The Key to my Heart

Chapter 37: Private (Tam's P.O.V)

Please watch the whole thing. It may be stupid, but it will give you a laugh.

 "So..." Sophie said when we reached a second little clearing. It wasn't candlelit like the others, but instead relied on the golden glow of the setting sun for any source of illumination. "Why'd you take me here?"

I laughed. "Honestly? It was all part of the plan. Jensi figured we might as well get a little time alone with our Valentines." I flashed a smile and Sophie giggled. "And," I added, "I know we're both more comfortable when we're alone." She nodded, and there was a happy little silence in which we say side by side and stared at the golden water of the river. I smiled and moved my hand to cover Sophie's.

"Y'know, I never did ask you to be my Valentine," I said, gently rubbing my thumb along the back of her hand.

She turned to face me.

"Well, better late than never, right? Sophie, will you be my Valentine?"

She grinned and, without a moment's hesitation, said, "Of course, Tam. Of course."

We went back to staring at the water.

Later, when the golden ripples had faded to grey and it was more night than evening, I stood up , thinking it was time to head back.

"Just a little longer?" Sophie pleaded.

"Alright. But just a few more minutes. The others will be wondering where we are- or worse- what we're doing."

She cocked an eyebrow. "But we aren't really doing anything."

"Maybe not," I agreed, "But I've seen the things Linh's imagination works up." I shuddered.

"Oh. Right."

"Hey," I said, crouching down next to Sophie. "You okay?"

"Yeah!" she said, smiling. I shook my head and sat down. I knew that smile. It was the same one she had given me earlier that day. Fake.

"That's fine," I said sarcastically, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. "Don't tell me what's wrong."

Sophie sighed and cuddled deeper into my side. She was warm, and I always loved it when she was this close to me. The feel of her body against mine made me feel... okay. Like everything was perfect.

"There's nothing wrong, Tam. This is nice."

It is. I thought, holding her tighter.

"But it's not what you were expecting," I finished for her.

She sighed again, but didn't argue. Instead she said, " I don't want to push you to do things you don't want to do."

"You're not, Sophie, I promise. I just... bad at getting things started by myself."

"I am, too," Sophie whispered.

"I guess that's why we never get anywhere. You're always waiting for me to make the next move, and I'm always waiting for you."

She nodded slowly. "So do you think we should just get it over with, then?"

 "Yeah, I guess..."

 I wasn't feeling so sure of myself as I leaned closer to Sophie, and I could just feel that she wasn't, either. But when my lips touched hers, all that uncertainty was washed away by an all-consuming wave of warmth. I felt Sophie smile against my lips. She was okay now, too.

We kissed for a little longer, and I felt myself slowly pushing her back, subconsciously asking for more. The kiss deepened, going further than ever before, until we had finally crossed the line between 'kissing' and 'making out'. I  pulled my lips off of hers for a second just to say, "You know what? I like this."

Sophie laughed. "Me, too. Now get back down here."

She pulled me back down on top of her, kissing me harder. It all came crashing down when my tongue brushed her lips.

She squeaked, pulling away, staring at me with her big, brown eyes.

"Sorry," I mumbled, looking away. "I didn't mean it like that."

"It's fine," Sophie breathed, sitting up. "You just surprised me. Maybe that's enough for one night, though."

"Yeah, we should be going back anyway."

I pulled her up, and together we walked towards the main clearing to meet up with everyone else. Our path was blocked, however, by two teenagers we knew all too well.

One blonde haired boy.

And one raven haired girl. My own twin.

I dragged my hands down my face and asked wearily, "How long have you two been here?"

Yes, yes, it was short. I'm thinking about doing some bonuses at the end of the book, where you'll get to read the longer, original version. It had WAY more fluff, but didn't sit well with the rest of the plot, so I deleted most of it. On a happier note, and this simply MuSt be touched upon... Tam (@TamTheShade ) actually has a crush on Sophie (@se_foster )!!!!!!!!!!