A/N Just a reminder that this is the one with the awkward-first-time smut. Compared to some smut out there I wouldn't call it super graphic, but again you can skip it if you like. It's pretty much from the third /*/*/*/* onwards, though they discuss it between the second and third.

1998

It was later that evening that Samar crept out into the back garden again. The lunch date from earlier in the day still had a smile fighting to be free on her face any time Shahin wasn't looking... But it was late enough now –the work day was over, Shahin had walked her home, they'd had dinner and he had gone to bed, assuming that she would do the same- that Samar could smile freely, without anybody seeing it. It was dark outside now, and the stars twinkled brightly in the cloudless sky. Samar stared up at it, smiling all the more so at those tiny, bright lights, as she crept across the garden to the fence. She had no idea for sure whether Aram would be there or not, but it just felt right, as she carried her small plate of supper out into the garden, with the cool breeze of the evening tickling her arms under the loose sleeves of her dress, to see if he was.

'Evening,' his quiet voice greeted her as she approached the fence. Samar's gaze snapped straight to the hole in the fence, spying his shadow there in the darkness.
'You're here,' she murmured happily, resting one hand against the wooden panel of the fence.
'It's too quiet inside my house when my parents are away,' Aram muttered back. Samar bit her lip.
'Mine too,' she sighed, 'especially when Shahin's gone to bed already as well. He'll be dead to the world until the sun comes up again.'
'So it's just us,' Aram mused softly, 'did you bring supper too?' Samar held up her plate of soft cheese, crackers, fruit and nuts, for him to see, even though through the hole in the darkness, he could probably only just make out the outline.
'How about that...' Samar shook her head in amusement at the sound of his soft chuckle. 'In a way, we could have dinner together, after all.'

There was a pause, both of them silently wondering the same thing at the same time, even though she had initially been joking.

'...Do you think I could fit through?' Samar spoke again, earnest this time as she echoed both their thoughts. Both of them gazed curiously at the plank, remembering the day Aram had struggled to stretch the gap wide enough to slip a book through... But that was years ago now, and as time had passed so too had the strength of the wonky nail Samar's father had hammered in to hold the loose plank partly in place. It hung more loosely now, even going so far as to rattle against the rest of the fence when there was a strong enough breeze.
'You really want to try that?' Aram asked warily, though his voice too, rang with curiosity. Samar shrugged, still staring at the wonky plank.
'Nobody's looking into either of our back gardens...' She murmured. The fingers of her free hand curled around the edge of the plank, testing its hold on the fence. It never had been difficult to wriggle it slightly out of place, but they had given up testing the gap after those first few attempts years earlier had proved futile.
'Ok, then.'

Samar tugged at the plank, opening up that gap once again as soon as Aram agreed. From the other side of the fence, Aram pushed the plank forwards... Until the gap between it and the next one was as stretched as far as possible.

Samar studied the space; it was borderline. She couldn't quite tell from looking at it whether or not she would fit through. She reached her hand through first, so that Aram could take her plate, then cautiously edged her way through... Head first, then her shoulder, then half sideways half twisting her way through until the plank came almost painfully close to her hips. Samar gritted her teeth, determined not to be caught halfway through now. She twisted a little more, and gave the plank another shove... And then all of a sudden she slipped all the way through.

Samar and Aram exchanged stunned glances as she took her feet... On his side of the fence.

With a disbelieving grin, Aram handed back her plate with a flourish.
'Supper?' He chuckled. Samar grinned back, just as Aram's own expression faltered for a moment. 'Actually,' he spoke again, hesitantly this time, 'since you're over this side of the fence, you may as well just come inside where it's warmer.' Samar simply gave a teasing waggle of her eyebrows, and gently took his arm for him to lead the way as she responded;
'Sure, why not?'

/*/*/*/*

There was a notable feeling of calm and comfort in the air inside Aram's living room –not the slightly on edge feeling of knowing they were overstepping the boundaries and had the potential to be caught. The lights were low, there was soft music floating through the air from the radio –Aram's earlier attempt to break the silence of being alone in the house- and sitting across the small dining table from one another with their plates of supper while discussing their day felt exactly as if that was what they were supposed to be doing.

The empty plates were eventually left forgotten on the table.

