Terra Camerra

I would like to dedicate this to my friends in the NiftyGirls chat room. Some of you have been a big influence on the direction of this story. I'm sure you know who you are, Jenna and Lindsey! :-)

I've also written "Chilie Peppers" found in this same high school section. If you like my stories or if you have any helpful comments, please email me: MalloryOakley@hotmail.com

Terra Camerra

It was late one Saturday morning and I was upstairs happily straightening my room. I was looking forward to relaxing this weekend. First quarter exams were over, and I felt good about them. Later, I was planning to give Terra a call to see what she wanted to do today. And tonight, I had a date with another new (maybe) boyfriend. The cordless phone lying on my bed started ringing, and I assumed it was Terra. I fumbled with it for a few seconds before pressing the answer button, and I was about to say, `hello', when I heard, "Hi June, how are you today? Doing anything?"

"Oh, hi Teresa. I was just about to try the new curtains I bought for the kitchen, but I have time to talk," I heard my mom say.

I didn't want to listen in on my mother talking to my best friend's mom about curtains, and was about to hang up, when I heard Terra's mom say, "I think we have a problem with Terra."

I hesitated for a second, not knowing what to do. I didn't want to listen in on their private conversation, but my curiosity got the best of me. I covered the mouthpiece so they couldn't hear me breathing. If this was about my best friend Terra, I had to know.

"Well it's always something with our kids these days," my mom said in a pleasant and cheery voice. She couldn't really be in trouble, or I would have already known about it. So, I thought it must be something silly like an argument with her mom, a chore she forgot, or some guy at school her mom didn't like. I kept listening and was getting a little excited because I'd be able to let Terra know what was up. "So what's going on with her?" mom asked.

"Oh my God, June, I think Terra might be gay," I heard her say to my mom with a shaky voice. I got a big grin on my face, and almost laughed into the phone. Our mothers could be so ridicules sometimes, and worry about such stupid things. Here we are seniors in high school, and they still don't really know us. `That's just crazy!' I told myself, and giggled.

"My God, Teresa, what makes you think so?" my mother asked her.

"Well, we had a long talk last night, and she just came out and told me she was," Terra's mom said. That didn't make any sense to me. Why would she tell her mom that she was gay? Her mother must have misunderstood something that Terra said.

"Did she say how long she's been feeling that way?" my mother asked.

"Well, she said for about two or three years now." It sounded like Terra's mom was starting to cry, and she suddenly got very quiet.

"Talk to me, Teresa. You know you'll feel better if we talk about it," mom was trying to console her. Now, I was really getting concerned. Terra's not gay, she's not a lesbian or I would have known. We've been best friends our whole lives; we talk about boys all the time, and there's even a guy at school she likes. This isn't right.

"Well, I found Terra crying in her room again last night. This time it was after talking to her dad about going away to college. She's been crying a lot lately, almost every night, and I was starting to get worried. I questioned her and didn't get anywhere, as usual. So this time, I persisted," Terra's mom was explaining. "She was crying and sobbing when she told me that she knew she was a lesbian, and she was scared that Shelby would find out. She told me that she's afraid of losing her."

"Oh God, Teresa," my mom said, "poor Terra. But listen, I know she wouldn't lose Shelby's friendship over that. You know how close our kids have been all these years. And, it sounds like she needs her best friend a lot right now. She should really talk to Shelby about it. I know my daughter, she's a good person with a kind heart, and she cares a lot for Terra," mom was telling her. I was frozen on my bed with the telephone to my ear, not wanting to breathe. So this was all true? Oh my God, my poor Terra! Of course, it wouldn't split us up; we're best friends forever. Why didn't she tell me? Suddenly, I felt like crying.

"But June, you don't understand, it gets worse," Terra's mom said, sounding like she was crying. "She said that she's in love with Shelby."

"She's what?" I heard my mom gasp.

"She told me that she's been in love with Shelby for a ling time, not just as best friends, but really in love with her," she said, trying to make my mom understand. "That's why I'm confiding in you, June. I don't know what to do. I know if Shelby finds out, it could possibly end their friendship. And, Terra can't lose that friendship now. The way she's feeling, well, I'm afraid for her," her mother cried.

"Hi hon," I heard over the phone. My dad just got back from the barbershop.

"Teresa, I'll call you back. Look, these things have a way of working out for themselves. I'm sure this is probably a phase she's going through. I'll call you back in a little while and we can talk about it some more, OK?" My mom wanted to end the conversation with my dad in the room.

Not wanting them to hear another click on the line, I made sure I hung up at the same time. I sat the phone on the nightstand and lay back on my bed. I just didn't know what to think, say, or do. I didn't know how I felt. I wasn't mad at Terra, no, not at all. I guess I was really getting concerned for her. She is my best friend, and I don't want things to change between us. Normally, we'd be talking on the phone today and getting together. It's early yet; I'll wait and see if she calls. And if she doesn't, I'll call her. I could never let anyone know that I overheard that telephone conversation. When I do talk to Terra, I have to pretend that things are still normal between us.

I lie there trying to recall any signs at all of her thinking that we were ever been more than just best friends. I started concentrating on all the little things that we did together; things that were said in laughter, or when we did something nice for each other. I did have to smile when I thought of the way we are with each other. Yes, I remember many times her saying that she loved me, and I'd always say, `me too', but it was because we're best friends, and we're supposed to love each other, right?

My mind wandered back to one week last summer when we shared a small bed at the cottage her parents rented. We'd take our showers, put on our nighties, and cuddle together, clean and smelling fresh in that little bed, where there was hardly enough room. We'd sleep with my stomach to her back, or the other way around. The one behind would always have an arm around a waste, sometimes under the nightie resting on the bare skin of our stomachs or our backs. We both commented on how nice it was, and we'd just fall asleep. It was all very innocent. If she does like girls and she's in love with me, she never tried anything, even though she had the chance plenty of times.

While finishing my room, I kept running this through my mind. What would I have done if she had tried something? Like if she would have tried to kiss me, or something. I mean a serious kiss, and not just playing or joking around. Would I have freaked out? I don't know, I've just never thought about it before. Then, I started running the idea of actually kissing her through my mind; our lips pressed together, our arms around each other. And I had to giggle to myself, because it just seemed a little weird, thinking about Terra and me kissing! Then I started feeling sad, because if she actually feels that way towards me, it wouldn't be very funny or weird to her.

Anyway, I wish she had told me before how she felt, instead of keeping her feelings a secret. We could have worked it out between us a long time ago. But to put myself in her place, would I have ever had the nerve to tell my straight best friend that I was in love with her? Well no, of course not. Not ever. I can even see how she'd think I wouldn't want to be her friend anymore. She'd think it might make me uncomfortable being around her. So maybe she cares about me enough, not to tell me. `She's so sweet, my Terra Camerra, is she really in love with me?' I was thinking, as another smile formed on my face. Then, I felt the tears in my eyes. I don't want to lose her.

I went downstairs and did a few chores around the house, and talked to my mom for a while to see if she'd say anything about Terra. But the conversation was limited to school, and which pictures matched the new curtains. Nothing was said about the phone call from Mrs. Arquette. I went outside and walked around the yard a couple of times, picking up small sticks that had fallen from our trees, just killing time. I ended up on the couch in the living room flipping through the channels, but not even looking at the television. Thoughts of Terra and what her mom said on the phone, relentlessly played over and over again in my mind. It's funny, the things I'm thinking about now. Terra is always telling me how beautiful I am, and I'm always saying the same things to her, because it's true, and we're proud of it. I never read anything into it. God, I wish she'd call...

We've been best friends since her family moved here from Canada years ago. I have such fond memories of playing in her yard when we were little kids. Her mother would call us in to eat lunch in her cute French accent, "Terra Camerra, you bring yourself inside and your little friend, too, for some lunch."

Once I asked her why her mom always called her Terra Camerra, when her last name was Arquette. She explained to me in her little girl's voice, "It's Portuguese, and it means I'm pretty like grandma was!" Her mom was French-Canadian, and her father was French-Canadian and Portuguese. They gave her the middle name of Camerra after her Portuguese grandmother. After she got older, she was only called Terra Camerra when her mom was really happy with her, or when she did something to make her mom mad. I picked up her mom's habit, and did the same. Yes, we've been best friends since we were little girls, and we grew up together. We're young women now, graduating this year, and going to college.

At almost 18, we're both around 5'6" tall (she's maybe a half inch taller). We have curvy figures, nice full breasts, flat tummies, and cute butts that really fill a pair of jeans, and make the boys act crazy when they see us on the beach in our bikinis. We both change our hair color about as often as our mothers let us, but I think we're pretty close to being natural right now. Terra's hair is a little past her shoulders, some curl, black with brown highlights; mine is strawberry blonde, with platinum highlights, and not quite down to my shoulders. Most of the time, we just pull our hair back with a scrunchie. Yes, Terra and I are very pretty, and we know it from all the attention we get from the guys at school.

It seems like we both had new boyfriends almost every few weeks since we started high school, but nothing was ever serious. It was almost the same thing each time. Terra or I would get so excited when we found out someone liked us. First, we'd start talking on the phone with the guy. Then, we'd go out for a couple of weeks. After that, the fight over whatever, and finally the breakup. For me recently, the fights were usually about sex. After just a couple of dates, the guys I went out with acted as if it was their right to have sex with a girl. That spoiled things right away because it showed me the guys didn't really care about me, they just wanted to get laid. Terra hasn't dated a lot this year, but she does flirt in school all the time and talks about who she likes, or whom she thinks likes her. That's why I just don't understand this lesbian thing.

I looked at the clock, 1:30 in the afternoon, and she hasn't called me yet to see what we're doing? I grabbed the cordless and went up to my room.

"Hello," her mom answered.

"Hi Mrs. Arquette, may I please speak to Terra?"

