As Big as the Moon

I watched as she backed out and drove away, looking forward to when we really would be able to talk and see each other again.

***

With Jaimie going to see her mom and Gary on Saturday, we swapped text messages but it was the following Wednesday before we got to talk again due to her work schedule. More calls followed as the week progressed and we had our second date on Saturday night.

It was a more relaxing affair than the first, with each of us being more open about our feelings and more frank about our likes, dislikes, and desires. After a polite little hello kiss, we held hands at the table for a bit while we talked before closing the evening with a walk to Jaimie's car and some lovely goodbye kisses.

Throughout our time together, and despite our agreement and the short period of our reacquaintance, I found myself falling in love with her for the second time. Wanting her but not wanting to drive her away, I took a chance and said, "Jaimie, this has been a fun evening. I'd like to see you again soon, say, next weekend?"

She considered it carefully for a time, her face not giving any hints as to her feelings, before she said, "Yeah, I think I'd like that too."

I was disappointed in such an underwhelming response but then she cracked a crooked smile that told me she'd been teasing me.

"Come here, mister," she said, pulling us together for a last-minute kiss that made up for it, equaling or exceeding the one from the week before. I felt like I was walking on air or maybe sunshine as I walked back to my SUV after she pulled away.

No, there was no question in my mind if it was love this time; I knew almost right away that the spark was still there and that I wanted her more than anything in the world, right then and forevermore.

However, Jaimie continued to insist on taking it slow during our third date, so I did, enjoying our few kisses and thrilling at her occasional all-too-casual brush of her hand, her foot, or her cheek and some nice goodnight kisses, while yearning for so much more.

This was the pattern for our next date, too, though she allowed me to pick her up at her apartment for that one. She shared a few sweet goodbye kisses when we reached her door at the end of the evening, but she didn't invite me inside after unlocking her door. Instead, she turned back to me and asked, "Keith, I heard something on the radio yesterday. Would you like to go somewhere with me next weekend?"

"Sure," I said, accepting immediately since it meant that I'd be with her, even without knowing the details. My practical side kicked in then, and I asked what I was getting myself into. "Do you mean like go out again or actually go somewhere, like a night or maybe a weekend trip?" My heart raced at the possibilities.

"Overnight, yeah, but don't get your hopes up, mister," she added with a laugh as her hand patted over my heart. "Just pack an overnight bag--casual's fine, nothing fancy. I'll take care of the details and let you know, okay?"

"Sure," I said again, realizing that, since she was getting along with them better, she might be taking me to meet her mom and stepdad, her former step-demon. She gave me one last peck and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

My anticipation continued to build as I made my way home and in the days that followed, with Jaimie refusing to give me any hints about our trip in our calls on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings. As the weekend approached, I was excited that she was taking another step in our relationship, but it was getting harder and harder to control my desire for her despite my determination to give her the time she needed to, hopefully, fall as head-over-heels for me as I was for her.

***

Jaimie had me pick her up early on Saturday morning. After a hello kiss, I carried her bag down to my SUV. As we walked, she asked, "Have you figured out where we're going?"

"No, but I'm guessing we're going to meet your mom and step-dad."

"Survey says, EEEEE!" she sounded, something like the buzzer on Family Feud. "Strike one! Though, Keith, if things keep going like they have been, we might talk about meeting Mom and Gary sometime soon, okay? I wouldn't want that to be a surprise."

"Good."

I opened the door of the Explorer for her and helped her in. As I climbed in on my side, she took a drink from a plastic bottle, gave a contented sigh, and then leaned over to kiss me again, this time deeper and longer, her tongue probing my lips. She tasted sweet, sugary, with maybe a hint of carbonation, citrus, and...something. I was quickly lost in the kiss and whatever the hell it was didn't matter in the least.

"Wow. I hope there's more of that as the day goes along," I teased.

"Play your cards right, mister, and there very well could be," she teased right back. "Now, let's head out to the main road and turn right."

She gave me directions for the next few minutes as we made our way across south Nashville toward the east. When we stopped at a light, she said, "What's your next guess? Did the hint help?"

