“Two more!” Becky called up after the first bale had thumped down onto the floor below, “And yell before dropping the damn things next time!”
Jake glanced down to see Becky already snapping the baling wire with something in her hand. He took a second to watch, her long hair still in a ponytail streaming over her back while she worked, bits of straw visible clinging to her skin even from his height.
While growing up he had only got to see her occasionally, usually once a year during the obligatory family reunions, a blustering, bullying stick thin girl just as likely to punch you in the arm as to say hi. She had never been shy, never balked at the childish games or even the dares they had presented each other and was more than capable of holding him down and beating him up if he had tried to balk or try to weasel his way out of something.
A presence he had always been drawn to and been afraid of in equal measure.
He managed to manhandle a second bale to the edge and called out a warning.
“Go ahead!” Becky shouted up, Jake kicking at the bale until it overbalanced and disappeared with a loud thump from below.
Jake glanced down and watched Becky for a moment as she snapped the baling wires on the second bale, the memory of her large breasts and dark areola coming instantly to mind. Becky glanced up as if she somehow knew he was staring.
“Come on, Shorty, one more!” Becky yelled.
“Sure,” Jake replied although he doubted Becky could have heard him and walked over to retrieve one more bale.
He shoved and rolled it across the floor, the wood reverberating with a thump each time it fell on a side until he had it close to the edge.
“Ready?” Jake called out.
“Let it fall,” Becky replied.
Jake pushed the bale with his foot, a moment later having it disappear over the edge before landing with a loud thump.
“Come down and you can help me spread it out,” Becky yelled.
“Yea, sure,” Jake said softly while staring at the wooden ladder.
His palms were already sweating before he had even walked over, his feet rooted to the spot.
“You Ok?” Becky called out a minute later, “Need me to come up and hold anything for you while you climb down?”
“I’m…” Jake squeaked and then had to pause to clear his throat before he started over, “I’m fine!”
Still he didn’t move and only stared at the ladder, a moment later Becky’s head popping into view.
“Come on, Shorty, this is easy,” Becky said encouragingly and finished climbing up into the loft, “You just have to put one foot in front of the other and you’ll be on the ground in seconds.”
“Yea, that entire ‘on the ground in seconds’ thing is what I’m afraid of,” Jake shot back.
“Here,” Becky said and then walked over to take Jake’s sweaty hand in hers, “Just… come over here and grab onto one of the rungs.
“Pretend you’re grabbing onto one of my tits.”
“Really,” Jake said with a snort of amusement, “So you’re saying your tit is hard and rough and full of splinters?”
“Why don’t you climb down and I’ll let you find out so you can tell me,” Becky replied and guided his hand to one of the rungs on the ladder.