Chapter 1647 - MIKE & SAVY

I was eight when my family got a new addition.

When I came home from school one day in the spring, my mother was sitting on the sofa. Her face was red and there was a pile of tissues on the floor next to her. She asked me to sit down.

"Mike, I have something to tell you. You're going to have a little sister."

I remember being really shocked at this. You see, my parents had been fighting for as long as I could remember. They never fought in front of me, but I still knew. At the best of times, they were coldly indifferent to each other's existence. At the worst, I would sit in my room listening to them shouting in their room. It's like I was numb to the world, because home is where everything should be safe, happy, and comfortable.

I couldn't complain about safety; my family's home was beautiful with a huge yard, woods to run and play around in, and I even had a great dog to play Frisbee with. Happy was another thing altogether, though. I couldn't really figure out why they were having a little girl when they didn't even seem to like each other very much. I knew what divorce was; many of my friends had divorced parents. Maybe this was my parents' way of trying to find something to share and stay together over.

"You're gonna have a baby, mom?"

"No, not exactly. But your father and I know a little girl and... " She sniffed, "... we love her very much, so she's going to come live with us."

"Do you mean... adopt? Jimmy's adopted, you know, from another country."

"Yes, that's about it. Are you excited to have a sister?"

"Well, I dunno. Maybe."

"It'll be okay."

A week later, I was out in the yard and my dad pulled into the driveway. He got out, waved at me, and went around to the back door. When he stepped away from the car, he had a little girl in his arms.

"Mike, come here. I want you to meet your sister, Savannah. She's four."

I ran over and tried to peek at her, but she buried her face in dad's neck.

Later that night, I guess she'd had a nap and was feeling better. She was sitting at the table and my dad was feeding her dinner. I had to admit, she was an adorable kid. I asked my dad where she was from. He said that she was from Virginia, close to our home in Maryland, but her family was from the Philippines.

Little Savannah looked up at me and smiled the widest smile I'd ever seen. I was eight, but my heart melted. Maybe we would have some happiness in the house.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. I tried to be a good kid. I did my chores. I got great grades. I took care of my sister as best I could. I called her Savy and we'd play in the yard. Sometimes, I'd bring out all of her stuffed animals and set 'em up like a parade. She was my sister and I'd do anything for that smile. Still, it wasn't enough.

I was ten when my parents divorced.

I think by that point, I was so resigned to it, that it barely affected me. My dad was almost always away from home anyway, because he was working. My mom did the best she could with the two of us. I don't think I saw them say more than four words a night to each other. No, the divorce wasn't a surprise and I didn't feel the need to lash out.

Still, what did surprise me is that after the divorce, my dad didn't just move out, he moved all the way to Oregon. Birthday cards and Christmas presents were all I ever got from him, even those tapering off over the years.

I think back and he just didn't have it in him to be the family man. He needed to throw himself into whatever he wanted to be doing at the time. Sometimes, that was work. Other times, it was flying all over the country to see a new city or some such. Either way, he didn't give much thought to family and after that, we didn't give much thought to him.

Mom, sis, and me... we'd be all right. We moved to a smaller house with a smaller yard, but that was okay, because it was still our home.

It's pretty easy for an older brother to dismiss a younger sister, especially when there's four years between them, but I didn't.

I adored Savy and I couldn't even fully explain why. She was just... incredibly special. There was some undefinable quality about her that allowed us to avoid the normal older brother versus younger sister annoyances. I didn't just spend time with her because I had to in order to help out mom, I spent time with her because she was my sister and I cared about her. I wanted everything to be right for her. I wanted her to always be smiling.

After I did my homework, I sat down with her and read books or tried to teach her something. She was unbelievably intelligent. We'd be sitting there and she'd have her face plastered to my old second grade math workbook, even though she was only in kindergarten. She seemed to be just as empathetic as she was intelligent, too. When I got pushed around at school by bigger kids, which happened more often than I'd like to admit thanks to my small stature, she'd come sit by me on the sofa and just cuddle up against me to make me feel better.

That's how it went for us. My mom was still as awesome as ever, providing for us, giving us a great home, and being there when we scraped our knees, had a bad day at school, or needed help with, well, anything. I have no idea how she managed it, keeping us in a comfortable home as a single parent, maintaining a steady career, and always managing to find time to spend with us every single day.

By the time I was in high school, I'll admit that my attentions had turned to other girls than just my mom and sister. I mean, hey... I was a teenage boy. Still, I was a bit gawky, so the attention paid back to me was a lot more limited than I'd have preferred.

I'd started wrestling in middle school, so I could handle myself, but even as a junior in high school and with five years of wrestling, I was a small guy. I didn't break 5' until my senior year, when a small growth spurt got me up to 5'5" and even then, I only wrestled at 125 lbs. that year. I was, charitably, lanky. And no, wearing braces from 8th to 11th grades didn't help.

I did date a girl pretty seriously during my senior year. Jamie was a cute girl, blonde and all-American. She was a year behind me in school, but that didn't much matter. We went to prom together in the spring and were still going strong in the summer. By that time, I'd started a job working for a small computer repair shop. I'd take off early in the afternoon to pick up Jamie. We'd go to the pool sometimes, but most of the time, we'd go to her home and spend the afternoon in bed. I lost my virginity to Jamie and her to me. It was sweet, awkward puppy love. In short, it couldn't have lasted.

When fall rolled around, I was going to the University of Maryland to study astronomy and physics and Jamie was staying home for her senior year. We broke up. I regretted the way it happened, that as soon as I was in College Park, I didn't even try to make a long distance relationship work. Sometimes, that's just the way it is when you're young and away from home for the first time.

Meanwhile, Savy was blowing everyone away at school. Not only was she a straight-A student, but she'd skipped 4th grade and was a talented violinist. She had started school a year later than normal because of the adoption, so skipping a grade brought her in line with the other students her age.