I looked around at her. "Huh? What hint?"

She gave me an exaggerated look of exasperation before a car honking behind me made me look to see that the light was green. I pulled away and gave a wave. "Sorry."

She was laughing. "The kiss, silly."

The kiss! The taste. "Ah, we're going to Atlanta? That's where Coke started."

"Strike two!" she laughed. "Though that could be a really fun trip someday, too."

"If I play my cards right?"

"You got it."

A few minutes later, we were approaching I-24 when she told me to pull into the parking lot of a convenience store. When I parked, she unbuckled her safety belt and turned sideways in the seat toward me.

"Ready for the last hint?"

From her smile, the twinkle in her eyes, and the look of anticipation on her face, I could tell she was having fun with this. That was one of the things I loved about her: she smiled a lot and always looked so bright and happy--and so pretty!--when she did. She could be silly at times, too, but in a really fun way that made me want to spend even more time with her.

"Yeah, go for it."

"Okay, close your eyes and open your mouth. No peeking!"

I did as she said, tightly closing my eyes but listening closely, trying to get as many hints as I could. I heard her opening her purse, rustling around in it for a moment, and, I thought, pulling something out.

Unwrapping...aluminum foil?

She shifted in the seat and I sensed she was leaning toward me. The sound of her breathing was right in front of me, and I felt a hint of her breath on my cheek.

I smelled something, chocolate, I thought, but something else was there, and then she was moving some more and putting it in my mouth. My lips closed around it as my tongue touched the bottom of whatever it was.

Yes, chocolate.

The texture was odd, and there was something else there--

"You can bite down now."

I did, hearing a bit of crunching as I chewed, tasting the chocolate, something like graham cracker, and something soft, similar to...marshmallow? It was somewhat similar to a smore from my camping days in the Boy Scouts, but not exactly, and, unfortunately, not quite as good.

"One bite left. Open."

I did and felt her place it in my mouth again, but this time as I started to close my lips, they connected with hers and I almost forgot what we were doing as we pressed together and her hand slid behind my neck, holding me there.

It was sweet but weird, absolutely the weirdest kiss of my life, with Jaimie giggling as the mystery sweet broke between us and then we separated, just a little. We both chewed as we did and looked at each other, the amusement clear in her eyes, when I realized I'd forgotten her instructions about keeping my eyes closed.

"It's okay, you can keep them open now," she said after swallowing. She took a drink from her bottle and then handed it to me, so I did the same, tasting the cola this time. It wasn't Coke and it didn't taste quite like Pepsi...

"Last guess," said Jaimie.

"Give me a second." It took a moment as I connected the pieces before I added, "Is this the weekend for the RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival?"

"Yes!" she laughed. "I heard them do a PSA for it on the radio sometime last week and remember you talking about your parents taking your little brother. We're going to Shoe Buckle for that and then I'll tell you about the other part later."

"Bell Buckle," I corrected, with a grin, suspecting that she already knew that.

She winked at me, confirming my suspicion, and replied, "We better get going if we're going to get there in time to get a good spot for the parade. Oh, and I called around and was able to get us a reservation for lunch at one of the restaurants at 11:40 a.m."

The RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival, held in the little town of Bell Buckle, Tennessee, around the beginning of every summer, brings people from all over to experience southern charm, eat homestyle southern food, and sample goodies generally found only in the south, including the two named in the event title. People buy antiques and crafts, eat in its littIe restaurants, and watch the parade.

Bell Buckle is about an hour southeast of Nashville so we talked as I drove. Traffic started getting surprisingly heavy as we neared the college prep boarding school that dominates the east side of town. After parking, we wandered around, visiting some of the booths set up by vendors from across the southeast, before staking out a good spot on the parade route.

When it started a little later, we found it to be a traditional small-town parade. There were a few convertibles with celebrities or semi-celebrities from the area or Nashville (including one or two from the local TV stations) that kept smiles plastered on their faces as they waved, a few floats built on flatbed trucks or farmers' wagons, and a couple of marching bands from nearby high schools. There were marchers from a few area organizations who tossed candy, some motorcycles from a club or two, and cars, lots and lots of old-timey cars filled to the brim with smiling, happy faces. Jaimie used the camera on her phone to take photos of a few, with the two of us comparing thoughts on each as they came by.

