The gentle tapping of me lightly hitting my forehead against the glass of the table beat out a steady rhythm one could make quite the lovely song to if one was so inclined. Song melodies were not what my mind concerned itself with though at the moment. It instead sped through every kind of job or random career I'd ever heard of in hopes that one of the ideas would catch my interest. The best I was getting were possible jobs that would at least not make me want to rip my hair out. However, there failed to be one that I actually wanted to strive for. There was so far nothing that gave me the impression that I would be happy doing it the way Wisp enjoyed his art or Prism loved his film making.
"I want at least three things written down by lunch!" mom called to me, poking her head out of her bedroom door to add more stress.
"I know." I growled to myself slowly in annoyance.
Time had flown, and summer was already here. As was summer vacation. The buffer space between now and when I had to start enacting on plans to set the rest of my life in motion was growing dangerously thin. I remembered back to Wisp working on his college essays. I remembered Prism bringing up his idea of moving to Tinseltown to live with Aunt Sunset. I remembered Desire discussing with Uncle Eden the path one would take to become a psychologist. All three of my older siblings had had solid ideas for their futures when they were my age. I had nothing. That was why mom gave me the 'assignment' to sit at the table and brainstorm a few acceptable propositions. You would think even her telling me she wouldn't require me to go to college if I could think up a sturdy idea of a job that could support me without that education would give me more options, but the paper I'd yet to pull out to write my ideas on was as blank as it would be if I had bothered to take it out.
"How about you be a stuntman?"
The suggestion came from Prism. Both he and Desire were home for the summer, although Prism wouldn't be around as long as his twin. Another offer to assist with a short film production had been sent his way. There was no chance he would turn that down.
"Stuntman?" I repeated, barely lifting my head.
"Why not? We both know you'd never survive any sort of boring office job. You're athletic, you have a drive to be active, and you're ever so slightly reckless. You could get to jump off buildings, be a part of fake sword fights, and all that fun stuff. It'd be easy to get into the business with me being your connection too."
"I dunno," I mumbled, "The idea isn't too bad, but I don't think I want to move that far away. I love Berrybrook. I want to stay here if I can."
Growing up surrounded by family and friends had been ingrained in me. To take off and be so far away from everyone except my brother wasn't ideal.
"Hmm, how about you pick up a part-time position at that bookstore like dad did? Mr. Mosaic is still kicking. He loved having dad working for him, and I remember he adored you as a kid. You could easily work up to a management position. Heck, Mr. Mosaic might even pass the store down to you when he eventually retires."
"Maybe..."
"You still take Ceri and Glade to their horse riding lessons, right? I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Bright would be eager to hire a younger stable hand to help with all the lifting work. You even have Uncle Sap to go too as well. With all the places he and Aunt Purity run, they'd be able to find you a good position somewhere."
I took my head off the table and glanced up. My interest had been captivated, but not exactly in the manner I needed it to be. Prism was looking down at me with a light smile. That is, until amused confusion and curiosity took over that grin when I kept on staring.
"What?" he wondered.
"Sorry, I'm still getting used to this grown up you. All you've been is nice to me since you got home, and it's freaking me out. You're even being really helpful here. It's weird."
"Hmm, yes, I guess growing up does usually involve some maturation," Prism chuckled, "I haven't been given complete control of any big projects yet, naturally, but now that I've been having a part in a position that provides the livelihoods for those under me and their families I have to take things more seriously. That thinking extends to you since you're working towards your future livelihood."
"Mmm." I said slowly with a little nod.
"I can easily go back to teasing and bullying you instead, if you'd like." Prism suggested.
"Uh, no. No, thank you." I laughed.
Prism laughed too. Before we could continue our conversation, we added one more member to the brainstorming session. Desire, having spent a good portion of her time so far reclaiming her half of the room Cerise was steadily stealing, walked downstairs to join us at the table.
"Any luck?" she asked.
"Eh." I shrugged hopelessly.
"He wasn't keen on being a stuntman?" Desire glanced towards Prism.
"He doesn't want to move out of Berrybrook." Prism shrugged himself.
"Ah, that's too bad. I thought it was a good idea. Well, how about this then?" Desire turned back towards me, "I've been thinking, how about you join Mal at the gym? Be a personal trainer too."
"Big problem with that. If I joined Mal at the gym, I'd have to work with Mal at the gym." I lovingly joked.
"Ooh, yeah, I can't see that going too well." my sister giggled.
"I wouldn't write it off too quickly," Prism interjected, and from the tone of his voice I knew my comment about him being nice had awakened his brotherly sarcastic side, "From what I'm hearing, being an attractive and physically fit man at a popular gym where you constantly meet attractive ladies has been working out quite well for him."
Desire scoffed and sort of frowned at her twin.
"I haven't heard much about what Mal's been getting up to in that regard, but I can't help to hear all the things being said about you and few certain ladies."
"Desi, for the thousandth time- you're too obsessed with gossip articles and pathetic tabloids. Okay, I knew I sorta drew the light media attention that's on me purposely in my direction, so I can't complain too much. Seriously though, all I have to do is walk with one of my female friends to one of my classes and suddenly everyone's claiming we've been dating or we've slept together 'X' amount of times. Then there's been those crazy few girls claiming I'm fathering a child with them when they're usually halfway across the country! Trust me. Right now all I'm doing is focusing on my classes and handling the work that comes my way. I barely have time to sleep let alone get multiple girls pregnant." Prism professed half in annoyance and half in amusement.
"And that is exactly one of the reasons why I don't want to have any involvement with films or the celebrity spotlight in general," I felt compelled to say, "Not that being a stuntman is generally a glamorous position, but being your brother and the famous Ethereal's son..."
"You'd be pulled right into it, yup." Prism agreed.
"Ugh, don't even remind me of that kind of stuff. This one ancient, dirtbag of a professor I had was a total ass to every Mixed in class, but once he found out who mom was he started worshiping the ground I walked on. He tried to get himself invited over for dinner!"
"I do recall you mentioning that." Prism nodded with one more laugh before he patted Desire's hand sympathetically.
She went off rambling about similar events, and I found that a good moment to get some juice. It wasn't that Desire's stories weren't well told or insufficiently punctuated with the best kind of hilarious curses. It was that she had told these stories multiple times. One could only care for so long. Prism was good at handling her prattling, so I took my time quenching my thirst. I would have taken a second box if I wasn't well aware that Glade would throw a fit that I dared to take two from 'her' precious stash despite the drinks being for everyone. The girl was addicted to anything apple flavored. I was throwing away the box when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
"He's smiling." Desire said in a fake whisper, clearly wanting to draw interest to the topic instead of actually shying away from letting me know she was on to me.
"It must be this Candy we keep hearing about." Prism agreed.
