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mythicalrobyn118 · 1 year ago

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I Can Fix That

This little fic is for my @mythicalsecretsanta @link-sans-specs ❤️ I so hope you enjoy it! Merry Christmas

Summary: Rhett is smitten with the new man who works in the town library and offers his help to fix a few things.

Author Notes: I've had this idea sitting in the back of my mind for a while now and I'm glad I finally got around to writing it. It's based off Sam and Kate's relationship in Holes... it literally lives rent free in my head.

“I can fix that.” Rhett hears himself say to the stranger that's currently on the floor of the town library.

The man looks up from where he's crouched down next to a book cart and Rhett is sure he's never seen eyes that shade of blue before. He's still staring in awe when he realizes that the man is speaking to him.

“Sorry,” Rhett shakes his head to clear it of any inappropriate thoughts. “What was that?”

“Could you really fix it?” the man stands up, smoothing down the front of his trousers.

“Y - yeah,” Rhett clears his throat to try and regain control of his voice. “I have some tools in my bag outside. Wouldn't take long at all.”

“That - that would be great. Thank you.”

Rhett drops the books he was carrying on the table and quickly walks outside to retrieve his things.

He's back quickly and sets to work on the broken wheel.

“I, uh, I'm Lincoln, by the way.” The man says as he keeps a close eye on Rhett working.

“Rhett,” he introduces himself, reaching a hand up to shake the other man's. He sees the dirt smeared all over it and quickly withdraws it as Lincoln is reaching out. “Sorry, my hands are always dirty these days.” He chuckles a little and goes back to fixing the wheel, changing the subject. “So, are you the one replacing Ms. Cartwright?”

“Yes - yeah. That's me.” Rhett swears he hears the smile in his voice even though he can't currently see his face.

“Well, welcome to town. We're glad to have you.” Rhett says, perhaps a little too eager.

“Thank you. Do you come to the library often?”

“I do. Usually try to hit it up when I come into town… ‘bout every other week to get supplies for the farm.”

“Good to know. Did you like Ms. Cartwright?”

“Of course, when she wasn't getting on to me ‘bout keeping the books for too long or bringing them back dirty.” That makes Lincoln laugh and Rhett's pretty sure he would do anything to hear that sound over and over again.

“So, you have your own farm?”

Rhett let's out a dry chuckle, “My father does - I just work it.”

Lincoln follows Rhett with a little laugh of his own, almost as if he understands - maybe even also has a strained relationship with his own father.

“I didn't used to come by at all,” Rhett starts, needing to fill the short bout of silence for his own comfort; because if he starts thinking about things the two of them may have in common, the chances it could grow into a friendship… Rhett has to concentrate to ease the blush he knows is creeping up his neck right about now. “My neighbor, Ms. Ruby, she can't make the journey to town anymore. I help her out when I can and she loves to read. So, I figured I may as well get myself something when I come.”

Rhett tightens the last bolt on the wheel and gives it a spin for good measure. After it makes the circle, Rhett nods his head at his handiwork and claps his hands together. “I think that should hold it together just fine.”

“Oh, goodness. Thank you so much!” Lincoln says, grabbing the handle and giving it a push himself. When it rolls fine he turns his attention back to Rhett. “That's very nice of you - to do that for your neighbor, I mean.”

“Well, after she lost Ed - I like to keep a close eye on her; just to make sure she's taken care o –”

They’re interrupted by the ring of the bell that sits over the door. Both of their attention drawn to the group of ladies entering the library.

“Well, I'll be! If it ain't Rhett McLaughlin. What on Earth are you doing at the library?” Their leader, Savannah, called out.

Rhett held back the eye roll, as this wasn't the first time she's tried to gain his attention. “I was just fixing the cart wheel for Mr. —” Rhett looked back to the other man, not knowing him beyond ‘Lincoln’.

“Neal. Lincoln Neal.”

Rhett nodded, giving Link a small smile and turning to pack away his tools. “Since that's done - I guess I'll be taking my books and bein’ on my way.”

Not that he didn't want to stay and talk to Mr. Lincoln Neal, he very much did. But, he knew Savannah would think he was staying for her and he's positive he couldn't handle any more of her undivided attention.

“Oh, okay. Can I get these checked out for you?” Lincoln grabbed the stack Rhett had discarded earlier to grab his tools.

“Yes, please.” Rhett followed him to the desk toward the front of the library, leaving the gaggle of girls to themselves. “Thank you, Mr. Neal.”

“You can call me Link.” He said, almost shyly and Rhett thinks he sees his cheeks tint a pretty rose color.

Rhett grabbed the books that Link held out to him. “Well, Link, you have a good afternoon.”

—

Link has kept an embarrassingly close eye out for the tall farmer during the last week. Rhett had said that he only made it to town every other week but he couldn't stop himself from watching outside for the handsome man that stood a head taller than everyone else.

Link knows better than to do this - latch on to some stranger that he doesn't even know and make it out to be something more than it is. But, Rhett just seems like such a genuine man and Link couldn't help but think that maybe they could be friends.

His short time in the new town has been anything but easy. Moving to some place where he didn't know a single person was supposed to be freeing. Turns out - it's also very stressful.

Link is walking across the street when he hears that laugh; he almost pulls a muscle in his neck trying to find the location of it. His eyes finally settle on the messy blonde hair and freckled skin coming out of the post office.

He knows he's probably being way too eager, maybe even a little creepy - but he makes a bee line for him but hoping, somehow, he can manage a greeting that's casual.

“Rhett!” He says, hardly able to hear the squeak in his own voice. “How are you today? I wasn't sure when I would be seeing you again.”

Rhett turns quickly at the sound of his name and Link is not disappointed when his face splits into a grin. “Well, hi there, Link! I can't complain - ‘specially since running into you.”

Link feels the blush instantly, knowing Rhett will be able to see it too but hoping he won't call attention to it. “W - will you be stopping by the library today?”

“I did plan on it.” Rhett says with a sly smile. “I hope that's okay.”

“Yes, yes, of course. I was actually going to see if I could bother you to fix a shelf that's come off the wall.” Before Link can offer to pay him for his services, Rhett is agreeing, maybe Rhett is a little eager too. That thought makes his stomach feel all fuzzy.

“Absolutley, you could!” Link isn't sure how it's possible but his smile gets bigger. “I have a couple of more stops to make and I'll head over that way.”

Link nods his head, unable to stop the huge smile gracing his own face. “That sounds perfect. Thank you.”

—

Rhett was practically giddy the rest of the morning, going through all his usual stops but with a bit more pep in his step. Now, he is finally walking up the old wooden steps and opening the familiar door.

He doesn't hear or see anyone so he speaks up in the silent space, “Link? Are you in here?”

He hears some fumbling coming from the back room and then a voice sounding out too. “I'm here. Be right out.” Rhett follows the noise and Link emerges from the small door. “Thank you so much again for helping me out with this. I'm just all thumbs when it comes to this kind of work.”

“It's really no trouble.” Rhett insists, waving his hand. “What exactly needs fixing?”

“Oh, it's right over here.” Link gestures with his hand and Rhett follows him around a shelf to the back wall. “The shelf just kind of buckled when I started putting books back on it.”

Rhett immediately starts to work, taking a closer look at the shelf. After a moment, Link asks, “Do you think you can fix it?”

“Oh, yeah. I can fix that.” Rhett says, maybe a little more sure of himself than he needs to be. “Looks like I can put a couple of nails in and it will be good as new, the wood's not rotten or anything.”

“That's great. I'd be more than happy to pay you for all the trouble –”

“Nonsense,” Rhett cuts him off before he can finish the sentence. “I’m glad I could be of help.”

Rhett sets to work, taking the old nails out, Link's attention is pulled away from Rhett when he hears the door open, he turns back to him with an apologetic look, “Sorry, let me go and tend to them. Will you be okay for a moment?”

“Absolutely. Go ahead.”

Rhett zones out for a bit, doing what he needs to do to get the shelf ready to be installed while Link is tending to the other patrons. He hits a stopping point, needing an extra set of hands to finish it up.

He dusts his hands off and makes his way down to the end of the aisle. Link is squatting down talking with a child, little William, Mrs. Doris’ grandson.

“Well, I’ll tell you what, you can keep that book for an extra week but when you bring it back, we can read it together, cause I want to know what happens, okay?”

The little boy giggles and gives Link a hug, which seems to take him by surprise but he soon leans into it and wraps his own arms around the boy. Rhett chuckles to himself at the scene and gets back to work.

He hears the bell above the door ring once again and Link's footsteps coming back toward him.

“Sorry about that.” Link starts, but Rhett is already waving him off.

“No problem at all.” Rhett says, holding up the shelf, “I could use your help for a moment.”

“Oh, okay.” Link says eagerly, stepping toward Rhett. “What can I do?”

“I just need another set of hands to hold the shelf up so I can hammer it in.”

“Oh, okay.” Link stands close to Rhett with his hands out. “Just tell me what to do.”

Rhett holds the board out, instructing Link on how to hold it properly and Rhett goes to nail it into the wall.

The both of them are pressed close together, Rhett hammering the nails while Link is trying to keep the shelf in the same spot that Rhett instructed. They are so close, breathing the same air, Rhett inhaling the scent of cloves and freshly baked bread. Rhett tries to concentrate on the task at hand but he’s getting very close to losing his cool.

He finally manages to get finished but can't seem to pull himself away from the other man.

“I, uh,” Rhett starts. “I think that should do it.”

Link isn’t backing away either, he just keeps his impossibly blue eyes locked on Rhett’s. “Y – yeah, I think so.”

They are both startled apart by the ring of the bell and Rhett springs away from Link quickly, not knowing what exactly he was thinking, letting himself get caught up in the moment.

He clears his throat, putting even more distance between them. “Uh, you better… see who that is.” Rhett moves out of the way, extending his arm to let Link pass. Link hesitates but eventually bows his head and goes toward the entrance.

Once he is out of sight and greeting the patrons that just came in, Rhett hurries and packs his things into his small toolbox.

He doesn’t think much after Link is no longer standing there, he only gets his things and heads out the door. He sure he hears Link call his name but he can't be bothered to stop.

—

A couple of hours later, Link is finally closing up shop on the library. He's trying to balance the large basket of food that Mrs. Sutton dropped off to welcome him to town. He's going to have to push his bike home since he can't carry everything and steer. He isn't looking forward to the drive; it will give him plenty of time to think about what happened today.

He can't get the way Rhett looked at him out of his mind. No wonder the man practically ran away from him. They were incredibly close and Link was having a hard time keeping his breathing under control. Rhett's eyes seemed to be staring right into his soul and his cheeks were the prettiest shade of pink.

He's usually really good at keeping that side of himself hidden, now he's afraid he's messed up and may have to move towns again just to be safe. He couldn't believe he was so stupid.

He hears horse hooves coming up behind him and is surprised when someone calls out his name.

“Link,” he hears again and turns around to be greeted with Rhett galloping up on a large horse.

Link flinches back, not knowing exactly what the other man has planned but he has a hard time believing Rhett would hurt him.

He's off the horse and walking up to Link slowly. A sad smile gracing his face. “Link, I'm glad I caught you.”

“Rhett,” Link stumbles over his words. “W-what are you doing here?”

“Listen,”Rhett gets closer, crowding into Link's space. “I'm sorry about earlier. I - I shouldn't have just ran out on you. I just –” he trails off, his eyes glued to the ground like the words he is searching for are written in the dirt below their feet.

Link understands without Rhett needing to say more. He says as much and Rhett nods, his smile still faltering but at least it's reaching his eyes.

“Are you headed home?” He asks, changing the subject.

“Umm, yeah. Just got the library locked up for the night.”

“Would you… like some company?” Rhett asks almost shyly, reaching up with a big hand and rubbing the back of his neck.

Link can't hide the shock on his face but agrees despite the swarm of butterflies he feels in his gut, or maybe it's because of them. “That would be nice.”

“Can I hold something for you?” Rhett asks as he takes the reins of his horse.

Link gives over the basket of food so he can free up his hands to push his bike. They are walking close, Link is afraid Rhett can hear the thump of his heart. “Who's this?” He asks when he can't stand the silence between them anymore.

“Oh, this is Barbara.” He says, reaching up and giving her a rub on the nose. “I've had her since I was young, we basically grew up together on the farm.”

“That's sweet.” He smiles, watching the fond smile spread across Rhett's face as he looks at the horse.

They talk the whole way to Link's small cottage just outside of town. The conversation flows easily and before Link knows it, they are at his porch and the sky has turned a beautiful pink color as the sun sets.

It seems they are both reluctant to end their time together, so Link conjures up all the courage he can muster and asks, “Um, Mrs. Sutton gave me this enormous basket of food and there's no way I could possibly eat all of it. Would you want to come inside? I don't have anyone to share it with.”