"Oh, hi Shelby. Of course you can, honey," she said sweetly. "Just a second."

"Hi Shelby," I heard Terra say on the phone.

"Soooo, what do you want to do today?"

"Oh I don't know. I don't feel like doing anything. I'm in a terrible mood today. I think I slept on the wrong side of the bed or I'm coming down with a cold. Maybe I'm going to start my period or something." She didn't sound like her usual self, and was obviously trying to get rid of me.

She's my best friend, and if it's true what her mother was saying, she's really hurting inside right now and needs me. "Terra, listen. I'll be over in 10 minutes. See ya then, bye!" and I hung up, not giving her a chance to respond.

"Mom, can you please give me a ride to Terra's?" I asked her, while walking into the kitchen. Terra has her driver's license, but doesn't yet have a car, and I've flunked the test twice already because I'm such a spaz.

So even though we're seniors, we still have our parents run us around town as if we're little kids.

"Sure honey," mom said, looking up from a catalog. "Did she call you?" she asked.

"No, I called her," I said. I knew why mom wanted to know. My mind still wasn't right with this whole thing. After all, what does my mother think of her daughter's best friend being a lesbian? She seemed concerned for Terra on the phone, but it's a subject mom and I never talked about in our lives.

She dropped me off at Terra's house where Mrs. Arquette greeted me at the door. "Come in Shelby," she said. "Terra is up in her room, but can I talk to you for a second?" she asked.

God, I really didn't want to have this conversation with her mother. I looked at her, then down at the floor, and then back up again, feeling kind of embarrassed. "What is it, Mrs. Arquette?" I asked.

"Shelby," she started, looking very concerned, "please promise me that you'll always be friends with Terra, no matter what happens."

I wasn't handling this very well at all, and I was thinking that parents don't put much faith in their kids, or in what friendship means. I was starting to get mad that she would think I wouldn't want Terra as my friend anymore just because she's gay. "Look Mrs. Arquette," I started to scold her, and then softened my voice, "there is absolutely nothing in this world that would stop me from being best friends with Terra..." I hesitated.

I wasn't supposed to know about her conversation with my mom. I reached out and put my hand on her arm, "Stop worrying about her. She'll be OK."

Mrs. Arquette reached out and gave me a hug. "Thank you, honey," she whispered in my ear. "All I'm trying to say is that she's going through some hard times right now, and your friendship means a lot to her."

I looked at her face and saw tears in her eyes. "Her friendship means a lot to me too. So, don't worry about anything, she'll be OK," I said to her again, and turned towards the stairs leading to Terra's room. I could feel the tears in my own eyes. I think Terra and I need to have a long, serious talk. I just truly don't care if she is a lesbian, none of that matters. Deep inside, it makes me feel good that she loves me so much, and I should let her know that it's all right.

"Hi Shelby," she said, as I entered her room. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, and didn't seem too happy to see me. I walked over to her, reached down and picked up her hands. "What are you doing?" she asked, obviously in a bad mood. I pulled her up to a standing position and wrapped my arms around her in a big hug. She hesitated, and then I felt her arms around me; I could feel my eyes misting up. I didn't let go, and neither did she. We just stood there hugging each other tightly for a full minute, not saying anything. "OK Shelby, what's up, why are you hugging me?" she asked, her voice sounding a little happier.

"Because you're my girl, aren't you? And, you looked like you needed a big hug, and..." I hesitated.

"And what," she asked, in a soft voice.

"And, I love you, Terra Camerra" I whispered in her ear. `I love you. There, I said it first', I told myself. Yes, I really do love her, and it gave me a warm feeling to tell her so. Maybe I don't love her in the same way that she loves me, but I do love her.

She didn't say anything; we broke off the hug and smiled at each other.

Her mood instantly changed. "What do you want to do today?" she asked.

I had to talk this through with her. I wanted her to tell me about how she was feeling, and why she thinks she's a lesbian. I needed to tell her that none of it matters, and how important she is to me. She needed to know that, no matter what, we`d always be best friends. "Let's take a walk. Let's go to the park and just sit and watch the little kids play on the slides. I feel like some fresh air and a nice walk, come on Terra," I said, taking her hand. She gave me a funny look, shrugged her shoulders, and followed.

We said goodbye to her mom, and I looked back as we were walking out the door. Her mother was looking directly at me. I smiled at her, and mouthed the words, `we'll be OK'.

We sat on a bench at the kid's playground, but we weren't that comfortable. It was too noisy with kids running around, screaming and crying, and parents trying to make them stop fighting. There wasn't a line at the concession stand, so I suggested that we get some ice cream and walk around. Off in the distance, I could see an empty soccer field with bleachers. Pointing in that direction, I said, "Come on, over there."

Our ice cream cones were half gone and dripping all over by the time we got there. It was hard to keep licking and walking at the same time. "We forgot the napkins," Terra giggled, with chocolate running down her arm. We both laughed as she knelt down and wiped her arm off in the grass. "Now this is nice," she said smiling, after we were seated on the first row of bleachers. We sat and finished our ice cream in silence.

"Are you in a better mood now, Terra Camerra?" I asked her, smiling and rubbing her neck roughly, as we sometimes did to each other.

"Yeah, thanks Shelby," she said, grabbing my hand from her neck. "I'm so lucky. I can always count on you to cheer me up and be there for me," she said, not letting go of my hand.

"Don't ever, ever forget that," I said to her seriously. I squeezed her hand tightly and said, "No matter what it is, or how bad you think things are, I'm here for you. You know that, don't you sweetie?" Not letting go of her hand, I was looking directly into her eyes.

"I know, but..." She hesitated, and gave me a worried look. "God Shelby, I have to tell you something, but it's so hard, and I'm scared."

"It's OK, Terra. Believe me honey, it's OK. You can tell me anything.

We can work it out together, no matter what it is. Do you hear me?" I was almost pleading with her to tell me what was on her mind, because I knew she needed to get it out.

"Oh please Shelby, please, please tell me that when tomorrow comes we'll still be best friends," she pleaded, and her face was getting red like she was going to cry.

"Tomorrow, next week, next year, we'll still be best friends, OK? Look baby, just let it out, OK?" I knelt on the grass in front of her, took both her hands in mine, and rested them on her lap. I looked up into her face and saw tears in her eyes. "Look at me, sweetie. I promise you, it will be OK." With that, I took her hands and kissed them.

"I think I'm a lesbian," she whispered, just loud enough to be heard. She turned away from me, afraid to look at my face.

"It's OK, honey," I said. "What makes you think so?" I asked her with a reassuring smile, still holding her hands.

She looked at me almost in amazement that I didn't pull away from her. "I just know," she said. She turned away from me and started to cry.

I got up and she looked at me as if she was afraid of me, or afraid what I was going to do or say next. I really didn't know what to say, but I just wanted her to feel good about herself, and us. I sat next to her, put my arm around her, pulled her close to me, and gave her a little kiss on the cheek. "Nope, that won't do it, you silly Terra Camerra," I said. "You'll have to do better than that to split us up," I smiled at her, and squeezed her tightly.

"Shelby, I'm serious. Didn't you hear what I said?"

"Yes, I heard. But listen, honey, it doesn't matter if you're gay or not, we're still best friends," I said reassuring her. I was fumbling for words, and I had to be cautious not to hurt her feelings. "But, what makes you think you're a lesbian?" I asked her for the second time.

"Well, maybe because I like girls, for a start," she said coldly as if she was mad at herself, and she looked away again.

"But you like boys too, don't you?" I asked, genuinely interested.

"Well yes, kind of, but not really. Not in the way that I'm supposed to, anyway. It's just hard to put it into words. I like flirting and joking around with them in school, because when they like me it makes me popular, but I don't really like the sex stuff at all. I've tried, but I just can't. I don't feel anything with a guy." she confided in me.

"Well, this is kind of a hard question," I said pleasantly smiling at her. "But, do you think you'd like having sex with girls better? I mean, have you ever..."

"No, of course not!" she cut me off. "But, it's been on my mind for a long time. I just could never tell anyone before, especially you."

"You know, you could have always told me, Terra. You can tell me anything. You know that don't you, honey?" I said, hugging her close to me again.

"But, I was always afraid of losing you," she said, and started to sob.

"That's just not going to happen," I said, smiling at her and rubbing her arm. An idea was forming in my head that I hadn't fully thought out yet. All I knew was that Terra was the most important person in my life, and she just told me her deepest secret, and her worst fear.

My heart was going out to her, and right then, I loved her enough to do anything for her. I guess I reasoned that if maybe we kissed, I mean a real kiss, she'd just feel silly about it and realize that she wasn't really a lesbian. She'd see that we were just best friends who care dearly for each other. "Listen, did you ever...even kiss a girl?" I asked her, smiling like I was almost joking.

"Well, no... I've never..." she hesitated. We were sitting close together, our legs were touching, and I still had my arm around her.

Suddenly getting very serious, I looked into her eyes and asked her, "Terra, do you love me?" I surprised both of us by my question.

"Oh God, Shelby. Yes, I love you so much it hurts." her voice trembled. She had a worried look on her face. I know she was thinking that telling me how much she really did love me, might scare me away. But, when you find out that someone you really care about is in love with you, you can't help but feel good about it. Even if it is another girl. `Another girl?' I asked myself. No, this isn't just another girl, it's my Terra Camerra.

"I love you too honey, more than anyone," I said to her. "Listen, I don't know how it'll be, or even if we'll like it, but do you want to try?" I asked her.

She turned and faced me, still with that worried look. "What do you mean?" she asked, with a little sniffle as she stopped crying.

"Do you want to kiss me? I mean it's OK," I whispered, smiling at her.

"My God, Shelby, you're such a good friend. No, you don't have to. I know you don't feel that way."

"You want to know a secret?"

"What?"

