I woke up the next morning and instinctively stretched my arms, then froze. I remembered Selena was lying next to me asleep. Our bodies were touching, but I hadn't disturbed her. I relaxed and gazed at her face. I put a finger to my smiling lips, thinking about how perfect last night was.

I had imagined what it would be like to kiss Selena, but no scenario can compare to it actually happening. That's because love was unplanned and worked best when you just let it unfold.

I slipped out of the warm bed and instantly regretted it. Ignoring the morning cold against my arms, I shuffled into the bathroom down the hall.

The bathroom had light blue tile with a white bath tub tucked away in the corner.

Standing over the sink, I washed my face, then squeezed a strip of toothpaste onto my toothbrush. After I had began brushing, the door opened.

Selena was smiling lazily from the door way. I grinned at the site of her flannel pajama pants and tousled bed-head. It was a good look for her.

"Morning," she said.

I just smiled and made an unintelligible sound, unable to do better with my toothbrush in my mouth.

She giggled and wrapped an arm around my waist. I saw she had a purple toothbrush in her hand. She used her free hand to squirt some tooth paste on it, encircling my waist in her arms. Once she had began brushing, her ran up and down my side and back, sending chills up my side.

We were just smiling and communicating with our eyes. I finished first and after I rinsed my mouth with water, I moved her hair off her neck, keeping it in my hand off to the side. Making eye contact in the mirror, I placed a soft kiss on her skin.

"Good morning."

I knew she couldn't answer, so I just traced light patterns on her neck with my finger tips. I looked up to see her looking at me in the mirror. I just smiled and kept tracing.

When she had finished brushing she turned around and wrapped her arms around my neck. I slid my hands to her waist as I connected our lips in a light kiss.

I felt her smile and heard her giggle.

I moved from her mouth and placed barely-there kisses along her jaw line, on her cheek, on her forehead as she leaned back against the sink.

"Is this real?" Selena said breathlessly, leaning her forehead against mine.

"Hm?"

"It almost doesn't seem like this is really happening."

"Do you want me to pinch you?"

"No." Selena giggled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her dig her fingernail into her palm. She broke out into a wide smile.

"Still think you're dreaming?"

"Girls! We have pancakes!"

My dad's voice rang through our moment.

"Coming!" I called out, then turned to Selena.

"Duty calls."

We went out to the kitchen that had a cabin-y feel where everyone was looking sleep with the exception of my dad. He was always wide awake in the morning.

"A fresh stack is on the table," he said, nodding to a plate on the table while he looked in a wooden cabinet.

Like my dad, I was a morning person, but having Selena near me and knowing that she felt the way I do made me even perkier.

We sat down in two chairs next to each other. Dallas and Madison were across from us and my parents were at the two ends of the table.

"Good morning," Selena said collectively to my parents.

"Good morning, Selena," my mother replied. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, ma'am."

After I poured syrup on my pancakes, I nonchalantly moved my hand to Selena's leg.

Her hand holding a fork paused for a minute, halfway to her mouth, then resumed she eating.

I made my fingers walk up her thigh, then let them lightly trail back down to her knee. Her foot moved and found mine, running over it, then pressing down on it a little. We continued our game of footsie until it was time for all of us to put our dirty dishes in the sink.

"What does everyone want to do today?" my mom asked.

On the second day of the festival, we always spent the rest of the time together.

"What is there to do?" Madison asked.

"We could walk around the booths and see what people are selling," my mother suggested.

"Sounds good," I agreed, not arguing for once. Remembering Selena, I turned to her and raised my eyebrows, asking if it was alright. She gave a small nod and a smiled. For a moment, I found myself just staring in her eyes. There was something utterly calming about looking in them that made me think there was everything I could ever want in them.

My hand brushed hers and I put my fingers on the inside of hers. Not exactly holding hands, but a sweet, satisfying connection.

"Okay," my dad said, making my tear my eyes away from Selena's. "But we need to be on the road before lunch."

"Can we get some of that jewelry from the lady from Oklahoma?" Dallas asked.

"If we can find her."

We were out the door at 10 o'clock. My parents, sisters, Selena, and I were all walking beside each other when Madison pointed at something.

"Look!"

A band consisting of men in overalls playing a banjo, a washboard, and fiddle. A man and a woman in more traditional garb were doing a sort of square dance.

