Memory Chapter: my plan is to throw these in every now and then to give a little more insight into the characters as we move along. These chapters could stand alone, but because some of the details will tie in later I thought it was best to include it with in "The Soul Waits" story.

Miche and Minnie's First Time ~ Valentine's Day 1982

"That was the weirdest movie I have ever seen," Jasmine told Miche as they left the theater.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, I didn't realize how long their Quest for Fire was going to be, or that it was really like a caveman movie all the way through. It was so strange," Miche agreed. "Do you just want to go home? I guess I messed up with that one."

"No, I don't want to go home yet, my parents and Ginie are there. It's Valentine's Day, I just want to be with you," she told him, smiling as he started up the Jeep Wagoneer. "I don't have to be home until ten; maybe we can just go park somewhere and talk or whatever."

"Yeah, that sounds good. I don't want to go home either, I would just be hanging out with my parents and my little sister too. I'd much rather be with you," he told her, reaching for her hand and pulling it to his lips. She leaned across the console to rest her head on his shoulder as he drove out of the Henrico Theater parking lot. "So where do you want to go, Dad's Jeep can get anywhere. We could drive up a mountain or through a swamp maybe? Wherever you want to go."

Jasmine giggled and said, "How about just somewhere quiet where we can be alone."

"Hmm, okay, I think I can handle that, if you're sure you don't want to see what this monster truck can do. Seems like a waste to just drive it on the road. Oh well," Miche made a dramatic sigh and gave the truck's dash a pat, "Don't worry Wayne, we'll get her to let us off-road some day."

"Did you just talk to the truck?" She lifted her head to look at him. "And it has a name?"

"Yes, Wayne Wagoneer, of course he has a name. Keep it down," he whispered, "you'll hurt his feelings. You already took all the fun out of his night, poor guy needs some dirt on his tires."

"Is that so? And I know I am going to be sorry for asking, but how do you know it's a 'HE', maybe it's real name is Wanda and she likes to haul groceries with your mom," she challenged, raising her eyebrows at Miche.

"Oh come on, you know my mom doesn't shop for groceries," he scoffed. "My dad does the cooking, and obviously 'he' is a boy," he leaned over to speak in her ear, while still watching the road, "Can't you see his stick shift?" He gestured to the lever with the rounded top coming out of the floor, "You can touch it if you want to," he told her, smiling wickedly and waggling his eyebrows at her.

Jasmine swatted his arm playfully, "Stop, I am not giving your dad's truck a- a hand job!" She folded her arms around herself, but couldn't help but smile while she shook her head at him.

"Sorry buddy, I guess she doesn't like you. Too bad, she is pretty good with her hands." He smiled as her mouth fell open. She didn't know whether to take his words as a compliment or smack his arm again for being rude. He nudged her, "So where do you want to go, sweetie? I have to make up for the awful movie."

"Whatever you think will keep Wayne happy," she said in a clipped tone with her arms still folded, but Miche knew she was just playing at being mad.

"I have an idea to keep you both happy," he told her, reaching to rub his thumb along her chin. He reached for the radio next, knowing music was the quickest way to put her in a better mood. The sounds of a steady, upbeat strum on a guitar, fast drumming, and Rick Springfield filled the car. Yup, that would do it.

"Oh is this the countdown?" She checked the dial setting, "Oh good, I missed it yesterday. Love is alright, tonight; we're gonna be alright, tonight." She started to sing along, and all bad temper (playing or not) was completely forgotten. Miche said a quiet thank you to Casey Kasem.

The music played and they sang along as he drove down 295, heading back to Hopewell. By the time they were leaning into the cloverleaf turn and getting onto highway 10, they had been through songs by Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers, and Sheena Easton. When Jasmine heard the high ping of piano keys and strum of guitar at the beginning of "Leather and Lace," she said, "I love this one," and started to sing in a pitch a bit higher than Stevie Nicks' deep voice. It blended well.

Is love so fragile
And the heart so hollow
Shatter with words
Impossible to follow
You're saying I'm fragile
I try not to be
I search only
For something
I can't see

He could see her looking at him with each word, singing to him, and he smiled, but had to keep his eyes on the road as she continued to envelop him in the sweet words.

Still I carry this feeling
When you walked into my house
That you won't be walking out the door

Lovers forever
Face to face
My city or mountains
Stay with me stay
I need you to love me
I need you today
Give to me your leather
Take from me
My lace

There was a break in the tempo as she looked at him expectantly. He knew what she wanted, and he couldn't deny her anything, no matter how badly he believed his voice sounded, deeper and a bit more raspy than hers.

