March 2016

Friday

It's the weekend of Nicole's 21st birthday, and she's spending the weekend at a small cabin Trent found an hour away from Toronto. The two had been dating for four months now, and they figured it was the best time to take their first trip together as a couple.

"Wow, this place is amazing." Nicole noted.

The pine walls gave the cedar scent that she picked up on right away as the two walked in, and the walls had been decorated with photos of various wildlife found in the forest. There was a flatscreen TV above a cozy fireplace, and the leather couch was decorated with big, cozy blankets. There was a small kitchen in the corner, and there was a bedroom just upstairs the wood stairs.

"Do you want me to take your bag up to the room?"

"Oh, sure." She handed her bag to Trent, who walked upstairs while she paced the living room. There was a tall, glass window with a view of the mountains, and behind the mountain laid a gorgeous, orange sunset.

She faced Trent as she heard him come back down, and he smiled as he stroked her shoulder. She smiled back at him, and placed her hand on his shoulder blade.

"I'm so happy to be with you this weekend." Trent said to her.

"Me, too."

"Are you sure Noah and everyone is cool with me stealing you away for the weekend?" The two took a seat on the couch as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"I figured he was doing something with Cody. We didn't talk about it much."

She felt terrible saying this out loud. Though they've broken the unspoken twin code once or twice over the years, spending their birthday apart when they actually had a chance to celebrate together gave her an immense amount of guilt. She knew she deserved to have her own plans, but it still felt terrible thinking about not making a big deal about it.

Trent could tell she was getting in her own head, and leaned into her for a kiss as he leaned into her chest. Nicole laid back on the couch with his hand behind her neck, and got lost in the cushions while they continued kissing.

His hands moved down to her hips as their kiss intensified, and they could hardly breath as their chests drew closer to each other.

This went on for a few minutes until Trent stopped them, and he panted as he held her close and whispered to her while nose-to-nose.

"I brought condoms this weekend."

The idea brought goosebumps on her arms and legs. Their relationship had gotten quite handsy, and both were well aware of it, but Nicole's dorm room wasn't exactly the most picturesque location to explore their sexual chemistry. Aside from this, they were working on the emotional roadblock they had individually; This would be Nicole's first time, and while this wouldn't be Trent's first, it would be his first time experiencing sexual intimacy for the purpose of love. They wanted to be mentally prepared and spoke to each other about their insecurities, and agreed to take things slow.

"Nicole?" Nicole was too stunned to speak, even though she was anticipating their first time happening this weekend. They had some honest check-ins over the last month, and agreed to try this weekend, but neither felt pressured to have her first time this weekend.

"It's been a long day. Maybe not tonight." The two sat up, and he rubbed her back lovingly and looked towards her.

"There's no pressure this weekend. This isn't the purpose of the trip. I'm just happy to be with you."

She felt secure in his reassurance, and smiled hearing the satisfaction of him saying this out loud. Trent had a very forgiving and understanding nature, and was always laid back. She was in awe of these qualities in him.

"Thank you."

Saturday; Nicole's 21st Birthday

Trent and Nicole sat across from each other as they finished up dinner. The two had the best day spent exploring the campground and the great outdoors. Trent looked up at her as he began speaking to her.

"I didn't know you were such a good cook." He told her. "It's your birthday, you could have sat while I made something."

"It's our weekend together. I wanted to help."

"As long as you're comfortable." He took her hand and kissed it, then smiled at her. "I still can't believe the amazing weather we've been having. It's perfect for hiking."

"Could you believe the size of that fish I caught?" She was referring to their fishing trip earlier.

"It was like the size of your head." Trent took his phone and the two marveled at the size as they looked at the photo again, then he put his phone down to speak to her again.

"I have something for you." He said.

"You do?"

"Of course. It's your birthday."

"But I thought this was my gift." Nicole said, gesturing around the cabin.

"Don't be silly. I'll be right back."

He smoothed her shoulder, then walked upstairs to grab her gift. He came back downstairs after a few minutes and sat down with her as he held a card for her. She smiled as she began to open it and read his message out loud as he leaned in to read it over her shoulder.

"'Nicole, These last four months have been incredible. I have never been so close to someone as I am to you. I hope this gift puts a smile on your face.'"

She looked up at him. She was smiling from ear-to-ear, and looked at him as he gave her another card for her to open. She looked inside to reveal a photo.

"A picture of a telescope?" He chuckled.

"Look at the back." She turned it around to reveal another note.

"'I hope when you look at the stars, you'll think of me.'"

Nicole took a second to process what this meant. She didn't want to be rude and assume what this was or wasn't, and looked up at him.

"I got you a telescope. I had it shipped to your school! I didn't know how to hide it this weekend."

Nicole's jaw dropped as she now understood what the message meant, and immediately hugged him around his neck. She looked at him in adoration as she let go.

"Oh my god." She exclaimed. "You shouldn't have. Really. This is too much."

"You deserve to have a brand-new telescope, especially if this is something that you want to do with your life."

Nicole's heart melted as she cupped his cheeks and gave him a smooch.

"You are… incredible. I…"

Nicole mirrored in her head what she wanted to say, and she almost let it out, despite not knowing if this was the time to say it, but she stopped herself. Was four months too fast? Was it not fast enough? Should she have said it sooner? She got out of her head and began speaking to him again.

