read and enjoy. ORy, all my thanks goes to you.

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"Would you stop smiling," Brooke said.

Taylor lifted her head to frown at her cousin, "Why? I'm enjoying my good mood."

"I know you're enjoying your good mood but I know why you're in a good mood and since I have no reason to be in a good mood I am not enjoying your good mood."

"Was that English," Summer asked.

"Brooke, leave her alone," Peyton said. "She's excited."

"And nervous," Taylor amended. "Were you nervous the first time you and Nathan did it?"

"Oh yeah," Peyton nodded. "Mainly "cause I knew he'd been with other girls."

"Yeah so has Ryan," Taylor frowned at the ceiling.

"That's where being virgins with each other comes in handy," Summer smiled. "We might have been awkward and stumbling with each other but neither of us knew any better and we got to get better at it together."

"I should have practiced on Seth," Taylor said suddenly.

"What," Summer looked outraged.

"Maybe then I'd have a better idea of what I was going to be doing."

"Okay first of all, no," Summer said. "Second of all, so what if you're a little awkward about sex at first? I'm sure Ryan was bad at it when he lost his virginity."

"Somehow I just can't picture that happening," Taylor said quietly.

"What are you afraid of," Brooke asked.

"That somehow, he'll be disappointed."

"Taylor, this is not some kind of exam you're taking," Peyton said, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear.

"Seriously Townsend, he's not going to be judging you."

"Yeah, he's going to be enjoying you," Brooke said, a mischievous smile making its way across her lips. "And you're going to be enjoying him."

"Brooke! Don't say things like that," Taylor said. "I don't want my cousin thinking about me having sex. It's creepy."

Brooke giggled as she lay down next to Taylor and joined her in staring at the ceiling. Peyton and Summer looked at each other and joined them.

"So did you decide which nightgown you're going to wear," Summer asked.

"Yeah. The red one with the black lace," Taylor smiled. "I know it's probably more appropriate for Valentine's Day but-"

"You look hot in red and you want to look hot for Ryan," Peyton finished. "Condoms?"

"He's getting them."

"Does Seth know that you plan to give it up to his brother this Sunday," Brooke asked.

"I didn't tell him. Summer?"

"I learned a long time ago not to mention your name and sex in the same sentence unless I wanted to see Cohen's Kermit impression."

"What?"

"He gets really green whenever Taylor's name and sex are mentioned in close proximity. It's a little strange."

"He's been like that ever since we all hit puberty," Brooke giggled. "You should've seen the look he'd get on his face when some jock who tormented him would give P. Sawyer, T, or me the eye."

"I remember when that guy Chip Saunders hit on you Brooke," Peyton smiled. "You told him to go back to his friends, laugh off the rejection you gave him, get wasted, go home, and make nice with his hand."

"You also said not to be thinking of you when he did because even his fantasy of you wasn't interested," Taylor smiled. "That was good."

"He called me a frigid bitch," Brooke remembered.

"And I threw my soda in his face," Taylor smiled.

"After I stomped on his foot," Peyton recalled.

"Remind me never to cross the three of you."

Taylor held up her hands, which were curled into fists, "Hoes over bros."

Brooke and Peyton each hit one of them with their hands as they said, "Buds over studs."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So, you and Taylor doing anything special this Sunday," Seth asked his brother as they played Grand Theft Auto.

Ryan's pixilated vehicle rammed into a wall.

"Something I said? You're usually better at this game and we won't go into why."

"No and not funny," Ryan mumbled, ducking his head as he felt his face start to heat up. "Wanna go again?"

"What's going on?"

"Nothing," Ryan said.

"You're lying," Seth said bluntly. "You wanna know how I know you're lying? Because you're a bad liar."

"Noted," Ryan said quietly.

"C'mon Ryan, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Ryan said as he got up from his seat.

"Oh Moses," Seth said suddenly, making Ryan stop in his tracks on his way to the kitchen. "You're going to do that thing I never want to think about Taylor doing, aren't you?"

Ryan didn't say anything and he didn't move a muscle.

"God, why did I ask," Seth groaned. "I need to go find Summer and have sex enough times to get the image of you and Taylor doing that out of my head."

"See you in a few days," Ryan said as his brother hustled past him and out the door before Ryan went out to the pool house. He had just settled himself on his bed with a book when the phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hi. Guess what just happened?"

"Seth came in and dragged Summer out of your room and into hers, locking the door on his way."

"What's going on?"

"I was a little distracted today and he wanted to know why. I wouldn't answer him and he put the pieces together."

"The pieces being that the only thing you two don't talk about is you and me getting physical with each other."

"Exactly," Ryan said. "So, did he interrupt anything?"

"Just a final decision in what to wear on Sunday," Taylor told him.

"What did you decide?"

"You'll see on Sunday night. I'll be over at midnight, okay?"

"I will be waiting."

"Bye."

"Bye," Ryan said before hanging up the phone.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Taylor bit her lip and knocked on the door to the pool house. She smiled a moment later when Ryan opened the door.

"Hi."

"Hi," she said.

"Come on in," he invited.

Taylor stepped over the threshold and smiled. The entire room was lit by candles.

"This is beautiful," she smiled.

"It's not too cheesy? It's too cheesy. I'll put some of these out....."

"I never thought I'd see it."

"What?"

"You - babbling."

Ryan blushed.

"And now I've embarrassed you. Good Taylor," Taylor said shaking her head.

"I'm just nervous."

"You're nervous?"

"This is important to you. What if I mess it up?"

Taylor smiled and put her arms around his neck, "I love you."

"I love you, too." He put his arms around her waist. "So, this is okay?"

"This is perfect," she smiled. "Let's see what you think when I come out of the bathroom."

"I don't need anything kinky," he said. "More than that, I don't want anything kinky."

"It's not kinky. It's silky."

"And red?"

"Who told?"

"So it is red."

"You know me too well," Taylor smiled as she backed into the bathroom. "Turn out the lights except for the bedside lamp, unplug the phone, and lower the shades, okay?"

"You got it." He followed her instructions and checked that the door was locked four times.

He looked up from the lamp just as Taylor opened the door and came out. Her nightgown was red with black spaghetti straps and came down to about three inches above her knees. Her hair was down around her shoulders and her arms were behind her back. She was biting her lip.

"Wow," Ryan smiled.

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah."

"I'm scared. Is that stupid?"

"Depends," Ryan walked across the bed to stand in front of her. "What are you scared of?"

"Disappointing you," she said quietly.

"Dis....? Okay, now I'm confused.

"You've done this before," she said quietly.

"No I haven't."

"You don't really expect me to believe that, do you?"

"Of course I do."

"You're trying to tell me you're a virgin." Disbelief and sarcasm were heavy in her voice as she crossed her arms over her chest. He frowned as his view was blocked.

"I've never had sex with you."

"Yes but you have had sex and I haven't and I'm scared and now I'm babbling. Good Taylor," she nodded to herself. "Talk about killing a mood."

Ryan smiled and kissed her.

"What was that for?"

"To get back the mood."

"Not your best effort."

"Guess I'll have to apply myself then."