Rhett hasn't stopped smiling since Link started talking, which Link can only assume is a good thing. He tries not to jump for joy when Rhett says with a sly smile, “Yeah – I can fix that.”

#rhett and link #link neal #rhett mclaughlin #rhink fic #rhink #mythical secret santa 2023

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3rddimension · 2 years ago

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Wow just like Ian's episode, today's Anthony episode of the Smoshcast is the best. I love hearing about Smosh history and bts stuff.

-Shayne's story about how Anthony said goodbye to him the last shoot day he had before leaving already make me emo, but Anthony revealing that he had specifically chased him to the parking lot to say goodbye BROKE ME, even S was emotional finding that out. He's been remembering and telling this story one way this whole time, and now there's a whole new layer

-Hearing Shayne talk about how he feels like Anthony's exit in 2018 took the pressure off of the Pit Squad, because the higher-ups were focusing on Smosh main. And how that allowed the cast to make the most fresh pit content lead by Sarah!!! How they became bonded and their friendship truly shined and that's what the dna of Smosh always had been since Ian and Anthony. I've always felt that way about that era of Smosh Pit but it's so special to hear it coming from him, and to realize that the cast (and C and S alone) probably have reflective convos about the past in this detailed manner

-Fascinating to hear S say that the recent half scripted half non-scripted Smosh Main content felt at some point like Smosh Pit second channel to them. I never thought of it that way but he's so right. Shows like funeral roasts, exes interviews and reading Dms/dating profiles do have Pit dna. Like the improve in a contained setup feels very Smosh Pit theatre. That used to be the channel youd go to see the cast's personalities and different brands of comedy interact through improve and fun. Smosh Main was always scripted/sketch. He's basically re-enforcing the idea that they were unsure what direction to go with after EBE, and they sort of leaned towards Pit type content because that was their star child and best performing channel which is insane and makes me happy. Now all is as it should be with Smosh Main being scripted sketch and any improv shows or vids should be on Pit. With Games being all types of games

-i love Shayne reminding people that it was truly Ian who saved Smosh, Rhett and Link stepped in and provided a second chance to the channel. But Ian was the one carrying Smosh through it so he should get the credit. Absolutely king dad 👑 also all the observations about Ian and his leading style and his persistence and his comedy were so sweet, Ian isn't the most sentimental guy esp when talking about himself but his coworkers and friends clearly see the value and good in him, he deserves the world

-i love this trio, Anthony sounds super profound and introspective which is refreshing, Shayne is a very empathetic person and a great listener and Amanda is so charismatic and joyful. I love seeing her learn about Smosh and the folklore behind it all, she's on the podcast representing the viewer basically,fangirling and learning bts things in real time with us

-I'm so excited about Anthony revealing that 1) Ian and Anthony are gonna launch a podcast, I love them and their friendship and I'm sure at some point they're gonna be able to pull the craziest guests. And 2) he revealed that part of their business plan is to figure out how each cast member shines and give them a show/format in which they can portray that. Clearly that's what we've been seeing with ot3 (Damien swordaf, Shayne reddit and smoshcast, Courtney's new pit endeavors coming up), it's good to have confirmation that that's a priority

Damn, thanks for the writeup anon! I watched it last night too and it's such a good episode. Gonna add smosh tag on this one. Here's the video if you wanted to watch the whole thing!

youtube

#smosh

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craftablegame · 5 months ago

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This whole episode has been a delight today...

youtube

As much as I honestly do love the in-your-face feed-the-shipper episodes (honestly, my first ever GMM episode was the one this year where they tried the weird items for lovers, because that is UP my alley,) I REALLY enjoy when innuendo is flying around and I'm truly convinced that it's flying over several people's heads.

So far have really enjoyed Rhett stating that heterosexual sex is "no longer our culture" and Link smiling and agreeing back. Ok, fellas.

Also: Rhett stating that he's double creamed Link (after spending awhile making cheese and it's counter parts an analogy for orgasms) and Link being like THANKS :) *heart eyes*

It's the lack of either the obvious pandering or obvious worry/step back that's fun. A nice Sunday watch. For me, anyway.

#rhink #Youtube

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stereax · 2 years ago

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9 People You'd Like to Know Better!

@dougiejack thank you for the tag!!!

Last song: Ave Cesaria, Stromae. Stromae is probably the only French-singing (he's Belgian) artist I listen to on at least a semi-regular basis. I really need to listen to his new album. And also finally check out more than like two songs from AnnenMayKantereit. They're a German rock-type band that I really only know from the national test that my German school had us take every year. They recycled questions a lot; the AMK video was used at least three years in a row with the same questions being asked from it LMAO. It did give me the song Oft Gefragt, though. Absolute banger. I need to listen to that album (Allex Nix Konkretes). And the new ones too.

Currently watching: My long-term attention span is AWFUL. I can't watch through an entire television series anymore. Most of what the family currently watches on YouTube are Good Mythical Morning (my dad found out Rhett and Link exist like a month ago and now it's everyone's problem), some Canada's Worst Driver (though we only got halfway through Season 12, then moved to Season 14 and only got halfway through that too), and my new favorite The Proper People (urbex!!! Really love urbex, may or may not be lightly planning out an urbex AU rn hahaha). Oh, and Food Wars from Insider Eats. Always a classic. (And Dan's Kitchen Gadgets from Epicurious! Awesome series!)

Currently reading: I'm trying to read The Invisible Hook by Peter Leeson as research for the @devils-pirate-crew sideblog/fanfic/askblog thing I've started! Yes, I'm gonna mention it incessantly because I need external motivation to work on it and also if you haven't seen it yet go check it out please!!! But also, on a more serious note, the book combines economics - a longstanding interest of mine - with piracy, so I'm super excited to see how the argument for the economic foundation of piracy is developed. That makes me sound like an old man. I'm not that old, I promise. I just sound old.

Current obsession: I mean, hockey? It's really getting up there right now in terms of how I'm slowly getting sucked further and further into hockey fandom and spending a ton of time on it. Besides that, uh... I'm working on re-sorting my quarter collection? (This does not help me beat the "secretly an old man" rumors, does it?)

+9: @barclaygoodrow @captain-hischier @forsakenpotato @hischieri @kmercer @lemondropbois @nicojackl0v3r @thg02 @zaynsbehen :D (you don't have to do this at all if you already have or don't want to but, y'know, if you want?)

if I didn't tag you it's probably because either a) I know you've been tagged already or b) you intimidate me too much haha 💜

#stereax plays a tag game

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apparentlynotreallyfinnish · 2 years ago

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I have to ask about 'Make Me, Take Me, Break Me and Then We Snuggle' because that title is just awesome.

(Re: this post) hey, lovely anon! ❤️

This one was requested by @unhinged-nymph also.

That title is from ye olden days when I wasn't as boring and would name wips in silly ways. :D When I organized my writing I couldn't change it even though it's a monster.

That wip is very old, probably from 2019. Honestly, it might belong to the abandoned folder but I still haven't been able to let it go.

The premise: Link figures out Rhett has a bit of a submissive streak without him even really knowing it. Link is already familiar with domming and they enter into a platonic, non-sexual power dynamic relationship that eventually turns sexual.

Here's a little unedited snippet from the beginning (sfw):

It started small. One late evening they were in their office, still working on a project. Both of them were a bit on the edge; it had been a stressful week with unforeseen circumstances and unusual mishaps. Good Mythical Summer was getting closer and they had been filming like crazy to get the content ready in time for their vacation.

For the last hour they’d been bickering about a certain aspect of the script and Link was getting frustrated. And to top all that off, he was getting thirsty. Usually he’d just get himself a drink from the kitchen, probably ask if Rhett wanted something as well. But right now he was annoyed at Rhett and tired of his constant push backs.

“Get me a La Croix.” The words just spilled out of him – not angry, just resolute – like he knew Rhett would obey.

Rhett got up instantly and walked out of the office without saying a word. Link was startled by the sudden movement. He hadn’t actually expected Rhett to go. Link was sure Rhett would come back with a can just for himself and go on a rant about how Link doesn’t have manners. And when Rhett returned with just one can Link was sure he’d been right. He bristled. He was readying himself for the snippy exchange of words.

Link was more than surprised when Rhett just handed the drink to him and sat back down. Link stared at the can, dumbfounded. It was like a breath of fresh air. The day had been a constant struggle; every meeting an uphill battle. Asking something and just getting it… It probably shouldn’t have felt this good but it lit up something hidden in Link’s brain. He glanced at Rhett who was already absorbed in the word document on his laptop. Link waited for him to say something but Rhett stayed silent. The can opened with a hiss and Link took a deep gulp. Link instantly felt refreshed and calmer.

“Thank you, Rhett,” he said empathically. Maybe this was Rhett’s unspoken way of apologizing for the tension between them. A small smile spread across Rhett’s face and Link could have sworn his cheeks got a hint of red on them. Rhett didn’t say anything. He just nodded.

#Appa writes fic #rhink #my wips #dom!Link #sub!Rhett

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stuffandwonder · 4 months ago

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Stream of consciousness for g m e now I've watched the VoD. Honestly whilst there were a few really good moments and it is fun I never lose my mind over moments like other people on here seem to and I really need to stop paying for gme because even for the good moments I cannot tolerate drunk, rambly Link well enough even with several drinks in me lol.

Why is Link always so clueless (or disinterested?) in these pre shows?

They are fucking idiots omg (this was for the 69ing which was so ship baity lmao)

You forgot Brittany!

Okay if you are gonna jumpscare us, which I assume is what's gonna happen here, can you fucking get on with it? This is taking waaay to long

WELL THAT WAS UNDERWELMING

Rhett wrestling with Brittany lmao

I can't get over how good Rhetts werewolf costume is and he actually looks great! Links costume/make up is kinda underwhelming in contrast even tho he totally suits a vampire get up.

All this calling him good boy and talking to Rhett in a baby voice that you'd talk to a dog in is really asking for another puppy fanfic lmao

Why is Link all gushy? Is he really that drunk already?!

Lol Link getting up to sexy dance after the baby dick joke and then immediately forgetting why he was dancing. Maybe he IS that drunk already

SOMEONE GET THIS DRUNK DUMMY TO SHUT THE FUCK UP 🤣 (this is about Link in case you couldn't guess)

Actually everything that is annoying about Link gets amplified by 10 when he drinks and in my opinion is not balanced out by the funny-ness of any chaos the drunkenness creates, which is why I wish they'd do these sober. Keep the adult content and the general chaos that creates (and the Halloween theme, that's cool) just nix the alcohol so Link doesn't just keep rambling, forgetting what they're doing and talking over people worse than normal 😅

Oh no poor Rhett tripping over the gory hole board haha 😅

The oral fixation Rhett is developing with this lighthouse and the 'nipple on top' is sending me

Links over there talking about worrying about being cancelled and Rhett is humping Chases leg lmao

Brittany's head spinning around at like a 100mph was so funny 😅

CHARLES?! OH NO 😂

"Stevie, can I just take the reins for once"

Rhett: "thanks for asking for once" *absolutely loses it* I love how much that tickled Rhett

Poor Stevie desperately trying to keep things on track when Link is GONE (seriously what is he babbling about?!)

"This doesn't seem that hard baby"

"Jessie, I'm sorry" Stevie its not YOU that's needs to be apologising to Jessie rn lol. I don't know how she puts up with this from Rhett every year lol

Rhetts an absolute saint for putting up with Link when he's like this honestly, I would legitimately be braining the guy

Rhetts reeeally pressing Links head into that desk like he's fully got his fingers in his hair and everything. And Link seems like he kinda likes it 👀

I FEEL LIKE I'M AN EMBARRASMENT 🤣🤣🤣 Yeah you are boi!

Rhett: Stevie you don't always have to be the only one holding the thread. *nearly knocks drink over* lol

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harper44 · 6 months ago

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Welcome bakkk🤗

You asked for prompts.. i have one that i would love if you did anything with it, i'm sure it'll be amazing

Rhett gets jealous of link's friends when he sees link joking and having fun with them at his birthday party (btw this is inspired by one of the leatest ear biscuits, where they talked about link's birthday, and him inviting all his frind grops and letting them mingle. and just seaing that rhett felt the need to be like, will, even THEY knew that we're best friends, and that i know you more than anyone else..😌)

So he gets possessive, he's a bit drunk and so is link, so he lets rhett be "weird" and play along.. he has link backed into a corner, speaking to him in hushed tones, as if to say "it's only me and you", and he gets kinda flirty, trying to make link laugh, he dosen't want him to look anywhere else...he has never felt this way before, doesn't know where all this came from...

Yes anon! I love this! Thank you! I will let it start to stew.....