"Terra, I really don't know how I feel. I've never thought about it before. But right now I am thinking about it, and I do want to kiss you," I said looking into her eyes.

"Oh my God, are you sure?" she asked, in disbelief.

I was sure. My best friend of my whole life was hurting, and at that moment, I'd do anything to make her feel better. Yes, I was sure that I loved her enough to give it a try. Maybe it would be like `kissing some sense into her' I told myself. And when it's over, we'll both probably be giggling about it, and how silly it was.

I moved my face into hers until our lips gently touched. Then I backed away an inch, thinking that it was nice, but we could do better. We again pressed our lips together, she put her hand on my shoulder, and I rested mine lightly on the back of her neck. I felt her lips part a little and I let mine do the same. I could smell the wet tears still on her cheeks, and it made my heart hurt for her. We slowly turned our heads from side to side, rubbing our open mouths against each other's wanting lips. It was the softest and most precious kiss I'd ever had. And when our tongues touched, it was like opening a new door between our hearts and our minds. We both gasped at the same time, and then backed away. I could taste the ice cream on her lips, and I could feel the magic in my heart.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. No, that wasn't the plan at all. It was just supposed to be a silly kiss. Something between best friends that we'd laugh about later. But it wasn't funny, or silly at all, and I almost cried at the happiness I felt.

"Did you like it?" she asked me, a dreamy look on her face.

"Oh my God," was all I could manage to get out. I was looking into her beautiful face, and really seeing how much she meant to me for the first time.

"I'm sorry, Shelby. I guess it was a bad idea..." she whispered, and started to get that worried look on her face again.

"No Terra, honey, don't say that. It wasn't a bad idea at all. I never knew kissing you would be so amazing," I said softly to her. I'd kissed and made out with guys before, but this was so very different. No one ever made me feel this way. At that moment, I knew I was in love with her too.

I started to move in for another; she giggled and backed away from me. She looked around quickly and said, "Oh my God Shelby, there's people everywhere!"

I looked and saw that we were not as alone as we first were. There were some joggers passing by on a trail, and three kids and their parents were feeding squirrels not too far away from us. In the distance, it looked like a whole soccer team was headed our way.

"You liked it then?" she asked.

"Yes," I whispered.

"Really?" she asked excitedly, as though she was afraid to believe it.

"Terra, I..." I could hardly speak. I was being flooded with emotions and feelings I never knew I had. I thought I was going to cry, but I didn't want to for fear that she would take it wrong.

"Shelby, you're not saying anything," she looked at me curiously.

"Terra honey, we're so much more than just best friends, aren't we," I managed to get out. The feeling of her kiss was still on my lips.

"You feel it too?" she asked.

"Oh my God honey, yes. I feel it too," I said, squeezing her hand. I looked around and saw people heading towards our bleachers. "Let's walk back to your house," I said, standing and pulling her up with me. When she wasn't looking, I wiped the tears from my eyes.

The walk back to her house was a happy one. She was so relieved, that she told me more about how she felt about herself, and her feelings for me. It seems that she too had the same lingering memories of last summer when we slept together at the cottage, and confessed to me that she did lie awake some of those nights thinking about kissing me. She said that one time she awoke in the middle of the night and her hand was under my nightie, right on top of my bare boobs! She said she was so scared that I'd think she was feeling me up, that she slept on her hands the rest of night. She also said that it was so arousing for her, it got her thinking that she probably was gay.

I also told her how I was feeling. That I never really thought much about being a lesbian, or kissing her or any other girl. I've always loved her so much as my best friend. And, how much I missed her when she went on trips with her parents. I told her that I think about her all the time and I look forward to seeing her each and every day, as if I can't get enough of her. And I told her again, how amazing and wonderful our first kiss made me feel. At that, she smiled shyly at me and asked, "Really?" as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. I couldn't believe it myself how right it felt kissing her.

We were still holding hands when we reached her house. The conversation had changed several times, from a friend's sick dog, to schoolwork, to a movie we both wanted to see, and back again to talking about our feelings for each other. We were both so bubbling over with happiness when we entered her house, that it got a big smile from her mother. I saw her mom looking at me a couple of times waiting for some sign that we had talked, and that everything was OK between us.

Then, Terra looked right at her mom and said, "Mom, I told her, and it's OK!" She was so happy and relieved, that it just came out in a loud voice as if she'd just won the lottery.

Her mother smiled happily, but looked a little embarrassed, and I felt that way too. But I was really happy for Terra, and for myself. We had taken our relationship to a new level, and it felt good. "Really Mrs. Arquette," I said, "it's no big deal. Nothing's changed between us. We're still best friends forever!" I said in the same loud voice that Terra used. I felt kind of funny putting it that way, then I realized that I was a long ways from telling anyone that I was in love with Terra.

We went up to her room, she turned on some music, and handed me a stack of CD's. But before she could speak, I said, "I think I just lied to your mom."

She looked at me with that worried look on her face again. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I told your mother that nothing's changed. That was the lie, Terra," I said. "Something has changed, and I like it," I said, whispering. I cautiously looked into the hallway to see if her mother had followed us upstairs. I put both hands on her face and kissed her full on the lips. Not a `best friend' kiss at all, but a lover's kiss. I discovered something new about her and myself today. And, oh my God, I love kissing her so much that nothing else seems to matter! She put both arms around me, hugging me while we were making out. Then we both realized where we were, and broke it off.

We were sitting on her bed looking at CD's when her mother came up and invited me to stay for supper. I gladly accepted the offer, and we decided to order pizza so her mom wouldn't have to go through a lot of work. We all ate pizza in front of the big screen TV in their living room. We were laughing and having a ball, and her mom got out a camera and started taking pictures of `her two favorite girls', she called us. We were really acting up for the camera; making funny faces, trying different poses, feeding each other pizza, and just having a great time; too much fun for me to want to leave. So when her mother suggested I spend the night, I happily accepted.

"I'll turn down the covers in the guest room," her mother said, after a while. "So whenever you want to go to bed, you can just jump in." Over the years, we'd spent many nights at each other's houses, but we never slept in the same room. When we got older, we'd stay up very late talking, or watching a movie, and we'd eventually end up in separate rooms and beds when it was time to sleep.

"Let's do what we did at the cottage," Terra said, excitedly. "I mean we could sleep in the same bed and talk until we fall asleep!" Then, I saw a tinge of red appear on her cheeks. I know she was remembering the closeness that we shared in that bed last summer, all the thoughts that went through her head back then, and what we had just discussed on the walk back home. Or, maybe it just dawned on her what her mother may be thinking. I could feel my face getting a little flushed as well.

All three of us got quiet for what seemed like an eternity, and then her mother happily said to me, "Shelby dear, of course you can sleep with Terra if you want, honey. If she tosses and turns too much, feel free to move to the guest room." Then she looked at us and said, "I'm going to take my shower and go to bed. I'm so happy you girls worked things out." She gave us both a little hug, kissed our cheeks, and went off to her downstairs bedroom. She was completely OK with us sleeping together. Maybe she thought that because I was straight, we wouldn't do anything. Or maybe she really didn't care if we did anything or not. Her mom was so amazing!

After a while of laughing at an old movie, and several times turning the volume up and down on the big television, we decided to go upstairs so we wouldn't be keeping her mom awake. Once in her room, she closed the door and turned to me. "I love you so much, Shelby," she said, hugging me close to her. I put my arms around her, and we just stood like that for a while. It felt so good hugging her and knowing that we were going to be sleeping together tonight.

"What do you want to wear?" she asked, pointing into an open dresser drawer. The drawer was full of panties, nighties, and tee shirts.

"You pick out something for me," I said, smiling at her.

"OK, but then you have to pick out something for me." She looked at my nails, and picked out a pair of red bikini panties and a little white cotton `Hello Kitty' tee shirt. She smiled at me and said, "Here, these will match. OK?"

"OK," I said, "but that tee is so short it will just barely cover my boobs!" I giggle at her.

"I know," she said, smiling shyly at me. "You'll look so sexy," she whispered, and her expression started to change. "I mean, only if you want to..." she hesitated. She looked a little worried that maybe she was going to fast. That maybe all I'd really want to do was talk and cuddle like we did at the cottage.

"Only if you'll wear another tee as short as this one," I smiled and caressed her arm, reassuring her that it was OK. I picked out a cute little pink tee that looked to be even shorter than the one she gave me, and a pair of matching bikinis. "And, you'll look really sexy in these," I handed them to her, reached over and gently kissed her lips.

After we took our separate showers, we were sitting on the bed in our little tees and panties, flipping the remote through channels on her small TV. We really weren't paying attention to the television, and we kept shyly smiling at each other. She'd glance at me and smile, and then look away. Then, I'd do the same to her. We were both having the same thoughts of crawling under the covers and making out, but we really didn't know how to get started. So there we sat, sweetly flirting with each other for the first time in our lives.

I looked her up and down a few times, she was so beautiful. From her pretty toes, up her long curvy legs, the cheeks of her cute butt just peeking out from her panties. The way she was sitting, her breasts were holding her tee shirt out from her stomach. I could see her nipples pressing through the fabric. I glanced down at my own to see if they were showing as much as hers. When I look back at her, I caught her subtle glances and I could see that her eyes were all over me as well.

Suddenly, the realization of the situation started to take hold of me. Yes, I'm looking at her all over. I've always enjoyed looking at her, because she's so beautiful. And I know now that I'm in love with her, and she's in love with me. I also know that I love kissing her and want to do that some more, a lot more. But oh my God, I'm not gay! Now I was worried that she might think we're actually going to have sex tonight. And, it would be my fault for leading her on all this time. I took a deep breath and made a decision right there, that the only way this will work between us, is that we have to be completely honest with each other.

"Terra honey," I started. "I love you more than anyone in my life, even my own parents. I love kissing you, baby, and I want to keep kissing you all the time. But honey..." I hesitated, not knowing how to say it or even if I need to say it. "I really don't think I'm gay."

