Ice and Fire

Ice and Fire

Ice and Fire

Author: No One

Contact: a.human.of.no.consequence@gmail.com (comments, advice, criticism welcome)

Story codes: GG, rom, 1st

Consider donating to nifty.org if you enjoy the service they provide.

Riley drew some water into the eyedropper, then carefully let it flow onto the unknown substance in the small dish. It immediately began to bubble furiously.

“Aha! It’s reacting to water. That means… um, let’s see.” She consulted the list of possible elements provided by the teacher. “Must be lithium, right?”

There was no response from her lab partner.

“Mike?” Glancing to her left, Riley found her best friend staring into space. Or more accurately, staring at the girl a couple tables over. Rolling her eyes, she elbowed him hard.

“Huh? What?”

“Sabrina Taylor? In your dreams, man.”

“What? No, I wasn’t…” He trailed off when he realized that Riley wouldn’t buy his fake excuses. “Okay, but it’s just, I think she was looking at me.”

“Uh-huh. The Ice Queen was looking at you.”

“Aw, c’mon. Don’t call her that.”

“Well, what? It’s true. She hasn’t given the time of day to any guy since she moved here. I heard last week she blew off a senior on the basketball team who was asking her out. And you think she’s into little old you? Sorry to break it to you, but I don’t think she knows you exist.”

Mike gave her a dirty look. “I know what I saw. You’re just trying to bring me down ‘cause you’re jealous that she has guys after her.”

Riley sputtered for a moment as she tried and failed to think of a clever comeback. “I’m not jealous,” was all she could find to say, and even to her ears, it sounded weak. Okay, maybe she was a little jealous. It would be nice to have a boy show some interest in her once in a while. One in particular, though that wasn’t going to happen…

Her gaze drifted back to Sabrina. She could see why the girl had all the boys at her feet. Lustrous blonde hair falling down her back, the flawless face of a model, not an ounce of fat on her, yet not too skinny, with curves in all the right places. That last point particularly stung. At 14, Riley still looked like a kid with barely any boobs to speak of, while Sabrina had these big, perky tits that made her look like something out of a men’s magazine. The girl was pretty much perfect from head to toe, and it annoyed Riley to no end. Life really was unfair.

It was at that moment that Sabrina turned around to gaze in their direction, then quickly looked away again—possibly because she saw two weirdos staring at her.

“See? She looked at me again!”

“Huh. Well, she did look this way…” Riley admitted. Could Sabrina really have a thing for Mike? Surely not. A girl who could have any boy she wanted wouldn’t settle for him. “More like a glance, really. I don’t think it means anything.”

“No way. You’ll see. I’m gonna ask her out.”

Riley snorted. “Your funeral.”

Mike had the nerve to wave dismissively at her, the poor overconfident boy. “This jealousy is really unbecoming, you know. Just because you’re not a goddess like Sabrina, you don’t have to rain on my parade,” he said, smirking.

“Pfff. Hey man, you do what you want. I’m just trying to save you from having your puny mortal hopes and dreams crushed by your goddess over there.”

“Carver, Simmons... since you’re sitting here gossiping, I assume you’ve already identified your element?” Mr. Bailey cut in, sneaking up behind them.

Mike started. “Uh… iron?” he blurted out like an idiot.

“What? No!” Riley gave him a slap on the arm. “That’s, like, the first thing we ruled out. It’s lithium, isn’t it?”

The science teacher nodded. “Correct. You’ve got a good head for this, Simmons. You should stop dragging this dead weight along with you,” he said, inclining his head towards Mike.

“Hey, come on now!” Mike protested.

Mr. Bailey spread out his hands. “Prove me wrong,” he said before walking away.

Riley almost doubled over laughing. “Oh, damn, teacher burn!”

“Hmph. Asshole,” Mike mumbled—not loudly enough to be heard, of course.

Riley shrugged. “I like him.”

“Of course you do. You actually understand what he’s talking about, for some reason.”

“Hey, stop staring at Sabrina Taylor and pay attention, and maybe you would, too.”

Mike made a face at her, but it looked like he didn’t have a retort.

Soon enough, the bell rang, and everyone rushed out of the class for lunch break.

Spotting Sabrina ahead of them, Mike said, “Well, this is it. Wish me luck.”

Riley shrugged. “Good luck. I guess.” She leaned against a wall, arms crossed, and watched him catch up to the girl of his dreams—of every boy’s dreams, it seemed. She was rooting for him, even though she didn’t think he had a shot. They’d been friends since… pretty much the day they were born, their moms having been best friends. It felt like they were more siblings than friends at times. So, though she wouldn’t admit it to Mike, she had her fingers crossed for him as he struck up a conversation with Sabrina.

Predictably though, after only a few seconds of talking, he came shuffling back, looking defeated.

“I don’t want to say ‘I told you so’ but—”

“Liar.”

“Well, okay, maybe a little. I’m sorry, though, for real.”

“She didn’t even let me finish what I was saying. Just raised her hand to stop me and said, like, ‘Sorry, no.’ And she kinda cringed, like the thought of going out with me was painful or something. Ouch. Then she just walked away.”

“Wow, what a bitch. Thinks she’s better than everyone.” Riley glared in the direction where Sabrina had been, but the girl was already gone. “Well, you’re better off without her, man, seriously. She would’ve just treated you like shit.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Mike took a deep breath and sighed, then gave himself a shake, shrugged. “Oh well. Lunch?”

Riley nodded, glad that her friend didn’t seem to take the rejection too hard. “Yeah. Just need to stop by the bathroom, I’ll meet you at the spot.”

They parted ways, and Riley dropped by her locker to dump her books and pick up her lunch bag, then she went into the bathroom close by, picked an empty stall, and relieved herself. As she was about to wash her hands, the door to another stall opened... and who should come out but her majesty, Sabrina the Ice Queen.

“Oh, Riley.” Sabrina seemed startled to see her standing there, for some reason. “H-hey.”

“Um, hey.” Riley raised an eyebrow. She was a little surprised that Sabrina even knew her name, even though they had some classes in common. They didn’t exactly hang out in the same circles.

They both washed their hands in silence, and as the moment stretched on, Riley felt her irritation grow. Where did this girl get off, acting so superior? She had no right to treat Mike that way. Though Riley herself gave him a lot of crap, that was all in fun because they were friends. He was a good guy, though. Even if Sabrina didn’t want to go out with him, he didn’t deserve to be brushed off as if he was less than nothing by some stuck-up bitch. Riley glared at Sabrina’s reflection in the mirror. And besides, the girl had no business being so damn pretty.

Nodding to herself, Riley was about to give this so-called “goddess” a piece of her mind. “Hey, let me tell you something.”

At the very same moment, though, Sabrina turned to her and said, “Can I talk to you a sec?”

They both froze for an instant, then laughed, Riley’s anger briefly chased away by the silly social awkwardness of it all.

“Um, what is it?” Sabrina said.

“Nah, you go ahead.” Riley figured she should give the girl a chance to speak before yelling at her.

“Um, okay. It’s, well… um… Did you know that the theater downtown has special screenings of the Lord of the Rings films this weekend?”

Riley blinked. She’d had no idea what Sabrina might want to talk about, but that wouldn’t have been among her top thousand guesses. It certainly piqued her interest, though. “Wha, really? How did I not know this? I love The Lord of the Rings!”

Sabrina smiled. It was perfect, just like every damn thing about her. “Yeah, I noticed you were reading one of the books the other day.”

“Oh, right, it’s like the fifth time I read ‘em. It’s my favorite series ever.”

“Oh yeah? That’s cool. I like ‘em a lot, too. So… Right. Anyhow, they’re playing Fellowship on Friday and um…” Sabrina let out a little nervous laugh. “I guess I was wondering if… um… maybe you’d wanna come see it with me?”

Riley blinked, again. This conversation was really baffling. Why would Sabrina want to go see the movie with her? They weren’t friends. She couldn’t even recall ever saying a word to the girl, except maybe a “hi” here and there. Was Miss High-and-Mighty afraid of looking like a nerd if she asked someone in the popular crowd?

As Riley pondered the mystery, she noticed some color creeping onto Sabrina’s cheeks. Was the Ice Queen… blushing? What could possibly be so embarrassing that…?

And then it hit her. “W-wait,” Riley stammered. “Are you… asking me out?”

“Ah, um, well…” Sabrina pushed her hair behind an ear, laughed shakily again. “I guess I am, yeah.”

“Oh! Wow. I… um… that’s… Wow. I... did not expect that,” Riley said, probably sounding like an idiot. This was a lot to take in, though.

Sabrina Taylor was a lesbian. That actually explained a lot. But to think that the most popular girl in school, the one that all the boys from freshmen to seniors—and probably many girls, too—wanted to date, was asking her out. Her, Riley the nobody, who no one looked at twice. This sounded so far-fetched, so ludicrous, that Riley wondered for a moment if she was dreaming.

For her part, Sabrina was blushing brighter—and it only made her look cuter, because of course it did. “I just… I kinda thought that maybe you were looking at me earlier? In class? And… well, I guess I thought I’d give this a shot.” The girl was looking so anxious and jittery that Riley was beginning to feel bad for her. “Um… do you… like, are you even into girls? At all?”

Staring into Sabrina’s mesmerizing blue eyes, Riley was rethinking that very question. “I… well, I wasn’t a minute ago…”

Sabrina made a face. “That’s not really something that changes over a minute.”

“I dunno, a lot happened in that minute. It’s not every day that the hottest girl in school asks you out.”

Sabrina perked up instantly at that. “You think I’m hot?”

“Oh, well, I meant…” Riley hesitated. Did she think Sabrina was hot? In a way, of course she did, that was obvious to anyone with eyes. But did she find Sabrina attractive? That was the question making her confused and uncomfortable. “Oh come on, that’s not fair, everyone thinks you’re hot. I’m just surprised you’d be interested in me at all…”

“What, why? I think you’re really hot, too. I… kinda have a thing for redheads.” Sabrina flashed a sheepish grin, but it quickly disappeared. “Oh, but it’s not, like, all about your hair. That would be dumb. I just like... that you’re really smart, I’ve seen that in class, and that you don’t seem to care what others think of you, and you got good taste in books obviously, and your glasses are really cute, too, and… Oh God, I’m rambling. I’m sorry.” She put a hand over her mouth to stop herself.

Riley’s head was spinning with all the compliments. No one had ever talked to her that way, not even the one boyfriend she’d had. The Ice Queen knew how to turn up the charm when she wanted. Still, this all seemed like such a huge step away from everything Riley thought she knew about herself. “I… Look, I really don’t know what to say, honestly…”

“You could say… ‘Yeah, I’ll go out with you,’ maybe? Just a thought.” Sabrina flashed a smile that had surely broken many hearts before.

Riley chuckled. That was a good line, she had to admit. “I just… This is a lot to process, you know? I’ll… think about it, okay? Sorry, I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but…”

“Better than a ‘no.’ Okay, think about it, at least… but honestly, I’d show you a good time.” She winked. “Let me know. Oh, um, what did you want to tell me earlier? Before I sprung all this on you?”

“Oh, err, that’s not really… relevant, anymore. Okay, I was kinda gonna yell at you for how you treated my friend Mike when he asked you out earlier, but… now I see how it would be awkward when boys do that…”

“Oh, that.” Sabrina sighed, then shrugged. “Look, I don’t know how to deal with it. Boys try to ask me out all the time and it’s really annoying… Uh, yeah, I know how that sounds, but it’s not like I do anything to attract them on purpose. I’m just not interested, and it’s not their damn business why.”

“Yeah, I can see where you’re coming from.” Riley couldn’t imagine having that particular problem herself, but it was true enough that Sabrina didn’t owe anyone an explanation about her orientation. “Um, do you mind if I tell Mike about it, though? I think he’d take the rejection easier.” She chuckled. Also, she really needed someone to talk to about her new dilemma. “Like, he’s not an asshole, I promise he won’t tell anyone else if that’s what you want.”

Sabrina looked torn for a moment. “Uh, I dunno… I caught a lot of shit at my old school because people knew...“ She sighed. “Well, if you promise, I’ll trust you. But that better be a point in my favor.” Her smile returned at that, and she winked at Riley.

“Hah. Yeah, okay.”

“Well, I guess I’ll wait for your answer, then. Take your time, but not too long.”

Riley nodded, unsure of what to say. Sabrina’s beguiling smile was making her feel… weird.

The girl walked over to the bathroom door, then turned for one last look at Riley, her eyes offering seductive promises. After a moment, she blew a kiss and made her exit.

“Holy crap,” Riley said out loud. She let out a long breath and felt her muscles ease up. She hadn’t realized she’d been so tense during their conversation. Turning to the mirror, she studied her reflection and confirmed that she hadn’t transformed into a model overnight. Same plain old face. Loose clothes that didn’t do anything to emphasize her figure—not that there was much to show off. Kind of dorky glasses. She did rather like her hair but… Still, it wasn’t much. What could Sabrina possibly see in her? She looked so ordinary next to that blonde beauty.

The smoldering look that Sabrina had just given her told another story, though, and did wonders for Riley’s self-esteem. That look, just for her. And the kiss… She couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to receive a real one from those perfect lips. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Am I into her?” she asked her reflection, but it only stared back, looking confused.

Lost in thought, she made her way out of the school, barely aware of her surroundings. There was a secluded spot on the side of the building, nice and quiet, where she usually ate lunch with Mike and sometimes a couple of other friends—though she was relieved to see Mike was the only one there today.

