When Sarah and Sam returned to the campsite, all was quiet, no one was around.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and change." Sam motioned to his cutoffs.

Sarah agreed, a shower sounded good, she wanted to wash the sand out of her hair. "I can meet you at the bonfire later."

He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Save me a seat." Then he sauntered off in the direction of his tent, on the far side of the campground.

Sarah watched as he walked away. The rays of the setting sun glinted off his hair and his broad shoulders were tanned brown, from the day on the beach. She shook her head and turned to go into the tent. She had just met him this morning, so how could she possibly be falling so fast for him? But she was attracted to him, he blended into her group of friends so easily, and he was so sweet to her, so gentle and thoughtful. She rolled these thoughts around in her mind while she gathered her things to take to the showers.

As she entered the bathhouse she heard the water running from one of the stalls and recognized Midgie's bag and towel on the bench outside of it. She walked into the one next to Midgie's and turned on the water, then stepped back to get undressed, setting her bag on the bench.

"Midgie, it's me, how was your day with Dave?"

"It was so cool!", Midgie sang out, "Utterly fantastic! He is so sexy, I love watching him work, those muscles! Oh my god! I am so glad we finally got together this summer."

"So am I." Sarah pulled off her bottoms and she saw a small drop of red. "Oh shit, I started. I forgot it would come this weekend." She pulled a tampon from her bag, and thanked God that she had stopped Sam's wandering fingers.

"Crap! That means I will be soon." The girls' cycles were always a few days apart, driving Pete crazy sometimes with the double dose of moodiness.

Midgie shut off the shower and, standing in the dressing area, she towel dried her hair. She looked over as Sarah stepped into the shower stall, "Wow, girl, you got some sun on your back today, it's really turning red." She touched Sarah's back and saw the white print left from the pressure of her finger.

Sarah winced and pulled away. "Ow! That hurt! Shit, is it that bad?"

"Yeah, I'll hang around here and when you're done with your shower, I'll put some Solarcaine on it. I have some here, somewhere in my bag."

While Sarah showered, Midgie asked about her afternoon with Sam. "Well, is Sam a good kisser?" Sarah's watery giggle came out as she rinsed her hair. "I'll take that as a yes." Midgie smiled slyly, "So, he got to first base already, huh?"

The girls had an agreement between them, taken from an article they read in a magazine. First base was french kissing, second was touching and feeling each other, third was oral sex, and a home run was actually having sex. Their rules were -You can go to 1st base on the first date, go to 2nd base on the third date, never go to 3rd base until the fourth date, and only get a home run after you know the other person is being monogamous. They both followed the agreement faithfully, and hadn't actually gotten homeruns with more than one or two guys.

The shower shut off and Sarah stepped out, and rubbed a towel vigorously over her hair, she thought about how to answer Midgie's question. "He is a great kisser. Like an out of sight kisser! But, it's more than that, he's just a really cool guy. He listens to me when I talk, really listens, and he's so considerate of my feelings."

"He sounds better than Jeff." Midgie held up the can of Solarcaine and Sarah turned her back, ready to be sprayed.

"He is! Jeff left me feeling so negative and unsure of myself. Sam is different." Sarah stopped as she thought about it. "He makes me feel good about myself. There is like this pull, this connection between us. I don't know how to describe it."

Midgie sprayed the Solarcaine on Sarah's back. "Jeff was slime. He had no real charm. Now Sam, he is different. His charm just comes natural. He doesn't even try, it just seems to be a part of him. I think you should give him a chance. Jeff is in the past. Chalk it up as a lesson learned and move on. He doesn't deserve any more attention from you, but Sam does."

***

When Sam walked out of the woods he saw the bonfire blazing. A crowd had already formed around it, some standing and some sitting on the logs and tree stumps that had been scattered around. He stood there and took it all in. The sun was setting low on the lake and there were no clouds in the pink tinted sky. There would be a lot of stars out later, he hoped. He scanned the crowd, looking for Sarah, then he heard her laughter.

