A Clean Glass, Please

I've known for years that she had an obsession with being clean. Antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, and safety were her three main priorities in life, but she had a lot of other amazing aspects about her that I couldn't help but find myself lost in. I was forever enchanted by the natural light that glowed around her when she walked into a room. She had a heart of gold and the soul of an adventurer. Truthfully, I'd been in love with her for as many years as I'd known about her cleanliness fixation that conflicted with the tomboy who loved to ride a quad through fresh mud, but I'd never had the courage to say a word. Instead, I just wanted to be her best friend, and hoped that I could keep her as safe as possible in that regard.

That still didn't make saying her name sound any less magical though.

Hayley.

One summer took us in an entirely new direction, and I'm not sure if it was all the right things that happened coincidentally or if some kind of god was looking out for me, but I never thought the girl I loved would give me more reasons to love her while sitting in an old barn late one night.

The fact that she was in the barn with me and a handful of our other friends was astonishing to begin with. She didn't like the dirt, scent of hay, or lack of seating that didn't require plastic covering for her personal standards of acceptable cleanliness. But a friend of a friend had persuaded her to come along, so we just so happened to end up at the same barn party. Had I known she might come along, I would have invited her myself, but that's besides the point. She was there, and so was I. It was the first moment I felt fate was doing right by me.

I drank my ice cold beer with my peripheral vision fixated on Hayley's every movement, ensuring she wasn't too uncomfortable. We were best friends, of course, but I wanted her to have her own space while I kept a close eye on her. I sighed, feeling a pang of guilt as I realized she would be standing for hours; there was no way she'd sit on anything in this dusty old building. Suddenly, I remembered the plethora of items I'd bought on a whim at the store recently, and rushed to my trunk.

With pride, I approached Hayley with tarp and a thick throw blanket. "If you wanna sit on somethin', you could feel a little more comfortable on one of these."

"You are a lifesaver, Trinity." She accepted the tarp, as I expected, and I held my hand up before she laid it on the bales of hay stacked up as seats. "Let me lay the blanket down first for an extra cushion." I carefully draped the throw over the bale, allowing her to drape a tarp over it so she could take a seat. She smiled at me, and my heart felt like jumping right out of my throat.

"I was a little more uncomfortable than I wanted to admit." Hayley turned slightly red as she fidgeted her thumbs together in her lap. I smiled reassuringly.

"I figured. You never say a word about anything that's bothering you. Pretty much gotta pry it out of you with the jaws of life."

"Well, thanks Trinity, I'm glad you know me the way you do."

I chugged hard on my beer until the can emptied. "I'm going to grab another one. You want a drink?"

"No. I mean, I brought one of my own, but I forgot to bring a glass. I'd rather not drink out of a can that's been plunged into a filthy metal tub of ice for hours." Hayley crinkled her nose as her shaggy red hair fell into her hazel eyes, and I chuckled.

"I must be your fairy godmother tonight. Gimme just a second, girl." I rushed back to my trunk, popped it open and wouldn't you know, the wine glass set I bought on clearance for a wedding gift was still hanging out. I pulled out a single glass and retrieved a couple of bottles of water to give it a decent rinse over the grass. Closing the trunk with a satisfied grin, I waltzed back to Hayley on her safety bale.

"I got the glass if you got the drink." I held it up triumphantly, and Hayley laughed.

"Funny, Trinity, I actually brought a bottle of wine. Give me just a minute." She hopped up to go retrieve her own drink as I grabbed another cold one from the evil, bacteria-ridden ice bucket of beer cans. Upon her return, she opened her bottle and took the glass from me to pour herself one.

"Looks fancy. What is it?" I tilted my head as I studied the unique bottle.

"A fruity Merlot." Hayley smiled as she inhaled the scent deeply before taking a slow sip, enjoying it thoroughly as if it were a coffee addict's first cup of a long day ahead. "I'm not an expert or anything but I can tell you, the flavor combo is totally wow!" Her enthusiasm for the flavors made me smile as she took another deep drink.

She finished and chuckled. "What's got you smiling so much?"

"You." I shook my head, continuing to grin. "You're awful different, you know that? We're sitting in a barn and you're sipping fancy wine. I got a cold beer in my hand that's covered in germs. Now it's all over my mouth, like all up on my lips and everything. We're not exactly a normal pair here."

Hayley laughed so hard she wheezed, and I wondered if the Merlot had hit a little too hard...or maybe I was actually kinda funny!

"I can't imagine you being anything close to gross, Trinity."

"Well I try to keep it cool around you. Gotta respect the interest in cleanliness, after all. It's who you are, right?" The beers were definitely hitting and I took another long drink as Hayley quietly sipped her wine. "And who you are is no problem to me, Hayley. You're pretty different, and it's cool. Makes you think. And---"

She kissed me. Hard. My beer fell out of my hands, along with her wine glass, as she kissed me as hard as I'd ever been kissed by any woman. I fell deeply into it, placing my hands on the sides of her face, her soft cheeks inviting my fingertips to stroke them as I enjoyed her unexpected attack of passion. It lasted forever, and yet it ended too soon.

We were breathless by the time it ended. I couldn't help myself, though.

"Well damn, baby, I woulda bought you some wine a long time ago if I knew that would happen." I chuckled, hoping like hell the joke would keep the mood light; I had no idea if she would regret what she just did.

Hayley shook her head. "I've wanted to do that for years. I love you, Trinity. It's not the Merlot, I promise. It's just you, and the way you care about me."

I sighed, my entire being feeling at home knowing that the woman I'd wanted for so long was suddenly professing her love to me. I was about to have everything I wanted with her, and I knew it.

"Well now I got all kinds of pressure. Do I ask you on a first date now? Or do we become girlfriends first? Which order are we doing this thing? Because I'm gonna need to understand---"

"Can't this be our first date?" Hayley gestured at our surroundings, with muffled music sounds coming from a truck parked out near a cornfield, a bonfire nearby, people enjoying their favorite drinks, and the stars were starting to twinkle light happy reminders that beauty was about to surround both me and Hayley as night continued to fall.

"Works for me." I loved how easy it was for her to be happy. The simplicity of a barn party was her ideal first date? I was pretty sure this was about to be a lot of fun with her.

I just couldn't help but make one more comment.

"Your glass is dirty, sweetie. Let me go get you another. A perfectly clean one, as you desire."