“She wasn’t feeling well,” Becca lied, looking away.
I smiled. Her friend clearly took the opportunity to leave Becca alone with me. Which meant I had a pretty good chance.
She took the drink from me and sipped it.
“Cool party,” I said.
She nodded. “It’s not bad.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at one before.”
“I’m not a huge party person.”
“No? You look like you fit in.”
She gave me a look. “What’s that mean?”
“You know what I mean,” I said, standing near her. “You’re the hottest girl here, you know that?”
She laughed. She actually laughed, right in my face. “Was that a line?” she asked.
I grinned at her. I knew she was going to be a challenge, but I didn’t expect laughter. A thrill ran through my gut as I prepared myself to put in some work.
“Yeah, it was. I can’t help it I guess.”
“Do all your girlfriends fall for that?”
“Most of them, yeah, actually.”
She laughed. “Good for you. It makes sense.”
“How’s that?”
“I mean, look at you,” she mumbled.
“What’s that?” I asked, knowing full well what she said but wanting to hear it again.
“I said, you’re popular. That’s why.”
I smirked. “That’s not what you said, but okay.”
She blushed. “Why are you hitting on me now all of a sudden?”
“Like I said, you’re the hottest girl at this party. It may be a line, but it’s also true.”
She laughed and shook her head, swatting me lightly on the arm.
We spent hours like that, flirting back and forth. I stopped drinking after a while and so did she. I realized that it was the first time at a party that I didn’t need to be drunk because I was actually enjoying myself with someone interesting. Soon, we started trading stories about our families, and were both surprised that we grew up with single parents.
We had a lot in common. We made each other laugh. And my dick was aching to get out of my pants.
“Feel like taking a little walk?” I asked her toward the end of the night.
“I should be getting home.”
“I’ll drive you home after, promise.”
She pretended to consider it. “Okay, fine.”
I led the way, heading out into the woods. She followed closely, and we crashed through the underbrush, laughing together.
Up ahead, we heard it before we saw it. As we pushed through the brush, we saw a short waterfall gushing down a rock face. It ran down and joined a larger creek, which ran down into a larger river, and on and on and on until it reached the ocean. The sound was loud out there in the dark forest, silent except for her breathing and the rushing water. It was beautiful with the moonlight reflecting off its surface, almost like something from a dream.
I took her hand. She smiled at me. “Did you know this was here?”
“Sure did.”
“How many girls do you bring out to see it?”
“None,” I said, and meant it. “I don’t like to share this sort of thing.”
“So why are you sharing with me?”
I shrugged, genuinely unsure. “I felt compelled.” I moved closer to her. “There’s something about you.”
“I don’t get it,” she whispered. “Why now? Why all of a sudden?”
“I can’t explain it.”
“Try.” Her lips parted slightly as I pulled her up against me.
“It’s not like I haven’t noticed you.”
“You’ve noticed me?”
“Standing by your locker. Walking through the hall. But we were never close enough, you know?”
“I’ve noticed you too,” she whispered.
And then I kissed her.
The sound of the small waterfall filled my ears, or maybe it was the sound of my heart beating hard in my chest, the blood rushing to my head.
I was dizzy with her lips. It almost felt like everything had led up to that moment, every girl I barely cared about, every cliff I climbed, everything. It was all to end up out by the waterfall with some girl I barely knew, kissing her hard like it would be the last time ever.
We stayed up all night kissing and laughing and talking. I wanted more, so much more, but I knew that if I pushed, it might scare her away. Instead, I resigned myself to blue balls and a long make-out session.
In retrospect, that was a mistake.
Two days later, our parents announced their engagement.
They had hidden their relationship from both of us, assuming that we somehow wouldn’t be okay with it. But just like that, I went from euphoric and looking forward to sliding my hand down around Becca’s firm ass to living with her as my stepsister.