I wish I could deny their claims, but a big smile had indeed spread across my face when I read the text sent by Candy.
"Are you two dating, or what?" Desire asked.
"We're not." I answered truthfully, not feeling the need to point out that that was only due to a technical matter of neither of us feeling the need to state that we were dating.
"What did she say?" Prism pressed.
Normally, I wouldn't have said anything. Everyone was teasing me enough about the low-key not-a-relationship relationship I was in, so I tried not to give them a reason to increase the sideways smirks or little chuckles. However, my smile faded, and I felt compelled to share my disappointment.
"She wants me to meet her at the beach. She and her friends have plans there. Mom said I can't leave the house until I get those three ideas though." I sighed heavily.
"Go." Prism immediately instructed.
"What?"
"We can do your 'assignment' for you," Desire offered, "I could hear the water running when I was upstairs, so I think mom's gotten in her bath. You take off before she can stop you, and Prism and I will think of some ideas that she'll have no way to tell didn't come from your brain."
"Really?" I said incredulously.
"Really." Prism and Desire confirmed at the same time like the closely knit twins they were.
I rushed upstairs as stealthily as I could. I didn't want mom to hear me rustling about in my room as I changed and grabbed my beach stuff, for she had ordered me not to leave the first floor until my work was done. There was no sign she noticed anything. I stopped to give Desire and even Prism a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before darting out the front door. It only occurred to me when I was at the end of the street that my siblings might be screwing me over. For all I knew, their mischievous side could pop out and they would write down stuff like professional adult films actor or ghost hunter. I was too far down the road to care all that much. Whatever I would have ended up writing myself was almost guaranteed to not be followed through on. Sensible ideas or ridiculous ideas- the result would be the same.
"Hey, Coal!" Candy's bright smile and grin greeted me the second my sandals touched sand.
There was no opportunity to greet her back. Candy was next to me in a flash, and her lips were against mine just as quickly. We were locked together for the briefest of seconds before she pulled back as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Has no one else gotten here yet?" I asked, looking around and seeing only Candy, myself, and a few random beach-goers I didn't recognize.
When it was just the two of us, this was how things were. We acted like friends when others were around. Not that it stopped everyone from being suspicious, and rightfully so, of course. Then when it felt like no one was watching we would act in a way that would have a stranger calling us liars if we said we weren't dating. Candy and I kissed frequently. We held hands. We got close. Words weren't necessary to proclaim our feelings because those emotions were already so apparently obvious.
Candy didn't answer right away. She merely stared at me with a strange smile that was difficult to read before glancing behind her to the space where her friends should be.
"About that," she started slowly, "It was supposed to be me, Coral, Ruber, Myrtle, and Surf, but Coral got stuck babysitting her brother, Ruber is sick, and Surf's aunt randomly showed up for a visit. Everyone suddenly bailing is why I decided to see if you could come so it could at least be you, me, and Myrtle, but she texted me not that long ago saying she simply couldn't make it either."
"Just you and me then."
"I hope that's okay. It might get boring with only the two of us. If you want to go home, I've got plenty of other things I can do." Candy spoke with enough disappointment and such a perfectly placed pout that I wanted to cuddle her up and squish her until my arms fell off.
I settled for cutting off whatever else she was about to say next with another kiss. A slightly longer one where her hand almost reached my cheek before I pulled back.
"Just you and me is fine." I comforted.
Candy beamed as I slipped my hand into hers, and we walked closer to the water together where we claimed our spot.
Being the first time at the beach with Candy, I was unsure of what to expect. Was she the type of girl who liked to get in the water and play in the sand? Was she the type that wanted to suntan and do nothing else? I hoped for a negative for that second choice, for then I would definitely grow bored. It didn't take long before I found out. Candy and I put our things down, undressed to our swimwear, and I barely finished applying sunscreen before Candy dragged me to the shore. I was having water splashed and kicked into my face before I knew what was happening. The cold chill of the spray shocked me totally alert and ready. My companion had no idea she'd just started a war. Growing up with Wisp, Prism, and a whole slew of older male cousins and their friends did not mold me into the person who took such an attack on my person so nonchalantly. Candy and I switched between me absolutely drenching her while she pitifully fought back and me chasing her around in the shallow waves as we both laughed like overgrown children.
The slightly stinging cold water eventually grew comfortable against the burning, unceasing rays of the sun. I felt the back of my shoulders begin to ache from the heat. Splashing in the water wasn't enough. I finally broke away from chasing Candy to launch myself further away from shore. The sand steadily dropped away from my feet as the sight below me grew darker and thicker. I could feel the even colder depths of the lower water swirl around my ankles, and I loved every moment of it. There was a thrill about being so disconnected from anything solid to touch.
Candy was much further behind me than anticipated when I glanced back, but I hadn't really been paying attention to how fast I had been swimming. She caught up to me quickly enough when I stopped. Our childish antics before having calmed us, we treaded and floated around while we talked. Well, I was the one doing the most of the talking. Candy had become unusually quiet. She had said something that got me on a series of stories about old family vacations where one rolled into the next. I figured I was just momentarily dominating the conversation because of that. I kept going until I grew bored of telling tales and suggested something else.
"Let's swim over to the island." I proposed energetically.
"All that way?" Candy said uncertainly.
"It's actually not as far as it looks. It's only a few laps back and forth in a normal pool. I used to swim out there with Wisp and Pris all the time. The waves are good and calm today too, so there will be little resistance."
"I-I'd rather not..."
That frightened mumble alerted me to what I had been missing. Candy's expression was now a mixture of calm terror and carefully contained worry.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
I only just stopped myself from jokingly asking if she was afraid of sharks or something like that. That struck me as the type of question to either make her pissed or upset.
"I actually have a fear of water. Deeper water anyway. Pool are fine, but the ocean..." Candy began to explain, trailing off before plunging into the whole truth, "Mom and dad took me boating when I was little. There was this big wave we hit at the wrong angle, and I soared out of that boat like I was flying. The life vest I had on was uncomfortable, so I had loosened it when no one was watching. I was four. I didn't realize what doing that could mean. Clutching onto it after it fell off was what kept me from sinking straight to the bottom. Dad jumped into the water as soon as I had been bounced into the air, but it still felt like he took an eternity to reach me."
"I'm sorry," I said, swimming closer as that seemed to decrease the amount of stress lines on her face, "We can head back to shore if you want."
"No," she shook her head, "I planned this trip to the beach for a reason. I've made it my goal this summer to at least start getting over this fear. Ease myself out of it by going out a bit more each time. Where we are now is perfect."
The tension in her expression relaxed more as she took her gaze away from the island and ever widened expanse of ocean. A deep breath brought back more of the cheerful smile she favored, and her eyes gleamed when she locked eyes with me.
