AN: I come bearing a little fluff. Please leave reviews. I love hearing what people think (good or bad-no worries, I'm raising teenagers. I'm impervious to criticism). This is a lilacmermaid33 prompt.
Madam Secretary Prompt: The first time they see each other naked is when Elizabeth convinces Henry to go skinny-dipping (or vice versa).
BIO 312: Biodiversity of Belize Belize is small based on land area, but is known for its great biodiversity. Explore the many species that call Belize home, then spend Spring Break seeing the diversity yourself. Class meets twice weekly prior to Spring Break, followed by a week long trip during Spring Break and three follow up sessions. Professor Derevinsky 3 Credit Hours
Elizabeth Adams sat with one leg thrown over the arm of the second-hand navy blue recliner, the other tucked under her. She had a notebook in her lap covered in various notes and the spring semester course catalog in her hand. "Becky!" she called out.
Elizabeth's roommate, Becky Crenning, stuck her head out of the bathroom, toothbrush dangling from her lips. "Wah?"
"Have you looked at the catalog yet?" Elizabeth asked.
"Ho onh," Becky disappeared into the bathroom, finished brushing her teeth and returned to the living room, leaning over the back of the recliner. "You do know who you are talking to, right? Like I'm going to be surveying the catalog to pick classes. I'm going to show up in my advisor's office the day before the deadline and have him do it for me."
Elizabeth sighed. "You should really take a more active role in your education. You are going to end up being in college six years before you graduate."
Becky opened the refrigerator door and stood there looking at the options. "I could only be so lucky. Hey, are you going to eat this yogurt?"
"Go ahead," Elizabeth closed her eyes and shook her head. She thought about pointing out that Becky had just brushed her teeth, but decided against it. She wondered why she'd agreed to let Becky live with her. And then she remembered. The apartment on Kimbark was so much nicer than any other she'd seen, but it was more than the budget allowed. Becky was the only person to respond to the signs she'd put up looking for a roommate and money never seemed to be an issue for Becky. So, as long as Becky's parents didn't get tired of paying for her to just hang around, Elizabeth got a much nicer place to live with only minimal inconvenience.
Elizabeth jotted BIO 312 on her short list of electives. It would be fun to take an exotic trip for Spring Break. It certainly sounded better than spending the week watching her great-aunt crochet afghans, which pretty much described her two previous Spring Breaks.
Henry McCord sat in the coffee shop, papers spread out on the table. He had his four year plan worked out with precision accuracy. Then BIO 316, also known as Genetics, came along and kicked his ass. It took exactly 15 minutes of sitting in that class to realize that it was well beyond his understanding. A semester later he still thought it was wise to drop the class, but now he needed an upper level science course to complete his degree requirements. He needed something that wouldn't be too tough and would check the box. He grinned. BIO 312 fit the bill nicely and he'd get a trip out of the deal. He placed a star next to it.
When the first day of classes for the spring semester rolled around, Elizabeth found herself sitting in a conference room with 22 other people. She pulled out her notebook and a pen an waited for the professor to begin.
Henry looked around the room. It was a pretty equal mix and women. He wondered how many weren't biology majors. Just then, Professor Derevenski looked at his watch and started the class.
"I think that most of you know each other, but I see a few unfamiliar faces, so let's go around and introduce yourselves. We'll end up spending quite bit of time together, so we might as well become more acquainted. As it turned out, only two of the students weren't biology majors. Henry McCord and Elizabeth Adams, both juniors and a religion and math major respectively. The other members of the class already knew each other and apparently had a general disdain for outsiders. That automatically paired Henry and Elizabeth with each other. Neither minded and it became clear quite quickly that they were attracted to each other.
It started three weeks into the semester. There was a group project and when when it came time to pair up, Henry and Elizabeth were the last ones remaining. Each group drew straws for the particular endangered animal they would be studying. Henry and Elizabeth ended up with the ocelot.
