After we finished our picnic, Larissa and I sat on the blanket, looking out at the lake. It had started to get cold, so I draped my jacket over her bare shoulders and huddled up close to her.

"I could stay here forever," I told her.

"Me too, it's so beautiful," she smiled.

"I didn't necessarily mean here at the lake," I said. "But here like this, with you."

The way she looked at me in that moment made me feel like I was in a dream. I could have died right there and still feel like I had done everything I needed to in my life.

"You're sweet," she said, then rested her head on my shoulder.

"I'm honest," I corrected her.

We stared out at the water for a few minutes and neither of us spoke. It was so quiet, I was sure that even the birds had left us alone for a while.

"I'm so happy you finally agreed to go out with me."

"Me too," she responded, picking her head up off my shoulder to look at me. "I wish I had done it sooner."

"So why didn't you?" I asked, trying to pass it off as light-hearted conversation, though I really wanted to know.

"There's a lot of reasons, I suppose," she sighed. "Obviously, Brandon was an issue, and-"

"Yep, he was," I agreed, interrupting her. She just laughed, and continued to talk.

"But the main reason was that I was scared."

"Scared of what?" I frowned. "Admitting you're not straight?"

"Well, a little bit... but I kinda got over that relatively quickly. I was more scared that... well, I was worried that I was just another name you would put on your list."

Her words shocked me, and I was at a loss for words. She looked at me sympathetically, which made me think I looked upset.

"Ivy, I know that you-"

"Larissa, you never would have been just another name on my list. You are the fucking list," I said, and she looked rather confused. "Okay, that didn't make sense... What I mean is, that you're the only girl I have ever had actual feelings for. All of the other girls meant nothing to me, it's completely different with you. I would quite happily never have sex again, as long as I could look into your eyes forever."

Her cheeks turned pink, and she smiled at my compliment, not breaking eye contact with me for a second.

"I know I wasn't seeing things properly, Ivy. But you have to admit, it did kind of look that way sometimes."

"Why?" I asked. I had done nothing but persue Larissa from the moment I had met her.

"You told me on multiple occasions that you'd never been in a relationship, and you only had meaningless one night stands."

I sighed at her response, wondering why I had been so stupid in telling her that.

"And then I started to think that maybe you really liked me," she continued. "And then we got a little more intimate, and then you told me you weren't gonna see me for a while."

I contemplated punching myself in the face for being a complete and utter moron.

"So I kinda thought that you had already got what you wanted, and that's why you were so eager to step away from whatever was going on with us."

"Honestly, I thought that I was doing the right thing," I sighed. "I didn't want to push you into anything, in case you weren't ready for it. I wanted to give you time to think about what you wanted. I didn't realise I made it worse. I'm such an idiot!"

"No. No, you're not," she said, taking my hands in hers. "It's all been one giant misunderstanding, and I know that now."

"I'm so sorry for fucking with your head so much."

"You're not the only one guilty of that, though," she laughed. "If I had actually told you what I was thinking, we could have fast tracked through all the bullshit, and got to where we are now."

"And where are we now?"

"At the lake near my dad's house, obviously," she joked, and I tried to stop myself from laughing.

"You're an idiot," I giggled, rolling my eyes.

"When did you quit smoking?" She asked after I stopped laughing. It sounded like she had suddenly remembered that I used to smoke.

"Oh- um... I don't know," I frowned.

I honestly hadn't thought about cigarettes for weeks, and I believed it was down to Larissa. I had cut down on smoking when I first met her and eventually found I didn't need them when she was around.

"Well, I'm happy you did," she smiled.

"Why?" I laughed.

"Well, I don't wanna be tasting cigarettes every time we kiss."

"Every time we kiss?" I asked with a smirk. "So, that's something I can expect on a regular basis now?"

She didn't answer me with words, she just her hands behind my neck and pulled my face to hers.

When our lips met, the usual feeling of electricity was present, but this time it was accompanied by a sense of achievement. For the first time since we met, I genuinely believed that she wanted me as much as I wanted her.

Our lips moved slowly in rhythm with each other, and for the first time, it was Larissa who ran her allowed her tongue to roam to find mine. I was so turned on by her kiss, but I didn't feel the need to take things further this time. If Larissa and I were really going to be together now, there was no rush, and I was more than happy to take things slowly.

Eventually, I pulled away from her soft lips to look at her. She gave me a timid smile, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" She frowned.

"Nothing... you're just amazing."

"I know," she winked.

I laughed slightly to cover the fact that I blushed. She had such a weird effect on me, no other girl could make me blush with a wink.

"So, what are my chances of a second date?" I asked.

"Hmm... I don't know, I feel like you could have made a little more effort this time," she joked.

"Believe me, I would have, but I woke up late so I had to cut my usual beauty regime short."

"I seriously doubt that," she said. "You look pretty good right now."

"Not when I'm sitting next to you, sweetheart," I laughed. "You are quite possibly the most breathtakingly beautiful person I have ever laid my eyes on."

She didn't respond, but the look in her eyes changed from shy and playful, to something darker. My expression changed along with hers, and everything felt a lot more serious now.

She brought her lips to mine again, and positioned her knees either side of my legs so she was straddling me. Her kiss was rough and heated, and got me overexcited. She took me by surprise when her teeth tugged at my bottom lip, causing me to let out a moan. I was suddenly very aware of how aroused I was.

Larissa pushed me backwards, making me lie down on the picnic blanket, with her lying on top of me, our tongues still writhing against each other. My breathing became quick and uneven, and I let my hands wander around her waist, then up and down her back.

Her attention was now focused on my neck, my weak spot. Her teeth nibbled softly at the skin just below my ear, and she made her way to my collar bone and back up, before gently nibbling at my ear lobe.

"Don't you think we should do this somewhere more private?" I whispered, holding back my moans as I spoke.

"Nobody comes here now, remember?" She said as she sat up, and started to unbutton my shirt.

"What about that guy?" I said, pointing across the lake, behind her.

Her eyes widened in horror, and her head spun around, to look where I was pointing. When she saw that there was nobody there, she turned back to see me laughing, and slapped me playfully on the arm.

"Why would you even do that?" She laughed, looking relieved.

"I'm sorry," I lied. "But really, we don't need to do anything now. We've got time."

"It's not about what we need, this is what I want. Can I continue?" She asked, her fingers staying in place on the next button of my shirt.

"You can do whatever you want, beautiful."