“What now?” Tember asked.
Gracie turned to Tember and took her face in her hands. “First.” Gracie kissed Tember on the lips. Gracie pulled back before Tember could increase the kiss’ intensity.
“Tease,” Tember joked.
Gracie pointed behind them. Tember turned to see a white canoe leaned against a rock. It was shorter and fatter than the canoes that Tember was familiar with.
“Canoeing? Cool. A canoe is the one thing you need in life. Where did you get this?” Tember asked.
“Hope, your one thing you need. I have connections,” Gracie said. “Help me get it to the water.”
They flipped over the canoe and two paddles laid underneath. They put it into the water and grabbed the paddles.
“Oh, I can’t get this wet.” Tember held up her hand.
Gracie pulled out a plastic zip-top bag from her backpack and put it over Tember’s hand. She secured it to her arm with several rubber bands. “You did think of everything,” Tember said.
“You have hope but no faith. I tell ya,” Gracie said. “Let’s go.”
“Wait,” Tember said. She walked toward Gracie until there was an inch between them. “I just want to say...no matter what else happens today, I am so grateful that you put this surprise together for me. Nobody has ever been as nice to me as you and your dad. Thank you.”
“Oh, you’re getting all mushy on me,” Gracie joked and laughed.
Tember’s serious gaze stayed on Gracie. “I’m serious.”
Gracie’s face softened. “I know. You’re welcome.”
The two got into the canoe, with Gracie at the stern.
“Just head to the jut, and I’ll tell you where to go from there,” Gracie said.
At dusk, the lake was quiet and still. It was as if the lake existed for only Gracie and Tember. Tember placed the paddle in the water and slowly pulled the canoe forward. They paddled for a few minutes, but Tember’s hand started to throb. She placed the paddle against the gunnel, watching water drip from the oar and back into the lake.
“This is beautiful,” Tember said.
“You’re beautiful.”
Tember shook her head and continued paddling.
“Don’t shake your head. You are,” Gracie argued.
They passed the jut, and Gracie steered them along the shoreline. The sun hung low in front of them. The shoreline turned sharply left, and Tember steered to the right.
“Umm, Gracie stop staring at my ass and steer us away from the head-on collision,” Tember warned.
“Shush, take your paddle and push those bushes aside,” Gracie said as she stopped paddling.
Tember reached forward and moved aside the bushes. The bushes turned out to be vines hanging vertically to conceal what looked like a pipe.
“What’s this?” Tember asked.
“A pipe,” Gracie answered.
“And?”
“We’re going through it.”
Tember turned around to face Gracie. “We can’t fit in there. It’s too short and narrow. I should’ve told you I don’t do well with tight spaces and–”
“Have faith and you better lean back!” Gracie interrupted Tember as she paddled forward.
Tember turned to see the canoe about to enter the pipe. She leaned back so that her body was parallel to the gunnels. The canoe floated through the pipe. Tember tried to glance back at Gracie who was also leaning back, using her hands on the corrugated top of the pipe to push them through the tunnel.
The bow of the canoe broke into the light, and Tember sat up. Her eyes adjusted to the light and focused on the new world in front of her. They seemed to be on another small lake. The banks were adorned with pink, purple, and yellow flowers.
“See, we made it,” Gracie teased. “Now paddle because we’re running late.”
“Late, huh?” Tember said. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
Tember said, “You’re the best surpriser. If we were still doing points, this would be mega.”
“Oh really?” Gracie teased. “I think you should give me points, and then I can redeem them for whatever I want.”
“You can have whatever you want without any points,” Tember said.
“Really?” Gracie said. “Oh, right here, we need to pull in.” Gracie navigated the canoe to a shore covered in grass and a little white, cement bench. “Get out here.”
They got out and Gracie and Tember sat on the bench looking across the lake as Tember took the plastic bag off her hand. A few houses peppered the hillside across the way. Grass, gardens, and a few lawn ornaments decorated the shore.
“This is great,” Tember said. “Thanks for bringing me here.”
