Keep it simple, stupid

[Stefjan Auer]

UMPH!

Stef fell back onto a bed of hay with a low grunt. The loft was a bit dusty but otherwise it was a great hiding spot. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Nobody would think to look for him here and even if they did, he'd already pulled up the old creaky ladder that enabled him to get up here in the first place. What were they gonna do? Burn him out?

Outside, rain still fell and it was still breezy and cold, but the brunt of the storm seemed to have passed. He heard raindrops pattering down onto the roof of the old barn and saw it still sheeting down from the tiny round window set up high. This barn wasn't one filled with noisy animals; it was used mostly for storage for tractors and diggers and hay balers and other heavy equipment that couldn't be left outside.

This was the perfect place for a nap on a hot summer day, or to escape chores. Wes rightfully pointed out that he was being paid to do those chores, but Stef also rightfully pointed out that he was lazy and couldn't be trusted. He did his share when old man Carter was around because he wanted to impress him (and okay maybe he had like a weird fondness for him) but for Wes?

For young Wesley, only the finest of trolling.

Although that fell short for a little bit, as weirdness worked its way into their conversation. Look, Stef wasn't stupid. In fact, he was pretty smart. He was lazy and shiftless and a typical party-boy, but he was pretty smart. Smart enough to pick up on Weirdness. Smart enough to see that Wes was doing everything he could--including mucking horse shit--to avoid coming up here with him.

Why?

Was the loft a romantic spot for couples to fool around in?

Did Stef maybe at one point fool around in said loft with one of the Carters' temp ranch hands last summer?

Maybe.

But shit, it wasn't like he was gonna go down on Wes the second he got up here! Stef had pride, okay. And he was no fool--he knew when to keep it in his pants. Apparently Wes was still too weirded out to join him though. When did the weirdness happen? In the lull between messages he scrolled up. After the bit about dirty talk? Wes seemed uncomfortable but Stef assumed that was because his girl was a boring prude and it made him sad.

After the bit about the married couple? God, they were adorable. Stef saw them smiling and winking at each other, over the head of the little kid eating ham slices and ignoring the veggies on her plate. He'd just bet that after they put her to bed, they'd be getting all frisky. They seemed like that type of couple. Boring on the outside, but freaky between the sheets. And hey, he was all for that--old guys needed action too! He was even sorta looking forward to properly meeting them tomorrow!

But then Wes... Weirdness. Ugh. He asked about the girlfriend but he wasn't really... It was just like... Stef only cared about Wes' side of the story. Not his girlfriend's side. He thought it was weird that she was a prude in the sack but then also wanted to go live in a big city. Like, what? Did she even know what she wanted? Meanwhile Wes was clinging to her like she was a lifeline and Stef just didn't know WHY. She was pretty common around these parts, honestly. Nothing special. Nothing to go bananas over the way Wes apparently was.

Stef chewed idly on a long stalk of straw. Geez. He wished Wes would open his eyes to all the possibilities out there. There were so many chicks who were better than that one in particular who caused him so much agony. Wasting all his energy and time and affections on a girl who didn't even want to stay with him just seemed pointless to Stef.

Then again... he'd never liked her. Ever since she came onto the scene, there was Weirdness. It started out small, then snowballed. Weirdness between him and Wes, Weirdness from him, from Wes. Stef kicked a foot into the air and watched the dust motes floating around his leg. If she hadn't caught Wes' eye... Well maybe another girl would have. The outcome would be the same, wouldn't it? Not like things changed, or that Stef had always secretly hoped....

Bah.

Weirdness.