Daryl rode up the gravel driveway at two that afternoon. He'd gotten no sleep all night, tossing and turning, thinking about that summer long ago and what might happen now. He was jittery with nerves, fidgeting with his hands as he walked up to the back door. Amy sat on the swing, already waiting for him. Peering at her through his sunglasses, Daryl could see she was as high strung and on edge as he was.
She stood up and walked over to him quickly, as if by hurrying she could prevent either of them from changing their minds. He turned back and they strode wordlessly toward the bike. A quick glance sideways showed him she carried nothing with her. She was dressed in jean shorts and an old faded t shirt and tennis shoes. He couldn't tell if she had a swimsuit on under her clothes, and he bit his lip at the thought of her not having one on. He himself was in his faded, torn jeans and an old t shirt he'd cut the arms off of and his boots. He didn't own a pair of shorts, or a bathing suit for that matter. If he ever went swimming, and he hadn't in a very long time, he skinny dipped and he was alone. He didn't like baring his back to anyone, and he knew if he had gone swimming with anyone they would have bitched at him to take his shirt off. He didn't have the patience for that.
He helped her onto the bike and then got on and started the bike up. The old swimming hole was down a gravel road just down the road. Actually, it was down the gravel road, then you had to walk along the railroad tracks about a quarter mile until you came to an overgrown dirt path. You followed that a couple of yards and it opened up to the swimming hole. It was actually an overgrown stream that had large rocks to lie on and on one side there was a cascade of water plunging into the pool of water that fed into the stream-a miniature waterfall that he remembered them sitting in sometimes. The water wasn't all that deep at first, but as you made your way past the moss covered rocky outcroppings the bottom dropped out and if you weren't careful or didn't know better you'd be plunged into the ice cold water of the pool like area by the falls. He remembered the smell vividly-water-saturated air, moss, flowers-it smelled green, of pine from the trees. The canopy of trees along the banks dappled the water with shadows. It had felt to him that they were all alone in the world, and although he knew kids went swimming there pretty much every day, at night it had seemed to be a secret place just for them.
He parked the bike under some trees near the path along the tracks. He used some branches to camouflage the bike from anyone passing by, although he doubted anyone came out here much anymore. They'd built a public pool in town about ten years ago and he bet most of the kids went there now instead of to the swimming hole. He bit his lip, hoping no one would be there today.
He looked over at Amy and saw her chest and face were flushed a bright pink. Her eyes were wide and had an almost startled look in them. Her mouth was moist and pink and open just a bit, as if she were having trouble breathing. He nodded to her and held his hand out for her to hold while they walked along the tracks.
They tread the rock strewn path slowly, carefully picking their way along. Daryl didn't think any trains had been along these tracks in years, but he didn't want to take any chances walking on the actual tracks. As he walked along, he peered carefully at the brush along the path for the sidepath leading to the hole. It had been years since he'd been here, for all he knew the path was grown over and he'd miss it. Then he heard the faint sound of water droplets splattering against rocks and gurgle and rush of the stream. He pushed some of the foliage aside and saw the path, barely more than a thin track now. The path was overgrown with vines and branches and he held it out of the way carefully as Amy followed him hesitantly along the track.
They stepped out onto the bank of the stream. The sun was partially obscured by the thick canopy of leaves of the trees surrounding the water. It was even more shadowy than he'd remembered. He could feel the warmth of the sun and then the cool moist air of the shadows as the water raced along and splashed against the mossy rocks. Daryl looked over at Amy and she shivered, whether from the cool breeze or nerves he couldn't tell. He himself felt his skin raise up in goosebumps and his heart thumped rapidly in his chest.
Amy quickly pulled her shoes off and trotted toward the water. As she waded in, she gasped at the shock of the ice cold water splashing up over her feet and onto her legs. She stopped and turned toward Daryl. "Aren't ya coming in?" she asked. She shivered again, and he could clearly see her nipples taut against her tshirt. He felt himself stiffening in response. He nodded quickly and pulled his boots off, then slowly peeled his jeans off revealing his boxer briefs. Thankfully his shirt was long enough to conceal at least for now the effect she was having on him. She turned away and waded further into the water. He could feel the pebbles against the soles of his feet as he waded in, and felt the resistance of the water as he waded forward. He could feel the cool mist on his skin. He opened his mouth to tell Amy to be careful, she was getting close to the dropoff when she suddenly plunged soundlessly under water. He tried to run toward her, but his feet slipped on the wet rocks on the streambed and he plunged into the water completely. The cold knocked the breath out of him, and he frantically tried to stand up to see where Amy was. As he leaned on his knees to catch his breath, he heard Amy's voice. He looked up and she was in the deepest part of the pool, treading water and smiling. He wiped his hair out of his face and sighed.
"Amy!" he yelled, fear making his voice rougher than he'd intended. She frowned and swam toward him.
"I slipped," she explained. "After that first shock though the water feels pretty good," she finished, smiling up at him. He grimaced.
"I forgot you swim like a damn fish," he snapped at her. She stuck her tongue out at him, and the unexpectedness of this forced a short laugh from him. He waded toward her, careful to feel for the drop off. Then he dove in toward her.
He surfaced right in front of her and whistled at the chill of the water. She laughed at him and he smiled back. They tread water for a bit, enjoying the solitude and peace of the moment. "I'd forgotten how beautiful it is here," Amy whispered. "We're lucky we have this to ourselves today," she murmured. Daryl nodded and swam toward the small waterfall to sit on one of the outcroppings directly in the sunlight. He pulled himself up on the rock and sat there watching Amy swim and splash, drinking in her enjoyment. As he looked around, he found himself remembering again all those nights they'd snuck down here. They'd brought pillows and blankets the first time and found a dry place under some trees to hide them in for their subsequent visits. They usually swam for just a little while then bedded down on the blankets on the bank nearest the waterfall-over here to his left. There they would kiss and talk and make love until the early hours of the morning. Sometimes Amy had fallen asleep and Daryl would lie awake watching her, willing himself to stay awake so he could get her home safely before anyone saw that she was missing.