“This isn’t the big surprise.” Gracie leaned in and kissed Tember’s lips. “Beat you up the hill.”
Gracie swung her legs to the other side of the bench and sprinted up the hill. Tember, despite her late start, sprinted and caught up to Gracie. The hill became steeper and steeper, but the two pushed on. Eventually, the hill plateaued and revealed a wood-paneled trailer surrounded by a few picnic tables.
“Mirage?” Tember asked.
“It’s a barbeque place in the middle of nowhere,” Gracie said. “The townsfolk drive up here for this food. I heard its run by a guy who lived in backwoods North Carolina. It’s supposed to be amazing barbeque. Hungry?”
“Heck yeah,” Tember answered.
They ordered pork sandwiches and ice tea and sat at one of the picnic tables that overlooked forest and lake before them. Tember looked over at Gracie as the setting sun reflected off her face. Tember’s breath hitched and her chest felt tight. She wondered if this was what love felt like.
“This is great,” Tember said.
“Yeah?” Gracie asked. “You really like it?”
“How could I not? Nature, canoeing, food, and you.”
“Nice, great,” Gracie said. “It’s getting dark. We should get going.”
They walked down the hill, not realizing how far they had run up the hill. By the time they reached the canoe, the sky was painted pink as the sun held on for the few moments of light. Tember re-wrapped her hand and climbed into the bow. Gracie stood at the stern and pushed off the canoe in the direction opposite the pipe.
“The pipe’s back that way,” Tember said.
“Have faith.”
“Okay, okay,” Tember said. A few moments passed and she asked, “Is there another cut over back to the campground lake?”
Gracie was silent.
“I’ll just shut up and have faith.”
The lack of sunlight made it difficult to see more than ten feet in front of them. As they paddled, Tember saw a dark mass appear before them. Gracie turned the canoe.
“Paddle backward,” Gracie ordered.
Tember decided not to question Gracie. She had not steered her wrong so far. The two paddle backward until the stern of the canoe softly hit land.
“Sit tight,” Gracie said. “And don’t turn around, please.”
“I’ll just sit here, with my faith,” Tember said. She looked back at from where they had just traveled. Faint light shown from a few houses scattered up the banks of the water. Frogs and crickets turned up their volume. From behind her, she heard crackling and cracking.
“Gracie?” Tember called. She felt a little uneasy when Gracie did not respond. “Gracie?” She called again and then she repeated, “Have faith.” A few minutes later she heard footsteps.
“Climb on out,” Gracie called.
Tember made her way out of the canoe, and they two pulled the canoe onto the shore. Gracie grabbed the bag out of the canoe. Darkness had overtaken the shore. All that Tember could make out was the silhouette of the few trees on the land behind them and a dark sky.
“You started a fire?” Tember asked. “Where are we?”
“We are on a piece of land surrounded by water.”
“An island?”
Gracie laughed. “Yes, that’s th
e definition of an island.”
“What are we–”
“Okay, enough questions,” Gracie said as she grabbed Tember’s hand and pulled her toward the orange glow.
Tember followed Gracie down a thin trail that opened onto the other side of the island. Tember guessed the island to be only thirty yards in diameter. The darkness allowed them to see a few more stars. In the short amount of time Gracie was gone, she had managed to light a hearty fire. Two short tree stumps were pulled close to the fire. Safely sitting back a ways from the fire was a small tent.
“Were you...did you set all this up?” Tember asked.
Gracie nodded.
“Are we staying here tonight?”
“If you want to. I was hoping we could.” Gracie took Tember’s hands in her own. “No expectations. I just thought it would be great to get away and–”
“Shh,” Tember said as she put her hand over Gracie’s mouth. “Have faith.” Tember smiled and took her hand away from Gracie’s mouth, revealing a huge smile. “I’m going to stop asking questions and just assume that we are allowed here and all that,” Tember said. “What now?”
“Sit by the fire?”
“I am getting a little chilly,” Tember said.
