It Happened on Maple Street

“I can’t do that until I’m married.” The words hurt my throat. I started to cry, but held back the tears.

“Please, babe.”

“Not that, Tim, but please don’t stop touching me.”

He pulled himself out of me and laid on top of me for a minute.

“Are you mad?”

“No.”

He was disappointed, though. I could tell. And I didn’t blame him.

A minute or two later he came back up to kiss me gently. To lay his chest against my breast. Eventually the passion started to burn again. He put his fingers inside of me that time.

But it wasn’t enough.

It wasn’t ever going to be enough.

January brought near-record cold and snow, and Tara was different, too. He didn’t like to be paranoid, but it seemed like that night they’d spent naked in bed had changed her. He thought about asking her about it, but he didn’t want to hear any bad news. He just held on, hoping that whatever it was would blow by.

One night in late January, a blizzard blew in while he was at Tara’s house. They were lying in front of the fireplace. He’d been kissing her, touching her, and she’d been touching him, too. With clothes on, but only because they were at her house. Out in the open.

“You need to spend the night,” she said sometime in the wee hours of the morning. “I’m worried about you driving home in this stuff.”

Not quite the invitation to sleep with her he’d been fantasizing about.

“Don’t you think you should ask your mother about that?”

“Mom already said it was okay before they went to bed. She told me if it didn’t get any better outside to make sure you stayed. You can have my grandfather’s room.” It was the only bedroom on the main floor, down the hall past the laundry room.

Her grandfather had lived with them until his death less than a year before.

“Okay.” He felt more than a bit uncomfortable but wasn’t going to turn down the chance to spend the night at Tara’s house.

He got harder just thinking about it. Pulling her close again, he nuzzled her neck and said, “I don’t have anything to sleep in.” He wore pj’s at home.

Tara giggled. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

They lay there until the fire died and the room grew cold.

“We better get to bed before my folks get up,” Tara said. She walked him down the hall to the room he’d be using. The place was fine. A queen-size bed, elegant cream décor. He didn’t want to be there without her.

“Hey, babe, why don’t you go upstairs and get ready for bed and sneak back down.” Even if they didn’t make love, just lying naked under the covers together, sleeping with Tara in his arms, would be heaven.

“I can’t, Tim. Not in my parents’ house. My dad would kill us both if he caught me down here.”

“You sure?” They were in the doorway, he inside the room, she outside. Surely she wouldn’t be able to resist. Not with him this close.

“Yeah.”

“Okay then,” he kissed her and started to close the door, hoping she’d push it open and join him. “If you change your mind you know where to find me.”

She nodded. He held onto the door.

“Or if you need anything, you know what I mean . . .”

“I do, and forget it,” she smiled, but her eyes weren’t sparkling.