“You okay?” he asked as she slid down the wall to sit next to him. “You look… out of it.”

“Um… I dunno.” Where to begin? “So, uh… I know why Sabrina turned you down. Like, other than you being you.”

“Huh? What d’you mean?”

“First, though, promise you’re not gonna tell anyone about this.”

“Uh, sure, fine. What’s this about?”

“Well, turns out, she’s not into guys. Like, any guy.”

Mike frowned, then his eyebrows slowly rose up. “She likes girls? Oh. Oh, wow. What a waste.”

“Waste? Hey, women don’t exist for your own pleasure, you know!”

He raised his hands appeasingly. “Kidding, kidding! How do you know this, anyway?”

“Um, ran into her in the bathroom…”

“And, what, she just told you she’s a lesbian out of the blue? Wait, what did you say to her?”

“Nothing! She just… uh… kinda asked me out.”

Mike stared for a moment, then snorted. “Oh, you’re screwing with me… Funny.”

“I’m dead serious!”

He studied her for a moment, looking skeptical. She couldn’t really blame him. “So Sabrina Taylor, your ‘Ice Queen’, who could date basically anyone she wanted… asked you out. I mean, no offense, but that sounds a bit…”

“Hey, I’m as surprised as you are, man.”

“Huh. You’re really serious. Wow… So wait, it’s you she was looking at in class?”

Riley blinked. She hadn’t considered that. “Oh. I… I guess?” It seemed surreal.

Mike sighed. “Man, my life sucks. So what d’you tell her?”

“Um… that I’d think about it…”

“Uh, really? Will you? Like, what, you’re into girls now?”

“No… I dunno… I mean, this is Sabrina Taylor…”

“Hah! And you were giving me shit about liking her! Now, just a few words and she’s turned you gay?”

Riley felt her cheeks getting warm. “I’m not… turned gay! I just… never really thought about it much.” Riley took a deep breath. She knew Mike was going to needle her for what she was about to say, but came out with it anyhow. “I was thinking on my way here… You know how I’ve been maybe a little hung up on… a certain someone—”

“Pff, a little! More like obsessed. For, like, four years!”

“Yeah, yeah, let it out. Paying me back for earlier, I get it.”

“Jake this, Jake that, all the time. Some college boy you have no chance with. Even dated his little brother as a consolation prize…”

“That is not why I was with Lucas!” Riley protested loudly, though deep down she wasn’t entirely certain he was wrong about that.

“Suuure. Just a coincidence, huh?”

“Fine, whatever. Doesn’t matter. What I was getting at is that, like, since I’ve been sorta focused on Jake as my, y’know, image of an ideal lover, let’s say, maybe I’ve ignored… other possibilities. Like… girls? Maybe. I dunno. I guess it doesn’t sound that bad.”

“Hmm, dunno, I guess that makes some sense?” Mike shrugged, then his lips twisted into a smirk. “Sounds like a big change, though. What, you’re ready to eat pussy now?”

Riley punched him in the shoulder. “Don’t be a perv. I… I haven’t thought that far ahead…”

“Hey, I’m just saying, it might come up. Mmm, I wonder if Sabrina’s done that already...”

“That’s not your business!” She didn’t like his tone when he said that. “God, you better not be thinking about me and her in bed now.”

Mike made a face. “Gross. That’s like thinking about my sister. No, you can be sure that if I’m thinking about Sabrina in bed, you’re not part of the picture.”

Riley narrowed her eyes at him. “How about you don’t think about my girl at all?”

“Oho! So it’s decided, huh?”

She buried her head in her hands. “God, I don’t know. Should I?”

“I mean, you’re asking me? I think you’d be fucking crazy to pass this up.”

Riley chuckled. “Yeah, should have expected that. But maybe you’re right. It’s just one date, anyway. It doesn’t have to be, like, life-changing. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“That she’s just screwing with you, and then when you accept, she goes all mean girl and tells the whole school,” Mike replied, deadpan.

Riley stared at her friend. “That was just a rhetorical question, Mike! You… you don’t think she’d really do that, right?” Sabrina had seemed so genuine in the bathroom, but now Riley was beginning to have doubts.

He shrugged. “Not really. But you did ask what would be the worst. Oh, no, wait, it would be if she turned out to be a psychotic serial killer who drugs you, then cuts you up into little pieces. Yeah, that’s way worse.”

Riley frowned. “Why am I even talking to you?”

“Good question! My dorky charm, perhaps?”

Riley shook her head. “Well, dorky, anyhow.”. Suddenly realizing she hadn’t even started on lunch yet, she opened her brown paper bag, smiling at the little note that said “Have a nice day!” tucked inside.

“God, your dad still puts notes in your lunch?” Mike rolled his eyes.

“Shut up, it’s cute.” She picked up her sandwich, but then her stomach felt all knotted up, and the thought of eating it made her queasy. Instead, she offered it to Mike. “You want this?”

“Hell yeah!” Grabbing the sandwich, he soon made it vanish in just a few bites. For such a scrawny dude, he sure could eat ridiculous amounts of food. Riley often wondered how he did it.

For her part, she only sipped on her bottle of water, lost in thought. Eventually the bell rang, and they made their way back to class. Concentrating on what the teacher was saying proved difficult, though. Riley was usually pretty good at math, but that afternoon the equations on the blackboard might as well have been written in some alien language. Her brain kept getting sidetracked by thoughts of Sabrina. At least the girl wasn’t in that class to make things worse.

Riley didn’t fare much better in P.E., but that was pretty much in line with her usual performance. She missed a few easy shots in volleyball while her head was elsewhere, but nobody really expected any better from her, anyway. She’d long ago learned to ignore the annoyed looks from her teammates.

In the locker room after class, part of her wanted to peek at the other girls to see if she noticed any kind of attraction, while another part felt like a creep for even considering it. A third was a little scared of what she might discover, one way or the other. All in all, Riley felt distinctly uncomfortable, and hurried to change clothes and leave.

It was the last class of the day, so she dropped by her locker to get the textbooks she needed for her homework, then made her way to the exit. Outside, she nearly bumped into the very girl who had been occupying her mind all afternoon.

“Oh, hey.” Riley fumbled for something more to say, then frowned. This seemed like too much of a coincidence. “Um… were you waiting for me?”

“What? No,” Sabrina said, a little too quickly. “Well, not really. I sat down a minute to check my schedule for the rest of the week, then I saw you come out. Anyway, so, um… right, I guess you haven’t really had  time to think about… the thing. Yeah, sorry. I’ll let you—”

“Well, actually…” Riley began, then paused, her heart racing as she struggled to find the words she needed.  The sudden rapt attention from Sabrina didn’t help matters, not one bit. God, she was pretty. “I was just thinking that… we could, like, give it a shot.”

“Yeah?” Sabrina grinned, looking positively delighted.

Despite the girl’s enthusiasm, Riley still found it difficult to believe that this teenage Venus could be so into her. Nonetheless, she soldiered on.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m still not sure about… anything, really. So I’m not making any promises about how things turn out, but…”

“A chance is all I’m asking for! So, great. Awesome. You won’t regret it.” The girl took a step forward and, for a second, it looked like she wanted to go for a hug, then seemed to reconsider. “Cool, so... maybe we could meet up at, like, 5 in front of the theater, then go eat somewhere before it starts? Classic dinner-and-a-movie, right?”

“That’s… yeah, sounds good.” Somehow, Riley was growing even more on edge, now that their plans were solidifying.

“Great. So… yeah. I guess I’ll see you.” To be fair, Sabrina seemed to be a bundle of nerves herself, so that made Riley feel a little better about her own awkwardness.

“Yeah. See ya on Friday… Well, I guess we’ll see each other in class before then, but… oh, you know what I mean.”

Sabrina smiled and nodded. “Bye, then.” She began to walk away, then glanced over her shoulder one last time before continuing towards her bus.

Watching her stride away, Riley had to admit that the girl’s butt looked great in snug jeans.

* * *

Riley examined herself in the mirror, turning a critical eye to her appearance as she prepared for her Friday night date with Sabrina. It was strange, like looking at a slightly different person. It was her own face, of course, but the make-up made it seem unfamiliar somehow. It didn’t look bad, though. In fact, she was pretty happy with the result, considering she was a complete novice at applying cosmetics.

Her aunt had given her the little make-up kit for her fourteenth birthday, but Riley hadn’t had much cause or desire to use it until now. She’d been unsure about trying it on at all, considering her mixed feelings about this date in general. Would it seem as though she was trying too hard? In the end, she decided that since Sabrina would likely look amazing as usual, she should put real effort into her own appearance.

She’d just spent way longer than expected before the mirror, trying to follow the steps her aunt had taught her. She was mindful of the general tenets: less is more, emphasize what’s already there… and most importantly, ”Don’t slather it on like you’re doing it with a shovel, sweetie, or you’ll look like a whore.” In the end, Riley was confident she’d avoided looking slutty, but the make-up did give her a certain alluring sexiness, she thought. All in all, a very satisfactory experiment.

Riley took a step back to evaluate the rest of her outfit, pausing to put her glasses back on because everything was a blur if she stood more than a few inches away from the mirror. She considered putting her contacts in, then remembered that Sabrina thought her glasses were cute. She couldn’t imagine why, but still, if that’s what the girl liked…

She’d selected a pair of jeans that fit snugly at the hips. She rarely wore them anymore because they were actually getting a little too tight for her liking, but that made them the ideal choice for her date. She spun around for a look at her backside. Not bad, she had to admit. Not Sabrina-level, but then again, whose ass was?

At first, she’d tried on a tank top that went well with the jeans, but she’d felt it made her boobs look too small. In the end, her self-consciousness won out, and she opted for a cute blouse instead. Not exactly everyday wear, but it went better with her boyish frame.

Studying herself in the mirror now, she was surprised to find that she looked… good. Not hottest-girl-in-school good, but still, at least halfway attractive, which seemed like an improvement. She hoped Sabrina would like what she saw.

The thought gave her pause. On a normal day, she’d maybe brush her hair a little and throw on some randomly selected clothes. Now, here she was, having spent over an hour fretting over her outfit and make-up like she was some preppy girl. Did she want to impress Sabrina that much? Someone she didn’t even know if she liked that way? She was starting to half-hope that the date wouldn’t go well; this was entirely too much work.

At that moment, she heard the door to the apartment open and close. “Riley, you still here?” her father called out.

“Shit,” she muttered to herself. She’d been hoping to leave before he came home, thereby avoiding any awkward questions. Oh well, no point in hiding now. “Yeah, in here,” she replied.

“Hey, hon, I was just—” He stopped dead in his tracks when he reached the bathroom door and saw her. “Whoa.”

Riley shifted uncomfortably. Her dad was staring as if he barely recognized his own daughter. She gave a little shrug. “How do I look?”

“You look… great. More than great. Hmm… what is all this?” He frowned. “I thought you were going to see a movie with a girl from school? This looks suspiciously like a date.”

“I am seeing a movie with a girl from school…” Riley hesitated. She’d not been prepared to get into the whole “liking girls” thing right then. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Still, if she couldn’t trust Dad to have her back, who else was there? “But… it might also be a date…”

“Oh.” His eyebrows slowly rose until they threatened to leave his forehead entirely. “Oh. That’s… new. Isn’t it?”

“Um, yeah, kinda. I don’t really… know what I’m doing. It’s just… She’s like the prettiest girl in school, and she asked me out. I was really surprised and, like, flattered, I guess, so I said yes… and here we are.”

He considered that for a moment, then nodded. “Well. Okay. A few things. First, however this turns out, I hope you know that there’s nothing wrong with liking other girls, and that I’ll love you no matter what.”

“I know, Dad.” Riley smiled and gave him a hug. She’d been pretty certain he would react this way, but it was still reassuring to hear the words.

“Secondly, well, regardless of who it’s with, I still think 14 is pretty young to be dating…”

Now it was Riley’s turn to frown. “Dad, we’ve been over this…”

“I know, I know—and look, I’m trying to be the cool dad here, but you shouldn’t feel like you have to rush growing up, and…” He stopped when he noticed the look she was giving him. “I’m not gonna win this one, am I?”

“No,” Riley said simply, but she still smiled. The dad-doesn’t-want-his-little-girl-to-grow-up-too-fast routine was sort of endearing, but still, she wasn’t a kid anymore and could make her own decisions. “Look, we’re not getting married or anything. It’s just a movie date,” she said, displaying far more nonchalance than she actually felt.

He sighed. “Fine, I suppose. So, does this girl have a name?”

“Sabrina.” Just saying the name made Riley nervous all over again. She was supposed to meet the girl in less than an hour.

“Hmm, I don’t think you’ve mentioned a Sabrina before. What is she like?”

“She’s… um…” Riley began, then faltered. What was Sabrina like? Beautiful, of course, but she’d said that already, and it seemed a bit superficial besides. Riley racked her brain for what she knew about Sabrina—what were her interests and hobbies, how did she act when hanging out with friends, who even were her real friends—and realized the sum of her knowledge amounted to very little. She’d basically written the girl off as a shallow pretty face, and that now seemed rather unfair, considering her judgment was based on nothing at all. As far as she knew, Sabrina did pretty well in school, and… that was about it. Oh, and… “Well, she likes The Lord of the Rings, so that’s a good start.”

Her dad chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure that scores some major points. But do you like her? It kinda sounds like you’re more into the idea of her liking you.”