She grew up a lot like I did: small, skinny, gawky. Not only did she have the braces, but glasses, too. They always seemed a bit too big for her petite face. Still, as awkward as she was, she had that smile that must've been a mile wide. When I came home for Thanksgiving my freshman year, not really feeling like I fit in at my dorm, she opened the door and smiled. That was all I needed to feel like all of my troubles had been fixed and were far behind me.

After I went to Maryland, I didn't get to see Savy and mom as much as I'd have liked. I was only a few hours away from home in Salisbury, but when you're in college, leaving campus just doesn't cross your mind much.

Savy and I would instant message almost every day, though. I'd ask her and she'd talk about some concert she'd given or class she'd aced, then she would ask me about college. She was incredibly insistent asking about the minutiae of classes and the details of what college life was like. It just seemed like she was already ready to leave high school and get to college.

I'll admit, it was kicking my ass a bit. High school was a breeze, but I'd never had to apply myself like this. The A's and B's of high school had turned into mostly C's in college. I felt like I was letting her down, even more than I felt like I was letting down mom. Mom had this way of always supporting me, even when I could tell she wanted more, but the thought of not living up to Savy's expectations was troubling.

By my sophomore year, I was doing better. My grades were up and I lived in a different dorm, for international students, so there was always lots of interesting stuff was always going on.

Savy was still my best friend, though. She was starting to think about what she wanted to study in college and, like me, she wanted nothing more than to work at NASA. She was more focused on biology, which I was perfectly fine with. The thought of the two of us possibly getting jobs at Goddard, which is just a few miles from the University of Maryland campus, was incredible.

Relationships? Yeah, I had some.

My freshman year, in the spring, I dated an older girl. She was a senior and I think more than anything, I just made her feel better about herself. She could call me up at 1am and I'd trudge across campus to her dorm to help her study. The sad thing was, I didn't even get anything, physically or emotionally.

My junior year, I dated a girl in one of those relationships that feels really serious when you're on campus, but as soon as you're off campus for a holiday or what not, it feels like it's not really a relationship.

My senior year, I flew solo. I had enough stress to think about with graduating, starting my master's degree, and finding a job to support myself.

I did actually have my first (and only) one night stand my senior year. I wasn't really the type of guy for that, but it just kind of happened. A friend had invited me to a party on campus during spring break.

By that time, I'd filled out my frame and thanks to a growth spurt my freshman year, I stood a respectable 5'11" and 160 lbs. I wasn't really muscular, but the years of wrestling had kept me lean. I'd finally grown out my wrestling buzz cut into an unruly mop of sandy brown hair that was getting more popular at that time. Personally, I've always thought I was relatively average looking, but more than a few girls who were friends commented on my eyes, which had an outer ring of blue that transitioned to green and then gold near my pupil.

At the party, I was actually planning on leaving when the main group in the living room broke out a bong. I didn't object, per se, it just wasn't really my thing. I ended up sitting on the stairs drinking a beer before leaving when a girl came and sat next to me. We talked for awhile and found each other pleasant enough that she invited me up to her room and I went with her.

A few days after graduation, I'd packed everything I owned in the back seat of my old Toyota and headed across the Bay to look forward to a month off before heading back to Maryland. I'd landed a summer internship at Goddard, but I had to recharge. Maybe I'd make a good enough impression to get offered a full-time position on the program I most wanted to be on, the James Webb Space Telescope.

I pulled into mom's driveway a bit after 11pm. The house was dark, but the flickering of light in the living room told me that someone was watching TV, or more likely, sleeping in front of the TV. I opened the door and dragged a few bags inside, before heading to the living room to see who was up. Curled up on the sofa, I saw a pile of long, dark hair sticking out from under a throw blanket. I plopped down next to her and smacked her on the leg.

She bolted upright. I was shocked, that wasn't my sister! She must've had a friend staying over who didn't want to use my room.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I thought you were..."

"Mike!"

"Savy?"

I reached over and flicked on the light on the end table.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Sitting before me was my 18 year old sister and I didn't even recognize her. The glasses, braces, and baggy tom-boy clothes that she'd had as recently as when I'd been home for Christmas were gone.

She was gorgeous.

Before I could even have another thought, she threw herself against me in a giant bear hug.

"I missed you, Mike."

"I... I... I missed you, too."

After what felt like an hour of that hug, I pulled back to take a look at her. Her long dark hair, which wasn't jet black like a pair of Chinese sisters that had lived in my dorm, but very dark brown, was tussled, in that "I just woke up next to a sexy girl" kind of way, and hung down her shoulders and nearly to her waist.

As my eyes drifted back up from seeing how long her hair had gotten, I couldn't help but notice her incredibly petite waist and flat stomach peeking out from under her tank top. Up a little further and... oh my god, my sister had developed since last I'd seen her. She wasn't huge by any means, but there was a very nice amount of cleavage visible at the top of her tank and... she was definitely not wearing a bra. I had no idea how she could be that perfectly proportioned and with everything perfectly shaped and placed.

Maybe it had only been a split second, but it felt like an eternity before I'd gotten my eyes back up... and there she was. Savy sitting there with that grin on her face, creeping wider and wider into her famous smile. My eyes were well-adjusted to the relatively dim light now and she was stunningly gorgeous. Her dark brown eyes, with flecks of gold reflecting back. Her beautiful, full lips. Her slightly flat nose and the small bridge between her eyes. The curve of her chin.

Snap out of it Mike! What the hell man? That's your sister!

"So, big brother, how's it feel to be a college graduate? You know I'd have come for your graduation ceremony, if you'd asked."

"Oh, um... I really didn't want to go through all that. Sitting out in the sun for hours while people drone on about possibilities and what not. Who needs that?"

"You always were the realist."

"And what about you? Diploma in hand, heading off to Maryland. Are you excited?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm more excited that you're back."

She continued smiling at me the entire time and there were brief moments when I even forgot that she was my sister.

We talked until probably four in the morning. Savy asking question after question about what the campus is like, what I'd done that last semester, and what I'd be doing at my internship. It was all I could do to try and answer her and keep my eyes up where they belonged.