Her expression changed a little, as if she didn't quite know what I meant, or what I was trying to say. Then, I thought she might move away from me. Now I was afraid I was saying everything all wrong, and had hurt her feelings. That's not what I wanted to do, damn it. I didn't want to spoil this night for either one of us.

Before she could move away, I reached out and wrapped my arms around her. I pushed her down on the bed and positioned myself to lie completely on top of her. I thought I was losing my mind, and I bet she thought the same thing. I just told her I wasn't gay, and then I jump her!

"Shelby, I think you're losing it," she laughed. "You're pretty aggressive for a straight girl, you know."

I lowered my mouth to hers and repeated the soft, tender kiss that we shared in the park earlier that day. We continued kissing and getting more and more into it. I could feel her squirming around a little underneath me, and she opened her legs so I was lying between them. Our kissing started to get more passionate. I realized that I was slowly, gently grinding my hips into her, and I could feel a tingling between my legs. I broke the kiss almost in a panic, and rolled off her. We lay there side by side holding hands for a while; I turned to her and said, "Oh my God, Terra, I don't think I'm completely straight either." My breathing was heavy like I'd been running.

"Come on Shelby, let's just get under the covers and hold each other, and talk," she said, with a shy little smile. I was curious to know if she was getting wet like I was, but I was afraid she'd catch me looking at her crotch. I'm guessing by the slight redness in her cheeks and neck, she was.

We crawled under the covers. I was on my back, she snuggled up close to me on her side, and we put our arms around each other.

After a few minutes of silence, I had to kiss her again. I rolled over on my side facing her and we started all over again. This time we ended up with our legs between each other's, and slowing rubbing our bodies together.

Once I started feeling that tingling between my legs again, I quickly broke the kiss and rolled on my back once more. "We have to take this so slow, Terra," I said to her.

"We will, Shelby, we will," she whispered. "I don't want to do anything you're not comfortable with."

"Please don't be disappointed if we don't do anything tonight, honey."

"Oh baby, you've given me more than I could ever hope for. You've made all my dreams come true today, and I love you so much," she whispered in my ear. She reached over and turned down the light on the nightstand, and snuggled up close to me again. I put my arm around her and squeezed her to me.

"Terra, do you think you could really have sex, I mean, would you want to with me?" I asked in a soft whisper.

"Oh my God, yes," she whispered back.

"How long have you wanted too?" I asked her, still whispering.

"A long time," she whispered back.

It was wonderful lying there in the dark, holding her, talking to her like that in a sexual way, and having her tell me her secrets and her fantasies. "What would you do to me?" I asked in an excited whisper, almost giggling.

"Everything," was her reply.

"What do you mean, everything?" I teased her.

"You know Shelby, everything," she giggled.

I rolled over against her and whispered in her ear, "Tell me baby, what you would do to me. Please say it, honey."

She put her lips to my ear and whispered, "First, I'd take off your top and mine, then I'd lie on top of you, and start kissing you.

"Then what would you do to me, honey? Tell me."

With her lips still pressed against my ear she whispered, "I'd kiss all down your neck and start sucking on your nipples."

"Oooohhh, tell me more, honey. Tell me about the `everything' part," I coaxed her on, giggling.

"I'd kiss and lick all down your belly, and slowly pull off your panties, and..." she hesitated.

"You have to say it, Terra; you can't leave me in suspense!" I laughed loudly.

"Shelby, you know...," she said, giggling.

I held her close to me and kissed her open mouth. "Tell me," I whispered loudly and kissed her again.

She kissed me passionately, then put her lips back to my ear and whispered, "I'd go down on you. You know, I'd go down on you, and I wouldn't stop eating you out until you had the biggest orgasm in your life, and it would be so amazing," she whispered, sucking on my ear lobe. "But not tonight, I have a headache!" she said, laughing in a loud voice and tickling me.

I rolled back laughing and trying to grab her hands. "Oh my God, Terra Camerra, you're sooooo mean to me!" I said, and climbed on top of her again.

I held her arms so she couldn't tickle me anymore. After some more kissing and kidding around, we eventually settled down for the night. She had her back to me, I had my arm wrapped around her waist, and my hand was resting just below her breasts.

"I love you so much, Terra," I whispered to her. I didn't get a response, and knew she must have fallen asleep. Almost without any thought at all, I moved my hand up and around, touching, feeling, and fondling her beautiful breasts, feeling their fullness and their weight. My fingertips circled ever so gently, over and around, feeling her supple nipples. I was amazed at the response I was getting from touching them. I could actually feel them getting stiff while she was sleeping. And, I was getting a response of my own deep inside me. I opened my legs slightly and very gently pushed myself closer against her body. Carefully, I moved my hand back down and rested it on her stomach. I was smiling as I snuggled up closer to her and fell asleep.

Late the next day, Terra and her mom dropped me off at home. It was such a pleasant stay at Terra's house, we were already talking about our next sleep over. My mother greeted me when I walked in, but I could tell right away that she had something on her mind. "Mom, is something wrong?" I asked, not wanting anything to spoil my wonderful mood.

"I'm glad you had a nice time at Terra's house, honey, but didn't you forget something?" she asked.

"Aaahhh, happy birthday, mom?" I asked jokingly, trying to lighten whatever burden I caused by forgetting a chore, or whatever.

"A nice-looking young man showed up here at exactly 7:30 last night to take you out on a date. He told me you two had plans for a dinner and movie?" she asked, looking at me with raised brows.

"Oh no! Brad!" I said. "Oh my God, sorry mom, I completely forgot. What'd he say?"

"Well, he seemed pretty disappointed and maybe a little irritated. I didn't like doing it, but I told him that you were helping a sick friend. It was embarrassing, you know, Shelby," she scolded.

"Oh mom, I'm so sorry! I'm going to call him right now and apologize," I said, taking the cordless phone up to my room.

It was easier than I thought, dumping Brad. I lie back on my bed with a smile on my face, thinking of playing around with Terra's boobs in bed last night while she was sleeping.

All that week, we talked in school whenever we could and for hours every night on the phone. When we weren't talking, I was thinking about her, and our new relationship. I was getting comfortable with it, but I was still having very confusing and conflicting thoughts. I still couldn't consider myself as gay, maybe bi-sexual, just maybe. I have such strong feelings for Terra, but oh my God, what would my parents think if I was a lesbian? That was a very scary thought. I decided to stop worrying about it for now. I really didn't want to put myself into any category. I was with Terra now, and that was that.

The following Saturday, Terra's parents dropped her off at my house, to spend the night. We'd already discussed the sleeping arrangements, and decided that she would sleep in the guest room as she always did. Anything else, at my house would just seem a little inappropriate. Our house was a brick ranch, there was only one floor, and all three bedrooms were next to each other. Terra's house was very large with a basement, main floor and an upstairs. Her parents slept in the master bedroom downstairs, and she had the whole upstairs to herself. That meant a lot of privacy for us at her house, and besides, her mom really seemed cool with us sleeping together.

That night, we were sitting on top of my bed watching TV, and flirting with each other. Terra smiled at me and whispered, "Oh my God, Shelby, are we ever going to kiss tonight?"

I looked over at my door and it was in its normal position, almost closed. The house or door was crooked, my dad told me, and it always just positioned itself that way. I liked it closing that way on its own, and asked him not to fix it. "How about now?" I grinned at her. I leaned in to her, we put our arms around each other, and our passion took over. We'd wanted to be with each other so bad all week that we immediately starting losing control. I ended up lying on top of her, her legs were wrapped around my back, and we were devouring each other's lips.

I rolled off her with a jerk when I heard my door creek! My mom pushed the door open and said, "You girls want any snacks? I've brought you some cheese and bread sticks." She walked in the room happily and placed the platter on the bed between us.

I could feel my face flushing, and a flash of anger passed through me. I looked at Terra, then at my mom, and my mood changed. Here with me are the two people that love me the most. I was just mad at myself for the bad timing. I smiled at mom and said, "Gee thanks, mom. That was nice of you."

"I can't have you girls going to bed hungry," she said smiling, and left the room. I was feeling better, but I knew we'd have to be more careful from now on.

Terra must have been starving because she nervously started munching away at the snacks. She looked at me with a bread stick in her mouth and said, "God Shelby, your mom scared the crap outta me!"

"Scared you?" I asked, "Shit, I almost freaked out. I didn't know what to say," I whispered, and I could still feel that my face was flushed.

"We'll have to be more careful from now on," She whispered to me.

"I think we better save it for your house, honey," I said giving her a disappointed look.

A while later we were sitting up in my bed, away from each other, leaning against the pillows and watching a movie. We both jumped when we hear a knock at the door. "Girls?" I heard my mom say.

"Mom? Come in," I said back to the door, a little confused. Mom has never knocked on my door before, so I didn't understand why she was doing so now. Then it dawned on me that she knew what we were doing when she walked in on us earlier! I felt myself tense up and I nervously smiled at her when she took away the empty snack platter. Terra and I sat there apart for the rest of the movie. I found myself deep in thought, and just staring at the wall behind the television. `Oh my God, I'm not gay,' I kept telling myself. But, what if mom thinks I am? Then I looked over at Terra, her pretty face all aglow from the light of the TV. She looked at me, smiled, and my heart melted.

After the movie, we said good night. She went off to the guest room, and I cried myself to sleep.

The next Saturday arrived, and I found myself asking the usual question, "Mom, can you give me a ride to Terra's?"

"Sure, honey," she said. "Now if you're going to spend the night over there, I'm not going to get any surprises, am I?" she said, giving me one of her looks.

"Awww mom, I'm sorry about the other week. I just got so involved talking to Terra that I forgot all about Brad. And yes, I would like to spend the night if it's OK."

"Of course, honey," she said, sweetly. "My, haven't we been in a good mood all week!" she said, looking at me and smiling.