I looked around. My family, Selena, and the people around us were all looking at the band and dancers and the people who were just walking by weren't paying us any mind.

Quickly, I put a hand on Selena's face and moved her head to face me. Before she could speak or even realize what was happening, I gave her a quick kiss. Shocked, she glanced around and laughed.

"Very sneaky, 007."

"Eh, it would me more secret agent-y if I rolled away on the ground with a gun."

"So what would you call it?"

I pondered for a moment before answering. Leaning in close, I whispered in her ear, "Ninja kiss."

"Can we go?" Madison asked, reminding me we weren't alone.

"You're the one who wanted to look," I pointed out.

She just stuck her tongue out at me.

We all started walking along the rows of boots selling jewelry, paintings, woodwork, clothing, and things like honey and jam, this time with Selena and I trailing behind.

With out warning, she pulled me beside a booth. It had a tent like covering and I could see my family still walking.

"What are you-"

I didn't have time to get any more words out before Selena crashed her lips into mine.

She pulled back grinning cheekily.

"Ninja kiss."

"That's my word!"

"That's actually two words," she replied just as cheekily as she smiled and stuck out her tongue like Madison had.

Without thinking, I darted forward and licked it. She popped back, then an astonished smile spread across her face.

"I can't believe you did that."

"Better believe it, babe," I said, wrapping an arm around her waist as we began catching up to my family. I felt her warm arm find its way over my shoulder and give me a squeeze.

I looked at her and smiled. She caught my gaze and smiled back, leaning in. She didn't kiss me; she just let our foreheads and noses touch.

Having her close to me was perfection. Soft, warm and feminine… it felt like this is what it was supposed to feel like when you have someone you love connected to you, physically and emotionally.

For the rest of the walk, we kept sneaking kisses and were wrapped up in each other. To my parents' untrained eyes, we probably looked like two best friends, but there was so much more behind it than that.

When my dad got us all back in the car and on the road, we sat in the back again, except this time, there wasn't any second thoughts about cuddling and touching. I had decided a long time ago that when I met someone, I would come out to them. However, they didn't notice anything.

As we got closer and closer to Selena's house, I sank into denial about her having to leave- but that didn't make the time go by slower.

Selena started giving my dad directions to her house. We pulled up to one a two- story, pale yellow house with a wrap-around porch with hanging ferns that my mother would have loved to host parties on. Personally, I preferred the tree off to the side of the house: The only leaves left clinging to it were brown and dead, but I could just imagine reading and sketching and just lying under its branches full with light green leaves in the spring and it covered in bushy red and orange ones in the fall. I guess that's the difference between my mother and me; she loves classy, stereotypical things that can be nice, but I prefer simple things that you can turn into a wonderland with a little creativity.

"Well, we've enjoyed having you, Selena," my mother said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lovato."

How was it Selena could be so… nice all the time?

She began to get out of the car and I followed her, putting a hand to her waist as she stepped down.

She looked at me and smiled. We walked around to the trunk of the car and I took her hand in mine softly.

I used my free hand to open the trunk and she broke our hands apart to grab her bag. I followed her to the front of the car again. This whole time, we hadn't said a word, just communicating with our eyes and smiles. Words just didn't seem necessary.

As I pulled Selena into a hug, I kissed her on the cheek. I kind of hoped my parents saw.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." she said, twirling a piece of my hair. "You need to call me."

"I will."

She nodded. "Cross your heart."

I made an 'X' above my chest.

My dad honked the horn. I could hear him say, "Since when does it take this long to say goodbye to her friends?"

"Yeah… friends." I giggled to Selena.

"Well, he doesn't know we're more than that."

More than that. More than friends. I don't think she knew how happy it made me to hear her say that.

"I'll call you," I said, backing towards the car.

"Bye," she said, kissing two fingers and putting them in the air.

I mimicked the gesture and climbed in the car with a smile on my face.

Hello wonderful readers (That is if anyone's still reading after I abandoned this for an obscene amount of time.)!

There will be one more chapter after this. I'm not posting it now because I want to rewrite the last paragraph since... well, since it's kind of shit.

Review, pleeeeease? I know i don't deserve it for not posting for oodles of months, but... c'mon! That toothbrush-ing scene? Eh, eh?

(By the way, I'm not seriously like the last sentence indicates. I'm joking because I'm a dork. But not about the review part. That I would like. Now I'm rambling as per usual. I'll stop now. Bye.)