The Weight of Waiting

I looked away, my throat tight. “Nothing,” I mumbled. “Forget it.”

“No,” Riley insisted, stepping closer. “Tell me. What is it about Claire that’s got you so worked up?”

I couldn’t take it anymore – the jealousy, the fear, the years of unspoken feelings. It all came pouring out, my voice rising with each word.

“Because she’s everything I’m not!” I burst out. “She’s charming and beautiful and you were looking at her like--”

I stopped myself again, but Riley wasn’t letting me off the hook.

“Like what?” she pressed, her eyes flashing. “Like what, Morgan?”

I took a shaky breath, my heart hammering in my chest. “Like you wanted her,” I whispered.

Riley stared at me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then, to my surprise, she laughed – a harsh, humorless sound.

“Unbelievable,” she muttered, shaking her head. “You know, for someone so observant, you can be really fucking dense sometimes.”

I flinched, her words hitting me like a physical blow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Riley threw up her hands in frustration. “It means that I wasn’t looking at Claire like I wanted her. I was looking at her like I wished I could talk to you the way she talks to her customers. Like I wished I could make you laugh like that.”

I blinked, my anger fading into confusion. “What?”

“I like you, Morgan!” Riley burst out. “I’ve liked you for years! But you’ve always been so… so you. So closed off and untouchable. I didn’t think you’d ever see me as anything more than a friend.”

I stared at her, my mouth dry. “You… you like me?”

“Yes!” Riley exclaimed. “God, yes. But you never gave me any indication that you felt the same way. And then today, with Claire, I thought… I thought if you saw me with someone else, maybe you’d--”

She cut herself off, looking away. “It was stupid.”

“No,” I said slowly, my heart starting to race. “Not stupid.”

Riley looked up at me, her eyes wide and vulnerable. “What?”

I took a step toward her, my hands trembling at my sides. “I… I like you too,” I whispered. “I have for a long time.”

Riley’s breath caught, her eyes searching mine. “You do?”

I nodded, my throat tight. “So much.”

For a long moment, neither of us moved. Then, slowly, Riley reached out, her fingers brushing my arm.

“Morgan--” she started, but I didn’t let her finish. I closed the distance between us, my lips meeting hers in a kiss that was everything I’d ever wanted and nothing like I’d imagined.

The kiss was a revelation, a homecoming, a question and an answer all at once. Riley’s lips were soft against mine, her breath warm, her hands tentative as they settled on my hips. I could taste the salt of the sea on her skin, smell the faint scent of turpentine and sunshine that always clung to her.

We broke apart slowly, my heart hammering against my ribs. Riley’s eyes were wide, her lips parted, her expression a mix of wonder and fear.

“Morgan,” she whispered, her voice rough. “Are you sure?”

In answer, I took her hand, lacing our fingers together. “Come on,” I murmured, tugging her toward the door.

The beach was deserted, the moon casting a silver path across the water. The sand was cool beneath our feet, the only sound the rhythmic crash of waves against the shore.

We walked in silence, our shoulders brushing, our hands still clasped tight. My mind was racing, my thoughts a tangled mess of hope and fear and longing.

It was Riley who spoke first, her voice barely audible over the roar of the sea.

“I’ve wanted this for so long,” she confessed, her thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand. “But I was afraid. Afraid you didn’t feel the same way. Afraid I’d ruin everything.”

I squeezed her fingers, my heart aching. “I was afraid too,” I admitted softly. “Afraid of what would happen if I told you the truth. Afraid of losing you.”

Riley stopped walking, turning to face me. The moonlight glinted off her hair, her eyes deep pools of shadow. “You could never lose me,” she said fiercely. “No matter what.”

I believed her. I had to.

We found a spot in the shelter of the dunes, the tall grass whispering around us. Riley spread out the blanket we’d brought, and we sank down onto it, our knees brushing.

For a long moment, neither of us moved. Then, slowly, I reached out, my fingers trembling as I brushed a stray lock of hair from Riley’s face.

