Guest: "I do not mean to critique your work. I just wanted to get across a view that I felt personally about."
A/N: Thank you so much for taking the time to review this chapter. Constructive criticism such as this helps me to think more carefully about the way that I write these characters. It's always helpful to hear a perspective that I had overlooked. Your view is valid and very much appreciated.
On Friday night, the crew found themselves at a massive bar that seemed to have sprung up just for Spring Break. They were having what they called a "Coeds Acting Cray" night, because they didn't want to get sued for calling it "Girls Gone Wild." It's no surprise who choice it was to be there.
Hanna came back to the group with some forms in her hand. "Okay, we have to sign these forms to be able to compete in the 'Rate Your Rack' competition. And we have to use our real IDs." The eighteen-year-old requirement for exposing oneself was enforced a good deal more rigorously than the twenty-one-year-old requirement for drinking. Fortunately for the Cray Coeds who were there to compete, although the law stipulated that they had to be at least 21 to get pass-out drunk, they only needed to be 18 to make a decision that could reasonably be expected to haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Hanna walked boldly up to Paige and thrust a form in her face. "Never going to happen, Hanna!" Paige was shouting so that she could be heard over the driving music and the raucous crowd.
"Why not? Everybody else is doing it!" Hanna shouted back.
"Nobody else is doing it, Hanna."
"Well, I'll do it if you will!"
"I have no intention of winding up on some video that gets plastered all over the internet."
"You can sign the release form for the contest without checking the box to consent to be in the video."
"Yeah, and I'm sure that none of the frat boys with cell phones will post their videos without a release form, either!"
"Oh, so what? If your boobs go viral, how is that a bad thing?"
"Okay, Hanna. I know what this is really about."
"We all know what this is about, Paige. But look at it this way: So, I get to see your boobs. Big deal. Think of all the other boobs you'll get to see!"
"Believe it or not, the fact that I'm attracted to women doesn't mean that I'm interested in seeing all the boobs that I can. You're way more obsessed with boobs than I am!"
Hanna tilted her head and sneered at her. "I'm not obsessed with boobs. I'm obsessed with one boob. That boob." She poked a finger in the direction of Paige's chest, but Paige was quick enough to deflect it.
"You know, I think I've figured you out, Hanna. It's not about my piercing at all, is it?"
"Honey, you obviously haven't me figured out. It's all about the piercing."
"Actually, I'm pretty sure that it's about this secret that you're not in on. I mean, if I told you that I had a heart tattooed on my armpit, you'd be just as obsessive about getting a glimpse under my arm!"
"Wait, I've seen your armpits! How did I miss your tattoo?"
"I was speaking hypothetically, Hanna!"
"My ass! Prove it! Let me see your armpit!"
"See? You're making my point right now!"
"Paigey!" Hanna drew out the syllables. "You have to give me something!" she whined.
"Okay, first of all, can you stop calling me that?"
"I'll make a deal with you: Show me your armpit, and I'll never call you Paigey again."
"Really? Deal!"
"Unless you don't really have a tattoo. In which case, show me your boobs!"
"Jesus, Hanna!" Paige screamed as she swatted Hanna's hand away from her chest just a moment too late.
"Hey – I didn't feel anything! Is your boob ornament hy-po-thet-ical, too?" Hanna's drunken mind did its best to wrap her tongue around the word.
"You grabbed the wrong boob, Hanna. Jeez, as much as you stare at it, you should know that it's the left boob!"
"I can't believe I had one shot and I blew it!" Hanna got a sly look in her eye. Paige quickly turned aside from her.
"Caleb!" Paige called down the bar, "Would you, please, come collect your drunken mess of a girlfriend?"
Everyone slept in – or slept it off, rather – on Saturday morning. At a little past noon, they crawled down to a Denny's across the street from the hotel for "hunch" – hungover lunch. They kept the day low-key, sprawling out on the king-sized beds in Caleb and Hanna's room (Naturally, Caleb had a hack for getting great rooms in peak season, on the cheap.), reading the paper, catching up with their friends on social media, and playing cards.
It was Aria's turn to choose the evening's entertainment, and she managed to find Texas bar, complete with peanuts on the floor and a large dance area. After dinner, Aria was keen to dance, but Ezra declined. "That's what happens when you date the elderly," Paige whispered to Emily, who shot her a look. As a peace offering, Paige volunteered, "I'll dance with you, Aria!"
Aria was taken aback. "Do you mind, Emily?" Paige looked over to see Emily's response.
"Absolutely not! In fact, I want to see this myself!"
