"That one afternoon, I kissed you. In the middle of the street, where a white truck zoomed past our connected lips. And boy, it caused problems we couldn't have seen, but wasn't it also amazing?"
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"It's finally summer!" Paislee yelled excitedly, her face greeting the sun with a smile.
Her arms extended to the side of her and I could tell that she was utterly excited because of the slight twitch in her fingertips.
I knew all too well that it was summer because work had been forcing me to do outdoor duties lately. Along with mandatory physical tests, the heat made it known that summer was just getting started. Plants started to grow more, flowers getting more vibrant, and I could tell that Paislee was getting more excited as the months passed.
Our past winter was rough, and not just talking about the weather, but I knew this summer was ours and it would be spent with each other to the very last moment. I was excited for the hot summer days, sitting on the porch in the mornings, watching sunrises, and going on adventures with Paislee.
It was finally summer.
"Calm down, angel. Try to contain all that energy for tomorrow," I said from behind Paislee.
Just getting off of work, I walked into the house where Paislee had been bouncing off the walls. She stood on our back porch, before our yard, admiring the sun above us and the coat of heat that hugged us. My uniform was not a friend of mine as I shrugged it off in a rush.
"But it was so cold for all those months and now we finally get to the see the bees out, and the flowers and I get to wear my pretty dresses now. It's all so exciting, right? I can feel that it's gonna' be a good summer. I can feel it."
She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes in bliss. I knew exactly what she was talking about. I turned her around, her eyes lids fluttering open, and held onto her upper back.
"This is what we always wanted and now it's starting to look promising," I said.
Paislee's eyebrows raised. "What?"
"Coming up here from Mississippi. We thought about it and planned it out for so long. Not knowing if our families would approve, not knowing if choosing each other was selfish, and leaving the past far behind. We did it and now it's all starting to come together, after lots of hard work. We conquered our fears."
"I—I never thought about it that way. I mean, I haven't got to think about that much but you're right. Everything feels so good now. So right. This new chapter was really good for us."
"Are you happy?" The question seemed to throw Paislee off. Her body stepped closer to mine
"Of course I am," Paislee replied. "Are you? I would hope so because we're going on a trip together."
"I am happy and very excited for our weekend excursion."
Paislee lifted herself on her toes and wrapped her arms around my neck as high as she could. I could feel her facial features; Her nose, lips, and eyelashes softly brushed against the length of my neck and she squeezed into me.
