Chapter Text
We all have that one person in life. The person that can stop the clock and steal your breath. The person that can make your head spin until you no longer believe that you are operating on the same axis as the Earth. The person who everyone would say you have a “history” with… You know, the type of history that causes you to wonder years later why the two of you never became more than just that.
*
It was the summer of 1996 in Kingston, Oklahoma and Blake Shelton had just turned fourteen. He was intent on doing all that he could to stretch out every last minute he had with his best friend, Eric, before the boy and his family moved to Los Angeles for the new school year. The two fished the lake, scavenged the woods and played hide and seek in the picturesque wilderness until the sky was painted in soft pink and purple hues. Quite often, Eric’s quirky little sister tagged along, like she had been for most of her twelve plus years. In fact, it was getting to the point where Blake figured he’d actually miss her silly banter, too, when she was gone. Gwennie had coffee brown hair, big doe eyes and a giggle that gave away her position anytime she was near. It was this sweet sound that drew Blake in behind the old wooden storage shack, amongst some hydrangea bushes, one night in early August.
“Found you!”
He chirped happily into her ear as he slipped in behind her, lightly tugging at her loose denim overalls.
“Cowboy!”
She squealed and turned, and it was the first time he noticed that she wasn’t exactly a child anymore. He took in her changed facial features, which appeared to be highlighted with a thin application of makeup, and wondered to himself when this had even happened. How did Eric’s little sister turn into this very pretty girl?
His foot shifted nervously as her expression quickly became one of worry.
“What’s wrong, Blake?”
He swallowed and shook his head, unable to fully corral all of the thoughts pinballing around his teenaged brain. He had never felt this conscious of himself around her before.
“Nothing, really... I guess it’s just that I’m going to miss you, Gwennie. When you leave.”
She smiled shyly at him and then reached out so that her tiny fingers could gently squeeze his larger ones. A firefly buzzed and flickered nearby, mirroring the electricity he felt surging between them.
“You better not tell Eric that.”
Blake grinned and nodded because his best buddy would surely kill him if he knew how his feelings had suddenly grown for this girl. His soft, blue eyes met her gaze and their palms shifted until they were completely open and pressed together. He liked the feel of her delicate skin against his. The boy then watched intently as her tongue smoothed over her cherry tinted lip gloss, noting the way their breaths both synchronized and shallowed the closer they got in proximity. Eventually, more whispered words broke through her lips.
“You know, you were my first crush so I guess that means I’ll miss you a little, too...”
Gwen’s cheeks flushed softly, and Blake took pride in her reaction even though he felt his neck burning with a similar swath of color. He instinctively moved one hand to rub at his nape.
“Really? I was?”
She ducked her chin slightly and quickly bounced her head once in the affirmative. He knew then that her admission still held true. At that, he felt everything around him begin to slow and imprint on his brain - the sticky heat coating his dark curls, the fragrance of the petaled tufts lingering in the air, the beautiful innocence radiating from her tomboy cute appearance.
Something was changing in his young life.
He sucked in a swig of oxygen and bravely tipped Gwen’s jaw upwards, while slowly leaning down toward her. She stretched up on her toes to meet him and their lips bumped and brushed ever so gently. It was new and exhilarating, so much so that they stood there frozen like that for maybe a few seconds too long. But then again, how could he have really known what was too long? It was his first kiss.
When he could finally move again, he straightened his lanky frame and awkwardly pecked at her forehead once more with a stupid smile pasted on his face. She giggled at him with a bright, goofy grin. They then ran off together to find where Eric was hiding, a ripe secret hanging in the balance.
Eric didn’t catch them that night, although he was a bit annoyed that he was stuck lying in the damp sand under the dock for a period longer than he would have liked. In fact, he didn’t ever let on to Blake that he knew about the two of them stealing moments out of their last summer to practice their kissing skills. Of course Blake felt guilty for sneaking around his best friend, but he absolutely relished the brief slivers of time he got with Gwennie. They talked in a way they never had before and experimented with tongues under the stars. He draped his thin, plaid button up around her when she was chilled and flashed his dimples when she laughed at his jokes. It was the first time he had gotten a taste of the delicacies that life had to offer.
Unfortunately for him, though, it all ended before it really had a chance to begin.
Blake gave Gwen the tarnished cross pendant that hung around his neck only two weeks later; the day before he watched the Stefani’s pack up and go. He managed to hold in his anger and his tears as he did his best to tell Gwen how great her life would be in California.
“You’ll meet new people. You’ll have all kinds of cool opportunities there.”
He kissed her salty mouth tenderly in the sanctuary of his weathered treehouse and thumbed at the watery streaks marking her cheeks. He then forced himself to go eat burnt hotdogs over a campfire with Eric, while silently wishing he had the power to make them both stay. Of course he had his own family - his mom and his two older siblings - but this particular family was just as much ingrained in him now. The teen didn’t know what he would do without them nearby.
He didn’t sleep well that night and could barely stand as the Stefani’s finally pulled out of the lane in their bursting, blue station wagon. Blake could see Eric waving glumly in behind Gwennie, who could only drag the pads of her fingers down the glass of her window. How was this happening? He had hugged them both tightly only minutes before with hopeful promises to write and call, and now, it all just felt so futile.
No, he really would use his grass cutting money to pay for the long distance charges and never lose touch. He would maybe even save enough for a visit someday...
The dust kicked up off the car’s tires as it began to accelerate down the quiet country road and soon, there was nothing left for Blake to see but an unsettled cloud of particles.
He wouldn’t forget them.
He would remember her always.
Wouldn’t he?