They spent the next week and a half diligently working on the project focused primarily on offering various methods to protect the particular species. A few days before their presentation, Henry and Elizabeth were finalizing their plans for who would speak on which part of the presentation. They had everything laid out on Elizabeth's kitchen table. Chinese take out boxes littered the counter and an empty bottle of red wine was laying in the sink. Elizabeth was leaning over the table arranging the order of the speech for the third time and Henry was watching her intently. She asked him a question and he leaned over into her space. Before either of them could really think about it, they leaned into each other and the sexual tension was thick. Henry answered the question she'd asked and then reached out and brushed his thumb along her cheek.
Their eyes met, both clouded with lust. She stood up straight and laced her fingers through his, leading him to the couch. When Henry sat down, Elizabeth surprised him by climbing on his lap, straddling his legs. Henry put his hands on her knees and ran them up her thighs before locking them around her waist.
Elizabeth's eyes bored into him as she traced his hairline with the tips of her fingers. Her touch was like fire and ice at the same time. "I just want you to know that I've wanted this for a while now," she whispered.
"Yeah, but I'm not going to let us do anything we'd regret later," he said.
"And what is it that we'd regret later?" she asked as she placed her lips on his forehead, then his eyelids, his cheeks. Elizabeth pulled back and looked at him.
"We've been drinking," he said as she traced his lips with her thumbs, her fingers splayed wide across his cheeks and down on his neck.
"Yes," she replied, her lips hovering over his. "And that means?"
"It means you shouldn't make big decisions." He breathed out, his lips brushing against hers and that was all it took. Teeth crashed together. Her tongue slid past his, exploring his mouth. He moaned, involuntarily pushing his hips into her.
Her hands roamed his chest, and his were all over her back. When Elizabeth's hands settled on the button on his jeans, he stopped her. "Wait. We aren't going to do this. We hardly know anything about each other and we're buzzed. No sex.". She raised her eyebrows and leaned in to kiss him, but he physically covered her mouth with his hand and shook his head.
She threw herself sideways and landed on the couch. "That is so unfortunate. I'm a good lay."
"Of that I have no doubt," Henry said as he pulled Elizabeth back to a sitting position, "but if we make it that far, you'll be so much more than that. I promise." The look Henry gave her sent a shiver down her spine. "Let's clean up our stuff."
In short order they had all of their presentation materials ready to go, take out boxes in the trash and the kitchen counter wiped off. Henry leaned against the counter and Elizabeth stepped in close. "I was serious about what I said before," she said.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked, brushing her stray hairs off her cheek.
"Nothing after 3, why?"
"I want to take you out. On a date," he said.
"A date? With me?"
"Of course. Why not?" Henry asked incredulously.
"Well, I just haven't been on a date since high school. I didn't know people still did that once they got to college. I thought it was more about just hooking up."
Henry was taken aback. "Call me old school." He rolled his eyes. "So, will you go?"
"Sure." She smiled at him. "What time?"
"How about 5?" he said. "And dress up. We're going someplace nice." He looked at her and added, "And just so we're clear, there's still no sex. That's not what this is about.."
She nodded, and took him by the hand and led him to the door. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, tomorrow at five." Henry leaned in and pecked her on the cheek. "Until then." He stepped out the door and was gone.
The next afternoon, Elizabeth was fussing in front of her closet. She had several dresses and couldn't decide. She showed up in Becky's doorway holding two options. "Which dress should I wear to dinner?" she asked.
Becky didn't look up. "The blue. It brings out your eyes."
Elizabeth let out a frustrated huff. "I'm not holding a blue dress."
Becky looked at her. "Then go pull the blue one out of the closet and wear it. Seriously." Elizabeth went back to her closet and pulled the blue dress out and stared at it. She'd originally nixed it as an option because it was strapless and she thought it too bold to wear on a first date, but she did think she looked good in it. Tossing it on her bed, she went to shower.
The day creeped by for Henry. He stood in front of the mirror at 4:15 adjusting his tie. He couldn't believe he was so nervous. He didn't think he'd been this antsy since he was 16, going on his first date. Finally, he forced himself to lay back on his bed and he flipped on the TV to pass at least the next 30 minutes so he didn't show up too early.
Elizabeth spent at least 30 minutes pacing from the living room to the kitchen and back. "Would you just stop moving?" Becky said using her exasperated voice. "It's like you've never been on a date before?" She looked at Elizabeth. "Wait! Please, dear God, tell me you've been on a date before."