Once I finally got her to slow down a bit with the interrogation, I was able to get in a few questions of my own and just sit back and marvel at her as she told me about being valedictorian, and playing The Beatles' "In My Life" at graduation, which I was furious at myself for missing it, even if it was in the middle of my finals. Mostly, she talked about her plans for college. Savy had always been more focused on the future, while I had been somewhat absorbed in my past.

I don't know when I fell asleep, but I crashed and I crashed hard. The next morning, I felt mom waking me up and giving me a kiss on the forehead.

"It's good to have you home, Mike."

"Hey mom, I'm glad to be back. What time is it?"

"Oh, about ten. You two looked comfortable and I figured you'd been up all night talking, so I just let you sleep."

Then I noticed Savy curled up next to me, starting to stir awake.

"Coffee and breakfast?"

"Thanks, mom."

The rest of that day was spent getting my things unpacked and filling in mom on everything Savy had asked me about the night before. It really was good to be back. Don't get me wrong, I loved being on campus at Maryland, but I'm a country boy at heart and the Eastern Shore is in my blood. No matter where I ended up in the world, my home would always be on the Eastern Shore.

The next five weeks flew by. Mom tried to stuff me as much as possible, insisting I was too thin. I did my best to fix up the house, fixing a broken fence post, patching a few shingles, and other general maintenance on the house that I knew was difficult for mom to do on her own.

I don't think Savy and I spent more than a few hours apart the entire time. Whether we were weeding mom's gardens, which she never had quite enough time to work on, thanks to how hard she worked at her job to put us through school, scholarships aside, or heading over to the stadium to see the Shorebirds, we couldn't spend enough time together.

I'm not going to say I minded having this gorgeous girl with me for a month, but it was more than that. We talked... about everything. Sometimes we'd talk about what programs she was interested in at Maryland, sometimes about the Baltimore Orioles, sometimes about nothing at all. I tried asking her if she'd had a boyfriend that she hadn't told me about, but she just blushed adorably and said she hadn't dated anyone. She told me she'd gone to prom with her two best friends, just the girls.

Before I knew it, I had to pack up my car again and be back across the Bay. As I was putting my last bag in the trunk, Savy shuffled up next to me and melted into my arms to hug me. I held her tight for as long as I felt was appropriate, even though I would have happily held her for longer, and then looked down at her face. The front of my shirt was wet from her tears.

"Oh Savy, you know I'm gonna miss you, right?"

She sniffed and wiped her nose. I did my best to reassure her, even though I was going to be missing her terribly, too.

"And I'll be online every night to IM with you."

"I know."

"I couldn't have asked for a better trip home."

She pulled me down a little bit so that on her toes, she was a very petite 5' even, she could reach up and kiss me on the cheek before turning away and scurrying inside. I don't think I'd ever felt so awful pulling out of the driveway.

There's not many times in your life that you know right as they're happening that you'll look back on your deathbed and think, "Yeah... I wanna go back there." Those five weeks were one of those times. Spending all that time with her, learning who we were with how much we'd changed, was incredible. I'd like to pretend to be the tough guy, but as I drove onto the Bay Bridge, my eyes were watering and I had to clench my jaw to hold back my own tears.

A few days later, I was somewhat settled into my apartment in Greenbelt and ready to start my internship at Goddard. The first thing I did was have another intern take a picture of me next to the sign out front, under the NASA flag, and send it to Savy with the note, "Hope you're here soon."

Oddly, over the next few weeks, she was pretty quiet. I'd IM her and ask how things were going, but only got short, one sentence or even just a few word answers back. I worried about her.

It wasn't long before it was time for her to start her first semester at Maryland. Ahead of time, I drove to her dorm, the international dorm that I'd lived in for two years, and was standing there, grinning with excitement like a damn fool, when she and mom drove up.

Before I knew what hit me, Savy had jumped out, tackled me, and was sitting on my stomach.

"HI!"

I laughed out loud and said, "Hey there!"

I could hear mom chuckling in the background, but all I could see was Savy's smile in front of my eyes, framed by the bright blue sky. I could barely breathe, but it wasn't from her sitting on me. managed to scramble to my feet and give her a proper hug, then I started lugging her stuff up to the third floor. As Savy started unpacking, mom pulled me out of her room.

"Mike, keep an eye on her. You know that she's always been focused on school, violin, her girlfriends. She doesn't know what these college guys are like and they're not all as sweet as you."

"You know I will mom. Any guy that wants a shot at her has to get my approval first and I'm very difficult to please."

I didn't think any guy could possibly deserve my sister.

Hugs went all around and then mom was headed back home. Yeah, she was crying when she left. Now both of her babies were away from home. I really hoped that maybe she'd start getting out more and away from work, maybe even dating wouldn't be weird for her with an empty house.

Meanwhile, I headed back up with Savy to her room.

"Is there anything else you need? I'm gonna head back to my place so you can get to know your roommate."

"You are? I don't think so. I only got a month with you this summer. We're hanging out tonight. Besides, I haven't seen your apartment."

"It's your first night away from home. You don't want to hang out here and meet new people?"

"I've had the same best friends since elementary school and you've always known I like things I already know. Let's get takeout, a movie, and just take it easy tonight. There will be plenty of time to meet people here."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Whatever makes you happy."

That thought rolled over in my head, somewhat unnaturally, as I really did want to do anything I could to make her happy.

We locked up her room, since her roommate hadn't shown up yet, and hopped in my car. A few minutes later, we got to my place. It wasn't anything special, just a single bedroom with a small living room, kitchen, and bathroom. It was about halfway between Goddard and Maryland though, which was perfect for doing evening master's classes.

My internship had gone well and I'd gotten an entry level position with an engineering contractor at Goddard. It was grunt work, not true research and science, but it would pay the bills and more importantly, came with a NASA badge.

As I opened the door, Savy whistled, somewhat sarcastically.

"Nice place, bro."

One lonely loveseat sat in the living room in front of a rather paltry 27" TV.

"Hey, no dissing the digs unless you're paying the bills!"

"Hahaha, okay. Got it, got it. So, any good places deliver here?"