"I love this gift. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The two of them were locked into each other. What was meant to be a simple thank-you kiss ended up being another elongated kiss, one neither wanted to let go. The longer it went on, the more uncomfortable it felt enjoying one another's tender kisses while sitting across each other in wooden chairs.

As their eyes opened they could tell they were thinking the same, and without a word, they both got up, threw their dirty dishes in the sink to be cleaned later, and sprinted upstairs to their bedroom.

Nicole hopped onto the bed first, with Trent following suit as they laid across from each other on their sides. They stared deeply into each other's eyes before locking in for another deep kiss.

They rolled over and over and after awhile, Trent was on top of her as he played with the back of her hair, and their tongues danced in the inside of their cheeks as they breathed through their nostrils.

Their makeout session continued building up, and eventually, their legs intertwined. As time progressed, the two grew more eager to be together.

They eventually looked towards each other for consent to slowly strip each other down. Nicole began by allowing Trent to take her shirt off, and she held onto him by his shoulder blades as they continued stripping each other until they had nothing but their underwear.

Trent's hands moved to the cups of her breasts, and Nicole moved to hold the smalls of his back. They felt butterflies as their bellies pressed together, and they were so close their noses and foreheads and touched.

They marveled at how this had been the farthest either had gotten with each other, and they continued kissing and feeling up each other until Trent let go to ask her a question.

"Do you want to?"

As Trent asked this, she realized all of her fears and insecurities were just past thoughts. They no longer mattered in the long run. She could trust herself to let loose and have a good experience, and she knew this was exactly what the two of them needed to grow even closer.

"Yes."

She giggled as Trent got up to get a condom out, and as he did, he also grabbed a candle from the dresser. He got a lighter out from his duffel bag and lit it. She noted the smell of lavender, and how the aroma immediately got her to a more calming and sensual state of mind if it was even possible to continue building on how great the two felt.

He returned to the bed as the smell continued to linger in the air, and the two got more intimate as Trent began to strip himself, placing the condom on him. Nicole and Trent basked in the silence of their small cabin as they began going to the next step.

As the two cooled down, Nicole and Trent began to cuddle with each other's bare bodies while underneath the comforter sheets.

"How was it?" Trent asked as he faced her.

"It was…" Nicole tried to think of the perfect word, but there was no word in the English language to describe how she felt. "Amazing."

She turned to him while the two stayed under the blanket. "How was it for you?"

"It was incredible." He told her honestly. The two looked at each other seriously for a moment, basking in the silence while lost in each other's eyes. Trent took a deep breath before her and clenched his teeth.

"I love you." Nicole's eyes sparkled and she gave a silent gasp as she processed what he had said to her. She had no doubt that he loved her, but it felt so good for her to hear it from him. "I love you, Nicole."

Nicole paused her thoughts as she leaned in to kiss him, then looked back up at him as he continued speaking. "I meant it back then when I said we have something special. I don't know where life will take us, but I hope this feeling will never end."

"I feel the same way." Nicole told him. She paused and took a deep breath as she braced for what she'd say back. She had absolutely no doubt in her mind of what she was about to say.

"I love you too. And I'm so glad we took this step together. It was worth the wait."

As Nicole cuddled up to Trent, they heard the sound of a phone ringing on the nightstand next to them. Trent picked it up and saw a FaceTime call coming in from her aunt and gave her the phone.

"Crap!" She exclaimed. "I'm not wearing a shirt." As the phone rang in her hand, she reached down to grab the first shirt she could find, put it on, and pressed answer before the phone call could go away.

"Aunt Amelia!" Nicole exclaimed. Her aunt smiled and waved to her.

"There's the birthday girl, we missed you tonight!" She said to her.

"I missed you too, Aunt Amelia."

Nicole's mom was Amelia's youngest sister. She was devastated and her world stopped when she died. She never would have thought she'd outlive her younger sister, nobody ever does.

Throughout the grieving process, Amelia found solace in her nieces and nephews, as well as her great-niece and nephew. They were her pride and joy, and the living legacies of her sister.

"How was your birthday? And what in the world are you wearing?"

Nicole looked down and realized that not only was she wearing Trent's shirt, but she wore it inside-out and backward with the tag sticking out. Her face went beat red as she thought of how to recover from this.

"Did I interrupt some birthday fornicating?" She cackled. "You're at an age where you have sex, I get it. Just finish your degree before giving me a great-niece or nephew."

"Okay, Aunt Amelia. I gotta go. Thanks for calling me."

"I love you so much, honey. I hope you had a great birthday. But it seems like you already did." Amelia winked at her.

"I love you too." Nicole said this wholeheartedly, trying not to feel embarrassed.

"If you ever need some con-"

"Sorry, bad signal, bye!"

She threw her phone down on the bed as she hung the phone up in a hurry, then covered herself in embarrassment with the bedsheets. She could hear Trent chuckling at the interaction, and she started to find the humor in it as she came out of the covers and laughed.

"Your aunt is a funny one."

"This is why we did this here and not at either of our homes." Nicole mentions.

"I can imagine how my parents would have reacted if they'd walk in on us, or figured out what we were doing." Trent went on. "My dad would have patted me on the back if he walked in, and my mom... Well, she would have complained I'm getting more action than her, and then deny ever seeing anything."

The two giggled as Trent wrapped her up in his arms, and he could feel her heartbeat relax.

"Happy birthday, Nicole." She smiled as she intertwined her leg around his, and sighed happily as he held her tighter.