Page 22 of Another Love, Another Time
Chapter 7
River, Age 15
Auggie’s team and mine it to the state championship this year. It was a last-minute planned trip since neither of us knew if our teams would make it. Neither of our dads was able to get off work, so it’s just the moms and the kids. Aunt Jess was able to find a house to rent for the weekend close to where we are playing. All the hotels were booked.
The house we are staying in is one of the nicest places we have ever stayed. It has three bedrooms, so Logan, Serena, Auggie, and I are in one room with bunk beds. Brock is sleeping on the pull-out couch in the living room, and Aunt Connie is sharing a room with Ellie. My mom and Aunt Jess are in the same room.
When everyone went to sleep, Auggie snuck into my bunk. We are both lying on our backs, talking about how our games went today, what we could have done better, and what we need to do to get better. Auggie is quiet for a minute, and then he rolls over to his side. “Hey, River, have you had any boys ask you out yet?”
I roll over on my side to face him. “Yeah, a few have. Why?”
“What did you tell them?”
“‘No!’ What the heck would I do with a boyfriend?”
He laughs. “You would hold their hand, go to the movies, kiss them.”
Is that what he has been doing? I suddenly don’t feel so good. Does he have a girlfriend? Has he been kissing girls? I always thought we would be each other’s first kiss.
“Riv?” he asks after I don’t say anything.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” I blurt. “I know you have girls asking you out. Have you kissed them?”
“Calm down, Riv. I don’t have a girlfriend, and I haven’t kissed anyone.” I let out the breath I’ve been holding.
“Would you like to kiss? Me, I mean?” I wet my lips, and I close my eyes, but after a second, I peek for his reaction.
“You want to kiss? Me? With tongue?” he asks.
I shrug. “Why not? I’ve always wanted you to be my first kiss.”
He rolls over to his side and props himself up on his elbow, “Sure, let’s do it.”
I mirror him, rolling on my side. I swipe my tongue across my bottom lip to wet it again. My mouth has suddenly gone dry. Oh gosh, why did I suggest this? Are my lips chapped?
Auggie starts to lean forward, and I meet him halfway. As soon as our lips connect, I feel the butterflies. His arms wrap around my waist, and he pulls me closer, so we are chest to chest. His lips are soft and full. I really hope he’s feeling the same thing. Softly, I feel his tongue caress my lips like he’s asking permission to enter. I willingly open my mouth as he explores. His tongue feels awkward but nice. I can feel his tongue graze the roof of my mouth, and it tickles. I giggle a little. We both pull apart, and we are both grinning.
“How was that?” he asks shyly.
“It was good, really good.”
“It was, wasn’t it? I’m glad that your first kiss was with me.”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah,” he responds.
I’m silent for a minute deciding if I should say what I’m currently thinking. We’ve both been through sex ed, so I know what sex is. I have friends who are sexually active. During class, they always tell us that if we are going to have sex, it needs to be with someone we care about, and they need to care about you. When I think about that person, I always think of Auggie.
“Auggie, I want you to be all of my firsts when I’m ready. I can’t imagine them being with anyone but you. I’m not ready, but I trust you. Some of my friends have started having sex. I’m not ready for that, but I really want you to be the first person I have sex with.” I hold my breath and wait for him to respond.
He’s silent for a minute, and I think he’s going to say “no.” Maybe what I’ve always felt with him is not right, but he says, “Me too. I want you to be my first, too.”
I can breathe again. With this confession, I push on. I have been thinking about something else for a long time, and since we are talking about firsts, it makes me think about one of the books I recently read. In it, best friends promised to go to prom together. I’m not into that kind of thing, but I would be if Auggie goes with me.
“Hey, Aug, I know it’s a long time from now, but for our senior year, would you be my date to prom?”
“Man, River. You are asking a lot out of me tonight.” I can tell he’s kidding. “What if you have a boyfriend by then?”