"You're really brave. Challenging the thing that makes you scared head on is seriously impressive." I encouraged.
"Why, thank you." Candy giggled.
She once again closed the gap between us before I could think to say or do anything else, and our lips connected for as long as we could manage while still keeping our heads above water. It was a great deal of time. Candy, seeming to have an agenda as well, swam a few feet back.
"Coal, I have a favor."
"Yeah?"
"Splash me."
"Splash you?"
"Yup," she nodded, "I'm too scared to dunk my head under the water, but I think if you spray the water on my head instead that could help me adjust."
That last word had barely left her mouth before sputters were all she could manage as I sent a few torrents of water right at her as requested. I would have only sent one, but her laughs and giggles proved I didn't need to worry.
"No hesitation!" she exclaimed in amusement.
"Didn't see a reason to give you time to change your mind." I smirked while shrugging as much as I possibly could.
It was then that an idea popped into my head that I thought was rather clever. Candy initially fought me when I prompted her back to shore with me.
"Snorkeling?" she repeated after me when I proposed my plan.
"They rent some gear cheap at that sports shop right at the top of the hill. We can go far enough in the water but not far enough to make you nervous, and with the gear you can look down and get your head wet while still being able to breathe."
"Brilliant!" Candy eagerly latched on.
She watched our stuff at the beach while I rushed to the shop to get what we needed. Dad had taken me snorkeling many times when I was younger, and all the information came back to me when it was my turn to instruct Candy. We encountered a few problems here and there. However, within ten minutes she was zooming all over. Being able to see and breathe while swimming even got her going a farther out than we had been on her own without her realizing it. Then we hit a major breakthrough towards the end of our time in the water.
"Candy?" I said when she motioned me closer, tossed her snorkel at me, and proceeded to dive into the water without a word.
I panicked slightly, unsure if I should follow. The seconds ticked by in eerie silent until the bubbling of the water signaling Candy's reappearance swept away the tight constriction gripping my heart. No explanation for her action was needed when she smiled bigger than ever while holding up a brilliant white shell that sparkled different colors against the sun when she tilted it back and forth.
We had been in the water for quite a while by that point, and Candy could only handle so much swimming anyway. It was time to break away from the waves for the moment. Candy had me setting up the picnic blanket she brought while she ran off the get some food from the beach shop. Cheap hot dogs, nachos, and french fries never tasted so good. The soda tickled my throat in the most pleasant way, and I was pleasantly surprised to find Candy was the type of girl who didn't mind a quiet burping contest spurred on by the fizziness of the drink. We were laughing like big kids again.
The heat of the sun was comfortable now, and the warmth radiating from the sand underneath the blanket was all the persuasion I needed to take a little lie down. Candy had been looking like she was pulling a book out of her bag, but she caught me off guard when she abruptly changed her mind, returned the novel to its previous location, and then proceeded to snuggle right against me. The closest we had gotten before this was one night when I went over to her house to watch a movie. Her parents were in the other room, so we dared to link limbs more than normal. They'd almost caught us though. There hadn't been much of that afterwards.
However, now there was no one around. No one we knew. The others at the beach would think nothing of us. To them we were nothing more than another high school couple enjoying a beautiful day together during their summer vacation. We could cuddle and kiss, and I wouldn't be lovingly teased about it later. Still, I hesitated on holding onto Candy the way she clung onto me. She rested her head right in the nook of my shoulder. Her hip pressed against mine, she rested one of her legs over my left, and her finger slowly and tenderly traced the lines on my chest. Candy remained slightly damp, and the soft scent of ocean water was comforting and familiar. My hand initially found a place on her shoulder until my heart unexpectedly raced faster when I discovered I was touching a lot more skin than I was used to touching. The only cloth to search out was too far down on Candy's body for me to touch without it being inappropriate. I ended up tangling my fingers in her hair. It was the safest choice, and the salt water and seas breeze had spiraled even more long curls into her locks than normal.
It seemed I was the only one out of the two of us who was fretting about being inappropriate. A minute. Maybe two. That was how long Candy lay still in the position we were in before she began shifting. It was fine at first. She surely just had to move her arm to prevent it from falling asleep or something. I started to shift too to give her ample room to work with when she kept on going. Another minute later I was getting pretty damn annoyed. Candy shifting so incessantly was like someone clicking a pen or chewing with their mouth open. When I opened my mouth to say something was when I was met with a new type of predicament I had never faced.
Candy wasn't oblivious to my irritation. Her solution? She went from laying next to me to laying on top of me. She settled into position so rapidly, smoothly, and confidently that I was lost for words. My brain didn't know how to react. My body, unfortunately, did. My heart kept up its rapid beating. There was no way for me to move without having her skin slide against mine. Every part of her that was soft pressed into me in the most tempting way, and it took all my strength not to move my hands from where they were. Well, no. The majority of my strength went into fighting the different kind of heat that had me forgetting the warmth of the sun and sand.
"Candy." I said her name quietly.
It wasn't so much a call for her attention as it was a mild call of pleading. It wasn't that I disliked having her on top of me, but if I wasn't extremely careful...
The look she gave me shocked me. It was playful. There was a impish glint in her eye, and a smirking tilt to her mouth. There was mischievousness in her expression. And knowledge. Candy wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew exactly what kind of response she might get from me. And she laid her head on my chest and closed her eyes in complete contentment. The awe of what was going on actually helped me out. That I was in this kind of situation where the girl didn't mind any reactions I might have took my thoughts away from the thoughts that would make that reaction happen.
An hour later, it was as if that moment never happened. I grew accustomed to Candy's touch, and the threat of danger passed. The two of us actually fell asleep in that position. We would have slept longer had Candy not needed to use the restroom. The atmosphere shifted immensely as she then insisted we play in the sand. I said nothing as I was uncertain on how to bring the topic up, and Candy felt no reason to address it.
"You're a maniac." she laughed when I stomped the castle I'd built into indistinguishable grains of sand once more.
"It was a crap castle. I've never been very good at this."
"I wasn't going to say it so as not to be rude, but, yeah, it was a crap castle." she laughed louder.
Friendly banter and jokes flowed easily.
Not that it was going to remain merely friendly. If the situation with the blanket had been a one time thing, the ending to our time together naturally would have gone much differently. Candy wasn't satisfied keep things platonic. The two of us went back into the water. We didn't go far. We stuck to the shallow shore where we could sit and let the waves rush by us. Candy took to sitting on my lap or wrapping both her arms around mine while pressing her chest close. She made sure her hand stayed in mind while we took a walk up and down the length of the lot. When she and I danced to some music I played on my phone Candy looked into my eyes and I looked into hers and there was no mistaking what I was attracted to.
