Best Summer of Our Lives

"I'll come with you," he said with a smile.

The pair headed for the door. She hooked the leash onto the dog's collar, and then they left the apartment.

Once they were outside, and strolling down sidewalk, Fisher's nerves returned to him. He tried his best to suppress them. Once her free hand slipped into his and she interlaced their fingers together, anything he was worried about was washed away. They both turned their heads and smiled warmly at each other.

They continued walking down the block, waiting for Clover to do her business. The dog took her time, as if she knew that a new relationship was blossoming and they were enjoying their walk while the sun set.

"Thank you for inviting me for dinner," Fisher stated. He loved how her soft hand felt in his.

"Thank you for coming over."

He was about to ask her on a date for this weekend, but didn't want to do so while she was picking up doggie droppings. Her hand slipped out of his for the moment and she switched the hand that was holding the leash. She tied up the bag, and then switched hands again.

They took a few more steps and when she took his hand again, he spoke, "Are you working this weekend?"

"I have Saturday off. Why?" Annabelle bit her lip while she waited for his response. She hoped he was going to say what she was dying to hear.

Fisher swallowed, his heart was about to beat out of his chest. After a deep breath, he looked at her and his words were able to come out smooth, "I would like to take you out."

"As in a date?" she asked rhetorically and her giddiness came out in her voice.

He nodded in affirmation. "Yes. I would really like to take you out on a date."

"I would love to!" she cooed. "What are we going to do?"

They reached the end of the block for the second time and turned around.

"Do you trust me to say it's a surprise?" he asked with a smile and squeezed her hand.

"I absolutely do." The smile couldn't be washed from her face, her entire being radiated. "Though, I think you are just saying it's a surprise because you don't know yet," she teased.

"That's very much true. But, I promise to come up with something great."

"I trust that you will."

Once they were back in her apartment, they talked a bit more over another beer. It was getting late, considering that they both had class in the morning. Annabelle didn't want him to go, but she knew that if he stayed, they would stay up all night talking or more and both be wrecks tomorrow.

She walked him to the door. On the way she grabbed the leftovers from the kitchen. After handing the container to him, she said, "I'll see you tomorrow." There was a hint of sadness in her tone.

Fisher inwardly smiled at her tone, knowing that he would miss her too. He lifted her head with his curled index finger under her jaw. "Yes you will and you'll see me on Saturday."

Her heart fluttered in anticipation of feeling his lips on hers. Nothing had ever compared to what she was feeling with him. If he was any other guy, she would push him against the wall and kiss him hard, leading to fucking like animals in her bed. But with Fisher, she immensely enjoyed this pace, for it was special.

He bent down a little, and their noses turned opposite ways and their eyes closed in unison. His lips brushed softly against hers at first, before melting against hers and kissing her delicately. Both of their hearts skidded as tingles ran through every part of their bodies. Her cheeks quickly grew hot and she placed her hands on his neck.

Her mouth opened, eagerly wanting to feel his tongue with hers. He followed her lead and his tongue slithered over her lips. Her body pressed into his and his hand moved over to the back of her neck. Their tongues gently massaged and curled with each other's. A sweet melody of timid new lovers sang in their kiss. Nothing in the world besides them existed in that perfect moment.

Fisher broke off the kiss, pulling back just a taste. Her nose nuzzled with his and they both smiled with their eyes still closed.

"Wow," her whispers came out shaky, "that was... I don't know what to say."

"Neither do I," he whispered back.

Annabelle's entire being felt warm, and fresh shockwaves were still traveling through. She smiled again as she felt his wet lips kiss her forehead.

"I need to go, or I'll never leave," he said quietly.

She looked up at him and pouted playfully. "I know." Her lips curled back into a smile. "I look forward Saturday."

"As do I." He kissed her lips gently one more time. "Thank you for a wonderful evening. Have a good night, Annabelle."

"You too, Fisher. Drive safely."

"I always do."

She reached for the doorknob and Clover started barking. She turned back and shot the dog a glare and told her to hush. Immediately, Clover sat down and stopped yapping.

"Bye for a little while," Annabelle said once he had stepped through the door.

*****

Fisher opened the door to his room and his roommate looked over at him immediately.

