Evan turned onto the cul-de-sac and Emily noticed her brother's car parked in the driveway.

John beat me home... Did he come home earlier than usual or is it really that late?

Almost as if he read her mind again Evan said, "It's so late, your Dad is going to really hate me now. What's your curfew anyway?"

Emily laughed. "In Brooklyn, we have to be home by eleven at the latest or Mom has raised an Amber Alert and the National Guard after us. But here we don't have one. Dad's a total weekend father who pretty much lets us do anything we want as long as we don't throw it directly in his face. And then even when something is right in front of him, he tends to just ignore it."

He cocked his eyebrow in disbelief.  "No rules?"

She nodded. "Why do you think John moved here? It's a lot more fun to have no rules. Plus they bought him a car."

Evan shook his head. "And you still aren't sure if you are coming back next weekend? You really are different."

Emily leaned over to whisper, "Good thing you don't like basic then."

Evan closed the extra space between them to kiss her. He reached behind her head and pulled the rubber band out of her ponytail while he kissed her and then twined his hand into her hair. Emily quickly felt herself losing control again.

Thank you console and gear stick for preventing me from doing anything I might regret later...

Evan's free hand traced down her back and slipped under her shirt again. His fingers followed the path of her ribs to her side. Emily felt the urge grow to climb over the obstacles and get as close to him as she could.

But instead she stopped herself by pressing gently against his chest. "I should probably go inside now."

Evan flopped back against his seat and took a deep breath. "Yep... sure... of course..."

He leaned forward and gripped the steering wheel as he blew out another breath, then he reached over to open his door.

Emily opened her door as he walked around to her side. He held her hand and walked her up to the front door.

They shared a few smaller kisses goodnight on the porch. Then Evan said "Until tomorrow" and Emily went inside.

She tiptoed quietly through the dark of the house into the bathroom.

While she brushed her teeth, her phone chimed on the counter beside her.

Evan had sent a Youtube link. She lowered the volume on her phone and opened the video of Mama Cass singing "Dream a Little Dream."

Emily swayed dreamily to the song while she finished brushing her teeth.

I need to respond to music with music...

She found her file for "Typical Girls" by The Slits. Beneath it she added a final message.

Night Jersey Boy

He wrote back.

Good Night Brooklyn

Thoroughly happy and exhausted, Emily flipped off the bright overhead light of the bathroom.

She felt her way along the wall through the pitch black hallway into the bedroom. Without turning on the lamp, she kicked off her sneakers, peeled off her shirts and unzipped her jeans.

The denim was damp from lying in the field, so the pants stuck to her legs, making them harder to remove than usual.

I need to sit down to pull them off from my ankles...

As she collapsed onto her bed in her bra with the jeans stuck at her knees, her body slammed into another person.

"What the hell!" she screamed.

A calloused hand shot out to cover her mouth and beer soaked breath whispered, "Shhhhhh."

This only increased Emily's panic as she wrestled away and fell onto the floor to scramble away from the bed. Her voice was frozen in her throat as she hyperventilated, which was the only thing that prevented her from further screaming.

Are you insane? Why are you in here? This the second heart attack you gave me... In one night...

Her eyes finally adjusted enough in the darkened room to make out Kelly crawling across the floor towards her.

He whispered frantically, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to talk to you. I was waiting to just talk to you. I'm a little drunk. I... I fell asleep. I never thought that you wouldn't turn the lights on when you came in. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

I'm not sure...

Her ragged breaths did not bring enough oxygen to her brain and she saw spots.

I might faint...

Emily held her palm up in front of him to prevent him from coming any closer. She put her head awkwardly between her knees, which were still trapped by her pants.

She was still trying to regulate her breathing when she felt Kelly tugging the damp clothing from her ankles. Emily waved her hand at him in a shooing motion but Kelly kept yanking.

"I swear I'm just trying to help. No funny business. You can't put your head between your knees like that."

She allowed him to pull them the rest of the way from her body and instantly felt better when she could lean forward fully to gulp air.

