2. Just Take A Second To Set Things Straight

                                    

                                          
I slept dreamlessly until the following morning. I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept so peacefully and for such a long time. It was nice to wake up and not still feel tired or plagued by memories. After showering and changing clothes, I padded downstairs.
                          
The smell of pancakes and sausage wafted through the air and I followed it into the kitchen. I expected to see my aunt standing in front of the stove, but was instead met with the sight of a blond girl sitting on one of the bar stools. Aunt Kathy was stirring pancake batter while the girl talked excitedly.
                          
Despite my broken heart, my first thought upon seeing her was how hot she was. She had honey blond hair that cascaded down to the middle of her back and a perfectly smooth slightly tan complexion. Her smile was bright and her eyes were a gentle sky blue. She was thin, but not too thin. Like a typical guy, my eyes trailed down her body. I was impressed.
                          
I cleared my throat, making my presence known. I smiled at Aunt Kathy who grinned back at me.
                          
"Oh, just in time. This is one of our neighbors," my aunt explained.
                          
"Hey," I said. "I'm Alex."
                          
"Hayden," the girl smiled. Her voice was soft, yet confident and held a thick, drawling Southern accent.
                          
"Hayden comes by every once in a while to help me take care of the ranch," Aunt Kathy explained.
                          
"I like spending time with the animals," Hayden shrugged. "Plus, Kathy's pancakes are to die for."
                          
I nodded. Kathy smirked at me. "I was just about to ask Hayden to go check the coop. Why don't you go with her?"
                          
"Uhh... okay," I shrugged, not really knowing what "the coop" was.
                          
Hayden smiled at me, before gesturing for me to follow her out the door. We walked out into the warm air, the screen door slamming shut behind us. Green pastures spread out as far as I could see. My aunt’s old border collie stared at us from his spot relaxing across the field. Silence stretched over the two of us, the sounds of the ranch and the wilderness the only thing breaking it.
                          
“So, Kathy told me you’re in a band,” Hayden prompted.
                          
I nodded. “All Time Low. We were in the middle of a tour when I had to come down here.”
                          
I could feel myself tense as I waited for her to ask about it, why I'd left it all behind. I prepared myself for the innocent question, but it never came. Instead, she just smiled at me before returning her blue eyes to the landscape in front of us. 
                          
We walked through the field until we reached a small wooden structure, and suddenly I realized what my aunt meant by the coop. The chicken coop. Birds were some freaky fucking creatures. I watched as Hayden easily strolled into the shed-like building as I hesitantly followed behind her.
                          
The room was filled with a strange smell and a settling of white and red feathers on the dirt floor. The sound of clucking chickens surrounded me as the rustled their feathers. Their small black eyes followed us as we entered the room. I tensed, ready for one of them to come flying at my face, their yellow claws digging into my eye sockets.
                          
I glanced over at Hayden who looked completely calm as she grabbed a light wicker basket that sat by the door. As she looked over at me, her expression could only be described as amused.
                          
"You can relax," she smiled. "They're not going to do anything."
                          
"How do you know?" I asked dubiously.
                          
"They're hens, Alex, and we collect their eggs everyday. They're used to it by now."
                          
As if leading by example, Hayden reached around one of the beady eyed chickens and plucked two eggs from its nest. She placed them gently in the basket before moving onto the next chicken and retrieving its eggs. I watched her frown as she moved onto the next hen, who was sitting squarely in its nest instead of perched at the edge like most of them.