"There's a pretty decent Thai place not too far from here, but they don't deliver. Want me to pick up something? You can dig through my DVDs and pick out a movie."

"A'ight. Grab me some red curry. Chicken."

"Okay, I'll be back in a few."

I headed back out and slid into my car. As I pulled onto the road, I kept thinking it was weird that Savy would want to watch a movie with her brother instead of meeting all the new people in her dorm. I don't know. She'd always been introverted, in spite of her academic and music successes. I'd have to talk to her about it and try to tell her that college is where you're supposed to meet people, maybe even some life-long friends.

I grabbed dinner and made a quick stop at the corner store to grab some drinks, then drove back to my apartment. When I opened the door, Savy had moved the loveseat and TV to different places and dragged a table out of my bedroom to use as a coffee table. I briefly facepalmed, remembering how much of a mess my bedroom was.

"Making yourself at home already?"

"Sometimes you boys need a woman's touch in your life."

As she carried a lamp from my bedroom out to set next to the loveseat, I asked, "How much are you planning on touching?"

I immediately turned bright red, realizing the double entendre of what I'd said. I hoped she'd missed it.

"Oh, we'll see. You certainly do need a lot of things done in here."

"Well, be that as it may, here's dinner. What're we watching?"

"Braveheart."

"Ha! I knew you'd pick that one."

I grabbed some dishes and laid out our dinner on my "new" coffee table, then poured us some Italian soda. As Savy began to dig in, I popped the disc into the DVD player and turned on the TV. The movie started up and I plopped down next to Savy on the loveseat. We didn't say much while we ate, I just checked to see if she liked the food and was comfortable. She did and she was.

We finished eating and I grabbed the dishes and dumped them in the kitchen, before settling back onto the loveseat. It wasn't long before Savy shifted, previously leaning on the arm of the loveseat, to leaning up against me. I don't know why, but it just felt natural in a completely different way than how she'd cuddled up against me as children, and I put my arm around her.

"I missed you, Mike."

"I missed you too, Savy."

I never even saw the end of the movie. I guess with the move and all, I was beat. I woke up the next morning and she was curled up next to me. We'd shifted during the night and my feet were hanging over the arm while my head rested on the other arm, but she was cuddled right up into me, like a little spoon. Of greater concern was that I had an all too common issue that many men have in the morning and if she woke up, it would be obvious with how tightly she was cuddled up against me.

Recognizing the inherent problem with this situation, I did my best to get my right arm up onto the arm of the loveseat and, using my legs, started lifting my body up the back of the seat. I made it all the way up to the top, before realizing how screwed I'd made myself. With my arms and legs busy lifting me, I had nothing to catch me and over the back I went. The thud and grunt must have woken up Savy and by the time I turned my head up towards the loveseat, she was leaned over the back and laughing at me.

That smile. She was spectacular.

"What exactly were you trying to accomplish there, Mike?"

"Uh... freeeeedoommmmmm!" as I mimicked Mel Gibson.

Again with her smile and laugh.

Not long after, I had gotten things situated in my apartment and was driving her back to her dorm. I pulled up in front and turned to give her a hug, somewhat surprisingly thrilled to have her back so close.

Savy faced me and said, very sweetly, "Mike, I'm glad we're here... together."

She smiled gently at me and leaned closer, I thought for a hug.

She pressed her lips to mine and kissed me

I don't remember much about my family. My birth family, I mean, as I was only four when I was adopted. I wish I had even a few memories of them, but I was just too young. There are times when I can close my eyes and maybe, just maybe, dredge up an image in my mind, but I can never really tell if it's true or simply wishful thinking.

What I do remember, quite clearly, is the house that I moved to when I was four. It was beautiful, like one of those southern-style homes you see on television, complete with the perfect wrap-around porch, a beautiful yard, and plenty of woodlands around. That was a special place for me.

Unfortunately, my new parents' relationship wasn't as idyllic as our house. Mom and dad never really fought, not in front of my brother and I, anyway. They also never really spoke or even acknowledged each other. My dad came home late from work virtually every night and by the time he did get home, my mom had taken care of us and sent us off to bed. On weekends, my dad would either go into the office or putter around the garage. I really don't remember them talking openly.

Still, that was almost better than the other times, when they would go to their bedroom and close the door. I don't think children often understand the issues between their parents, but kids aren't immune to the atmosphere, either. When my parents were in there, their voices sometimes rising loud enough to be heard, the house was filled with an almost chilly atmosphere. It was at times like that when my brother gave me the stability that I think every kid craves.

Mike would take me outside and we'd play in the yard. He didn't seem to care what exactly we did. If I wanted to hide behind trees or throw a ball, he was happy. If I wanted to do girly things and play with stuffed animals or pretend to be a princess, he was just as happy.

I think back and he was remarkably resilient for a young boy going through a broken home. Mom absolutely did her best, but a lot of nights, Mike was the one to curl up on the beanbag in my room and read to me, before whispering "Goodnight, Savy."

I was six when my parents divorced.

Mom, Mike and I moved to a smaller house, staying on the Eastern Shore in Salisbury. It was still a very nice place, but as my third home in two years, it wasn't easy on me.

Things did get better, though. My mom was incredible. I know she worked hard to provide for us and while weren't rich by any means, Mike and I never had to worry about food on the table or clean clothes for school. That's a lot more than many kids in our situation could say, especially since we never saw dad and had no contact other than a card every once in awhile.

More than anything, I wanted to make both my mom and my brother proud. Nothing made me happier than bringing home a test or assignment with a bright red 'A' on the front and one or both of them beaming back at me and hugging me. I can't thank them enough for that, because it helped me become driven at school.

I eventually picked up the violin too, after seeing a concert on TV and thinking how beautiful the lead violinist was in her gown, with the entire crowd watching her in complete adulation. By the time I was in 5th grade, I was regularly performing solos at school performances, which of course made mom and Mike so happy. I actually even skipped 4th grade, though because I'd started school a year later than most kids due to my adoption, it just put me at about where I should have been for my age.