"So?" Garrett drew out the word, seeing the Cheshire grin pained on his friend's face.

"So what?" Fisher shrugged as he closed the door.

"How did it go?"

Fisher didn't say anything as he stepped out of his shoes. He knew Garrett was going to pressure him into saying something, but he liked drawing it out a little bit.

"Come on, man. Tell me, was it a real date?"

"A guy doesn't kiss and tell."

"So, you did kiss her?"

Fisher grinned even wider. "Maybe."

Garrett chuckled, "Well, I'd say by that silly look on your face that you did."

"Do I look that silly?"

"Well, if you were a girl, I'd say you're glowing. But, I don't know how to say that for a guy."

Fisher blushed before he relaxed and started laughing with his roommate.

*****

Fisher smiled when he saw Annabelle come into the lecture hall on Friday morning. She looked as gorgeous as ever and his heart melted when she smiled at him. She raced up the stairs and took the seat right next to him.

"Hey handsome," she said as she sat down.

His cheeks rose up pink. "Hi pretty."

Annabelle wanted to kiss his cheek, but she knew that wasn't proper. Rather, she pulled her notebook and a pen out of her bag.

As class dragged on, she noticed how much she enjoyed just being near Fisher. Sure, he was an arm's length away and she couldn't touch him, but being in his presence energized her and warmed her soul in a way that she hadn't known before. Even with her high-school sweetheart.

In a way, it also made her nervous because she didn't want to hurt him. There were many special qualities to him and she wondered if she deserved a guy like him. She shook off that thought, reminding herself that she deserved a good man who wasn't just trying to get into her panties.

Annabelle grinned at herself as she ripped a piece of paper out of her notebook. She quickly scribbled a note, folded it up, and then dropped it on his desk.

Fisher quietly chuckled, feeling like a grade-school kid as he unfolded the note. It read, "Have you decided what we're doing tomorrow?" The dot of the question mark was a heart.

He wrote back, "Yes, but it's a surprise. Is picking you up at 1:00 okay?" He passed it back to her.

She nibbled her lip as she read it. Annabelle turned towards him and nodded an affirmative. They smiled at each other.

*****

Annabelle nervously paced around her bedroom in her bathrobe with Clover as her loyal shadow. She stared at the four dresses she had laid out on her bed. Her nerves were on overdrive. She hadn't been this nervous for a date since she had her first date, which was mini golf, when she was fifteen.

"Why am I freaking out?" she asked herself as she held one dress in front of her. It was tossed back on the bed, and then she picked up another. While holding it in front of herself and looking down at her dog, she asked, "What do you think?"

The little dog just stared at her and Annabelle laughed and shook her head.

"You're no help!" She playfully sighed and threw the dress back onto the bed. Her dog stared at her with her head cocked to the side.

Annabelle finally settled on a linen sundress and put the others away. She grabbed a pair of white wedged sandals before closing her closet door. Then, she went to her dresser. After staring at her lingerie drawer, she plucked out a silk, blue and white striped thong and a matching bra.

She dropped her robe, and then began getting dressed. After slipping her panties up her legs and setting the band underneath her hip bones, she leaned forward as she hooked her bra to give an extra push to her already ample cleavage.

Annabelle slipped her dress over her head, and then went over to the mirror that hung over her door as she smoothed it out. She set the tiny, yellow spaghetti straps on her shoulders and adjusted the light blue bust, which was two triangles, over her chest. The garment flowed out from the high yellow band just beneath her bosom. Large blue and yellow flowers were tastefully splattered diagonally across the dress starting under her left breast, and then across the white skirt that ended at her knees.

As she checked herself out from all angles her heart and mind continued to race. There was something about Fisher that made her feel the need to take care of him. Not in a motherly way, but in a way lovers do, in and outside of the bedroom. She loved seeing him smile and hearing him laugh. The kiss that they shared was unmatched by anyone that she had kissed before. Her lips tingled at the mere thought of it.

Annabelle went to her bathroom, and then straightened her hair. While applying a shimmery eye shadow, she cursed her shaky hand. She only put on a small bit of makeup, finishing with shiny lip-gloss.