Our playing and...romancing, I guess that's what you can call it, on the beach eventually wearied us out too greatly. Candy and I were done with the water, the sticky sand, and the constant glare of the sun. We craved somewhere cool with shade, and while we packed up our things and put our clothes on I believed we'd merely head back to our respective houses. Then I checked my phone to notice something I hadn't noticed when I turned on the music.
"What is it?" Candy wondered when she saw me smiling sheepishly.
"It's a text from my mom."
"Are you in trouble?"
"Doesn't seem like it. Somehow." I said tentatively as I read the message again and again to make sure my words were correct.
"Been having problems or something?" she asked.
"Not problems in terms of us arguing or anything. It's just that I've been having trouble deciding what I want to do either college-wise or career-wise. Mom told me to sit down at the table and write down three ideas for either before I could go about my day. I wasn't having any luck. Then I got your message. My brother and sister said they would write down some ideas for me so I could leave. Mom clearly saw through our deception, which seriously doesn't surprise me. She said as long as I look into the options Pris and Desi wrote and give her evidence of my research that she won't get on my case about this."
"What did they write?"
"I dunno. Mom didn't say, but since she wants me to look into them I don't think they proposed anything crazy or stupid."
"You should come talk to my dad," Candy offered, "He's a career consultant. He helps people in their current jobs or helps them find new ones. He's bound to have a bunch of ideas for you."
"Do you mean come talk to him now or la-"
"Yup! Right now!" Candy cut me off, latching onto my arm once more and leading me forward.
We walked to Candy's place. Neither of us wanted to splurge on a taxi, and the buses were too cramped and crowded at this time of the day. Besides, our time at the beach had been the longest we'd ever been together alone. I was enjoying every moment of it, and, quite honestly, I dreaded it ending when we reached Candy's apartment and we had to separate under the scrutiny of her parents. Not that they'd shown any problems with me. They acted the same way mom did- throwing those sideways glances and grinning to themselves. I was the one who threw my arm around Candy's shoulder when she let go, and we wouldn't let go after that. She and I even made up a game as we walked. Once we could confirm we saw no one we knew after was turned a corner, we would kiss with our eyes closed until we were about to trip over the other's feet. Candy stumbled on mine a few times as my larger feet were the easier targets to hit. There were a lot of corners and no acquaintances anywhere, but Candy's building came into sight too soon.
I convinced myself to be enthusiastic anyway. Prism had come up with some good ideas already, he and Desire surely had some more written down, and Candy's dad would have a motherload of resources to give me a spark of inspiration. Perhaps I could go home bragging to mom about how sneaking out had actually been the thing to give me the answers she wanted me to find. As it was, I would go home wanting to brag about something, but I wasn't able to say a word about it.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Candy called out as we entered.
The apartment had enough space in each room to be comfortable, but it still was an enclosed area. Candy's parents would hear her no matter where they were, and we would be able to hear them.
If they had actually been there.
"I guess they're out or something." Candy said when she confirmed her parents' room was empty.
There was nowhere else for them to be. Maybe they had thought Candy wouldn't be back until later and went out for a nice dinner on their own. Maybe they were taking a walk. Or maybe they weren't even in the country. I had turned to see an erasable calendar hanging on the kitchen wall.
"Candy," I spoke slowly, "Why does this calendar say your parents are on vacation until Sunday?"
"Ahaha, whoops. I forgot about that." she replied in amused embarrassment.
"About the calendar or that your parents are on the other side of the world?" I questioned, folding my arms and giving her a look.
"The calendar."
I wasn't actually annoyed. How could I be? The girl I was incredibly attracted to and who had been throwing herself at me all day had purposely led me to her unsupervised residence. I had said that Candy wasn't stupid. Well, I wasn't stupid either. I could read the signs. I knew what this all would lead to if I didn't make an exit soon. It was figuring out if I wanted to make that exit or not that was the tricky part.
Candy made it not as tricky.
"Does being here alone with me bother you?" she questioned.
It was the first time in a while since earlier in the day where she'd spoken completely seriously. She was giving me an out with no hard feelings. A chance to not take the step before I was ready.
"Not bothered. Just...unsure." I answered honestly.
Again, without a word, the space between us was gone and Candy's lips were on mine. The kiss lasted long and went deep. All the tension in my shoulders relaxed.
"Does that help? Or should I stop?" she asked genuinely.
"Don't stop." I requested, a bit breathless.
An even longer kiss. An even deeper one.
"We should watch some television." Candy suggested.
"Sure."
I turned my head this way and that and saw no television.
"The only one we have is in my parents' room." Candy explained.
Of course it was.
To our credit, we did at least turn the television on. Heck, we even watched it for a bit. I supposed it even made the lean in to the lurking moment seamless. Candy lay cuddled against me as we briefly kept tabs on the romantic comedy I knew mom recorded every now and again. As if spurring us on, the plot focused much more on the romance than it did the comedy. I could see why mom recorded it. The story was good, the acting was on par, and if I didn't have Candy deciding to press her softness against me once more I would have wanted to know what happened. Candy came first though.
This time I gently pulled her from my side to in front of me. I held her with one hand. She stroked my cheek with one of hers. With her other she guided mine to where she wanted it or stopped it when it went a smidge too far. It was all an experiment so far, and we were both testing boundaries.
Candy was the more adventurous one really. That was clear enough when she suddenly sat up so her legs arched over mine. There was nothing safe about it this time. Everything of her was near everything of me.
"C-Candy." I stuttered when our lips parted from another kiss.
"What?" she wondered, biting her lip in a way that made any defenses I had left crumble.
"The way you're sitting, well, it, it is a dangerous way to sit."
"Coal," she giggled my name, "We need things to be 'dangerous' if we want to keep this going."
"Yeah..." I realized with a slight blush but a bigger grin, "You know though, I didn't bring any...um, anything with me."
I was having no problems with the physical side of things, but speaking the words of what I meant was much harder. Thankfully, Candy knew exactly what I was getting at. She moved away for a moment to pull out a plastic tote from under the bed. From that tote she took a cardboard box, and from that box she snatched a small, square, plastic wrapper and dropped it next to me.
"One of my dad's. It'll be overkill, but we should use it." Candy spoke.
"Overkill?"
"I'm on birth control."
"Oh," I said, not being able to stop disappointment from appearing in my voice, "Have you done this before then?"
"No," she instantly shook her head, and there was nothing that gave me the impression she was lying, "I just have absolutely horrible period cramps. They've gotten so bad a few times that I've had to go to the hospital."
"Isn't that usually a sign of something bad happening?" I wondered in concern.
"They've haven't been able to see anything in the tests they've done. I'm nothing more than unlucky." Candy shrugged.
