Taylor and Drake slipped into the janitorial closet next to the gym ("their" closet, as Taylor now thought of it) for a little lunch break. It shocked them both that nobody had bothered to put a lock on the door, after their last visit had left the place in shambles.
Taylor looked … edible. Drake was torn; he needed to touch her, hold her, consume her, and his hands were already clearly committed to following that exact plan. But he also needed to talk to her, especially after everything that had happened last night. His mouth had not decided what to do, so in a desperate move it had chosen both.
"Taylor, I," kiss, "wanted to ask you," kiss again, "about what you said last," kiss, but, wow what a kiss! More please. Wait - what was he saying?
He shook his head to clear it. Taylor could turn him upside down sometimes.
"Drake, make up your mind, please," Taylor's voice cut through his muddled thoughts. He finally realized she was standing in front of him, hands on hips, in nothing but her underwear. That settled it.
"Yeah, you're right - we can talk later," he whispered gruffly, and pulled her close. She wrapped herself around him expertly, and lost herself in the heat of him. One secret they had never mentioned in biology class? Those markings weren't just sexy to look at. They were hyper-sensitive to the touch during arousal, which Taylor used to full advantage. She knew it drove Drake mad, and that was at least half the fun.
After, as they were dressing, Taylor reminded Drake about the talk he wanted to have.
"Right, thank you... Listen, I know there's a lot going on right now, with Aria and everything," Drake began, "but I don't want you to think I'm ignoring you on purpose. I would never do that. In fact, I was hoping we could maybe try – you know, like maybe try a date or something?" he swallowed hard. It had sounded better in his head.
Taylor laughed and kissed him swiftly on the chin.
"I would definitely love to go on a date with you, but how? At the Bug? In the Sector?" As she spoke she arched one perfect eyebrow.
"I don't know yet. But I'll figure something out, okay?" he grinned at her disarmingly and she felt her knees weaken. This had all started as nothing more than a conquest, on both their parts. The last week had changed everything for her, and she knew nothing could go back to the way it had been.
"Oh! Before I forget, can I give you a little present to take back to Aria after school?" Taylor whispered as they slipped out and were about to part.
On its surface it was a simple request, but for Drake it meant so much more. He risked everything, grabbing her back up in a rough, passionate embrace before he turned and loped off to his locker. Taylor was left gasping for air and slightly disheveled, and she could feel, but not remove, a huge grin as she herself headed in the opposite direction. She never even noticed the shadowy figure that slid silently back into the obscurity of the girls' locker room, having observed the entire exchange.
…
Gloria had not meant to see what she saw. She was only in the locker room because she had a meeting with Saul and liked to prepare her speeches in front of the large mirrors.
Now, her breath caught in her throat and she smiled with satisfaction as she leaned against the door. Integration, it appeared, was going so much better than she could ever have expected.