Riley blinked. Was that true? She had just acknowledged that she knew pretty much nothing about Sabrina, so… Was she going on this date only out of vanity? Because the popular girl liked her? That didn’t seem fair to Sabrina.

“I… don’t know. Maybe.” Riley leaned back against the washing machine, looked up at the ceiling, and let out a deep sigh. “I’m confused.”

Her father wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay, kiddo. Look, putting aside my dad feelings, you want my honest advice? Go on this date and see how it goes. Do it with an open mind, but be honest with yourself about your feelings. Maybe you won’t feel any connection with this girl, and that’s okay, sometimes it’s like that and it doesn’t work out. If that’s the case, be sincere with her and don’t lead her on. Or maybe you’ll have a great time and want to see her again, and if so, good. It’s normal to be confused and try things out at your age. Nothing wrong with experimenting and seeing where you stand.” He nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied with his speech. Then a few seconds later, he seemed to think better of it. “Err, when I say ‘experimenting’, I don’t mean… Uh, there’s no need to rush into… certain things. You know what I’m talking about. Don’t let her push you into anything that you’re not comfortable with, okay?”

Riley caught her dad in a big hug. “Got it. Thanks, Dad. That… actually helped a lot.” It all made sense, and seemed like stuff that should have been obvious, really, but she’d been too busy freaking out. Sometimes you need someone to spell things out for you.

He gave her a dubious look. “You sound surprised. Do you doubt my fatherly wisdom, Riley Simmons?”

“Well, your ‘wisdom’ is usually just bad dad jokes…”

He considered that for a moment. “Fair point. So, you ready then? Need a lift?”

“Nah, I’ll take my bike, it’s not far.”

“Okay, then. Be back by 10:30?”

“11?” Riley flashed her sweetest smile. “It’s the weekend,” she added when her dad made a face.

He sighed. “Fine.”

Grinning, Riley checked her appearance in the mirror one last time, then made her way towards the door.

“You say this Sabrina is the prettiest girl in school,” her dad called out after her, “but I’d say she has some competition tonight!”

Riley snorted. “You’re like the only person who would think that, Dad.”

He spread his hands. “That’s my job, isn’t it? Go on, have fun. Love you, hon.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

* * *

Riley glanced at the clock on her phone for the third time in the past minute, feeling her anxiety grow by the second. Where was Sabrina? Was the girl standing her up? Or could Riley be the one waiting in the wrong spot somehow?

Struggling to keep calm, she took a deep breath. Would you relax? she thought, annoyed at herself. It’s not even 5. She’s not late yet. Get a grip.

For the hundredth time, she scanned the area in front of the mall, looking for a familiar blonde head among the passersby. Still nothing.

“Riley?” A voice behind her. Of course Sabrina would get here just when she was looking the other way.

Riley turned around to greet her date, but the words stuck in her throat. Sabrina looked even better than she normally did at school, something that Riley hadn’t thought possible. The girl was wearing a pretty summer dress, cinched at the waist to emphasize her figure, and maybe a hint shorter than appropriate. It was held up by thin spaghetti straps—no bra, Riley couldn’t help but notice—nearly hidden by the golden tresses cascading over her bare shoulders. Sabrina had also opted for a touch of make-up, which highlighted her beauty even more. She strode forward gracefully, despite the wedge-heeled sandals on her feet. Riley usually thought that high heels of any kind were weird and unnatural, but she had to admit that they fit Sabrina’s long legs perfectly. On the other hand, she wasn’t so enthused about the girl towering over her even more than usual.

“Hey. Wasn’t sure it was you,” Sabrina said. “Wow, you look great!”

“T-thanks. Um, you too. You look… really, really good.” If Riley had only crossed Sabrina’s path by chance, she probably would have been annoyed by the other girl’s appearance. Jealous, even. But now that she knew that Sabrina had dressed up for her, it made her feel all warm inside. Vain, maybe, but God, it felt good to be wanted.

“Thanks!” Sabrina smiled brightly, tucking her hair behind one ear. “Um, were you waiting long? Sorry, I guess I cut it a bit short.”

“Oh, no, not really. It’s cool,” Riley said casually, as if she hadn’t spent the last fifteen minutes in growing panic.

“Okay. Hey, I saw there was a new Italian place that opened right over there.” Sabrina pointed across the parking lot, at a neon sign that read Emilio’s. “You wanna try that?”

“Oh, sure. I love Italian.”

“Yeah? Cool, it’s my favorite.”

They began walking towards the restaurant. Now that they were together, Riley was filled with nervous jitters. She almost couldn’t believe she was actually on a date with a girl—with Sabrina Taylor, of all people. Suddenly, she felt completely inadequate in this situation. How was she supposed to act, what was she supposed to say to this goddess who seemed so far out of her league? Maybe this date had been a bad idea after all…

But Sabrina only smiled at her, looking happy and relaxed, and Riley did her best to offer back a convincing smile of her own.

They entered the restaurant, and Sabrina asked for a table for two. Riley wondered if the waitress could tell they were on a date, somehow. No, that was silly. How could she? Still, hadn’t she given them some kind of weird look? Riley shook her head and sighed. Surely it was just her imagination.

They sat down, and Sabrina gave her an amused look. “Jeez, relax. And I thought I was nervous. We’re just hanging out, you’re not gonna be branded with a scarlet letter or anything.”

“Yeah, sorry. You’re right. I just… yeah.” Riley felt her cheeks heating up and hid her face in the menu.

“What are you having?” Sabrina asked after a moment.

“Hmm, not sure yet. Thinking pizza. You?”

“Fettuccine Alfredo, my fave dish ever. Gotta see what this restaurant is worth!”

Riley looked through the list of available pizzas and noticed quite a few that sounded pretty good. Hearing Sabrina chuckle to herself, she glanced over the menu and saw the girl looking at her with a mysterious smile on her lips. “What?”

“Okay, no pressure or anything, but I have a question that could determine if we have a future as a couple.”

Riley raised an eyebrow. “Err, okay? Wow, starting off heavy.” She was fairly sure Sabrina was kidding, but still, that felt ominous. A couple. She hadn’t even gotten used to the idea of going on a date with another girl.

Sabrina leaned in a little, now straight-faced. “What’s your opinion of Hawaiian pizza?”

Oh, that question. No, this was serious business after all. Sabrina wasn’t one of those people, was she? Riley narrowed her eyes. “Crime against humanity,” she said, her expression perfectly deadpan.

Sabrina was silent for a moment, and Riley had to wonder if she actually was a fan of that particular atrocity, but then the girl cracked a smile and reached out over the table. Grinning, Riley bumped Sabrina’s fist with her own.

Just like that, the ice was broken. They started chatting amiably, first about how wrong it was to put pineapple on pizza, then about school, soon moving on to other topics. Riley quickly realized they had more in common than she would have thought, enjoying many of the same books and movies. And some music, though Sabrina had more mainstream tastes. She was interested in checking out a few of the bands Riley mentioned, entering their names into her phone to investigate later.

Riley was intrigued to learn that Sabrina intended to become an author when she was older. That seemed like a fascinating career, if one could pull it off. Though she loved to read, Riley herself wasn’t too great at writing, so she didn’t think that was for her. She was still trying to work out what she wanted to do when she grew up. Maybe something science-related.

“So, as a writer type, I guess you must prefer the Lord of the Rings books to the movies, right?” Riley asked. The correct answer was, of course, yes.

“Oh yeah, for sure. The books are always better. The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, whatever.”

Riley smiled. “All good picks. Gotta say, I’m a bit surprised you’re so into this stuff.”

Sabrina arched an eyebrow. “Oh? Why?”

“Well… you just seem, um…” Riley hesitated. There was no real way to say this politely, so she was just going to come out with it. “I kinda took you for an airhead cheerleader type…”

“Jeez, ouch. What did I do to deserve that?”

“Nothing! It was unfair, I know… But it’s sort of a compliment, in a way? Like, you’re too pretty to be into nerdy stuff?”

Sabrina’s expression was skeptical. “Uh-huh. I think that’s called a back-handed compliment. But I’ll take it, if you want to tell me how pretty you think I am.”

Riley felt the warmth rising on her cheeks and hoped it wasn’t too obvious. Truth be told, she had already caught herself appreciating Sabrina’s beauty a few times while they ate. The girl could seriously be a model, maybe even a Hollywood star if she wanted. And those piercing blue eyes. They seemed to fill up the whole world when she looked at you a certain way.

Riley wondered, not for the first time, if the jealousy she’d felt towards Sabrina had actually concealed some kind of attraction. Didn’t they say that jealousy was the sincerest form of flattery? No, that wasn’t quite how the adage went… but it was close enough. The fact was that she did admire Sabrina’s looks, and now that she'd found out that she also really enjoyed talking with the girl, it made her all the more alluring.

She began to imagine what might happen if this relationship worked out and things went further between them. To her dismay, she felt her face grow even hotter.

“And you’re real cute, too… especially when you blush,” Sabrina said, her eyes gazing deep into Riley’s, which didn’t help matters. “Or when you’re nerding out.” She’d already heard Riley going into detail about the differences between the book and movie versions of The Fellowship of the Ring. “Well, all the time, really… but especially then.”

“T-thanks,” Riley mumbled, at a loss for words. The heat from her face seemed to be spreading through her entire body. Sabrina was… pretty great. And gorgeous. And she liked Riley. Maybe this date had been a good idea after all.

“For the record, though,” Sabrina continued, “cheerleading is dumb and objectifying, and I’d never get into it.”

Riley laughed, her embarrassment fading a little. She raised her hand for another fist bump. “Right on.”

At that moment, the waitress returned to their table, asking if they wanted dessert. They exchanged a glance, and Sabrina looked at the time on her phone. “Nah, we should probably get going, right?”

Riley nodded. “Yeah. Don’t wanna miss the previews,” she said, only half-joking. She knew they were basically just ads meant to sell more tickets, but somehow movie trailers always felt integral to the theater experience.

“All right. I’ll leave you this, then,” the waitress said, placing the bill face down on the table. Be back in a minute.”.

Riley and Sabrina both stared at the single piece of paper for a moment, then at each other, chuckling awkwardly. They hadn’t thought to ask for separate checks.

Riley wasn’t sure what the bill etiquette was supposed to be for a date. Hell, she’d never been on a dinner date before. Tradition dictated that the boy was supposed to pay, but clearly, that meant nothing in this situation… and it seemed stupid and antiquated, anyway. Should she suggest splitting it, or was that some kind of social blunder? Maybe she should just pick up the check, it wasn’t that big a deal—though between this and the movie ticket, she’d be pretty broke. Should have asked Dad for some cash, she thought.

Riley reached out to take the bill, but Sabrina was slightly quicker, and Riley’s hand ended up covering the other girl’s instead. She froze for a moment, then snatched her hand away, certain that she was blushing all over again. Sabrina’s skin had been soft and warm, pleasant to the touch.

“It’s okay, I got this,” Sabrina said, offering a small smile.

“Oh. Well, you don’t have to. We could split or something…?”

“It’s fine. I’m the one who asked you out, anyway.”

Riley shrugged, but she supposed that was true enough. “Well, okay, if you want.”

Sabrina settled the bill, then they exited the restaurant and began making their way towards the theater.

“So, have you written anything?” Riley asked as they walked, trying to make conversation.

“What?”

“Since you want to be an author, I mean. You got anything written? Short story or whatever? I’m curious. Maybe I could give it a read, give you feedback.”

“Oh, uh, that’s not… Um, I got some stuff but… it’s probably not very good.” For the first time that evening, Sabrina actually looked anxious. Funny how the girl could seem perfectly relaxed on a first date, but got all nervous about sharing her hobby.

“Oh, come on. I’m sure it’s not that bad. What, you’ve never shown it to anyone?”

“Um, no, not really.”

“Oh, now I want to read it even more!”

“Well, I’m not really happy with what I’ve written before, but…” Sabrina hesitated, met Riley’s eyes. “I guess once I’m done with the story I’m working on now, you could take a look, maybe. It’s a bit better. I think.”

“Deal!” Riley grinned, and Sabrina offered a sheepish smile in return. It was pretty cute, the way she was so self-conscious about her writing. Now Riley could kind of see why Sabrina had enjoyed making her blush earlier. She was happy that the girl was willing to share something so personal and important to her. Maybe they’d make a good couple after all.

The thought surprised her. Was she really getting used to the idea of them as a couple? Of being Sabrina’s… girlfriend? She glanced sideways at the beautiful blonde and her heart rate sped up a little. Yeah, she just might be ready to consider a relationship, and the thought made her smile in spite of herself. She was half-tempted to take Sabrina’s hand in hers right then—that brief touch in the restaurant had been nice—but didn’t dare try anything so overt just yet.

Upon reaching their destination, Riley took a few quick steps ahead so as to reach the admission booth first. She asked for two tickets, paid for them, then handed one to Sabrina, who gave her a look. Riley smiled. “What? I can’t have you paying for everything. It’s... unseemly!”

“Fine.” Sabrina shrugged, then flashed a quick grin. “I’m getting the popcorn, though!” She started at a half-run towards the concession stand.

“We just ate!” Riley called out after her.

“Can’t go to the movies without getting popcorn!”

Riley had to concede the point; it just wasn’t the same without some popcorn to munch on. Sabrina bought a bag for them to share, then they made their way into the theater.

“Well, looks like we won’t have any trouble finding good seats,” Sabrina said as they entered. There were at most fifteen people in the whole room.

“What? Where is everyone? This movie’s great!”