"Yes. I've been on dates! Plural. Really. Do you think I'm a hermit?" Elizabeth gave Becky a hard look.
"Well," Becky shrugged. "I wouldn't have said hermit, but you don't exactly put yourself out there."
Elizabeth flopped down in the chair. "I think what I'm most nervous about is that we could've had sex, but he wouldn't do it. He said we didn't know each other well enough. How many guys do you know that are right there with someone willing and they stop of their own accord? What am I getting myself into? What's his end game?"
"Maybe you found yourself a fucking unicorn. A stand-up guy who really wants a relationship before sex." Becky seemed to think on that a minute. "Or he's gay."
Elizabeth laughed. "I think we can cross that off the list. Surely he wouldn't ask me out if that's the case." Becky shrugged. "But good news, I kept you entertained until he got here." and on cue there was a knock at the door. "Good luck," she said as she disappeared into her room.
Elizabeth stood and moved to the door, opening it. "Hi," she said shyly. "You look very handsome." Henry was dressed in nice black pants, a white button down dress shirt and a blue tie. In Elizabeth's opinion handsome didn't quite cover it. Henry was hot.
Henry didn't respond. He was having a hard time putting any kind of rational order to his thoughts. He eventually got his voice to work. "Wow!" She looked at him expectantly like he needed to say something else. He tried to take her in and started speaking slowly. "I've always thought you were pretty, beautiful even, but tonight, it's like a whole new level that I never even knew existed."
Elizabeth blushed. "Thank you." They stood there awkwardly for a moment. "Would you like to come in?"
"Just for a moment." He stepped inside and as she let the door fall shut, he took her into his arms. It was surprising, but not unwelcome. "In case this goes south, I just wanted to make sure I kissed the most beautiful woman in the world." His lips closed around her upper lip, his teeth tugging gently before his tongue ran along the seam. Her mouth opened, without the consultation of her mind and she felt her face flush as their tongues touched. Her hands had somehow snaked up his back and were placed firmly against his shoulder blades, pressing him to her chest. His hands were on her biceps. His touch felt like fire on her bare skin and she moaned. Elizabeth was sure she'd never wanted anything like she wanted Henry in that moment.
He broke the kiss and they stood there staring at each other for a couple minutes while their breathing returned to normal. "I think we can leave now," Henry said. Elizabeth nodded and grabbed her sweater and handbag off of the table in the entryway before opening the door. Henry pulled it shut behind them and they were off.
It was arguably the best date Elizabeth had ever been on. Henry took her to a very nice restaurant and scored a corner booth in the back where they talked for several hours. Dinner was wonderful, the wine was excellent and the conversation was even better. She didn't think she had ever talked with someone who knew about so many things and had so many interests. They could talk, history, literature, politics, economics and Henry could hold his own at all of them and she knew enough to know that he wasn't just blowing smoke. He really had deep knowledge of everything they talked about. Around ten, they rose to leave and instead of walking her back to the car, he walked her across the street. "Where are we going?' she asked, completely confused.
"Just right here," he said, opening a very non-descript door on the front of a very average building. They walked up a flight of stairs and down a hallway lined with gaudy wallpaper and antique wall sconces. Elizabeth was starting to get a little uncomfortable when she saw where they were.
"Dancing?" she asked.
"Not just dancing, ballroom dancing." Henry grinned.
Elizabeth looked mortified. "I don't know how to ballroom dance. Like not at all."
"I didn't count on you knowing. I'm about to teach you." Henry took her sweater and purse and set them on a chair near the edge of the dance floor. For the next two hours, Henry instructed Elizabeth on the finer points of the Viennese Waltz and the Slow Foxtrot. Toward the end of the evening, she had figured out the basics of the dances and Henry had her gliding around the room, her skirt flying away from her legs as he twirled her. At the end of the song, Henry dipped her, and when he pulled her upright, he kissed her cheek. She was flushed and her body was humming with the exhilaration of the dance and Henry's body being pressed to hers. "Let's go," he murmured in her ear. Henry helped her slide her sweater on and she grabbed her handbag on the way out the door.
Back in the car, she turned to him. "That was the most fun I've ever had on a date. How did you learn that? It was magnificent. You are magnificent." She wrapped her fingers around his hand and pulled it to her lips and kissed it.
