was thrown back in ecstasy as I stared up at the sky. I wondered, was this what heaven felt like? Without any warning, I felt my member become encased in something warm and wet.

Was she…?

Yes in fact she was. Hello.

Applejack was practically swallowing my length like a madwoman. I quite literally hardened to my full length almost instantaneously. Man, this was something else. She then started bobbing her head up and down my length, from the tip to about halfway into her mouth. In the middle of a stroke, she went all the way down until my tip was already touching the back of her throat, and I heard her gag slightly before pulling herself off with a loud *schluck*.

She then looked back up at me, stroking me with one hand. “You’ll pay me back for this right?”

I didn’t need much of an excuse to go down on her and eat her out like an apple pie.

“S-sure thing.”

“Good, so,” she straddled me once again. “Ready for the next part?” Her ministrations on my now hard length did quite a number. Already I could feel a tingling sensation in my lower stomach which pretty much signaled I was nearing my limit. Thankfully, she didn’t suck me off enough to cause any type of explosions.

I only nodded. She grabbed my length and placed it flat against my stomach, where she started grinding her sweet-looking mound up and down my cock.

“Gah! Augh!” I groaned, grabbing onto her thighs. “Fuck…”

“Mmm, you like that, don’t ya?” She giggled.

“Yeah.”

“You wanna fuck me pretty bad, right?”

“Yes.”

“You really want to?”

“Fuck. Yes.”

“Tell me how bad you want me,” she ordered with a demanding tone, but I could see the mischievous look in her eye as she stared down at me. Here she goes again. Messing with me like always.

“I thought you were the one who wanted me. Right now,” I imitated her tone from before we began.

“I know, but that don’t mean you ain’t gonna work for it.” She grabbed my wrists and pinned them back over my head. “Now, c’mon. Tell me.”

“I want you. Really bad.”

“What do you wanna do to me?”

“I really want to fuck you.” I grunted, grinding my hips under hers.

“Mmm, that’s exactly what I thought, sugarcube.” She leaned forward and licked my lips ever so gently, but she got away quickly before I could counter her tongue with mine. “Let’s see what we can do about that.”

Lifting her hips up, she grabbed my cock and straightened it out, lining it up. After acquiring the right angle, she lowered herself down ever so slowly.

“Mmph. Aah!” She moaned as I filled her out with my own masculinity. “Oh, Mav. You’re a pretty big one. Ya know that?”

“Ahhh…” I groaned loudly, throwing my head back. Applejack placed her hands on my chest as I bottomed-out inside her. My length going as far in as she would allow. This was another feeling altogether. I could feel everything. Every little twitch, every movement, every tug and pull.

It was as if she herself was pulling me in. Her love canal squeezed as she began grinding back and forth on me. My cock slid in and out only slightly since she didn’t quite lift her hips. She had a vice grip on me. She was in complete control. She was practically dominating me the way she pinned me down on the sand.

And I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

“Ah! Ah! Oh, Mav!” she moaned out.

“Applejack.” I growled as I grabbed her by the neck and pulled her in for an intense kiss, all the while she never ceased her feverish grinding. Our tongues engaged in a furious battle for dominance. Now that I had a modicum of knowledge of what I was doing, I fought back more vigorously. I used my hand to slip one of her bra straps, and she merely pulled off both straps, pulling down both cups until her luscious breasts were finally exposed.

I then began to kiss, nibble, and suck on them like there was no tomorrow.

“Mmm!” she yelled, causing me to look up at her. “Oh my! I’m gettin’ there.”

“Me too,” I grunted back. This time I decided to put in some effort of my own and began thrusting my hips upwards. The force from my thrusting caused her to begin bouncing upwards, and a loud smacking noise from our impacting hips echoed around us.

“Oh! Oh Mav! More! Harder!” My hips began burning from the amount of effort I was putting into it. My body was still fatigued from the day of work. Nevertheless, this girl wanted me to fuck her.

And by the Goddesses, fuck her I would.

I sat up from the ground until we were face to face. I wrapped my arms around the small of her back and held on tight. From there, I began hammering my hips against hers, burying my face in her neck.

That familiar burning sensation became stronger with each thrust. My end was near, but I didn’t know about hers.

“Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!” She moaned with every single stroke. Our pace was slow and steady, but deliberate. I really wanted her to get a good finish too. “Oh, Mav! Get on top of me!”

She twisted our bodies around until she was lying on her back, her legs hooked around the back of my knees. I did only what my instincts were telling me to: thrust hard.

I held onto her legs and began thrusting my hips in and out. My cock slid seamlessly along the inside of her tunnel, her walls constricting tightly with each rep.

By the time I knew what was happening, it was getting near that time.

“Gah! Fuck I’m gonna cum!” I groaned, pausing to catch my breath.

“Go ahead, Mav,” she urged. “Do it. I’ve been taking my pills. Don’t be scared.”

I trusted her with all my heart. So, I took a leap of faith. Whether I ended up a father from this or not, if there was anyone I’d want babies with, it’d be with her.

“Okay.” I nodded, sweat pouring down my face as we resumed our lovemaking.

“Oh, Mav~!” She took a deep breath before her back arched as she reached around my back and held on, her nails digging into my shoulders. Her inner walls convulsed madly as I reached my own end as well.

“Urgh! Gah!” I gave one final, powerful thrust as I bottomed out once more, allowing the torrent of seed I had built up fill her womb.

For a while, I stayed frozen there. My cock buried deep inside her vagina, the two of us gasping for air. Then, I suddenly felt myself collapse atop her, where I began kissing her neck. We both began whispering soft, sweet assurances to each other.

“I love you, Applejack.”

“I know. I love you too,” she replied, hugging me tightly.

We laid there naked on the shore, and before we knew it, the sun was already going down. I wasn’t sure how long our little romp lasted, but it was the best time of my life. Something I would never forget for the rest of my life.

Before it got too dark, we decided to finally get dressed and start heading back. Now fully clothed, we got back on the trail that led to the farmhouse. We both felt it appropriate, if not necessary, to hold hands as we walked.

“I don’t know about you,” I laughed as we got close to the farmhouse. “But I am in need of a shower.”

“Would ya mind if I joined you?” she asked, with that familiar little smirk.

“Nope. Not in the slightest.”

Author's Note

Okay, so this one took me about a month to write and a few weeks to finish editing. This would've gone up sooner, but my internet would not cooperate. I really do apologize for putting this up so late. I'm sure a lot of you were waiting for the second part. Don't worry though, I'm very sure you'll enjoy this one. Let me know if y'all want to see more of this story. I had an epilogue in mind, but I wasn't too sure if y'all want me to put it up. So I guess let me know what y'all think in the comments. Maybe I'll change my mind about it.

As for everything else, I'll upload a blog post about my future plans regarding my other stories.

Hugs and kisses to my editors for giving this their seal of approval, make sure you go check them out, guys.

Thanks once again,
Jay