They sat around the fire, holding hands and staring out at the lake and up at the stars. They sat in silence, taking in the sounds of nature. Gracie decided that if all she got to do tonight was hold Tember’s hand, it would be okay. The fire started to die down, and the firewood had grown scarce.
“Do you want to go to bed?” Gracie asked.
Tember answered, “That would be nice.”
They took turns walking to the other side of the island to relieve their bladders. Gracie had brought toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and several bottles of water. She hung the bag of supplies off a branch of a tree to keep it safe from bears and other animals. Then they took off their shoes and slid into the tent.
“Whose tent?”
“Mine,” Gracie answered as she turned on her flashlight.
Tember looked down and saw a familiar blue sleeping bag staring back at her. “My sleeping bag.”
“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind,” Gracie said. “I grabbed it from your tent.”
“Wow, sneaky. No, this is fine,” Tember said.
They slid into their sleeping bags and lay on their backs, staring at the tent ceiling. Gracie had unzipped the tent tarp so that they could see the night sky.
“Best surprise ever,” Tember said.
“Good. I’m glad.”
18
“Tember?” Gracie asked.
“Gracie?” Tember turned to face her.
“Can you call me Grace?”
“Sure, why?” Tember asked.
“Because my name is Grace, and I’m going to college soon, and Grace is more mature than Gracie. And Dad calls me Gracie.”
“Ok, Grace,” Tember said. “Wish you’d told me sooner.” She felt Grace shrug.
“Where does the name Tember come from?” Grace asked.
“My parents got it from September. That’s when they met.”
Grace clumsily turned on her side and pulled her arm free from the sleeping bag. She threw her arm across Tember’s torso. Tember laid her arm flat against the tent floor. Grace leaned her head on Tember’s outstretched arm, and she felt Gracie trembling.
Tember asked, “You cold?”
“No.”
“You’re shaking.”
“Oh,” Grace answered and pulled away from Tember. She pulled herself back into her sleeping bag.
“What?” Tember asked.
“I just thought that...well, I was thinking…” Grace started. “Ugh.”
“What?” Tember sat up and looked down at Grace who responded by covering her face. Tember repeated a bit softer, “What?”
“You know.” Grace’s answer was muffled against her arms.
Tember sat up and looked down at Grace. She’d never seen her this flustered. She poked at Grace’s arms, but Grace did not budge.
“What?” Tember pleaded.
“Nothing. It’s nothing, never mind,” Grace answered.
Tember poked at Grace’s arms again. Then she pulled Grace’s arms away from her face, only for Grace to wrap them tightly back in place. Tember slid out of her sleeping bag and straddled Grace. She once again pried Grace’s arms away from her face and then held Grace’s arms just below her wrists and pinned them tightly to the tent floor.
She used her leverage to keep Grace securely in place. Grace squeezed her eyes shut and refused to look at Tember.
“What did I do?” Tember asked.
Grace shook her head. “Nothing just let...me...be.”
Grace threw her hips upward, tilting Tember off balance. Grace twisted and Tember was thrown back to her own sleeping bag. Tember was quick to recover and threw her body back on top of Grace. She grabbed Grace’s arms and pinned them above her head. Grace pushed with all her might, but Tember did not yield.
“I’m not letting you up until you talk,” Tember warned.
Grace opened her eyes and stared into Tember’s. It was a look of such intensity, one that Tember had not seen before. Tember, at first, thought it was a look of anger. Grace lifted her head and pushed her lips hard against Tember’s. Her lips moved with such urgency and hunger. Tember wondered if that was the look that said Grace hungered for her. After getting her wits about her, Tember returned the kiss with Grace’s intensity.
Tember pushed her body against Grace’s and released her arms. Tember tenderly slipped her arm under Grace’s head. Grace’s hands found Tember’s back, and she quickly slid them under Tember’s shirt. Tember moaned and pushed her body harder into Grace’s.