Her fingers worked their way under the back of my shirt as she said that. They were cool, but not uncomfortably so. The sense of their tingling touch was addicting. It took the breeze of the air conditioning to let me know that I had instinctively helped Candy yank the clothes off in a flash. I did better in controlling myself more when it came time to return the favor. Candy returned to being in nothing more than her bikini with easily untangled knots holding it together when my back pressed against the mattress. Candy straddled me more definitively.
"Nervous?" she asked.
"Of course. I'd be stupid not to be. It's a good kind of nervous though. Like when you're about to get on a roller coaster."
"I've heard that this can be quite the roller coaster, so that's a good comparison." Candy said with that playful glint in her eye once more.
"Aren't you nervous?"
"Of course."
She echoed me, and I couldn't help but to chuckle. My expression softened as her fingers clasped harder onto mine. It wasn't a great amount, but her hands were shaking. Something about that swept a massive wave of calm over me. A steady and gentle surge of confidence. It was most likely because of Uncle Blaze's influence. He refused to let me be even the slightest bit uneducated in any area of this kind of topic. Candy was bold and willing, but I was the one who at least knew in theory how to take care of everything.
"It'll be alright."
The words I had spoken to so many others in so many other kinds of situations rolled off my tongue once more. It felt in a way that they had become my motto. Keep speaking them, and eventually the promise they carried would come true. This time I was sure it was a promise I could keep. Candy must have known that too. Her expression softened as well, and her hands didn't quiver quite so badly.
"Mmhmm," she agreed, bending over to rest her forehead on mine, "If it's you and me, it'll be alright."
I took my head off the table and glanced up. My interest had been captivated, but not exactly in the manner I needed it to be. Prism was looking down at me with a light smile. That is, until amused confusion and curiosity took over that grin when I kept on staring.
"What?" he wondered.
"Sorry, I'm still getting used to this grown up you. All you've been is nice to me since you got home, and it's freaking me out. You're even being really helpful here. It's weird."
"Hmm, yes, I guess growing up does usually involve some maturation," Prism chuckled, "I haven't been given complete control of any big projects yet, naturally, but now that I've been having a part in a position that provides the livelihoods for those under me and their families I have to take things more seriously. That thinking extends to you since you're working towards your future livelihood."
"Mmm." I said slowly with a little nod.
"I can easily go back to teasing and bullying you instead, if you'd like." Prism suggested.
"Uh, no. No, thank you." I laughed.
Prism laughed too. Before we could continue our conversation, we added one more member to the brainstorming session. Desire, having spent a good portion of her time so far reclaiming her half of the room Cerise was steadily stealing, walked downstairs to join us at the table.
"Any luck?" she asked.
"Eh." I shrugged hopelessly.
"He wasn't keen on being a stuntman?" Desire glanced towards Prism.
"He doesn't want to move out of Berrybrook." Prism shrugged himself.
"Ah, that's too bad. I thought it was a good idea. Well, how about this then?" Desire turned back towards me, "I've been thinking, how about you join Mal at the gym? Be a personal trainer too."
"Big problem with that. If I joined Mal at the gym, I'd have to work with Mal at the gym." I lovingly joked.
"Ooh, yeah, I can't see that going too well." my sister giggled.
"I wouldn't write it off too quickly," Prism interjected, and from the tone of his voice I knew my comment about him being nice had awakened his brotherly sarcastic side, "From what I'm hearing, being an attractive and physically fit man at a popular gym where you constantly meet attractive ladies has been working out quite well for him."
Desire scoffed and sort of frowned at her twin.
"I haven't heard much about what Mal's been getting up to in that regard, but I can't help to hear all the things being said about you and few certain ladies."
"Desi, for the thousandth time- you're too obsessed with gossip articles and pathetic tabloids. Okay, I knew I sorta drew the light media attention that's on me purposely in my direction, so I can't complain too much. Seriously though, all I have to do is walk with one of my female friends to one of my classes and suddenly everyone's claiming we've been dating or we've slept together 'X' amount of times. Then there's been those crazy few girls claiming I'm fathering a child with them when they're usually halfway across the country! Trust me. Right now all I'm doing is focusing on my classes and handling the work that comes my way. I barely have time to sleep let alone get multiple girls pregnant." Prism professed half in annoyance and half in amusement.
"And that is exactly one of the reasons why I don't want to have any involvement with films or the celebrity spotlight in general," I felt compelled to say, "Not that being a stuntman is generally a glamorous position, but being your brother and the famous Ethereal's son..."
"You'd be pulled right into it, yup." Prism agreed.
"Ugh, don't even remind me of that kind of stuff. This one ancient, dirtbag of a professor I had was a total ass to every Mixed in class, but once he found out who mom was he started worshiping the ground I walked on. He tried to get himself invited over for dinner!"
"I do recall you mentioning that." Prism nodded with one more laugh before he patted Desire's hand sympathetically.
She went off rambling about similar events, and I found that a good moment to get some juice. It wasn't that Desire's stories weren't well told or insufficiently punctuated with the best kind of hilarious curses. It was that she had told these stories multiple times. One could only care for so long. Prism was good at handling her prattling, so I took my time quenching my thirst. I would have taken a second box if I wasn't well aware that Glade would throw a fit that I dared to take two from 'her' precious stash despite the drinks being for everyone. The girl was addicted to anything apple flavored. I was throwing away the box when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
"He's smiling." Desire said in a fake whisper, clearly wanting to draw interest to the topic instead of actually shying away from letting me know she was on to me.
"It must be this Candy we keep hearing about." Prism agreed.
I wish I could deny their claims, but a big smile had indeed spread across my face when I read the text sent by Candy.
"Are you two dating, or what?" Desire asked.
"We're not." I answered truthfully, not feeling the need to point out that that was only due to a technical matter of neither of us feeling the need to state that we were dating.
"What did she say?" Prism pressed.
Normally, I wouldn't have said anything. Everyone was teasing me enough about the low-key not-a-relationship relationship I was in, so I tried not to give them a reason to increase the sideways smirks or little chuckles. However, my smile faded, and I felt compelled to share my disappointment.
"She wants me to meet her at the beach. She and her friends have plans there. Mom said I can't leave the house until I get those three ideas though." I sighed heavily.
"Go." Prism immediately instructed.
"What?"
"We can do your 'assignment' for you," Desire offered, "I could hear the water running when I was upstairs, so I think mom's gotten in her bath. You take off before she can stop you, and Prism and I will think of some ideas that she'll have no way to tell didn't come from your brain."
"Really?" I said incredulously.
"Really." Prism and Desire confirmed at the same time like the closely knit twins they were.
I rushed upstairs as stealthily as I could. I didn't want mom to hear me rustling about in my room as I changed and grabbed my beach stuff, for she had ordered me not to leave the first floor until my work was done. There was no sign she noticed anything. I stopped to give Desire and even Prism a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before darting out the front door. It only occurred to me when I was at the end of the street that my siblings might be screwing me over. For all I knew, their mischievous side could pop out and they would write down stuff like professional adult films actor or ghost hunter. I was too far down the road to care all that much. Whatever I would have ended up writing myself was almost guaranteed to not be followed through on. Sensible ideas or ridiculous ideas- the result would be the same.