Paige pulled out Aria's chair and led her by the hand out to the dance floor. "Do you know how to two-step?" Aria asked.
"I guess we'll find out!"
They were handed cowboy hats as they stepped onto the floor. Paige sniffed at hers before deciding that it was safe to put on her head and, with a twirl, let go of Aria as the two of them found the pace of the spirited country song that was playing. Aria was shocked. The whole crew was shocked. Emily was in awe. Paige didn't miss a step or a turn or a tap. When the song ended, Aria gave her partner a hug and they headed back to the table.
"Wow, Emily! Your girlfriend's got some moves!" Aria gushed.
"I can see!" Turning to Paige, Emily said, "How come I never knew that you could dance like that?"
"I guess because you've never taken me to any country bars in Palo Alto!"
"Seriously, Paige," Spencer asked, "Where did you learn to dance like that?"
"What can I say? I'm from Central PA. It's practically Alabama. You know the saying? Pennsylvania is Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with Alabama in the middle!"
Sunday morning, they hit the beach. Everyone piled into Spencer's rented Tahoe, because Paige refused to take her car. "Nobody's going to be tracking sand into my baby!"
They were hoping to avoid the Spring Break crowds by getting to the beach early, but, at 8:30, it was already a mob scene. They were determined to put their feet into the Pacific Ocean, though, so they braved the crowds.
Before long, Paige and Spencer were running sprints up and down the beach. It didn't start out as a competition, or even as exercise. It started out as Paige and Emily taking a leisurely stroll across the sand with Spencer and Toby, and it just escalated. Emily and Toby ended up locked arm in arm, watching as their girlfriends sped past them and back, both with their game-faces on. Emily was afraid that Paige was going to go into ultra-competitive mode and hip-check Spencer into the lifeguard stand, but they managed to keep it civil. When they finally wound it up, Paige came loping over to Emily with a huge, puppy dog grin on her face, her eyes asking, "Did you see me out there? Were you proud of me?" Emily pulled her in for a reassuring hug, saying, "Good job, Honey," as, over her shoulder, she shook her head towards Toby, who was engaged in a similar ritual with Spencer and shaking his head towards Emily.
It was up to Emily to choose Sunday night's entertainment, but, never being one to make a decision for a group, she deferred to Paige. Paige chose Karaoke.
"I thought that you hated singing," Emily pointed out.
"Em, it's not singing, it's Karaoke!"
"So you're going to get up there?"
"Of course! And you're going with me!"
"Oh, no, Paige!"
"Em! You've got a great voice! I've heard you sing!"
"You heard me sing to cheer up a sick woman, not to amuse a bunch of drunk college kids!"
Paige put their names on the list. By the time they got called up on deck, Emily was just inebriated enough to enjoy the experience. "Choose something fun, Paige! Not some cliché, angry, lesbian shit!"
"Oh, I think you'll find that my choice is about as far from angry lesbian shit as we can get!" They were called up on stage, and the opening notes of "Call Me Maybe" came on. Emily was so taken aback that she went over to Paige, hugged her around the neck, and planted a kiss on her lips. All of a sudden, they had the attention of all the guys in the bar. Emily was too much in love – and too tipsy – to care. Their singing came out a bit slurred, but what grabbed the audience's attention was the dancing. Paige and Emily were playing off each other, shamelessly and uninhibitedly flirting with each other on stage. They anticipated and responded to each other's moves, their dance as much in sync on the stage as it was when they engaged in dancing of the horizontal variety. When the song ended, they gave each other a congratulatory hug and kiss that definitely would have become inappropriately heated, had they not been rushed off the stage to make way for the next performers. They made it back to the table to high-fives all around. Emily shook her head wildly back and forth, her hair flowing freely, as she yelled out a "Whoo!" Paige couldn't take her eyes off of her. She couldn't remember when she had ever been so happy, when she had ever felt so free, so much in love with Emily, and so proud to be her girlfriend. She gave Emily a kiss – a kiss which was a promise.
Back at the hotel, Emily couldn't stop singing "Call Me Maybe." Paige would've been beyond annoyed by the repetition were it not for the searingly erotic dance that came along with it. Emily danced closer and closer to Paige, all the while freezing her in place with an intense, hypnotic, and unrelenting gaze into her eyes. When their bodies were impossibly close together, Emily initiated a slow, soulful kiss. Only then did Paige's eyes close, as she melted into Emily.
