Exit Light

The Animal Instinct

I ran downstairs and ate supper in a hurry.

"Regina, honey, slow down. You're eating too fast." Mom nagged.

"Sorry, Mom. I have a study group in half an hour that I forgot about."

"Oh. Do you want me to drive you?" Mom didn't trust me with her car. It was brand-new. I couldn't blame her. I acted the same way around my record player.

"No, I'm good. I'll walk."

"What time will you be back?"

"It'll depend on what time I know everything frontwards and backwards. It could be really late. If we're done before midnight, I'll get a ride. If we're not, I'll stay over."

Mom turned back to her dinner as I got up from the table. Then she asked the one question I didn't want to answer.

"Who are you studying with?"

"Jim." I said. I was biting my tongue to keep from looking too nervous. Mom raised an eyebrow.

"What are you studying?"

"Biology. I'm hopeless at it."

"Fine, go." I ran over to Mom and kissed her cheek. As I ran upstairs for my biology textbook to really sell the lie. At the top of the stairs, I heard my parents whispering.

"You shouldn't have let her go. You know what she's going to do."

"Do you want to stop her? She'll sneak out as soon as we're asleep then we'll probably never see her again. Do you want that?"

"No. But there should be another way."

I snatched my biology textbook from my backpack and ran back downstairs.

"I'm going now!" I yelled, from the front door.

"Have fun, sweetie!"

I ran to the tree in the backyard and left my book in it. There was no need to cart it to the beach. I started sprinting for the beach. It was almost sunset, so I had very little time. When I reached the bench, the sun was cut off halfway by the waves. The sky was a creamy, caramel color. Jim was lying on the bench, on his back, watching the sky change overhead. I stepped behind his head and looked down on his face.

"You got my note?" he asked.

"That's why I'm here." I giggled. I leaned forward at the hips and planted an upside-down kiss on his lips. Jim smiled and stood up. He was easily a whole head taller than me, which I hadn't realised before. I was just the right height for him to rest his head on top of mine when we hugged.

"So, why am I here?" I asked.

"Because you got my note." Jim teased. I playfully punched him in the elbow.

"Why did you send me a note asking me to come to the bench on the beach at sunset and not wear heavy clothes?"

"Because you and I are in love. When animals feel an emotion that we would consider love, they mate. A lot of the time, they mate for life. When we met each other, our primal animal instincts told us to mate. We both silently desired it for many weeks. Once we are both uncovered, instinct will take over, and we will be reduced to beasts. Do you wish to experience that with me?"

A lesser man would have said something along the lines of 'let's have sex'. Not my man. I nodded and we both separated. I removed my light cardigan and Jim pulled off his coat. Still staring in each other's eyes, we tossed our covers onto the bench. I undid the buttons on my shirt and tossed it onto the bench. Jim took his turn and pulled his gray t-shirt over his head. He wasn't muscled, he looked underfed. I didn't care. Jim was also wearing a necklace of long beads strung together. I undid my belt and dropped my jeans. I kicked them to the side. Jim did the same. We stepped closer to each other. I put my arms around his neck as he reached to my back to undo my bra. I removed my arms just long enough to let it fall to the ground. We both stepped back and let our underwear drop. Jim pulled on a condom, which I silently thanked him for. I wouldn't have minded doing it without, but being pregnant wouldn't have been good.

I felt my heart start to beat faster. Breathing felt harder, like a panic attack, but more extreme, and it felt great. I tried to tell if Jim was experiencing these same symptoms. It looked like he was.

"Are you ready?" Jim whispered.

"Yes." I whispered back.

We were reduced to beasts, hungry, emotional beasts. Almost twenty minutes later, we finally broke apart and flopped onto the sand. We both panted for about a minute. I was just stunned. We were closer to the waves than when we started. There was blood further up on the sand.

Jim got up and dove into the darkened waves. He stood up from about 10 feet out, his hair dripping. I laughed and followed him in. We splashed each other to wash off the sand from places where there should never be sand. Here we were, two crazy kids in love. I walked out of the ocean first, with Jim not far behind. We were laughing our heads off, dripping wet. I pulled on my clothes for no reason other than I was starting to get cold. Jim did the same. I leaned on Jim's right shoulder, both my feet on the bench, with his arm around me. We sat on the bench in silence, observing the final few seconds of daylight, before the sun disappeared. I was like a different species for the last half-hour.

"That was... almost mystical." I said, tilting my head so that my mouth was next to his ear.

"It was mystical. There was no 'almost' about it." Jim declared.

I thought for a minute.

"Jim, was this your first time as well?"

"Of course. I could never imagine doing it with someone I didn't care about. I love you, Regina. That's why we made love."

I smiled and looked out over the ocean. It was getting dark, and colder. I started to shiver from the night air and our skinny dip.

"Are you cold?" Jim asked, concerned.

"Very. Aren't you?" Jim shook his head.

"I have the sweet, warm promise of a woman to keep me warm. I am warm knowing that there is a woman who loves me, who I love as well." I stopped shivering and leaned up for a quick kiss. I could not have been happier at that moment.