Even Lovers Drown

For a moment, Blake was still, making no movements to pull away or draw closer. Shock froze her like a mythological statue waiting to come to life. A perfectly chiseled being to become Saylor's prince. But in that sustained moment, Saylor's mind dissolved into a panic. Questions bombarded her, hidden in the form of reprimands for her actions. What the hell did she think she was doing? Forcing a kiss on Blake as if it were her God-given right to take one. Blake's actions hadn't screamed a want for that kind of intimacy. They had a comfortable relationship with minor physical contact, and Blake hadn't expressed a want for more in the near past. Maybe when they first met, but not now. And Saylor had the audacity to press her lips to Blake's, an unannounced declaration of affection that should have been somewhat romantic. Instead, she would be forced to pull away and mumble apologies at her rash behavior. Not romantic at all, just embarrassing, morale crushing.

But strong arms slid around her waist, destroying each fretful thought. Blake's lips pressed back against her. Soft but firm, taking control of their kiss. And when they moved against Saylor's, sensuous movements that propelled her own into motion, a flurry of excitement heated her core. An overreaction to a simple kiss and Saylor couldn't seem to control her body, nor did she want to.

Blake's arms tightened around her waist, bringing their bodies closer together, a move that quickly turned the heat into fire. Their breasts pressed against each other, her clothing unable to keep her sensitive skin from tingling. Their hips connected, their bodies meshed. So much more intimate from their innocent hugs. And she liked it, loved the feeling of being wanted, the feeling of kissing someone who actually cared about her.

She didn't dwell on the past. No terrifying images floated through her brain to remind her of anything. Nothing forced her away from the loving embrace. Because all that mattered was now. All that mattered was Blake

Saylor slid her hands up Blake's arms and over her shoulders, fingertips dancing on the soft skin, till her arms wrapped languidly around Blake's neck. Warm hands slipped under the hem of her shirt, and fingers traced light circles on her skin. Her hypersensitive nerves burst, flames traveling from the spot of skin-to-skin contact. She murmured her approval into the kiss, unable to keep the noise from being released.

Lost in the kiss, Saylor's mind barely registered the distant sound of a door opening and the surprised yelp of "Oh shit." And Blake must not have noticed either, or wasn't bothered by the sudden intrusion, her full attention on their lips and each caress of her fingers. Whoever threatened to disrupt their time didn't matter. Saylor would have to leave soon and she didn't want the kiss to end sooner than necessary.

A reminder flashed in her distracted mind. She should have left already. She should have been at the merch table, offering to give Davy time off during the next performance so he could relax. She should not have been standing in the middle of a hallway, kissing Blake, no matter how much she wanted to be there. She had priorities. Like work.

Damn, work.

Reluctantly, she broke the kiss, pulling her lips from their rightful place against Blake's, but kept close, their noses brushing, breathes mingling. Her eyes slid open, met by Blake's breathtaking blue eyes, the black pupils dilated. She had no doubt her own looked the same, the heat pulsating in her core almost unbearable. And Blake's uneven breathes and dilated pupils only increased it.

But she liked the unbearable heat, liked knowing she caused that reaction in Blake, liked knowing she was going to be okay. Her mind and body were finally on the same track. She wasn't afraid, and she found comfort in her body's conformation.

"That's what I was thinking about," Saylor mumbled.

She could feel Blake's lips slowly twist in a smirk and could see the expression in her blue eyes. Her attention shifted for a moment, darting to Saylor's lips than back to Saylor's eyes.

"What else are you thinking about?" Blake asked.

Suggestion colored her dropped alto. More. She wanted more from Saylor. More than the hugs, more than the kiss, more than their embrace. And Saylor wasn't upset. She didn't feel used or harassed or frightened. Because she wanted it, too. But they couldn't share that intimacy. Not here. Not now. No matter how much Saylor would have enjoyed letting Blake get rid of the heat blazing in her lower stomach.

"Work," Saylor said, "You're distracting me from it." She pressed her lips to Blake's, one last time before she had to leave. As she pulled away, she slid out of Blake's hold. "I'll see you later."

"Fine. I'll talk to you after the show," Blake said.

With a tiny wave, Saylor turned and walked away, Blake's eyes following her till she was out of sight. Even after she was gone, Blake remained glued in her spot, stuck in her kiss-induced daze. Saylor kissed her. Such an intimate gesture and Blake somehow managed to gain the rights to it during their date. It startled her, shocked her, excited her. Saylor took their relationship to a different level, one more physical, one Blake didn't truly think she would live to experience.
And it was perfect. Saylor's lips were so tantalizingly soft, so delicious Blake could drown in them. Each eager caress of her lips sent energy to her core. They were pressed so close she could feel every bit of Saylor’s body against her. Blake's body still buzzed with energetic nerves, her lips still tingled, and she wanted nothing more than to scoop Saylor into her arms for more.

Could she have more of Saylor's kisses without asking permission? Would Saylor let her give her sporadic kisses? After a show, before a show, in the morning, in public, alone. Whenever and wherever the mood struck Blake. Would Saylor mind?

"Well, look at you kissing up on your girl in the middle of the hallway," Sage's voice cut into her thoughts.

Blake snapped her head to face the open door, where her band mates gathered to watch. She didn't remember hearing it open, but she hadn't heard much over the roaring excitement in her head. Saylor's kiss left her basic senses disabled.

"That was the most disgusting display of affection I've ever seen," Hunter grumbled.

