Starting from Scratch

The fire crackles behind you as you do your best to find a comfortable position on the log you rolled over. The sun is starting to finally inch over the horizon for the final light of the day, but you've got other things on your mind besides watching the sunset. Your phone lights up your face in a bright white, washing out the dull orange of the fire trying to illuminate everything. You wipe across your forehead, half in frustration and half to wipe some sweat off. Your eyes trace back across the clearing the two of you set up camp at the edge of. The view is absolutely beautiful at the top of this hill, looking down into the overgrown grass to see the sun creeping down behind the trees across the way. Dealing with all these emails is the last thing you want to do, but you wanted something nice to add to the evening for Vinyl. Your thumb scrolls through the seemingly never-ending list of emails, frustration quickly growing like a fire in your belly as you wait for the minuscule signal to load each one, only for it to read out the standard rejection phrases.

'We're sorry, but...'

'Thank you for your interest, but...'

'Unfortunately, we're not looking for anyone at this time...'

So many instances of 'but' and 'unfortunately' read out in each and every email you almost wish they'd just put a big fat 'NO' in the subject header just to save you some time. You grip your phone tighter and almost let out an irritated scream as you see that buffering icon show up again at the end of the list, but you do your best to suppress it—the last thing you need is for Vinyl to rush back and ask you what the deal is.

You tell yourself just another page before you give it up. You must've checked at least a hundred by now and the crackling fire and the unopened marshmallows and graham crackers sound better than this right about now. You flip through a few more, ready to throw it back in your car for the night when you finally see it: a message without a 'but' or 'unfortunately. Your eyes go wide with surprise as you read through it. They actually loved the samples you sent them and are asking if she'd be interested in working for them at their studio, offering an audio editing position where she can use the equipment to record. You have to blink a few times just to make sure you read everything right. You almost hop out of your seat and rush over to Vinyl to show her, that is until you spot the company banner at the bottom stating the address and contact information. Your heart drops as you realize the company is stationed clear across the country. You didn't realize you sent that many applications out that far.

The excitement quickly fades as you imagine all the ways you might try to make it work. Your beat-up car sure as hell wouldn't make it that far, and even then you don't have the money to get both of you set up that far away. You could buy one plane ticket with the savings you have now, but two would put you in the red and even then you run into the same problem of not having any money to get by once you're there. A sinking feeling grows in your stomach as you realize what has to happen. You let out a dejected sigh at the thought. At least you guys haven't been together that long.

The unceremonious rattling of sticks clattering to the ground breaks you out of your trance. Vinyl immediately breaks you out of your depressive state as she hops over the log to plant herself beside you.

"And just what do you think you're doing? We're supposed to be hanging out, not playing Angry Birds," she says with a nudge of her elbow against your arm.

You clear your throat for a moment, doing your best to hide the feelings bubbling up inside. "Oh, I was just checking some emails. Work can't give me a break, and all that."

"Well, they can stuff it. It can't be that important," she says as she grabs your phone out of your hands and chucks it onto the blankets in the tent. "This trip was supposed to be fun, remember?"

"Yeah... well, what should entertain ourselves with here in the great outdoors then?"

A sly smile grows on Vinyl's face. "Oh, I have a few ideas." She sets her chin on your shoulder and gives you that knowing expression before quickly jumping off the log with a sudden realization. "Oh! You need to open your present."

Before you can protest Vinyl is already off like a shot to the trunk of your car, popping it open and dragging out her massive, wrapped cardboard box. She sprints over with the gift in her hands and plops it onto your lap with an excited grin. "Come on, open it!" she says, her eyes darting between you and the present.

You can't help but let a grin cross your face as well with her giddy attitude right there. You pull at the wrapping and tear open the cardboard to find a black case inside the box. A strange mix of feelings fills your gut as you look down at the familiar shell. The box slips away from your lap and you click open the clasps on the instrument case.

The familiar scuffs and bumps of the stained wood revealed themselves to you in the soft fur of the case. It's the viola from the music store in all its beaten-up glory.

"Vinyl..." you say, remember the price tag on it.

"You love it, right? Now you've got something to do besides watch cable and jack off all day."

"This is too much. You're going to need that money."

Vinyl shakes her head. "I've still got money saved up, dude. I wanted to get you something for being such a good friend... well, boyfriend now. Plus you need something to cheer you up while I'm out."

