Part 3

A Second Meeting

“Tara get up!” Tara’s mother yelled up the stairs.

“It’s Saturday.” Tara moaned in protest.

“We have somewhere to go. Come on!” Her mother yelled.

“Where?” Tara asked, not recalling anything she was supposed to be doing that day.

“We’re going with your aunt to do some shopping and visit Eric. You’ll like to see him again.” Her mother called up the stairs again. Tara’s heart stopped and she felt a lump harden in her throat.

“I have to go?” She called back.

“Yes and soon. Hurry!” Her mother called and walked away. Tara stayed in bed for a minute trying to think. What was she going to do? What would she say? How would she act? She decided to try and seem as natural as was possible so no one would suspect anything was going on. Hopefully Eric would be able to act naturally enough that no one would notice anything going on between them.

Tara’s mother drove to her aunt’s house where they both got out and loaded into her aunt’s car for the journey to Eric’s house. The drive to Eric’s took about 45 minutes so Tara had time to think before she got there. Her mother and aunt wouldn’t notice because they would be talking to each other in the front the whole way down.

The drive down seemed to be way too fast for Tara. Before she knew it they were at Eric’s doorstep and he came to answer. When Eric answered he stood in the doorway in his boxers and a white tee-shirt for a minute taking in what was going on.

“Hey! Come on in.” He smiled cheerfully. Tara follower her mother and aunt inside and behind her Eric closed his front door. “I didn’t know you guys were coming or I would have cleaned up a little. Hey Tara.” He smiled at her and gestured for everyone to sit down on his couch.

“We needed to get some shopping done so we thought we would come down here an drop by while we were at it.” Tara’s aunt said. Eric nodded and smiled. He kept glancing over at Tara while his mother spoke to him.

“So if you want you can come with us… we’ll give you some time to get dressed.” Tara’s mother said. Eric pursed his lips for a minute then his face brightened.

“Why don’t you and Mom go shopping and Tara and I will stay here. Hang out and play video games or something?” He suggested. Before Tara could say anything her mother and aunt had already agreed.

“Then I can get a graduation present for Tara.” Her mother nodded happily. Tara watched helplessly as her mother and aunt left the house and drove away to go shopping.

“They’ll be gone a few hours at least.” Eric shrugged. “I thought you might want to talk to me and having them around wouldn’t really be a good thing would it?” He said.

“I guess not.” Tara shrugged. Her head was swimming and she felt sick. She leaned back into the couch and took a deep breath. She didn’t know what was going to happen. She wondered what Eric was thinking? What was he going to say? She knew what he shouldn’t say… what she wanted him to say… and do.

Eric sat across from her on an overstuffed chair, just looking at her. An odd smirk formed on his face and he licked his lips like he was about to speak. Tara held her breath half hoping, half fearing what he was going to say.

“I think that we really need to talk. You look tense.” He finally said. Tara didn’t reply. Eric moved over so that he was sitting next to her on the couch. She stiffened as she felt his leg brush up against hers. “You’re feeling a little scared and a little bit ashamed of yourself, right?” He put his hand on her knee and squeezed in a way meant to be reassuring.

“I guess so.” Her voice cracked. “I just have all these feelings that are all mixed up inside my head. I feel like I am going to explode. Nothing is right anymore, I just don’t understand any of this.” Tara put her hands up to protect her head in a reflexive way.

“I understand. I’ve been there before. It is always hard at first, you are in that in between part where you need to start doing adult things, but you still feel like you are not supposed to. That passes with time.” Eric nodded. Tears rolled down Tara’s face. Eric pulled her close and held her head to his chest with one arm. “Come on.” He pulled her legs up onto his lap and rocked her until she stopped crying. She gasped for air but couldn’t seem to get enough.

“I’m suffocating, Eric. I know what I am supposed to do and what is right. But how is it that I can want something wrong so badly?”

“Listen to me, listen.” Eric held her face in his hands. “There is nothing wrong with anything you are feeling. Social convention isn’t everything, you know. A hundred years ago I probably would have married you. This isn’t about them out there, it is about us.” As Eric said this he began to push up her skirt slowly. “Right here…” He slipped his hand inside her panties. “…right now.” He whispered the last words in her ear and bit her ear lobe as he slipped two fingers into her vagina. Tara leaned her head back and began to breath heavily.

“Eric, I want to feel you inside me. You make me feel whole again.” She moaned and kissed him, slipping her tongue in his mouth. Eric pulled her panties down and spread her legs apart. He worked his way up her body with his tongue and just as he kissed her mouth he entered her for the second time.