The "needing people to know that they're BEST friends" is kind of ironic because I feel that with MY best friend sometimes (without the sexually charged undertones we'll have in this fic 😂) and we've even talked about it.

Here's an old fic of mine that involves some jealousy the other way around to tide you over until I write this prompt!!

#harper writes #rhett and link fic #fanfic #rhink fic #beautiful anon #fanfic prompt

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calamityandme · 1 year ago

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I’ve had a better couple of days thank goodness.

Yesterday I had a “me” day. I played a lot of BG3. ROMANCED ASTARION! It was at the tiefling party/bonfire or whatever. It was so fun lol.

I made myself chicken and dumplings for dinner that night. Spent time with Danny. Overall a good day.

✨(I need to talk about my special interests now)✨

Today I cleaned for R. I had a slightly different list than usual. I didn’t clean parts of the upstairs bathroom because she had already cleaned them, for example. I decided to switch things up with my listening selection. While I cleaned I listened to Rhett and Link’s podcast Ear Biscuits on Spotify. I hadn’t listened to them in a while because I’ve been enjoying cleaning while listening to my library audiobooks, but I remembered that they do special sex themed episodes during the month of September called Sextember so I checked those out.

I really enjoy those episodes of Ear Biscuits. I enjoyed What Are Our Sex Lives Like? (Ep. 395).

I listened to half of EP. 394 Kinks We’ve Tried (Or Will Try) but it was also funny. I only listened to half because I had finished cleaning by then, nothing against them. I plan on finishing it sometime soon.

I want to go on a little bit of a Rhett and Link tangent lol. I have been watching Rhett and Link’s content ever since I was first given access to YouTube. I was introduced to them when I stumbled across their video Squirrel Rights Song.

youtube

I have watched Rhett and Link videos at many varying points in my life. Sometimes almost religiously watching uploads, other times forgetting about them for a year until I’m recommended an interesting Good Mythical Morning segment by the YouTube algorithm.

Their videos are just a safe place for me. I have definitely looked up to Rhett and Link as father figures in my life when my dad wasn’t there when I needed him. Rhett and Link had time for me every morning lol. That was enough to leave a good impression on me. I even wrote to them back in the day and drew something of me and my friend meeting Rhett and Link lol. I was 17 and she was 15 at the time lol. Looking back, I’m sure if I actually ended up sending them my letters/package that the drawing of the two grown men standing next to two teenage girls would probably be creepy lol. Maybe it was a good thing those letters stayed in my sentiment box.

I loved the first Good Mythical Evening. I paid for it so my friend and I could watch it together. My friend C is also a long-time fan of Rhett and Link.

I just have enjoyed their content and how it’s changed over the years. I loved the small town commercials, the rap battles, the many GMM changes and skits that have stuck with me throughout the years (Moolissa, Cotton Candy Randy✨). I have a lot of good memories with their content.

But anyways done talking about that lol.

I went to this coffee shop by my work and got myself a special coffee to celebrate going to work today. I really contemplated calling in sick today but I knew in my bones I needed to get it over with.

A few days ago I tried to get coffee from this place and I didn’t have enough money to get the coffee, so i apologized and left the drive thru coffeeless. I thought I had enough but I was $2 short. Today I asked to pay for 2 coffees and only get 1 to make up for my grievance. They were nice about it.

It felt really good to pay for the coffee I couldn’t have earlier. I got myself some lunch and dropped some things off at a donation center near me before going back home for the day.

I played more BG3 today lol. Started watching this alien movie called Arrival. It’s pretty good so far. I have just been trying to take it easy since today was my “hardest” day of the week. Hard meaning most physically exhausting I would say.

Tomorrow is engagement photos. I’m so so nervous but excited. I know I’m fat and I’ll look fat so I’m trying to brace myself. Fat doesn’t equal bad. I am fat and that’s okay. I’m beautiful because of me and everything that I am. Mantra for photos ✨ I’m excited for my mom and maybe nana to see our venue too.

I’ll end this post with some marigolds from our garden. Ignore the dirt lol.

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asherlockstudy · 2 months ago

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Thank you so much for the reply! :) When you mentioned the moment where Rhett said 'that's his new motto 'I'm not contributing'', I remembered how it sounded like when a couple are at odds about something and they can't help making jabs in public at opportune moments, and people around them are just left feeling awkward ^^; I also think you are right and you are onto something serious about Link and GMM… And I have to say that it's true, then Rhett/crew really dug their own graves on that one, because if Link wants to quit, it's not just because the show doesn't fulfill him artistically, it's also because it doesn't fulfill him emotionally, since he is always the butt of the joke, the loser, and so on. A lot of it falls on to him and his personal issues/communication, but some of it also falls on to the fact that Rhett enables it (to make himself look better by comparison) and on to the crew, because they don't have proper boundaries with them. Sometimes I bulk at the subtle yet palpable ostracization of Link during some episodes, and how he basically feels like he either has to disproportionately apologize to a grovelling degree, or double down and behaves even worse. So it's not that farfetched to think that he might want to remove himself at some point. In recent years, they've also created a lot of other channels, and ventures, so I think besides expanding their business these are also seeds they planted that could maybe one day grow to replace GMM, or to make it possible that they could at least slow down their involvement with it. But I truly believe that if Link was honestly having a good time and felt he was in an environment where people truly respected and appreciated him (which I don't really get from the crew) he'd weather the mundane and the boredom. If he expressed any thoughts of eventually dipping out, Rhett would probably be terrified, not just because of the financial implications, but because I think he is insecure without Link, despite being a bit complicit imo in painting Link as the lesser one, and egging the crew on. But even without their regular presence on GMM, they would continue to do well, given how many pies they have their fingers in, but that's not the same for Stevie, so maybe that's why she is taking it more personally, and at this point R&L are like guest stars in the main show, other people write, plan, and develop the episodes, they are just presenters, so as a producer maybe she feels extra responsible. I also agree with you that it sounds like Link wants to get on an RV and see the world, haha! I could totally picture him do that, and maybe he will do something similar after their youngest kid goes to university... Despite their fame and life in LA, I think they both lived relatively sheltered lives until they exploded on YT, not to mention that they got married and had kids very young, so they had to be responsible early on, and so I could see Link wanting to travel, meet new people, party, and just relive his youth (which is probably an expected midlife compulsion as well). Sometimes I think Link is disappointed by Rhett exactly because he used to idolize him so much, but then Rhett backed down from something pivotal (and I'm right there with you on what that was during the tandem jump era...) and it hurt Link. Rhett is also probably hurt, because Link doesn't always think things through, and doesn't understand that not everyone jumps without thinking and calculating, and he probably feels misunderstood as well. It's the case when two people love each other but ultimately want two different things, so either someone concedes but feels miserable, or he doesn't concede so they have to go on separately. I saw some scenes of this year's GME, and that moment on the couch made me think that Link in his heart of hearts hasn't given up hope, but something tells me that Rhett has decided to let the momentum of the last few years pass them and fizz out and is happy to only revisit it in fiction, like their scripted content...

100% to all of that

I am still owing that GME post... You know, when I rant I don't like GME... I mean it hehe. So I will have to push myself a little to examine some data......... more thoroughly before commenting on that part.

A tiny little moment in the latest EB caught my attention. During their irrelevant answer to a random EB question submission, Link said something like: "We have a mantra here, it's a new mantra but it's good. It's 'Don't talk about it'". You bet I found this curious, it could be the mantra smoothening their recent fights. Like, let's not talk about it because it always makes us fight, let's pretend the problem does not exist. IDK

On the other hand, about the GMM atmosphere, I got the impression (and that's over a very little number of the most recent GMM episodes) that Link seems to try to regain his place in the show. He does not try to sabotage himself that hard and Rhett and the crew both seemed more okay in the last episodes. Perhaps they got the cue from the comments that are lately siding with him and Link felt supported? Time will tell because I noticed that only in very few episodes yet.

#rhett and link #rhink #randl #link neal #mail #curiousser #mythical

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hugespace · 3 years ago

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Therapy helps rhett realize that all of those "I'm dead" UFC moves were actually just a way to fulfill his need for physical intimacy at a time in his life where he didn't feel it was acceptable to ask for it, especially from another man. Now that they're both adults and completely different people than they were in college, rhett decides it's time to explain it all to link and let him know that he actually misses that physical contact with him.

It took me a really long while, but I finally finished this one! I really loved that prompt, so thank you so much for giving it to me, lovely Anon. I was initially going to write it as a platonic/romantic friendship kinda story, but it seems I'm determined to write a hundred different first kiss + feelings realisation scenarios, I simply enjoy those way too much.

*** 2,5K ***

Let me hold you

He’s done it again.

Not so long ago, Rhett promised himself not to bring it up in front of cameras or a microphone unless he talks it out with Link, privately.

Especially not as a joke.

And he’s failed already, he scolds himself short after the Ear Biscuits episode is recorded and they’re both out of the room, heading back towards their office.

He thinks he could have just omitted it, shouldn’t have mentioned anything. It simply wasn’t necessary to mull over it again, even with the topic of the episode revolving around their college experience. It wasn’t a big deal, he said it himself, countless times. Every time they talked about it on the show.

So, every time.

There’s never been a conversation in private about that incident or anything that preluded it, never in the absence of people to entertain, never not around at least one recording device. Because why would there be? It wasn’t a big deal. A funny story, s’all.

He’s also never been able to just let things go, though, and thanks to that inability, the lore of wrestling and the “I’m dead” move had to live on. It was an innocent story, a funny albeit embarrassing one – their unofficial brand after all, an easy misunderstanding and a fun little anecdote, not his carefully curated version of what happened, nor a watered-down one, not just a part of the entire story devoid of any feelings associated with it, not a big deal-! And most of all, not… true. Not true.

Rhett isn’t sure if Link has been consciously going along with that wordlessly agreed upon version of what their UFC phase looked like, repressing the truth behind it, or… simply never realised what it meant for Rhett and genuinely thought of it as a humorous yet insignificant part of their friendship in the past.

Most likely the third option, he has to assume. After all, why would Link attach any meaning to it? It’s not like anything actually ever happened, not outside of Rhett’s mind at least. Frankly, he himself went decades without understanding his own motivations, more than once confused by why the memories of wrestling with his friend and laying on top of him felt both shameful and deeply comforting. Why even long after they grew up, stopped being kids, and as a result retired all their UFC moves, the only way he could describe what he felt thinking about that time was longing.

Until therapy happened.

Just like with many different things in his life:

There was something in the darkness, and then therapy shone a light on it.

It was like there were countless situations he navigated solely on instinct, without paying much thought to the reasons behind why he acted a certain way, and once therapy equipped him with the ability to do so, he unearthed an entire deep layer of feelings and emotions that were always there. Just hidden, even from himself.

The wrestling being one of those things.

So, he thinks Link doesn’t know.

And he’s finally determined to change that.

Why now, when he’s had so many chances to talk to Link over the years ever since he started being more in touch with himself? He doesn’t really have an answer; it’s just that after talking about it with such levity again, after repeatedly making a joke out of it, it feels like he might explode if he doesn’t say anything, doesn’t confess to Link what it was really like. And most of all, it feels like the yearning has become stronger lately, and the conversation yet again playing it all off as them being young and silly only ignited it, made the flame inside of Rhett burn brighter, threatening to make his heart combust.

“I need to talk to you about something that’s been on my mind.” Rhett says easily once they’re in the office. It’s not an unsure statement or a nervous plea with words tumbling out of his mouth before he can lose his cool and change his mind. It would have been all that and more a couple of years ago, sure.

But he’s a different man now. He’s not afraid to tell the person who’s been with him for almost the entirety of his life what he feels.

Link, however. He does look unsure, a bit alarmed even, when he looks at Rhett and responds.

“Sure-? What is it? Do you wanna talk now?”

It’s just like him to worry. Run a hundred different scenarios in his head, most of them negative, trying to prepare himself for every possible outcome of a serious conversation before it even began. It’s an anxious survival instinct that makes Link resilient to even the worst that life has to offer and able to face it all head on. But right now, it’s nothing scary. Rhett doesn’t want his friend to be worried, so he quickly says as much.

“Don’t worry, s’not bad. Just something we talked about on the podcast today.” The blonde sits down on the couch and pats the cushion next to him, hoping he appears to be as calm as he truly feels inside and that it might dissolve some of Link’s concern, still written all over his face.

The other man takes his place on the sofa and looks at him expectingly.

“Right. So-“ Rhett’s calmness doesn’t completely evaporate once Link gives him his full attention, but it’s suddenly laced with some nerves. “About the wrestling. You know, in college. And before that. And- Especially about my ‘I’m dead’ move. I’ve been thinking about it, and-“

“Rhett, I swear, if you made me sit down for a talk only to tell me you’d like to make it a part of our conflict resolution again, then ha-ha. Very funny. I’d like to go get myself some coffee now.” Link cuts him off with an unamused look in his eyes and almost makes a move to stand up.

