“It’s high time now, Em,” Chris says, then winks. He casually takes the twenty-dollar bill he got from Mr. Anderson earlier out of his wallet and puts it inside Emma’s jacket pocket. They’ve done that all the time. Chris and Parker don’t need the money, but Emma does. She usually saves it, for the rainy day. It hasn’t been raining. So, she has saved quite a lot.
“High time for what?” Emma asks.
Chris gives her an easy laugh. “Oh, come on, Em,” he lazily answers.
Parker laughs too now. “Vote for it?” he asks. His head rests on Emma’s lap.
“Forget it,” Emma answers. Her hand caresses Parker’s soft hair absentmindedly. “Not gonna happen, I’m wearing my bikini, guys. Take it or leave it.”
“How about you wear the bikini and take it off in the water,” Chris suggests, he’s full of suggestions that guy. “That works, right?”
“I’ve no problem with that,” Parker concurs. “Definitely works for me.”
“Of course, you don’t,” Emma says with an exasperated laugh. “The answer is still no.”
“Aww, come on, Em,” Chris says, trying to make his point across. “Sooner or later you’re gonna have to take off your clothes for a guy, or unless you prefer a girl, which is fine too. We’re just here to help you easing up into the whole process. So, when that happens, you won’t be too scared and freak out. Consider this our farewell gift to you. Do you really want to be a virgin all through college just because you don’t know how to take off your clothes in front of a guy?”
“Or a girl,” Parker helps.
Chris nods. “Or a girl. Because we believe in personal preference.”
“Yeah, Em. We meant well,” Parker adds his two cents. “We can all go to the water with our trunks, and you your bikini, and take them off one by one once in the water.”
“And then what?” Emma asks, cursing herself for being slightly intrigued.
“And then we fill you up,” Chris answers with a stupid grin decorating his face. Even with that grin he’s still so devastatingly handsome. “A win-win.”
“Hardly a win-win,” Emma argues, although in all honesty she doesn’t really know what she’s really arguing about. Maybe she’s just playing hard to get a little.
“It’s a win-win because you finally get to kiss me and Parker,” Chris points out. “Really now, you’ve never been kissed, have you?”
Emma blushes but she doesn’t answer him. She doesn’t have too, both boys know that much about her. They know her well. Too well. That sucks!
Now Parker gets up and sits straight, facing her. His hand gently holds her chin up. “Do you want us to kiss you, Em?” he asks. “Come on, Em, it’s us. Your first kiss, shouldn’t it be with someone you’re comfortable with, like us?”
“Yeah, Em,” Chris eagerly adds. “We’ll be a much better choice for your first than some drunk guy you’ll meet at some frat party.”
Emma still doesn’t answer, what the boys said make sense, though. She’s eighteen, not only is she a virgin, she’s also never been kissed. How pathetic! And the boys are her best friends, they will always do right by her. Somehow, Emma believes that much. Slowly she stands up and peels away her jeans jacket and her sundress, revealing her yellow bikini that the boys have liked so much. “Let’s swim first guys,” she says with her signature sweet smile.
“And kiss later?” Chris asks, full of hope.
“Then skinny-dip?” Parker asks, full of hope.
Emma laughs. She runs to the water then shrieks. Her dad was right, the water is still too cold. “Oh God, oh God, oh God,” she says, screaming. “I’m coming back out.”
The boys are having none of that. Soon they’re beside her, surrounding her, holding her captive. “Stay,” Chris says, his voice is somehow raspy. She’s not used to the sound. “We’ll keep you warm, won’t we, Park?”
“Absolutely,” Parker says from behind her. His voice is also different than his usual. It’s rough but somewhat still achingly sweet. “Don’t worry, Em. We’ll take care of you.”
Emma now loses all her power to fight the boys. She doesn’t even remember why she wanted to fight them in the first place. She’s still nervous, terribly so. It’s natural to be nervous, she guesses. After all, this is her first time. “What should I do now?” she asks in a whisper.
Chris doesn’t immediately answer, he kisses her forehead slowly, lovingly. “Just close your eyes, Em,” he finally says. “This is us; you know us. We love you; we always do.”
Yes, that’s true. The boys love her, they always do. Maybe not the way Emma’s always wanted, but they’ve always loved her, nevertheless. So, Emma closes her eyes, feeling comfortable, and loved, and safe like never before. As she does so, her senses start to become more alert. Suddenly, she doesn’t feel so cold anymore. Suddenly, she feels two sets of hands caressing her diligently, generously, lovingly even, giving her warmth all over, not just her body, but also her heart.
Slowly, Emma also realizes that the two sets of hands are not the only body parts of her two friends that touch hers. She feels their lips too, one on her left ear going down while the other one roaming around the right side of her neck. Now both lips seem to settle on each side of her neck, creating hickeys. God, it feels good. Heavenly. Emma moans.
“I think it’s time we take one article of the clothing off, right, Park?” Emma hears Chris murmur in her ear. Slowly she opens her eyes again, wide. Her mind wants to form some kind of a protest to that ungodly idea Chris has just casually suggested, but her body has become slightly wonton thanks to the boys’ ministrations that acting prudence now somehow seems hypocritical.
