When I looked in on Rachel, she was still dressing.
“Go! I’ll come down in a minute.”
Uncle Fred and I carried bag after bag into the kitchen where my mother and Aunt Kristy busied themselves putting everything away.
The last item to carry in was a gaudy Valentine’s flower arrangement wrapped in tinted plastic. It had roses, sparkly hearts on sticks and a couple of small stuffed teddy bears.
“What is that?” I said, setting it on the kitchen counter.
My mom shrugged. “They were selling them at the market for charity. Kristy and Fred thought it would make a nice centerpiece for the table. Tomorrow is Valentine’s, remember.”
She began unwrapping the monstrosity.
“So what did you two do all day,” she said.
“Oh, uh, we talked. Watched a movie. Went out for a walk.”
“I hope you’re being good to her. She’s sadder than any of us about having to sell this place. We’re only here two more days then who knows when we’ll see everyone again. Here, why not give her this.”
She handed me a pink teddy bear from the arrangement.
From the basement, Uncle Fred roared something about missing bottles of beer.
My mother rolled her eyes. “Can you bring in some firewood? We’re all out in the living room. I’ll deal with ol’ foghorn.”
~~~~
During dinner, the olds reminisced endlessly about Aunt Jenny, all our family visits to the house, and how much more they might have gotten for the place if they held out longer.
Rachel sat opposite from me at the table, looking lovely as always, the teddy bear propped beside her plate. She had stared at it when I gave it to her before we sat down.
She chatted with everyone in her usual outgoing way. How could she act so normal? Didn’t what we did mean anything to her? What did she think about it, and of me? I came inside her. Was she even protected? The thought of my sperm being deep inside Rachel while she acted so casually, our shared secret, excited me in new ways.
Lust, confusion, and regret swirled within me. I felt like “I just fucked Rachel” was tattooed on my forehead.
Once when our eyes met, she bit her lip then quickly looked away.
When dinner was finished, Rachel disappeared back to the top floor. I longed to follow, but fear kept me downstairs. How could I face her?
I played bartender for a few hours, mixing new concoctions under Uncle Fred’s guidance, and pretended interest in their conversation.
Rachel appeared at the living room door and beckoned me into the hall.
“Hey,” she said, avoiding my eyes. “I was texting with my friends. They found a site with ‘Numb In The Dungeon Part 2’. It had, like, a budget of $2000.”
“We watched Numb in the Dungeon last summer, remember? And there is no part 2.”
“There is! It went straight to video with a different title. Can—can we watch it? Please? I’ll make popcorn. And…” From behind her back, she produced two more bottles of Uncle Fred’s beer.
“You are so bad!” I said. “Now he’s really going to kill us.”
~~~~
Upstairs, Rachel was waiting in my bed, propped up on an elbow. Her teddy bear sat beside the pillow.
“Hope you don’t mind,” she said. “There’s no way I could sleep alone in my room tonight, either.”
“Where’s your tablet?” I said. “What about the movie?”
“I lied. You’re right—there never was a ‘Numb In The Dungeon Part 2.’ You were downstairs so long I needed an excuse to get you up here.”
“Oh. And the beer?”
“Staying cool on my window ledge. I’ll get them if it’ll help us talk. And we need to talk.”
She pulled back the covers, revealing she wore a white t-shirt and those loose pajama shorts. She smiled, inviting me to join her.
Anxious, I stripped to my t-shirt and underwear then slipped in to lay stiffly beside her.
Under the covers her hand found mine and clasped it hard.
“This is kind of awkward, isn’t it?” she said.
“Rachel, I—”
“So, about this afternoon. I didn’t mean for us to go that far. I just needed to kiss you.”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t—”
“But I’m so happy we did! ”
“Wha—you are?”
She rolled to face me.
“I think you’re wonderful, you know. Just… amazing.”
“I know,” I said. “Like a big-eyed puppy.”
“No! Well, yes when you were little. But now? Remember about three summers ago? I was 19 so you would have been 18, right? We all met here like always, and oh my god, you weren’t a puppy anymore. You were super buff, and I swear you were taller and your voice had dropped an octave. Every time you spoke or looked at me with those eyes of yours, it was like… wow.”
That was the summer everything just went right for me: I’d graduated high school, got to a counselor at the camp Matt and I went to every summer, and for the first time hooked up with a girl.
Rachel continued. “I’ve thought about you all the time since then. I tried so many times to say something, but I was scared you’d be weirded out. Then when I learned we were all coming here one last time, I was set on telling you. I mean, it’s Valentines. What could be more perfect, right?”
I was speechless. What was she saying?
“But I’m such a chicken. It was never the right time. Even when I got in bed with you last night. Then we were there under the covers with no clothes, and you were all warm against me. I had to kiss you, like I tried to before. And, well, it went a lot better than I ever dreamed. I guess you do like me.”
“Oh, Rachel. I more than like you. But it doesn’t matter! We can’t do those things.”
“Well, we shouldn’t, but we can. We’re adults. I’m protected. Hey, do you remember when you asked to marry me?
“What? I did not!”
“You must have been six. We were playing, then suddenly you got all serious. And you didn’t ask; you told me you were going to marry me when we grew up. No question about it.”
Rachel smiled, shaking her head.
I didn’t remember that, but I was blushing anyway.
She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “You were so adorable. You’re still adorable. And a lot more.”
“So now…”
Rachel ran her fingers through her hair then rubbed her neck. “So, we don’t have much time left here. We’re not getting married, but, uh, we could have a honeymoon.”
She grinned. “I mean, we already ‘broke the ice’ this afternoon. And we could do a whole lot more than missionary.”
~~~~
Just like that afternoon, it started with a kiss: tentative at first, then playful teasing, drawing back to smile into each other’s eyes, until our mouths were locked together as we embraced, tongues probing, tasting, and reveling in the intimacy of such a simple act.
“What if they catch us?” I breathed, nibbling Rachel’s neck.
She raked the back of my head, sending electric chills through me. “You know they never come up here. Better close the door, though.”
In the hall, I looked downstairs. The lights were off, and everything was quiet. The olds were asleep.
Shutting the door, I stripped off the rest of my clothes and vaulted back into bed.
Rachel laughed. “Eager?”
Helping to peel off her t-shirt, I said, “I’ve dreamed about you since that summer too.”
“Yeah?” she said. “What did you dream? Tell me.”
Her lovely breasts sprang into view. I pushed her back on the bed and began tasting them.
“Later,” I said, “but one dream was doing this.” I took a nipple into my mouth.