Rhett is quicker though and grabs the brunette’s arm before he can really move, effectively making him stay in place.

“What? No. That’s not what I’m saying. Like, at all. I-“ He realises he’s still holding onto Link’s arm and instinctively wants to retract his hand, but that same feeling that led him to initiating this conversation in the first place makes him reconsider. “I’ve been thinking about what it all meant and why I did that, especially when we fought or you were angry with me, and-“

“Because we were young.” Link quickly answers what wasn’t even a question. “We had too much energy and neither of us really wanted to hurt the other by punching him or- or fighting in earnest. What else would it mean.”

“Link can you let me talk? I’m trying to say something important.” Rhett squeezes Link’s forearm. “So, as I was saying. I mostly did it when you were angry or I was feeling unsure, and I didn’t realise it back then, but- But I know now, that I just… needed reassurance. You know, physical contact.” He explains, looking straight into Link’s eyes and trying to interpret his reaction before it comes.

When nothing happens, and the brunette just stares back at him with a furrowed brow, he feels compelled to continue and elaborate.

“Like when people… hug after an argument-?” His brain almost challenges him to make a different comparison, presenting a parallel between laying half-naked on top of your best friend and another activity people often partake in to make up after a fight. But that’s not- It’s not what he’s trying to say. It’s not like that.

The face in front of him frowns in confusion, blue eyes squinting and mouth opening and closing again, only letting out a puff of air and no sound at first.

When Link finally responds, his voice is unsure, like he suspects that he’s not understanding something right. “Are you trying to tell me you wanted to hug me when we bickered, so you pushed me to the floor and laid on me till I was even angrier, instead…?”

That’s not fully what Rhett meant, but it’s close enough, so he nods.

“What the crap, Rhett-? You're not making any sense.”

“Okay, listen…” He decides to go for a different approach. “We still don’t hug after arguments. We never hug hello. I think I could count on my fingers how many times we’ve actually hugged each other as adults, outside of the show!”

“Yeah! That’s just not what we do! We’ve never done those things, it’s just not a part of our relationship- I still don’t know what you wanna tell me here Rhett.” Link throws his hands in the air in a gesture of resignation.

“I want it to be a thing we do, okay?! I always did, but I was afraid to ask for it so I just took what you could give me without talking about it. Can’t have actual intimacy? Make up a UFC thing so I can be close to you! Can’t hold you when I’ve made you mad? Better lay on top of you till you give up and have no choice but stop!” Rhett pauses to finally take a breath.

“That time that guy saw us- I’m sure you remember I stormed off right after-? I panicked, it was like him seeing us and thinking there was something else happening almost made feel like it was something else, and since I started it, it also felt like I wanted it to be something else. I got so angry at myself for even trying and I never did it again. I’m sure you remember that, too!” Words flow out of Rhett in a hurried and increasingly loud cascade, while Link’s eyes grow bigger and comprehension dawns on his face.

“I know how stupid it sounds. But you know how I was. We were well into our thirties when I still refused to get close to you. And it’s not that I didn’t want to, it was the opposite – I wanted it a lot, man.”

„But I thought...?” Link seems to be turning a thought over in his head. “I thought you just never liked it. That the wrestling thing was about you… asserting dominance. That’s what it felt like at least. Like you trying to act like an older brother or somethin’.”

“No- It was me wanting to be close to you and not knowing how to ask for it. My very convoluted way of expressing love, you could call it. And I’m sorry it took me-“

“What changed-? I mean, what made you wanna talk about it?” There’s urgency in Link’s voice when he cuts Rhett off.

“I… I realised I miss it. I told you, we still don’t really hug or get intimate, however that sounds, and I’m not gonna just topple you and pin you to the ground again. We’re too old for that. For once, I don’t think either my back or your shoulders would survive if we started wrestling every time I wanted to be affectionate. But also- We’re over forty, Link. What does it say about me if I can’t just ask a person I love and have loved for almost four decades to hold me when I need it and would resort to, well, aggression-? That’s not how it should work.”

Link ponders Rhett’s words for a few beats before opening his mouth again, only to let three breathy words escape. “You love me-?”

It seems like the wrong thing to focus on, Rhett just opened up to say he not only craves physical intimacy now, but also struggled with that same need when they were younger so badly, he had to invent an entire intricate system allowing him to be closer, and Link questions the one thing he knows already. Because of course he knows, Rhett’s said as much dozens of times, of course he loves him. But it appears he has to say it anyway, judging from the weird look in Link’s eyes.

“I do, of course I lo-“ The blonde begins, yet he doesn’t get a chance to finish and ask whether Link heard the other part of his confession at all, because at once, his mouth isn’t free to keep talking and there’s no air left in his lungs as the man who was just sitting right next to him plunges forward and collides with him, lips first.

Oh. Rhett manages to form one more coherent thought despite being startled and entirely taken aback. Link misunderstood. That’s why he got hung up on the love confession. That’s not what Rhett meant, that’s not what he was trying to say, it’s not like that-

He feels like he should clear things up as quickly as possible. Logically, he should be panicking, racking his brain for a way to straighten things up, to explain to Link that it wasn’t what he was trying to say without making things worse, without ruining everything and making his best friend feel miserable and embarrassed, until…

Until Rhett realises his body went rogue and started responding without his conscious decision, his lips are moving against the other man’s, one of his hands is cupping Link’s face, while the other strayed away and is caressing his back. And it feels like his heart is trying to break out of the ribcage with how hard it’s pounding in his chest, along with his stomach doing wild summersaults. And he’s not panicking, not at all. And it’s not a misunderstanding, how could it, when he loves Link with his entire soul, with his whole being- And exactly like that, it hits him. Starting this conversation, he thought he already understood everything, but he didn’t– there was still that last puzzle piece missing.

They come up for air, panting from the intensity of that first kiss, foreheads flush with each other. Rhett finishes the sentence he began before Link’s move changed everything. “Of course I love you.” He means it now, he means it exactly like Link took it and can’t comprehend how he didn’t think of it before, but it’s perfectly obvious now.

So he hugs Link. He encircles the man’s body with his long arms, squeezes, and holds him, feels his friend snuggle into him, nuzzle his face into the crook of his neck and breathe deeply, holding Rhett's larger body in return.

All he needed was ask for the closeness.

He asked, and he got it.

He got all he wanted and so much more.

So, so much.

#rhink fic #anonymous prompt #my writing

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becausethathappens · 3 years ago

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Hi, I’m the anon who sent you basically the harrowing love letter comparing your writing to sailors wives. Let it be known that I hoped you were cherishing the message (& not weirded out by my infatuation). HOWEVER, reading it after a few weeks made me want to die because of, ya know, vulnerability. But it all holds up lol. And every single word you have posted since I sent the message still makes it rings true.

Truly, NOTHING I have read in at least the last 5 years has made me feel like Jurisdiction, Amateur Ornithology, & The Quiet Superstitions In My Head did (I STILL think about Link pressing the valentine to Rhett’s chest, telling him he should know better, he started it like ONCE A WEEK). Anyways I might be in love with you. Bye.

This is so nice, ahhhhhhhhh! I've been trying to figure out anything to say back, but I can only emote in meme.

(I swear I'm making my way through drafts and will probably post more random shit first, but I'm finishing the multi-chapter next.)

Truly any time I'm feeling unmotivated, I remember there's one welcome person out there hoping I'll write more. Thank you for that. It's so kind and generous a gift to give an author, I hope you sincerely know that. 🥺️💙

#answers #i love you @anon #😭

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study-coffee-chicago · 3 years ago

Text

Country College (A Halstead Brothers + Halstead Sister Imagine; Part of AU-gust)

A/N: Thank you for reading! Remember to like/reblog and comment! I'm also donating all the proceeds that from my buy me a coffee account to Save The Children to help the children of Afghanistan. Buy me a coffee link here.

Also, here's the playlist of songs I listened to while writing this and some of these songs are actually mentioned in the imagine in case you guys wanted to listen while reading: Country College AU playlist.

I went on vacation and I swear, this entire imagine was based on stuff I did in Tennessee and country songs I listened to while there.

Anyway, enjoy!

"You got everything?" Jay asked you at six in the morning.

"For the last damn time, Jay, yes, I have everything," you answered as you jumped in the passenger seat of his truck and put your backpack at your feet and your tumbler of coffee in a cup holder.

"Jesus. I was just asking because I will not be turning this truck around," he said as he moved around the basket of snacks in the backseat so that the two of you could reach them easier. "Someone's cranky."

"Yes. When I finally got to sleep at 12:30 last night and had to wake up at 4:30, I'm gonna be cranky. Please tell me we're stopping for coffee."

"You already have coffee," Will said as he walked up to the truck. "Why do you need more?"

"Shut up. I know for a fact you drink way more coffee than I do, Mr. Med Student."

"Jesus, Jay. You sure you're gonna be able to put up with her for eight and a half hours?" Will asked.

"I dunno, man. Maybe I'll make her ride with you," he joked.

"Yeah, no way in hell that's happening," Will said.

"In all seriousness," Jay started, "stop for coffee in about an hour and a half?"

"Sounds good to me," you agreed.

"Same here. I only have to ditch you guys when we get like eight hours in," Will said.

"Gonna be weird not having you on the drive down, man," Jay mused.

"Yeah, but at least we can meet up at the rest stops and we'll be in the same state."

"Are we gonna go?" you asked. "If you two were just gonna talk, I could've slept for an extra ten minutes."

"Holy shit," Jay muttered. He turned to Will. "Guess we should get going then."

"Yeah, see you in an hour and a half. Don't piss off the driver too much, Y/N."

You rolled your eyes. "Goodbye, Will."

Will got in his car and Jay got in the driver's side of his truck.

"Eight and a half hour drive plus traffic," Jay started as you both pulled out of the driveway, "so how do want to split it up?"

"I'm tired and I wanna sleep and I don't want to drive through Knoxville because I have no idea where to go," you answered as you pulled your headphones out of your backpack.

"Okay, Miss Sassy Pants. You can drive in the middle, through Kentucky. Might hit traffic, but we'll hit traffic in Tennessee, too, so we'll both have to drive through it. Just please, do not crash my truck."

"Relax. I know how to drive. Just make sure Will stays on your ass the entire time so we don't lose each other."

***

"And, we're officially in Kentucky!" Jay announced. "Time to change the music. At the next rest stop, we'll pull over and go to the bathroom and grab some lunch."

"Jay! You can't be on your phone while you're driving!" you yelled as he reached for his phone in the cup holder, which was also acting as the GPS...even though Jay claimed he could get there without it.

"Y/N, I'm fine. I've done this for three years now. I think I know what I'm doing."

"If you say so."

He turned on a song you didn't know.

"Got a truck, get it lifted," Jay started to sing.

"The hell is this?" you asked.

"Country music. Gets changed from pop to country the second we cross the border into Kentucky. Now, shh. This is a good song. You'll like it. It's upbeat."

Jay drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and sang quietly to Redneck Be Like by Thomas Rhett as he drove while you listened. He was right. It was a pretty good song.

"All day in the sun, always havin' fun, always gettin' stuck in that muddy river. Always got a buzz, always double cup..."

"You'll know the next one," Jay promised.

"And you know this how?" you asked.

"Because it's on Tiktok. When we get there, Adam and Hailey are gonna have to teach you some southern culture."

"So, I'm gonna need a definition of southern culture."

"You'll see when you get there. Now listen. I know you know this part."

Yeah we fancy like Applebee's...

Jay was right: you did know this song. It was Fancy Like by Walker Hayes.

"On a date night," you sang along. "Got that Bourbon street steak..." Jay joined in. "With the Oreo shake. Get some whipped cream on the top, too. Two straws, one check, girl I got you. Yeah we Bougie like Natty in the styrofoam..."

Five minutes later, you pulled off to a rest stop with a McDonald's nearby. Jay and Will filled up their vehicles while you ran inside to go to the bathroom. Once you were inside McDonald's and at a table eating, you asked Will if it was true that he and Jay always changed it to country music when they crossed the border into Kentucky. Will said yes, so you knew you were in for a long car ride. Then, you and Jay switched so that you were now the one driving and you were off again.

***

Hours later, Will took a different exit to get to Nashville and gave you and Jay a salute to tell you goodbye when he changed lanes and then took the exit.

"Not long now," Jay told you. "You excited?"

"Yeah, but a little nervous," you replied.

"Oh, don't be nervous. They're all really nice. And you've already met Hailey, so that helps."

"Yeah, she was nice. She had a cute little southern accent, too."

"One of the many reasons I fell in love with her in the first place."