In my mind, I was scolding myself. I knew I was absolutely exploding with happiness, and I was trying not to let it show so much. I knew that spending the night at Terra's house would mean that we could do a lot more than just watching TV together, and I'd been looking forward to it all week.

Sometimes it's almost as if mom could read my mind, and now I could feel my face blushing a deep red at the thought. I quickly turned away so she wouldn't see, but I think it was too late. "Ah, yeah, I guess so," was all I managed to come up with.

She walked up behind me and surprised me by putting her arms around my shoulders, hugging me, and saying, "Shelby, honey, I'm glad you and Terra are friends."

I turned around facing her, and returned the hug. We stood there just hugging each other and I could feel the tears in my eyes. How would she feel if she knew that her daughter might be gay? "Mom...I have to tell you something..." I said, starting to cry.

"Shhhh baby, you don't need to say anything. Honey, sometimes life is full of little surprises, and you know, everything happens for a reason," she whispered. "The most important thing to me is your happiness, my darling baby girl."

I hugged her close, crying on her shoulder. `Oh my God, she knows,' I said to myself. "Mom, I..." I tried to say in a choked voice.

"Honey, shhhh," she said, putting her fingers to my lips. You don't have anything to feel bad, or ashamed about. Just live your life and be happy, baby girl. Trust me sweetie, you'll be OK," she said in her soothing voice, and kissed my forehead. "Come on now baby, stop. You're making your eyes all red and Terra and her mom will think you've been crying."

"But mom, I am crying!" I said, almost laughing at the relief I was feeling. I wasn't sure how mom knew the way I was feeling about myself, and how I felt about Terra, but she did. Maybe it was her walking in on us that night, or she'd been talking to Terra's mom, or she really can read my mind!

It doesn't matter. She told me that what I was feeling was OK, and I love her so much for that. I made up my mind that very minute that I wouldn't worry about it any longer.

Terra's dad was away on another business trip, so that night we went out with her mom to a movie and a nice restaurant. Both her mom and I noticed Terra having little twinges of pain during dinner. "Honey, what's wrong," her mom asked.

"No big deal, it's my period," she whispered, acting a little irritated that we'd noticed.

I don't know what I was feeling at that moment. Disappointment? Relief? Was I actually looking forward to having sex with her tonight? Oh my God, I don't think so. Well, maybe...

"Shelby! What's the matter with you?" Terra asked, giggling.

"What?" I asked, looking from her to her mom. Then I noticed I was holding my ice tea at such an angle that it was pouring down the side of the glass onto the table. I set it down quickly and grabbed the napkin.

"You were just staring off into space with your mouth open," Terra laughed.

We laughed at how I've always been such a spaz growing up. We had a great girls' night out with her mom, and headed for home. We went upstairs early and were lounging around on her bed in our tees and panties, watching a little TV.

"Shelby, you looked funny at dinner when I said I started my period. Did you have something in mind for us tonight?" she said, smiling and poking at my leg with her toes.

"Remember the last time we slept together in your bed?" I asked, with a sly smile on my face, and moving my leg out of her way.

"Of course I do, baby. It was wonderful sleeping with you. We can still make out like we did then, if you want to," she said, shyly.

I rolled over close to her and whispered in her ear, "You know, I was playing with your boobs after you fell asleep, honey."

She put her hand on my face and said, "I know, baby. Why did you stop?"

"You knew!" I whispered loudly.

"I was almost asleep until you started touching me. Shelby, you made my nipples hard," she giggled.

Under the covers that night, we both took off our tees and discovered the wonders of sucking each other's nipples. Her boobs were a little sore at first, but after a while, we sucked, played with, fondled, kissed, nibbled, and licked every inch of flesh from our waists up. We were aroused and frustrated at the same time. We'd been going at it for nearly two hours and we both needed to climax so badly it was driving us insane.

Terra got completely on top of me and thrust her pelvis into mine, pushing and grinding as if she was going wild. I pushed back against her, and oh my God, I could feel her pussy directly against mine. I slid my hands into the back of her panties grabbing the cheeks of her butt, and pulled her into me even harder. We stayed like that, grinding on each other until she finally gasp loudly, her body tensed, and she let out a little squeal when she came.

She gently relaxed on top of me; I stroked her hair and kissed her neck to calm her down. Terra having her orgasm directly on top of me was the most erotic thing imaginable, especially knowing that I caused it. But, now I was going crazy with my own desires. There were continuous spasms deep inside my vagina, my legs were trembling, and my pussy was on fire. It took all of my willpower not to put my hand directly on my clit to finish myself off, but I was too embarrassed.

Terra gently slid off me, started sucking on my nipples again, and I moaned loudly. I wanted to cum so badly my whole body was shaking now. I didn't stop her when I felt her hand slide softly down my stomach, and hesitate momentarily at the waistband of my panties. She pushed down gently on my belly and slid her hand down inside and rubbed my pussy. I groaned loudly, opened my knees, and pushed back against her hand. I could feel her run her fingers down into my wet slit, and move them up and down. Then I felt her spread my lips apart with her whole hand, pushing from side to side, and around in circles on my hot, wet pussy. I was right on the edge of my orgasm when I whimpered to her, "Oh my God, Terra, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," over and over again.

She was still sucking hard on my nipple when she moved her fingers directly onto my protruding clit. A few hard, slow rubs was all it took to throw me completely over the edge. I came hard and screamed loudly.

"Oh my God, Shelby, are you OK?" she asked.

I was trembling so hard I couldn't speak. I pulled her close to me and just held her tightly until I finally relaxed. "Shelby?" she asked again if I was OK.

I turned and rolled half way on top of her, with my arm around her waist, and my leg between hers. I snuggled my face to the side of her neck and spoke softly, "I didn't know it was possible, but I love you more every day, Terra Camerra."

"Shelby, I was afraid that I'd hurt you," she whispered.

"Oh my God, you weren't hurting me baby," I giggled. "I just never came that hard before honey, it was wonderful."

We drifted off that night in each other's arms, warm and comforted in the thought that all was right between us.

The following weekend was Kristen's big party. She was the head cheerleader, and of course, the most popular girl in school. It was her eighteenth, so her parents went all out with catering and a D.J. Several guys asked Terra and I to go, but we decided to be ourselves for once, and go together. Besides, it wouldn't be a big deal, and there would be a lot singles at the party anyway.

It seemed like half the school showed up for her birthday party and we were having a blast. Terra and I, as well as a most of the other girls and guys, were all dancing around and acting crazy. Some of the guys were even joking around and dancing together. It was comforting to be with all our school friends and seeing that nothing's changed, just because Terra and I are together now. No, we didn't intend to `come out' to any of them, but it just seemed like we could always be ourselves around our friends, and it was nice.

It was getting late, and the D.J. had left for the night. Kristen was thanking everyone for coming to her party and walked up to Terra and I. "Hey you guys, thanks so much for coming to my party, it was great wasn't it?" she asked, smiling.

"Oh Kristen, we had such a great time, thanks so much for inviting us," Terra and I said at the same time.

"Are you guys going to college together?" she asked.

"We're not really sure, yet..." I started to say.

"Of course we are," Terra said happily. Terra and had not actually talked much about college recently, but I know it was on both our minds. I'd heard her father wanted her to go to his law school, and I would probably go to the local community college. We had just started our new relationship, and we didn't want to spoil it so soon by thinking about a separation. I don't know what Terra meant by telling Kristen that we were going to the same college, but I hoped she had some idea to make it happen.

"I was hoping you were," Kristen said, smiling at us. "I sure wouldn't want to see you two split up after going together so long."

"Aahhh, what do you mean," I asked, cautiously. I could feel my face getting red with embarrassment. I glanced at Terra as she shyly looked down at her feet.

"Jeez, you guys! I'm sorry, I didn't want to embarrass you but the whole school's known you've been together since like the ninth grade!" she said, laughing. We just stood there looking at her, almost in a panic. "Oh my God, you guys didn't know that we all knew?" she gasped. Terra moved close to me and put her arm around my waste as if to protect me.

"Kristen, I...don't...know what..." I stammered.

"Oh my God, you two, come here. Group hug!" she said laughing. She stepped up to us, wrapped her arms around both of us, and pulled all three of us tightly together. Then she whispered in our ears, "You two were always so sweet together, we all just knew. We're your friends you know, and we love you. If anyone ever said anything bad about you, they knew they'd get their asses kicked by all of us."

We just stood there hugging each other with tears in our eyes. "Hey what's up with you three?" Michelle asked, as she walked over with two other girls. "Oh my God, they're all crying," she said. Then those three joined in making a large group hug. "What's wrong with you guys, she asked again?"

"I think the gay girls just needed a hug," I whispered, choking back my tears.

They all laughed and squeezed us tightly. We swayed back and forth in our big hug, and Michelle said, "You know, we always thought you two were so cool. You're going to fit right into college life!" she laughed.

The ride home was a pleasant one, crowded together with our friends, laughing and singing. Through the eyes of my friends, I learned a lot about myself tonight, and I'm happy with who I am.

In a few weeks, it would be Terra's eighteenth birthday. Her parents wanted to throw her a party, but she had talked them out of it. When I asked her why, she told me that her dad had done so much for her already, and that she'd tell me about it later.

We were sitting on the swings in her back yard that weekend. The same swings we played on when we were little. "What do you want for your birthday?" I asked her.

"You," she said, shyly smiling at me. Then, she grinned and looked the other way.

"You already have me, silly. I mean what do you really want?" I persisted.

"You know, Shelby," she smiled, and then shyly looked down at her feet.

I smiled back at her and started giggling, "Oh that, hhhmmmmmm? You sure you won't have a headache again?" I asked, laughing.

"Shelby, we weren't ready that night, you know," she said looking at me with her little worried look. "And, I...was thinking..." she hesitated.

