[interesting]

Frank sat down in front of Danielle at the food court. He had paid for the submarine sandwiches, while Danielle had found them a nice spot in the corner of the room, away from most prying eyes.

They had kissed.

He went to work on his sub, more hungry than he had initially suspected. He was starved, and each bite was devoured with little time for chewing.

They had kissed.

Before he even knew what was going on, before he could stop, Frank had wolfed down his entire sub.

They had kissed.

He looked up. Danielle was staring at him with amazement. She had barely taken four bites out of her own sandwich.

"um... I guess you were hungry too."
"Yeah... sorry about that."
"Don't be. It's okay."

Frank felt a bit silly. Clearly, the kiss, the encounter had thrown his perspective out of focus. He didn't usually eat like that, but he felt off his game entirely. He hadn't planned to kiss her - not until tomorrow. But she had asked... how could he refuse? And now, all he wanted to do was kiss her again. And again. And again.

But she was eating right now.

Since meeting Danielle back in October of that year, Frank had gone through an entire plethora of emotion, from love and lust to anger and anguish, desire and betrayal, and everything in-between. But through all his emotional states, one thing had remained constant: his happiness at finding his friend again. And the relief he had felt a few weeks back, when they had made their peace over the events that had rocked their relationship, was now more powerful than any negative feelings. He did love her. He had always loved her. Circumstances now allowed them to express these feelings. How wonderful indeed.

Danielle noticed his absent-minded smile.

"Penny for your thoughts?"
"I was just... being glad. I'm here with you... I'm a bit overwhelmed."
"I know how you feel."

She extended his hand and placed it on top of his. No words came out, because no words were necessary.

Six years ago, it was decency and morality which had prevented Danielle and Frank from sleeping together, despite their strong desires for each other. But thirteen and seventeen had felt wrong to them, or at least it had felt inappropriate. They had taken their relationship as far as they had allowed themselves to; how utterly daring had their adventure near the swimming pool been at that time, and how it seemed small in comparison to the steps they had taken since a few months, and the steps that still lay ahead. Six years now separated them from that innocence - there was no way this would end other than sharing each other's bodies, minds and souls in the same bed, through sex. They both wanted it. It was just a matter of time. She was nineteen and he was twenty-three. There was no holding back required anymore.

And yet...

Frank had to admit he was scared. He knew that Danielle was sexually active with her previous boyfriend; he also knew she had shared a sexual experience with Rita once in the past; he knew nothing else of her sex life but it seemed sufficient to understand that Danielle was neither a virgin nor inexperienced in these things. As for himself, Frank knew that his first experience had been relatively poor, but since then he had learned a few new tricks alongside Sandra, and he was no longer innocent or inexperienced. But the next step, having sex with Danielle, seemed to be not only an insurmountable obstacle, but also like a forbidden fruit. Perhaps Frank was still reliving those moments by the pool, six years ago. He had not allowed himself to touch Danielle; perhaps the taboo was still present in his mind.

Danielle finished her sandwich.

"That was good... thank you."
"You're welcome."
"So... what do we do now?"

One word came to mind, but Frank tucked it away for later.

"What do you want to do? Shopping? Just taking a stroll?"
"I want to play!"
"Now?"
"Yeah... I want to... I don't know... have some fun. With you. Here..."

There was so much innuendo in that phrase that Frank's heart skipped a beat.

"Danielle, I'm... can I be honest?"
"Of course. Always."
"I'm scared."
"Why so?"
"Well... first of all... remember that time by the pool, six years ago..."

She remembered, of course. Frank shared his feelings to her, his recent reflections. He wanted her to know exactly what was going on through his mind. She listened carefully, without saying a word. He didn't speak up.

"Frank... I'm scared too."

She looked away for a moment, then came back, her gaze focused.

"But I want you. I want this. You and me. Not just for today, you know. I want... to be your girlfriend. Whatever that might mean in these new days."
"I'd like that... very much."

The moment hung in the air. In his heart, Frank was hoping Rita and Jacques would come along soon - otherwise he might just actually have a heart attack from all the emotions that were swelling up inside him.