You in the moonlight
With your sleepy eyes
Could you ever love a man like me
And you were right
When I walked into your house
I knew I'd never want to leave
Sometimes I'm a strong man
Sometimes cold and scared
And sometimes I cry
But that time I saw you
I knew with you to light my nights
Somehow I'd get by

"It's like a horse singing with a canary," he thought to himself as they finished the song together. But the smile that she wore told him it didn't matter at all. It was the trust it took to sing in front of another person that touched the heart. Something about singing made every word true; there was openness, vulnerability in singing to the person one loved, and he did love her more than anything.

She snaked her arm around his and nuzzled back into his shoulder as they cross over the Appomattox River at the edge of the city. Her eyes closed as she relaxed further.

"You're not falling asleep on me, are you?" Miche asked her, wriggling his shoulder a bit.

"No, just trying to memorize this moment," she told him, taking a deep breath. "It just feels like Valentine's Day. It's warm, and singing with you, and the way you smell."

"I have a smell?" He asked, with a crease forming between his eyebrows. "I took a shower after…"

"Oh it's not a bad smell," she tried to explain quickly. "It's...it's like the bakery - cinnamon, and yeast, and dill. It's comforting, nice, not bad at all."

"Well, I guess that makes sense," he said with a relieved sigh.

They drove like this a bit longer, talking easily and listening to the countdown. Soon they turned down a familiar road and ended up in a small dirt parking lot next to their schools' football field. It was a quiet spot with no one else there. Miche asked Jasmine to close her eyes, so she sat patiently while he got out. She could hear him moving around, opening and closing doors, adjusting something behind her, and a...zipper?

"Okay open your eyes," he told her.

In the back of the Wagoneer, the seats had been folded down into the floor with an old sleeping bag laid over the top, and in the center was a plate with two cupcakes on it next to a bottle of sparkling cider. "Oh Mich-e, this is so sweet," she told him as she climbed into the back, leaving her shoes behind. The cupcakes were covered in white fondant and there were little yellow jasmine flowers sprouting from the green vines piped over the top. She settled in next to Miche as he poured sparkling cider into two wine flutes that he'd borrowed from his mom.

He passed her a glass and held his out to her. "To my sweet M&M." The glasses touched with a clink. "I love you so much sweetheart, happy Valentine's Day." They took a sip and their lips molded together as they shared a wet kiss.

"I love you too, Mich-e," she told him, and reached to pick up a cupcake, "You outdid yourself with these, they are perfect. You've been practicing; the yellow against the white is lovely."

Miche smiled. "Thanks." He took it from her to peel the paper away. "Here, you have to taste it." He raised it to her mouth, but when she moved to gently take a bite, he pulled it back. She pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes at him. He smiled then and held it out to her for a second time. Determined not to be tricked again, Jasmine wrapped both of her hands around his wrist and pulled the cupcake to her mouth for a bite.

As her teeth sank into the confection, her eyes fluttered closed and she let out a moan as the lemony cake mixed with the smooth raspberry buttercream. "Oh Miche, it is so good." He didn't speak, and when she opened her eyes he was just grinning. Her brows creased together, "What?"

"Nothing, here, take another bite." She pulled his hand forward again, still not trusting him not to pull the treat away. This time she took a bigger bite, and again, it was so delightful, her eyes closed as she savored it. "I might have to make you cupcakes everyday, if you keep making that face," he said, smiling at her again.

"Oh stop, I can't help if they are delicious. Did you taste them?" She asked him, pushing his hand towards his mouth.

He smiled and shook his head, setting the cupcake back on the plate, "No, no, I made them for you. Watching you eat them is enough for me."

"So you're just going to bake me cupcakes everyday and watch me get fat? I can't eat them all by myself, you have to taste it too," she pouted.

"Um, okay, come here." She squealed when he grabbed her and pulled her into his lap, before leaning down to claim her mouth in a deep kiss. He sucked her top lip into his mouth, using his tongue to lick off any trace of frosting, then he pulled her bottom lip in to taste it too. As he held her neck he began to knead it slightly, willing her to relax further so that he could dip his tongue in to savor her fully. He could taste the sweetness of raspberries mixed with the zing of lemon as he sucked and swirled, searching for every bit of flavor. Now it was his turn to let out a moan of pleasure as he slowed the kiss and looked down into her eyes. "Delicious."

"Yeah they're, ah, really good," she said in a daze.

"Would you like another bite?" He asks, leaning down to pick up the half-eaten cupcake with one hand, still cradling her to his chest with the other. She nods, still staring into his eyes as he lifts the treat to her open, waiting mouth. Her teeth sink down and she chews slowly, her eyes never leaving his. He is watching her intently, so she runs her tongue out across her upper lip, causing his mouth to gape slightly.

She leaned up to kiss him again, running her fingers through his sandy blonde waves. Miche put the rest of the cupcake back on the plate to free his hand. He ran it along her ribs and then stopped suddenly. "What?" Jasmine asked him when he pulled away.

"I think I got frosting on your shirt," he told her with a guilty frown. "I'm sorry, it…" he started, but she silenced him with a kiss.