“I guess most people aren’t interested in seeing a movie that’s, like, 20 years old in a theater.”

“Pfff. Their loss.”

They took seats near the middle of the room and began eating their popcorn while waiting for the movie to start. Now and then, their hands brushed when they reached into the bag, and each time it made Riley’s heart skip a beat.

She cast a sidelong glance at the other girl, wondering if she was really falling for Sabrina. She’d been so unsure about even going on this date, and now here she was, getting all warm and fuzzy from the merest skin contact. And it wasn’t like Sabrina had done anything special. She was just nice, smart and fun to be around, and… Well, maybe that was all that mattered.

After the fourth time that they reached into the bag of popcorn at the same time and bumped hands, Sabrina turned to Riley, a knowing smile on her lips. “Are you doing that on purpose?”

“No!” At least, Riley didn’t think it was on purpose. “I… I was just wondering if you were.”

“Please. If I wanted to hold your hand, I’d just do it. None of this sneaking around,” Sabrina said with exaggerated haughtiness, then adding a mischievous wink.

Affected or not, Sabrina’s confidence was rather charming. Riley couldn’t help noticing the implication, though. “So… you’re saying you don’t want to hold my hand?”

“Oh… I didn’t mean… It’s not that I don’t want to. I just thought that you, um… Well, I didn’t want to, like, rush things, y’know?” Sabrina didn’t sound so self-assured now, scrambling to explain herself, but somehow it was equally charming. The girl just couldn’t help being irresistible. “Unless you want to…?” she added, meeting Riley’s eyes.

Her heart suddenly in her throat, Riley hesitated. This seemed like a big, abrupt step. Her feelings for Sabrina had done such a 180 these past few days, it was hard to keep up. Then again, hadn’t she been thinking about holding hands with the girl just a few minutes ago?

Growing embarrassed, she wanted to look away, but Sabrina’s gaze held her fast. Losing herself in those gorgeous eyes, she felt her doubts slowly fade. Yes, she did want to hold Sabrina’s hand, and that was perfectly fine. With mixed relief and apprehension, Riley wondered if there was anything she wouldn’t do if Sabrina was looking at her that way.

Feeling her cheeks burn yet again, Riley offered her hand to the other girl.

Surprise flashed on Sabrina’s face for an instant, quickly replaced by a bright smile as she took Riley’s hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.

Riley offered a more sheepish smile in return, then finally managed to tear her eyes away from Sabrina’s. Leaning back in her seat, she stared at the blank screen, unsure what to do or say. The warmth in her hand now matched the heat on her face. Tingles spread along her arm and through her body. Her heart raced. All that, just from holding someone’s hand!

She wondered if Sabrina was experiencing something similar. It wasn’t unpleasant—on the contrary!—but she hadn’t been prepared for the intensity of the feelings that were coursing through her. She even felt a kind of warmth spreading downwards through her belly, and hastened to push that sensation out of her mind. Regardless of how well things seemed to be going, she was not ready to become sexually aroused by another girl. Especially in the middle of a movie theater.

Half-certain that everyone must be staring at them, she stole a quick glance around the room, but nobody seemed to be paying them any mind. She dared a shy peek at Sabrina, and found the other girl looking back.

“You okay there? We don’t have to keep doing this if you—”

“No, it’s okay,” Riley quickly interrupted, surprising even herself. She realized she really didn’t want to let go, despite these mixed-up feelings.

Sabrina smiled and squeezed Riley’s hand again. Riley found herself squeezing back, growing more at ease.

Then the lights in the room dimmed and the previews started, grabbing most of her attention. The excitement over holding hands with Sabrina gradually faded to a pleasant giddiness at the back of her mind as she watched the trailers for upcoming movies. There were some decent-looking ones, but nothing really struck her as a must-see.

Finally, it was time for the main attraction. Having seen the movie so many times already, Riley knew exactly what to expect. But she didn’t mind, of course. From the sequence of company logos at the very beginning, to the first notes of the soundtrack, to the first images and lines, she relished the cozy familiarity of spending time with an old friend.

She didn’t know the entire movie by heart—not quite—but she did catch herself mouthing some of the lines as the plot unfolded. And all the while, she kept holding Sabrina’s hand, not really thinking about it very much. Sometimes one of them would react unwittingly, though. During the scene where the evil Nazgûls are searching for the hidden hobbits, Sabrina gripped Riley’s hand tightly, making her smile. It was sweet and cute, and made Riley’s heart skip a beat for reasons that had nothing to do with what was happening on the screen.

The three-hour running time went by surprisingly quickly, and they soon found themselves staring at the scrolling credits. Sabrina turned to Riley. “Well, that was fun.”

“Yeah. Of course it was!” As if there was any way The Lord of the Rings could be boring. “But… I still think they should have put Tom Bombadil in the movie. He might be a little goofy, but that part of the book is still cool, and the lore behind the character is—”

Riley’s train of thought was abruptly derailed when Sabrina leaned in and kissed her, right out of the blue.

She froze, completely taken by surprise. Sabrina was kissing her! Her heart was suddenly hammering in her chest and her senses were overwhelmed by new stimuli. A hint of perfume in her nostrils, Sabrina’s warm breath mingling with her own, the feel of those lips against hers, so incredibly soft.

It took Riley a few seconds to process what was happening, and just as she was beginning to think that she should respond somehow, Sabrina pulled away.

“Whoa,” was all Riley managed to say. She stared at the stunning goddess next to her, wondering how she had landed in this situation. How many people would give an arm, a leg, or both to be in her place right then? But all she could do was sit there, dumbfounded.

“Sorry.” Even in the dim light of the theater, Sabrina’s pale cheeks were turning a shade redder. “I, um… Like I said, you’re just too cute when you get all nerdy!” She grinned, then quickly sobered up. “But still, I shouldn’t have done that. Sorry.”

Riley shrugged uncomfortably. She wasn’t angry, just… confused? She’d been startled by the kiss and hadn’t had the presence of mind to either enjoy or dislike it. It certainly hadn’t been a turn-off, though; her lips were still tingly, and her belly felt full of warm, soft butterflies. “It’s okay… It wasn’t all bad,” she said weakly.

Sabrina raised an eyebrow. “Not all bad, huh?”

“I mean… you know, I didn’t really get, um…” Riley hesitated. If she finished her thought, it would be a clear invitation for more… but it occurred to her that she didn’t mind. No, in fact, she sort of wanted another try. “Didn’t get enough time to… to know for sure.”

Sabrina’s gaze flicked around the room, then fixed on Riley. “Oh yeah?” She leaned forward a little, but not all the way this time.

Heart in her throat, Riley also took a quick look around. The people further back were already walking up the aisles, and no one was paying any attention to the two girls who were still in their seats. She met Sabrina’s eyes, and that beguiling gaze quickly banished any reluctance she might have felt. “Yeah…” she breathed, leaning in closer.

Their lips met again. Riley wasn’t sure which of them had actually initiated the kiss this time. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the sensation, on how it made her feel.

It was a soft, gentle kiss, and now that she was ready for it, Riley had to admit that Sabrina’s silky lips really struck sparks in her mind. She wasn’t much of an experienced kisser, but did her best to follow Sabrina’s lead. It was sweet. Exciting even, with a hint of forbidden thrill. There was a pleasant fire in her belly. It felt… right.

After a long moment, Sabrina pulled back, gazing expectantly at Riley.

“Wow,” Riley said, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “That was… pretty good.” Putting it mildly, but it was all she could think of to say. “Um, maybe girls aren’t so bad,” she then added, a sheepish smile on her lips. She’d been warming up to the idea of dating Sabrina all evening, but that kiss made the prospect of this romance seem downright thrilling.

“I’ll take ’pretty good.’ But trust me, it only gets better.” Sabrina raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Indecent images of what that might mean flashed in Riley’s mind, making her blush. How much better? she wondered.

“Another time, though.” Sabrina glanced around the room again. “We should probably go.”

Following Sabrina’s gaze, Riley saw that most people had already left, and two theater employees were waiting impatiently for the two of them to get out so that they could clean the room. Riley hoped they hadn’t seen them kissing—it wasn’t a huge deal, but still—as she got up and followed Sabrina towards the exit.

As they passed by the employees, the middle-aged man ignored them, but the late-teen girl winked at Riley, who flashed an embarrassed smile before hurrying out.

“Well, I need to make a pit stop,” Sabrina announced as they walked out into the lobby, gesturing toward the restrooms. “That was a long movie!”

“Yeah, I should do that, too.”

They found the bathroom rather crowded, but there were a couple of empty stalls. By the time they were done with their business, though, the room had emptied considerably, just one girl using the hand drier, then making her exit. As they washed their own hands, Riley was reminded of the last time she and Sabrina were together in a public restroom. It was just a few days ago, but it felt like her life had turned upside down since then.

“What are you smiling at?” Sabrina asked.

“Oh, um, nothing.” Riley hadn’t even realized that those thoughts had made her smile. “Just thinking about the last time we were washing our hands like this… and then you kinda dropped that bomb on me.”

“Ah, and… by your smile, I take it that you don’t regret your decision?”

“No.” Riley’s smile widened in spite of herself, and she felt her cheeks go warm again. “This is… nice. I had a good time.” It felt like she should say more. In fact, their date had gone way, way better than she’d expected. But she wasn’t very good at this sort of thing.

Sabrina seemed pleased, though. “Good. Me too.” For an instant, there was a twinkle in her eyes and it looked like she was about to move closer to Riley, maybe even kiss her again. Riley had to admit that she wouldn’t have been against the idea, but the moment passed, and Sabrina seemed to have thought better of it. Instead, she suddenly asked, “So, what do you think of Liv Tyler in that movie?”

Riley blinked at the abrupt change of subject. “Arwen? Er, like, the character, or her acting, or…?”

Sabrina smirked. “I mean, do you think she’s hot?”

Riley let out a surprised laugh. “Oh, jeez.” Was that going to be a thing now? Was she supposed to gossip about which girls were hot?

“Well, what?” Sabrina shrugged. “Just wondering what goes on in your mind, I guess. Now that you’re, dare I say… thinking about playing for the right team.”

Riley snorted. “Oh, wow. Is that what’s happening?”

“I hope so.” Sabrina winked. “But yeah, just curious. Like, I had a huge crush on Liv when I first saw the movie… back when I was, like, 8.”

“Hah, really? Hmm, I dunno, I mean… sure, she’s gorgeous, I guess. But I haven’t thought about it that way before. I’m not sure I’d want to, like, kiss her or anything.” But even as she spoke, Riley realized that she wasn’t too sure of her feelings anymore. Sabrina was the only girl she’d ever considered kissing, let alone anything else. She didn’t think Hollywood actresses did much for her. Though, now that she thought about it… Liv Tyler the actress might not, but Arwen, the beautiful, immortal Elf…

As if reading her thoughts, Sabrina raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Weeeeeell…” Riley laughed. “Gotta admit, she did do a great job capturing the, um, otherworldly beauty of an Elf. That’s not… unattractive.” She looked away, embarrassed, then glanced back to see if Sabrina was laughing at her, but the girl just nodded, grinning. Speaking of “otherworldly beauty,” though, Liv Tyler had nothing on Sabrina, Riley decided. “You sure you don’t have elven blood?” She winced, immediately regretting the corny line. “God, did I just say that?”

Sabrina laughed. “Nerdy compliment, huh? I’ll take it.” Then she narrowed her eyes at Riley. “As long as you don’t expect me to wear pointy ears…”

“Oh, no, no. Nothing like that!” Riley held her hands up appeasingly. She did think Sabrina could pull that look off, though.

“Good.” Sabrina smiled and stepped closer. She reached out to toy with a strand of Riley’s hair, then caressed her cheek with a finger.

Riley suddenly felt hot all over. Again, it looked like Sabrina was just about to kiss her, and she was surprised to find herself so hungry for another taste of the girl’s sweet lips.

But instead, Sabrina glanced around the empty restroom, then at the door. She hesitated, taking a step back. “We should probably go before someone comes in and…” She trailed off, shrugged.

“I guess,” Riley said, disappointed. Clearly, Sabrina was afraid of getting caught, and Riley didn’t relish that possibility either, but… Then they couldn’t kiss out in the mall, or on the streets, so this might be her last chance to get one for now.

Before she realized what she was doing, Riley caught up to Sabrina, grabbed the girl by the wrist before she could open the door, and murmured, “But before we go…”

Drawing Sabrina close, Riley planted a kiss on her pretty mouth.

At first she wondered if Sabrina would back off, but on the contrary, the girl practically melted into her arms, and Riley found herself tangled in a passionate kiss. She soon realized it was a little awkward to lock lips with someone half-a-head taller—probably more, with the heels Sabrina had on—while standing, having to tilt her neck back, but she didn’t let that bother her. The kiss was more than enough to take her mind off any discomfort.

It was even better than the last one. Sharing this intimate connection with Sabrina filled her with glee, elation—and yes, Riley had to admit, stirrings of lust. She could definitely get used to this.

“Mmmm,” Sabrina purred when their lips parted.

“Sorry. Hope you’re, um, okay with that.” Riley tried for an innocent smile, but she wasn’t sure it was very convincing, with her breath now a little erratic. The desire she plainly saw in Sabrina’s eyes wasn’t helping to calm her down, either.

“I love kissing you, and I want to do it a lot more, but…” Sabrina took a deep breath. “Probably not a good time. If we bumped into someone we know from school or something…”

Riley had to agree. She’d never liked being the center of attention, and if people knew she was dating the most sought-after girl in school, there would be no end to questions, gossip, and snark, even hostility. “Yeah, you’re right. Don’t want all that attention.”

