it's just a crush

chapter 37 - may 2020

Meg leaned into Seb's touch, biting back a giggle as the hairs of his mustache tickled her lips. The porch swing swayed gently as a cool evening breeze wafted over them, causing small goosebumps to form on her arms. She barely noticed the cold, though, so intent was she on the way Seb's hands lightly trailed up and down her back, his fingertips occasionally finding bare skin and causing shivers to crawl up her spine. The way his tongue moved against hers, and the woodsy scent that emanated from him.

In the weeks that they had been seeing each other, they'd kept it to holding hands, cuddles on the sofa, and stealing kisses here and there. Meg wanted to keep things slow and Seb had honoured that, being the perfect gentleman. His willingness to move at her pace was one of the things she appreciated most about him.

But after he let her drag him to the casino where Shannon worked for a fun evening with her friends, keeping the complaints to a minimum (he wasn't much of a gambler, hated the crowds, and the music was not to his taste — something that allowed him to bond with Kassam), she was making it up to him on the back porch of her house.

Ever since that stormy morning the previous summer when she and Bobby had sat together on the porch swing, Meg had thought of it as 'their' spot. She knew it was silly — Bobby had probably never given that morning a second thought. They'd merely had a conversation; one of the first times they really spoke to each other, and an important step towards them finally becoming friends. But that's all it was. And she needed to move on.

So, after coming home from the casino, while the rest of the house was silent, she brought Seb around the back of the house, sat him down on the swing, and initiated the first real make-out session they'd had. The time for moving slow was over.

One of Seb's warm hands found a way beneath her shirt and was slowly climbing up her back when the back door opened with a squeak.

"Oh, fuck—sorry!"

At the sound of Bobby's voice, Meg scrambled away from Seb and whipped her head around, her eyes as wide as Bobby's as they met each other's gaze. Her mouth fell open, but nothing came out.

"Sorry," he said again, quickly looking away. "I didn't know anyone was out here. I'll, uh—" He made his escape, disappearing as suddenly as he'd appeared, and the door squealed again as it slowly closed behind him.

"That was interesting," Seb said in a matter-of-fact manner as he straightened in his seat.

Meg made no move to return to their previous activity, staying rooted in place — now with a safe few inches between her and Seb — and staring at her hands.

Seb cleared his throat and rose to his feet. "I should go."

"No, wait—" She placed a hand on his arm to stop him, but one look at his face told her that the mood was broken.

"I've gotta get up early tomorrow anyway," he said. "Inventory."

It sounded suspiciously like an excuse — he'd said nothing earlier about needing to go to bed on time — and Meg hoped that she hadn't ruined things between them.

"Let me walk you out, at least."

He looked like he was going to protest at first, but then he nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. Rather than walking back through the house, they slipped around the outside, walking down the drive until they reached his car.

"So, um..." Meg trailed off, uncertain what to say as Seb turned to face her.

"Is there something between you and Bobby?"

There it is.

She gulped, grateful that the darkness hid the blush she could feel forming on her cheeks.