so soft?” She asked while shifting her back against the air mattress. “Even with my sleeping pad, the rocks
and ground are painfully hard.”
I just smiled. “It’s a secret.”
“Well, I’m gonna remember this tomorrow night.” she responded. I was excited wondering what that might
mean. We both drifted off to sleep in the other’s arms and didn’t wake until the sun was raising the inside of
the tent to oven-like temperature. I moved to kick the sleeping bag off and this action brought us both out of
our dreams. Anna sat up first, stretched her arms and yawned. “I slept good.” I lay still, smiling at the girl
beside me. Her movements were both feline and girlish. Something about them sent a shiver of delight down
my spine. Glancing my way, she saw me watching her. This time I held her gaze. “What are you looking at?”
She smiled. I couldn’t help but grin foolishly back at her.
“Just a pretty girl.” Her cheeks took on a slight tint of rose, and the whole act of blushing made her even cuter
in my eyes. She then dropped back down to the pillow with a flop. Her face was less than inches from mine,
our eyes lost in the others. Her eyes closed and she moved just a mere fraction of an inch and her lips were
touching mine.
This kiss was different than the others. This time our lips nibbled gently at the other, tasting, and exploring. My
hand instinctively reached up to her neck, fingers twining into her smooth blonde hair and pulling her into a
deeper kiss. I felt her tongue softly brush my lips, a tentative test. I experimented with my own tongue, touching
her, tasting her.
Nothing else existed for us as we lay there each devouring the other. There was no tent, or sleeping bag. The
sun didn’t shine above us and the wind didn’t blow. The waves of a passing boat didn’t break against the lake
shore, and our parents weren’t calling for us. Our parents. I can’t tell you how long we kissed for; passion
burning desire into our souls. Suddenly Anna sat bolt upright, tearing herself from my embrace. For a moment I
felt empty. Then I heard her father calling her lakeside.
I tossed another log on the fire and slouched down into a nearby lawn chair. The sun had long since set, and I
was exhausted. Mark and rented a speed boat from the marina and we all spent the day cruising around the
lake and towing people on the inner tube. Anna was in a chair across the fire from me. The day had been
rough. Every time I looked at her, the memory of the morning’s interaction would force its way into my mind,
and my blood would begin flowing towards a particular extremity. The others had slowly trickled away to their
beds till it was Anna, Mark and I left around the fire.
Anna stretched in an exaggerated yawn “Well, I’m heading to bed.” She shot me a sidelong glance. “Good
night daddy.” She gave her father a peck on the check then drifted out into the darkness. I sat for a while, idly
stirring the fire. The silence felt thick and awkward. The fear that he knew what Anna and I had been up to
clawed at me. It was a nagging feeling that wouldn’t be pushed away. There was something I had missed and I