Once Upon A Rodeo

Fourteen - [The Voicemail.]

It was well past midnight.

The only light was coming from the moon, illuminating my bedroom from the window behind my bed's headboard. I was lying on my side, wishing desperately that sleep would come to me.

But it didn't.

Reaching over, I grabbed the slip of paper that was sitting on my bedside table. It had been on my mind since he'd left it in my truck a few days ago.

Glad we called a truce.

I knew that I liked him. I had known it for sometime, but I was able to lie to myself because of our frequent arguments.

I want to take you on a date on Wednesday. A real date.

I didn't want to admit it, because I didn't want to feel the rejection if my feelings weren't returned. But this meant that he liked me, too, didn't it? Why would he want to take me on a date if he didn't like me?

Pick you up at six?

I hadn't let him know. I hadn't confirmed it. It was the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday, and I hadn't told him I wanted to go on the date. A date I very much did want to go on.

What was holding me up?

I was nervous to see what would happen. I knew Brantley was the type of guy who could make a girl fall head over heels in love, and I was scared of what would happen if he turned his full charm on me.

What was the worse that could happen? We could simply just not work out. He could cheat on me, or break my heart. He wouldn't do either of the last two, I knew it as soon as the thought crossed my mind.

We could just simply not work out...

That was a chance, of course. That was always a chance in a relationship. But you just needed to decide if it was worth it or not. And I already knew the answer to that. Brantley was worth it.

I reached over to my bedside table and picked up my cell phone. I searched through my contacts and found Brantley's quickly. I hit the call button. I was thinking much too hard about this.

I listened to it ring for a moment, realizing that Brantley probably wasn't even awake. It was three o' clock in the morning. My heart thrummed in my chest. What if he was awake? What was I going to say?

Hey, you've reached Brantley. I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message.

"Hey, Brantley. I-it's me," I stumbled over my words, and realized he didn't even know it was me...He didn't have my number. "It's Kennedy. I hope I didn't wake you up or anything. Sorry I haven't called before now..."

I took a long, deep breath.

"I've just been nervous, I guess. I don't know. I would love to go on a date with you, though. I'll understand if you don't want to, though. Let me know."

With a shaky hand, I pulled the phone away from my ear and hung up.

— Brantley's Point of View —

A loud ringing pulled me from a deep sleep.

I rolled over in bed, pulling the covers up to my neck and cursing whoever was calling me at such an ungodly hour. I did my best to ignore it, but the more it rang the further my return to sleep went.

Groaning, I rolled back over and found my phone among the mass of covers in my bed. I looked at the phone and found it was a number that I didn't recognize and wasn't an area code that I knew.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I grumbled to no one in particular. I was about to put the phone back down when the message popped up.

*One new voicemail*

"This better be important," I muttered before clicking play.

Hey, Brantley. I-it's me.

Kennedy was stumbling over her words, her voice groggy with sleep that probably hadn't come to her.

It's Kennedy. I hope I didn't wake you up or anything. Sorry I haven't called before now...

I wasn't angry at her. I had been, before now. She hadn't so much as sent me a text message. She could have said no, if she didn't want to go. The soft, unsure tone of her voice had already earned my forgiveness.

I've just been nervous, I guess. I don't know. I would love to go on a date with you, though. I'll understand if you don't want to, though. Let me know.

My stubborn pride was always something that caused problems in my relationship. I had always tried to not let it get in the way, but it was much easier said than done.

And so far, I had let that get in the way of what I felt for Kennedy. I'd known I was going to like her from the moment I'd shown up on her doorstep. I remembered the moment she opened the door.

Her blonde hair had hung messily around her shoulders, and she had a pair of bright green eyes and freckles scattered across her nose. But she was infuriating to me in a way that was both irritating and amusing at the same time.

She was kind, and funny even when she wasn't trying to be. She was bright and I could tell that she had a big heart.

I called her back, but it went directly to voicemail. Her phone must have died. I typed out a text message, falling asleep shortly after that.

— Kennedy's Point Of View —

I didn't wake up until nearly eleven o' clock.

I had fallen asleep shortly after leaving Brantley the voicemail, forgetting to put my phone on the charger. I stretched for a moment, plugging my phone in before going downstairs to make some coffee.

Fumbling around in the kitchen, I wondered what Brantley had thought about my message. Maybe he didn't want to go anymore. Who can blame him? I hadn't talked to him in days.

With a full cup of coffee and full of nerves, I went back upstairs to see if he had responded to my three a.m. voicemail.

And there was a response. It was a simple text message, five little words that was enough to fill my belly full of butterflies.

I'll be there at six.

Author's Note: So, I was going to make this chapter much longer. I wanted to put their date in with it, but I decided that I didn't want to add anything else to it because I think what happened here was pretty significant.