They walked out of the bathroom, leisurely making their way towards the exit.

“Yeah, but, it’s not just that,” Sabrina said. “I think I mentioned how the kids at my old school found out that, y’know, I like girls, and, well…” She sighed. “It was… bad.”

“What happened?” Riley asked softly.

“I confided in this one girl I thought I could trust, and she told everyone. Or I don’t know, she told someone who then told everyone. Whatever. People weren’t very… accepting. You know how it is. Lash out against others who are different, I guess that’s what you’re supposed to do? Anyway, I got a lot of shit, and things could get pretty hateful. Got my locker spray-painted with ‘dyke’, and ‘cunt muncher’ or whatever it was. Fun times.” Sabrina’s voice was tight, and she stared into the distance as she spoke, then she gave herself a shake and turned to Riley. “Anyway, long story short: really glad I moved!”

“Jesus, what the fuck…” Riley blurted out, shocked. “That’s horrible! How can people do shit like that? I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

Sabrina shrugged. “Yeah. It wasn’t my favorite school. Or town.”

“I’m pretty sure people here wouldn’t be that bad… I think. I mean, I guess I don’t really know anyone who’s, like, out. But there are probably some? And I haven’t heard of anything terrible like that happening around here.”

“Yeah, maybe. I’m not really keen on taking any chances just yet, though.”

“My dad was pretty surprised when I told him I was going out with a girl,” Riley said with a chuckle, hoping that would lighten the mood. “But he was totally cool with it.”

Sabrina’s eyebrows rose up. “Whoa, really? You told him already?”

“Um, yeah. Well, he kinda caught me while I was getting ready for tonight, and I didn’t wanna lie, so… But yeah, it was fine. He talked me down when I was feeling super stressed about it, hah.”

“Huh, cool. Sounds like a nice guy.”

“Yeah, he’s great. Um, do your parents not know?”

“Oh. Um, no. Like, it’s not a big deal, I don’t think they’d freak out or anything… But, I dunno. We’re just not that close, I guess? They’re very, um… career-oriented, is how some put it.” She made a face. “Workaholics, more like. We don’t talk that much. My mom is a consultant for big companies. Like, she basically takes over an office or branch that has trouble for a year or two until things are running smoothly. That’s why we move around a lot. My dad’s an engineer for… computer stuff, whatever, so he can just work remotely from anywhere.”

“Ah, hmm, sounds like that could be kinda... difficult,” Riley said, trying to be diplomatic. It sounded really bad, actually. Moving around the country constantly must already be a drag, but with parents who were so distant as well… She couldn’t imagine living like that.

“Yeah, sometimes. Oh well. It is what it is.” Sabrina shrugged. “What about your mom? You told her about this date, too?”

“Oh, no. Um, she died when I was 7. Car accident.”

“Oh shit, sorry! Here I am complaining about my family and…”

Riley waved off the concern. “Nah, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it,” she said, trying to cut short the outpouring of pity that always happened when she mentioned her mom. She’d never been able to stand it. Still, she couldn’t help thinking that her mom would have liked Sabrina.

There was a moment of awkward silence, then Riley decided to voice the question that had been on her mind. “So… why’d you take the risk of asking me out, if you had such a bad experience before?”

“Well… ‘cause you’re awesome, and worth the risk. And hot.” Sabrina flashed a winning smile, which faltered a little as she scratched the back of her head. “And, okay, ‘cause I was kinda lonely and… I thought I saw you checking me out, so it seemed like a pretty safe bet. I guess that wasn’t the case, but hey, it worked out. But mostly because you’re awesome.” She winked, her good mood restored.

Riley wasn’t sure whether to be amused by the explanation, or embarrassed by the compliments, and in the end opted for both, laughing and blushing in equal measure. She felt truly touched that Sabrina had thought she was worth taking that big chance for, though. She could still hardly believe that this beautiful, amazing girl was so into her, but she welcomed the confidence boost. “Well, okay, then! I guess I am pretty awesome.” She couldn’t help grinning, and Sabrina returned the smile.

By then, they were back outside the mall. Sabrina glanced around, and said, “So… walk me home? I live pretty close.”

“Oh, sure.” Riley fetched her bike from where she’d locked it up nearby, then began walking alongside Sabrina, happy that they didn’t have to end things just yet. She laughed at herself; she’d been so nervous and worried about this date, and now she couldn’t get enough of it.

They walked for a few blocks, chatting amicably about this and that, then  took a turn onto Sabrina’s street. It was a nice part of town, not exactly upscale, but it was clear that Sabrina’s parents didn’t want for money. There was no moon, but the street lamps were on, and the numerous trees that lined the street created a lovely pattern of shadows across the sidewalk.

There was no one else in sight, and apparently Sabrina now felt much more at ease, because she suddenly took Riley’s hand, grinning at her surprised look. “I’ve been wanting to do that all the way here.”

“Me too,” Riley admitted sheepishly. It still felt odd to be falling for a girl, but she couldn’t deny that she loved the way this made her feel--being close to Sabrina, holding her hand.

They walked past a few more houses, then Sabrina stopped in front of a nice two-story home. “Well, this is me. Thanks for coming tonight, I had a great time.”

“Yeah, thanks for… asking me out, I guess.” Riley said, suddenly fumbling for the right words. “This was… actually pretty nice.”

Sabrina laughed at that. “Don’t sound so surprised!”

Riley had to laugh herself. “Well, y’know, I wouldn’t have imagined doing anything like this just a week ago! But… yeah, I’m really glad I came.”

“Good.” Sabrina took a step closer and kissed her. Not a lingering kiss, but not just a peck either. A couple seconds at most, but it was enough to set Riley’s heart racing.

Sabrina gazed at Riley, still standing intimately close. There was a yearning in her that a quick kiss clearly hadn’t sated. She seemed to hesitate, then asked, “You wanna come in?”

Taken by surprise, Riley stammered a response. “O-oh, err… I… don’t think so. Like, I don’t think I’m ready to meet your parents and stuff. Even if they don’t know about… anything. That seems kinda, y’know, official, for a first date.”

Sabrina chuckled. “No, no. My parents aren’t home right now. It’s just the two of us.”

“Oh.” It took a second for Riley to process this information, then she saw Sabrina’s invitation in a whole new light. “Oh!”

“I’ll behave,” Sabrina said in a tone that no one who behaves uses. She winked, turned on her heels, and began advancing towards the house. “If you want me to, that is,” she added over her shoulder.

Riley stood frozen for a moment, enthralled by Sabrina’s walk. The sway of her hips was downright hypnotic. Was she doing it on purpose?

Taking a deep breath, Riley tried to think. Things were getting a little out of hand. She doubted Sabrina had invited her in just for a friendly chat, and while she wouldn’t mind kissing some more in private… What if the girl wanted to go further? Sabrina had said she’d behave, but would she? Did Riley want her to? It suddenly felt like this date could get a lot wilder than she’d been prepared for. It was scary… and more than a little exciting.

She wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Except that she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Sabrina just yet. She found herself locking her bike to the small fence in front of the house, then slowly following the other girl to the front door.

Sabrina was smiling as she unlocked the door, letting them both into the house. Clearly, she’d had no doubt that Riley would accept the invitation. “You want anything to drink?” she offered.

“Um, just water, maybe.”

“Sure. Be right back.”

Sabrina went off in the direction of what Riley assumed was the kitchen, leaving her to take a look around the living room. It was elegantly furnished, with a big, comfy-looking couch, and the largest TV she’d ever seen outside a store. But what really grabbed her attention was the substantial bookshelf.

There were boring-looking business books, and literary classics that appeared to be in pristine condition, possibly unread. Then she found the shelf that had to be Sabrina’s. It held many of the books they had talked about earlier, and some others that Riley thought she might want to borrow. To the side, there was a picture frame that contained a photo of Sabrina, maybe a couple years younger, next to a red-haired girl about the same age.

“Here you go,” Sabrina said, walking into the living room with two glasses of water and handing one to Riley.

“Thanks. Who’s this?” Riley nodded at the picture, then took a sip from her glass.

“Oh. Um, that’s Eva. We were… friends for a while but then, y’know, I had to move away.” There was bitterness in her voice, and Riley was unsure whether to pursue the matter, but she was also curious. The way Sabrina had said “friends,” and that slight hesitation… She had to ask.

“Close friends, huh?” Riley arched an eyebrow slightly, but tried to keep her tone neutral.

Sabrina gave her a look, then the hint of a smile. “Fine. If you wanna know, she’s the first girl I fooled around with.”

“Oh, right. I had a hunch that might be it.” Riley wasn’t sure how to feel about that. The girl was pretty enough, she supposed—certainly prettier than she was.. Should she be jealous? That seemed pointless, but she couldn’t help feeling a touch of envy. “That was where you lived before? I thought—”

“Nah. That was the town before last.”

“Oh.” Riley turned that around in her head as they moved over to the couch and took a seat. “Wait, how old were you?”

Sabrina flashed a sheepish smile. “Um, 11.”

“Wow, really? You were fooling around like... kissing?” They couldn’t have done much more at that age, right?

Sabrina chuckled. “Yeah… all sorts of kissing.” She brought two fingers to her mouth, poked her tongue between them.

Riley’s eyes went wide. “W-what? At 11?” she exclaimed. Was Sabrina pulling her leg? She did seem awfully amused by Riley’s reaction. “For real? Jeez, Sabrina…”

“Well, what?” Sabrina shrugged nonchalantly. “We experimented a bunch… and figured some stuff out, y’know? Might also have done some ‘research’ on the Internet. Made some fun discoveries.”

Riley shook her head in disbelief, but couldn’t help laughing. “Sounds like it. Wow.” She had no idea what to make of it. Two preteens doing that to each other certainly qualified as some heavy experimentation. She couldn’t help wondering what it felt like. Maybe she was a little jealous of that Eva girl, after all.

She was beginning to feel a little out of her depth, too. It sounded like Sabrina had a lot more experience than she did—which wasn’t too difficult, admittedly, especially concerning girls. And that was years ago, what kinds of things had she done since then? “And you said… she was the first girl you fooled around with?”

“Oh. Well, first and only.” Sabrina grinned and winked at Riley. “For now.”

Riley fanned herself exaggeratedly to mask her embarrassment. “Is it getting hot in here?” she asked, making Sabrina laugh. She was certain she was blushing brightly, but the warmth was also spreading much lower. She wasn’t sure at all that she was ready for anything like what Sabrina might have in mind right then, but her body clearly didn’t find the idea unappealing, and she didn’t know how to feel about that.

She glanced around for something to move the conversation in a different, safer direction. Eyeing the picture on the shelf again, she thought of something she’d noticed earlier. “So… I guess you do really have a type,” she said, toying with a strand of her red hair.

Sabrina laughed and shrugged helplessly. “Well, what can I say, I do like redheads. Dunno if that’s because of her… but hey, look.” She scooched closer, looking into Riley’s eyes, serious now. “I’m not trying to replace her or anything. I like you for you.”

“O-okay.” That gaze, icy blue yet smoldering with fire, was going to be trouble, Riley thought. It made her feel like going along with anything Sabrina wanted.

That’s not to say that she didn’t have her own desires, though. And right now, she was feeling increasingly hungry for another kiss. Now that they had privacy and could take their time—not to mention, now that she was more than a little turned on—the prospect of kissing with Sabrina seemed more appealing than ever.

Luckily, Sabrina seemed to be on the same wavelength. They didn’t spend long gazing at each other before their lips met, and it didn’t take long after that for the kiss to grow increasingly heated. Now that there was no need to be conscious of her surroundings, she truly lost herself in the experience, allowing that warm, soft mouth to become her entire world.

There was something so wonderfully intoxicating about the movement of Sabrina’s lips against hers. Was this what it always felt like kissing a girl? Or was it just this particular girl? Whatever the case, Riley loved every second of it.

They paused only for an instant to steal a quick breath, then were back at it. This time, Riley felt Sabrina’s tongue playfully teasing her lips. She was surprised for a second, but didn’t hesitate, inviting her partner into her mouth. Their tongues danced and tangled, pushing the fiery kiss to even more exhilarating heights.

Riley couldn’t get enough. She was making out for the first time with another girl, and she couldn’t get enough. With the hottest girl in school, no less. Maybe the hottest, most wonderful girl anywhere.

Her body was responding, too. She could feel her nipples stiffen against the fabric of her bra, her panties growing increasingly damp. That ought to have been embarrassing, but she couldn’t make herself care at that moment. Riley welcomed the sensations, let them overwhelm her. She didn’t think she’d ever been so excited.

When they finally broke the kiss, Riley was out of breath. “Phew… Wow.” She took a big gulp from her glass of water, trying to cool down. It didn’t help much.

Sabrina watched her, grinning, clearly pleased with the effect she’d had. “See stars yet? I told you it got better,” she said, to which Riley could only nod. “So… what about you? Any… exes? Any boy I need to watch out for?” Making a fist, she thumped her other hand with it.

Riley laughed. “Nah. I’ve only had one boyfriend before and… it wasn’t all that.”

Sabrina smirked. “Of course it wasn’t. Who was that? A guy from school?”

“Oh, uh, you probably don’t know him… Lucas Davis.” Sabrina only gave a blank look, so Riley reluctantly added, “Um, he’s a year younger.”