Following the sound, he found her standing with a group of her friends. She spotted him and waved him over, introducing him. They all stood and talked for awhile. As it got darker, everyone drifted away into their own little groups. Sounds of Deep Purple, Smoke on the Water, filled the air and across the fire, a group of younger partiers started dancing.

Pete came up from behind, whispering in Sarah's ear, as he handed her a small square, wrapped in a napkin. "Here's the brownies I promised you. Jamie and I will be over towards the back, if you need anything."

Sarah turned and eyed the guy beside Pete. He was shorter than Pete, with long dish water blond hair and large blue eyes. He smiled at Sarah and nodded his head in greeting. She said hello, then looked back at Pete, her eyes, boring into his with unasked questions.

"I'll see you back at the camp later?" She whispered to him.

He nodded, then under his breath, he added. "Just check for our signal, Ok?"

Pete, Midgie and Sarah had set up a system, a couple years back, when they decided to use the tent for other things than sleeping. A small white ribbon would be tied on the zipper pull of the door if the tent was in use.

She watched them walk towards the back of the crowd, then turned to Sam, holding out the napkin. "The best of both worlds, hashish and chocolate." She unwrapped it, inhaling the hash scented chocolate.

They found a log, set off to the side of the bonfire, and settled on it, beside each other, toes curled in the sand. Sam leaned back, supported by his hands on the log, and looked up at the sky. "The stars are going to be out tonight." He felt her hand beside his, and curled his little finger around hers.

Sarah looked up at the evening sky, twinkles were just beginning to show in the clear darkness. "I love nights like this, the stars reflect in the lake and it's just incredible." She sighed, contentedly.

Sam looked at her profile, lashes swept up nearly to her shapely eyebrows, her amber eyes glowed golden, in the firelight. He reached over and traced the tip of her nose, where it tipped up just slightly. "I brought you something."

Her eyes opened wide in surprise as Sam held out a small bunch of tiny, white flowers, slightly wilted from the heat of his hand.

"I found these by the path on the way here and thought of you." He took her braid and wove the flowers into the plaits. "See, now you are a true flower child." He placed his hands on her cheeks and pulled her in for a quick kiss. "A very beautiful flower child."

"Thank you." Sarah looked down at the flowers in her braid. "No one has ever given me flowers before. Except for Pete, and that doesn't count, since we were only 5 at the time."

"No one else?" Sam was incredulous. "Someone as beautiful as you?"

Sarah laughed and shook her head. "You really say the most charming things."

"Sarah," His voice was deep and serious, stirring up the butterflies in her stomach. He straddled the log, pulling her around to face him. "You really are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen."

Sarah leaned towards him and laid her forehead on his shoulder, closing her eyes. She felt so comfortable in his arms, and safe. Maybe Midgie was right, it was time to let go of the awful memories of Jeff and start new, happier ones with Sam.

She lifted her head and looked in his eyes, "And you could be the best thing to happen to me right now." She broke off a piece of the brownie and held it up to him. He opened his mouth and she slipped it in and withdrew her finger slowly, letting it rest on his bottom lip. She felt his tongue slide out and touch the tip, licking off the chocolate.

They fed each other the rest of the brownie in silence, both of them too overwhelmed by this new sensation they were feeling. A hoot of laughter from a group, directly behind them, startled them, causing them both to jump.

Sam laughed, self consciously, and shook his head. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a bottle. "I've brought some wine. I remembered to loosen the cork, but it looks like I forgot the cups."

"That's okay, we can share the bottle." Sarah took a sip and sighed. "This is perfect."

Sam slid to the ground, and resting his back against the log, he reached back for Sarah, pulling her into his lap. She leaned against him, then pulled away, wincing.

"Did I hurt you?" Sam was instantly concerned.

"No, it's just that I got a sunburn today on my back. I should have known better and put some suntan lotion on."

He lightly trailed his fingers down her back, he could feel the heat of the burn. He realized that she had only a tee shirt on, with nothing underneath but bare skin. She moved in his lap to get more comfortable and he bit his lip and leaned his head back, staring at the sky, forcing his mind off what was happening below.

