Safe And Sound

Zack and Ashley got themselves dressed and with **** left the old camp counselor cabin. The air was already growing thick with humidity making the thought of a walk back all the worse, "How long did we walk yesterday?" Zack asked with a groan,

"Too long," Ashley joked back as the pair started their long march. It didn't take too long for them to hit their stride and start focusing more on each other, spending their time lost in conversation once again. Only as time moved on, their conversation started to grow deeper, more personal. With a new level of trust in one another they began to share new things, "So, to be completely and utterly honest, you are the second guy I've ever been with,"

"So Brandon was your first then?" Zack asked back,

"First everything," Ashley nodded, "It was...kinda a thing between us. We shared our first kiss together, the first time together...I did certain things to him and he returned them...all for the first time. The thought was we'd be together forever, so we'd never have regrets,"

"And do you now?" Zack gently asked, his tone only curious, not mixed with jealousy that Brandon often had whenever she spoke about another guy,

"No...I mean, not that I regret what happened. My first time was nice. It felt special too. The real problem I have with it now is...how naive I was," Ashley sighed back, her tone dropping low, "I wish I could go back and talk to myself, pull my head out of my ass and realize not everything is the perfect fairy tale fantasy,"

"You can't blame yourself for have trust and hope for the future with Brandon. Ask any of us and we all would have thought you two were destined to be glued at the hip for all time," Zack said with a light laugh,

"Yeah," Ashley reluctantly agreed, "What about you and Lisa? She was your first?" The blonde then asked, eager to get off the subject of Brandon before anger or sadness seeped back in,

"Oh uh, yeah, um, she was my first kiss," Zack nodded back while clearing his throat, "It was nice,"

"And?" Ashley pressed with an expectant look,

"And she gave me a blowjob once and I...uh, did some stuff for her too," Zack quickly added on while rubbing the back of his neck,

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on," Ashley denied, stepping in front of Zack stopping him fully, "You two had full-on sex before, right?"

"We...uh..." Zack murmured back, his cheeks turning ever so slightly pink,

"No way!" Ashley exclaimed, her eyes lighting up, "You mean last night, on top of it being so fucking perfect, was also your first time ever?" Zack let out a silent nod, "Bullshit, you were doing too good, you knew exactly how to handle me,"

"That's not normal?" Zack couldn't help but chuckle in response, "I did what felt natural, and I did what I thought you'd like as much as me,"

Ashley let out a breathy laugh of her own and shook her head in disbelief, "You are seriously the biggest shocker I've ever met Mr.Bishop,"

"No more than you Ms.Woodsen," Zack shot back, "I never did anything serious with Lisa because of Victoria, it didn't feel right doing that with her if all I was thinking about another woman. You, though, you purged my mind of everyone else on the planet, last night it was only me and you," Zack sincerely explained making the blonde cheerleader let out a prideful and touched smile.

Taking Zack's hand in hers, Ashley started to walk once again, "I like that, only me and you," Ashley thoughtfully echoed back,

Zack raised a brow as he noticed just how giddy Ashley seemed to be now, the blonde girl doing her best to hold in a wide smile but unable to hide the bounce in her step. "Why are you so happy now?" Zack asked with a minor shake of his head,

"I was your first," Ashley grinned back, "And I wasn't the first to ever try, I was the one you needed to share it with. I mattered that much to you, and we...it's only been a few days, Zack," The cheerleader continued, squeezing Zack's hand tightly, "It didn't matter to me that you had sex before, hell I didn't care, but now that I know I was your first, I want --" Ashley stopped herself, she desperately wanted to say, I want to be your last, but she held her tongue. Sure she and Zack were growing closer and closer each day, and she was almost certain that he'd agree to start going steady but...what if he didn't want to? Or more importantly, what if he does but she scares him off by going too fast? "I want...to just soak that in, knowing that I did such a great job," Ashley finished, covering her true intentions as smoothly as she could,

Zack's head dropped back and the teen let out a hearty laugh, "Yes, Ash, you definitely did great, but listen to me for a second," Zack said, his voice turning serious, "Last night was incredible, I couldn't imagine changing a thing, the same thing with this morning, but I'm not focused on doing you whenever I get a chance. Yesterday that wasn't even on my mind when I was with you, I just like spending time with you any way I can,"

"Me too," Ashley swiftly agreed, "I want to do much more than fuck you, Zack. If I had known how nice of a person you really were, like how ingrained it was, I would have been hanging out with you all the time. It's just...you make me feel really safe and secure, and that feeling," Ashley paused trying to come up with the proper words, "That feeling makes me want to be with you, does that make sense?"

"Brandon didn't make you feel secure?" Zack murmured with a tilt of his head,

"He did, but it wasn't -- okay, it's like this, Brandon and I fucked because it's what people do, right? We liked each other and we had sex for fun, pleasure, whatever you call it. Last night though, when I jumped you, and this morning too, both times, I...god, it sounds really cliche but the best way I can say it is, I was making love with you, instead of fucking you," Ashley finished, chewing at the inside of her cheek as she looked up at Zack.

Zack felt pins and needles sore from his face to feet and then back up as Ashley spoke. He wasn't scared by what she just said, nor overjoyed at the moment, it was uncertainty that overtook him. Making love sounded right to him too, but does that mean that they were in love? Zack shut his eyes, giving the thoughts a rough shove from his mind. Before Zack could come up with anything to respond with the pair heard the scratch of gravel under their feet. Looking down Ashley's smile faded away as if it was never there before, "Guess we're almost back," Zack noted while looking up the gravel road, seeing the tip of the Raver's Cabin roof in the distance,

"Yeah..." Ashley almost whispered back, "God, I feel sick...I didn't think I was gonna feel that way, but going back with everyone else, ugh, I hate it," The blonde admitted, letting go of Zack's hand and rubbing her stomach with both hands,

"Hey, it's gonna be alright," Zack assured her, easily putting an arm around her shoulders, "We got this, you don't need to be afraid,"

"It's was just really peaceful, you know? I don't want to fight with Brandon anymore, I just want to keep moving forward," Ashley replied,

"We will," Zack nodded, "Ash?"

"Yeah?" Ashley looked up at Zack curiously,

"I...I get what you meant, about you and me, I mean," Zack said with a slightly nervous smile, "It did feel like...making love. And I don't exactly know what that means for us, but just know, I felt that too,"

Ashley's lips curled back into a warm smile and she felt an excited chill run down her spine, "You're...the fucking best," Ashley breathed out, pushing up to her tiptoes and planting a deep kiss on Zack's lips, "Come on, let's get back to our room, I want to be alone with you,"

"Lead on," Zack agreed with a charming smile of his own. The duo continued up the gravel road, any fear or worry about being back around Brandon momentarily paused. It didn't take very long for the pair to reach the front yard but to their surprised the first they saw was Brandon and Chloe on the front porch still fully dressed, sharing a patio sofa and a few cups on the table in front of them. Brandon's head was resting against the back of the sofa but Chloe's was nuzzled into the jock's chest, "Chloe?" Zack asked with a curious tilt of his head.