All of the action was taking place above the shoulders. Paige was working her fingers through Emily's hair as Emily tenderly rubbed the back of Paige's neck and their tongues moved deeper and deeper, intertwining, rolling over each other's teeth, tasting the toothpaste that had displaced the stale beer. Emily sucked on the tip of Paige's tongue, causing Paige to undulate subtly against her center. The reverberations of the moan that Emily released within Paige's mouth made Paige's undulations deeper and faster.
Emily put just enough space between them to allow room for her hands to slip underneath Paige's shirt, where she adoringly smoothed them over Paige's abs. The rock-hard ripples that her fingers encountered were making her wet. She hiked Paige's shirt up, using Paige's bra to keep it out of the way as she lightly ghosted her palms up and down Paige's side where it curved inward.
Emily backed away from the kiss, giving Paige a seductive look and a wicked grin as she descended slowly to her knees. She undid Paige's jeans and yanked them down to her ankles. Paige threw her head back in anticipation, lightly caressing the hair at the crown of Emily's head. Emily began placing wet, sloppy kisses over the expanse of Paige's stomach, tenderly drawing her fingertips down the inside of Paige's bare thighs. She swished her head quickly, to get her hair out of the way, but, it soon worked its way back to the forefront, tickling Paige's thighs in time with the kisses that were landing on Paige's abdomen.
Emily could feel Paige's heat on her chin. She saw the reddening around Paige's thighs. She cupped Paige through her panties and felt her arousal. She pulled the panties down, lowering her head in the same motion, and, soon, she was tasting Paige. Paige paused for a moment to step out of the clothes that were piled up around her ankles. Emily stood up, placing fingers where her tongue had been, and kissed Paige again as she guided her over to the bed and collapsed on top of her. Emily sat up to get undressed, and Paige took the opportunity to take her own shirt and bra off. The glint of Paige's piercing drew Emily towards it, her tongue running its well-practiced course over it while her hand tweaked Paige's other nipple.
Emily was grinding her thigh between Paige's thighs, but Paige needed more. She whined, "Em!" pleadingly, and grabbed Emily's ass to pull her harder against herself. Emily slid down and kissed Paige's clit, curling two fingers inside her, smoothing her other hand up and down Paige's body, teasingly tickling a finger across her abs. When Paige came, she came with authority.
Emily settled in next to Paige, smiling victoriously. She rolled over onto her side and pulled Paige's arm around her. Paige, however, wasn't finished. She began subtly drawing circles around Emily's nipples. Emily leaned her head back and nuzzled it into Paige. Paige cupped her breast and squeezed, and Emily placed her hand atop Paige's, guiding it in circles around the breast. She started grinding back into Paige, and Paige moved her hand down to Emily's crotch.
Paige put her head over Emily's shoulder and sucked on Emily's earlobe, which was burning up. The heat was too much for Paige. She couldn't be gentle or subtle anymore. She pinned Emily's shoulders down on the bed and kissed her, deeply and rough. Her pelvis was grinding aggressively into Emily, causing Emily to dig her nails deeply into Paige's back. Paige's eyes shot open at the sensation, and she saw the wonder and delight in Emily's eyes. She lowered her lips to the side of Emily's face and growled into her ear, telling her how hot Emily was making her, how dancing with her was a revelation, how she wanted nothing else out of life than learn every nerve and muscle on Emily's body. Hearing this, Emily sat up, pushing Paige into a sitting position on her lap, and kissing her deeply. She pulled Paige in by the back of her head, kissing so insistently that their jaws began to ache. Paige pulled back and kissed her way down to Emily's center. Emily leaned back on her arms, with her palms flat on the mattress behind her. She bent her knees, trapping Paige's head between her thighs, not being able to stop them from squeezing and releasing around Paige's head in a piston action. The muffling and unmuffling of Paige's ears turned Emily's moans and screams into a staccato pulsing. That combined with the alcohol that she had consumed was making Paige a little dizzy. She leaned her body forward and used her shoulders to force some space between Emily's thighs. Emily sat up, moving her hands off the mattress and into Paige's hair as she hung on for the ride.
Paige put her hands under Emily's back, angling her upward, her legs secured on Paige's shoulders. Emily locked her ankles, curled her toes, and squeezed. Paige's tongue, lips, and nose were wet from their dalliances in Emily's entrance. Emily began rhythmically squeezing her legs around Paige's neck. Paige let Emily's squeezes set her pace. She moved a hand to Emily's center, and Emily had to use Paige's shoulders for support in order to maintain the angle that Paige was working. Soon, her hips were gyrating wildly above the bed as she came with a loud shriek.
"Oh, God! Holy shit!" Emily shouted, when she finally came down.
"Yes. Holy shit," Paige agreed.