It was as if Grace’s touch had the power to drain all the sadness from Tember’s life. It was a sensation that Tember could only describe as when she had been hearing sounds muffled and then her ear popped and she could hear clearly again. Instead of clearing her sense of hearing, Grace was clearing Tember’s heart.
Grace moaned and quickly pulled Tember’s shirt and sports bra off her body. Tember felt the cool, night air on her torso. Her nipples hardened. Tember suddenly became aware of the bulky sleeping bag separating their bodies. She used her right hand to steady herself, as she fumbled with Grace’s sleeping bag with her left hand. With considerable effort, the zipper slid down, and Tember slid her half-naked body on top of Grace.
Grace caressed Tember’s back, and Tember pulled Grace up from the floor. She found the bottom of Grace’s T-shirt and pulled it over her head. She fumbled with the clasp of Grace’s bra. She had undone her own in the dark, one handed and sleepy hundreds of times, but undoing someone else’s bra was new to her. She finally freed Grace’s body of the bra, and with her hand behind Grace’s head, she lowered her back onto her bag.
Tember lowered her torso onto Grace’s. Their warm breasts pushed against each other. Their nipples were hard. The two moaned in unison. Grace ran her nails down Tember’s back, causing Tember’s body to form head to toe goosebumps.
Tember lowered her head and nibbled on Grace’s neck and collarbone and then found her way back to Grace’s lips. Grace’s hips thrust into Tember. Tember returned her attention to Grace’s neck.
Grace slowly turned Tember onto her back and hovered above her. The two took this moment to look into each other’s eyes. Tember saw what she now knew to be Grace’s look of longing and hunger. Both of them breathed heavily and smiled. Their eyes danced back and forth between the each other’s lips and eyes. Grace’s smile widened as she moved her lips to Tember’s ear.
“Tell me if something’s not okay or how what I’m doing feels, okay?” Grace asked.
Tember could only nod as she held onto Grace’s naked back and pushed her torso up to Grace. Tember tried to imagine what would come next. All her senses were focused on Gracie’s touch and kiss.
Grace’s hot breath traveled down Tember’s torso, between Tember’s breasts, and
stopped at Tember’s belly. Grace sprinkled Tember’s stomach with kisses. It was almost more than Tember could take. She put her hand on the back of Grace’s head and ran her fingers through her hair.
“Okay?” Grace whispered.
“What?” Tember whispered back.
“Is this okay to do? Does it feel okay?” Grace asked.
“It feels amazing, and you can do whatever you want to do to me.”
“Really?”
“Well, you can do it. You might kill me, but you can do it. What you’re doing now is driving me crazy already.”
“Good.” Grace slid her tongue up Tember’s stomach to below her breasts. She kissed the outside of Tember’s breasts, and Tember moaned loudly arching her back toward Grace.
“Yes, oh, yes,” Tember whispered.
“Hmm.” Grace pulled her lips and body away from Tember’s body.
“What?” Tember asked.
Grace answered in a calm tone, “I’m just surveying and learning about your body.”
“Gracie–” Tember started and then corrected, “Grace, you are going to kill me.”
“Should I stop because I don’t want to–” Grace started to reply.
Tember laughed and answered, “Let’s just remember that payback is a bitch.”
Grace laughed. “Okay, okay. I’m not sure how to...or what to do...with your breasts. How should I approach this?”
“No idea,” Tember said. “Just do what you’d want me to do to you, I guess. It’ll be a fun trial and error.”
Tember pulled Grace back down to her body and ran her hands up and down her back. Grace moved her lips to Tember’s breasts. Grace had never kissed something so soft and warm. She kissed around the outside edge of the Tember’s breast. She could feel Tember’s hard nipple against her cheek. Every time she brushed against the nipple, Tember let out a soft moan and pushed her breast toward Grace. She moved to Tember’s other breast and kissed around the outside of the breast, still avoiding the nipple.
“Grace,” Tember said evenly.
“Yeah?”
“If you don’t put your mouth on my nipple, I think I’m going to explode,” Tember warned.
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