One minute they're agreeing they ought to go home; the next minute they're kissing like Julie's been wanting to do all day. And wow, it seems like Matt has too, because this is the kind of kiss you see on the covers of romance novels. Not that Julie buys romance novels, but she's thumbed through a few of Tyra's. And, okay, borrowed one once. Or twice.

They go from off-balance to falling off the log they were sitting on. It really is that easy, Julie thinks, and she wants to laugh and laugh. Except that would require stopping the kissing.

They land on Matt, mostly. He plays football: he's probably used to it. Julie's head is spinning.

They finally break apart, and the happiness on Matt's face is almost more than she can bear. They kiss some more, slower this time. Julie's pretty sure that's Matt's erection poking her in the hip through his damp swim trunks, and it makes her grin into his mouth.

And then Julie hears herself saying, "Okay, is it really bad that I want to--"

She doesn't finish the sentence; she doesn't have to.

"Really bad? Are you kidding me?" There's that shy smile again. "I think it's really good."

"You might be kind of biased." Julie shifts so she's basically straddling him, and he sucks in a quick breath through his teeth. "I guess you do, too."

"Yeah, that's pretty much a no-brainer." Matt shifts to press a kiss to the inside of her arm where she's bracing herself over him. "We don't have to, though."

It's obvious how much he doesn't want to say that, and for some reason that makes Julie's chest tight with yearning again. It's so Matt: trying to be a gentleman because that's what he's supposed to do, even when he really doesn't want to. "Yeah we do."

She's shivering a little. Wet swimsuits on a rapidly-cooling evening, that's all.

"I've got condoms," Matt admits. "In my wallet."

"Hoping to get lucky tonight, huh?"

He looks up at her with all the seriousness in the world. "I kinda already am."

She has to kiss him for that. He shifts them, lowers her to the ground. "Hang on, I'll be right back."

Matt goes to rummage in the trunk of Landry's car, and Julie unrolls the sleeping bag so they have something to lie on. They're really going to do this. She feels lighter than air.

Julie squirms out of her swimsuit and kicks it to the side. Matt steps out of his and she can't stop looking at him. She likes his calves, his thighs, his chest. Patches of darker hair that draw her eye. Pretty dick -- not that she has a lot to compare it to, but it is pretty, like the rest of him.

She expects him to put on the condom right away, but he drops it on the ground next to her and unrolls another blanket to pull over them, and then his body is right there, warm and lean and strong.

"This is probably a dumb question," Matt says, kissing her neck, "but have you ever, ah--"

"Not a dumb question. Pretty relevant," Julie points out. "And, um -- no."

Even though she knows all that bullshit about experience doesn't really matter, there's still a flash of nervousness when she admits it. But Matt just pulls back a little and says, "You gotta tell me if you don't like something, okay?" And then he's shimmying back under the blanket, pushing her legs apart, and this was not the plan, she didn't mean --

Oh, God, that's his mouth. "Oh," she chokes out, blindsided. His thumbs are holding her open and his mouth is -- okay, reading about this in romance novels did not prepare her for how it was going to feel. And then he does something else with his tongue and she actually whimpers. The sensation stops and she can hear the smile in his voice when he says, "This okay?"

"Better than okay," Julie manages, and he starts up again. "Oh God." He's trying different things, and they're all good. She's melting.

After a while he slides a finger inside, and she clenches. Anton did that a few times, but it never felt like this. She feels like she's coming apart. "Hey," she says, and her voice sounds rusty. "C'mere."

He does, climbing back up her body to brace himself over her like he's doing pushups. Strong arms and shoulders, and she can reach out and touch, so she does. His mouth is wet and he's smiling and it makes her heart do somersaults.

"I could've kept going," Matt offers. "If you want."

"It's...kind of intense," Julie admits. "You want me to--" They only tried blowjobs once or twice, before. She's better at it than she used to be.

He's definitely blushing now. "I don't think I'd last."

Oh, God, that means he's close. He really wants this. Excitement and nervousness wash through her. "Better get that condom on, then."

They kiss again, just because they can. His mouth tastes different; like her, she guesses, which makes a hot shiver run through her. And then Matt kneels back and reaches for the little foil packet. It looks like his hands might be shaking a little.

Julie can't help wincing as he pulls the thing on. It looks...uncomfortable. "Does it hurt?"

Matt gives a little laugh. "Naw, it's -- kinda good, actually." She's not sure she knows what that means, but he keeps going: "You want to be on top?"

Julie shrugs a little.

"I heard it's easier that way, the first time."

"Yeah, okay," she says, and then they're trading places, and Julie thinks: this is really happening. Right now.

It does hurt a little, at first, and she bites her lip. It's worth it. She doesn't mind.

And then she shifts forward and Matt gives a little gasp. She tries moving again, forward and back, and Matt groans like he can't help himself. His hands are on her hips and that feels good, and making Matt crazy makes her feel powerful, so she does it again.

Something's building in her, something deep and sweet and raw. Julie leans forward, bracing her hands on his shoulders, and oh God that time it's different, and she has to bite back a moan.

"Yeah?" Matt murmurs, looking up at her like she's the most perfect thing he's ever seen. The crazy thing is, he looked at her that way before they started doing this, too.

"Yeah," Julie agrees, and now they're moving together. The feel of Matt's strong body under hers makes her exult with joy. God, it's so good. How did she not realize it was going to be so good?

Her hair has fallen out of the knot she tied it in, it's in her face and probably tickling Matt but he isn't complaining. He's holding her steady and thrusting up. This isn't anything like anything she's ever done, not like touching herself, not even like his fingers and his mouth, this is...

"Please," Matt says, his voice a little wild now. "I wanna make you--"

His voice breaks and just like that she's gone, coming hard. His hands tighten on her hips and he bucks up one more time and she can feel him, even through the condom, throbbing inside her. She gasps and clenches without meaning to. He laughs, his eyes fluttering closed like it feels too good to even keep them open. Around them, the night sky is full of stars.

Driving home, Julie can't stop grinning. Out the window, at her hands, at her towel on the floor. She glances at Matt out of the corner of her eye, and he's grinning, too; there's a look on his face like he can't believe his luck. Landry's car is automatic, so she reaches a hand over and slides it along the outer edge of his thigh, just because she can. He reaches down and grabs it, holding it tight.

They kiss again when he parks at her house. And again.

Walking up the sidewalk she feels like her heart is overflowing. She lets herself in and goes to her room, grateful that nobody else is awake: she's not sure she could handle her parents right now, making small talk about the stupid dance. She doesn't want to desecrate this.

Looking in the mirror feels weird. Everything is different: she shouldn't look the same. She piles her hair on top of her head, turning to one side, then lets it drop again. This is what I look like, not a virgin anymore, she thinks. Matt and I just --

Matt and I. Looking at her reflection, Julie grins.

The End