Chapter Text
Bill’s breath caught in his throat. It had been so long since he’d seen her. He eyed her as she walked through the crowd. Her smile was bright, her blue eyes sparkling. He couldn’t stop looking at her. It was like everything else and everyone else in the room faded away and it was just the two of them. He heard her laugh float across the room and he was transported back over twenty years ago to that Summer, the Summer that changed his life.
He was in Illinois for a community service project. He wasn’t too happy about spending his Summer away from Arkansas but most important he didn’t want to be away from Leslie. He’d never felt this way about anyone and he knew he was going to marry her, although he was just a teenager and marriage was a long ways away. Bill threw his backpack over his shoulder and walked into the church rectory where the rest of the group were milling around talking among themselves. He noticed that they’d already started to break off into little cliques. He scanned the crowd trying to figure out where he should lay down his roots. He noticed a girl sitting off to the side reading a book, she hadn’t gravitated towards any groups yet. He wondered if she was one of the administrators, but she looked fairly young.
Bill walked over to her and sat down on the pew next to her. She didn’t look up from the book she was reading, he cleared his throat and finally the bespectacled girl looked up.
“Bill Clinton” he offered his hand. She took his.
“Hillary Rodham” she said confidently. He smiled at her, there was something about her he immediately liked.
“Are you one of the administrators?” she frowned.
“Do I look that old?” her tone was flat and he couldn’t detect if she were offended.
“Not at all. I just noticed you weren’t in a group” Hillary looked around as if it were the first time she’d noticed the other kids.
“Well I find my reading a lot more interesting than anything they could be talking about” he smiled he liked this girl.
“You from this area?”
“Yes, I can tell you aren’t” he laughed.
“No, Arkansas” he didn’t bother telling her the town because he knew she’d have never heard of it.
“What are you doing all the way up here?” she placed the bookmark in her book and turned slightly toward him. Bill was instantly proud of himself. Clearly, he was more interesting than the rest of the kids and her book.
“Wanted to get some additional Community Service. I’m graduating next Summer and I hope to get into Georgetown. I thought it would look good if I did some service projects outside of Arkansas and plus this was something I was interested in. What about you?”
“Just about the same and I know Dan. He’s been a mentor to me” her voice perked up when talking about Dan Jones. Bill was interested in the fact she called him by his first name, interested and a little jealous. Before he could say anything else the man they’d been talking about walked into the room and had everyone gather around.
Two Weeks Later
Bill trudged back to his cabin. He was more tired than he’d ever been in his life. They’d been helping build houses for less fortunate people, doing yard work for senior citizens and whatever other labor the community needed. He just wanted a shower and his bed. He went to his cot and grabbed his shower supplies, before heading out to the community bathroom. When he exited the cabin, a few kids ran past him headed for the lake. It was Friday and they’d have the weekend just to relax. Off in the distance he saw her headed his way. He hadn’t been able to talk to her much, they’d been split into different groups. He waved at her and she casually waved back. The closer she got he noticed what she was wearing or what she wasn’t.
She was wearing a pair of short figure hugging shorts, and a shirt that clung to her ample perky breasts. He felt himself start to harden and he immediately dropped his towel down in front of his pants.
“Haven’t seen you in awhile” he said when she was finally in front of him.
“Yeah it’s been super busy. Why didn’t you go home for the weekend? Most of the kids still here live in the area” he didn’t want to admit that he didn’t have the money to go home or the desire to be honest. It was nice to not have to be around his stepfather.
“I wanted to just hang around here. Didn’t make sense to go all the way down there for just a few days” she shrugged seeming to accept his excuse. “What are you still doing here?”
“I like it here. It’s a place where I can have quiet and solitude” he wondered if there was more to what she’d said. She had never really talked about her family life. Bill wondered if she had some of the same type of difficulties that he did.
“Do you have any sibling?”
“Two younger brothers, what about you?”
“A younger brother” his shower all but forgotten.
“Well it’s just a few of us left here if you want to maybe go to a movie or something I wouldn’t mind” he smiled liking that idea very much.
“Yeah let’s do that. Where are you headed right now?” he noticed she had a blanket and a book.
“I like to go into the woods and read” she smiled softly at him. “Well I’ll let you get to your shower. Stop by cabin eight when you want to head into town to see a move” Hillary walked around him and headed towards the thick brush. He watched her until she disappeared.
Bill finished his shower and rushed to his cabin. He was going to take her up on her offer for a movie. He had a girlfriend but he just wanted to get to know Hillary, that was what he told himself. Bill dressed quickly and headed out towards her cabin. He reached her cabin and knocked on the door, but he was crestfallen to realize she hadn’t come back from her reading. Bill sighed, wondering if he should just go back to his cabin. When he was about to walk away she appeared.
Hillary saw him standing outside her cabin and she frowned confused about what he was up to. She waved cautiously at him.
“Thought we’d go to a movie” she nodded realization dawning on her.
“Sure let me just grab my bag and we can go. Anything you want to see?” he shrugged.
“No just want to get away for a bit” she was ok with that. Hillary went into her cabin and grabbed her bag. They headed out to the movies, neither of them had a car so they trekked to the bus stop four blocks away. They chatted the entire way, Bill felt more and more attached to her.
They went to a small independent theater that showed older films and watched Grease. Bill wanted to put his arm around her, hold her hand, kiss her, but he knew she just thought of him as a friend.
After the movie they took a bus to a local diner, Hillary had a taste for a cheeseburger. They entered the diner and slid into an open booth.
“I’m not going to have anything” he said looking around. Hillary frowned.
“Why not? They have great burgers here” he sighed not wanting to tell her that he didn’t have any money left after the movie. He’d insisted on paying for her movie not realizing she was going to want to eat afterwards.
“I’m not hungry” she could tell the way his eyes shifted he wasn’t being truthful. Hillary reached across the table and grabbed his hand.
“It’s my treat” Bill slid his hand from underneath hers and she hoped she hadn’t upset him.
“I don’t need your charity” his voice was gruff.
“I wasn’t trying to say you did. You paid for the movie I offered to pay for dinner. It’s not like we’re on a date we’re just friends” her words threw cold water on his fantasies.
“You’re right I’m sorry” he sighed. Her warm blue eyes made him feel like he could tell him anything and she wouldn’t judge him.
“I don’t have much” he said simply.
“It’s fine Bill we’re friends and I want to do this. I saved money up from my job last Summer. I’m not rich either, but we can help each other” she smiled at him and it made his heart swell. They ate dinner and chatted the entire time. Bill and Hillary took the bus back to their cabins.
“I’m pretty tired so I’m going to turn in” he didn’t want her to go. He felt inexplicably drawn to her. Bill compulsively drew her into a hug. She didn’t shy away from him, instead she hugged him tightly. When they parted they stared into each other’s eyes. Bill leaned slowly into her until their lips touched, he sucked her bottom lip between his lips, lacing his fingers through her thick hair. Hillary’s heart pounded in her chest before she pulled away from him. She turned and walked away quickly. He swore as he watched her retreating form. He hoped he hadn’t messed up their friendship.