She wondered how many times she had to tell herself to take a deep breath since this morning. "Why am I so fucking nervous?" she asked herself again as she put in pearl earrings. "I mean seriously, it's just a date," she said to the mirror. "We've already kissed. We've cuddled. What am I freaking out about?"

She shook her head at herself, and then opened the eyeglass case that held her blue framed spectacles. Annabelle had a few pairs of glasses, each had a different color for the frames, but all of them were rectangular shaped. She wiped them clean with a lens cloth, and then slipped them on her face.

As she sat down on the edge of the bed to put her shoes on, she continued to give herself a pep talk. "Breathe Annabelle, breathe. He likes you. It's okay to let a guy in and not just fuck him. It's okay. He's not going to hurt you. He's a sweetheart. You could fall in love with him. Wouldn't that be nice to be in love with someone?" She took another breath and stared down at her dog. "Jeez, now I'm talking in third person and asking myself questions. What are we gonna do with me, Clover?"

*****

Fisher arrived at her apartment and sent her text to let her know that he was here. She asked him to do so in order to keep her dog from going crazy. He got out of the car, and then waited for her in front of the passenger side door.

A few moments later, Annabelle came outside. His eyes went wide as he watched her bounce towards him. She looked beyond gorgeous. Her dress was loose, but still hugged her curvy figure and her legs looked incredible. Not to mention her glorious breasts were on display almost as if she was wearing a bikini top. He swallowed hard as she stepped up to him.

"There must be a mistake," he said with a husky tone as his eyes landed on her face. "You're too beautiful to be going out with me."

"Aww," she cooed, "you're too sweet." Her heart and soul melted. She pictured herself as a puddle on the ground and wondered how she was still standing, and then realized his arm had slipped around her waist. "Thank you. You look very handsome." She ran her hand along his upper arm over his raspberry colored dress shirt.

"You don't need to butter me up," he said kindly. "But, thank you."

"Who said I was buttering you up?" She kissed his lips gently, lingering slightly longer than a peck.

"You win this round, young lady," Fisher said with a grin, and then opened the passenger door for her.

Annabelle smiled at him. "I thought chivalry was dead."

"Not when it comes to me." He returned the smile.

****

Fisher still hadn't told her where they were going, but as they walked hand in hand through Chicago's museum campus; she started to get giddy with anticipation. He led her towards The Shedd Aquarium and upon seeing the large columns that were modeled after classical Greek architecture at the entrance, Annabelle squealed with glee.

"The aquarium!" she beamed, squeezing his hand. "Oh my goodness, this is the best date ever!"

He couldn't help but smile. He wanted to make her happy and knew that he was already off to a great start. "Did I do well?"

"Did you do well?" She giggled hysterically. "Fisher, this is incredible!"

They hurried to the doors, and then she impatiently bounced in place while they waited in line behind other patrons at the ticket counter. Once he paid their admission, they began exploring.

Most of the light in the building came from the large, bright, walled-in fish tanks. The walkways were dark, but had a blue glow. It was a bit humid, due to the five-million gallons of water that the exhibits held.

The couple walked around the large circular tank that was nestled just behind the entrance and held fish from the Caribbean. Annabelle's eyes were wide, staring at the bright sea creatures. She held his hand as she walked at a snail's pace, taking everything in. He stayed at her side, for there was no reason to hurry her along. It seemed to Fisher that his date was like a little girl in the best of ways, squealing, jumping, and smiling endlessly. He knew already that he would have fun with her, this just confirmed it.

"Oh look at that guy!" Fisher exclaimed, pointing out a cownose ray gliding by in the tank.

"Oh wow!" Annabelle gasped. She held his hand tighter and hurried around to keep watching the ray swim.

Eventually, they pulled themselves away from that exhibit and headed over to another. As they explored, they chatted more about their lives. Annabelle figured out by the way the he talked about them, that he was really close to his family. For a moment, she considered calling his parents and telling them that they raised a wonderful man. There would be a time when she would be able to tell them.

She spoke lightly about her family. Her parents divorced when she was young and she had two older brothers. She was closest to her mother and her relationship with her father was still strained after several years. Very few details were given on the subject of that relationship, except that she got uneasy being around her dad for very long because of what had happened in the past.