“Couldn’t agree with you more,” Parker answers with a chuckle. “I wonder what that article should be, though.”
Emma sighs then leans on Parker’s body behind her. His arms are tightly placed on her hips now. “There’re only two, guys,” she says, joining on the banter, making the situation light. “They call it the top and the bottom.”
“I call for top,” Chris says. To Parker, he suggests, “Let’s rock, paper, scissors it.”
“Fine,” Parker answers. “But not before we do this.” With that, he gently turns Emma’s body around so that she now faces him. “I think we shouldn’t remove any clothing before we kiss the girl,” he says with a sweet disposition in his voice. “It won’t be very gentlemanly of us.”
“You’re right, Park,” Chris concurs. He then sweetly murmurs, “Sorry about that, Em. My bad, what can we do?”
Now Emma giggles. “Quite alright,” she says. “That should be rectified, though, gentlemen.”
“Let me do that, then,” Parker says. He tips Emma’s chin up to better face him. Softly, he asks, “May I kiss you, Em?”
Emma looks up. For a moment she’s taken aback. Parker’s eyes. The way he’s looking at her now, has he ever looked at her this way before? It gives her chills, not in a bad way, though. It’s unfamiliar, but not bad. Not bad at all. Emma’s heart beats fast, so fast she feels weak, like she’s losing all the power in her body. But Chris is there behind her, gently propping her, helping her steady.
Chris chuckles. “Em,” he says softly. “Parker asked you a question. May he kiss you now?”
Emma still can’t answer, she loses her ability to speak. Parker’s gaze is so intense it bores deep into her heart and soul. But she can smile, and nod. So, she does that, smile and nod.
“Thank you, Em,” Parker says, smiling back at her. He takes both of her arms and wraps them around his shoulders.
Emma closes her eyes and waits, with anticipation. She doesn’t have to wait long, although it does feel like forever. She feels it, Parker’s thumb, on her lips, ever so softly caressing them. As if it’s trying to study them, wanting to learn the best way to kiss them. This, this has to be the best for Emma; this is her first kiss ever. It shouldn’t be taken lightly, the memory should last forever, should be cherished forever. Now that responsibility falls heavily upon Parker’s shoulders, or rather, Parker’s lips.
When the kiss finally happens, it takes Emma’s breath away. It’s the sweetest of kiss. At first. Parker’s lips shower Emma’s with gentle butterfly kisses, but the butterfly kisses stop. They stop, they become only one, one kiss. The kiss deepens, slowly, softly, but gradually becomes more intense. Parker’s mouth opens, his tongue licks her bottom lips rather seductively, demanding entry. Emma moans, entry’s given. Parker happily takes it.
Now the kiss is full blown. There is no more reservation, only desperation, and reckless abandon. No more anything. Not even Chris. Nor Parker. Nor Emma. Even. Only the kiss. It’s an outer body experience. One that Emma will cherish forever once it stops. Finally, it stops, because they have to come up for air. Parker lets go of her lips, but his gaze stays, and lingers.
Emma is blown away. It was so beautiful she could die.
“That’s freakin hot,” Chris says, making them come back to here and now. Parker chuckles and Emma giggles. “I kinda wanna kiss you now Em, but I don’t think I can top that.”
“Really,” Parker says, raising an eyebrow, challenging his best friend. “The great Chris Forrester thinks he can’t top that kiss? Come on, surely that was only a child’s play for you.”
“Nah,” Chris says, waving the comment off good-naturedly. “I’m gonna be a good friend here and let that kiss lingers in our Em’s sweet little heart. Her first kiss belongs to you, man. Everything else, though, we share.” He then winks, and laughs.
“What?” Emma asks. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing,” Parker answers, laughing as well. “Come on, Em. Where were we?”
“I believe we were about to remove clothing,” Chris reminds them. “Rock, paper, scissors, remember. I say top you say bottom.”
So, they rock, paper, scissors it. And Chris wins. Her top is the first that goes. And since Chris was the one that won, he gets the honor to peel off the item. Which he does so happily, and slowly, torturing both his friends in the process.
When the top is finally off, Chris’s jaw drops. “Damn, girl!” he shouts. “You’re freakin hot! Freakin hot I’d tell you!”
Emma giggles but gets embarrassed fast. They’re not in the area of the water that’s deep enough, it only reaches a little above her tummy, and therefore, showing her breasts perfectly in plain sight. Emma panics, she covers her face with both her hands only to realize that she actually should cover her breasts instead. She then tries to do both at the same time and fails miserably. The boys laugh at her failed attempt but hurriedly hug her to soothe her discomfort.
“It’s okay, Em,” Parker says fast, holding her tight, not letting go. “It’s us, remember? It’s only us. Chris is a jerk, what else is new.”
Chris is still laughing. “Yes, Em. I’m a jerk, but you know that, don’t you?”
Emma now lets her hands drop to each side of her hips. She smiles at Chris. “Yes,” she says. “I do. I do know that, Chris.”
To her words, Chris smiles. “Yes, Em,” he says earnestly. “You do know that; you do know me.” But then, he becomes the old Chris again. He winks and says, “Well, now that they’re out in the open. Can we fondle them?”
***