Alex shook her head, looking numbly at her mother. Nadine laughed as she shut the door behind her.
A few minutes later, they heard the garage door and the sound of the Weavers’ car retreating down the drive. They ate their dessert in silence for a while, gently rocking back and forth on the swing. The sun was sinking low on the horizon, casting them both in a twilight haze, and the lightning bugs had begun to emerge. Sam couldn’t remember ever feeling so content.
When she was done with her pie, Alex set down her coffee mug and turned again to look at Sam. “So, where were we?”
“I seem to recall you asking me about boyfriends,” Sam answered. She set her mug down and turned on the swing to face Alex, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. “And to answer your question, yes, I did haveboyfriends,” she said, making air quotes. “But everything with them was all fumbling and awkward, and they only ever had one goal in mind.” She grimaced. “I realized very early on that boys were…gross.” She picked at an invisible spot on her jeans. “I never had sex with any of them,” she said.
“Huh.” Alex’s face was scrunched up in thought. Sam thought she was the most adorable thing she had ever seen. “I never would have guessed that.”
“What did you think?” Sam countered. “That I was some kind of promiscuous teenager making my way through the football team?”
“No, no, no!” Alex covered up her face with her hands. “You were just amazing, and everything with you was so perfect and right that I would have thought you had done something before.” She cringed at her own words. “And…now I’m dying of embarrassment.”
“Alex, it’s okay.” Sam reached out and took her hand, making light circles along the back with her thumb. “I’m glad it was a good experience for you.” She winked.
Alex pulled back her hand and punched Sam lightly in the shoulder. “You’re terrible.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the sunset fade and the fireflies come out. Crickets started to chirp. Alex’s foot gently rocked them back and forth on the swing. It felt like the most perfect, natural thing in the world to Sam. Years ago, they hadspent countless hours like this: talking, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. Suddenly, she realized that if given the chance, she would spend the rest of her life on this swing with Alex. The thought hit her like a lightning bolt. Eventually, Alex’s voice broke the silence.
“I think I loved you from the night you won sectionals.” Alex’s voice was low. She turned to face Sam, again taking her hand. She threaded her fingers through it and brought it up to her lips. She brushed the barest of kisses across Sam’s knuckles. “After you celebrated with your teammates and your mom, I was the first person you came over to.” She smiled.
“That was the first time we hugged,” Sam remembered.
“I felt you in my whole body,” Alex explained. “And in that moment, something changed for me.” Alex shyly met Sam’s eyes. “I never wanted to let you go.”
“Alex,” Sam whispered. She tightened her grip on Alex’s hand to draw her closer. Alex shifted so that the leg she had tucked under her was stretched out on one side of Sam. She lifted her other leg from the ground and used it to hold Sam in place. Sam unfurled her knees and wrapped them around Alex, moving even closer. Their centers were nearly touching, and again, Sam could feel the heat between them.
Sam leaned closer, or maybe it was Alex. She couldn’t tell for sure. The air between them shifted. Alex’s eyes were wide with desire, and they had her trapped. Sam reached out to cup Alex’s cheek, lightly brushing her thumb over Alex’s fuller lower lip, feeling the softness. Alex responded by drawing it into her mouth and nibbling it gently, her eyes fixed on Sam the whole time. Sam felt the warmth of Alex’s tongue swirl around her thumb.
Alex pulled back, eyes burning with hunger as she stared into Sam’s. At Sam’s nod, she dove in, capturing her lips in a kiss filled with pure, unbridled need. Sam craved more as Alex moved even closer, sliding a hand behind Sam’s back to pull her in until every inch of their bodies pressed together. Sam inhaled sharply at the contact and felt Alex smile against her lips. Alex’s other hand reached up to gently tug Sam’s head back, exposing her neck. Herlips traced a slow line across Sam’s jaw, pausing when she reached the sensitive spot at the base of Sam’s ear.
Sam tilted her head to give her better access and moved both hands under the hem of Alex’s shirt. With one hand, she ghosted her fingertips across the smooth surface just below Alex’s belly button, mesmerized by its softness. Her other hand reached up to cup Alex’s breast, and she gasped when she realized that Alex wasn’t wearing a bra. “What are you trying to do to me?” Sam groaned.
Alex paused from where she had moved down to suck gently on the base of Sam’s throat. She grinned wickedly. “I think it’s fairly obvious what I’m trying to do to you.” She leaned back in and drew a line from Sam’s neck to her collarbone with her tongue. Her hand moved under Sam’s shirt and dipped beneath the waistband of Sam’s pants. Alex firmly grasped Sam’s bottom and rolled her center forward, rocking against Sam’s core with her own.
The shock of the movement caused Sam to pause. “Wait,” she croaked.
Alex tried to lean toward her again, but Sam gently pressed her shoulders to stop her. She pulled away, her chest rising and falling. She shifted back on the swing, creating some much-needed distance between them.
Alex looked at her, her face mixed with desire and confusion. “What?” She reached out to push a lock of Sam’s hair behind her ear. “What is it?”
Sam captured Alex’s hand and shook her head. “Alex.” Her voice was shaky. “I know that is something we both want. Clearly.” She gestured between the two of them.
“But?” Alex cocked her head to the side.
“But…” Sam took Alex’s other hand and squeezed them both. “But I don’t want it like this.”
Alex studied Sam’s face for a long moment, chewing on her lower lip.
Sam’s resolve almost fumbled. She wanted to reach out and trace that lip with her tongue. But no, she needed to be strong right now. She steeled herself. She was making the right decision.
“You’re right,” Alex finally said. She pulled her hands awayfrom Sam’s, looking sheepish. She grimaced. “I mean, the last thing we need is Nadine to come home and find us again. Even if she did say they’d be a while. And that she’d warn us when they were on their way home.”
Sam barked out a laugh. “Very true.” She captured Alex’s hands again in hers. “But that’s not what I mean.”
“Then why…?” Alex looked confused.
Sam leaned forward and gave Alex a soft kiss. “When this happens, I don’t want it to be on a swing on your parents’ porch.” She kissed her again. This time, it was filled with promise. “When this happens, I want it to be special.”