She leaned into my touch, her eyes fluttering closed. “Morgan,” she breathed.

“Riley,” I whispered back.

And then we were kissing again, slow and deep, our bodies pressing close. Riley’s hands slid under my shirt, her palms warm against the small of my back. I shivered, my skin prickling with goosebumps.

“Cold?” Riley murmured against my lips.

I shook my head. “No,” I managed. “Just… overwhelmed.”

She smiled, her teeth flashing in the moonlight. “Me too.”

We undressed each other slowly, taking our time, savoring each new inch of exposed skin. My sweater, her t-shirt, my jeans, her shorts – they fell away until we were clad only in our underwear, our bodies pale against the dark blanket.

Riley’s hands were everywhere, tracing the curve of my waist, the swell of my hips, the sensitive skin of my inner thighs. I gasped as she brushed against the damp fabric of my panties, my hips bucking involuntarily.

“Please,” I whimpered, my fingers digging into her shoulders.

She chuckled, low and wicked, her breath hot against my ear. “Patience,” she murmured.

But I’d been patient for ten years. I was done waiting.

With a growl, I flipped us over, pinning Riley beneath me. She laughed, her eyes sparkling with delight as I hovered over her, my hair falling around us like a curtain.

“Morgan,” she sighed, her hands sliding up my arms to curl around my neck. “My practical, perfect Morgan.”

“Yours,” I agreed, dipping my head to kiss her again.

We lost ourselves in the kiss, in the slide of skin against skin, in the desperate press of bodies yearning for more. Riley’s legs wrapped around my waist, her heels digging into the small of my back as she arched against me.

“Please,” she panted, her fingers tangling in my hair. “Morgan, please.”

I knew what she was asking for. I wanted it too.

Slowly, so slowly, I slid down her body, pressing open-mouthed kisses to her collarbone, her chest, her stomach. Riley writhed beneath me, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps.

“Morgan,” she keened, her hands fisting in the blanket. “Oh god, Morgan.”

I hooked my fingers in the waistband of her panties, tugging them down her legs and tossing them aside. She was wet, so wet, her arousal glistening in the moonlight.

I parted her with my thumbs, my breath ghosting over her heated flesh. “Beautiful,” I whispered.

Riley whimpered, her hips bucking. “Please.”

I didn’t make her wait any longer.

The first touch of my tongue was electric, a jolt of pure sensation that shot through us both. Riley cried out, her back arching off the blanket as I licked her, slow and deliberate, savoring her taste.

She was sweet and salty, like the sea, like home. I could have stayed there forever, lost in the feel of her, the sound of her breathy moans, the way her fingers tugged at my hair.

But Riley was impatient, her hips rocking against my mouth, seeking more, seeking friction. I gave it to her, circling her clit with the tip of my tongue before sucking it into my mouth.

She came apart with a shout, her body shuddering, her thighs clamping around my ears. I rode out her orgasm, my tongue gentling as she sagged against the blanket, boneless and sated.

When I lifted my head, she was smiling, her eyes heavy-lidded, her cheeks flushed. “Wow,” she breathed.

I crawled back up her body, settling into the cradle of her hips. “Hi,” I whispered, brushing a kiss to her smiling lips.

She hummed, her arms wrapping around me, her hands sliding down my back to cup my ass. “Hi yourself.”

We lay like that for a long moment, trading lazy kisses, our bodies still intertwined. Then Riley’s fingers dipped beneath the waistband of my panties, her touch questioning.

“Can I?” she murmured.

I nodded, my breath catching in my throat. “Yes.”

She took her time, exploring every inch of me with gentle fingers and reverent touches. I closed my eyes, losing myself in the feel of her, in the way she seemed to know exactly how to touch me, how to make me tremble and gasp and plead.

When her fingers finally pushed inside me, I saw stars. She curled them, finding that perfect spot, and I came undone, my orgasm crashing over me like a wave.