"It's fine Miche, it will wash out," she told him. Then she heard the beginning of "Physical" by Olivia Newton John on the radio. This brought to mind the last time she heard it.

*She and Ember had been in her room working on homework two weeks ago when the song came on the radio.

"This song reminds me of Chris," Ember told her with a smile.

"Is that the guy that works at the Footlocker in Richmond?" Jasmine asked.

"No, that was Ted. I haven't seen him since before Christmas. Chris is my parents' lawn boy - well, the gardener's son, really - he doesn't go to our school, but he works for his dad a lot in the summer," she explained.

"Okay, so what does he have to do with Olivia Newton John?" Jasmine asked her, still not making the connection.

"Well have you seen the video?" Jasmine nodded. "He looked a lot like the guys in the video, with all those muscles and covered in sweat. He was a lot of fun!" Ember told her with a smirk.

"Ember, oh my God, how many guys have you been with?" Jasmine asked, blushing a little.

"Hmm, let me think... Duane, Andrew, Chris, Ted. Four, just four. Geez, Jasmine it's no big deal. I've been on the pill like forever, aren't you too?" Jasmine nodded, "I can't believe you and Miche haven't. What are you waiting for?"

"Well I don't know, we've done a lot of other stuff, but he doesn't pressure me, you know. And really, most of the time we are, like, in his room with his parents down the hall, or in a movie theater, or at my house, or at school, or the bakery. There's, like, always people around," she told Ember, exasperated.

"So what, I've done it in, like, all of those places." Jasmine's mouth dropped as she stared at her. "Well, not the bakery, but hmm..." she said, tapping her chin, trying to visualize it. Jasmine couldn't think of anything to say. "What? You act like it's such a big deal."

"Well yeah, it is a big deal Ember. I mean, didn't you love any of them?" Jasmine asked.

"You know I loved Duane, he was my first. But then he moved to California after graduation and, like, broke up with me over the phone a week after he got there. It was horrible, but then Andrew, my neighbor at our old house, always sort of had a crush on me, and being with him made me feel better. He got sort of weird after I invited him over to the new house, like he couldn't be with me because we had money now. And well, Chris and Ted were just fun - making out and sex, no emotional crap, you know? I mean, you and Miche are really lucky, you both love each other and he would never do anything to hurt you. Most guys just aren't like that. But really, what are you guys waiting for?"

"I guess I don't know, everything with Miche is so great. I just don't want to ruin things, you know?" She tried to explain to Ember, but once she was thinking about it, she wasn't sure why they hadn't.

"I don't think you could ruin 'things' between you and Miche if you tried; y'all are the perfect couple," Ember told her, not with jealousy, but more in awe of how they were together. "Everyone wants what you guys have, but not everyone has it."

"Does it hurt?" Jasmine asked shyly.

"Well, not really. I mean, it sort of felt more like stretching the first time, like working muscles you don't normally use. And with Andrew, he was a virgin so he didn't really know what he was doing at first, and he was sort of small." She giggled, "Well I know that now, I didn't know any better then, but after Chris, everybody seems, hmmm...'less than.'" Ember seemed to stare off, lost in thought before she said, "I hope his dad is still our gardener this summer. So do you think you guys might, you know?"

Jasmine nodded her head, "I mean, yeah, I love him, I trust him; it just has to be the right time."

"You sure you're okay Minnie?" Miche asked her, pulling her from the memory.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Great even." She smiled at him a little nervously.

"I really am sorry about your shirt," Miche apologized again.

"Really, it will be fine," she said. But she wasn't really thinking about her shirt. "We are finally alone," she reminded herself. At that moment, she heard Ember's voice ringing in her head, "What are you waiting for?" She couldn't think of a reason to wait anymore, but she also couldn't figure out how to move in that direction either. "I, ah, just, maybe I should take it off - my shirt, so I don't get anything else on it." She pulled it over her head before she could lose her nerve. Why was she so anxious? They had seen every bit of each other before, just not all at once.

"Well okay, in that case, I probably got frosting on your pants too," Miche said with a teasing laugh, but when she started to unbutton her jeans and slide down her zipper, his laughter faltered a little, taking on a nervous quality. "Did that actually just work?" he thought to himself.

Jasmine reached back then and dipped her finger in some of the frosting. She reached out and wiped some on his shirt, and then on the knee of his jeans. "Oops, I think I got some frosting on you too," she told him with a coy smile. He stared at her for a moment, unsure where her change in mood came from, but not interested in fighting it either. Slowly, Miche reached down to unbutton his shirt, his blue eyes never leaving hers as he worked the buttons and laid it to the side.

