That Summer

“What if your parents find out we stole their booze?” I laugh, the sea breeze whipping my hair in my face. Giovanna is smarter, having pulled her waves back in a braid. She smiles wickedly at me, handing me the bottle of Jose Cuervo.

“They won’t. They’re too distracted by having too many kids around.”

I giggle and take the bottle opener from her, popping open the top and taking a swig. I shiver as I swallow.

Giovanna and I waited until after midnight, making sure everyone else was asleep to sneak out to the beach. We’re armed with a flashlight, our phones, and the bottle of tequila we stole from the liquor cabinet after dinner and hid in her dresser.

She shrugs as she swallows her sip before handing the bottle back to me. “Come on, it’s not that bad.”

I force myself to take another sip and shudder. “It is that bad.”

She grabs the bottle from me and holds it above her head where I can’t reach it. “Fine, I’ll drink it.”

“Give it back!” I complain, waving my arms above my head fruitlessly. She laughs, head thrown back and throat exposed.

Everything in me feels like it’s on fire. My eyes linger down her throat, and to her breasts, which are covered by her purple sleep shirt. When I lift my eyes again, her smirk makes me blush a deep shade of red.

“Can I ask you something personal?” I ask slowly.

“Sure.”

“How did you know you were gay?” It’s been a few weeks since Giovanna came out to me, and I found myself thinking about it all the time.

“Oh!” She seems surprised at my question, which makes sense. I hadn’t brought it up since she first told me. “I, um, I always thought the way my sisters and friends talked about boys was weird. I could never…quite relate. Like I liked when boys were funny, but I never like…I don’t know, found them physically attractive?”

She shrugs, taking another swig of tequila. “I went on Tumblr and did some research, and then I looked in the mirror and said, ‘I’m a lesbian.’ It just felt right . For the first time I felt like I understood myself.”

“How do you know when you like a girl?” I ask.

She pauses, and I’m grateful for the sound of the waves. I don’t think I could survive complete silence at this moment.

“I think about her,” she finally says. “A lot. And I notice little details, like…like how soft her hands look, or the way she bites her lip when she’s concentrating. I want to be around her all the time, to touch her. To…to kiss her…” Giovanna’s voice trails off at the end, and I take another swig of tequila for courage.

“Do you want to kiss me?”

Her head snaps up, eyes wide. “What?”

“Do you want to kiss me? Do you notice how soft my hands are? Do you…do you want to be around me all the time?” It’s like I can’t stop talking. It all spills out and what’s worse is I am dying to know.

Is she thinking about me all the time? The same way I think about her all the time?

I can’t see her face, but I see her putting it into her hands, shoulders heaving as she inhales. “Don’t make me tell the truth, Hunter. I appreciate your friendship too much.”

Butterflies swarm my stomach. “Do you want to kiss me?” I ask again, emboldened by tequila and her diversion. “Because…because I think I want to kiss you.”

She lowers her hands and turns to me. “I…I’ve never kissed anyone before.” Her voice is a whisper, barely audible above the crashing waves.

“I have,” I answer simply. “Follow my lead.”

I feel her move closer to me and I shiver, unsure if it’s from the chill of the seabreeze or the warmth of her arm against mine.

“Yeah, honey,” she says, voice a little louder. “Yeah I…I want to kiss you.”

“Then kiss me, Giovanna.” I can’t believe I’m saying this. I’m not supposed to want to kiss girls, but all I know is how desperately I want to kiss this girl.

She cups my cheek, and I can feel her eyes searching. “Please,” I breathlessly add. “Please kiss me.”

Before I can brace myself, her lips brush against mine, timid and unsure. It is perfect, absolutely perfect. We move slowly, softly.

Until we don’t.