“You like younger boys?” Sabrina was side-eyeing her now.

“It’s not like that! It’s just… it’s a whole thing.” She could tell from Sabrina’s expression that the girl wasn’t going to let her get away without an explanation, so she sighed and continued. “I kinda have… um, had… a crush on his older brother Jake. Long story, but okay, when I was like 10, there was this special activity day or whatever where we went to visit the high school—I dunno, to inspire us about education or something, I guess?—and everyone was paired with a high school student to show them around and explain and stuff. So yeah, mine was Jake, and he was very nice, and charming, and, well, cute… I mean, he didn’t do anything weird, of course. But still, y’know, I kinda carried a torch for him, as they say. Um, for a few years, actually…”

Sabrina looked amused. “I see. And so… you couldn’t have him, so you dated the little brother instead?”

Riley sighed. This again. She got enough shit about it from Mike. But still, if she was being honest… “I mean… I didn’t see it like that at the time but… maybe.”

“Well, I think that little infatuation blinded you to… better options.”

Riley chuckled. Her heart still aflutter from making out with Sabrina, she really couldn’t tell why she’d ever been so obsessed with Jake. “Yeah, the thought recently crossed my mind, too...”

Sabrina nodded, as if that was the obvious conclusion. “So, how far did you go with this Lucas?”

Riley gave her a look. “You want to know about boys?”

“I want to know about you.”

Smooth line, Riley had to admit. “Um, we didn’t do that much. Well, some. Like, y’know, hand stuff. Okay, I um, jacked him off the one time. Which was… I mean, he liked it. But I guess it was kinda fun. Except when he, y’know,”—she gestured—”all over my hand. That was pretty gross.”

“Boys are disgusting,” Sabrina agreed, taking Riley’s hand and giving it a sympathetic squeeze. “And did he return the favor?”

“Um, he… tried.”

Sabrina snorted. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“He just… Ugh, God. Like, he stuck his hand into my panties and kinda moved around, but he didn’t really know what to do. To be fair to him, I wasn’t helping, ‘cause I was too shy or embarrassed to tell him what to do. But it really wasn’t doing much for me, and it was getting super awkward, so… in the end, I, um, I kinda pretended that I’d already come so he would stop.”

“Oh my God!” Sabrina was doubled over laughing. “You faked an orgasm your first time fooling around?”

“It’s not that funny,” Riley protested. Though, in hindsight, it kind of was. “I just wanted it to be over, so, you know. Anyway, after that, things didn’t really last. He wanted to do it again, and I wasn’t too into it, and it got awkward and annoying and… well, whatever, I broke it off. Maybe I was a bit unfair, since—”

“Oh, no no, screw him,” Sabrina murmured, that irresistible look in her eyes again. “You have better things to do.”

Already drawing closer to the girl, Riley had to agree. “Yeah.”

She kissed Sabrina, then things quickly intensified until they were kissing passionately, their tongues in each other’s mouth again. Sabrina was right; with just a kiss, Riley was in heaven, overwhelmed by emotions far beyond what she’d ever felt for any boy.

Sabrina broke the kiss—but before Riley could complain, the girl began nuzzling and kissing Riley’s neck, making her shiver deliciously.

“Oooh, that’s—ah!—really nice,” Riley sighed, losing herself in the silken caress of Sabrina’s mouth.

“You know,” Sabrina began, her lips brushing Riley’s ear, “I can guarantee that you wouldn’t need to fake anything with me…”

Eyes wide, Riley turned to the other girl. “Wow. Okay. Not wasting any time, huh? I… thought you were gonna behave…”

“I said if you wanted me to…” Sabrina smiled sweetly. “Do you want me to?”

God, what a question. Things were speeding out of control in a hurry. One thing for certain: Riley didn’t want to stop kissing Sabrina, not at all. And those kisses were driving her frantic with desire, making her want even more of what the girl had to give.

But just how far was she willing to go... and how far was Sabrina ready to take her? Gazing into those blue eyes, Riley shivered as she realized that her new friend was more than ready to end their date with an hour or two of hot, sweaty lesbian sex.

But that was one hell of a big step for Riley, especially on the first date. “Uh, I... um.” she began, then fell silent -- unable to say what she wanted, struggling to figure it out.

“You’re so cute,” Sabrina said, then those soft lips were caressing Riley’s neck again, which didn’t help her to think any more clearly. Who knew that getting kissed on the neck could feel so amazing?

Dad had warned her not to let Sabrina push her into anything she wasn’t comfortable with. Right then, Riley felt anything but comfortable… but still, she wasn’t sure at all that she wanted Sabrina to stop, either.

“It’s up to you,” Sabrina was saying between kisses. “Really, it’s cool if you wanna wait.” She flicked Riley’s earlobe with her tongue.

Oh, God!” Riley gasped. Another surprisingly titillating spot that she hadn’t known about.

“Just saying, though,” Sabrina whispered, “I’d make you come so fucking hard.”

Heart pounding like a jackhammer, Riley turned to stare at the grinning girl. What had happened to the Sabrina who’d been so timid about asking her out a few days ago? The one with her now looked more like the Cheshire Cat. Still breathtakingly hot, though, with that sexy gaze that made Riley melt inside. They should probably take things slow, yeah, but every nerve in Riley’s body was screaming for attention and… God, yes, she did want this goddess of a girl to make her come.

Struggling to appear less nervous than she was, Riley gave two quick nods.

“Yeah?” Sabrina actually looked a little surprised. “You sure?”

“No, probably not… so hurry, before I change my mind.”

Her smile widening, Sabrina swiftly drew Riley into another deep, passionate French kiss. This time, her hands didn’t remain idle, though. She began by caressing Riley’s cheek as they kissed, but soon one hand trailed down to her chest, cupping one breast, playing with the rapidly stiffening nipple through her shirt.

Riley gasped into the kiss. Sabrina’s touch was sending a thrilling jolt straight down to her sex. She’d played with her breasts before while masturbating, but it had never felt quite like this.

Sabrina didn’t linger there, though. Before long, her hand continued downward, slowly moving across Riley’s belly as if to build anticipation. And it was working. Riley had trouble concentrating on the kiss, her mind entirely focused on those fingers, inching closer and closer to their goal. Then Sabrina was cupping Riley’s sex through her jeans, squeezing it a little.

A loud moan pushed its way past Riley’s lips, causing her to abandon their kiss. How could that quick touch through her pants feel so good? It was already so much more intense than anything What’s-his-name had managed to do for her.

Not wasting any time, Sabrina deftly undid the jeans’ button, then tugged down the zipper. Looking Riley straight in the eye, she slipped a hand beneath the waistband of her panties.

Riley inhaled sharply, hit by a jolt of pleasure that was even stronger than she’d expected—more like a thunderbolt, really--when Sabrina’s fingers brushed her slit. “Oh, God.”

Sabrina smiled knowingly, arching an amused eyebrow. Thankfully, she refrained from commenting on just how wet Riley was. Bet I could wring my panties out, Riley thought.

Sabrina’s fingers were busy exploring, spreading waves of pleasure with every little movement through the juicy folds of Riley’s pussy. “You like?” she purred.

Riley could only moan in response.

“I’ll take that as a yes, then.” Snuggling close, Sabrina returned to nuzzling Riley’s neck, sometimes licking or sucking on her earlobe, as her hand continued to work its wicked magic. Now that they were in the thick of it, she seemed to prefer taking her time, her fingers moving in a more leisurely way—sometimes sliding inside Riley, then pulling out, regularly brushing her clit but not focusing on it.

Riley wasn’t sure if it was just how excited she was, or due to Sabrina’s expertise, or a mix of both, or what, but God did it feel amazing. Nothing at all in common with the fumblings of Lucas, or even with Riley’s own forays into self-pleasure. Her breath getting increasingly shallow, she rode the waves as they churned and swelled inside her, cresting ever higher. Was she going to come already?

Before she could find out, Sabrina withdrew that talented hand from her panties. Confused and frustrated, Riley turned a reproachful gaze on the culprit. “Well, don’t stop now!”

Sabrina gave her an innocent Who, me? smile, then brought her hand to her mouth, slipped two fingers inside, and made a show of slowly sucking them clean. “Take off your pants,” was all she said.

Riley swallowed. Just a few seconds ago, she would have protested. There was no real need to take off her clothes, it was embarrassing and she’d been enjoying the proceedings just fine until then. But now, with an inkling of what Sabrina had in mind after that very suggestive display, she froze for only an instant, then obeyed without a word, first kicking off her sneakers, then lifting her butt up from the couch and pushing her jeans down and off.

Kneeling on the floor, Sabrina gently eased Riley’s legs apart. Without breaking eye contact, she began to slowly kiss her way up an inner thigh, sending delicious shivers up Riley’s spine. The kisses were getting juicier the higher she went, until she was licking at the edge of Riley’s panties.

Then she stopped, paused just long enough to flash one of those bad-girl smiles, then repeated the process on the other thigh. Once again, Sabrina allowed her tongue to explore tantalizingly close to the vulva, then abruptly pulled back, looking at Riley as if waiting for something.

“Oh my God, you’re such a tease!” Riley exclaimed, now beside herself with frustration.

Sabrina didn’t look bothered in the least. “What’s the magic word?” she sang, her eyes dancing with mischief.

“Seriously? Now?” Riley glared at the girl in utter disbelief. Really, though, what options did she have? Get dressed and go home, or dance to Sabrina’s tune. And that was no choice at all. “Fine!” she cried. “Pleas—”

Before Riley had even finished uttering the word—and before she knew what was happening—Sabrina had yanked the front of her panties to one side, then dove in, fastening her mouth to Riley’s opening,  her tongue darting inside.

The shock of sudden pleasure after all the anticipation and buildup drove all coherent thought from Riley’s mind. “Aaah! I— Oh, my— fuck!”

It felt amazing, Sabrina’s tongue skillfully dancing through the folds of Riley’s sex. How could something feel so good? Riley had often tried to imagine what it would feel like to have someone go down on her, but she’d seriously underestimated the magnitude of the real thing. Either that or Sabrina was just damn good at it, which would come as no surprise.

When she felt Sabrina pull away again, Riley had to beg, “Oh God, please, please don’t stop.”

“Don’t worry… I’m just taking these off,” Sabrina said, hooking her fingers in the waistband of Riley’s panties. There was a fire in her eyes that turned Riley to jelly inside.

Riley had never envisioned that she’d allow Sabrina to take off her panties on their first date, but now she was desperate to be out of them. She raised her ass so her undies could slide down and off, then sat back, her thighs spread wide apart, putting herself on display in the lewdest way. Right then, as turned on as she’d ever been, Riley loved the idea of being a dirty girl for Sabrina.

Thankfully, Sabrina wasted no time, putting her mouth back to work before Riley’s discarded panties could hit the floor. As she resumed her oral play, Sabrina used her hand to toy with the sparse tuft of red hair that adorned Riley’s vulva, occasionally dipping down to tease her clitoris. Meanwhile, Sabrina’s mouth was busy below, her skillful tongue alternately penetrating Riley and bathing her sex with long, lustful licks.

The part of Riley’s mind that wasn’t completely overwhelmed with pleasure was hypnotized by the live sex show taking place between her legs. Here was this amazingly gorgeous blonde—and God, somehow she got more attractive every time Riley looked at her!—down on her knees, nose buried in pubic hair, licking Riley’s pussy with abandon. Such a wanton sight, yet somehow beautiful, too. Riley was going mad with lust just from watching, especially when Sabrina turned those eyes up to meet hers.

Feeling self-conscious, despite knowing no one else was there to eavesdrop, Riley tried to stifle moans, but she just couldn’t keep quiet. Her cries grew louder and louder the longer Sabrina’s tongue worked its magic. If this was what lesbian sex normally felt like, she was hooked!

Sabrina began to focus solely on Riley’s clit, flicking it rapidly with her tongue, licking all around it, and adorning it with kisses, transforming those waves of pleasure into an approaching tsunami.

“Oh... my… God!” Riley wailed. She gripped the couch cushions with both hands, as if clinging for dear life. She’d thought the sensations were intense before, but now they were almost too much to bear. These feelings grew in mass, swelling, rapidly building into something too huge to touch, then that enormous wave came crashing down and she was swept away in a sea of bliss.

She was only vaguely aware of her body tensing, arching up from the couch as if she no longer had control of it. She might have screamed something unintelligible. In truth, it was hard to focus on any of it as her mind reveled in the best feeling in the world for what seemed like an eternity. Or at least, a lot longer than she would have expected. The tide of pleasure slowly receded, then faded into a beautiful emptiness.

As her senses gradually returned, Riley found herself breathing hard, blouse sticking to her sweaty skin, legs spread wide. “Holy shit,” she mumbled. Speaking, or moving at all, really, felt like a huge chore.

Sabrina popped into view, looking very pleased with herself. “So? Was I right, or what?”

She had to give credit where it was due. “God, you were so right. I… I don’t think I ever came so hard. You’re amazing.” Riley shook her head, trying to clear it a bit, then straightened up and closed her legs, suddenly aware of how slutty she must look. It was silly, sure, but she couldn’t keep from feeling a little embarrassed, now that she wasn’t blinded by lust.

Sabrina nodded graciously, as if she’d expected no less. Then without warning, she crawled up onto the couch and straddled Riley’s thighs. “And don’t you forget it,” she said with mock arrogance before swooping down to capture Riley’s mouth with her own.