The next three weeks passed quickly. They got an A on their presentation at the end of the week and spent most of their free time together after that. They went horseback riding and rock climbing. They ventured out on historic tours and wine trails. They even traveled the almost 5 hours to Chincoteague Island to walk on the beach and watch the wild horses. But mostly they talked. They talked about everything from Henry's short lived dream of playing professional baseball, to Elizabeth's first dance recital in which she ran crying from the stage. Then there were serious discussions about Elizabeth's parents' death and Henry losing his best friend in a freak ice skating incident, his waning Catholicism and her lack of belief in any religion. It seemed that no topic was off limits or needed scaling back. Every conversation was fair game, even the emotionally charged ones.
Friday night before Spring Break, Elizabeth paced the floor of her apartment while Becky sat with a bowl of M&Ms in her lap eating them by the handful. "Who would have thought that landing a unicorn would be so inconvenient?" The question Becky posed irritated Elizabeth to no end.
"Why do I ever bother to try and have a real conversation with you?".
Becky continued, unphased by Elizabeth's icy tone. "I mean it's obvious that you've found Mr. Perfect, but he doesn't want to bang you. It's a sad deal really."
"Could you please shut up? I don't think it's that. He's waiting for something, but I just don't know what that something is." Elizabeth continued to pace. Henry was picking her up anytime.
"Are you ever going to ask or are you just going to wear the carpet bare walking over it 3 million times a day?" Becky popped another handful of candy in her mouth.
"Yes. I am. Tonight as a matter of fact," she replied, doing nothing to cover up her exasperation with Becky. There was a knock at the door and Elizabeth said, "Bye," as she opened the door and slipped out closing it behind her.
"Hi babe," Henry whispered into her ear as he pulled her close to hug her. Elizabeth melted into him.
"Hey there. How are you?" She tilted her head back so she could see him better.
"I'm good. I have everything packed. How about you?" he asked.
"Mostly. I have a few toiletries that I need to use in the morning so I can't pack those yet. Do we have an agenda this evening?" She still had her arm wrapped around him, holding him close.
"I was thinking burgers and bowling," he answered.
"Think we can skip the bowling tonight? I'd like to take a walk and maybe sit by the lake."
"Sure. Is something on your mind?" Henry looked worried.
"Yeah, kinda. But it's not that big a deal. Let's get something to eat." She tugged him the rest of the way to the car. They chose a local burger place and talked about all of the things they were being planned for them in Belize while they were there.
Walking out, Henry directed them toward the park. It was reasonably warm for mid-March, so they took their time, enjoying the spring evening. "So, what's on your mind?" She said nothing but headed off the paved pathway and sat down on a bench.
Joining Elizabeth, Henry wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him. "We've been together pretty much every day for a month and we've known each other for two." Henry nodded, indicating his agreement and encouragement to continue. "So, I was wondering when it might be feasible to take this thing we have further."
"You mean like?" Henry started.
"Physically," she replied, thankful to have that off her chest.
"Like sex?" he asked.
"Uh huh, like sex," she replied.
Henry pulled his arm away from her and propped his elbows on his knees rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. He turned to look at her. "You said it yourself. We've only known each other for a couple of months. That's not a long time when you are thinking about giving yourself to someone. Someone that you should have feelings for. Someone that you should trust completely."
"But, I do," Elizabeth said honestly.
"So do I," Henry started.
"Well then?" Elizabeth interrupted.
"Wait a second. Give me time to explain." He took a deep breath. "Remember that first night?"
Elizabeth nodded. "As if I could forget?" she thought.
"I wanted you so much that night." He studied her. "I still do. Very much so. I think about you and what it might be like all of the time." He took her hands in his. "The thing is, every girl I know has that guy that when she thinks of him, she feels she went a little too far, even though she was willing at the time. I don't ever want to be that guy. I want to be sure that whatever we do, you will never have any regrets about us. I think you are the one and I won't screw it up by satisfying my physical desires at the expense of a potential lifetime of happiness."
She grinned. "You think I'm the one?"
Henry's face flushed red. "Yeah, I do," he said quietly.
