1976

5

Morgan lay underneath Julia as she was smothered with kisses, covered in small bite marks from the base of her neck to her cheeks, her lips. She was simply enjoying the ride, the decline down from the explosion they had just shared together, though Julia seemed like she wouldn't be stopping anytime soon. Julia's lips met Morgan's after a short while, and they shared a sloppy, messy kiss, until Julia finally withdrew and finished with a few soft kisses on Morgan's cheek. Julia slid off of Morgan and onto her back, the two now laying next to each other in tired, naked bliss. It was clear the reason why they were exhausted, and Morgan was just about ready to fall asleep, but she wanted to remain awake if not to spend more time with Julia but to simply adore her.

Morgan turned onto her side, eyes wandering Julia's body. They trailed from Julia's hair, eyes, and lips down to her chest and torso, her legs, then slowly dragged back up again. She smiled, and Julia caught the endearing look in Morgan's eyes, her cheeks flushing red. "What?" she muttered.

Morgan didn't hesitate to answer. "I just love you." She gently ran her fingers down Julia's arm. "All of you." Morgan rolled halfway on top of Julia and kissed her soft and sweet, her lips lingering across Julia's skin as she kissed her forehead, then each cheek. Slowly, Morgan moved her gentle kisses down Julia's neck and to her chest, her breasts, her stomach. She kissed each of Julia's hips, and then her thighs, and she assumed any further down would be more than a little awkward, so she worked her way back up, kissing in reverse. Her lips ended up right back in Julia's, and this time she kissed deeper, their tongues intertwining and lips moving slowly but intensely. Morgan tangled her hands in Julia's hair as the other did the same, the palms of her hands cradling Julia's face. She moved the rest of her body onto Julia's, and from then on, her emotions took over.

They kissed for what felt like ages, only breaking to breathe and constantly switching between who was on top of the other. When they finally broke from their near twenty minute make out, Morgan was up against the wall, sitting on the bed with her lover near holding her against it. As if they hadn't just spent so long with their lips intertwined, Julia asked, "Hungry?"

Morgan smiled. "Always am, princess."

"Up and at 'em, then, cowboy." Julia gave Morgan one last quick kiss and got up from the bed. She began getting dressed, throwing on one of Morgan's oversized t-shirts.

Morgan watched endearingly, satisfied to see Julia in one of her shirts. It felt like some sort of claim, especially since the shirt had originally been her dad's. It looked good on Julia, nice and cozy. She smiled. "Where are we headed, princess?"

"Only the best restaurant in little ol' Smithston, Ohio. You love it every time we-"

"You don't mean your dad's place, do you?" Suddenly Morgan didn't want to get out of her bed. "I thought we couldn't let him see us."

"Come on, cowboy." Julia, now dressed, came over to drag Morgan out of bed. "It's our one year anniversary, my parents are at home, and the best restaurant in town is calling our names. We have to go."

Morgan reluctantly began to get dressed. She knew at this point she had no choice in the matter; Julia's mind was made up. "Fine, but a few conditions." She was only partially kidding. "I pay," Julia groaned, "we share a milkshake, and you drive. Deal?"

"Gee, you drive a hard bargain." Julia mockingly put her hand on her chin in thought, as if she would ever think to deny Morgan's conditions. "Deal. If you wear my favorite shirt."

Morgan groaned dramatically, heading over to her small closet. She opened the door and pulled out an old and tattered Beatles shirt. "You mean this stupid thing?" She pulled the shirt over her head, already knowing Julia's answer, and tucked the front of it into her jeans, leaving the rest hanging loose. The only thing she needed now was her belt. "Happy, oh princess of mine?"

"Very," Julia grinned, waiting at the door for Morgan to meet her. Once Morgan was dressed, they were out the door and headed to Smithston's one and only diner.

-

The shop bell rang as Morgan opened the diner's door for Julia, a small smile resting on her face as they entered the restaurant. Julia slid into a booth, and Morgan sat down beside her. The diner was nearly empty, as by this point it was about ten at night and most of the townspeople were asleep, so Morgan wasn't too worried about any onlookers' stares. She held Julia's hand under the table, making sure that no one was watching them, and smiled when a waitress approached then for their order. Morgan grimaced as she felt Julia's hand slip from her own, aware that the other was rather paranoid about their image. It was already risky for them to be out in public together at all, as the people of Smithston had a reputation for spreading rumors. Julia was held in high esteem; she was picture perfect, the Prom queen, the kind of girl people wanted to talk about. She was responsible for keeping this image no matter how much she may have hated it. Julia had to, if not only to protect herself but to protect Morgan.

As Julia ordered, Morgan began to trail deeper in thought. Her mind wandered to the scar sitting diagonally across her cheek, how it had even got there. Before she and Julia had even been together, Morgan was targeted by the elite of Smithston, the token sons and daughters of the richest parents in the neighborhood. Julia was the only one of them that didn't enjoy calling her slurs, beating her up behind the school and stealing her cigarettes. Morgan could hold her own, could fist fight just as well as anyone else, but the second a switchblade was involved, she was out, hence the origin of the scar on her face. If it weren't for Julia occasionally being able to defend her, Morgan would surely have more marks on her body, and not just one's from Julia herself. She wondered, momentarily, if she would be dead without Julia, mutilated and murdered by her peers. The thought vanished as she felt a tight squeeze on her hand, and Julia frantically whispering, "Hey, Morgan! Cowboy, can you hear me?"

"Sorry," Morgan grumbled, rubbing her face with the back of her hand. "I got lost in thought."

"That's okay." Julia kept her hand intertwined with Morgan's this time. "I'm just surprised you didn't notice the food.

Morgan's eyes widened slightly when she finally noticed the plate of burger and fries in front of her, and the milkshake sitting between her and Julia. Julia had gotten the same meal, and was already a few bites deep into her sandwich. Their hands separated.

"We've been together for one year, twelve months," Morgan took a dramatic breath, "and I have never seen you eat a burger, princess."

"Well, I've never seen you eat anything but burgers, cowboy. You're like a food vacuum."

"True." Morgan took the bun off her burger and shoved some fries between the meat and bread, then eagerly took a bite of her sandwich. It was gone in near seconds, and she reached for the milkshake just as Julia did, their hands touching. Surprisingly, Julia didn't flinch or move away, but instead began to drink from one of two straws. Giggling, Morgan joined her.

At first, Morgan refused to look at Julia, waiting for the perfect moment to make eye contact and force the other to laugh. She did so, after a moment, and it seemed Julia nearly spit out her milkshake as she laughed. Julia broke out in a large grin, absolutely glowing, and Morgan couldn't help it as she leaned closer, completely overrun by her emotions, and kissed Julia.

Time stopped, and Morgan could barely feel herself moving. It was as if there was no one to see them together, no waitresses or waiters, no restaurant goers, no one passing by on the street. They were completely and utterly alone in their booth, with no one around to hurt them. Morgan pulled back with a smile, and she was surprised to see that Julia was smiling too, but it very quickly melted. Julia's eyes frequently scanned the restaurant, looking for the face of a surprised and angry onlooker, but it seemed she was relieved to find that nobody had seen.Julia's eyes grew dark. She grabbed Morgan's hands under the table, grip tight, and leaned in to whisper, "I love you, but don't you ever do that again."

Morgan only sighed.