I reached over and took her hand, "Honey, that's all I've been thinking about for the past two weeks," I said, smiling and looking into her eyes. "Are you really going to do everything to me like you said?" I asked her, giggling.

"Oh my God, are you serious?" she asked, with her big beautiful smile.

"I love you, Terra, so much, and I do want to make love with you, honey. And, have lots of sex!" I whispered to her with a little giggle. "Especially the `everything' part," I said, grinning at her.

"Shelby..." she started, with an excited look on her face.

"What, honey?"

"You know how I've always wanted to go to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.?"

"Sure, you used to talk about it all the time. Why?" I asked, wondering why she changed the subject.

"Well, that's what my parents got me for my birthday!" she said, happily.

"But, when are you going?" I asked, thinking of how much I'll miss her if she goes away with her parents again.

"Oh my God, Shelby, we're going! Just you and me!" she yelled.

"Oh my God! What? Just us?" I asked, excitedly.

"The weekend of my birthday, there's no school on Friday, and my parents said I could skip on Monday. That will give us four days together. My dad gave me his credit card and told me to buy airline tickets and make reservations in a nice hotel, and everything!" she said, almost yelling. She was so excited that she was bouncing around on her swing.

"Oh honey, that's going to be so awesome!" I yelled, jumping up. I grabbed her in a big hug, and almost knocked her off the swing.

We spent the next two hours swinging and happily talking about all the things we were going to see and do during our trip to Washington. But all that time we kept exchanging glances, looking deep into each other's eyes and smiling, holding hands, and not speaking again of what was really on our minds. We would be together in a hotel room for four days.

Terra's dad is an international business attorney, and travels all over the world. He is a tall, dark and handsome man; very distinguished looking.

He walked into his den and saw Terra and I trying to make airline reservations on line, and find a hotel. He looked at the computer screen and laughed. Then he smiled at us, and offered his help. He picked up the telephone and called someone that he obviously knew. After only about ten minutes, he hung up and handed us a neatly printed schedule. We both gave him a big hug thanking him for everything.

My parents were a little hesitant about letting me go to Washington, and skipping a day of school. But, I knew it wasn't going to be a major problem, because Mr. Arquette had taken care of everything for us. They were happy that I would be with Terra, but they had the normal parental concerns about us being so far from home. After I reminded them of where a lot of kids go and what many do on spring break, and that Terra and I were actually going to a museum, not going off somewhere to get drunk, they happily agreed.

The flight into Washington National airport Thursday evening took only a few hours, and the cab ride to the hotel was fun and interesting. I had never ridden in a taxi before, and didn't know what to expect. The driver told us he was from Pakistan, and that was about the only thing he said that we understood. Fortunately, he must have understood us perfectly, because he happily drove us directly to our hotel.

Terra handed the desk clerk her dad's credit card while I looked around the lobby. On family vacations, we had stayed in motels, but they were nothing like this place. It was large and beautiful. I stood there with my mouth open while I watched people going way up on elevators that were surrounded by nothing but large glass tubes!

"Come on, silly, you're going to hurt you're neck!" Terra said to me, laughing. I looked, and she was following the bellhop who was carrying our luggage.

When he opened the door and showed us into the room, I was very astonished. I tried to act sophisticated and not let it show, but I couldn't get the silly grin off my face. The large two bedroom executive suite was more like a beautifully plush apartment, than a hotel room. After he sat our luggage down, Terra tried to hand him some money as a tip. He held up his hands smiling, told her that it was not necessary, and to please call the desk if we needed anything.

After he shut the door, we ran up face to face, took each other's hands and started jumping up and down like little kids. "Oh my God, I can't believe we're really here!" we yelled together. After a moment, we stopped and just stood there looking at each other. Still holding hands, we gazed into each other's eyes and exchanged a look of very serious passion that had been building up inside us for the past weeks, and probably much longer. I pulled her close to me, wrapped my arms around her waist, and she put hers around my neck.

"This is going to be so special," she whispered in my ear. My body shuddered as I felt the wetness building up between my legs. It wasn't that long ago that we shared our first kiss in the park, and I still remember the taste of ice cream on her lips. I could feel tears forming in my eyes, and the lump in my throat kept me from speaking. It is not possible to love any one more than I love her.

"Shelby, it's early yet, honey. What you do you want to do?" she asked, still wrapped in our embrace.

I took a few deep breaths, cleared my throat, and released her. "Are you hungry? All we had were peanuts on the airplane. Maybe we should unpack and find something to eat?" I asked. We didn't want to wander out at night, so we decided to stay in the hotel. And, we didn't feel like getting dressed for dinner, so we went into the bedroom and sat on the bed looking at the room service menu.

Everything was so expensive, but Terra told me not to worry. When she traveled with her parents, they always stayed in expensive places and let her order whatever she wanted. She said her dad wants us to have a nice time and not worry about anything. Neither of us wanted a large meal, so we settled on the antipasto because it was the closest thing to our normal nighttime snacks that we could find.

Terra jumped in the shower while I was hanging up clothes and waiting for our food. I couldn't take my mind off her being naked in the shower, and I remembered the things she said she wanted to do to me. I put my hand between my legs, squeezed my pussy though my jeans, and gasped. I looked across the room and saw myself in a large mirror. I hardly recognized the image I saw looking back at me. She had a look of pure lust on her face while she slowly rubbed the wet spot between her legs.

"Room service!" a man called, while knocking on the door. Startled, I turned towards the door, and then looked down between my legs. Oh my God, it looked like I'd peed myself! I grabbed a sweater, quickly wrapped it around my waist, and answered the door. A friendly, elderly man wheeled a small cart into the room and held out a booklet for me to sign. He was gone before I could say anything about the bottle of champagne that was resting in ice next to our antipasto. I also noticed a card that was addressed to Terra. I pushed the cart into the bedroom so she could see it when she came out.

The bathroom door open and Terra appeared wrapped in a towel, wearing another around her hair. "Hey! Who ordered the champagne?" she asked, giggling.

"I don't know, but there's a note," I pointed out. She opened the card and it was birthday wishes from her parents. Her parents had a completely different attitude towards alcohol than did mine. They had been letting Terra drink small glasses of wine or beer with her meals since she was a little girl. To them it wasn't a big deal because everything was done in moderation. But for us tonight, it was a very big deal. She called them on the phone thanking them, and then I called my parents to let them know we were fine and settled in for the night.

We both sampled some of the antipasto, while Terra sat on the bed drying her hair with a towel. I jumped on the bed behind her, got up on my knees, took the towel and helped her. From behind, I put my hand under her chin and pulled her face to me. She was still chewing her food and giggling while I kissed her. I reached down the front of her towel and it fell open.

She lay back against me and I ran my hands up and down the full length of her naked body, feeling her damp breasts down to the black hair of her neatly trimmed pussy.

"Oh God, Shelby, I want you so badly," she gasped in a sultry voice, lifting up one knee, slightly spreading her legs apart.

I gave her a quick kiss on the lips and said, "I'm going to take my shower now." I jumped out of bed and walked directly to the bathroom. I smiled back at her just as I was closing the door. She covered herself with the towel, grinned, and stuck her tongue out at me. I giggled, hoping she would follow, but she didn't.

The pulsating water from the shower felt good on my skin. The shower soap had a wonderful spicy smell, very familiar, but I couldn't name it. It created a nice, thick lather on my breasts, and I gasp when I ran the soap across my nipples. I was momentarily in a dream world with the hissing of the shower, the feeling of the water against my skin, and my hands lathering my body. With a mind of their own, my fingers found their way to my clit. I moaned when I touched myself, and my legs weakened. I pushed back against the wall, and lowered myself into a squatting position. I then slid two soapy fingers as deep into my vagina as I could. I groaned loudly and thrust my hips forward to meet my hand.

I pulled my fingers out and just squatted there with my back against the wall, and the water spraying down on me. I let out a little whimper when I realized I was losing control and had to stop. I didn't want to make myself cum in the shower, because I wanted to save it for our lovemaking later. But now I had soap inside me, and couldn't rinse it out for fear of doing just that. I almost laughed when I remembered that just a short time ago, I thought it would be something silly if Terra and I were to kiss. Now, all my waking moments are spent thinking about having my tongue inside her. I then concentrated hard on the sights we wanted to see. Oh yes: the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Smithsonian, the White House, Arlington Cemetery... I quickly positioned myself under the spray, rinsed myself out, and finished my shower.

Wrapped in a white terrycloth robe, I left the bathroom and found Terra sitting on the sofa. She was dressed in a pink tank top with matching laced bikinis, and brushing her hair. I had to smile because before we left, she had done her finger and toenails in pink, and she was a fanatic on making sure everything matched. "Oh my God, I love you in that robe!" she said, laughing. I walked up to her smiling and did a little pose in front of her.

She reached out, put her hands on my hips, and pulled me to her. I could see her nipples protruding through the thin material of her top.

"Fair is fair," she said, smiling up at me while tugging on the terrycloth tie. The robe fell open and I felt the cool air on my damp, naked breasts. She looked into my eyes as though she was asking me if it was all right. I moved close to her putting my right breast against her cheek, then my left against her other cheek. She kissed between them, turned, and sucked my nipple into her mouth. Groaning softly, my body quivered as I ran my hands through her damp hair. She sucked on my other nipple, and I groaned loudly. She looked up at me and smiled, then leaned down and started kissing all around my stomach. My legs were getting weak and I rested my hands on her shoulders.

She kissed down to the top of the thin coating of trimmed blonde hair covering my womanhood. I pushed forward slightly, and I could feel her warm breath on my pussy. Ever so lightly, she slowly ran the tip of her tongue the length of my slit. I moaned again as I felt my wetness escaping down the side of my leg. She looked up at me smiling, and wrapped her arms around my waste, hugging me close. She stood taking my hand, and led me to the bed. "Come on, honey, we haven't eaten yet," she spoke softly.