"But this thing was like two hundred dollars. You're going to need that for..." your voice drops and you look away. "You'll just need it pretty soon."

"Oh, don't be a debbie downer, man. I know it wasn't cheap, but just think of it as an early anniversary present or something. Plus if you take it back and give me the money I'll get drunk and start crying again."

You let out a little laugh as you stare down at the instrument. "Well, it turned out pretty well last time, I think."

"Yeah, well next time I'm gonna get hella drunk and the blowjob is gonna have way too much teeth action."

"Okay, okay. It is a really nice gift. Thank you, Vinyl," you say, closing the clasps back and setting it on the ground before leaning over to give your girlfriend a loving hug.

Vinyl leans into the gesture and gives you a loving squeeze. "Life sucks a lot less with you in it," she whispers into your shoulder.

You want to smile and just enjoy the moment, but the sinking feeling in your stomach refuses to subside. The caring gesture quickly turns bittersweet in your mind as you try to count how many days you realistically have left with her. At least tonight won't be that bad.

Vinyl gives you a playful punch on the shoulder again. "What's with the frowns tonight? We've got the woods to ourselves, no neighbors, and enough snacks to make us sick. What's got you down?"

You take in a deep breath and do your best to put a smile back on for her. The last thing you wanted was to sour this memory before she left. "Just getting caught up in some bad thoughts without realizing it. You're right, I definitely just need to eat candy until I vomit."

Vinyl lets out a chuckle and gives you a few pats on the back. "Now that's the spirit. Why don't you break out your viola and play me some tunes? I could use some serenading to go with my hot dogs."

The smile on your face is a little more genuine now as you look at hers. "Sure, why not."

"Nice." Vinyl hops back over the log and drops herself by the pan full of freshly-cooked franks, crossing her legs and giving you an expecting look. You oblige her by clicking open the clasps again and pulling out the instrument and its bow, giving it a once-over as you spin around on the log to face her. Vinyl grabs the first of the hot dogs and shoves it into her mouth without any buns or condiments and you entice your crowd by plucking at the strings and making sure everything was properly tuned. You straighten up your posture and put the glossy wood up to your chin, the memories of playing it in high school flooding back into your memories. You look down to Vinyl before you start, spotting her fiddling around with her own phone for a moment.

"Do you want to be serenaded or do you want to play Angry Birds?" you ask her.

She rolls her eyes and sets her phone down in the dirt in front of her. "Oh, shush. Just give me that sweet music already."

You give her a playful smile before you look back up the strings. You do your best aristocratic musician impression and close your eyes to feel the notes pour out of the instrument. You let the long vibrations sing out with every note, your fingers running up and down the neck and twisting with the occasional vibrato. You go through the list of songs in your mind, trying to organize them from bombastic and grand to melancholic and slow as you try to be the best one-man symphony you can be. The rhythm slowly returns to you with each passing bar, your old instincts from practicing finally kicking in, allowing you to even improvise some of the parts you'd forgotten.

You only occasionally open your eyes between notes, seeing Vinyl on her belly with her feet in the air and her chin in her hands like she's watching Saturday morning cartoons or something. You smile back to her and play until your fingers hurt and the sun sinks lower in the sky until the only thing left in the world is you and Vinyl being absorbed in the music as the soft flicker of the fire illuminates you. Finally, you run out of material and draw the bow across the strings one final time, letting the final note sing out before you let the viola fall from the sore spot you'd just created on your neck.

You take in a deep breath, relieved to not have to hold that stiff pose any longer. Vinyl on the other hand starts clapping like a madman and giving you various cheers as you set the viola back into its case.

"Now that's what I call a serenade. I feel like one of those love interests on the Mexican soap operas now."

You smile down at her. "Well, I don't know if that's quite what I was going for, but I'm glad you liked it."

Vinyl spins her phone around and taps around on it real quick before looking back up to you. "I loved it, dude. You better practice all the time now so I can get this treatment more often."

"I'll be sure to try," you say, your heart sinking slightly as you wonder how many more times she'll actually be around to enjoy it. You purse your lips as your eyes flick over to the tent. Your heart starts beating faster in anticipation as you wonder what she might say. You take in a deep breath and decide nows a better time than ever.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asks as you get up off of your log and make your way over to your tent. "Oh come on, am I not more interesting than Angry Birds? I thought we were having a moment here?" she says with a playful smile as you grab your phone out of the tent.