Aram took Samar by the hand, leading her from the table towards the centre of the living room. He held her close, allowing nothing but the music to fill the air between them. Her arms slid over his shoulders, and his around her waist, both of them swaying gently back and forth across the room in time with the music. It was peaceful; Samar allowed her eyes to fall softly closed and her head to rest contently against Aram's shoulder. They stayed there like that, dancing slowly together all the way until the end of the song, finally only pulling slightly apart when the next one to start was far more upbeat. Samar chuckled to herself as her head snapped quickly up from Aram's shoulder when the song changed; Aram simply gave her a lopsided grin and a nonchalant shrug. He took her hands again, choosing to adjust the dance to the music instead, and suddenly twirl her around. Samar's laugh grew all the more louder as she spun away from him, adding her own flourish to the movement and allowing her tunic to billow softly around her cotton trousers. She twirled across the room, Aram laughing too as he watched her... And then his face quickly crumpled, and he darted forwards trying to stop her as he saw what was about to happen next.

But it was too late; Samar twirled straight into the counter, and knocked the glass of water she had left sitting there earlier... Splashing it all the way down the front of her dress.

'Ahhh,' she burst out, as the sudden cold splash made its impact. Aram grimaced, rushing forwards to reach for a tea towel and offer it to her but it was easy to see; the tea towel wasn't going to be enough.
'Hang on,' Aram murmured softly, 'I'll get you a proper towel.' He paused, eyeing her in concern; 'you're not hurt are you?' Samar shook her head quickly, offering him a small smile; she had bumped into the counter, but she had bumped into the middle edge of it, not the corner that hurt far more on impact. The momentary painful shock in her side was already fading.
'I'm ok,' she reassured him, 'but I think I might need to take this off to let it dry properly.' Aram blinked for a second, then his eyes went wide as he realised she was gesturing at her dress.
'O-oh,' he began, 'ok, do you want one of my shirts as well, or...?' Aram left the question hanging awkwardly in the air, unsure what to really do in such a situation.
'No, it's ok,' Samar shook her head, with a soft, teasing chuckle, 'I'll put my jacket back on over my pants, and then I'll be all covered up again.' Aram nodded slowly in understanding; only a few days remained of the year, and with the cool of the evening combined with the cool of the changing seasons, Samar had come in with a light jacket over her dress, which still sat over the back of her chair. She ducked past him, giving his hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze in passing as she did so, then plucked her jacket from the chair and hurried towards the bathroom.

Aram raised his eyes to the ceiling and shook his head in amused exasperation.

/*/*/*/*

'Hey, I've got a towel for you,' Aram called through the bathroom door a couple of minutes later, 'I'm just going to leave it out her-' Aram moved to drop the towel at the foot of the door as he spoke, then turn and walk away so that Samar could have some privacy while she dried herself off... But the door opened before Aram could even finish his sentence, making him freeze. Samar poked her head around the door, reaching out to take the towel from him, but that wasn't what caught Aram's attention first.

Behind the door, and with the exception of the thin strap of her bra, her arms and shoulders were bare... Again.

Not that such a thing really surprised Aram –after all, that was the entire reason he had planned to leave the towel in front of the door and then walk away- but Samar's complete confidence in standing there in front of him like that, with only a door between them, that still did surprise him. Samar leaned further around the door, resting her palm against his cheek and tilting her head to capture his lips with hers. Aram bent to her will, gladly... His arms winding their way around the edge of the door and around her waist, instinctively holding her close as her kissed her, as he always did. Samar leaned further and further into him, nestling herself all too contently against his chest, and slipping her own arms across his shoulders. For a moment, the fact that for once, Aram was wrapped around her bare skin, barely registered in his brain. The smell of her shampoo filled his nostrils, and his fingertips traced the soft curves of her waist and hips... It was overwhelming, in all the right ways.

...Or perhaps, the wrong ones.

A stirring feeling began in his stomach, and very quickly worked its way through parts of his body that sent alarm bells ringing instantly in Aram's head.
'Uh,' he gasped, hurriedly disentangling himself from her and pulling away. A blush nearly as red as an overripe tomato spread rapidly across his face; 'uh, this is branching very quickly towards very dangerous territory.' Samar bit her lip, ducking back behind the bathroom door again as she noted him staring awkwardly up at the ceiling. And yet, if the embarrassed blush on his face, the way he was shifting awkwardly on his feet, and the way his lips had locked with hers so passionately was any indication, Aram seemed to have been thoroughly enjoying himself just as much as she had been, before he remembered what they were doing and where they were. Once she was safely back behind the door, her shoulder and arm once again the only thing left exposed, Aram lowered his gaze back to her, meeting her gaze with a guilty grin. Kissing her was one thing –he was used to that, and comfortable with it now, too- but kissing her while she was half undressed was a completely different level, and completely uncharted territory. They were dangerously pushing the boundary with their discreet, smaller gestures already, as it was... Though that didn't stop the longing for each other.

