1976

4

"I brought you some lemonade." Julia handed Morgan a glass of iced lemonade, wearing a small, forced smile. Things between them had been tense lately, and she was clearly trying to make amends.

"Thanks." Morgan tossed a dirty towel over her shoulder and retracted from the car she was working on, taking the glass and wiping her greasy face. She gulped the drink down, hot and tired. It was the middle of summer, roughly eight months since they had first gotten together, and they were going through some kind of rough patch. A few weeks before, Julia had been off on vacation with her friends, leaving Morgan alone to try and entertain herself. It could be considered sad, but Julia was the only person Morgan had, and during the vacation she had received two, maybe three phone calls from her partner. Julia had explained that she didn't want to raise suspicion in her friends, and that she had only had a few chances alone to speak on the phone, but still, Morgan was bitter. She was no longer angry with Julia, but the remnants of their fight a few nights before still lingered.

"So..." Julia leaned a little closer to Morgan. "What's wrong with it?"

"Turns out," Morgan reached over to close the hood of Julia's car, exhaling, "you just needed more coolant. It should be fine now."

"You're a genius, cowboy."

"Sure I am." Morgan turned to lean back on the car, sipping her lemonade and refusing to look at Julia.

"Tell me you're not still upset," Julia sighed, trying to take Morgan's hand. The other hesitated, but accepted the bit of affection, setting her drink down. She finally looked back at Julia.

"I'm not upset, just," Morgan paused, trying to think of how to explain herself. "I don't know, I just feel neglected, I guess. Why would you go on vacation with them and not me?"

"You know my parents would kill me if they saw us together." Julia brushed a strand of Morgan's hair behind her ear, cupping her face with her hand. "I would've gone with you in a heartbeat if I could."

Morgan leaned into Julia's hand but looked away, face now red. "I know, but we could've lied. We could've just gone without telling them, I mean, we're seventeen. My dad wouldn't care."

"The whole world would care if I did something like that."

"Yeah, 'cuz you're Miss Popular."

"That's right, I'm a princess." Julia's hand trailed from Morgan's cheek to her chin, lifting the other's head up to look into her hazel eyes. They were glowing with disappointment. "But I'm your princess, Morgan."

Morgan went quiet, swallowing hard as her mind began to wander. She decided, then, to let go of her lingering anger, sadness, guilt, and she exhaled slowly. "Okay," was all she could think to say.

"Good. Now come with me. I have a surprise for you." Julia led Morgan back into the house and through the hallways, into the kitchen where they picked up a basket and headed out the backdoor. It was just past six, and the sun was beginning to set. The sky had turned a brilliant orange and a cool breeze was blowing through the air. A ladder was set leaning against the back of the house, and Julia began to climb up with the basket in hand. Morgan followed, curious as to what exactly Julia was planning, but she stepped up the ladder regardless.
A blanket sat at the top of the roof, garnished with a vase of roses, a bottle of wine and a pack of very elegant looking red Solo cups. "I broke some glasses trying to get up here," Julia said as she sat down on the blanket, "so this is what we've got."

Morgan couldn't help but grin, plopping down next to Julia and planting a kiss on her cheek. "You're willing to do anything to get me to forgive you, huh?" When Julia only looked at Morgan, her expression softened. "Consider yourself forgiven, princess. I can't stay mad at you for long." With that, Morgan grabbed two cups and filled them to the brim, which, in turn, emptied the entire bottle. She handed Julia the cup that appeared to be more full.

"I packed your favorite, cowboy. Rattlesnake and horse meat," Julia joked.

Morgan playfully elbowed Julia, chuckling softly. She took a sip of her drink and said, "Horse meat? Don't you know donkey's my favorite."

"Of course it is." Julia opened the basket and unwrapped a peanut butter jelly sandwich, handing it to Morgan. "Here's your actual favorite, you idiot."

Morgan bit into her sandwich as Julia grabbed her own, leaning back and drinking from her cup. They sat in silence as they ate, enjoying the food and the view. From Julia's rooftop, they could see almost the entire city of Smithston, Ohio, the place where everyone knew everyone and nothing anyone did went unnoticed, save for what Julia and Morgan did together. They were the town's biggest secret, Morgan supposed, and they were the only ones who knew about it. She wondered, for a moment, if there were anyone else like them in their small town, if perhaps someone else were hiding a relationship just like their own. But then, Morgan realized that there simply weren't enough people in Smithston, and that they were all alone.

The sun began to sink below the horizon, and Julia had packed their leftover food back into the basket. Morgan had finished her drink, Julia had nearly finished hers, and the sun was nearly done with its day. Morgan wrapped an arm around Julia, who rested her head into Morgan's shoulder as she pulled her close.

"You're more beautiful than any sunset," Morgan whispered, unaware that she had even spoken at all. She was mesmerized by the changing colors of the sky.

Julia curled around Morgan, arms hugged around the other's torso. Her eyes were closed, as she was completely immersed in the comfort of her lover's arms. "You are the best girlfriend anyone could ask for," Julia muttered.

Morgan remained staring at the sun, its light reflecting in her bright hazel eyes. She watched as the last bits of the star hid beneath the horizon, and all that was left were the stars. Morgan laid back, bringing Julia with her so they could stare at the stars, but she soon realized that Julia had fallen asleep, too comfortable in Morgan's warmth to possibly stay awake. Morgan's body was tired from the day, from working on both Julia's car and the rest of the town's vehicles. She, too, soon fell asleep under the stars, holding onto Julia even as she slept.