"We are, Vinyl. I actually just wanted to show you something," you say as you push the power button and flip back over to the acceptance email. With a shaky hand, you offer it to her and sit down in the dirt beside her.

"What, an email? What could possibly be..." she starts as she squints at your screen with some apprehension. She brings it up closer to her face and her expression slowly brightens up with a huge smile like a firework going off in slow motion.

"Don't ask me how I got them, but I sent some of your songs out to a few companies and this one wants to hire you," you say, a smile forming on your face as you watch her world come alive.

"OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod." Vinyl bounces up and down in place with giddiness as she reads it over. "Is this for real? Someone really wants to give me a music job?"

"Yeah, it's for real. They want you to start as soon as you can."

She looks between you and the phone, her excited smile turning to a hint of curiosity. "But how did you find my music? Was it really mine? Oh man this is so cool."

"I just said don't..." you shake your head and roll your eyes. "I found some of it on your phone while you were sleeping. I wanted it to be a surprise."

Vinyl tosses the flip phone back into the tent and is on top of you before you can even react. She wraps her arms around your head and pulls you in tight for a long, slow kiss. You melt into the feeling and slowly bring your arms up to her side to hold her.

Vinyl finally breaks free and looks down at you with some sultry bedroom eyes that sparked an aroused warmth inside you, waking up a certain someone in your pants to start pitching its own tent. "Thank you," she says, leaning down to give you another peck on the lips.

"I'm glad I could make you happy somehow."

A sly smile crosses her face. "Oh, I am very happy right now. I want to make you happy too. You know..." Vinyl leans down to whisper in your ear, her tone suddenly turning sultry. "There's a reason I distracted you from buying a second sleeping bag."

You blink up at her a few times, realizing too late that's what you'd forgotten. "I guess we'll have to make do."

Vinyl snakes her hands down your shirt and underneath the trim, slowly raising it up to reveal your stomach to the warmth of the fire. "I guess so..."

You return the gesture and start sliding Vinyl's tank top up her body, revealing her soft, pale midriff to you as you both take turns trading kisses and working your clothes off each other. You both slide yourselves into the tent, not bothering to close the flap as you go at it. Before you know it you flip Vinyl's shirt and bra off of her body entirely, throwing them haphazardly in a corner as you finally get a look at her beautiful breasts, just barely visible in the soft flicker of the firelight. Vinyl rips your shirt off as well and leans down to steal another kiss, letting her tongue dance with yours as your bare bodies finally connect.

The feeling of her wonderfully soft skin sends jolts of pleasure through your body, making you squirm around under her just to feel the warm, tender touch of her breasts rubbing up against you. Your hands caress down Vinyl's sides, eliciting a soft coo into your mouth as she makes out with you. Your fingers finally find their target against the waistline of her jeans and you quickly snake them around to unbutton them. Vinyl breaks the kiss to look down at you with those sultry eyes, biting her lip as she slides off of you to give you a better position to slip her jeans down her thighs.

Sinful urges quickly take hold as you lean over her and slide the jeans down past her knees, revealing her smooth, wet pussy as it glistens in the orange light. You pull everything off of her, quick to get the shoes and socks out of the way as well. Vinyl curls up into the blanket, still biting her lip as she watches your eyes trace up and down her beautiful pale body.

"Like what you see?" she whispers up to you.

You lean down to plant a gentle kiss on her lips as your hands trace down her stomach and gently ease her into lying on her back. "You have no idea," you say as your fingers trace up her thigh to make sure she opens her legs in anticipation. Your lips sway down to Vinyl's neck and plant another soft kiss, leaving a little wet mark in the firelight as you move down her body. "I think I owe you one."

"O-oh... yeah?" she barely manages to get out between moans as your fingers find their way to her wet, eager clit. You can feel her pulse throb through the tender flesh as her entire body writhes at the sudden pleasure. Your kisses make their way down to her collar bone and eventually to her stiff nipples. Vinyl's soft coos quickly turn into ecstatic moans as you kiss around her breasts and even nibble the perky, red nipples. Both of her hands shoot to hold your head in place as her toes curl against the blankets.

"...fuck..." she whispers out as you leave behind her glistening tits in the night air. Vinyl can hardly take your absence and one of her hands slides up her sides to grope at her chest themself. The lovely, little whimpers and sighs at each kiss grow louder as you make your way past her belly button, leaving a trail of wet spots across her soft, pale skin.