"Hey, Coal!" Candy's bright smile and grin greeted me the second my sandals touched sand.
There was no opportunity to greet her back. Candy was next to me in a flash, and her lips were against mine just as quickly. We were locked together for the briefest of seconds before she pulled back as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Has no one else gotten here yet?" I asked, looking around and seeing only Candy, myself, and a few random beach-goers I didn't recognize.
When it was just the two of us, this was how things were. We acted like friends when others were around. Not that it stopped everyone from being suspicious, and rightfully so, of course. Then when it felt like no one was watching we would act in a way that would have a stranger calling us liars if we said we weren't dating. Candy and I kissed frequently. We held hands. We got close. Words weren't necessary to proclaim our feelings because those emotions were already so apparently obvious.
Candy didn't answer right away. She merely stared at me with a strange smile that was difficult to read before glancing behind her to the space where her friends should be.
"About that," she started slowly, "It was supposed to be me, Coral, Ruber, Myrtle, and Surf, but Coral got stuck babysitting her brother, Ruber is sick, and Surf's aunt randomly showed up for a visit. Everyone suddenly bailing is why I decided to see if you could come so it could at least be you, me, and Myrtle, but she texted me not that long ago saying she simply couldn't make it either."
"Just you and me then."
"I hope that's okay. It might get boring with only the two of us. If you want to go home, I've got plenty of other things I can do." Candy spoke with enough disappointment and such a perfectly placed pout that I wanted to cuddle her up and squish her until my arms fell off.
I settled for cutting off whatever else she was about to say next with another kiss. A slightly longer one where her hand almost reached my cheek before I pulled back.
"Just you and me is fine." I comforted.
Candy beamed as I slipped my hand into hers, and we walked closer to the water together where we claimed our spot.
Being the first time at the beach with Candy, I was unsure of what to expect. Was she the type of girl who liked to get in the water and play in the sand? Was she the type that wanted to suntan and do nothing else? I hoped for a negative for that second choice, for then I would definitely grow bored. It didn't take long before I found out. Candy and I put our things down, undressed to our swimwear, and I barely finished applying sunscreen before Candy dragged me to the shore. I was having water splashed and kicked into my face before I knew what was happening. The cold chill of the spray shocked me totally alert and ready. My companion had no idea she'd just started a war. Growing up with Wisp, Prism, and a whole slew of older male cousins and their friends did not mold me into the person who took such an attack on my person so nonchalantly. Candy and I switched between me absolutely drenching her while she pitifully fought back and me chasing her around in the shallow waves as we both laughed like overgrown children.
The slightly stinging cold water eventually grew comfortable against the burning, unceasing rays of the sun. I felt the back of my shoulders begin to ache from the heat. Splashing in the water wasn't enough. I finally broke away from chasing Candy to launch myself further away from shore. The sand steadily dropped away from my feet as the sight below me grew darker and thicker. I could feel the even colder depths of the lower water swirl around my ankles, and I loved every moment of it. There was a thrill about being so disconnected from anything solid to touch.
Candy was much further behind me than anticipated when I glanced back, but I hadn't really been paying attention to how fast I had been swimming. She caught up to me quickly enough when I stopped. Our childish antics before having calmed us, we treaded and floated around while we talked. Well, I was the one doing the most of the talking. Candy had become unusually quiet. She had said something that got me on a series of stories about old family vacations where one rolled into the next. I figured I was just momentarily dominating the conversation because of that. I kept going until I grew bored of telling tales and suggested something else.
"Let's swim over to the island." I proposed energetically.
"All that way?" Candy said uncertainly.
"It's actually not as far as it looks. It's only a few laps back and forth in a normal pool. I used to swim out there with Wisp and Pris all the time. The waves are good and calm today too, so there will be little resistance."
"I-I'd rather not..."
That frightened mumble alerted me to what I had been missing. Candy's expression was now a mixture of calm terror and carefully contained worry.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
I only just stopped myself from jokingly asking if she was afraid of sharks or something like that. That struck me as the type of question to either make her pissed or upset.
"I actually have a fear of water. Deeper water anyway. Pool are fine, but the ocean..." Candy began to explain, trailing off before plunging into the whole truth, "Mom and dad took me boating when I was little. There was this big wave we hit at the wrong angle, and I soared out of that boat like I was flying. The life vest I had on was uncomfortable, so I had loosened it when no one was watching. I was four. I didn't realize what doing that could mean. Clutching onto it after it fell off was what kept me from sinking straight to the bottom. Dad jumped into the water as soon as I had been bounced into the air, but it still felt like he took an eternity to reach me."
"I'm sorry," I said, swimming closer as that seemed to decrease the amount of stress lines on her face, "We can head back to shore if you want."
"No," she shook her head, "I planned this trip to the beach for a reason. I've made it my goal this summer to at least start getting over this fear. Ease myself out of it by going out a bit more each time. Where we are now is perfect."
The tension in her expression relaxed more as she took her gaze away from the island and ever widened expanse of ocean. A deep breath brought back more of the cheerful smile she favored, and her eyes gleamed when she locked eyes with me.
"You're really brave. Challenging the thing that makes you scared head on is seriously impressive." I encouraged.
"Why, thank you." Candy giggled.
She once again closed the gap between us before I could think to say or do anything else, and our lips connected for as long as we could manage while still keeping our heads above water. It was a great deal of time. Candy, seeming to have an agenda as well, swam a few feet back.
"Coal, I have a favor."
"Yeah?"
"Splash me."
"Splash you?"
"Yup," she nodded, "I'm too scared to dunk my head under the water, but I think if you spray the water on my head instead that could help me adjust."
That last word had barely left her mouth before sputters were all she could manage as I sent a few torrents of water right at her as requested. I would have only sent one, but her laughs and giggles proved I didn't need to worry.
"No hesitation!" she exclaimed in amusement.
"Didn't see a reason to give you time to change your mind." I smirked while shrugging as much as I possibly could.
It was then that an idea popped into my head that I thought was rather clever. Candy initially fought me when I prompted her back to shore with me.
"Snorkeling?" she repeated after me when I proposed my plan.
"They rent some gear cheap at that sports shop right at the top of the hill. We can go far enough in the water but not far enough to make you nervous, and with the gear you can look down and get your head wet while still being able to breathe."
"Brilliant!" Candy eagerly latched on.