I was in a daze, my breathing was shallow, and my knees were very weak.

"Oh my God, Terra..." was all I managed to say.

She took my face in her hands and said, "Earth to Shelby! Earth to Shelby!" and giggled at me. "Baby we have to eat and we have this whole bottle of champagne to drink," she laughed, and started tickling me.

I was so wet, I felt another drop run down my leg as she pushed me back onto the bed. She jumped up and tossed me a lavender top with matching laced bikinis. "Here, put these on, they match your nails," she said, "and lets eat!" She gave my foot a little squeeze and said sweetly, "It's early yet and we have the whole night, baby."

I lay back on one elbow and my robe fell completely open. In my mind, I could still feel her tongue gently licking my slit. She had me so wet it was running down my legs, and she wanted to eat dinner! I started laughing, because she was right. We did have the whole night ahead of us, and we should eat because I think we're going to need the energy!

"Ok little girl, you win for now," I beamed at her. Taking the clothes she gave me, I got out of bed and stood directly in front of her. Grinning, I let the robe fall to the floor. Slowly, I pulled the tank top over my erect nipples, stretching it down to my belly. Licking my lips seductively, I bent down and pulled the panties up to my waist. Then wiggling my hips, I slowly pulled them back down to my thighs, and back up again, grinning at her. Her mouth hung open for a few seconds, and she giggled at me.

"You know, Shelby, you're not going to get any sleep tonight," she said, laughing.

"Promises, promises," I said, smiling back at her. We pushed the cart close to the bed and sat next to each other eating. She poured glasses of water, and when I asked about the champagne, she said we should save it for later. The food was exceptionally good. There were many different types of cheeses, meats, breads, crackers, and veggies with dip. After we started, it was clear that we were both very hungry because we finished off every crumb in no time at all.

She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and I followed. The large vanity had two sinks, and we brushed side by side while poking each other's ribs at the same time, each trying to make the other spit toothpaste all over. It was the same game we'd played since we were little girls. When we were finished, I took her in my arms, backed her against the wall and started passionately kissing her. After a minute, we were moaning and groaning, rubbing pussies against thighs, and our hands were all over each other.

I broke for air and whispered in her ear, "Can we open the champagne now?"

"Yes baby," she said, "I think now is the right time." She took my hand and led me back into the bedroom to the bed, and turned down the lights to a soft glow. She pulled the bottle from the ice, wrapped it in a towel, picked up two glasses and sat on the bed next to me. We spent the next five minutes giggling and fighting with the cork, until we were about ready to give up. It finally fired out with such a loud pop, that we both screamed and laughed.

After filling our glasses, she sat the champagne back into the ice. "We have to make a toast," she said.

"Terra, I want to tell you something."

"Go ahead, honey. You make the toast."

"I don't know if it's a toast or not," I said, "but I just have to tell you that you can't possibly know how much I really love you. Happy birthday, my darling."

Her eyes got teary; she leaned in and gently kissed my lips. "I love you exactly the same, Shelby, so yes I do know." We tipped our glasses to each other's lips and drank to ourselves.

The champagne was amazing; I loved the way it smelled and tasted. And after only a few swallows, I could feel a warmth in my stomach. I leaned in and kissed her lips, gently sucking and touching with my tongue. She moved back and held the glass to my mouth, and I held mine to hers once again. She giggled and jumped when the bubbles went up her nose, and some champagne ran down her chin. I licked the drops from her chin and throat, as she fondled my breasts through the thin material of my tank top.

We emptied our glasses but for a few drops, and I pushed her back in bed. Taking her glass from her hand, I placed it on the cart, and crawled on top of her with a grin on my face. She looked back at me smiling as she stretched her arms above her head. I took the remaining few drops in my glass and let them drip on her throat. "Oh my God, that's cold!" she giggled, "what are you doing?

I lay on top of her, kissing, sucking, and tasting the sweet champagne.

She moaned softly and I could feel her hips squirming under me. Moving farther down on her, I cupped her breasts in my hands and kissed her nipples through the fabric of her top. Gently biting them one at a time, I was admiring how they looked protruding through the pink material. Looking up at her, I saw that her arms were still outstretched. Her eyes were closed, her head was turned to one side, and she was biting her lower lip.

"I have an idea," I giggled as I got off her. I reached for the bottle of champagne, and poured a little into my glass.

She sat up laughing and said, "Hey, don't get drunk on me!"

"Oh, I'm not going to drink it," I said, grinning at her.

"Uh oh," she giggled as she got up. She pulled back the spread and blanket from the large bed, let them fall to the floor, and lay back on the white sheets. I stood looking at her, a vision of wondrous beauty. Her black, curly hair against the white sheets was framing her beautiful, smiling face. The thin material of her tight, pink top did nothing to hide the full shape of her breasts and nipples as she breathed in and out deeply.

The glistening skin of her belly between the bottom of her shirt and the top of her laced panties, was begging to be kissed and caressed. Following my gaze, she brought up one knee and seductively opened her legs exposing the wet crotch of her panties.

She reached down, grabbed the hem of her tank top, pulled it off and tossed it to the floor. She lay back, gently fondling her breast and nipples, and smiled up at me. I lay on my side next to her, propped myself up on one elbow, and handed her the glass. She gave me a questioning look, then smiled and took a deep breath. Wetting my fingers in the glass, I sprinkled several drops onto her nipples. She giggled at first, then gasped and moaned as I sucked the champagne from her.

She spread her legs wide as I crawled on top of her and lay between them. I pushed both breasts together and licked her nipples from one to the other. Looking up at her, I saw her tipping the glass. I waited anxiously as she dripped the champagne over her breasts for me to drink. As I was sucking her beautiful champagne soaked breasts, I could feel her hot, wet pussy grinding into my belly as she wrapped one leg around my back. "Oohhh my God, Shelby," she moaned as she dropped the glass to the floor.

Moving back up to her face, I kissed her as she pulled off my top. She wrapped her arms around me and rolled us both over so I was now on the bottom. I opened my legs as she ground her pussy into mine. We were moaning loudly into each other's mouths as we devoured each other's lips and tongues. I wrapped my arms and legs around her and rolled us over again, putting me back on top of her. I stopped kissing her long enough to whisper in her ear, "It's your birthday, honey. Let me give you the first one."

"...k," was all she managed to whisper. As I lie between her legs, I very slowly worked my way down, kissing every inch of her moist skin. Nibbling, licking, caressing, and only stopping to tell her how much I loved her. Drawing circles around her belly button with the tip of my tongue, made her giggle. But when I put my lips to it, and worked my tongue in and out, her giggles turned to short gasps. As I kissed and licked my way down to the lace on top of her panties, I felt her squirming around under me in anticipation. With two fingers, I pulled the waistband down far enough to expose the neatly trimmed, black strip of hair on her mound. I kissed it, and then gently rubbed my mouth and cheeks against it, taking pleasure in the wondrous thing I was doing, and getting wildly aroused at what I was about to do.

"Oh my God, baby!" she gasped, and gyrated her hips. With both hands, I tugged her panties down and she lifted herself slightly to accommodate me.

I rolled to the side while she put her legs together; I slid them down to her feet, and off. While staring into each other's eyes, she lifted her knees and opened her legs wide as I positioned myself between them. I smiled lovingly at her. She smiled back, closed her eyes, and laid her head back on the pillow.

Stretching myself out between her legs, I laid down and continued once again kissing, and caressing the beautiful, black strip of hair on her mound while she squirmed around underneath me. The smell of the spicy soap on her reminded me of when I was in the shower and had my fingers inside myself. My hand involuntarily went down to my pussy, feeling myself, rubbing my wetness around my vagina up to my clit, up and down, and around. I felt spasms building deep inside me. I took my hand away and caressed her thighs with my wet fingers. I left a trail of my own juices very close to her pussy, glistening in the soft glow of the room. I leaned in and licked myself from her, just touching her outer lips. She quivered and moaned loudly.

I moved back and gazed between her legs, taking in her beauty. Her tan, silky smooth and beautifully shaped thighs were open wide for me. The finely trimmed, shiny black hairs on the lips of her pussy were begging to be kissed. The little pearl of her clit could clearly be seen peaking out from under its hood, and below, her puffy inner lips were glistening with moisture. No longer could I resist what I've wanted to do to her. I gently probed her with my mouth and felt her fine hairs with my lips. With the tip of my tongue, ever so slowly and gently, I licked her pretty slit. I started from the bottom, and licked up to her clit, up and down a few times, just barely touching it. "Oh my God," she whimpered. I felt her trembling hands on the back of my head, urging me on while she pushed her pussy to my face.

Suddenly overcome by passion and lust, I lost all control. I opened her up with my fingers and pushed my mouth hard into her. Licking and sucking, alternating between her outer lips, her engorged inner lips, her clit and her vagina. My tongue and lips were everywhere at once, licking, sucking, and savoring her juices. "Oooohhh fuck!" she screamed loudly. She was wildly running her hands around through my hair while thrusting herself into my face.

She pulled her knees back even farther, and I entered her vagina with my tongue. I could feel her muscles clenching on it and her juices running down my chin. "Oooohhh fuck! Oooohhh fuck!" she screamed again and again, as I continued to slide my tongue in and out of her. She started making loud whimpering noises and her whole body tensed up. I put my lips directly on her clit, sucked it into my mouth, and rubbed it hard with my tongue. She screamed loudly and shook violently as her orgasm took hold of her.

I lay my head on her thigh, looking at her open, wet pussy. She was still shaking and squirming slightly. I could see her juices running out of her vagina, down into the crack of her butt and wetting the sheets underneath. The sight of her pussy, her smell, her taste, the pleasure I had just given her while she came in my mouth, were all too much for me. I moaned loudly, clenched my legs together, and came. I lie there resting my face on her thigh close to her pussy, while she ran her fingers through my hair.