"Like the forever one?' she asked, surprising herself by feeling hopeful instead of anxious.
"Yeah," Henry sighed. "How freaked out are you right now?" He studied her to see if her demeanor changed..
She gave him a shy smile. "Not freaked out at all actually, which is surprising." She looked away, but then brought her eyes back and held his. "I want you to know that I wouldn't regret anything that happens between us."
"That's good to know," he murmured into her hair as he pulled her close. He held her for a few minutes. Suddenly Elizabeth started giggling. "What?" he asked shifting back to see her face.
She could barely catch her breath. "Nevermind. It's something Becky said once." She cupped his face and kissed him with such ferocity that Henry nearly forgot what they'd been talking about. She pulled back and said, "fucking unicorn," and giggled again. Henry laughed in spite of himself.
Only 14 of the original 22 signed up for the class actually ended up going on the trip, so they were able to go to the airport in two vans and Henry and Elizabeth were able to sit next to each other and then on the plane. After take off, Elizabeth pulled a book out of her backpack and started to read. Henry watched her out of the corner of his eye and finally leaned over kissed her bare shoulder. She turned to him and grinned, "What do you think you're doing?"
He shrugged, "It was tempting me."
She chuckled, "My shoulder was tempting you?"
Henry tilted his head toward her. "It was bare, so I kissed it."
Elizabeth turned to face him. "So does that mean you will kiss anything I choose to bare?" she said grinning wickedly at him. Henry chuckled but was unable to keep the blush from creeping up his face. She elbowed him. "Why don't you read a book or something?" Henry shrugged and reached into the backpack at his feet and pulled a book out, holding it up for her inspection before flipping to the bookmarked page and settling in to read.
The week went by in a whirlwind. Tours of observatories, work in villages with zoologists, lectures with professors, and more. The students were scheduled from sunup to sundown and then there were planned social activities most evenings. Tonight had been some sort of outdoor barbecue type thing. The food was delicious, but Elizabeth didn't eat much. She was missing Henry. It wasn't that she hadn't seen him. He'd been in the group every single day. But the professors kept breaking everyone up to do different tasks and she was always opposite Henry. Elizabeth suspected that was purposeful, but there wasn't much she could do about it.
It was Thursday evening. Everyone was supposed to be in bed, but Elizabeth had snuck out and was sitting on the end of a dock overlooking a natural spring. It was so ridiculously hot. Belize had an average evening temperature of 68℉, but amazingly enough, their group showed up during the worst heat wave in 30 years. Tonight, the temperature was still almost 90℉. Elizabeth felt like there was no escape from the heat and the loneliness she felt only added to her misery. She was pondering jumping into the water when she heard his voice. "There you are!"
Elizabeth whipped her head around to find Henry standing about six paces from her. "Henry," his name fell breathily from her lips and immediately she felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest. He closed the distance and sat beside her. She wrapped her arms around him and clung to him. He felt her tears on his neck.
"Babe, what's wrong?" Henry asked, greatly concerned at Elizabeth's sudden breakdown.
"I'm sorry," she said, letting go of him. "I just-I don't know-I've missed you so much. I tell myself that I just saw you and I know you're here, but we haven't spent any time together and that makes me sound so needy and I'm really not that person, but then I find myself so down and-" Elizabeth didn't get to finish her rambling thoughts because Henry reached up and grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her to him, his lips on hers cutting her off mid sentence.
She was leaning on one hand for balance, the other on his hip. As he deepened the kiss, she threw her leg over his and rolled her hips into his thigh. "My god that's hot!" he mumbled into her neck as he kissed his way along her exposed collarbone peeking out from her t-shirt.
"Hot. It is so hot." Elizabeth arched her back toward Henry's mouth.
"Uh huh, it is," he said as he worked his way back to her mouth.
"You know what we're going to do?" she asked as she nibbled his earlobe, causing him to moan softly.
"You feel so good."
"We're going to swim," she whispered.
"Wait. We're going to what?" Henry suddenly stopped to look at her.
"It's hot. We're going to swim. Here. Now."
"You don't have a suit and I don't have trunks."
"That means nothing to me." Elizabeth rolled backwards away from Henry and stood unbuttoning her shorts and let them fall down her long, lean legs.