Before Jay left for a weekend last summer to meet Hailey halfway and then stay in a hotel for a weekend to spend time with her, he finally told you the story of how he and Hailey met.

"Hey, we're goin' to the marketplace," Adam said on the first weekend of their junior year. "You and Will up for it?"

"Uh, Will's studying like normal. I'm up for it. Kim coming, too?" Jay asked.

"I promised her ice cream, so yeah, she's comin'. Baby, you ready?" he yelled down the hall.

"I'm coming, Adam!" Kim yelled back and then walked out of the bathroom.

"Let's go and make some bad decisions," Adam stated, causing Jay and Kim to laugh.

"We can't even buy alcohol yet, you dummy," Kim said.

"I may be a dummy, but you love me." Then, Adam gave Kim a kiss on the cheek.

"Please stop before I puke," Jay said and made a gagging face.

Adam rolled his eyes. "Let's get outta here."

***

Kim was laughing at a horrible joke Adam made while he had his arm slung around him. He had taken off his signature cowboy hat and had let Kim wear it because she forgot her sunglasses. Adam said he felt naked without it on.

They were walking towards Kilwin's when Jay spotted it: a homeless guy next to a blonde who couldn't be more than college age.

"Man, look," Jay pointed.

The three walked faster.

"No, this is for my friend back at the dorm," the girl explained.

"Lady, I'm hungry. Can I please just have your leftovers?" the guy asked.

"I'm sorry you're hungry, but this is for my friend."

The guy reached for the food.

"Hey, that girl sits behind me in my women and the law class," Kim stated.

Jay, Adam, and Kim took off on a run.

"Hey, baby," Jay said and slung an arm around the girl. He leaned in close to her. "Just go with it," he whispered in her ear. "You got Anna's food?"

"Yeah," the girl said hesitantly. But then, she realized that this guy was trying to help her out. And, he was pretty sure that the girl with him sat in front of her in her women and the law class. "Yeah, I've got her food."

Jay raised an eyebrow at the guy and then looked at Adam as if asking the man to try the two of them.

"Alright, well y'all have a good night now," he said and then turned around and walked away.

Once the man was a few shops down, Jay took his arm off of her. "Sorry about that. Just thought you might need some help," he said.

"Was greatly appreciated, thank you, uh..."

"Jay."

"Jay, well I'm Hailey. Nice to meet you."

He didn't miss her cute little southern accent and he loved it.

"You getting ice cream?" he asked.

"No, I uh was just textin' my roommate to tell her I'd be back soon."

"Well, I-- we'd feel much better if you came into Kilwin's with us. Just so that creeper doesn't come back."

Hailey smiled and agreed.

Kim and Hailey started talking about their class while Adam and Jay ordered their ice cream. Then Kim ordered.

"You want anything, Hailey?" Jay asked.

"Oh no, I'm fine, thank you, though."

Jay nodded, but then turned to the worker. "And can I also get a single scoop of chocolate in a waffle cone, please?"

"Sure thing." As she scooped it out, Hailey looked at Jay and he just shrugged.

When they got to the cashier, Hailey pulled out some money and tried to hand it to Jay.

"I've got it," he said.

"But--"

"Hailey, it's fine. I can pay for a little ice cream."

She loved the way her name rolled off his tongue.

"Okay." She took her ice cream cone.

"Hey, Hailey," Kim began when they walked out of Kilwin's. "Do you have friends you need to meet up with?"

"No, I was just gonna head back to my dorm," she replied.

"Oh, did you drive?"

"No, I walked. It's only like a twenty-minute walk from the sophomore dorms."

"Well, after all that, I'm pretty sure we'd all feel more comfortable if you rode home with us."

"I don't know..." Hailey trailed off.

"Those dorms are only like five minutes away from the house we stay at. And, it's on our way there anyway. Please, just come with us."

Hailey sighed. It would be a lot faster than walking. "Okay."

Then, they finished their walk to Adam's truck and the two girls got in the backseat and the two boys got in the front.

And that is how Jay Halstead met the sweet Georgia peach that is Hailey Anne Upton.

***

Jay, Adam, Will, Kim, and Hailey were all at a sports bar one Saturday night in October. It was loud, it was rowdy, everyone was going crazy over the football game on tv, and Hailey was totally over it. And Jay noticed.

"Hey," Jay whispered from his seat next to her. "You wanna get outta here?"

She turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "You'd wanna leave and not finish the game?"

In the past two months, Hailey had been spending a lot of time with Kim, and by default, she had been spending a lot of time with Adam, Jay, and Will. She will admit going over to their three-bedroom house they all rented together was a lot better than being stuck in her small dorm with her roommate. So, she went over there quite a bit to study with Kim. And, turns out she and Jay were both law studies majors, so they had a lot of the same classes, but they were in different sections, so they did a lot of studying together, too. And, she knew like most college boys, Jay loved his football. Not as much as Adam, but he watched it whenever one of his teams were playing. Which, was Chicago or Tennessee.

"Yeah," Jay started, "it's kinda loud in here anyway. And, it's just Tennessee playing. I'd be more likely to stay if the Bears were playing."

"Okay, let's get outta here. I know a great little diner we can go to for milkshakes. Pretty sure they're open until 11 and it's only 10, so we should be able to make it."

"Adam," Jay said over the game. Adam turned to face Jay. "Me and Hailey are gonna get out of here. I'll see you back at home."

"See you," Adam said and then turned back to his game.

"Guess we know where his loyalties lie," Hailey laughed.

The two of them stood up from their chairs at the table.

"You better get my friend home safe, Halstead!" Kim yelled.

"Yes ma'am," he said, borrowing a line from Adam. "You've got nothing to worry about."

Then, the two of them made their way out of the local sports bar and to Jay's truck.

***

"You've gotta be kiddin' me," Hailey said as the two of them walked up to the diner. "They're closed. Closed at 10 and not at 11. I'm really sorry, Jay."

"That's okay. Got anywhere else you wanna go? Or I can just take you back to your dorm if you want?" Jay suggested.

She sighed. "Just take me back I guess."

The two of them walked back to Jay's truck and got in. Hailey gasped at the song that was on the radio.

"What?" Jay asked, quickly turning to look at Hailey.

"This is my favorite song!"

Lights go down, wheels go around. I'm taking you home. Hoping for a slow song to come on the radio now.

Slow Dance in a Parking Lot by Jordan Davis continued to play through the speakers of Jay's truck.

"What's it about?" Jay asked.

"Slow dancing in a parking lot."

Jay listened to a few more lines and then decided to turn up the radio and jump out of the car.

"Jay, what are you--"

But he was already at her side of the car and pulled her door open.

"Dance with me?" he asked, sticking his hand out for her to take.

"What?" she laughed as a huge smile grew on her face.

"You said the song's about slow dancing in a parking lot and we're in an empty parking lot, so, why not recreate the song?"

Hailey laughed once more and shook her head and then grabbed Jay's hand. He helped her out of his truck and then she wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist and they swayed to the music.

"Slow dance with you. Spinning you round by the Walmart sign and moving our feet over the painted white lines. Getting close to you. Making the most of whatever we got, even if it's just slow dance in a parking lot," Hailey sang quietly.

"Spin," Jay said as he held his hand up.

"What?"

"Spinning you round just like the song says."

Hailey laughed and reached for his hand and did a spin.

"Beautiful," Jay complimented.

"Yeah, right. That's was probably the messiest spin known to man."

"Well, um, it was beautiful. You're beautiful, Hailey."

She was glad it was dark so that Jay couldn't see the heat that rose to her cheeks.

"You're somethin' else, but thank you." She rested her head on his chest as they swayed to the rhythm of the rest of the song.

The song ended and the broadcaster started talking.

"Can I kiss you?" Jay asked.

"What?" she pulled away from his chest.

"I asked if I could kiss you. Was that too much? You know what, just forget--"

"Yes, Jay, kiss me," Hailey smiled and then she and Jay both leaned in.

It was just a peck, but it was their first kiss and despite it being in a dark parking lot late at night, it was still magical.

"You know," Jay began once the quick kiss was over, "there's a Walmart across the street. What do you say we go grab pints of ice cream from there and then you can show me your favorite country songs?"

"I'd like that. Adam didn't show you enough?" she asked.

"I've only got like thirty I like. I need to expand my horizons."

"Okay, let's go."

They held hands in Walmart and then picked out their respective pints of ice cream. Then, they went back to the parking lot of the closed diner and Jay plugged in the aux, allowing Hailey to show him her favorite country songs while they ate their ice cream from the pint and even shared with each other.

Hailey knew nobody would have a first kiss story like that.

Then, at the beginning of the winter semester, Hailey's roommate decided not to live in the dorms anymore. Hailey couldn't afford to pay for a dorm all by herself, so Kim offered to let her stay with her, Jay, Adam, and Will. So, that's how she ended up living with her boyfriend and sharing a room with her best friend, Kim Burgess.

"We're here," Jay announced. "Well, actually, we're a few streets away, but that's one of the lecture halls on your right."

You looked out the window to see a big red and brown brick building with white pillars on the steps. There was also a white sign telling you what building this was.

"Wow," you said in awe. "It's like those old-fashioned colleges. I love it."

"Well, we'll give you a tour and help you find your classes sometime this weekend before classes start on Tuesday. That way, you aren't getting lost on the first day. But, we'll head to the house for now and get all unpacked."

"Sounds good to me."

Five minutes and a few back roads later, you pulled up to a simple two-story brick house.

"Alright, let's get our stuff out and get inside," Jay said.

You stepped out of the truck and started grabbing some stuff out of the back seat.

"I'll jump in the truck and hand you the suitcases. Think you can grab them when I hand them to you?"

You nodded.

"Halstead!" you heard someone shout and you and Jay both whipped your heads around to see Hailey and Adam walking out of the garage and toward the two of you. Adam, well who you assumed was Adam, was carrying two cowboy hats and he and Hailey each had one on themselves.

"Catch!" Adam said and threw one to Jay where he was standing in the box of the truck. Jay easily caught it and placed it on his head.

Adam walked over to you. "And one for you, darlin'," he said as he placed the hat on your head.

"Thank you," you said. "But I thought Kim was darlin'," you said. It'd make sense because if this guy was in fact Adam, then he and Kim were dating.

"You didn't tell her?" Hailey asked Jay.

"Didn't think there'd be a need to." Jay shrugged.

"Tell me what?" you asked.

"Well, Adam calls every girl darlin'," Jay explained. "It's just normal for him. And, down here, you're gonna get a lot of huns, sweeties, and sweethearts. A lot of waiters and waitresses do that here."

"And what do they call you two?" you asked, motioning to Jay and Adam.

"Sir," they said in unison.

"Oh, and you'll occasionally get a ma'am," Hailey added. "But, that one's rare because we don't look old enough to be called ma'am."

"Okay. And, uh, not to be rude, but what's with the cowboy hats?" you asked.

"It's a tradition we just started last year," Adam explained. "We unpack, wear cowboy hats, and drink moonshine. Oh, I'm Adam by the way, darlin'."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Y/N."

Jay handed you a suitcase and you set it on the ground. Then, you did the same thing with two more suitcases.

You grabbed your backpack from the front seat, your duffle bag from the back, and your two suitcases.

"Here, I can take those two for you," Adam said.

"Oh, okay," you said and then allowed him to take the two suitcases from you. So this is what Jay meant by southern hospitality since Adam was from Tennessee and all.

"Jay, lemme take your suitcase," Hailey said.

"Baby, I've got it," Jay argued as he jumped out of the box of his truck and closed the tailgate.

"The hell you do," she argued. "I see all your other stuff in the backseat and that basket of snacks you gotta carry in, too. Just lemme take your one suitcase."

"Let 'er take the suitcase, Halstead. Best to listen to your lady," Adam said.

"I like Adam already," you laughed.

He let go of one of the suitcases and tipped his hat. "Thank you, darlin'."

This caused all four of you to laugh and then you all went inside carrying both yours and Jay's stuff in one trip between the four of you.

***

"Shine in the fridge?" Jay asked after you and he had brought all your stuff to your room.

"Shine, Jay? How southern do you get when you're here?" you asked.

"Oh, he gets pretty southern, hun," Hailey said.

"See?" Jay asked as he pointed to Hailey. "Told you you'd get called hun."

"So, Adam's thing is darlin' and Hailey's is hun?" Hailey nodded. "And it's because you're from Georgia and he's from Tennessee?"

"That's right, darlin'," Adam confirmed and then turned back to Jay. "Yeah, shine's in the fridge. And Kim just texted and said she's on the way back with pizza."

"You got apple pie flavored shine?" Jay asked.

"Hang on. I'm just gonna grab 'em."

The three of you sat down on the bar stools at the counter and waited for Adam to pull them out.