He saw Amy must have been thinking the same thing, as she climbed up the bank to sit on that very spot he'd been looking at. The sunlight dappled down through the leaves, making the droplets of water on her skin glint. He waded over to her and sat down beside her on the grass. She looked over at him silently, biting her lip. He cleared his throat nervously. Before he could say anything, Amy sidled over to him and swung her leg over his legs and straddled his lap. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and he could feel her trembling. The touch of her skin on his made his skin tingle-that tingle he had always felt at her touch. He placed his hand on her hips and tried to calm her shaking. Instead he felt a tremor start in his limbs matching hers. She leaned in to kiss him, and he lost his balance and they both fell sideways onto the mossy bank. Amy gasped and clutched his shirt in her hands feverishly as their mouths met.
Their kiss was not gentle, it was a frantic crushing of their lips as they desperately pressed themselves against each other as tightly as possible. They rolled and Daryl leaned over Amy and held her wrists over her head and kissed her neck as his other hand ran down her side. She shivered, and he heard her teeth chatter. He knew it wasn't cold that was causing this-he himself was shivering uncontrollably. Waves of heat and cold swept over him as he kissed her neck and the swell of her breast. He roughly pulled her shirt off over her head and threw it to the side. She wore no bra, and the feel of her bare breast against his hand caused her to moan and arch up against him. He bent his head to her breasts, kissing and sucking as his hands cupped her hips. She moaned again and clutched the moss beneath her hands. He pulled her jeans down and threw them to the side, noting she had worn nothing underneath her shorts. Kneeling between her legs, his hands on her breasts, he could feel how moist and warm she was as she ground herself onto his knee agitatedly.
Daryl sat up and hastily pulled his boxers off and then knelt down again between Amy's legs. She stared up at him, an almost dazed look in her eyes, panting. "Take your shirt off, I want to feel your skin against mine," she whispered huskily. Daryl hesitated just slightly, then yanked it off and threw it to the side. Amy reached for his shoulders and pulled him down on top of her until every inch of their skin was touching, breast to chest, hips to hips. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck hungrily.
"Amy. Amy" he moaned. The smell of her skin, the feel of her soft breasts and legs, the sound of her moans, the taste of her mouth as they kissed-he felt as if he were falling, had no balance, no gravity, no bearings on reality.
She lifted her hips to him and he easily slid into her. He sheathed himself his full length and she gasped at the feel of him inside of her. They began to move together, rapidly settling into a hectic rhythm. It seemed he couldn't get far enough inside her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as if to pull him to her ever closer. He clutched her shoulders, as if he were a drowning man clinging for dear life. She placed her hands on his hips as if to urge him to plunge deeper inside her.
He realized they were both moaning loudly, sounding almost deranged in the volume and depth. He felt her suddenly clench on the inside and she arched up against him. As she did so he felt himself start to spasm and felt as if his life's blood was flowing out of him. He legs felt like jelly, and he wasn't sure how he was still able to keep from collapsing onto her.
When they came to a rest, each felt tiny ripples of emotion ripple across their skin for moments afterward. Daryl rolled over to his back and tried to steady his breathing. Amy looked over at him, her face flushed and her breathing rapid. He felt too unsteady to talk or move. He wiped his hair from his face and breathed deeply in and out. Amy rolled onto her side and placed her hand on his chest.
"You're the only one it's ever been like this with," she whispered. Daryl watched her carefully. "Honest. I've never been with anyone who made me feel like you do. Today was just like that summer. I always felt like someone had stuck my hand in some giant electrical outlet whenever you touched me, whenever we were together like this. Never felt that with anyone else," she finished quietly. Daryl placed his hand over hers and nodded.
"I know. Same for me," he murmured. Amy pressed against his side and he folded her against him, laying her head on his shoulder, gently smoothing her curls.
"When I'm with you, I think of all those old words they use in those romance novels. No one uses them anymore, folks think they're melodramatic and silly. But I've always felt sad people don't use them anymore. Because they perfectly describe how I feel about you," she whispered.
"What words are those?" Daryl asked quietly.
"Beguiled, bewitched, enamored, enraptured, inflamed, intoxicated, smitten, spellbound, besotted, possessed," she whispered.
Daryl smiled. "Ya been thinking about this a lot huh? That's quite a list," he teased and pulled lightly on a curl.
Amy half sat up on her elbow and looked down at him with a small smile playing about her lips. "Ya think I'm silly?" she asked shyly.
Daryl shook his head. "No. I don't read like you do, don't know about romance novels and old words. But the words ya said describe exactly how I've always felt about you. How I feel now. How I'll always feel," he whispered. He wiped a tear from her cheek. "Amy, why ya crying?" he whispered softly.
"Because I'm with you. I don't ever want to be apart from you again. I feel like we each have a piece of the other's heart inside us-and that's why we haven't been happy with anyone else all this time, only our two hearts fit together." She looked away for a minute, biting her lip. "I know it sounds stupid. No wonder my family thinks I'm crazy," she mumbled. Daryl pulled her head down onto her chest and kissed her hair softly.
"Well, if you're crazy I'm right there with you," he whispered. She sighed and brushed her lips against his neck and he shivered.