"This isn't going to work." she sighed. "I can't stand anything against my back." He stood up and reached for her hand, pulling her up.

"We'll walk around. It's a little noisy here anyway."

They picked their way through the groups clustered around the fire and Sam spotted a lone picnic table, set back in the trees. He guided Sarah to it and they sat side by side on the top.

Sam leaned back on his hand and reached across with his other for Sarah's, clasping their fingers together. He gave her hand a little squeeze. "This is so much better. We're back from the crowd, we can still hear the music and we can see the fire. And look above us, all the stars are coming out."

She looked up and sighed, "They are so beautiful. It's almost like you can reach out and touch them."

They sat and talked quietly, sipping the wine. He told her more about his childhood, and laughed as he heard of more of her escapades with Pete and Midgie. Once in awhile he would lean in to kiss her cheek, or play with her braid.

The hashish and wine combination slowly began to have its effect. He felt calmed down and loosened up as he laid back on the table, bringing her to his side. He could tell it was working on her too, as she fluidly slid down beside him. She leaned into him, her head propped on her hand, and her leg thrown over his. Her fingers teased his face.

He closed his eyes and smiled, enjoying the feel of her against him. His fingers played with the end of her braid, "You know, if someone had told me how this day would have been, and how we would be here, tonight, I would have laughed at them."

"Why?" Sarah was surprised at first, then thought it over and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I probably wouldn't have believed it about me, either."

They were silent for awhile, Sam absently played with the end of her braid. Then he spoke up, "Do you always wear your hair in a braid?"

"Usually. It's easier to manage."

"Do you mind if I do something?" His fingers were working at the band that held it together.

He sat them both up and stood her in front of him, putting her between his knees. Then his hands gently worked the band off her braid.

"May I? I want to see your hair."

She nodded and stood still as his fingers worked the plaits apart. He ran his hands through her hair, gently, spreading it out over her shoulders. Her hair shimmered, the color of golden honey, lighter in places where it had been kissed by the sun, and with streaks of caramel in the under layers. The blaze of the fire glowed through the satiny strands.

"The colors are something else." He said, in awe. He smoothed it down the front, his fingers grazing her breasts. "You're so beautiful, sweetheart."

He leaned forward, his lips touching hers, and he pulled her in closer. He felt her lips part and his tongue slipped between.

Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck as she felt his tongue slide against hers tenderly, moving in, then back, drawing hers with it. She teased back with hers, the slow dance beginning again. She felt every nerve ending in her body firing up. She could feel his body against hers and his hands on her bottom. He trailed kisses along her neck, nuzzling his face in her hair. She felt tiny shocks where his hands slipped up her shirt, his thumbs moving across her rib cage. She felt the spark as they moved lightly over her nipples. Her body wanted more, she felt the tug in her lower belly and the heat flare up between her legs. She pulled back, reluctantly, and took his hands, holding them in hers, between their bodies.

He reached for the wine bottle, to cover his frustration. He handed it to her and she took a long drink, draining it.

"I'm sorry, I not trying to be a tease.", she murmured.

"Whatever was meant to happen, will happen." Sam said calmly, then he looked at her curiously. "Why are you resisting it?"

She kept her head down, thinking, then she spoke, sadly. "Have you ever had your heart broken? I mean really, truly broken, you feel an actual ache. I swear, I think I even heard it crack. And there is such a feeling of betrayal. You wonder what was real and what was lies."

Sam was quiet, thinking back on his past relationships. There were none that were serious. "No," he said slowly, "I can't think of anyone that hurt me that bad." He paused, then added softly. "I can help you heal."

Sarah looked into his eyes, seeing the compassion there. She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into his arms.

"I think you are good for my heart." She said, solemnly.

"Just as you're good for mine." He kissed the top of her head. "Do you still have the blue heart glass?" he whispered. He felt her nod, and he continued, "That's my heart, Sarah. I'm giving it to you."

She listened to the steady beating within his chest, and smiled, happily. "I'll take good care of it, Sam. I promise."