If the first time Tara had an encounter with Eric had been wonderful, the second time had been euphoric. Still there had been the danger lurking in the back of her mind that her mother and aunt would come back sooner than expected, but they did not. When the two had returned she and Eric were both fully dressed and in the kitchen eating ice cream and laughing together.

“I’m glad to see you’ve cheered up. Got some of your color back.” Tara’s mother said. Tara smiled at Eric in a knowing way, which no one else understood.

“We should get going soon.” Her aunt said.

“You have to go so soon?” Eric asked disappointed.

“Well I have some things at home I want to do.” Tara’s mother said.

“We couldn’t stay a little longer?” Tara asked.

“Not much.” Her mother shook her head.

“I have an idea!” Eric exclaimed. “Why doesn’t Tara stay overnight and hang out… I can drive her home tomorrow. I have some clothes she can borrow to sleep in here and we can go pick up a tooth brush for her.” Eric suggested. Tara chocked on her ice cream and began coughing.

“Well… if she wants to I don’t see why not.” Tara’s mother nodded. Tara cleared her throat to speak and thought better of it. She nodded.

“Alright then. I will see you two later.” Her aunt said getting up.

“Bye Mom.” Eric stood up and hugged her.

Eric and Tara stood at the door and waved as her mother and her aunt drove away. When they had gone both went inside and Eric shut and locked the door. It was dark inside because the curtains were all drawn. Tara turned to Eric and spoke.

“Why did you ask that?”

“What?” Eric tilted his head to the side.

“You asked for me to stay. You have never once had me stay over to visit with you.” Tara gestured around at Eric’s apartment.

“Will it ever occur to you that maybe I want to spend a little time with you?” He shrugged.

“Is it really me or is it just the things you do with me?”

“How could you even ask me something like that? Do you think that I am the type who would just use you? I would risk everything just for a good time?” Eric looked hurt and irritated. Tara felt a tightening and pain in her chest.

“Eric, I didn’t mean… I’m sorry. I’m just so stressed out. I don’t know what is happening to me.” She looked down at the floor and sighed.

“Hey it’s alright. I know that this is all new to you, you have every right to wonder what is going on.” Eric pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. He looked down into her eyes for a moment and then kissed her forehead, followed by the tip of her nose, both cheeks, and her lips. She kissed him back less tenderly and more passionately and ran her fingers through his hair. He pulled away from her and smiled. “So we could put in a movie or play some games or…” He was cut off because Tara kissed him again. He reached up and grabbed one of her hands. Slowly he slid it down his body and placed it inside his pants. He reached into the waist band of her skirt and began to stroke her. She felt the muscles in her back and legs tighten and she leaned against the wall. Suddenly a thought popped into her head and she drew away from him.

“Eric. We need to be careful. I could get pregnant.” Her eyes widened thinking of her two previous unprotected encounters.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got some in the bedroom.” He nodded and took her by the hand, leading her to the bedroom.

After a third time at love making Tara lay at Eric’s side dozing for a while. Consumed by her own thoughts and a strange feeling of happiness and satisfaction she had only longed for before. She rolled onto her side and looked at Eric’s profile in the dim light.

“Eric?” She whispered.

“Yes?” He didn’t turn to look at her, but for a moment his eyes moved in her direction before returning to a spot on the ceiling.

“Do you ever think about what is going to happen.. to us I mean?”

“What do you mean?” Eric was silent for a moment, as though he were deep in thought, then he rolled onto his side and looked at her.

“Well. I mean it isn’t like we can go about this like normal people. You know bring each other home to meet the parents and that sort of thing… We’re cousins.”

“Step-cousins.” Eric corrected her. He took a deep breath and grabbed hold of her hand. “I know that things seem sort of dim and hopeless for us… in this situation. But when we really feel sure and that this is how things should be, we can take on the world. I’m not afraid of what everyone thinks. I do think that we should take things slow, not rush into big announcements and ideas… you see what I mean?”

“I guess. I’m still a little afraid of what people might say… like our Moms. But if I have you I’m not going to be afraid.” Tara smiled and kissed Eric’s forehead.

“I love you.” Eric whispered to her. Tara felt her heart skip a beat.

“I... I think I love you too.” She whispered back. Eric kissed her and rolled her over so that he could sleep holding her in his arms, her back to his chest. He nestled his face under her hair on the back of her neck where he fell asleep. Tara lay awake, still unsure of just what was happening… and what was to come.