A/N: Part Two of the Monday June 17 update! I have taken you guys off of the cliff, don't worry. But I also kind of put you near one at the end. ANYWAY. Thanks for the reviews (((cough cough, threats over leaving y'all on cliffs))) and as always read/review/illustrate/enjoy!

Thanks,

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Chapter Fourteen.

All I heard was a giant crack. My body clinched. My face scrunched.

As soon as I began to relax again, I heard another boom. Once again my body went tight.

"Benji," I heard Marshall's voice say, "It's just the fireworks."

I peeked an eye open. Marshall was still holding me down, his face a few inches from mine. Behind his head, I saw a burst of color racing down the sky.

"They do them every Friday night at 11."

I smiled at Marshall.

"Sorry, I just get really scared with loud noises in the dark."

"That's kind of a specific fear…"

I felt myself blushing. I turned my eyes away from his out of embarrassment.

"I'm not scared of it," I began reluctantly, "I just was expecting you to kiss me, but I feel like there have been like 94,000 opportunities for us to kiss, and you haven't. I just," I paused here looking for the right words to say. I knew that I had exaggerated a bit with the whole 94,000 opportunities thing, so it had to be something serious.

But before I found the words to use, I felt Marshall's hand lift from my wrist and to my cheek. He turned my head to face. His eyes closed. The space between the two of us closed quickly. Marshall's lips pressed against mine. His top lip was right above my top lip and his bottom rested in between my two.

I then realized that I was kissing Marshall Lee. This guy I had met the day before, and had thoroughly embarrassed myself in front of. He was kissing me. Like, really kissing me.

After realizing he was kissing me, I then remembered that I should probably kiss him back. I moved my free arm behind his head. I think he knew that I had gotten through with my analysis and that I was kissing him back now. His other hand left my wrist and I connected my hands behind his head.

He pulled away from our embrace. I kept my eyes closed for a second, blindly searching for his lips.

I opened my eyes slightly to see that he was hovering near my face.

"I only kiss on the 94,001st opportunity."

I smiled and took the lead. I moved my head closer to his and started to kiss him. My back arched off of the ground as we began to make out on the blanket, under the firework show.

I felt his tongue at the opening of my mouth. I paused for a second. I pulled away from our kiss and rested my forehead on his.

"Could we—could we stop now?" I began, "I know I'm not great at this, and I don't want to go any further."

It was a lie. I just stopped because I was insecure and scared. As weird as it sounded, I wanted Marshall's tongue in my mouth. I just was scared about what would happen after it was in there.

I think Marshall could see through my lie. Despite this, he moved from his position above me to lying once again next to me. I turned on my side so he could see my worried expression. I felt his body form to the outside of mine.

I guess I'm a little spoon.

His hand found mine on my chest and he held it. I played with his fingers in my hand. Our feet tangled near the edge of the blanket.

"I'm sorry."

I was. I felt bad about being really stupid about this whole thing. I really should've allowed him to put his tongue in my mouth, but I was too weird about it.

"Don't be." Marshall squeezed my hand. "I don't want to rush you at all. I'm glad you told me something before we did more."

I nestled myself deeper into Marshall's warming presence.

"You're not a bad kisser by the way."

I blushed at Marshall's compliment. But then it got me thinking.

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Of course."

I swallowed the saliva that rested in my mouth. I was nervous for this question and more nervous for its answer.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

It felt like I opened up a can of worms. Marshall's hand tightened a little. His body inched a bit away from mine.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." I added, immediately regretting my question.

"No. It's fine. The answer to your question is yes. I have dated quite a few guys and I have had kind of a lot of boyfriends."

"Oh."

I wish I could've responded with something more meaningful and legitimate than that. But it was all I could think to say. I wasn't entirely shocked, and I wasn't disappointed or less attracted to Marshall.

"And I've done a lot of stuff with guys."

The answer to a question I didn't want to ask.

I now knew I opened up a can of worms.

"That's why I don't want to rush anything with you. Because honestly, I could fuck any guy I wanted to. With you, I want to see if things are more legitimate between us than just sex. I don't want to fuck you Benji. No, I do. But I don't want to until you are comfortable with it. And if that means that you have to get over your insecurity of being a bad kisser before we can do any more, I'm perfectly fine with us not doing anything sexual."

I smiled.

"And I don't want labels right now. I just want to get to know you. And I want you to get to know me."

My grin widened.

I wiggled back into my previous place with Marshall. I still couldn't think of anything to say, but I thought that this was a good non-verbal "yes."

He responded with holding me tighter.

We watched the fireworks light up the sky. After the show was done, a lot of the blanketers left the field.

I looked to Marshall. I knew that we weren't leaving.

"Wait a second. No one stays to watch this part of the show."

"Hm?"

"Watch."

I followed where Marshall had pointed. Out of the trees that surrounded the opening came what seemed like a million lightning bugs. They lit up the sky with a dim romantic glow.

Marshall's breathing began to get slower. I felt mine doing the same. I also felt a rather hard object pressing up against my butt.

I figured that it was my phone, so I maneuvered my hand to the crevasse between Marshall and I.

It wasn't my phone.