She watched our stuff at the beach while I rushed to the shop to get what we needed. Dad had taken me snorkeling many times when I was younger, and all the information came back to me when it was my turn to instruct Candy. We encountered a few problems here and there. However, within ten minutes she was zooming all over. Being able to see and breathe while swimming even got her going a farther out than we had been on her own without her realizing it. Then we hit a major breakthrough towards the end of our time in the water.
"Candy?" I said when she motioned me closer, tossed her snorkel at me, and proceeded to dive into the water without a word.
I panicked slightly, unsure if I should follow. The seconds ticked by in eerie silent until the bubbling of the water signaling Candy's reappearance swept away the tight constriction gripping my heart. No explanation for her action was needed when she smiled bigger than ever while holding up a brilliant white shell that sparkled different colors against the sun when she tilted it back and forth.
We had been in the water for quite a while by that point, and Candy could only handle so much swimming anyway. It was time to break away from the waves for the moment. Candy had me setting up the picnic blanket she brought while she ran off the get some food from the beach shop. Cheap hot dogs, nachos, and french fries never tasted so good. The soda tickled my throat in the most pleasant way, and I was pleasantly surprised to find Candy was the type of girl who didn't mind a quiet burping contest spurred on by the fizziness of the drink. We were laughing like big kids again.
The heat of the sun was comfortable now, and the warmth radiating from the sand underneath the blanket was all the persuasion I needed to take a little lie down. Candy had been looking like she was pulling a book out of her bag, but she caught me off guard when she abruptly changed her mind, returned the novel to its previous location, and then proceeded to snuggle right against me. The closest we had gotten before this was one night when I went over to her house to watch a movie. Her parents were in the other room, so we dared to link limbs more than normal. They'd almost caught us though. There hadn't been much of that afterwards.
However, now there was no one around. No one we knew. The others at the beach would think nothing of us. To them we were nothing more than another high school couple enjoying a beautiful day together during their summer vacation. We could cuddle and kiss, and I wouldn't be lovingly teased about it later. Still, I hesitated on holding onto Candy the way she clung onto me. She rested her head right in the nook of my shoulder. Her hip pressed against mine, she rested one of her legs over my left, and her finger slowly and tenderly traced the lines on my chest. Candy remained slightly damp, and the soft scent of ocean water was comforting and familiar. My hand initially found a place on her shoulder until my heart unexpectedly raced faster when I discovered I was touching a lot more skin than I was used to touching. The only cloth to search out was too far down on Candy's body for me to touch without it being inappropriate. I ended up tangling my fingers in her hair. It was the safest choice, and the salt water and seas breeze had spiraled even more long curls into her locks than normal.
It seemed I was the only one out of the two of us who was fretting about being inappropriate. A minute. Maybe two. That was how long Candy lay still in the position we were in before she began shifting. It was fine at first. She surely just had to move her arm to prevent it from falling asleep or something. I started to shift too to give her ample room to work with when she kept on going. Another minute later I was getting pretty damn annoyed. Candy shifting so incessantly was like someone clicking a pen or chewing with their mouth open. When I opened my mouth to say something was when I was met with a new type of predicament I had never faced.
Candy wasn't oblivious to my irritation. Her solution? She went from laying next to me to laying on top of me. She settled into position so rapidly, smoothly, and confidently that I was lost for words. My brain didn't know how to react. My body, unfortunately, did. My heart kept up its rapid beating. There was no way for me to move without having her skin slide against mine. Every part of her that was soft pressed into me in the most tempting way, and it took all my strength not to move my hands from where they were. Well, no. The majority of my strength went into fighting the different kind of heat that had me forgetting the warmth of the sun and sand.
"Candy." I said her name quietly.
It wasn't so much a call for her attention as it was a mild call of pleading. It wasn't that I disliked having her on top of me, but if I wasn't extremely careful...
The look she gave me shocked me. It was playful. There was a impish glint in her eye, and a smirking tilt to her mouth. There was mischievousness in her expression. And knowledge. Candy wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew exactly what kind of response she might get from me. And she laid her head on my chest and closed her eyes in complete contentment. The awe of what was going on actually helped me out. That I was in this kind of situation where the girl didn't mind any reactions I might have took my thoughts away from the thoughts that would make that reaction happen.
An hour later, it was as if that moment never happened. I grew accustomed to Candy's touch, and the threat of danger passed. The two of us actually fell asleep in that position. We would have slept longer had Candy not needed to use the restroom. The atmosphere shifted immensely as she then insisted we play in the sand. I said nothing as I was uncertain on how to bring the topic up, and Candy felt no reason to address it.
"You're a maniac." she laughed when I stomped the castle I'd built into indistinguishable grains of sand once more.
"It was a crap castle. I've never been very good at this."
"I wasn't going to say it so as not to be rude, but, yeah, it was a crap castle." she laughed louder.
Friendly banter and jokes flowed easily.
Not that it was going to remain merely friendly. If the situation with the blanket had been a one time thing, the ending to our time together naturally would have gone much differently. Candy wasn't satisfied keep things platonic. The two of us went back into the water. We didn't go far. We stuck to the shallow shore where we could sit and let the waves rush by us. Candy took to sitting on my lap or wrapping both her arms around mine while pressing her chest close. She made sure her hand stayed in mind while we took a walk up and down the length of the lot. When she and I danced to some music I played on my phone Candy looked into my eyes and I looked into hers and there was no mistaking what I was attracted to.
Our playing and...romancing, I guess that's what you can call it, on the beach eventually wearied us out too greatly. Candy and I were done with the water, the sticky sand, and the constant glare of the sun. We craved somewhere cool with shade, and while we packed up our things and put our clothes on I believed we'd merely head back to our respective houses. Then I checked my phone to notice something I hadn't noticed when I turned on the music.
"What is it?" Candy wondered when she saw me smiling sheepishly.
"It's a text from my mom."
"Are you in trouble?"
"Doesn't seem like it. Somehow." I said tentatively as I read the message again and again to make sure my words were correct.
"Been having problems or something?" she asked.
"Not problems in terms of us arguing or anything. It's just that I've been having trouble deciding what I want to do either college-wise or career-wise. Mom told me to sit down at the table and write down three ideas for either before I could go about my day. I wasn't having any luck. Then I got your message. My brother and sister said they would write down some ideas for me so I could leave. Mom clearly saw through our deception, which seriously doesn't surprise me. She said as long as I look into the options Pris and Desi wrote and give her evidence of my research that she won't get on my case about this."
"What did they write?"
"I dunno. Mom didn't say, but since she wants me to look into them I don't think they proposed anything crazy or stupid."
"You should come talk to my dad," Candy offered, "He's a career consultant. He helps people in their current jobs or helps them find new ones. He's bound to have a bunch of ideas for you."
"Do you mean come talk to him now or la-"
"Yup! Right now!" Candy cut me off, latching onto my arm once more and leading me forward.