"Alright," Adam started after he put the bottles of moonshine with sip lids on the counter. "We have peach for Miss Georgia Peach." He passed the peach bottle of moonshine to Hailey. "We've got apple pie shine for me and Jay. We've got strawberries and creme for Kim because that's her favorite." He turned to you. "And for you, I got you blackberry because it's not that high of a proof, so it's not that strong." He slid the jar to you.

"Nuh uh," Jay said quickly and grabbed the bottle.

"What the hell, Jay? Give it back! Adam said it's for me, not you!" you argued.

"Last I checked, you're only eighteen."

"Last I checked, Dad's not here. And I know for a fact you drank before you were 21, so pass me the blackberry shine, please."

"I'll take the first sip and then you can have it." He made sure the straw part was open and then he took a sip. "Adam, that shit's like a chaser compared to the apple pie one."

"I know. That's why I got 'er that one," Adam said.

You heard a door shut.

"Pizza's here!" Kim announced.

She walked into the kitchen with three boxes of pizza.

"I got us three pies," she said as she set them down on the counter. "We got one pepperoni and green olive, one supreme, and one meat lovers." She turned to you. "And you must be Y/N. I'm Kim. I see Adam already got you started on that Tennessee moonshine."

"Nice to meet you," you said. "You're from New York, right?"

"Yup, not New York City, though. More upstate."

"Of course she's from New York, Y/N!" Jay exclaimed. "Who else would call pizza a pie except for a true New Yorker?"

"I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks, Jay."

Jay raised his bottle of apple pie moonshine in a fake cheers and then took a sip.

"Now that's the strong shit I need to start off this semester right," he announced and then set the bottle down.

"Oh, and if your brother didn't tell you yet, he turns into a borderline alcoholic when he's at school," Kim told you.

You laughed. "He didn't tell me that, no."

"Better than being a caffeine addict like Kim and Hailey here," Jay argued.

"Shut up," Hailey said. "You know you're a caffeine addict during finals week just the rest of us."

"I was a caffeine addict in high school, so we'll see what happens," you shrugged.

Kim grabbed a stack of paper plates and set them on one of the pizza boxes. "Dig in. Oh, Y/N, did Adam get you the blackberry flavored moonshine?"

"He did. Haven't tried it yet because Jay has yet to give it back to me."

Kim quickly reached down and grabbed the jar of moonshine.

"Hey, Kim! She's only 18!" Jay protested.

"So? I know you drank an insane amount during your freshman year. So shut it." Kim popped open the sipping lid. "Taste."

You took a sip. It did taste like blackberry, but it was also sort of strong, but it didn't burn your throat that bad like you had read in books that alcohol did.

"This is actually pretty good."

"I know, right? And, me and Hailey will let you try ours when we help you unpack," Kim said. "But, do not try the kind the boys have because it's nasty."

"Baby, I don't know what you have against apple pie moonshine, but it's good," Adam said and then took a sip of his moonshine. Kim rolled her eyes. Adam leaned across the counter. "The New York in her is coming out, darlin'."

"Oh, shut up," Kim said and reached over to steal Adam's cowboy hat off his head.

"Baby, now I feel naked without it," Adam argued and tried to reach for the hat.

"Sucks for you. Now eat your pizza before it gets cold."

***

"Morning," Jay said when you walked into the kitchen the next morning. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good. it's nice not having to share a room with anyone like you and Adam, and then Hailey and Kim have to. It was fun having them help me unpack last night, though," you said.

Last night, Kim and Hailey had helped you unpack and when you mentioned that you didn't really know any country music, Hailey pulled up all of her favorite country songs to play for you. You especially liked Girl in a Country Song by Maddie and Tae. They showed you the music video for that song and it was about how, in most country music videos, girls had to dress up in little skimpy outfits and have the boys just stare at them all day. So, in their music video, they changed the roles, and the guys had to dress in skimpy clothing in the music video. It was pretty funny and the song was catchy.

"Let me guess," Jay began, "Hailey showed you some good country music?"

"Yup. The songs she showed me were pretty good, pretty upbeat. Didn't sound like a cat being put in a blender like old-fashioned country, so I guess that's good."

"What do you have against old-fashioned country, darlin'?" Adam asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"I dunno." You shrugged. "Too slow for me and I just don't like the voices I guess."

"You know what we ought to do, Jay?" Adam asked and Jay raised his eyebrows, silently telling adam to continue. "We should show her all the songs that are mentioned in What's Your Country Song."

"Wait, wait. I think I know that one. I think Hailey played it for me last night. Is it the one that mentions Chatta- Chatta..."

"Chattahoochee?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, that funny word. What even is that anyway?"

"It's a river that runs through Georgia," Jay answered. "Pretty sure Hailey used to go tubing down it like we're gonna do today."

You furrowed your eyebrows. "We're going tubing? Like behind a boat?"

Adam laughed. "Christ, Jay! Do you tell her anything?"

"He doesn't," you answered. "So, explain, one of you."

"Alright, I'll do it," Jay said as he poured milk on top of a bowl of Raisin Bran. You looked at him intently. "What we do is, the first Saturday that we're all together before school starts, we go on tubes and float down the Tennessee River. We bring a cooler full of snacks, sandwiches, booze, and water, and a waterproof speaker and we just have a fun time. Oh, and this year, you're the DD."

"Me?" you asked as you pointed to yourself. Jay nodded. "But I don't know where to go! I haven't even been in Tennessee for a full 24 hours yet!"

"Kim's like the mom of the group," Adam supplied. "So she'll still be pretty lucid and could probably drive if she needs to. But, she'll at least be able to give you directions on how to get back here."

You sighed. "Good. That makes me feel a lot better."

"Where are the other two girls anyway?" Adam asked. "They're usually up a lot earlier than we are when we go on the river."

"I think they were a little buzzed last night," you said. "Might still be sleeping."

While you were unpacking, you took a few sips of your jar of blackberry moonshine, but not a lot. You'd never really drank before, much less drank moonshine and you didn't really feel like puking from being drunk or having a killer headache from a hangover...at least, that's what you thought happened from what you had read in books and seen in movies and tv shows. But, Kim and Hailey had each finished like a quarter of their jar, so they had been buzzed last night. They weren't drunk because they could still walk in a straight line and knew what they were talking about, but they did have little dopey smiles on their faces while they helped you unpack.

"She's right," Kim said as she and Hailey walked into the kitchen. Hailey's hair was wrapped in a towel, alerting you that she had just taken a shower. "Adam, can you grab me an Advil?" She took a seat on a stool and put her head in her hands. "My head is fucking killing me. I didn't even think I drank that much."

Adam laughed. "You do this every semester, baby. First shine of the year and you always drink a little too much." He handed her the pills and a cup of water and Kim quickly washed the pills down.

"I just need some coffee," Hailey announced.

"We know, you don't get hangover headaches," Kim groaned.

"Yeah, but I feel exhausted all day. Everyone goin' for coffee? I'll make a bigger pot if that's the case."

Everyone said yes and Hailey started on the coffee.

***

"Okay, we got the tubes, the speaker, swimsuits are on, we have the towels, cooler," Jay rattled off as the five of you sat in his truck. "Anyone double-check the cooler?"

"I did," Hailey said. "We got water, the same shine from last night, some white claws, the sandwiches me and Kim made for everyone, chips, and a few other snacks."

"And I threw in a little first aid kit with bandaids, alcohol swabs, Neosporin, and other stuff. And I've got the sunscreen, too," Kim said.

"See, what'd I tell you, darlin'?" Adam asked as he turned around from his spot in the passenger seat. "Kim's the mom of the group."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Kim said. "It means I'm responsible and prepared."

"Those two would get so damn sunburned and dehydrated if it weren't for Kim," Hailey said as she pointed to Jay and Adam in the two front seats.

"Thanks, Hails," Jay replied sarcastically. "Real nice."

"You're welcome," she said with a smile.

You leaned your head against the window. You were supposed to get stuck in the middle, but seeing as you got car sick easily, Kim said she'd switch spots with you.

"You okay?" Kim asked.

"Yeah, just, Jay really needs to turn on the AC before I throw up from motion sickness and how damn hot it is in here."

"Least you got that cowboy hat to puke in if you need to," Jay laughed as he reached for the AC. "You better not puke in my tuck or you will be walking home."

Adam smacked him upside the head.

"Ow!" Jay exclaimed and took one hand off the wheel and rubbed the back of his head. "The hell was that for?"

"Dude, be nice! Look at her!" Adam exclaimed.

Jay looked in the rearview mirror and saw you leaning your head against the window with your eyes closed and pinching your nose. You groaned.

"Here," Jay said and tossed you a blue bottle of Gatorade from his cup holder. "Drink this. Get you some hydration and electrolytes."

You took a few sips and then handed the bottle back to him. "Thanks."

"Mhm."

Kim moved the vents so that the AC was blowing on you more. "That help?"

"Little bit, thanks."

"Think you'll be good to go down the river?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, because then I won't be trapped in a hot box going sixty down the road!"

"She's right about that," Adam agreed. "You'll be lucky if you go five miles per hour, darlin'."

"Alright, so the motion sickness should stop. Thank God."

"Just rest your head against the window and listen to some country music," Jay said. "Speaking of that, who's controlling the music on the river?"

"I got it," Adam volunteered. "Everyone give me a song and I'll get the queue started."

***

You had been going down the river for about half an hour now and had finished a bottle of water and eaten a banana, too. You felt fine now. Adam was right, you were going slow enough that you didn't get sick, and you also weren't in the backseat of a truck.

"Hey, Kim," you started, "can you pass me my moonshine?"

"Mhm," she said. You guys had tied a cooler to a tube, which was then tied to Kim's tube. Because, the boys figured that between the five of you, she was the most responsible. They toyed with tying it to your tube because you probably wouldn't get shitfaced (like the boys most likely would) since you were underage, but you had never gone tubing down the Tennessee River before, so they decided on Kim. "Here, Hailey, hold my white claw."

She passed Hailey her drink and then maneuvered the cooler towards her, opened it, and handed you your moonshine.

"Thank you," you said and popped open the sip lid and took a sip. "Ahhh."

"Hey, drink it slow," Adam warned, turning towards you and practically yelling over the music. He and Jay were in front of the three of you girls so they could tell you if there were a ton of rocks coming or if it was super shallow coming up. "Heat makes getting drunk a lot easier because you keep drinking it because you're so thirsty."

"I don't think that's how it works, man, but whatever you say," Jay laughed.

Another song started.

"Hey!" you yelled. "I know this song!"

"Yeah, because it's old as hell," Jay laughed.

"Shut up! I like it!"

Baby you a song you make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise. Down a back road, blowin' stop signs through the middle every little farm town with you.

"And this brand new Chevy with a lift kit, would look a hell of a lot better with you up in it. Baby you a song, you make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise," the five of you sang Cruise by Florida Georgia Line while holding your drinks in pure happiness.

Because of this, you didn't notice Jay drifting off to the side toward the trees.

Jay let out a sinister laugh as he got closer. "C'mere, buddy, c'mere." The black snake stuck his tongue out and hissed. "Yeah, I know, you wanna scare Y/N, too." Jay held his hand out toward the snake. "I'm nice, I promise." The snake slithered and went up on Jay's hand and started up his arm. He turned once most of the snake was on him. He started using his other hand to paddle himself back toward the group. "Y/N!"

You turned and looked at him. You saw the snake on his arm and tears pricked your eyes. "No! No!" you shouted.

Snakes were your biggest fear and knowing that they were in the river that you were in right now was absolutely terrifying to you. And, with each paddle, Jay and the snake were coming closer and closer to you.

"Jay, please, please!"

Adam turned and looked at Jay and then back to you. "She scared of snakes?" You quickly nodded as tears ran down your face. "Jay! Stop! She's terrified!"

Jay laughed. "No!"

He was coming closer and closer to you.

Adam quickly paddled over to you and went in front of you. "I won't let it go near you, darlin', don't you worry."

"Uh huh," you said and grabbed onto Adam's arm in complete and utter terror.

Unknown to Jay, Hailey was making her way to him. But, she was behind him, so Jay couldn't see his girlfriend coming up behind him with her empty bottle of white claw raised high in the air.

He felt it before he heard her.

"Don't." Smack on the head with the empty can. "You." Another smack on the head with the empty can. "Do." Another smack on the head with the empty can. "That." Last smack on the head with the empty can.

"Ow!" Jay yelled. "Hails, stop!"

"Put the fuckin' snake back and stop scarin' the daylights outta your little sister or I will keep smackin' you, Jay!" Hailey told him.

"Fine, I'll put it back," he groaned.

"Hailey, keep that can raised above his head. If he tries to come back here, hit 'im again!" Adam yelled.

