1976

7

Morgan sat quietly on the motel bed as she waited, the patter of Julia's shower pricking at her ears. Her mind was moving all over the place, thinking and pondering possibilities left and right, up and down, eyes wide as she remained lost in her own head. She bounced from thinking of her father, to Julia, to where they might go next, weighing the pros and cons of each situation and occasionally wondering if they should simply go back home. It was the easy option, though also the one that led to the most trouble. She most certainly would get scolded by her father, and who knew what Julia's family would do to her. Julia wasn't even eighteen yet, and Morgan wondered if she had ruined the other's life all in one night. Of course, Julia wouldn't have come with her if she hadn't had any faith in Morgan, and though guilt slowly washed over Morgan, she found comfort in that fact. Julia loved her, and for now, that wasn't going to change. They were together, on their way to something better, and Morgan smiled as she thought of that place.

They were headed towards Miami. For years, Morgan had heard of the secret sects of the city that were safe; the private beaches, the hotels, the dive bars and movie theatres. It was like some kind of secret society built just for people like Morgan and Julia, run by them, kept safe by them and supported by them. Julia was all over the idea, and Morgan pined each day for the freedom that kind of environment promised. She wondered how much farther their relationship could go if it were out in the open, not built on secrets and lies. Morgan remembered hiding in janitor's closets, sneaking around parents and lying about who exactly she was going to hang out with, and why. But in Miami, they would be in charge. Not a single person could tell them what to do or where to do it, question their behaviors and their chosen company. Hopefully, Morgan wouldn't get beat up as much, and perhaps Julia would be able to lighten up, have a stress free day for once. The other was so extremely uptight that Morgan worried for her health. Such an amount of stress had to have some kind of physical effect on the body, and the amount of pressure Julia was under was nowhere near forgiving. Yet here she was, letting go of all her responsibilities to run away, to run to freedom, to run to somewhere better, and Morgan couldn't be happier about it.

Morgan was sucked from her thoughts as she heard the squeak of the shower turning off, Julia humming in the background. She stood up as the other stepped out of the bathroom, hair and body wrapped in a towel, and Morgan grinned, wrapping her arms around Julia's neck. "I like your look," she mused, kissing Julia's cheek tenderly then burying her face into her shoulder, not wanting to move.

"Of course you do." Julia's arm went around Morgan's waist, holding her softly as Morgan began to sway them side to side, ever so gently. She wanted to be close, to feel the warmth of Julia's damp skin against her face, giving her comfort and serenity. Her mind moved to a state of pleasurable emptiness, thinking only of the feeling of her body against Julia's, as if she were asleep. Minutes, or maybe hours passed before she moved again, her hands cupping Julia's face as she stared into her bright green eyes, expression soft.

"What?' Julia whispered, appeared confused but endeared.

Morgan only stared, quiet, her thumb trailing across Julia's cheek as she took it all in. Her thoughts slowly returned to her, and she was able to say, "Thank you. For coming with me."

Julia wrapped her hands around Morgan's wrists, smiling. "Of course. I'd follow you to the ends of the earth, cowboy."

Morgan's cheeks grew red, and she smiled, running her fingers through Julia's hair and resting her hands back around her neck. She drew her closer, now barely any space between them as she leaned in and kissed Julia, moving her lips softly into Julia's. She felt Julia's lips open her mouth, and their tongues met, dancing in a luscious kind of grace. A small moan left her, followed by the sound of Julia's towel dropping to the floor. Morgan couldn't help but wrap her arms around Julia's now bare body, leaning deeper into the kiss and tilting her head. Julia's hands moved down her arms and to the inside of her shirt, beginning to pull it off. Her touch was soft against Morgan's skin, hands warm from the shower as they broke the kiss to remove her top, only to immediately reconnect. Without skipping a beat, Julia unclasped her bra, ran her hands over Morgan's stomach and rested them at the waistband of her jeans. Morgan shivered, enjoying the control Julia had and sinking into it. Her jeans were gone a moment later, and soon she was just as bare as Julia, their mouths only momentarily separating from each other as she stripped.

Julia led Morgan to the bed, laying her down and continuing to kiss her. Their lips smashed together in hunger, though not for something feral. All Morgan wanted was to feel Julia's warmth, to kiss her and hold her and feel her soft skin.  She ran her hands down her lover's back, inhaling deeply through her nose as she felt Julia's teeth clamp onto her lip. Those teeth soon met her neck, marking it up as if doing so fed some kind of primal urge. Morgan closed her eyes and groaned at the sensation, her nails softly digging into Julia's skin. The night intensified as it went on, and soon there was no space between the two at all, only their love and warmth connecting them and their fluid, intimate movements.