'Do you want to...' Samar began slowly, daringly... Then she left the question half finished, and lingering in the air between them like a temptation right above their heads, just out of reach. Aram blinked, the exact meaning of the words instantly understood in his mind.
'Um...' Aram bit his lip, taking a breath to try and steady himself. 'We probably shouldn't...'
'That's not what I asked,' Samar murmured back, holding his gaze. He deliberately chose not to answer her question, and Samar knew it. Aram was battling it out inside, torn between what intrigued him, and what he thought was the right thing. Aram hesitated before responding; he enjoyed that closeness between them so much, and that was just when he was able to put his arm around her, hold her hand, or kiss her cheek. This, the very thing Samar was suggesting, was something that was so incredibly tempting... But Aram was all too cautious of how scandalous what they were doing already was, and he was even more cautious about potentially pushing her too far, or making her feel like she had to do something that made her uncomfortable.
'I don't want you to feel uncomfortab-'
'-I don't,' she softly cut him off. There was an odd calm about her voice, where it was both soft and matter of fact. She was deeply curious about what could come next, and not at all afraid. She was tired of following the strict rules they were supposed to live by. All she wanted now, more than anything, was him. She wanted Aram as close as possible but at the same time, she was just as concerned about making him uncomfortable, as he was about her. 'But I don't want you to feel that way either,' she added. Aram held her gaze for another beat longer, processing her words, her voice, the simultaneously adoring and intrigued expression on her face.
'Are you sure?' He breathed, taking that one cautious step back towards her, and gently brushing the hair back from her face.
'Yes,' Samar murmured back, tilting her head to rest it against his palm. She craned her neck, leaning just ever so slightly further around the door, while still leaving herself mostly covered... But enough to reach forwards and press a soft kiss to his lips. Aram leaned in further too, kissing her deeper still.
'I don't want to hurt you,' Aram whispered, breaking just long enough to breathe. His anxious eyes sought hers, silently asking one more time... But Samar simply offered him a soft smile as she responded, creeping back out from around the door and finding that comfortable position in his arms once more, and enjoying the tingling sensation that spread across her skin as his fingertips traced her sides and wound around her waist again...
'You won't.'

/*/*/*/*

The bathroom quickly became the bedroom, with Aram picking Samar up and carrying her the two doors down the hallway. Her legs, still cloaked in those soft cotton trousers, wrapped around his hips. Aram turned as he stumbled into the room, completely distracted by his total focus on her, before finally lowering himself backwards onto the edge of the bed, sitting there with her now straddling him. His hand resting comfortably against the small of her back felt her arch closer towards him there, while her head slowly leaned backwards as his lips traced all the way from her lips down her jaw, down her neck and then her collarbone. Samar made quick work of his shirt, slipping open each button from his neck all the way down and then pushing it back over his shoulders. She let out a soft moan, the tingling of her skin spreading rapidly all across her body as Aram's hands explored every inch and every curve of her body. An unfamiliar, but exceptionally pleasant warmth began to spread between her legs at the same time, and she leaned forwards again, nuzzling happily into his neck. Her hands began their own exploration in time with his, now that his shirt was out of the way... They ran down his neck, over his shoulders, down his chest, tracing the outlines of his muscles... And then further down still. Aram took a sharp breath in as her soft fingertips danced ever closer to the top of his trousers, making Samar chuckle against his neck. The feeling of her warm breath there did little to ease his own tingling sensation... The one that Samar could already begin to feel pressed against her thigh. Aram's hands swept quickly up her back again, all the way up to the clasp that was key to the only thing left between him and the only remaining curves that he hadn't yet explored. He fumbled with the clasp, struggling for a second... Samar shifted on his lap, twisting one arm around her back to help him there while still nuzzling into his neck. Within seconds, her bra fell free from her shoulders. Aram's fingers continued their slow journey up her sides until they brushed against the sides of her breasts, and then he paused... Taking a deep breath as he took in the sight before him. Samar leaned back again, just enough to study the momentarily awestruck expression crossing his face. It was one more boundary that he was nervous to cross, and needed a moment to process. Samar shifted on his lap once more, shuffling forwards as if to suggest that she was completely content with the turn of events. Aram gazed down, studying the curves of her chest... The exact curves that he had never been allowed to see before. Finally, he allowed himself to proceed, cupping one in the palm of his hand and kneading it gently, and then going further still. Aram tilted his head, continuing his lips' trail from her collarbone all the way down the centre of her chest as he did so. Both sets of hands explored frantically, desperately, searching for every last inch of each other's bodies in that first quest for discovery.