Even when things weren't great, we figured out how to get through them. Both Mike and I were small for our ages, though I know it was even rougher on him, because boys can be so cruel to anyone that doesn't fit their expectations and the smallest are the target of their immature ire. Even after he picked up wrestling in middle school, he was bullied quite a bit by the larger football and basketball players. When that happened, I always tried to be at the door when he got home from school, with a smile on my face.

He told me he could never be in a bad mood if I was smiling for him.

I had to deal with my own bouts of being bullied, as there weren't many kids at my school that looked like me. Being so short and skinny, wearing glasses too, made me an easy target. Fortunately, I had two friends that I'd gone to school with for as long as I could remember, Mandy and Aly, as well as Mike to make sure I always had a friendly face and comforting hug nearby.

When Mike got later into high school, I knew he was so busy trying to get into competitive programs at Maryland. Combined with wrestling and hanging out with his high school friends, I saw him a lot less than I used to or would have preferred. He always made time for me on Sundays, though, making sure we watched a baseball game together, either on TV or going to the park to see the Shorebirds play, or just had a nice picnic out in the yard.

How many girls can say that they had an older brother who would make that effort for them? Even then, I knew how lucky I was to have Mike in my life.

When Mike was a senior, he had his first somewhat serious girlfriend. She was cute and always friendly towards me, so even though it meant that I didn't have him to spend time with on Friday or Saturday night, I understood why.

I wish I could have spent more time with Mike during the summer before he went to college. Between work, his girlfriend, and all that goes with preparing for college, he just didn't have the time. The day he left for school, mom asked if I wanted to go with her to drop him off, but I said no. I gave Mike a hug at the car and wished him luck, but then went back inside. I was still crying in my room when my mom got home hours later. My best friend wasn't at home anymore.

Mike made sure he didn't forget me, though. Every night when I got home from school and whatever practice or extracurricular activity I had, there was an instant message waiting for me from him. He'd ask me about school and violin, what I was doing with my friends, if any boys had noticed me. There he was, at college and surrounded by all kinds of new people and experiences, but every night, he always found the time to send me at least one message, telling me he missed me and was proud of me.

High school was both easy and hard for me. On the one hand, I had absolutely no problems handling the work and my grades were always at the top of my class. On the other hand, outside of Mandy and Aly, I really didn't make any other friends.

I've always been a bit nervous around new people. I like comfortable things, things that I know. Boys weren't interested in me at all, even though there were a few that I certainly crushed on, and the girls, especially the popular ones, weren't any better. It always seemed like a new person noticing me was invariably followed by taunts and insults. It didn't help that even in high school, I was the same short, skinny, ungainly girl... and suddenly I had braces, too. Even then, Mike would come home for a holiday or school break and he'd always tell me I had a smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts. When he said that, I couldn't help grinning from ear to ear at him.

I know it's somewhat common now, but I'll admit that I was embarrassed that I went to my senior prom with Mandy and Aly. I mean, it's your prom. You're supposed to have your first kiss, or more likely for a lot of girls lose their virginity, with some cute boy who means the world to you at the time, but you'll probably forget in a few years.

I kind of understand why I didn't have a date. I was still on the short side, but I'd gotten my braces off and had started wearing contacts, plus I wasn't quite as gawky as before. Mom had said that with my shimmering red dress and long dark hair, I was gorgeous and even looked like a true Terp. She's also my mom and has to say that. The three of us did have a great time, but it's just not the same when the slow songs come on and you and your friends sit chatting awkwardly around a table, sad little punch cups in hand.

A month after prom, I graduated. I was my school's valedictorian, thanks to a perfect record through even my advanced placement classes. More importantly, I'd been accepted to the University of Maryland to study biology! Mike had graduated, but because he'd be doing his master's degree there and working at the nearby NASA campus in Greenbelt, we'd be living close to each other again. I couldn't wait.

Sometimes you don't even know how much you really want something and then when it's right there and you know it's going to happen, there's a weight that comes off of your shoulders. It can sneak up on you and absolutely shock you when it happens.

Two weeks after graduation, Mike finally texted me to tell me that he'd be home the next night. I was almost irrationally giddy and I barely slept the night before, because I hadn't seen him in six months. The day he was due home, I helped mom clean up the house and made sure his room was in good comfortable shape for him.

At about 6pm, I settled onto the sofa and waited for Mike. Unfortunately, after not having slept much the night before and then bustling around the house all day, I was wiped. I don't know when I fell asleep.

The next thing I knew, I felt a hand swat me on my thigh. I popped my head out from under the blanket I'd curled up under and it was Mike!

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I thought you were..."

Does he not even recognize me?

"Mike!"

"Savy?"

Mike leaned over and turned on the lamp and looked back at me. I immediately launched myself against him and wrapped my arms around him.

"I missed you, Mike."

He stammered a bit, maybe I was squeezing too tightly, "I... I... I missed you, too."

I hugged him for as long as I could, until I felt him sit back a little. Mike's eyes drifted down and it looked like he was shocked at just how long my hair had gotten. It had been pretty long for as long as I could remember, but now it was almost to my waist.

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow; Mike was taking his time getting his eyes back up to meet mine. I knew that I'd filled out quite a bit the last six months. Some girls hit their growth spurt a little later and mine just happened to be in the spring of my senior year. I was wearing a comfortable pair of loose yoga pants and a relatively short tank top, so I knew he could see just how I'd developed. I'd added a few inches, though still only stood barely 5', and weight to the appropriate places on my previously lanky frame. It may have been weird, but it felt nice as I wasn't used to having guys let their eyes wander on me.

By the time he did get around to lifting his eyes back up to mine, I couldn't help having the biggest smile ever.

I don't know how long we talked for, but the next morning I woke up on the sofa, next to Mike, with my arm wrapped inside of his and my head resting on his shoulder. Mom was offering coffee and breakfast, which after a night sleeping sitting upright on the sofa, he looked like he needed.

I tried to find stuff to keep me busy that day. I knew that mom needed time with her boy too. It wasn't easy, though.

