Chapter 3

Several days passed before Jack was able to return to Tommy and Taylor's house. He made excuses that Tommy thought sounded lame, but which he ultimately shrugged off. Taylor tried her best to be cool about it, but after her initial encounter with Jack, she was getting antsy to try for more. She tried to get information out of her brother without tipping her hand, which was not easy.

"So, when's Jack coming over?" Taylor asked as nonchalantly as she could.

"I don't know," Tommy replied.

"What's he doing, anyway? Why doesn't he come over anymore?"

"What are you talking about? He hasn't been here for a couple days. What do you mean, he doesn't come over anymore?"

"Nothing! I was just curious, that's all."

"Well that's like the fourth time you've asked me since yesterday. Don't tell me you have a crush on Jack or something."

"What!?!" Taylor said, trying to sound indignant. "Yuck! Get outta here, Tommy! That's gross!" She quickly thought she had laid it on too thick. "I mean ... Don't be stupid. I don't care if he comes over."

"Yeah, right," Tommy replied skeptically.

Taylor was secretly kicking herself for reacting as she had to her brother's comment. She was determined to keep her intentions under wraps. She knew instinctively that having others find out about her newfound desires and behaviors could only get in her way. She vowed to respond more calmly if anything came up in the future. Besides, Taylor really didn't have a crush on Jack. The fact was that she wasn't sure how she felt. But her intentions were definitely tending more toward Jack helping her to explore her sexual feelings than her emotions. In other words, Taylor seemed to be wanting a safe person with whom to test out sex, not a boyfriend.

But at least to a small extent, the damage had been done. Tommy had a hint that his sister might have a thing for his best friend. Tired of waiting for Jack to come to his house, Tommy made the gesture and ventured to Jack's. Everything seemed normal until Tommy mentioned Taylor.

"Yeah, my sister's been sniffing around wanting to know when you're coming over to our house."

Even though he was a 17 year old boy, Jack was able to control his own responses better than Taylor had hers.

"Oh yeah?" Jack replied. "Why?"

"I have no idea," Tommy said.

"Oh well, that's weird."

"I told her I thought she had a crush on you." Jack was dying to ask for more details, but he succeeded in not saying a thing. "She freaked out a little bit. It seemed like I was probably right."

"What, that she has a crush on me?"

"Yeah."

"She's just a kid. I could care less."

"Oh, I know," Tommy replied. "I know ... I was just sayin'."

"Yeah, I get it," Jack replied.

Jack was working hourly on figuring out his feelings where Taylor was concerned. Part of the problem was that he didn't know what, if anything she wanted from him. On one hand, he hoped that her behavior with him a few days before was a one-time impulse thing and that it was out of her system. On the other hand, try as he might, he could not stop thinking about Taylor showing her body to him. That 'hand' definitely wanted to see Taylor's breasts again.

Hearing Tommy say that Taylor might have a crush on him didn't help Jack's sanity one bit. Once again, it had two sides. He wanted to dismiss her and make it very clear that he would not respond to any such foolishness as her crushing on him. At the same time, hearing that she might have those feelings gave him an unexpected rush of excitement. It made him think that she might want to touch him again.

Soon Jack ran out of excuses and had to return to the normal routine that he and Tommy had, of regularly hanging out at each other's houses. Taylor got herself under control and resisted the temptation to jump Jack when she first saw him again. And Jack tried his best not to do either of two things he was afraid he might. He did not want to turn into a red-faced, embarrassed fool when he saw Taylor. Nor did he want to spring an immediate hardon upon his first glimpse of her. Ultimately both of them succeeded at keeping their desires under everyone else's radar.

Inevitably the time came when Taylor and Jack found themselves unexpectedly alone. Taylor and Tommy's father was outside working on the lawn. And out of nowhere their mom announced that she was taking Tommy to a doctor's appointment, which he claimed he knew nothing about.

"Mom! What? Now?" Tommy complained.

"Tommy," his mother replied firmly, "I told you three times that I scheduled this for today. You need to have your tendon checked before baseball camp."

Tommy and Jack were scheduled to attend an early summer baseball camp in a few weeks.

"I don't want to go right now, Mom. Can't you reschedule it?"