You take your hand away from the wet folds for a moment as you duck under her bare leg to position yourself properly and Vinyl quickly protests with a soft whine as her body wiggles around without the contact. You can only smile in amusement at her once she eagerly wraps her legs around your shoulders and gently tugs at you towards her pussy. Another soft kiss on her mound right above her clit elicits a frustrated groan out of her while her hips lift up to try to chase the feeling.

"Please..." she whispers down her stomach to you. You let out a little laugh and then let your tongue lick around the already-soaked folds, just barely missing the yearning pink flesh that really wants the attention. Vinyl's hands lean down to stroke through your hair as her head arches back and she sings out a few notes of ecstasy at every touch.

The heat radiating off of her pussy is intense and the intoxicating smell of her essence fills your senses. Her entire groin is red and swollen and every time you look down you can see the skin twitching with anticipation. Finally, you decide to stop teasing her so relentlessly and let your tongue down to rest against her painfully-swollen clit. Vinyl's hands grip even tighter at your hair and her legs grip hard against your back. A veritable scream leaves Vinyl's lips at the onslaught of sudden release. Her wet folds convulse for a moment, making it seem like she might've already came, but they don't last nearly long enough for that.

She doesn't even know what she's in for now. Your fingers trace their way down from her thigh to find their way to her entrance and gladly find their way in. You look up to see Vinyl's torso thrashing around at the new mix of feelings, and even more so when those fingers curl up inside her to rub against the most sensitive area.

Vinyl's moans pierce at your eyes so loudly you can only be thankful that you camped so far away from the road. You can feel your loving touch quicken her heartbeat as your tongue draws circles into her clit and it doesn't seem like Vinyl is going to be able to handle it for much longer. The soaked slit quickly covers your entire hand in her excitement and with every lick you massage Vinyl's insides in rhythm to elicit another desperate coo out of her. Her moans quickly become strained and the grip of her legs even tighter as the moment approaches. With one last loving lick Vinyl slips over the edge and her pussy grips at your fingers in a long series of convulsions. her entire body twitches under your grasp as the orgasm takes control completely. Each wave squeezing out another strained breath with her entire body tensing up with each.

Finally, the onslaught is over and she slowly goes limp in the blankets at your touch. Every last lick gets a soft sigh and another twitch, but you've only just started. The soft, pale thighs that'd been wrapped so tightly around your head finally give way and you give them a few gentle kisses in return. You wipe Vinyl's wetness off of your chin and lean up to get a look at her beautiful naked body in the firelight. Her eyes are dazed and a content smile rests on her face from the blushing lips still glistening between her legs.

"That... that was pretty awesome," she barely manages to get out.

You smile down at her and begin working your pants off. Your member grew sore against the barrier of your pants and had already spilled a healthy amount of precum around them. Once your eager length is finally let out a new wave of arousal eggs you on at the sight of Vinyl's open legs. Your cock eagerly twitches as you kick off your pants and position yourself back around those very kissable thighs.

"Well we're not done yet," you say as you let your cock rest right above Vinyl's still-swollen clit. Her hips lean up and slide the wet folds across the bottom of your length and her soft hands lovingly caress down your bare chest. Those beautiful purple eyes turn to look up at you accompanied by that content little smirk.

"Yeah?"

You give her a confident nod and let yourself down until your bodies are touching to let her soft skin rub against yours. You give her another kiss before looking back into her eyes and letting your cock slip down so the top of the length is getting wet this time. "Yeah. I've still got to make you cum again."

Vinyl leans up to plant a quick kiss on your lips and slides her body up against yours to goad you inside her. "Better get to it then, huh?" she says through her coy smile and dark blush. You lean down to kiss her back as your hand snakes between her thighs to help you find your way. You can't help but smile as you look down at her tired smile to see it slowly morph into ecstasy once you find your mark. Her warm insides gladly welcome you inside with a few gentle clenches, each one accompanied by a cute, little gasp from Vinyl. You look down into those beautiful violet eyes as they look back up at you, begging for more.