The kiss revitalized Riley, pulling her out of her torpor. Soon, they were making out with renewed passion. Perhaps a little late, she realized that the tongue in her mouth had been licking her pussy just a minute ago, and felt a strange mix of distaste and arousal. There didn’t seem to be any weird flavor, though, so she put the former out of her mind. Before long, she found herself starting to like it.

God, Sabrina Taylor just ate me out, she thought, still dazed by the realization of it. Riley found herself getting excited all over again, and she intensified the ardor of her kisses. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do with her breath still somewhat ragged, and her glasses were all steamed up by the time they were done.

With a chuckle, Sabrina reached for Riley’s frames. “Want to take these off?”

“N-no.” Riley pushed her hand away. “Everything’s a blur without ‘em, and um… I want to see you clearly,” she admitted. It would be a shame to reduce Sabrina’s beauty to a mere smudge in her vision.

Sabrina smiled, striking a model-like pose. Then her expression turned mischievous, and she reached down to grasp the hem of her dress. “Wanna get an even better look?”

Riley swallowed hard as she pictured it. To see Sabrina naked. The wet dream of every straight boy at school, so casually offered to her. She wasn’t sure how it would make her feel, or what she’d do then... but there was only one way to find out. “Um, o-okay.”

In one smooth motion, Sabrina pulled her dress up and over her head, carelessly tossing it aside. She wore pink bikini-style panties underneath, but no bra, as Riley had guessed.

Her pulse racing, Riley drank in the view. Sabrinal looked every bit as amazing out of her clothes as she did in them. Classic hourglass figure, flat belly, proud breasts, everything perfectly proportioned. B cup? C? Riley wasn’t an expert, but Sabrina’s tits were certainly bigger than hers.

She’d been half-afraid that she just wouldn’t feel aroused by the sight of Sabrina in the nude, which would be more than a little awkward in their current situation. After all, she’d never really seen the appeal of the female body before—not that she’d spent much time looking at naked girls. But now it seemed she didn’t need to worry about that. The sight of Sabrina’s charms laid bare was sending a delicious surge of warmth through Riley’s own body.

The girl was simply a work of art. A sexy work of art. Riley didn’t know if it was something about Sabrina herself, or if the girl had somehow awakened some latent desire in her, but… Whatever the reason, this naked body had her feeling anything but indifferent.

“Wow. You’re, like… perfect,” she said, feeling a flush of heat on her face. “I don’t know if I should be excited, or just jealous.”

Sabrina gently nudged Riley back against the couch, still astride her lap. “Excited, if you please,” she said, holding Riley’s gaze—though, with her breasts near eye-level, it took some effort. “Believe me, you have nothing to be jealous about.” She pressed forward, seeking another kiss.

Even as she welcomed Sabrina’s tongue into her mouth, Riley had to wonder if the girl was just a touch crazy. Nothing to be jealous about? Literally every single feature of Sabrina’s body was more attractive than hers. How could she not see that? Surely she could do much better than Riley. Any bi-curious girl at school would fall at her feet. Hell, she could probably seduce most straight girls.

Still, despite her feelings of insecurity, Riley had to concede that she was the one getting kissed by Sabrina right now, and she wasn’t about to complain about it. Perhaps Sabrina wasn't like the guys Riley knew, who only cared about girls based on how "hot" they were. Sure would be nice to have someone who likes me for, well, me, Riley thought.

As they kissed, Riley’s hands instinctively moved to the small of Sabrina’s back. She’d touched her there before, but now the feel of soft, bare skin under her fingers made a world of difference. She began to caress Sabrina, running her hands up to the girl’s shoulder blades, then back down again, trailing over her sides. Her body was so smooth and silky, the scent of her skin positively intoxicating.

With her hands back at their starting point, she thought for a moment about sliding them lower still, onto Sabrina’s ass, then hesitated. In the end, Sabrina made the decision for her when she raised herself on her knees a little to push Riley into a deeper, more forceful kiss. Before she knew it, Riley found herself holding Sabrina’s butt. It felt nice and firm, and fit perfectly into her hands. She gave it a squeeze—that seemed like the right thing to do.

“Mmmm.” Sabrina finally pulled away, wearing a big smile.

Riley’s heart was racing again. That kiss had her head spinning, and touching Sabrina’s naked body at the same time made it all the more tantalizing. And now… actually, she wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen next.

Then, with a start, Riley realized that it was her turn to make Sabrina feel good. The girl was gazing down at her, still smiling, clearly waiting for Riley to make a move.

She studied Sabrina’s bare breasts, now mere inches from her face, and felt a sudden urge to touch them. Riley nervously moistened her lips, weighing the idea. Touching another girl’s boobs felt like a big step to take. Okay, that seemed a little silly after what had just happened, but still. Kissing was one thing, the obvious starting point. And of course, Sabrina had just gone down on her, which was huge, but Riley had only laid back and let herself be licked.

Now, to take an active role in the proceedings? Could she? Well, she couldn’t deny that those big tits were very alluring. At this point, why not? Sabrina certainly wouldn’t mind.

And so, Riley slowly ran one hand up Sabrina’s ribs until she could cup one tempting breast. It was soft but firm, perky. Sexy. She caressed the nipple with her thumb and it instantly stiffened, drawing a quick intake of breath from Sabrina.

Riley glanced up at her partner, offering a shy smile. She brought her other hand into play, then observed Sabrina’s reactions as she experimented with her boobs, squeezing, teasing, playing with the nipples. With each movement, Sabrina let out a little gasp or a soft moan.

Riley was enjoying this. A lot. Way more than she would have thought. Feeling up Sabrina was so sweet and sensual, and it fired her desire back to full intensity. She hoped she wasn’t leaving a puddle on the sofa cushion.

More than anything, she loved Sabrina’s response to her touch. The erotic sounds of pleasure, the look of lust on the girl’s beautiful face, the heady scent of womanly heat that perfumed the air, these were the things that turned Riley on the most. And she wanted more. With only an instant of hesitation, she leaned in closer and kissed one erect nipple, flicking it with her tongue.

A sharp hiss of pleasure was Sabrina’s immediate reaction. “Mmmm, Riley, yessss.”

Riley decided that she very much liked hearing a pretty girl moan her name. She did her best to please Sabrina even more, depositing kisses all over her breasts, licking the pert nipples, the underside of the tender globes, even between them, trailing her tongue through the girl’s cleavage. It tasted faintly salty from sweat, but wasn’t unpleasant—in fact, it was positively arousing, like sampling the flavor of Sabrina’s excitement.

The response was everything Riley hoped for and then some. Sabrina’s moans grew louder, her breath increasingly ragged. Riley wasn’t sure if it was conscious or not, but she felt Sabrina’s hips begin to move, undulating in her lap, the girl’s panties brushing against her belly. She could feel how wet Sabrina was, and it turned her on even more.

“I think I like these,” Riley said, grinning up at Sabrina, giving her boobs a final squeeze. She managed to admit it with only a remaining sliver of shyness.

“Mmmm, I’m real glad you do.” Bending down to steal a kiss, it was Sabrina’s turn to cop a feel through Riley’s blouse. “And what about you? Do I get to see, too?” she asked, biting her bottom lip, which—if such a thing was possible—made her look even sexier.

“Oh, err, mine aren’t really… that, uh, interesting,” Riley mumbled, suddenly ill at ease. There was no way her barely developed chest could compare to Sabrina’s flawless tits.

“Don’t be silly. Every single inch of you is lovely.” Sabrina kissed Riley again while undoing the buttons of her blouse.

Whether it was because she was dazzled by the compliment, distracted by the kiss, or just too hot and bothered to care, Riley let the girl undo her blouse and push it off her shoulders without breaking their kiss. She shrugged the top off completely as Sabrina’s hands came up to caress her bra-clad breasts, though it didn’t take long before they snaked around to undo the clasp and pull the bra off, leaving Riley completely naked.

That accomplished, Sabrina sat back to inspect the result of her mischief. Riley worried that she might see a hint of disappointment in Sabrina’s eyes, but somehow resisted the urge to cover her chest. In the end, though, all she saw in the other girl’s appreciative gaze was renewed desire and hunger. Riley let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

“Mmmm, you’re so fucking sexy,” Sabrina purred.

And just like that, the distance between them evaporated, and they were kissing again, more aggressively than before. Their mouths were crushed together, tongues sparring, hands roaming freely. From time to time, one of them would take a break from kissing to put her mouth to work on the other’s breasts and nipples. All the while, Sabrina was rolling her hips, grinding her panty-clad sex against Riley’ groin. The position and angle weren’t quite right to generate maximum pleasure, but Riley was definitely enjoying the delicious sensations the contact was sending through her body. Sabrina was breathing hard, moaning with each thrust—erotic music that Riley couldn’t get enough of.

“Why don’t you take these off?” Riley said, tugging on the waistband of Sabrina’s panties. Even to her ears, her voice sounded husky, thick with desire.

“Now that’s a great idea.” Grinning wickedly, Sabrina put a hand on Riley’s shoulders for support and pushed herself up until she was standing on the couch. Hooking her thumbs into the waistband, she began swaying her hips, pushing her panties down inch by inch.

Riley stared, wide-eyed. She suddenly felt like she was at a strip show—a very in-your-face one, the action literally a foot from her head—but she couldn’t deny what a sexy spectacle it was. Her eyes were glued to Sabrina as those pink panties slowly came down, first revealing a small patch of light brown pubes—a few shades darker than the hair on the Sabrina’s head—then below, the delicate folds of the girl’s labia, hairless and glistening with excitement.

Does she shave? The question briefly popped into Riley’s mind, then was promptly forgotten. It was hard to focus on anything beyond her hunger for Sabrina, which was all-consuming at this point. She hardly recognized herself; so shy and uncertain at the beginning of the evening, and now... Her only wish was to make this impossibly sexy girl in front of her come like she never had before, to make her scream Riley’s name in ecstasy.

With surprising grace, Sabrina managed to keep her balance as she stepped out of her panties while standing on the sofa cushions. She began to lower herself back into Riley’s lap, no doubt intending to pick up right where they’d left off, but Riley had other plans. While grinding against Sabrina had been delightful, Riley now hungered for a more visceral approach. She gave the girl a gentle shove, causing her to tumble to the other side of the couch.

“Heeeey!” Sabrina tried for a reproachful look, but her laughter kind of ruined the effect.

Riley didn’t waste any time. She was an animal in heat, consumed by naked lust. Thrusting a hand between Sabrina’s thighs, she cupped the girl’s sex, feeling her soaked vulva. God, she was wet—though, to be fair, probably no wetter than Riley herself.

Sabrina’s amusement was abruptly transformed into ecstasy. “Oh God, fuck, yes!”

Riley leaned over to muffle her partner’s moans with a kiss, receiving an immediate and enthusiastic response. As their tongues mingled, she wriggled a finger into Sabrina. Juicy as the girl was, Riley was able to penetrate her with ease, so she decided to add a second finger. It was a slightly tighter fit but a comfortable one, and she began to slowly pump her fingers in and out.

It didn’t take long before Sabrina, now struggling to draw breath, had to break theIr kiss. “God, Riley…” she moaned, “that—Ah! That feels so good!”

Riley dipped down to shower affection on Sabrina’s breasts, licking all around the very stiff nipples, then playfully biting them—all the while delighting in her partner’s moans, in the salty taste of her skin, in the slick, fleshy warmth squeezing her fingers.

Before long Sabrina was moving her hips, pushing back against Riley’s hand on each thrust. Riley had kept her movements steady and careful, not wanting to hurt her partner, but if Sabrina wanted more force, she could certainly oblige.

Adjusting her position so she could drive even deeper, Riley began to finger Sabrina’s pussy with more vigor, plunging her fingers all the way in, then withdrawing almost completely before pressing forward again. She usually wasn’t this aggressive when doing it to herself, but there was something extremely exciting about penetrating Sabrina like this.

And the girl was obviously enjoying it, groaning loudly now. She was even using her feet—one on the couch, one on the floor—to raise her hips up from the cushion, meeting Riley’s movements with hard thrusts of her own. Locking her feverish eyes with Riley’s, she gasped, “Mmmm, yeah—do it. F-fuck me.”

The words inflamed Riley’s desire, whipped it into a raging inferno. Yes, she was fucking Sabrina. And it was the sexiest, most arousing, most beautiful thing imaginable. Without missing a stroke, she feasted her eyes on the mewling girl. Sabrina’s legs were splayed wide, her skin glistened with sweat, strands of hair were plastered to her forehead, her eyes rolled back in ecstasy. She was so damn sexy, maybe now more than ever. Had there really been a universe in which Riley wasn’t hot for Sabrina? The very idea seemed ridiculous.

It was a good thing no one else was home, because Sabrina’s cries kept getting louder and louder. Riley began to wonder if the neighbors might be a problem, but couldn’t make herself care. No, she wanted to make Sabrina scream the house down, to get more intimate with her. Wilder. More… dirty.

She eyed Sabrina’s pussy, nervously moistening her lips. Did she dare?

Before Riley had even made a conscious decision, she was moving, crouching between the girl’s legs, withdrawing those wet fingers from her sex.

Sabrina’s reaction was immediate. “Oh God, don’t stop!” she pleaded. Then, suddenly realizing what Riley was going for, she said, “Oh. You, um… you don’t have to,” even as her eyes begged Riley to do just that.

Riley didn’t pause to think about what she was doing, just allowed her lust to take over. Leaning forward, she plunged her tongue between Sabrina’s labia and gave a big, messy lick from the opening of her vagina up to her clit.