Mike looked good. He was so much taller than me and had kept his lean wrestling form. He'd also let his hair grow quite a bit and it was very cute in its unruliness. Of course, he had the same gorgeous eyes, which melted from blue to green and had gold flecks that sparkled.

After mom had her chance to catch up, he was mine. Over the next few days, we set about doing some of the heavier chores around the house that mom and I couldn't do by ourselves. I was more handing Mike tools and generally assisting him than doing any heavy lifting, but I don't think either of us minded. It was a lot like summers before he went to college.

The best were the days when we had nothing to do. We would often go to games at the minor league stadium or drive over to Ocean City to walk on the boardwalk. One day, I woke up and Mike wasn't inside. I walked out on the back deck and immediately brought my hands to my mouth to try and cover my giggle and smile. Mike had pulled all of my old stuffed animals out of the attic and lined them up in their old parade formation in the yard.

Mike grinned at me and said, "I told you we'd always be okay, right?"

I ran to him and bear hugged him. We spent the afternoon outside. He grilled and we talked and enjoyed the weather and being together. I left my toys lined up like that the entire day and every time I glanced at them, I almost cried from smiling. I don't think he even knew just how much it meant to me. He just did it because it would make me smile and didn't even give it a second thought.

I think that there are often difficult times in your life when you feel like you can't make it and absolutely nothing is going right. If you have just one moment to hold onto, it's all survivable, though. Every moment I've had since that day, when everything was wrong, I would close my eyes and see the yard and my toys in their little parade, then look up and see Mike smiling at me. I knew I'd always be okay because of him.

Five weeks wasn't nearly long enough for me. No matter how much we talked, there was always more to say, more to learn about the experiences that he had had. It simply wasn't enough time; we needed more time.

The day Mike packed his car, I was a wreck. I couldn't sleep the night before and being unable to sleep from sadness is so much worse than being so excited that you can't sleep. I just laid in bed crying, not even really knowing why. I knew I'd miss him, but it just felt so much stronger than that, different even.

I couldn't really talk to either Mike or mom all day. I knew that if I did, I'd end up crying and I didn't want either of them to see that. It didn't seem rational. When Mike was just about ready to leave, I went out to say goodbye.

Mike turned to me and I almost collapsed into his arms. When he held me tight, it felt so comfortable and right. To this day, I don't even know how to describe that feeling. It was just right... and beyond anything that it should have been. Finally, we let go and he looked down to see that I was crying.

"Oh Savy, you know I'm gonna miss you, right?"

I choked as I tried to respond.

"And I'll be online every night to IM with you."

"I know."

"I couldn't have asked for a better trip home."

I looked up at him, into those gorgeous eyes, the gold shining in the sun. I reached up and pulled down on his shoulder, so that I could reach, and kissed him on the cheek.

I didn't look at him again before I ran inside and threw myself onto my bed. I tried to will myself to not sob uncontrollably, but I wasn't very successful. After those weeks we'd spent together, I just wanted one more day. But I knew that after that day, I'd still want one more, then one more, then one more...

The rest of the summer was, I think, the slowest time of my life. I should have been excited, since I was about to start college with my dream major. I was going to be moving so close to Mike too and it was just a short time away!

It just felt like forever...

True to his word, Mike messaged me every night. I just couldn't bring myself to talk to him and I couldn't even figure out why. What if he was so busy with his internship and master's that, even after I moved there, I never got to see him? The fear was eating me alive. I think I packed, unpacked, and repacked everything I was taking with me to college about two dozen times.

Finally... finally the day had come.

I knew I was going to miss mom and she would be alone in the house. She hadn't dated since dad left all those years ago. She just worked and took care of us, the best she could. She did a damn good job, too.

Maybe other kids had two parents and the perfect "Leave It To Beaver" life, but we had mom and she was ten times the parent of anyone else. I promised her that I'd be back every holiday and she could come and visit both of us. Maybe we could tour DC a little bit, see museums and monuments with her.

I got one heck of a workout loading my stuff into mom's car, I was moving so fast. I'm kind of surprised I could even lift some of those bags as big as they were, but I guess I was on a mission. Before long, I was looking over my shoulder as the Bay Bridge receded from sight. I'd miss the Eastern Shore; it was my home and a very important part of me.

We got off the Beltway and made our way to campus. As mom pulled up in front of my new dorm, I saw Mike standing there. He looked so relaxed, with his hair blowing in his eyes and a huge smile on his face. I don't think mom had even come to a stop before I was out the door. I plowed into Mike and knocked him down before sitting on him.

"Hi!" I practically squealed.

He just stared at me for a second and finally kind of whispered, "Hey there!"

Mike got to his feet, dragging me up into his arms and holding me to him. Just as before, everything was just... right. After a minute, we broke and he started grabbing all of my bags to take up. He wouldn't let mom or I carry a thing.

I was pulling some basics out of my bags to put on my desk and shelves when I saw mom pull Mike into the hallway. I couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"Mike, keep an eye on her. You know that she's always been focused on school, violin, her girlfriends. She doesn't know what these college guys are like and they're not all as sweet as you."

"You know I will mom. Any guy that wants a shot at her has to get my approval first and I'm very difficult to please."

I smiled to myself. I liked the idea of him looking out for me, taking care of me.

Mike and mom came back inside and we both hugged her. She told us how proud of us she was and how much she already missed us. We walked her down to her car and then she was heading home.

Thanks for everything you did for me, for us, mom.

When we got back up to my room, Mike asked, "Is there anything else you need? I'm gonna head back to my place so you can get to know your roommate."

I hadn't even thought about my roommate, who hadn't showed up yet. We had emailed a little bit over the summer, but we weren't exactly friends yet. She seemed like she'd be in the dorm for one year, then join a sorority. She had a boyfriend from high school who was also going to Maryland, but she was already talking about finding a big hunky frat guy for each of us, not that I wanted one.

"You are? I don't think so. I only got a month with you this summer. We're hanging out tonight. Besides, I haven't seen your apartment," I replied.

"Hey, it's your first night away from home. You don't want to hang out here and meet new people?"