"This is the rescheduled appointment, because you didn't want to go last time either. Nope, we're going. Jack, the doctor has a tiny waiting room, and we won't be gone much more than an hour. You can just hang here if you want, and we'll be back in no time."

Tommy realized that further protest was pointless. Before he or Jack could say anything, Tommy's mother had whisked him out of the house and into the car. Jack and Taylor had been sitting in the family room witnessing the brief discussion of the appointment. Suddenly they were all alone, together. Each looked at the walls, the floor and out the window for as long as they could before Taylor broke the silence.

"So, how's it going, anyway?"

"Uh ... good, good. How 'bout you?"

"Fine, cool," Taylor said before taking a long pause. "I kinda need to talk to you, Jack."

"I was afraid of that," Jack replied quietly, hanging his head. "Taylor ... about what happened ... I ... I..."

Jack was suddenly tongue tied. Taylor tried to help out.

"Jack, if you're going to apologize again, you don't have to. Nothing was your fault. You didn't ask me to do any of that. You even tried to stop me."

"Really, you don't blame me?" Jack said as he lifted his head to look at Taylor. "I didn't ... I don't ... I didn't know what to do, and I guess I still don't. I don't know really why you did that stuff."

"I know. But I feel like I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out or anything, Jack. It's just that ... Well, like I told you that day ... I've been feeling things and wanting to experience things."

"Things like that?" Jack said sounding genuinely surprised. "I didn't know girls thought about doing things like that."

"I don't know if they all do," Taylor replied. "But, well ... I do, and I have for a while."

"Really?" Jack said again. "That's weird."

"I know, Jack. It feels weird to me too. But I don't know what else to do. I just want to ... do things. I want to try things. A lot of things."

Jack made a point of not saying really? again.

"Why did you want to do that with me?"

"I'm not exactly sure. I guess it's because I like you. And don't freak out, Jack. I know what Tommy thinks and I've seen the way he's been watching us since you've been here. It's just not like that. It's kind of like ... well, you're like my brother. But obviously you're not my brother. So, I feel totally cool and safe with you. You don't treat me like a little kid. You've always just seemed like you were glad I was around. Besides, I know Kristi is your girlfriend and that's fine."

"Well, yeah. I mean, you're just you, Taylor. I've always felt that way. I never mind you being around."

"Thanks, Jack. And I'm pretty sure that's why it was you I wanted to try things with."

"I guess that makes sense. And, you're sure you don't feel weird about Kristi?"

"No, she's your girlfriend. I'm not trying to take her place or anything. Do you feel weird about it, since you have a girlfriend I mean?"

Jack looked and felt guilty.

"Yeah, it does make me feel kind of bad. I'm not sure what to do about it. I really do care about Kristi."

"That's O.K. with me, Jack. I'm not jealous and I don't think I will be. But that's up to you."

Jack wasn't sure exactly what was up to him, but he was glad that Kristi had at least come up in the conversation. Taylor and Jack then looked directly at one another for the first time since they had started talking. Their expressions told each other that they were in a more comfortable place. This brought a small smile to both of their faces, which brought bigger smiles. Their eyes then silently asked one another the question, "What now?"

"So... ," Taylor began, but couldn't finish.

"Um... ," Jack tried to reply, then had a little more success, "I'm not sure ... uh, what we should do now, Taylor. Um ... what do you want to do? Like, you know... ?"

"You mean like, is there something else I wanna try?" Jack nodded his head tentatively. "Yeah! There's a lot I wanna try!"

Jack was slightly taken aback by the boldness of her response. But he continued.

"O.K., like what?"

Taylor didn't need more than a few seconds to consider Jack's question. She crossed the length of sofa between them in an instant, then she was in Jack's arms, pressing her lips against his. Jack was shocked, but not unpleasantly by Taylor's action. He kissed her back, and was instantly aware that for all her enthusiasm, Taylor had much to learn. For example, she clearly didn't know how to kiss. Not that Jack thought himself an expert of any kind. But he knew how to do more than just press his lips against a girl's mouth. He tried to loosen the death grip that Taylor had put on him so that he could demonstrate some other ways to kiss.