"You got it!" Hailey said. "Hear that baby? Your head is gonna come in contact with this 'ere empty white claw can again if you don't get a move on."

"I'm going, I'm going," Jay grumbled.

"Good, then you won't get smacked again."

"Just for all that," Adam started, "you wanna pick the next song, darlin'?"

"Can you play Better Dig Two by The Band Perry?" you asked. "That counts as country right?"

"Sure does, darlin'." He started messing with his phone. "Comin' right up."

"I told you on the day we wed, I was gonna love you 'til I's dead," you started to sing. "Made you wait 'til our weddin' night, that's the first and the last time I wear white."

"Snake's gone! Made sure he put it down and I even watched it slither away!" Hailey announced. "Put me in the ground, put me six foot down," Hailey joined in after she had finished yelling over part of the first verse.

"And, as for you, Jay," Adam started over the music and all of you singing. "You don't get to pick a song for the next hour."

"Son of a bitch," Jay muttered.

"Hey, you brought this one on yourself, buddy. So just sit back, relax, listen to our music choices, and enjoy your shine."

***

One week later

"And we're here!" Adam announced as the five of you pulled onto a long dirt driveway. "You ready to ride some horses, Y/N?"

"I dunno," you said. "I've never ridden a horse before."

"Oh, Adam'll make sure you're super safe," Kim reassured you.

"Okay, so whatever horse I ride won't buck me off?"

"Oh no," Adam said quickly, "we'll put Jay on Buck."

"Like hell you will!" Jay argued from the backseat.

Despite the studying the five of you had to do, you were at Adam's childhood home. Adam's parents had rented a cabin in North Carolina for the weekend since it was Labor Day weekend and needed someone to watch the five horses they owned.

His parents used to own a riding place with multiple horses, but since their kids got older, they stopped doing it because they were getting older and couldn't give the tours anymore. So, they sold most of their horses, left five so that their kids could ride them with their friends, but still kept the house and the land. Whenever Adam's parents went out of town, either he or his sister would come and stay over at their childhood home and take care of the horses. Seeing as his sister was married and just gave birth to a daughter, this left Adam. And, luckily for him, his parents were fine with some friends coming over to help Adam out.

"Relax, man," Adam began, "I'll ride Buck."

"Wait, is he called Buck because he bucks people off?" you asked.

"You would be completely right, darlin'. Which, would be the reason I'm riding him and neither of you four will be doing that."

Adam put the truck in park and you got out of the passenger seat. Yes, you had ridden in the front because Adam said you could because of your motion sickness. Jay wasn't too happy, but it was Adam's car, so therefore it was Adam's rules.

You got inside the house and it had two extra bedrooms, one of which was Adam's childhood room and had an extra twin bed in it for when his friends wanted to sleepover (Because, in Adam's words, it was only girls who shared beds at sleepovers and he said guys didn't do that, so that's why there was the extra bed). In his older sister's childhood room, there was a full-sized bed, so Hailey and Kim would share the bed and the boys said they'd move a couch into that same room for you to sleep on.

Adam opened the fridge once all of you had put your stuff in the rooms that would be yours for the weekend. "Ooooh, y'all, my mama left us some food!"

"Oh, he southern southern now," Kim laughed and walked over to the fridge. "What'd she make?"

"Let's see. We got fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cornbread, gravy, biscuits, grits, tater salad, peaches that she canned herself, and apple pie. She must really miss me if she cooked this much!" Adam laughed after he rattled off the food his mom made for all of you.

"Mama's cookin', paper plate, and tater tater salad," you said, quoting a song Jay had played on the way down here that you had taken a liking to and had added it to a playlist and been listening to it a lot the past week.

"Did you just..." Adam trailed off.

"She did!" Jay exclaimed.

"Is it that hard to believe that I know more than two country songs, y'all?" you asked.

All four of them gasped.

"She's southern! She's southern, y'all!" Hailey yelled.

"What?" you asked as you looked around at your brother, his girlfriend, and his two friends in confusion.

"That was yer first y'all, hun!" Hailey told you and pulled you into a hug. "Yer a regular southern belle now."

"Next thing you know, girl's gonna be fallin' for cowboys," Adam said.

"Aw, hell nah," Jay said. "Ain't no way she's datin' a cowboy. No way."

"Shit, Jay just went southern southern, too," Adam laughed.

"What can I say, when my girl goes hella Georgia, I go hella Tennessee," Jay said.

"That made zero sense, baby, but okay," Hailey said. She turned to Adam. "When we ridin'?"

"We can go right now if you want. Everyone good with that?"

You all nodded and then Adam told all of you to put on your cowboy hats.

***

"This 'ere's Maddy," Adam said before he helped you onto the horse. You put your feet in the stirrups. "They feel good? You can reach 'em well?" he asked.

"Yeah," you told him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, darlin'." He turned to Jay, Hailey, and Kim. "You three remember how to get on the horses since we rode so much last year?"

"We're good," Jay said.

"Hey, baby?" Hailey asked and turned to Jay. He turned to look at her. "You think you can help me on 'im? Pretty sure Diablo's gotten a lot bigger since I rode 'im last."

"Yeah, sweetheart, I got that."

"Did he just..." you trailed off and looked at Kim.

"He did," she confirmed. "She turns into sweetheart around this time every year. Jay gets really southern after only being here a week. Might also have something to do with Adam calling me sweetheart sometimes and he just picks up on it."

Jay helped Hailey onto the huge horse named Diablo and then got on his horse. You were riding Maddy, Adam was riding Buck, Jay was riding Sinbad, Hailey was riding Diablo, and Kim was riding Atta'Boy.

"All y'all need to watch me now," Adam announced from the front. All four of you gave Adam all your attention. "Well, mostly Y/N because she's never ridden before." He paused. "To make your horse stop, just give the reins a little tug. To turn, hold the reins on your right side, and pull towards your right hip, like this." He demonstrated and pulled the reins like he told you and Buck's head turned to the right. "And turn left, do the same thing on the left side. To make them go, just flick the reins a little bit, but they're pretty well-trained, so you shouldn't need to do that. But, if they still won't go, give 'em a little kick. I promise you won't hurt 'em. But, most of all, keep at least one hand on the reins at all times. Oh, and they will try to eat on the trails, but they ain't supposed to, so try and get them to stop by pulling up on the reins if you can.

"Any questions? Everyone sure their stirrups and saddles are good?" Adam finished.

Everyone answered with a chorus of "yeses" and then the five of you were off...that was until Maddy decided she was hungry about a quarter-mile (400 meters) in.

And, to make matters worse, you were in the mountains (because everyone is in the mountains here) and Maddy was bringing you closer and closer to a small ravine.

You did not want to have the experience of trying to control your horse and deciding whether or not to jump off or not and possibly being rushed to the hospital.

"Maddy!" you yelled and tugged up on the reins. Nothing. "Maddy!"

"Pull hard!" Jay yelled from behind you.

"I am pulling, Jay!" you yelled back. "Come on, Maddy!"

Shit, she was still moving towards the edge and trying to eat more.

"Pull to the left!" Jay yelled. You pulled. Nothing. "All the way around! To your left hip!"

You did so and she moved. Finally.

"Now straighten out the reins," Jay told you. You did. "And give her a kick to move."

You did and she continued walking...this time with a huge branch and leaves hanging out of her mouth because she had gotten herself a nice little snack.

"What's with all the yellin'?" Adam asked as he turned his head around and had Buck slow down a little bit. Then, he saw Maddy. "Maddy stop to eat? She acts likes she's starvin', but I promise you she's not."

You kept going and then you started going down a hill.

"Lean forward when going down a hill," Adam yelled back to all of you, "and lean back when going up a hill."

You started going down the hill and kept trying to maneuver yourself so you were in the middle of the saddle. You felt like you were leaning too much to the right, so you kept trying to fix it, but with Maddy still walking, it was kind of hard.

You clenched your stomach muscles to try and pull yourself back to center, but it wasn't working. You tried to push up with your left foot because you were leaning to the right, but that wouldn't work either.

"Just hold on tight, Y/N," Jay told you. "Adam!" Jay yelled as you kept leaning to the right and pulled the reins a little harder to make sure that Maddy would stop.

"What?" Adam yelled back.

"We need a little help back here!"

Adam turned Buck around and he got halfway to you and stopped next to Hailey and Diablo.

"She's fallin' off, you big dummy! You gotta go!" Adam yelled. He flicked his reins. "C'mon, go!"

It was like Buck knew what was going on because the minute he lifted his head up and saw you trying to stay in the saddle, he started coming towards you.

"Buck, stay," Adam said sternly and jumped off him. He walked to your right side. "Now, I'm gonna push your saddle to the left and I need you to lean the same way, okay?"

"Lean to the left?" you asked.

"Yup," he confirmed. "One...two...three."

He pushed up and you leaned to the left, which allowed the saddle and you to be re-centered.

"Can you reach the stirrups okay, darlin'?" he asked. "Or do you need 'em a bit higher?"

"I think I need them a bit higher," you answered. "I thought they were fine, but I guess not."

"That's okay. That's what I'm here for. Take your right foot out."

You did as he said and then he adjusted the stirrups and helped you get your foot back in. Then, he did the same for the left foot.

While Adam was adjusting your left stirrup, Maddy was curious about what was in his first aid bag that was attached to Buck's saddle.

"I ain't got no treats in there, you fatty." He put his hand on Maddy's head. "There's nothin' in there for you. Get out." She started chewing on a drawstring that was on the bag. "Okay, I guess you can chew on that."

"So, to get her to turn, do I just pull like this?" you asked and showed Adam.

"Yes, but put your hand further down the reins when you do that. Works better like that."

"Okay, thanks."

"And, if she keeps tryin' to eat, pull up hard--but not too hard and far that you make her walk backward--and if that doesn't work, give her a quick kick. I promise you won't hurt this little fatty right here."

"Okay, awesome."

"You good?"

"I'm good," you confirmed.

"Okay, so if you ever need to adjust yourself, just grab this 'ere saddle horn." He put his hand on the stub on the front of the saddle. "And put two hands on it...unlike me, and then just push down with your foot on which side you want the saddle to go. Pretty simple."

"Okay, got it," you said.

Then, Adam jumped back on Buck and you were off again.

***

You and Kim were sitting up on the bed in Adam's older sister's childhood room that you were staying in and watching a dumb comedy when Adam poked his head into the room.

"Both you up?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kim answered. "Why?"

"Well, I want to go to the rope swing, and Jay and Hailey both fell asleep spooning while watching some shitty movie in the living room, so do you two wanna go? I'm bringing alcohol."

"Adam, it's like 11 o'clock at night!" Kim laughed. "We won't even be able to see the water!"

"Honey," Adam laughed. "I'll leave the headlights of my truck on! I'm not that stupid to have us jump in blind!" He paused. "You two in?"

"Sure," Kim agreed and then turned to you. "Y/N?"

"Why the hell not? I'm in college, let's go!"

"Alright, I'll let you two get changed and I'll grab the towels and the booze," Adam said.

"Adam, if you're the one driving, you cannot drink a ton!" Kim told him.

"I know! I'll just take like two shots and use moonshine as a chaser."

"You got more moonshine?" you asked.

"Holy hell, Adam," Kim agreed.

"Where do you two think I was the past hour? I went into town and grabbed a few flavors. and, I got both your flavors, too. So, y'all can't yell at me. Now, get changed so we can go before Jay and Hailey wake up and decide they want in on this, too."

***

"You good to sit in the back, Miss Car Sick?" Adam asked you.

"Yeah, you said it's only like a five minute drive, so I'll be fine. Thanks for asking, though," you answered.

"No problem, darlin'."

Then, the three of you were off to this rope swing to jump into a river in the middle of the night.

Five minutes later, Adam threw his car in park and left the radio and headlights on. The three of you got out and Adam grabbed the booze and shot glasses and then you followed him around to the back of his truck. He handed the stuff off to you and Kim to hold while he flipped his tailgate down. Then, he used the flashlight app of his phone to see as he poured each of you a shot of gummy bear flavored vodka.

"Cheers to late night decisions and possibly bad decisions!" Adam toasted.

The three of you clinked your shot glasses together and then took the shots.

"Shit. That was strong," you coughed.

"Chaser, chaser," Adam said as he flipped open the sip cap on the blackberry moonshine.

He handed it to you and you took a few sips.

"Compared to that shot, this moonshine tastes like nothin'," you said.

"See? Told you it had a low proof!" Adam exclaimed. "Now, do you two want me to go first so I can show you how it's done?"

"That might be a good idea, yeah," Kim agreed. "You've only brought me here during the day and it's been over a year, so yeah, you go first, cowboy."