Walking around after the parade, it didn't take long before we heard the story of the origin of the Moon Pie. A bakery salesman trying to drum up business in the coalfields of Kentucky asked miners what kind of snack they would want.

One man put his hands together to form a circle, held them out toward the sky, and said, "A pie as big as the moon!"

The drummer took the idea back to the bakery and, after some experimenting in the kitchen, the Moon Pie was born.

We tried a couple of other flavors of Moon Pies and, after lunch at the restaurant, we toured several antique shops. I bought Jaimie an antique vase she liked before we found a booth and bought a few chocolate-flavored pies for my little brother. My parents had taken him to the event when he was little, with the poor kid eating way too many of the big, chocolate-coated cookies and ending up so sick he probably hasn't eaten one since. Not sure, we got him a few anyway.

"Jaimie, I've been wondering all day: what made you want to come to this festival?"

"Let's see. Hmm, I get to take a road trip and spend a whole day with my favorite guy doing silly but fun things, seeing cool old cars, getting introduced to Goo Goos Clusters--"

"You really liked that Goo Goo didn't you?" Goo Goo Clusters, made with peanuts, marshmallows, and caramel coated in chocolate is another candy rarely found outside the south and, really, not usually too far from Nashville.

"Mmm, yeah. Considering we're a festival celebrating Moon Pies, I sort of hate to say it but I think I like Goo Goos better."

"Can't say that I blame you, but if that's the case, wait until you try a Goo Goo Supreme."

"Wait, what's that?"

"Goo Goos with pecans instead of peanuts."

"Really? They come in pecan, too? Mmm-mmm, that sounds like a real panty dropper," she moaned teasingly.

I turned around and started back the way we'd come.

"Wait, where are you going?" she called, chasing after me and grabbing my arm.

"Going back to see if they have any of the Supreme ones," I laughed.

She spun me and kissed me, right there on the sidewalk with people passing by. "Keith, I don't think you have to worry about that, mister. You're already sitting on a straight flush right now."

It took me a second to remember what she'd said earlier, but when I did, I felt my face flush as well.

"A straight flush in hearts, it looks like, based on how red you are anyway," she laughed, before kissing me again. "Come on, mister, let's get out of here. We've got places to go, things to do."

"Oh, such as?"

She looked at me and grinned before leaning toward me, flicking my ear lobe with her tongue, and whispering, "Hopefully each other."

***

Although there was no inappropriate physical contact in the car, I was so excited on the drive from the festival to the cabin that Jaimie had found for us on nearby Normandy Lake that I could barely restrain myself, and I wasn't sure but Jaimie seemed to be in a similar state as I caught her staring at me several times when I sneaked quick, admiring looks at her.

Fortunately, she didn't make me guess about this surprise.

"There, there's the sign," she said. "Turn right at this intersection and it will be a half a mile on the left." The way she breathed while saying it confirmed in my mind that she was feeling much like me.

Two or three minutes of slow winding later, she spotted the last landmark and we turned into the drive. I grabbed our bags out of the car while Jaimie worked the lockbox for the key and opened the door to let us inside. As I closed the door, I was happy to feel that the air conditioner was on and working but didn't have time to say anything because Jaimie pinned me against the door and kissed me. Long and hard, that kiss ignited my already raging hormones and seconds later I'm sure she could feel the result.

Her eyes locked on mine when she let go and said, "Keith, we need to talk."

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know."

Abandoning our bags by the door, I took her further into the living room and over to a big, overstuffed leather couch. There was a big fireplace with a raised hearth that would have made a lovely backdrop for a great tryst in winter, but with the air conditioner working overtime, we wouldn't be using it for that.

"Five years ago, we met and I had the best Valentine's Day of my life," she said. "We only had two and a half days together, but that was enough and I developed feelings for you that I'd never had before and that I really didn't understand. I know now that I was falling--no, not falling, that I fell, head-over-heels as they say--for you."