As the oxygen reached her brain she started to make more sense of the scene before her.

Kelly is in my room in boxer briefs and nothing else... I'm in my bra and panties and nothing else!

She managed to choke out, "No funny business?"

Nervous giggles began to develop.

"You're waiting in my bed in boxer shorts and you say 'No funny business.' That's pretty ridiculous!"

She covered her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly.

"Well I... um... I guess maybe I was hoping for... well not this..." Kelly said dejectedly. He held her jeans against his chest like an awkward security blanket.

Pull yourself together Emily!

She got off the floor and walked on shaking legs to the bed, where she sank down and put a pillow onto her lap to cover herself.

"What did you want to talk to me about Kelly?"

Her heart thrummed loudly in her chest and she still felt lightheaded. When Kelly stood up, Emily averted her eyes.

I'm not the only person in the room that is excited by our proximity...

She didn't want to start her nervous giggling again so she looked at the edge of the pillowcase. She folded it over and rubbed her fingers on it.

Kelly put her jeans on the bed frame, sat next to her and pulled the other pillow onto his lap.

"I wanted to tell you that you don't have to go out with me tomorrow if you don't want to," he mumbled.

This is not the same self-confident Kelly that I've dealt with over the last three days... It actually makes me more comfortable with the idea of going out with him... Don't think about it too much...

"I want to Kelly." She looked up at him and he smiled a goofy grin that made him look curiously innocent.

Then surprising even herself, Emily removed the pillow from her lap, leaned forward and kissed him.

Emboldened by her response, Kelly dropped his pillow onto the floor and leaned over her to gently push her back onto the bed.

There's that familiar warmth coursing through my body whenever he kisses me...

"God you're so hot," she murmured.

"So are you," he responded.

Emily grabbed his boxer-brief clad butt and kissed his neck. Kelly groaned and reached for her bra strap. He began to push it down her shoulder as he followed the path with lips.

Emily moaned and whispered, "We should stop."

The way I said that didn't convince me that stopping is what I want, let alone Kelly...

Kelly wasn't swayed and eagerly kissed along the top of her breasts.

If I let this progress any further I won't be able to extinguish the flame he lit with just my own hands...

Emily pushed him up and squirmed away backwards, breathless and sweaty.

"I need to stop. I'm sorry. I've never done anything like this and I just met you."

Kelly rolled onto his back and rubbed his hand along his groin, as he hissed through his teeth.

"I know. I'm sorry. I knew that the stuff everyone was saying at the bonfire was bullshit. John told me he didn't believe it. I can wait until you want more."

I want a lot more right now but I can't make any stupid decisions, especially with my brother's best friend...

"Thanks." Not sure what else she could say, Emily tried to ignore the deep throb between her legs.

She stood up and grabbed a shirt to sleep in from the dresser. Kelly leaned up onto his elbows and watched as she put on the shirt and removed her bra from underneath it.

He licked his lips. "Do you mind if I sleep on the trundle of your bed though? It's way more comfortable than the floor in John's room."

Emily blew a chunk of hair out of her face.

He certainly isn't making the whole stopping and behaving myself situation any easier when he looks so appealing sprawled across my bed...

She picked up the pillow he had dropped on the floor.

"No funny business?" she asked sarcastically.

"I promise I won't touch you." Kelly crossed his heart.

"But that doesn't mean you can't touch yourself if you feel the need," he added with a devilish smirk.

"Oh I need to, but that's not happening tonight now either," she said as she threw the pillow at his head.

Emily shoved him off the bed. "Pull out the trundle."

Kelly pulled out the mattress and opened his mouth to say something. Emily cut him off, "And no touching yourself tonight either!"

He snorted out a laugh as he crawled across the mattress. Then he kneeled by her side. "I was just going to say good night."

"I'm sure." She rolled her eyes and lay down on a pillow that smelled distinctly like him.

He planted a small kiss on her cheek before he rested his head on the pillow and sighed out, "This is nice."

Emily couldn't help smiling as she said, "Good night Kelly."