"I got pictures," Hayden said to his disgruntled twin, "We can sell them to a tabloid."

"Or we could blackmail her."

Hunter's eyes lit, his mouth twisting in a broad smile. "I like the way you think."

"So," Reese said, casual air to his voice, "how was your date?"

Despite their teasing comments, their expressions gave way to something far more positive. In Reese's shining eyes and excited smile, Sage's smirk, the identical glint in Hunter and Hayden's eyes, she saw pride, eagerness, shared joy in her accomplishment. They could see the meaning in the kiss as much as she did. Her pursuit of Saylor was being realized. And that meant so much for her, so much for them. Saylor was progressively changing her inappropriate behaviors, making her happier, making her become the role model she was supposed to be. All changes that made her band mates happy.

They made her happy, too.

"We can talk about it while you help me clean up," Blake said.

The responses flew at her in a blur of mixed voices. "I'm sorry, what?" "I'm not your daddy." "Do I look like your maid?" "That's not going to happen." So fast she couldn't decipher which of her friends made each disapproving statement. But she had a way to get them to agree to the minimal amount of labor.

"There's pizza, beer, and candy."

Again, a blur of responses attacked her ears, eager faces matching the equally eager tones. "I'm there." "Oh, I like pizza." "Works for me." "Lead the way, Blake." A smile spread across Blake's face. She knew they would cave. They couldn't deny free junk food and beer.

"Alright, let's go," Blake said.

She only had so much time to berate them with the repeated story of her marvelous date before the show. And they'd get so sick of it that they'd retaliate by making fun of her on stage.

In her defense, Reese asked.

***

Music blared from the stage speakers. Singing guitars and basses, booming drums, fluid vocals, all mixing together to make one cohesive song. And the front man, woman, strutting around the stage in confident strides held Saylor's attention. Light bounced off her beautiful blonde curls. Emotions of the song radiate from her facial expressions, visible from Saylor's perch at the merch table. Sweat glimmered on her smooth skin. Full lips released lyrics, nearly molesting the microphone.

Saylor kissed those lips

She took a bit of her pizza and sighed, the noise inaudible in the obnoxiously loud venue. Not that she minded the obnoxious music much. Watching Blake was an appealing perk to the small venue. But her brother—who stood next to her, munching on his pizza—was unaware of her feat. She kissed Blake and she liked it. A lot. She wouldn't get another chance to at least inform him of the prelude to her future game of intense tonsil hockey, as their first kiss was just the beginning of something more, till the merch girls crashed in the backseat of the van. He needed to know.

The song came to an abrupt close, and Blake took the opportunity to travel to the drum set and grab her water bottle. Leaving the brief pause for any band member to take the opportunity to talk, she chugged her water.

"Guys," Sage said, strumming a random chord on her guitar. "we have some big news. Blakey-wakey-bear," she paused for dramatic effect. The silly nickname elicited a set of laughter from the crowd. "Went on a date today." She held up a hand quickly before cheers could break. "And," she paused again and looked at Blake with a sappy expression. "She got a kiss."

Cheers broke out. Screams, yells of undistinguishable congratulation, claps, and whistles. A smile spread on Blake's face. She set her water bottle back on the edge of the drum set's stand and walked to her spot at the front of the stage, strides casual.

"Our little Blake is growing up, guys. How cute," Hayden cooed. He left his perch, walking to the lead singer, and reached out to pinch her cheek. She swatted his hand away, smile dropping, glare tightening her eyes. Laughs erupted from the crowd.

"I remember when you were still wetting your diaper," Reese commented.

"That was this morning," Hunter stated.

More laughter. Saylor smiled. Their usual teasing wasn't shadowed, wasn't swept under a rug so they would appear more mature to the crowd. They didn’t hide the comfortable friendship they shared.

Even the cocky behavior Blake once had seemed to shatter. She was still confident on stage, still sure of what she was doing, but she wasn't like the Blake Saylor met at the beginning of tour. She was different. She had changed. For the better.

Saylor had changed for the better, too.

"None of you should sleep tonight," Blake grumbled.

"Blake, revenge, not very mature," Sage said.

"That's not going to help you snag the girl," Reese said.

"Alright," Blake said, voice authoritative, intent on ending the conversation, "how about we keep this show going before I kill my band mates?”

Without another comment, the music started back up, an intricate guitar introduction to the next song followed quickly by the rest of the instruments and Blake's vocals. The crowd jumped, sang along, clapped, raised their hands to rock along. Somewhere in the mix of people, Sarah and Jenny were exhausting themselves, though they could have watched from the merch table just as easily. She and Davy were doing just fine watching from the table and eating, keeping their energy for the upcoming manual labor.

Oh, crap, Davy.

Saylor looked at her older brother, only to be met by his intense stare and drawn eyebrows. Clearly, he hadn't ignored the announcement of the intimate ending to her date. His curiosity had been ignited, and he probably wasn't sure if he should take the teasing comment seriously.

"She kissed you?" He yelled to be heard over the music, and made a gesture to the stage.

Kind of, but not quite. Blake had been too tender to initiate anything. Saylor had to take on the role of huntress, completely uncharacteristic of her since her last relationship. A wonderful, huge step for her.

Saylor pointed to herself, yelling over the loud background noise, "I kissed her."

Shock relaxed Davy's face before his lips spread in a smile. He held his hand up, waiting for a high five. Laughing, Saylor clapped her hand to his.

"Getting your groove back," he yelled.

She was.