I nodded. "I know, Jaimie, I was the same way. I didn't want to let you go, remember?"

Having heard the tale of my unsuccessful trip to Bowling Green on our first date when we set our ground rules, she nodded in reply and patted my hand. "Keith, when you suggested that we try to see if it would work then, it scared me because I wasn't in a very good place in my life at the time. I knew I wouldn't be able to give you what you needed or deserved, so I had to push you away to keep from breaking your heart later when you saw what a lousy girlfriend I would have made. This time, we talked at the start and agreed to take things slow so we could get to know each other better to keep that from happening again."

"Yeah, and I think we know each other much better than the first time. We've talked more, on our dates and on the--"

"We do, but the problem is--"

She shook her head, obviously upset at something. I didn't know what I'd done; I'd tried to do as she said, to give her the time she needed, to help and encourage her, and to be the best potential boyfriend I could be without stepping over the line into boyfriend-dom. When she didn't continue, I asked, "What's wrong, Jaimie?"

"It's me. I've wanted to take it slow and be sure about how we feel and figure out where we're going. However, my heart keeps saying, 'You're an idiot, brain. You are sure, and if you keep trying to slow things down, you're going to burn yourself again and hurt Keith, the best thing that's ever happened to you.' Keith, you heard me at the festival today; I said some things that I wouldn't have said a few weeks ago, or even last weekend, because I've felt myself changing. I've been trying to take it slow, but I find that I like you a lot and I think you like me a lot too--"

"You know I do, Jaimie."

"--so let's forget the stupid 'take things slow' ground rules and let things happen however they happen, okay?"

It was as if great weight was lifted off my chest as Jaimie unlocked the fetters that had bound our hearts, discarding the artificial constraints we'd set for ourselves and the development of our relationship. I chuckled and nodded, admitting the truth, "Sweetheart, I've wanted you from the start, and I've been more sure of it by the day."

Leaning toward me, she slipped an arm around my chest and let me wrap both of mine around her. "I'm so glad, Keith, because, if you couldn't tell today, I want you too." Almost breathless, she added, "That means now, mister. I want you now, right now."

She was pulling my t-shirt up as she said it, and I responded in kind. As we tossed them to the side, our lips met and our fires of our passion raged. Wanting more, Jaimie pushed me against the back of the sofa, and swung her leg across my lap so we were face to face, my arms around her and hers were around my neck and on my face, touching me so gently and then kissing me again, moaning this time as it deepened and we gave in more fully to our desire.

Jaimie's bare thighs were against my legs, so my hands dropped, cupping her delightful ass and giving it a good rub and squeeze over her short jeans shorts and the peek of her cheeks below. Rubbing more, I slipped a finger between the frayed, almost-not-there leg of the jeans and the inside her thigh, feeling the softness of her puffy lips below. She moaned in reply and ran her hand down over my chest, gripping my pec and making my continued regular workout routine well worth the effort.

With her sweet tits still contained in the lacy bra but the swell of her curves exciting me to no end, I slipped my left hand up and unhooked her bra as my index finger of the other hand continued to rub caress the side of her valley. Jaimie moaned and squirmed against me as she shrugged off the bra, freeing her boobs so she could arch up and push them into my face.

Needless to say, my dick felt as hard as steel by this point and Jaimie's hands found it in that state as I kissed her tits, cupping one and pulling the nipple into my mouth. She was undoing my belt and shorts when my index finger finally slipped in a little further, pushing her panties far enough to find them damp with desire and her delicate inner lips soft, wet, and oh-so inviting.

"Uhmmm," she groaned as my finger went about as far forward as I could reach, catching her clit to give it a little rub with her juices. "Uhmm," she repeated as I slipped back and through her. "Let's get these off so you can get inside and love me, okay?"

We separated just enough to shuck off our shorts and underwear. Straddling my thighs once more with her delicious globes in my face, she pumped my hardness a few times before rolling the condom from my wallet all the way down to the base.

When it was safe, I clasped her ass and pulled her forward, feeling her well-trimmed blonde muff against me. Holding my face with both hands, she started kissing me again as she rocked her mound and clit against me, sending shivers of desire through us both.