"Oh, that reminds me." He took his signature cowboy hat off. "Hold this for me, will you, sweetheart?" He held the hat out to Kim and she took it from him. "Thank you. Now, watch and learn, ladies, watch and learn."

Kim laughed. "Whatever you say, babe, whatever you say."

Adam walked up to the edge of the river and waded in the water to grab the rope. You and Kim stood on the edge of the river and watched as Adam dragged the rope with him as he stood on a rock, which was right below the tree that the rope was tied to. Then, he cinched the rope between his feet and jumped up and swung forward.

"Yeehaw!" Adam yelled.

Then, after a few seconds, he let go of the rope and fell into the river.

The rope dangled back and forth until Adam grabbed it and dragged it in with him.

"Who's next?" he asked as he held the rope out.

"You wanna go, Kim?" you asked.

"You sure you don't wanna go before me?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Go ahead," you said.

"You nervous, darlin'?" Adam asked you as he took his hat back from Kim and placed it on his head.

"A bit." You looked down at your feet. "Are there snakes in there?" you practically mumbled.

"Oh, darlin'," Adam said with a wave of his hand. "I can promise you that there's no snakes in there. You've never seen a snake in there have you, baby?" he asked Kim.

"Nope, no snakes. I promise. Now, I'll go, and then you gotta go because it's so much fun!"

Kim grabbed the rope and then made her way up onto the rock. She did the same thing that Adam did and soon it was your turn.

"I'm stealing your aux, babe," Kim said as she walked toward Adam's truck.

Adam raised an eyebrow. "I don't know why you can't just listen to the radio like we've been doing, but go ahead, baby."

Kim walked over to the truck and changed the input to aux and then quickly pulled up Spotify. From there, she pulled up the song Like A Lady by Lady A, formerly known as Lady Antebellum. She turned the volume all the way up on her phone, plugged it into the aux, and hit play.

"Lady!" came out of the speakers as well as the opening chords.

You gasped as Kim came running back to you and Adam.

"How'd you know this one of my favorite songs?" you asked.

Ever since Hailey had played it for you on your first night in Tennessee when you were unpacking and sippin' on moonshine, you loved this song. It was all about feeling like a lady while wearing jeans and drinking and being comfortable with yourself and not needing a man.

"Y/N, I follow you on Spotify. I can see what you listen to. Now, go get to it, lady!" Kim cheered.

You smiled and turned around. You walked to the rock and climbed up on it just before the chorus. You grabbed onto the rope.

"'Cause I feel like a lady," you sang loudly to the music. "Sippin' on tequila with my Levis on."

You clamped your feet around the rope and jumped.

You felt weightless for just about one second and then you let go of the rope and fell into the water with a splash.

The water wasn't freezing, it was a little cold, but it was still decently comfortable. You started swimming back to the shore and grabbed the rope when it swung back toward you.

"Hell yeah!" Adam yelled as he ran up to you and took the rope so you could pull yourself up onto the river bank. "You did awesome! Did you like it?"

"I loved it! Let's do it again!" you yelled.

"See?" Kim said. "I told you that you'd love it!"

"I propose a celebratory shot for Y/N's first time jumping off the rope swing!" Adam said and the three of you headed back to his truck to have more booze.

And that is how you learned that you didn't get hangover headaches like Kim, but got hella tired the next day just like Hailey. But, a little hangover (despite not being old enough to legally drink) was all worth it because of how much fun you, Kim, and Adam had.

***

Months later

"Welcome to Chocolate Moose, everybody!" Adam announced and fumbled with the lockbox to get the key.

Since it was exam season, there was a tradition that started during the winter semester of their sophomore year that was where they'd all go up to a cabin (each cabin had a name and yours was Chocolate Moose) in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which was an hour away from school, to go study without the temptation of parties and the libraries that were packed as hell and barely had any seats open because everyone and their mama had decided to study there.

He unlocked the door and opened it.

You walked in and were in awe. When you walked in, you saw a small kitchen complete with a stove, oven, microwave, and pots, pans, plates, bowls, cups, mugs, and silverware stored in cabinets and drawers. There was also a small pantry to your right the minute you walked inside.

Off of the small kitchen were the living room and the dining area. There was a circular wooden table with six chairs and there was a tv and a couch that folded out into a bed. Right next to that was a bedroom with a bathroom, which also had its own tv in it.

And, if you walked to the end of the living room, there was a door that led to the first-floor deck that overlooked the Smoky Mountains. On the deck was a wooden table that matched the wood of the deck and six stools, so it would be a nice place to study or eat breakfast or sip coffee in the morning.

The stairs to go to the second floor were above the table (so the table was tucked beneath the second set of stairs). When you got up there, there was a pool table, a bubble hockey table, another couch that folded out into a bed, and a coffee table in front of said couch.

To the right of the couch and coffee table was a California king-sized bed with a trunk in front of it which held the bedding for the pull-out couches. Then, there was a dresser with a mirror to the side of the bed and a closet. There was also a full bathroom with a washer and dryer and a dressing table (so tons of counter space and two mirrors) upstairs as well.

And, there was another deck on the second floor. This one didn't have a full-sized table, but it did have two chairs with a small table between, and a small couch complete with a bunch of throw pillows on one end of the deck. This deck too overlooked the beauty that was the Smoky Mountains.

"Who's that?" you asked fifteen minutes later after you had finished touring the cabin and figuring out sleeping arrangements.

It had been decided that Adam and Kim would take the first-floor bedroom and that you'd take the pull-out couch on their floor. Hailey and Jay would sleep upstairs and you wondered why you couldn't take the upstairs couch like you wanted to because Jay was quick to tell you no.

You knew they weren't gonna try to do the nasty up there since there was no door shutting the upstairs off from the downstairs, so you had no idea why he wouldn't let you sleep on the pull-out couch upstairs.

"Who's that?" you asked again while looking out the kitchen window.

Then, you saw a head of red hair in the driver's seat and rushed out the door to where the person parked their car.

"Will!" you shouted as he got out of the car. "I missed you!" You wrinkled your nose at what he was wearing: a pair of blue scrubs.

"I drove here right after I got off a twelve-hour ED rotation," Will told you. "Hence the scrubs."

"I would give you a hug, but who knows what kinda bodily fluids have been on those."

"Good choice. We'll postpone the hug until after I take a quick shower and change."

Adam, Kim, and Jay came outside and said their hellos to Will, and Jay took Will's backpack, making a joke saying that it felt like he stuffed a ton of rocks in there.

So, now you knew why you couldn't sleep on the pull-out couch upstairs: Will was sleeping there.

***

"Fuck!" you yelled as you felt a bee sting you on the upper part of your left inner thigh.

"What?" Adam asked.

You, Adam, and Kim were outside at the table on the first-floor deck studying while Will was upstairs studying and Jay and Hailey were studying one of their law studies classes at the kitchen table together.

"The fuckin' bee stung me!"

"Well, you were swattin' at him, darlin'," Adam said, which earned him a smack to the arm from Kim.

"Because he was between my legs!" you argued. "What was I supposed to do? Let him fly up my shorts and sting me there? Oh hell no!"

You got up and walked inside.

"Will!" you shouted the minute you closed the door to the deck.

"Y/N! Keep it down!" Jay scolded. "We're trying to study!"

You had made it up the first set of stairs and leaned over the railing. "Well, I just strung by fuckin' bee, so I think I can yell a bit, Jay! Will!"

"What?" he said and ripped out his headphones when you got all the way upstairs. "Med school's no joke, you know!"

"Well, what do I put on a bee sting?" you huffed.

Will sighed. "Hold on. They asked me to be the one who brought the first aid kit and I'm glad I did."

He got up and then came back with a bottle of lotion.

"Put this on it. Should cool down the stinging. Tell me if it gets worse or starts itching."

"Okay, thanks."

You put it on and hoped it would be better soon.

***

Okay, so this bee sting wasn't getting better. It was actually getting worse.

It had been itchy all day and you were currently shaving your legs in your shower. You felt the place where the bee had stung you and it was swollen as if someone had shoved a disk the size of an Oreo in your leg at the place the bee had stung you.

You got out of the shower, got changed, and walked out of the bathroom where country music was blasting and Jay and Adam were playing a friendly (okay, so maybe not so friendly) game of pool.

"Hailey, is my bee sting supposed to be super itchy?" you asked as you sat down on the couch next to her.

She and everyone else was drinking one of their two allotted white claws. Yes, during finals week you had all decided there needed to be a daily cut-off for alcohol so that you could all get your shit done. And, it helped keep everyone accountable since everyone in the cabin was only having two per day...and you weren't spending a ton of money this weekend on alcohol.

"Um, none of mine have ever been," she said. "Will!" He turned to look at her from where he was sitting and intently watching the pool game...mostly to make sure neither Adam nor Jay cheated. "Her bee sting supposed to itch?"

"Not unless she's allergic to bees...and she's not." He stood up. "Go lay on the bed and let me take a look."

"Oh, fuck no! I am not letting my brother look there!"

"Y/N, I'm a med student. I've seen a helluva lot more than a bee sting on your inner thigh. You can even go put on some short spandex if that would make you more comfortable."

You currently had on loose-fitting shorts that you knew would fall back to expose what underwear you were wearing if you let Will take a look. "Actually, I think I'll go do that," you said.

You quickly grabbed a pair of spandex from your suitcase and went back into the bathroom and changed into them.

"Y'all check for a stinger?" Adam asked.

Will must've filled him in when you were changing your shorts.

"Shit," Will cursed. "I knew there was something I forgot to do."

"What kinda fuckin' doctor are you if you forget to check something like that?" you asked Will rhetorically. "Hailey, I'm gonna need that empty white claw bottle to smack Will over the head with like you did to Jay on the river."

"Sorry, hun," Hailey apologized. "I ain't finished with this 'ere can yet."

"I'll hit him!" Jay yelled, putting down his pool stick and grabbing his empty can.

He hit Will on the arm with the empty white claw can as hard as he possibly could.

"The fuck?" Will yelled. "Why'd you do that?"

"I dunno." Jay turned to Adam. "Why were we hitting Will, again?"

"Holy shit," Adam muttered to himself. "Because he forgot to check Y/N's bee sting to see if the stinger was still there."

"Oh, okay. That was stupid, Will."

You laid on the bed and let Will look at the spot the bee stung you. Then, he put on a pair of gloves and pulled out a pair of tweezers.

"Hailey?" he called. She looked up expectantly. "Can you come over here and hold up a flashlight? I think I found the stinger."

Hailey got up and turned on the flashlight on her phone and crouched down next to Will.

"That good?" she asked as she finished positioning the phone so the phone's flashlight was pointing directly at your bee sting.

"Yup." He looked up at you. "Now, I'm gonna put one of my hands above the bee sting, that way you won't be able to see the tweezers go in. Sound good?"

"Mhm. At least this is better than when Jay tried to attack me with a snake!"

Will laughed. "I bet."

Five minutes later, the stinger was out and Will told you to put Neosporin and a bandaid over it just so you didn't keep itching it because he told you the itchiness wouldn't go away immediately.

"I need a drink," you said after you were all done.

Hailey handed you a raspberry white claw from the mini-fridge next to the couch and you popped it open.

"Thanks," you said.

"You're welcome."

"Everyone shut up!" Adam yelled. "This is Jay and Hailey's song...well, they didn't exactly meet at a bar and Hailey wasn't drinking a white claw, but it was a Saturday and those two did ditch us. So, dance you two!"

They tried to object, but Adam dragged Jay over to Hailey and Kim pushed Hailey up off the couch and towards Jay.

"Sittin' over there in the corner, baby, I saw pretty red lips workin' on a white claw," you all sang along to Single Saturday Night by Cole Swindell. And, you'd be lying if you said that this song didn't remind you of the story that Jay had told you about the first time he took Hailey out when she was bored one Saturday night in a sports bar. "Shakin' to a little Shook Me All Night Long. And I thought, man, what a beautiful sight."

You smiled. Four months ago, there'd be no way you'd know this song. But, thanks to your brother's friends and his girlfriend, you knew so many more country songs. But, most of all, if your first semester of freshman year was any indication, you were going to have the time of your life going to college here in Tennessee.

A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading! Again, please remember to like/reblog and comment because I love reading all your comments and seeing that you voted because that means you enjoyed reading the imagine! As always, if you want to be added to my taglist, just tell me and I’ll add you! Again, I am donating all my proceeds on buy me a coffee until the end of AU-gust to Save The Children to help the children in Afghanistan. Buy me a coffee here.

Taglist: @theambracer88 @virtualreader @kelelas-life @celyndavies @brookerz122493 @musicismyescape27 @anotherfan07 @thexplosivegirl@dreamingwithlens @xoxmariaxox @onechicago18 @iamasimpingh0e @i-like-sparkly-things @herecomesthewriterwitch @liampayne88

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