Fisher felt bad for her and wanted to talk to her about why, but he knew this wasn't the place and they should be having fun, not talking about things that made her sad. Instead, he just wrapped his arm around her waist and held her to him as they walked around.

They continued through the aquarium, sharing stories and favorite things, and eventually ended up downstairs where they could get up close to the larger sea animals.

Annabelle was amazed watching the otters. She had always loved them because to her, she saw them as dogs of the sea. The animals swam around and played together, coming close to the wall of the tank, and then swimming off. A beaming smile coming from her face lit up the dark quarters.

Fisher had never seen a girl so happy. He corrected himself on that thought. Annabelle was a woman, and a very beautiful one.

"I could stay here for hours," she said softly.

"Well, we have till six when they close. But, we can come back tomorrow, and the next day, and the next." He felt her smile against him and he smiled.

Her arms slid around him and her body pressed into his side while her eyes darted around watching the otters. His arm hadn't left her waist and he held her tighter. His free hand petted her hair, but he kept his elbow down so that he didn't block her view. There was nothing in the world like having her against him. They were both oblivious to the happy screams coming from children around them.

"I could stay here forever too." His words were quiet, almost a whisper. He dropped several soft kisses on her forehead.

Annabelle sighed happily. To her, it felt like every moment with him was perfection and everything she knew about him was incredible. She had never met a guy with such an amazing heart, which increased her attraction to him ten-fold.

They stood together, watching the otters with a peaceful silence between them for quite some time.

She lifted her head off of his shoulder and looked up at him. "Fisher, I have a confession to make," she stated, and then nibbled on her bottom lip.

The worst thoughts flooded his mind. Quickly, he imagined her saying something awful, such as there was something about him she couldn't stand, or worse, that she had a boyfriend in another city, or even worse than that, she wanted to go home and never see him again and would be dropping the class they had together because she couldn't bear the thought of seeing him every day. He forced those thoughts away. None of them could be true, except for the one about her hating something about him. If that was the case, he would try his best to fix it.

Annabelle giggled at the worried expression on his face. "Calm down, sweetheart. It's nothing bad, I promise. It's really good actually." She smiled warmly.

It took a moment for him to realize that she had called him sweetheart. When he did, he couldn't help but smile. "Tell me."

Her eyes drifted down to the floor before locking with his again. She forced the words out of her mouth, "I know we haven't known each other very long, but I really," she stressed the word, "like you, Fisher."

A shock of loving warmth shot throughout him. He fumbled for something to say and all he could come up with was, "Yeah?"

She nodded fast, causing her mane to swish on her chest. "I hope that's okay."

"It's wonderful." He kissed her lips softly, and then muttered against her mouth, "I really like you too."

Their lips met again, more eagerly this time. In unison, their mouths opened and their tongues glided into each other's mouths with the same calm finesse that the rays had swimming through the water. There was no rush, no trying to show off, just exploring, tasting, and sharing a kiss with the other person.

After a few moments of bliss, Annabelle broke off the kiss and rested her forehead against his. "I need more of your amazing kisses," she whispered.

"You do?" He grinned before kissing her again.

"Uh huh. Very, very badly."

Suddenly, she slid out of his embrace, grabbed his hand, and then led him down the hallway. He watched her hips sway as she walked with determination.

They stopped in a dark, quiet corner, away from other patrons. Her hand left his and both hands went to his neck. Thanks to the height of her shoes, she didn't have to pull him down to meet his lips again.

His hands fell on her hips as their kissing became more urgent. He lightly pushed her into the wall, not using force, for he didn't want to hurt her. She fell back willingly as their tongues twisted and twirled back and forth in a sweet game of lover's exploration.

Fisher felt his cock stiffening in his slacks and couldn't help but press against her and softly grind himself into her. She whimpered into his mouth at the sensations his growing member provided, even between several layers of clothes. Her nipples swelled and pressed hard against her bra. He felt the lines of her thong through her thin dress, which heightened his arousal even more.

Both of their cheeks had gotten hot and they gasped for air between kisses. Their lips were wet with saliva and they continued to hungrily feast on the other's mouth. Their pulses were beating at rapid tempos.