We walked to Candy's place. Neither of us wanted to splurge on a taxi, and the buses were too cramped and crowded at this time of the day. Besides, our time at the beach had been the longest we'd ever been together alone. I was enjoying every moment of it, and, quite honestly, I dreaded it ending when we reached Candy's apartment and we had to separate under the scrutiny of her parents. Not that they'd shown any problems with me. They acted the same way mom did- throwing those sideways glances and grinning to themselves. I was the one who threw my arm around Candy's shoulder when she let go, and we wouldn't let go after that. She and I even made up a game as we walked. Once we could confirm we saw no one we knew after was turned a corner, we would kiss with our eyes closed until we were about to trip over the other's feet. Candy stumbled on mine a few times as my larger feet were the easier targets to hit. There were a lot of corners and no acquaintances anywhere, but Candy's building came into sight too soon.
I convinced myself to be enthusiastic anyway. Prism had come up with some good ideas already, he and Desire surely had some more written down, and Candy's dad would have a motherload of resources to give me a spark of inspiration. Perhaps I could go home bragging to mom about how sneaking out had actually been the thing to give me the answers she wanted me to find. As it was, I would go home wanting to brag about something, but I wasn't able to say a word about it.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Candy called out as we entered.
The apartment had enough space in each room to be comfortable, but it still was an enclosed area. Candy's parents would hear her no matter where they were, and we would be able to hear them.
If they had actually been there.
"I guess they're out or something." Candy said when she confirmed her parents' room was empty.
There was nowhere else for them to be. Maybe they had thought Candy wouldn't be back until later and went out for a nice dinner on their own. Maybe they were taking a walk. Or maybe they weren't even in the country. I had turned to see an erasable calendar hanging on the kitchen wall.
"Candy," I spoke slowly, "Why does this calendar say your parents are on vacation until Sunday?"
"Ahaha, whoops. I forgot about that." she replied in amused embarrassment.
"About the calendar or that your parents are on the other side of the world?" I questioned, folding my arms and giving her a look.
"The calendar."
I wasn't actually annoyed. How could I be? The girl I was incredibly attracted to and who had been throwing herself at me all day had purposely led me to her unsupervised residence. I had said that Candy wasn't stupid. Well, I wasn't stupid either. I could read the signs. I knew what this all would lead to if I didn't make an exit soon. It was figuring out if I wanted to make that exit or not that was the tricky part.
Candy made it not as tricky.
"Does being here alone with me bother you?" she questioned.
It was the first time in a while since earlier in the day where she'd spoken completely seriously. She was giving me an out with no hard feelings. A chance to not take the step before I was ready.
"Not bothered. Just...unsure." I answered honestly.
Again, without a word, the space between us was gone and Candy's lips were on mine. The kiss lasted long and went deep. All the tension in my shoulders relaxed.
"Does that help? Or should I stop?" she asked genuinely.
"Don't stop." I requested, a bit breathless.
An even longer kiss. An even deeper one.
"We should watch some television." Candy suggested.
"Sure."
I turned my head this way and that and saw no television.
"The only one we have is in my parents' room." Candy explained.
Of course it was.
To our credit, we did at least turn the television on. Heck, we even watched it for a bit. I supposed it even made the lean in to the lurking moment seamless. Candy lay cuddled against me as we briefly kept tabs on the romantic comedy I knew mom recorded every now and again. As if spurring us on, the plot focused much more on the romance than it did the comedy. I could see why mom recorded it. The story was good, the acting was on par, and if I didn't have Candy deciding to press her softness against me once more I would have wanted to know what happened. Candy came first though.
This time I gently pulled her from my side to in front of me. I held her with one hand. She stroked my cheek with one of hers. With her other she guided mine to where she wanted it or stopped it when it went a smidge too far. It was all an experiment so far, and we were both testing boundaries.
Candy was the more adventurous one really. That was clear enough when she suddenly sat up so her legs arched over mine. There was nothing safe about it this time. Everything of her was near everything of me.
"C-Candy." I stuttered when our lips parted from another kiss.
"What?" she wondered, biting her lip in a way that made any defenses I had left crumble.
"The way you're sitting, well, it, it is a dangerous way to sit."
"Coal," she giggled my name, "We need things to be 'dangerous' if we want to keep this going."
"Yeah..." I realized with a slight blush but a bigger grin, "You know though, I didn't bring any...um, anything with me."
I was having no problems with the physical side of things, but speaking the words of what I meant was much harder. Thankfully, Candy knew exactly what I was getting at. She moved away for a moment to pull out a plastic tote from under the bed. From that tote she took a cardboard box, and from that box she snatched a small, square, plastic wrapper and dropped it next to me.
"One of my dad's. It'll be overkill, but we should use it." Candy spoke.
"Overkill?"
"I'm on birth control."
"Oh," I said, not being able to stop disappointment from appearing in my voice, "Have you done this before then?"
"No," she instantly shook her head, and there was nothing that gave me the impression she was lying, "I just have absolutely horrible period cramps. They've gotten so bad a few times that I've had to go to the hospital."
"Isn't that usually a sign of something bad happening?" I wondered in concern.
"They've haven't been able to see anything in the tests they've done. I'm nothing more than unlucky." Candy shrugged.
Her fingers worked their way under the back of my shirt as she said that. They were cool, but not uncomfortably so. The sense of their tingling touch was addicting. It took the breeze of the air conditioning to let me know that I had instinctively helped Candy yank the clothes off in a flash. I did better in controlling myself more when it came time to return the favor. Candy returned to being in nothing more than her bikini with easily untangled knots holding it together when my back pressed against the mattress. Candy straddled me more definitively.
"Nervous?" she asked.
"Of course. I'd be stupid not to be. It's a good kind of nervous though. Like when you're about to get on a roller coaster."
"I've heard that this can be quite the roller coaster, so that's a good comparison." Candy said with that playful glint in her eye once more.
"Aren't you nervous?"
"Of course."
She echoed me, and I couldn't help but to chuckle. My expression softened as her fingers clasped harder onto mine. It wasn't a great amount, but her hands were shaking. Something about that swept a massive wave of calm over me. A steady and gentle surge of confidence. It was most likely because of Uncle Blaze's influence. He refused to let me be even the slightest bit uneducated in any area of this kind of topic. Candy was bold and willing, but I was the one who at least knew in theory how to take care of everything.
"It'll be alright."
The words I had spoken to so many others in so many other kinds of situations rolled off my tongue once more. It felt in a way that they had become my motto. Keep speaking them, and eventually the promise they carried would come true. This time I was sure it was a promise I could keep. Candy must have known that too. Her expression softened as well, and her hands didn't quiver quite so badly.
"Mmhmm," she agreed, bending over to rest her forehead on mine, "If it's you and me, it'll be alright."
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