"I've had the same best friends since elementary school and you've always known I like things I already know. Let's get takeout, a movie, and just take it easy tonight."

Mike looked me straight in the eyes and shrugged his shoulders, but then his voice was unexpectedly cheerful.

"Whatever makes you happy."

After we locked up my room, we got into Mike's car and drove over to his apartment, which was only about 10 minutes from campus. It might even be walkable, though the area around Maryland wasn't the greatest neighborhood.

When we got to his place, he opened the door, and I had to stifle a chuckle.It wasn't much to look at. There was one sad loveseat in the middle of the living room. The TV appeared to be sitting on one of the end tables from a dorm lounge, which made me wonder if he had indeed stolen it from the dorm.

I gave a low whistle and said, "Nice place, bro."

"Hey, no dissing the digs unless you're paying the bills!"

I chuckled.

We decided that we'd do Thai takeout from a good place a few minutes away and he went off to pick it up. I looked around his apartment and clucked my tongue a bit before starting to explore.

I wandered into his bedroom, which was trashed. As sweet as Mike is, he really can be such a boy sometimes. There was even a pair of boxers hanging off of his computer monitor.

I spotted a small table in there and dragged it out to position as a coffee table in the living room. I went ahead and moved the TV and loveseat around, just to make the room a little nicer, too. When Mike got back, I was grabbing a lamp out of his bedroom to put in the living room.

"Making yourself at home already?"

"Sometimes you boys need a woman's touch in your life."

He raised an eyebrow at me and asked, "How much are you planning on touching?" I think he was as red the Maryland logo before he even finished the question. The double meaning wasn't lost on me, though that was an odd place for my mind to go. I chose to let him off easy, but not too easy.

"Oh, we'll see. You certainly do need a lot of things done in here."

I decided we'd watch "Braveheart" and we set up on the loveseat. It was really good Thai food. I'm was sure I'd end up eating there often. When we finished eating, Mike took everything into the kitchen and came back to sit next to me on the loveseat.

I very naturally cuddled up next to him to watch the rest of the movie and my heart nearly stopped when he put his arm around me.

I didn't look at him, but I mumbled out, "I missed you, Mike."

He responded, much more firmly and surely, "I missed you too, Savy."

I hoped time would freeze right there. In a way it did, because I'm sure I fell asleep soon after. I couldn't have been more comfortable.

I woke up the next morning and Mike was still asleep. We'd shifted during the night and I was curled up beside him, completely surrounded by him. He couldn't have been very comfortable; his feet were hanging well off the end of the loveseat. I didn't move because I didn't want either of us to have to wake up or go anywhere. I was just still for as long as I could, listening to his breathing.

After a little while, his breathing was a bit less regular and he started to shift around some. I moved just a tiny bit to keep as close to him as I could and then I could feel him... poking my thigh, but not with his hands, which were still wrapped around me.

I don't think I had any idea what to make of the situation, but he started to move. He was using his feet and his arms to shift his way up the back of the sofa. He was trying to be polite and not wake me up.

Next thing I know, I heard a very muffled "Oh shit!" and then a thunk.

I immediately popped up and leaned over the back of the sofa to see if he was okay. I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear and laugh when I saw him laying in a heap behind the loveseat.

"What exactly were you trying to accomplish there, Mike?"

With a perfect impression of Mel Gibson, he answered, "Uh... freeeeedoommmmmm!"

I lost it and fell back onto the sofa cracking up.

Mike didn't have anything in his place for breakfast, so he said he'd take me back to the dorm and I could go to the dining hall with my roommate. I didn't exactly want to leave him, but I agreed, since I was pretty hungry.

When we pulled up in front of my dorm, I turned to him and said, "Mike, I'm glad we're here together."

I leaned closer to him, planning to give him a hug.

Instead, my lips found his and I kissed him.Her lips were so soft.

I was completely and utterly stunned. I have no idea how long she kissed me for. Time simultaneously stopped, sped up, and ceased to have all meaning.

When she leaned away from me, she brought her hand up and gently brushed my face.

"Savy..."

"I'll see you soon," was all she said.

Then she turned and was out the car, heading back to her dorm. She seemed to be floating. I watched every movement. Her long hair, gently flowing behind her. The curve of her hips swishing back and forth. He slender arms swinging at her side and her graceful fingers gently curling and uncurling.

I don't know how long I sat there for, but I finally got my car into gear and pulled away from her dorm.

At some point, I made it back to my apartment and went inside. I sat down in my living room and stared at the wall.

Savy had kissed me. It wasn't erotic, by any means, and we hadn't made out, but it was the most incredible thing I had ever felt. My beautiful, adorable, fun, intelligent, spectacular Savy. My little sister, even if she was adopted.

I closed my eyes and I could see us there, back in the car. I turned to face her and her beautiful, dark eyes were staring straight at me. Time moved in slow motion. Her full lips, slightly moist, moved closer to me. Suddenly, contact. She pressed into me gently.

And then she was gone.

That moment that she broke away from me, it was as if I was completely empty without her touching me. But she was still there, her eyes flickering back and forth, searching my face, with the slightest of smiles on her lips. Her hand touched my cheek with the soft caress of her fingertips and it was pure electricity.

I opened my eyes and was back in my apartment, alone. It was a single kiss and I was already so empty without it.

I slowly got to my feet and went into the bathroom to start the shower. After it warmed up, I stripped and hopped in, hoping it would clear my mind. I had to get to work soon. It didn't.

By the time I pulled into the parking lot of my building at Goddard, I was still in a daze. I got to my cubicle, managing to avoid seeing anyone I knew, and slid into my chair. A few minutes later, I still hadn't logged in. Amy, my civil servant, poked her head into my cube.

"Hey Mike, how's it going?"

"Huh?"

"Ha, you look out of it. Late night drinking?"

"Oh, um... no, not at all. I'm just... tired I guess."

"Well, if you can grab a cup of coffee and wake up, I need you to check this report for me."

"Yeah, sure thing."