With your hand finally free, your fingers trace up her soft, pale skin until one hand finds its place on her lower back and the other behind her head. You hold her close, her warmth radiating up into you and the pleasure from being inside her amplified with every little movement that makes you rub up against each other. Your hips find their rhythm on their own as the intoxicating sensations caress their way up and down your shaft with the embrace of Vinyl's lips. You squeeze her entire body up against you as the first moan comes out. Her voice is gentle and sweet again with each motion and you can feel her body writhing for more in your grasp. Vinyl's soft hands brush against your shoulders until they finally lock behind your head, her feet crossing behind your back to do the same.

An intense yearning fills your body as the euphoric sensations fill up all of your senses. Your hips smack into Vinyl's wet pussy a little harder with every thrust until the animalistic urge for the pleasure is finally at its high. Vinyl's soft coos quickly turn into much louder moans again to break up the wet smacks of your bodies meeting. The sweet feeling of her lips against yours is too much to resist, so you lean down to press them together and feel the intense vibration coming off of her as your tongues begin to dance together.

You can't help but melt into her grasp as your entire world gets absorbed in pleasure. Your cock twitches inside her to spill the first eager drops of precum as you grow harder and more driven by the second. The sweet embrace of her warm, wet, welcoming inner walls intoxicates your senses as you feel your tongue get enveloped in a similar sensation. Each little movement brings you closer together to feel her soft stomach and tender breasts rub up against your chest, and with every moan comes another gentle squeeze of her thighs around your body. The overwhelming swirl of feelings quickly pushes you to lose yourself in them.

You can already feel the pressure building up at the base of your length as it hilts inside her over and over. The warmth radiating off her overpowers your own as her wetness spreads across your groin, enticing you to stay as close to her as possible away from the cold air. You have to slow down and let your member rest inside of her for a moment before you accidentally spill without warning. Vinyl's intense moans slow down into a disappointed sigh as you give her one last kiss and back away.

"Why'd you stop?" she says up to you with a disappointed whisper.

You give her a loving smile and another quick peck on the lips. "You're gonna make me cum," you whisper back.

A satisfied smile spreads across her lips and she lifts her hips to move you around inside her, shooting that intoxicating arousal up through your chest again as the wonderful sensations return. "That's the idea, right?" she drags a few fingers across your cheek and gazes up at you with those loving, violet eyes. "Cum in me... please. I want to feel it," she coos up to you.

"You sure?"

Vinyl gives you an amused nod. "Took the pill this morning for a reason."

You can't help but smile back down to her and lean in to meet lips again. With your passion rested, you pull out of her to get back to the intense, wet smacks that brought those sweet moans across her tongue and into your mouth. Your body lights up with pleasure as your length runs in and out of her welcoming slit, feeling her heartbeat and every little clench of her eager flesh against you with every moan. You refuse to let up on her this time, blindly rushing through your pleasure to the end. Your cock stiffens in the bliss and can hardly hold back at the onslaught of pleasure.

Vinyl doesn't seem to be resisting the urge anymore either—she has to break away from the tender kiss to catch her breath as the pleasure absorbs her as well. Her soft thighs grip against you as tightly as they can manage to make sure you don't get away, and her fingernails dig into your back as her hips lean up to make sure you get as deep inside of her as possible. You make things even worse for her by leaning down and planting loving kisses along the warm, pale skin of her neck. Her moans become even louder and more strained as each thrust inside her makes her grip even tighter.

Finally even you can't hold back anymore. With one last wet smack you push yourself as deep as possible inside her and lose yourself in the waves of an orgasm. At the feeling of the first spurts of warm cum inside her, Vinyl arches her back as well and lets her pussy give you the little squeezes of her own orgasm to entice as much out as possible. You can't help but let out a soft groan of your own at the blissful feeling of letting loose inside someone as amazing as her. Each second brought another intense flex inside her, spilling even more to the point where you could feel it spreading across your length. You held Vinyl as close as possible to feel the tender caress of her soft skin against you, and she happily held you as tight as she could as well. The waves of your orgasms seemed to never end for a while as you felt all the little movements each of you made as you came together.

Finally, Vinyl went limp underneath you and let her limbs slip off of your back. You'd be forgiven for thinking she passed out on the spot, but her gentle panting told you she was still awake for now. You let out a strained breath of your own and reluctantly slip out of her blushing, worn pussy, taking a moment to appreciate the little drops of cum slipping out of her satisfied slit. The exhaustion hits you as well after a few moments and you can't help but slink into the blankets beside her.

