LOGAN

We talked for a long while like that, lying next to each other in the dew covered grass on that warm night, keeping our hands locked together between our bodies as Maisy let me in. She didn't tell me much about her family, just that she was an only child, her mom stayed at home, and her dad was an investment banker with super-high standards.

"At first he didn't want me to go to Berkley," she told me. "He thought it was a school for freaks and that'd I'd be throwing away my future by following Justin to college." She snorted and rubbed her free hand across her face in frustration. "Ugh! I hate how he was right about at least one of those things!"

I told her about moving out here when I was thirteen, about my life back in Texas, and more about my parents' divorce. I explained why we moved, how my dad got a great deal on the shop his uncle had owned, and then I told her a little bit about the garage and how I worked there on weekends.

She lifted up our entwined hands, pulling them closer to her face and inspecting mine. "I don't know Logan." Her delicate laughter filled the air. "These hands look pretty clean for someone who supposedly does oil changes all weekend."

I smiled and pulled our hands away from her like they were one being and under my complete control. I knew at some point I'd have to let go, but I wasn't ready to yet. "Yeah, well, I clean up pretty well and the callouses prove otherwise."

"Where do you think you'll be ten years from now?" she asked out of the blue, rolling onto her side and facing me. The expression on her face told me that she expected a serious answer, so I did my best to give her one, but it wasn't easy when I didn't want the present to ever end.

"Let's see...twenty-eight? Well, barring a zombie apocalypse or World War III, because it's safe to say all bets are off then, I imagine I'll be done with college-- that is if everything works out and I actually get to go to college..."

"Logan." She knocked her knee into mine in warning with a laugh, not allowing me to even ponder not going.

"I'll have a degree in history--" I continued.

"History?" she asked staring up at me and scrunching her forehead in confusion. I looked over at her and smiled at her obvious surprise.

"Yeah, history. Pretty dorky, huh?" I teased, borrowing her line from earlier. She broke out into a big smile and shook her head.

"Not dorky, just surprising that's all."

We stared at each other for a moment, our faces only inches apart again. I could still smell the peppermints and tequila on her breath when she exhaled. Everything inside me was crying out to kiss her and there was nothing I wanted to do more, but I knew this wasn't the right time.

We were close, but not yet.

"And what are you going to do with a history degree Logan?" The corner of her mouth ticked and her eyes sparked with a playful glint. She was messing with me and I liked it.

"Well, I've kind of always liked the idea of becoming a lawyer. I was thinking that maybe I'd go to law school or something like that."

She didn't laugh. I expected her to, but she didn't. I never voiced my plans for the future out loud to anyone before, not to Will, not even my dad. Yet here I was spilling my guts to Maisy Jacobs, of all people, a girl I had crushed on but who had all but ignored me for the last five years. But for some reason it felt safe, like I could trust her with my secrets.

"I could see that," she whispered, scanning my face with her eyes and squeezing my hand."I could see you doing all of that someday."

They were just words. They meant nothing really. Yet Maisy's confidence in me boosted my own.

I rolled over onto my back, smiling, and asked her the same question, expecting her to have a prepared answer, after all she was the one who brought the topic up. But she stalled. I watched her long dark lashes start to flutter and hopefulness fill her eyes.

"I'll have my Art degree and I'll have traveled all over the world, teaching classes and doing my own stuff on the side. I'll bum around from country to country, taking a lover in every continent of course!" She laughed at her own joke and stared up at the sky with a wide grin on her face.

Although I hated hearing that last part, I felt myself smiling as well. Maisy's view of her future sounded good, and even I couldn't help be impressed by it. It was off the beaten path. She mentioned nothing of a husband, or a house, or kids. It was just her, on her own, exploring the world. It was like she craved her independence and was determined to find it.

It made me like her even more, if that was even possible.

"That sounds amazing."

Her head lolled back over to me and she smiled. "I wish I hadn't shut you out all this time Logan." She rolled over onto her shoulder, bringing her face closer to mine. This time I didn't dare breathe. Her tongue darted out of her mouth and she licked her lips as she brought her big, green eyes up to me.

This was it. This was our moment. I could sense it all around me.

Edging closer, I waited for Maisy to seal the small space left between us. I needed to know that she was just as much a part of this kiss as I was about to be. She tilted her head and laid her soft lips on mine, awakening years of fantasies and daydreams inside me. My heart roared to life and I felt dizzy but I held back. I didn't want to hold back, but I knew I had to.

I slipped my tongue into her mouth tasting her for the first time and it was like everything I thought it would be. Pepperminty-sweetness. I brought my free hand up and tangled it in back in her thick, brown hair. It felt as silky as I imagined it would.

Holding her head still, I worked her mouth, having thought about this moment countless of times. It was better than I ever imagined it could be. Maisy Jacobs was in my arms. Her body was rubbing against mine and she was kissing me back. It was as if every dream I'd ever had had come to fruition and I was afraid that as soon as we stopped the moment would never be replaced.

But stopping seemed to be the furthest thing from Maisy's mind. Hooking her leg around my waist, she pushed herself against me as she held her other hand pressed firmly against my cheek. She let out some breathy moans between our kisses and they just managed to encourage me on further. I would've done anything to hear Maisy make those sounds again.

But I knew I couldn't let this get out of hand. I knew the line had to be drawn somewhere. Maisy had been drinking tonight; she was an emotional wreck, and she'd just broken up with her boyfriend. I couldn't take advantage of that for fear of the repercussions come morning. Maisy had a decision to make in the light of day, not here hidden in the park. We had three months until graduation; there was still time.

Reluctantly I tapered off my kisses with both my heart and my dick throbbing in protest. I stroked my hand across her face and stared down at her, trying to avoid focusing on her swollen lips. "We should get you home."

She looked up at me with big eyes, tearing my conscience to shreds. "I don't want to go home."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Well it looks like things are heating up between Logan and Maisy. After all this time wanting her from afar, she's finally in his arms. But how long will it last? Will their timing be off again or will they throw caution to the wind and take that next leap together?

Meet you back here next week to find out ;)

*Please remember to vote and comment!

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TRY 'THE MADONNA, THE VIRGIN, AND THE WHORE'.

I had gone to New York with two of my girlfriends. The plan was to stay at our friend Jimmy's place and party every night while we were there. I was already wasted when I randomly ran into Will at a small bar in The Village. I stopped short when I saw him, sitting on the barstool with a beer in his hand. It was the first time I'd ever seen him somewhere without Erin by his side in a very long time, and before I knew what I was doing, I was walking towards him.

Will was drunk too. I could tell the moment I said hi. He jumped out of his seat with a smile and threw his arms around me, spinning me around the bar and knocking my feet into the stools around us. Will had never put his arms around me before and that feeling right then, when he held me in them, was something I never imagined I'd get to experience. I didn't want him to let go.

He was there with some of his college friends and we all got to hanging out. Drinks were consumed and the night just started slipping away. He asked how I was doing in Maine and I told him a little bit about my job and the bar I worked at. We talked about some of his classes and he told me about Tufts. And, thanks to one too many beers, before long I found my old crush on him starting to resurface. Never once did either of us mention Erin, which was weird. I'm not sure if we did it on purpose or not. It kind of just happened.

And of course we kept on drinking.