The scent was thick and strong, with a rich, tangy taste, but it wasn’t at all bad, to her relief. In fact, Riley found herself enjoying it more with every lick. The taste of Sabrina’s arousal. How fucking hot was that?

“Oh God, yes!!” Sabrina cried. She twined her fingers through Riley’s hair--not exactly pushing her head down, just providing gentle encouragement.

Riley didn’t think the girl was in a mood to take things slowly, so she immediately centered her attention on Sabrina’s clitoris. She’d never done anything like this before, but it didn’t take a genius to deduce what would feel good—and of course, Sabrina had already given her a very skillful demonstration of pussy-licking moments earlier. Immersing herself in the task at hand, she flicked the girl’s clit with her tongue, licked around it, lightly sucked at the swollen tip, even slid a finger back into Sabrina’s vagina and rolled it around, massaging the inner walls. Whatever it took to drive her partner wild, Riley was determined to make that happen.

Sure enough, Sabrina’s cries were becoming increasingly urgent. She squirmed, grinding her sex against Riley’s mouth, clearly desperate for release. But she didn’t have long to wait. After a minute or two, she moaned, “Yes yes yes… Oh! Riley! Oh!” Then her body went rigid, shaking with tension as her orgasm hit, long wordless cries issuing from her throat.

As these sounds of ecstasy gradually faded, Riley also slowed her movements, then gently withdrew, giving Sabrina’s pussy a final kiss. She sat up, licking her lips, gazing down at the limp body of her sex partner. Her… girlfriend? That might well be the appropriate word to use after what had just happened, and Riley realized that she didn’t mind the idea, not at all. In fact, it made her smile.

She could hardly believe she’d just had sex—actually licked Sabrina’s pussy—but she felt… content. Happy, even. She’d rushed headlong into this crazy thing, and now all she wanted was to snuggle up to the girl. That seemed like a good sign.

So she did just that, lying down next to Sabrina. It was a tight fit on the couch, but that only made it nicer, more romantic.

Sabrina’s eyes fluttered open, and she gave Riley a sleepy smile. “Mmmm. Wow. You’re good. Wonderful, even.”

“T-thanks. That was, um… interesting.” To say the least.

Sabrina chuckled. “ ‘Interesting’, huh? Well, I hope I can tempt you into doing it again some time. Then we can shoot for ‘spectacular’, or ‘stupendous’.”

“I think I’ll have to take you up on that.” They grinned at each other, then kissed. A gentle, relaxed kiss, more affectionate than urgent. “Um, I still kinda can’t believe all this went down, but seriously, it was… great. All of it.” Riley couldn’t even tell which part she’d enjoyed the most. As amazing as her own orgasm had felt, making Sabrina come had also been an unbelievably sexy experience.

“I know, right? You’re welcome,” Sabrina murmured, giving Riley a wink.

Laughing, Riley raised herself up on one elbow. She spent some time openly admiring Sabrina’s nude body. The girl watched, a small smile on her lips, which brought some heat to Riley’s face. She took a deep breath. This was about to get way more embarrassing, but she needed to say it. “You’re… so gorgeous. Have I told you that yet?”

Sabrina’s eyebrows rose up, she looked pleasantly surprised. “Not in so many words. Um, thanks. Glad you think so.” There was a hint of a blush on Sabrina’s cheeks as well now, and it was the cutest thing. Riley might just have to offer her compliments more often. “And you’re just as gorgeous,” the girl added.

Riley shook her head. “You’re crazy.”

“Seriously!”

“If you say so.” Riley gave her a dubious look, but didn’t argue the point. She wasn’t really going to complain about being called gorgeous.

Sabrina took on a smug air as if she had won an argument, though, so Riley reached out for one of the girl’s breasts and gave it a squeeze, rubbing the nipple with her thumb—partly to shut her up, partly because, well, she just wanted to.

“Mmm.” Sabrina watched expectantly, perhaps wondering if Riley intended to do more.

Riley had no specific plan in mind, but she did enjoy running her fingers over Sabrina’s body, so she trailed her hand down in a slow caress until it rested on that flat belly. Glancing further down at the patch of pubic hair, she was reminded of something.

“I was wondering earlier… Did you, like, shave for tonight? Down there, I mean.”

“Oh, um, yeah. I thought, you know, just in case.” Sabrina flashed a sheepish smile.

“Just in case, huh? Wait, did you plan all this?”

Sabrina raised her hands in protest. “Hey, hey, I didn’t plan anything. It was just… on the off chance that things went really, really well, I thought it would look nice.”

“Well, it does look nice,” Riley conceded. She couldn’t argue with the results: Sabrina’s bare pussy lips looked decidedly sexy. She ran her fingers through the sparse hair up above. “Wait, is this like a lesbian thing? Am I supposed to shave, too? ‘Cause that sounds like a pain in the ass.”

Sabrina snorted. “It was kind of a pain, I’ll admit. Dunno, some girls like it that way, I guess. You don’t have to shave for me, I like your hair.” Her smile grew coy. “Especially since the carpet matches the drapes.”

Riley tilted her head, confused. “What?”

“You never heard that before?” Sabrina chuckled. She reached out for a strand of Riley’s red hair. “Drapes,” she explained. Then she moved her hand below, tickling Riley’s pubes. “Carpet.”

“Oh. Jeez, you’re obsessed.”

Sabrina shrugged. “Hey, what can I say? Girls with red hair get me hot.”

“Is this something else you liked about… what’s her name, Eva? Did her carpet match her drapes?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Riley wondered why she’d brought that topic up again. It made her sound so childish. She should just be happy to have Sabrina’s interest, but couldn’t help feeling insecure about her relative lack of experience with other girls, her appearance, everything.

Sabrina made a face. “Are you still thinking about her? Jeez, stop it. Okay, firstly, I don’t know about her ‘carpet’ because”—she smirked—”she didn’t have any back then. Remember, we were just kids.”

“Oh, God.” Riley had overlooked that little detail.

“Secondly, don’t do the jealous girlfriend thing, that’s not cute. I’m with you now.” Sabrina’s hand had still been playing with Riley’s pubic hair, and now she ventured inside, slipping a finger between her pussy lips. “You get me?”

Riley gasped, then quickly nodded. It was true, she was being silly. “Yeah, sorry.” To smooth things over, she leaned in close to claim Sabrina’s mouth in a tender kiss.

She’d assumed that Sabrina had only touched her to make a point, but that finger remained between Riley’s legs, idly playing with the folds of her sex.

She studied Sabrina with a mounting excitement. “Mmmm. Are we… doing it again?”

The girl flashed her a saucy grin. “Wanna?”

“Well…” Riley only thought about it for half a second, then grinned back. “Sure.” Of course she did; why would she pass up the chance to share even more pleasure with this amazing girl?

Sabrina’s hand pressed more firmly against Riley’s slit, heightening the delicious sensations. Though she’d already come once, Riley was definitely up for another round. Hoping Sabrina felt the same way, she slipped a hand between the girl’s legs, finding her wet and ready.

They lay side by side, eyes locked, each fingering the other. Their breaths grew irregular, soft sounds of pleasure escaping their lips.

“So, um… ‘g-girlfriend,’ huh?” Riley said haltingly, just then registering the word Sabrina used a moment ago.

“Oh. I guess I… Mmmm… I did say it like that. Was that too… uh, forward?”

Riley shook her head. “No. I… I like it.” They smiled at each other—a romantic exchange as their fingers continued their dirty work.

Riley loved the sight of pleasure flashing on Sabrina’s face. Sabrina Taylor… my girlfriend. The thought was strange and delightful and exciting all at once. It somehow intensified her own pleasure. She noticed that Sabrina was watching her just as intently, and wondered if the girl felt the same way.

Their fingers continued to dance, sometimes slipping into a vagina, sometimes sliding between juicy labia, sometimes teasing a clit, always bringing wonderful sensations. It was unhurried and playful, but the pressure was slowly and surely building. Riley was on the verge of blissful release when Sabrina briefly tweaked her clitoris, but then withdrew her hand.

“What? Nooo,” Riley whined, a bit frustrated.

“Wait for me,” Sabrina murmured. “Let’s get off together, okay?”

“Huh? Oh! Okay, sure,” Riley said. It would be even better for them to come at the same time.

Riley intensified her efforts with renewed urgency, sliding two fingers inside her partner while using her thumb to stroke the clit. For her part, Sabrina slowed her movements just enough to keep Riley on the edge.

Soon, Sabrina was panting hard. “Mmmm, yessss… I’m so close. You ready?”

Riley nodded vigorously. She couldn’t be more ready.

Then Sabrina touched her clit in just the right way, and Riley cried out as she climaxed. Barely a second later, Sabrina followed suit, groaning loudly and closing her thighs around the hand pleasuring her.

Riley struggled to keep her eyes open through the orgasmic haze. She didn’t want to miss the sight of Sabrina’s face contorted in ecstasy. Her partner seemed to feel the same, and their gazes remained locked as they came, their busy hands pushing them to greater heights of rapture. The shared climax felt like a deep intimate connection, their bodies truly joined in some blissful symbiosis.

Riley’s orgasm didn’t quite reach the heights of the previous one, but sharing it with her girlfriend in this special way made it just as wonderful. Besides, it was the second-best orgasm she’d ever had, which wasn’t too shabby.

They slowly came down from their ecstatic high, catching their breath, smiling at each other. Their bodies were molded together, no space in between. Sabrina had wrapped both arms around Riley’s neck at some point, and Riley twined hers about the girl’s waist, thinking that she’d be happy for this moment to go on forever.

“So, I trust you enjoyed date night?” Sabrina said, flashing that naughty grin that Riley had come to love.

“Well, it sure took a turn I didn’t expect,” Riley replied with a laugh. “But yeah, I did. Very much.”

“Are we on for The Two Towers tomorrow, then?”

“Oh, for sure. We can’t watch only one part of the trilogy, you know?” Riley found her thoughts straying away from the movie, though. “Say… are your parents gonna be home after?”

Sabrina’s smile widened. “I like how you think! But… yeah, they’ll probably be home, sorry to say.”

“Damn.” Hard to believe it had come so quickly to this, but Riley had already concluded that from now on, any day without sex with Sabrina would be dull and uninteresting.

Thinking about the future suddenly reminded her that time existed and that there was something important about it. “Wait. Shit. What time is it?”

“Uh…” Sabrina twisted her neck to peer up at a wall clock. “11:15.”

“Oh, fuck. I was supposed to be home 15 minutes ago!”

Sabrina winced. “Uh-oh. Are you in trouble?”

“I hope not!”

Not without regret, Riley disentangled herself from Sabrina’s body, then scrambled into her clothes as quickly as she could—with some difficulty, as they clung to her still sweaty skin. Sabrina, remaining completely naked, escorted her to the door.

“Well…” Riley paused to drink in the sight of her new girlfriend’s body. Could I really be this lucky? She couldn’t find the words to express everything she felt at that moment, so instead, she stepped closer and gave Sabrina a passionate farewell kiss, hoping that would say it all for her. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Maybe. If I’m not grounded.”

* * *

Riley eased the apartment door open, trying to be as quiet as possible. Not that she’d have much luck with that, though; she was still breathing hard after pedaling as fast as she could all the way back home. She noticed light and the sound of the TV coming from the living room, anyway, so Dad was still up.

She sheepishly poked her head through the doorway. “Hey… sorry I’m late,” she murmured, trying to sound as contrite as possible. “I um… kinda lost track of the time.”

“I take it that things went well, then?” He didn’t sound angry, at least.

“Yeah. Things went… great, actually.” She hoped there wasn’t enough light for him to see her blush. “Turns out, I really, really like her.”

Her dad considered that for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah? Well, that’s good. I’m happy for you, hon. I’ll have to meet this Sabrina sometime soon.”

“Sure. We were actually gonna see the second movie tomorrow…” She paused for an objection, but none came. Apparently, she wasn’t grounded. Relieved, she continued, “So maybe we could come here after, so you two can meet…?”

“Ah, well, I’m going to your uncle Steve’s tomorrow night, in fact, so it will have to be another time.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Yeah, another time, then.” Riley tried to sound disappointed, but inwardly she was capering with glee. Oh yeah, they were definitely coming here tomorrow, though for a very different, better reason.

Making her way to her room, Riley glanced at her phone out of habit and saw that she’d received a message from Mike. He’d probably sent it while she was frantically pedaling home, in too much of a hurry to notice.

How’d it go? he was asking.

Riley thought about it for a minute. It was difficult to convey how wonderfully the evening had gone—how much the experience might have changed her life, even! In the end, she just sent back three heart emojis. In her estimation, it was best to go with pictures when you couldn’t find the right words.

That much, huh? he replied a moment later.

Got a second date tomorrow, Riley added.

Haha. Wow. At this rate, you’re gonna have to decide pretty soon if you’re ready to eat pussy or not, he wrote, probably thinking he was being funny. If he only knew.

Riley was half-tempted to brag, but no, she wasn’t the type to kiss and tell. Or lick and tell, for that matter. Keeping it subtle, she sent back, let’s just say that the Ice Queen isn’t as cold as I thought. The opposite, really.

What’s that supposed to mean? Something happen?

Riley smiled as she turned off her phone without replying. Let him dwell on that.

She quickly got ready for bed, then crawled beneath the covers, suddenly worn out after the events of the day. Wondering what it would be like to share a bed with Sabrina, it didn’t take long before Riley slipped into a lovely dream about her new girlfriend.