Once the gentle panting finally stops, Vinyl does her best to crawl over to your tired form and rest her cheek against your shoulder. "Mmm, that was pretty great," she says with a slow wiggle of her bare hips.

"It was. We should do that more often." You look down to her beautiful eyes and across her bare body as it presses up against you. The intense warmth of sex is already starting to fade, so you grip a nearby blanket to pull over the both of you.

"No kidding," Vinyl says with a tired, satisfied grin as she watches her own finger lovingly caress your chest. "I'm really glad I met you."

You lean down to kiss her forehead. "Me too."

"I mean, you've gotten me a really great job, just gave me really great sex, and I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun with someone." Vinyl's eyes light up with a sudden, gleeful hope as she looks out to the stars. "For the first time in a really long time, it finally feels like things are going to work out okay."

Vinyl looks back and then wiggles up your body to plant a slow, loving kiss against your cheek. "You're a pretty rad boyfriend, you know that?"

You let out a somber sigh and let the smile slip off of your face as your pleasured mind finally allowed reality to sink back in. This might be the last night you ever have like this once she moves away. The thought of waving her away on the airport put an uncomfortable lump in your throat and you couldn't seem to return Vinyl's smile any longer. It doesn't take long before Vinyl notices your lack of affection and raises an eyebrow.

"Something wrong, dude?"

You shake your head, trying to brush away the uncomfortable truth to just enjoy the feeling of Vinyl's naked body resting against you for the moment. "Nah... I just... let's not worry about it right now."

"Uh... alright." She leans her head back down to rest on your shoulder for a suddenly awkward quiet moment. "So, could I see that email again?" she asks with some giddy excitement returning to her face.

"Sure, go for it," you say as you pat around for your phone and hand it over to her.

She flips the clamshell back open to the screen again, her excited smile almost infectious as her eyes dart through the words. You trace your hand gently across her bare back to comfort her and just to feel her warm skin again.

"Woah, wait a second," she says, her bright smile immediately turning to concern. "This is like six states away."

Party time's over. You adopt a somber expression and just look out to the stars instead. You both have to get through this eventually. "Yeah, I had to reach pretty far to find the best gigs. I know it's a journey, but I can pay for a plane ticket for you to get there."

"What about you?" she asks, her eyes filled with worry.

"I don't have enough money for that."

Vinyl's gaze slips away from fatigue to adopt a sudden, irritated determination as she leans up on her elbow to look down to you. "No, dude. That's not how this is going to play out. I'll sell my shit, I'll sell my van, I'll take up a dozen jobs until you find one there. We can sleep in the car, we can... we can do something, alright? I'm not leaving you behind."

You take in a long, deep breath and then look over at her with a sad smile. "Vinyl... I can't come with you. At least not right now. I can't afford two plane tickets, I can't afford to get an apartment for both of us, I can't afford to quit my job and run from my debt. Even if we both sold everything we owned, I'd just drag you down and ruin your dream."

Vinyl grits her teeth and narrows her eyes at you. "No, I'm not leaving then. I just found an awesome boyfriend and I'm not going to leave him behind over some stupid job."

"Vinyl... it's your ticket out of here. You get to follow your dreams. Don't throw that away over some guy you haven't even known for a month yet."

Her fist clenches against your chest. "You're talking about you, dude. You're not just some guy, alright? I'm going to figure out a way for both of us to get out there, or... or... I'm not going," she says with a determined, little pout.

You lift your hand up to the back of her head and run your fingers through her hair. Her harsh glare fades at the feeling, but she doesn't look any less upset about it. "Vinyl, this is your life, your career, your dream. Don't throw it away. I mean, we could try a long-distance relationship if it makes you feel better," you say, offering a weak smile and knowing exactly how that will play out.

With a defeated sigh, Vinyl slumps back down and lands her chin on your chest. "I... I guess so."

"This is a good thing, okay? Even if it isn't perfect. Things will work out, I promise. Let's just get some rest and we can figure out all the details tomorrow."

Vinyl lets out a frustrated huff before sinking back to your shoulder. "Alright, alright." A tense silence fills the air before she plants a quick kiss on your chest. "Thank you," she whispers as she settles into your arm.

You lean back onto a bundle of blankets and hold her close, gently caressing her side as she drifts off to sleep. You know how this will end, but at the very least you did have one good night together. That's something you know you'll always treasure.