"Shelby, are you OK, honey?" she softly asked.

I looked up at her and saw a hint of concern on her face. I grinned at her and said, "Yes baby, I'm better than OK." I crawled up to her and took her in my arms. "The question is, are you OK? I never heard you cuss like that, Terra Camerra!" I laughed.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" she said giggling. "I didn't used to like that word. But hey, after what you did to me, it like gives it a new and better meaning." We both laughed.

"Did you like what I did to you, baby?" I asked, seriously wanting to know if it was all right.

"Oh my God, you were so amazing!" she said. "You drove me so fucking crazy," she giggled. She put her hand on the side of my face, and kissed me. Then, she started licking my lips, and kissing and licking my whole face. "I can taste my pussy all over you, Shelby, and I love it," she said in a sultry voice.

She moved down fast on me, cupped my breasts in her hands and started sucking and biting my nipples. I grabbed her shoulders and wiggled down facing her. "Not yet baby. Please, let's wait a few minutes," I whispered in her ear.

"Did you cum too, honey?" she asked.

"Yes baby, when you did. I wasn't even touching myself, it was so erotic eating you out, that it just happened," I explained.

She kissed my lips gently and wrapped her arms around me. "I love you, Shelby," she whispered.

"I love you too, Terra," I told her. I lay there next to her with the vision of eating her out still vividly in my mind, and her smell still on my face. Suddenly, I was getting very wet again. I fondled her breasts, lightly tickled her nipples, and caressed her ear with the tip of my tongue, letting her know I was ready.

She almost startled me when she giggled and jumped out of bed. In just a few minutes, she went from a quivering, wet, limp mess, to being very energetic. And, the devilish look on her face had me a little worried. "Hey, that's not fair!" she said, looking at my panties. She was completely naked and I loved seeing her that way, but it's something we've never done together before. "Hey, you're supposed to be my birthday present, remember?" she asked giggling. "And you're still wrapped!"

I jumped out of bed, stood next to her and giggled, "Can I be your birthday cake?"

"Mmmmm, yes baby, and I'm going to eat you," she said pushing me back to sit on the edge of the bed. I lifted my hips while she tugged off my panties. She went down on her knees between my legs, reached around my hips, and pulled me close to the edge. She leaned in and licked my wet slit up and down, pushing her tongue deeper with each movement.

"Oooohhh God, Terra," I gasped, as I watched her licking my pussy. My body quivered and I leaned back resting on my elbows so I could still watch her. She looked at me and smiled, then pushed my knees up and apart lifting my feet off the floor. When she put her warm mouth on my pussy, I realized how much pleasure she was in when I was doing it to her. It was so beautiful to watch her sucking and licking my pussy. As I was approaching orgasm, I had to laugh at myself for ever being afraid of who we are, and what we mean to each other.

"Oooohhh fuck!" I yelled, and I heard her giggle. "I'm going to cum, Terra," I groaned.

She stood, grinned at me and said, "Not yet baby, it's too soon. I want to play with my birthday present for a while!"

"Oh my God, you are so evil!" I laughed at her.

"I'm evil? After the way you just tortured me?" she giggled. "God, Shelby, I didn't think you were ever going to eat me. You just kept playing around forever and driving me crazy!" she laughed.

I stood up, grabbed her shoulders, and pushed her back into bed. "You mean like this?" I asked, as I opened her legs and started eating her again.

She pulled her knees up and back, and pushed her pussy up to my mouth while gyrating her hips. She held the back of my head with her hands and rubbed herself all over my face while moaning loudly. "No, it's your turn," she said, and pulled away from me.

She pushed me down and crawled on top of me, sucking and licking her juices from my mouth. Then she moved down on me, only stopping to nibble on my nipples before continuing on to my pussy. I pulled my knees up and spread my legs apart for her. I could feel her fingers spreading me open just before her tongue entered my vagina. "Oooohhh God, baby," I groaned.

She started fucking me with her tongue, only stopping every few seconds to lick hard on my clit, then back to tongue fucking me again. She must have felt that I was fast approaching orgasm, because suddenly she stopped. She kissed me hard on my clit making a loud smacking noise, and then jumped out of bed again. "Oh my God, I'm going to hurt you!" I yelled, laughing.

I jumped to the floor and chased her around the bed, through the living room, and into the other bedroom. Screaming and laughing, she kept escaping from me until we ended up back where we started. She grabbed the bottle of champagne and shook it hard while covering the opening with her thumb. "Terra, quit it!" I screamed at her, backing away. Then, pointing it at me with a grin on her face and the devil in her eyes, she sprayed me all over! I rushed in screaming and we fell back on the bed together, with me on top of her. I grabbed her face in my hands and passionately kissed her, while rubbing my wet body all over her.

We were both out of breath and gasping for air when we broke the kiss. "Let's drink some," she said, still holding the bottle.

I rolled off her and set up next to her. We were both covered in champagne and sweat, and that sounded like a very good idea. We passed the bottle back and forth until it was almost empty. "We have to save this," she said, grinning at me.

"Oh whatever," I said, smiling at her and lying back in bed. "I guess you're going to have your cake, and eat me too, birthday girl," I giggled, and spread my legs apart already guessing what she wanted to do.

The champagne was now warm and flat as she poured it all over me from my breasts down to my mound. It puddled on my chest and in my belly button, the rest I could feel running down onto the sheets. She put her hands under my knees picking them up and pushing them out. The last ounce, she spilled onto my open pussy. She then lay on top of me, rubbing her breasts and belly against me, and kissing my face all over. She stopped to whisper in my ear, "I'm going to make you cum now, my love." With those words, a trembling started inside me.

She slowly worked her way down, kissing, sucking, and licking the champagne mixed with our sweat. Moaning, I pulled my knees back and opened my legs wide in anticipation as I felt her hot breath on my wet pussy. Without hesitation, she opened me with her fingers and entered my vagina with her tongue. She fucked me with it, in and out a few times, and then sucked on my inner lips, stretching them, flicking them and my clit with her tongue.

When she again entered me with her tongue, my vagina started to spasm and my orgasm was inevitable. Knowing I was so close, she sucked on my clit hard while rubbing her tongue against it, sliding two or three fingers inside me. Sucking on my clit and working those fingers around inside my vagina, made me feel like I was going to explode. My whole body shuddered and tensed. I screamed loudly through a long series of powerful orgasms that I didn't know were possible.

We continued playing and making love most of the night, discovering many wonderful things about each other's bodies, and finding pleasures that each of us liked the most. We finally wound down at around four in the morning, washed each other in the shower, and went to sleep in the remaining clean bed.

Neither of us remembered to put out the do now disturb' sign, so we were awakened at 8:00 when the maid entering the suite. Terra went out and talked to her for a few minutes, shut the door to our bedroom, and crawled back in bed. "She's got some work to do, cause we were pretty messy last night," she giggled, and snuggled up to me.

"That's so embarrassing," I whispered back to her.

"Well, she's just going to have to get used to it," she giggled.

"Just like the rest of the world," I said, holding her close and falling back to sleep.

We slept for another four hours, awakening fresh and ready to explore the nation's capital. It was an easy walk to the subway, and from there we found we could go anywhere we wanted. Our first stop was the Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian. The skeleton of a large dinosaur loomed high above us, as we looked around at all the amazing exhibits.

After some time, we walked to a quiet place and sat on a bench to rest.

"I talked to my dad and told him that I wouldn't go away to college and leave you," she said, suddenly becoming very serious.

"Oh my God, Terra. I don't want to leave you either, but you have to go. My parents can only afford to send me to community college, but I'm not going. I was thinking about going with you, and getting a job so we could be together." I wasn't prepared to have this conversation, and certainly didn't want it to spoil our time together.

"Aahhh, duh! You not going to college? That's not an option."

"Well, us being apart isn't an option either," I said, seriously.

"I didn't know how to tell you this before, and I wasn't really sure you'd want to until just now."

"I'll do anything to keep us together, you know that," I interrupted her.

She smiled broadly at me and said, "My dad got us both full scholarships at his law school. I mean, you don't have to take law, you can major in anything you want."

I was speechless, and on the verge of tears. This was so big, I was afraid to let myself believe it. "Terra, I don't understand. How could your dad get us scholarships?"

"Well, maybe because his firm does pro bono work for the university, and the dean is his college buddy?" she grinned. "Or maybe because he's on the board?"

"He is?"

"I told you that a long time ago."

I put my arm around her waist, rested my chin on her shoulder, and put my face against her neck under her hair so no one would see my tears. A few people walked by, giving us odd glances. She put her arm around me and said, "It's OK baby, I know you're crying, it's OK." Whenever one of us cried, that was the way we'd comforted each other since we were little.

Even before we became lovers, it was always my dream to go away to college with her and be roommates, for both of us to graduate and have good careers, and always be together. I still couldn't speak without crying aloud, so I just hid my face and let her talk. "I thought dad would be mad, but he didn't even hesitate," she explained. "It's as if he planned it all along. He said that he liked the way we always studied together and supported each other in high school, stayed out of trouble, and kept our grades up."

I had my eyes closed and was trying to keep my sobbing under control. I could hear people walking by. She continued, "He's going to get us an apartment off campus where we can be comfortable and study together." Then, she started tickling my ribs. "Come on silly, let's find someplace to eat!" she said loudly, jumping up and pulling me with her.

I wiped my eyes while we hurried through the large halls. We walked over to a big map on the wall, trying to find directions. "Stop thinking about college and think about what we're going to do tonight," she grinned at me.

"Are you going to swear again," I giggled.

She turned and whispered in my ear, "If you fuck me as good as last time I will."

"Oh my God, Terra Camerra, you're getting such a dirty mouth!" I laughed.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" she whispered, giggling in my ear and tickling me.