She was kneeling in front of him, with her hands on her knees, wearing only a white lace bra and pink cotton panties with a little bow on the front. He leaned in to kiss her as he ran his fingers along her ribcage and up her back. She reached her arms around his neck, trying to let his kisses calm her, but the thoughts of what she wanted only became stronger with each kiss. She couldn't even form words at this point.

Every time Miche saw her like this, it felt like seeing her for the first time. A part of him, probably the chubby twelve-year-old side of himself, was jumping up and down, screaming, "Boobs, oh my God, boobs," While the kind, gentle boyfriend side tried hard to look as calm as possible. They were holding each other close, so that the lace of her bra rubbed against his chest hair. He kissed his way down to her neck and then back up to her ear, rubbing his hands over her back as he whispered, "Did you get frosting on my pants too?" A shiver ran down her arms and she could only nod, her tongue still tied in nervousness.

He sat back on his heels to work the button and zipper of his jeans, then pulled them down a bit, revealing green flannel boxers and the perfect tent his cock made standing at full attention. Then he sat to pull off his shoes before finally dragging his jeans all the way off and laying them on top of his shirt.

Jasmine moved closer to him until she could easily wrap her arms around his neck, while his hands ran up and down her back, enjoying the smoothness of her skin. Everything about Miche was warm and bright. She felt drawn to him in a way she couldn't fully explain, like a flower turning to face the sun. There is a peace and pleasantness just being with him.

She was aware of the heat and pressure of his arousal pressing into her stomach, and let her hand drift from his neck down to caress his erection through the soft flannel. He let his head fall back and his mouth fell open to let out a few heavy breaths as she let her fingers ghost up and down his length. Soon, the feather light endeavors of her fingers weren't enough.

He took hold of her wrist to still her hand and leaned back, pulling her along with him until she was lying on top of him. With only their thin undergarments between them, and the full weight of her tiny body on top of him, he could feel the heat between her thighs and the texture of her lacy bra on his chest. She leaned her face down to kiss him fully, running her hands through his hair and along the shell of his ear. Miche let his hands skim down her back, not stopping when they reached the cotton of her panties to palm her ass; the kneading motion rocked her up and down to create a wonderful friction. Finally, she relaxed her legs a bit so they fell to either side of his hips. A moan of pleasure left his lips and her breath caught a little, the sensation of heat and dampness passing easily through the two thin layers of cloth.

When his hands left her ass to travel up her back, she almost shivered at the loss of warmth. Not wanting to lose the glorious friction he was creating, she began rolling her hips into his, experimenting with the pressure until she found just the right spot. This already felt so good, what would it be like to be even closer, she thought, "would it change things between us?" With all of the kissing and rubbing and the warring thoughts in her head she was growing so confused. But it felt too good to stop.

His hands found the clasp of her bra and began to work the hooks apart. This had frustrated him for months before he had gotten the hang of how the contraption came apart. Now, he was very pleased, it only took him mere seconds to remove it and reveal the splendor of her breasts. He pulled away from her kisses to tell her, "You are so beautiful." She just smiled at him and pushed herself up on to her hands so that he could get a better view. His hands covered the globes easily as he massaged and teased her nipples with his thumbs.

When she saw him begin to lean up with his mouth open and hungry, she tilted her head and arched her back so he could reach her easily. With thoughts of him being inside her, his wet mouth sucking her nipples harder, and the rocking of her hips, she felt her release building. "Oh Miche," she finally found her voice again. When he switched to take her other breast in his mouth and his teeth grazed her sensitive nipple, she exploded.

Jasmine's hips lost their rhythm and he slowed his hands and mouth as well. She was panting for breath, but leaned down to kiss him anyway. As she leaned up, she could see the shine of the stadium lights in his blue eyes. "I love you," she told him, like a thousand times before, but this time it seemed like an answer. Everything became clear to her.

"I love you too, Minnie, forever," he told her, and she knew they were ready. Her mind stopped fighting for a reason why they shouldn't, and was left only with desire. "I want to give every bit of myself to him, because I am completely in love with him."

But still, she wasn't sure how to say what she wanted. She kissed him again and then remembered something. He watched her curiously as she reached for his pants, feeling through his pockets until she found his wallet. She had seen it once a few months ago when she had to pay the pizza guy. Her fingers searched for a moment before she found it. He still didn't know what she was doing, until he felt her place the condom in his hand.

Big thank you to ghtlovesthg for reading and giving me encouragement, but especially for fixing up all my misplaced commas, punctuation and letters (spelling is my kryptonite)

Thank you so much for reading; I would love to hear your reviews. I am also on Tumblr ~ same name. I know there are a lot of readers out there, but I want to say a special thank you to mommatime, SoThere, Moogie19, and Bean bops for following me at the beginning of my very first story, it means so much to me. I also want to thank my sweet husband for reading, editing, and letting me ramble endlessly about fictional characters.

I read tons of FF and really do enjoy the stories listed in my favorites, check them out if you are looking for more great stories.