Neither set of trousers lasted much longer, both of them flung as quickly and unceremoniously to the floor as Aram's shirt, before Aram finally rose and then turned, tipping Samar gently sideways so that she lay back on the bed underneath him. He stared down, his gaze sweeping across every part of her and for a moment, he was completely overwhelmed by her beauty. There was a thrill in taking it all in, a sort of thrill that he had never felt before... And the wide smile and the way Samar's eyes were dark with pleasure was all Aram needed to know that she felt exactly the same. He bowed his head once more, catching her lips in his again and then opening them slightly, letting her in deeper. He felt a tug at his waist, at the elastic band at the top of his boxers, and he gave no protest. Though there was a pause for a second, once they disappeared. Aram gazed back at Samar quizzically, and then shifted with a hint of discomfort; this time it was her turn to take in the sight of something she had never seen before. A soft blush crossed her face along with the intrigued smile.
'Sorry,' she mumbled, her eyes crinkling with a hint of embarrassment. 'It just doesn't look quite like how I imagined it.' Aram simply blinked at her for a second, suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious.
'How did you imagine it?' He asked, equally wary and incredulous. Samar shrugged sheepishly, the embarrassment now completely clear across her face.
'Not sure,' she murmured back, before shooting him a more apologetic, though awkwardly amused look. 'Sorry. Again.' Aram chuckled and shook his head, totally at a loss for how else to respond to such a comment. Samar laughed softly too, having been worried for a moment that her inability to stop herself from blurting it out, would completely ruin the moment... But instead Aram just grinned at her, and pressed an adoring kiss to her flushed cheek.
'It's ok,' he said, trying to stop himself from chuckling further, 'it is a weird looking appendage, I guess, especially, uh-' a pink blush began to spread across his own cheeks '-right now.' Samar grinned back, all semblance of awkwardness now gone between them in their shared amusement. She leaned in to kiss him again, and he sunk closer into her, the tingling of her bare skin only increasing further as it made full contact with his. Finally, his fingertips began to flitter across the top edge of her underwear and paused there, once more silently waiting, and asking for permission. Without a word, Samar shimmied out of them... And then, there was nothing left between them.

'Ready?' Aram breathed cautiously into her ear. Samar nodded against the pillow, turning her head just enough for her eyes to meet his; she was ready, and she could definitely feel him resting and ready against her thigh now too... Aram gave her a small, nervous nod, taking a breath... Before finally reaching down, guiding himself as he slid into her. Samar gasped in pleasure as his fingers brushed against her warmth, and then again with a hint of pain as he entered and her muscles adjusted to take him in. Aram recoiled at the gasp; 'should I stop?' He asked quickly, anxious that he had hurt her.
'No,' Samar murmured, quickly shaking her head despite her wince. She knew it would hurt a little at first; her mother had told her as much the first time she had sat Samar down to explain it all –that way, she would know exactly what to expect should anything not go as planned. Samar smiled up at Aram as the pain quickly began to fade; 'keep going,' she insisted. And so, Aram did. Clumsily, at first, though they both very quickly figured it out. Samar moaned in pleasure as Aram found his steady rhythm, and then slowly began to quicken in pace. He nuzzled into her neck as she wrapped her legs tighter around him, drawing him ever closer into her... Until the sensation was so intense, it was completely overwhelming. Both let out gasps as Samar was rocked by that first round of delightful spasms.. And Aram flooded into her barely seconds later. Both fighting to catch their breath, neither could wipe the ecstatic grins from their faces.

'As crazy as that was,' Samar gasped, pausing only to tilt her head back and kiss him once more, 'I don't regret it for a second, do you?' Aram shook his head, the mischievous grin on his face only widening more as he did so. Slowly and carefully, he rolled off her, landing beside her on the bed. Samar rolled onto her side, then curled into his, resting her head against his shoulder and humming happily to herself as his arm crept around to hold her close. Aram dotted another adoring kiss to the top of her head... Before both their eyes slowly flickered closed.

Next up; 'The Morning'