"What the hell are you doing? Elizabeth?" She tugged her sweaty shirt off and dropped it where her shorts lay.
" I'm going skinny dipping.". She crouched down next to him. "Are you joining me or are you just here for the show?" She dropped her bra in his lap and her panties came off and landed next to him. Henry looked up to see her naked form dive off the dock and land gracefully in the water. She popped back up and treaded water, her shape illuminated in pale moonlight. "So what's it going to be McCord? Are you sweating on the dock or are you going to swim with me?"
Henry grinned. Elizabeth never ceased to amaze him. He stood and quickly shed his clothes and dived in, landing a several feet away. "The water does feel good."
She laughed and dived under the water. Henry looked around to see where she'd gone and then he felt her skimming up his body. She emerged right in front of him. "Hi," she giggled. Henry's heart skipped a beat. Elizabeth pushed off his chest and swam away. He chased her down and caught her around the waist hauling her backwards against his body.
"You aren't getting away that easily," he whispered in her ear. She laughed.
"What makes you think I was trying to get away to start with?" she grinned over her shoulder at him obviously amused. She squirmed in his arms to turn and face him. "Do you know what I learned this week?"
"How to care for baby ocelets?" he asked.
"Well, I did learn that, but I meant something not class related," she said.
"I don't know," Henry answered. "What did you learn?" He let go of her altogether, so he could stay afloat easier.
"I learned that I want you in my life. Always. This week, not being with you was torture. I cannot imagine living my life without you. I realized something earlier while I was sitting on the dock thinking." Elizabeth swam close to him. "I love you Henry McCord, always and forever."
Henry was stunned. He had known he loved her for a while now, but he was convinced that he wouldn't hear those words from her for a long time, and if he did, it would be as a response to his own profession of love. "Elizabeth Adams. You are a woman of many surprises." He moved a wet strand of hair from her face. "Are you ready to go back?"
"Do you want to race?," she asked, leaving Henry looking confused.
"Race?" She nodded and swam several yards farther away from the dock. "I'll give you a head start.".
Henry turned and eyed the distance to the dock. It was probably 30 yards. She'd given him roughly a 10 yard headstart. Obviously she was confident in her skills. "Sure, we can race. You say when to go."
"On your mark, get set, go!" Henry swam hard but about two thirds of the way to the dock, he felt her presence glide past him. He made it to the dock just in time
to see Elizabeth climb out of the water. The moonlight highlighted her slim figure as she made her way up the ladder. He could only see her from the back, but that was more than enough to give him images he was sure would stick with him for a lifetime.
Henry made his way up the ladder as Elizabeth was buttoning her shorts. He got dressed and tried his best not to focus on Elizabeth. As he pulled his shirt over his head and found Elizabeth standing in front of him. "You can hold onto these," she said stuffing something in his pocket.
He slipped his feet in his flip flops and followed her up the path. Elizabeth looked over her shoulder. "My roommate, Leslie, ditched me to hook up-"
"With my roommate, Darren. Yes, I happened to be present for the other end of that exchange." Henry sighed, knowing how Darren had been talking about Leslie earlier in the week. That wasn't anything meant to be more than a one night stand.
Elizabeth stopped and let Henry catch up with her. "So, you can stay in my cabin of you want," Elizabeth offered.
Henry caught her hand to keep her from walking away. "Do you know the moment I knew I was falling in love with you?"
Henry could see her blush in the soft light of the lighting on the path. "When?" she asked quietly.
"After our ballroom dancing lesson, when I kissed your cheek. I knew anyone who could talk about all the things we talked about that night and then follow me to that dance floor and not even question it, but put your all into it because it was something I wanted to do, was someone I wanted to do life with. Since then I've grown to love you even more. I love you Elizabeth Adams, with every fiber of my being." They kissed under the lamplight.
"We should get to bed. We have an 8 AM lecture in the morning."
"Would you mind if i shared more than your cabin?" Henry asked.
She arched her eyebrows at him. "That depends what else you want to share." She smiled slightly.
"Myself. In your bed."
"I think we can work something out that will be mutually beneficial for both of us." They walked hand in hand to Elizabeth's cabin, anxious to see how the rest of the night would play out.