I drifted through the rest of the day, relying on my instinct and training to get me through my work. I had no bandwidth available in my brain to focus on the task at hand. I checked my email and text messages constantly, to see if anything was there from Savy. I wasn't sure if I should email her or not. I didn't think so. We needed to talk, but in person, and after I figured out what I was going to say.

By the end of the day, I was mentally exhausted. I stopped at a sushi place near work and grabbed some to take home. When I got home, I started nibbling on dinner and went into my bedroom to turn on my computer. A few minutes after it booted up and logged on, the instant messaging window popped up.

It was Savy.

"Hey there."

"Hey."

"You busy tonight?"

"No. I just got some sushi for dinner. Planning on just watching the O's game."

"Can you pick me up?"

Does she really want to see me again?

"You don't want to hang out at your dorm? Or with your roomie?"

"She's going to some frat party and everyone in the dorm is mostly hanging out in their own rooms with their roomies. You don't want to see me?"

I wanted to see her more than anything and that actually concerned me a bit.

"Not at all, of course I want to see you. But I want you to meet new people, too."

"How about you come over and we can hang out here. Then if anyone wants to meet us, they can."

"I can do that. I'll be there in twenty, okay?"

"See you soon."

I changed out of my slacks and shirt from work and into some cargo shorts and a t-shirt, finished my sushi, then headed out the door. A few minutes later, I pulled up to Savy's dorm. I texted her to come let me in and waited outside.

The door opened and I saw Savy's head pop out. She waved me over and when I got to the door, she grabbed my hand and led me inside. After I got through the door, she didn't let go of my hand, she just shifted so that her fingers were intertwined with mine. I looked down at our hands - her fingers were so delicate - then back at her. She smiled that wonderful smile at me. Even her eyes were smiling.

My heart was suddenly racing, feeling her hand in mine.

We walked like that up to the lounge on her floor and she was right, nobody was there, so we headed up to her room.

She'd obviously spent the day unpacking and organizing. Her bed was clean and well-made. Her TV was on top of her dresser, pointing at her bed, and her computer was set up at her desk with a row of neat binders and notebooks on the shelf above.

"You like?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, it's very OCD... so, you know, very Savy."

She punched me on the shoulder with her free hand, but didn't let go of my hand with her other.

"So, how much of the campus have you seen," I asked her.

"Um, just what I saw walking to the dining hall for dinner."

"You wanna go for a walk? It's pretty nice out."

"Sure."

She locked up her room and we went downstairs. As soon as we stepped through the door to go outside, she was right next to me again and her fingers were sliding into my hand.

We started walking and cut in front of the library where we both rubbed the Testudo statue on the nose. We then turned straight into the grass and started walking down the mall towards the fountain. Savy kicked off her sandals and picked them up with her free hand, walking barefoot in the grass.

When we got to the fountain halfway down the Mall, I sat down on the edge and she sat beside me, then slid right next to me.

I sighed heavily, the weight of expectations, personal and societal on my shoulders.

Savy looked up at me, "Are you mad at me?"

"Oh, honey... I'm not mad at you at all. How could I be mad at you?"

"I kissed you. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just... we're finally here and... together."

Yes, together.

I could see that her eyes were starting to water. I leaned down and kissed her forehead. I placed her hand that was holding mine into my other hand and reached my now free hand around her shoulders.

"Savy, I wasn't expecting that. You caught me completely off-guard. I just... you're my best friend. You're my sister."

And yet, she was so much more to me than that.

"Adopted..." she whispered.

"Yeah, I know, but we still grew up together. I mean, there's an emotional bond there, right?"

"Yeah..."

She looked utterly devastated.

"But I also know that when I went away to college, I looked forward to our chats every night. I missed you. I really did. And... even though I dated, I never really fell for anyone. Then I came home this summer and you were... we were... always together. That month was, honestly, the best time of my life. When I'm around you, I can't think of anything else and when I'm not around you, I can't think of anything other than the next time I'll be with you."

"Mike, we're here now... together."

"We are. And I don't want to be anywhere else."

Every other word I wanted to say, every feeling I was trying to tell her, I just couldn't get it sorted in my head. I was so completely tongue-tied. I released her hand and reached up to her chin. I gently tilted her up to look at me, her dark eyes looked black in the night as they moved back and forth, dancing across my face. There's a point where nothing more can be said.

I leaned closer... and I kissed her.

For the second time in our lives, our lips touched. She was soft, and full, and luscious. She was incredible. I pressed more firmly against her and then her lips parted. Gently, I slid my tongue against her, probing her lips, gently teasing them and licking them. Then I felt her tongue touch mine and I was completely lost in her.

My beautiful, special Savy.

I was completely lost.

I pulled her closer to me and gently brushed her hair behind her ear. She turned and lifted her legs over mine, then slid up onto my lap. Any time our lips parted even the slightest bit, she almost lunged after me to stay in contact. I caressed my hand up and down her back as her long hair fluttered over my bare arm, sending shivers down my spine.

36 hours ago, I was on top of the world. I'd graduated from my favorite school and was working at NASA. I was out on my own and successful, to boot. My little sister, my wonderful, intelligent, beautiful little sister and best friend was following in my footsteps and coming to the same school. She'd be living just minutes from me.

Now, she was sitting on my lap, we were entwined in each other's arms, and she was kissing me in the most luxurious and sensual way I could even imagine.

She broke away from me and whispered, "It's getting chilly."

I was in absolutely no position to even think about the temperature, but my hand brushed her bare arm and I could feel the goosebumps.

"I don't think I'm ready to let you go."

She kissed me quickly, just a peck, and then with her head tilted down towards my chin, she looked up, almost through her eyelashes, and said, "Then don't."

She stood up, sliding into her sandals, and took my hand, slipping her fingers into mine again, then pulled at me. I stood up and followed her. We walked in complete silence, back up the Mall and towards her dorm.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was the most gorgeous creature I had ever seen. I was seeing her in a completely different light and was committing every curve, every bit of her to memory.

I watched as her fingers, interwoven with mine, gently stroked my own. My eyes drifted up past her elegant wrist and to her slender arm. I could still see the goosebumps standing up. Then I was drawn to her hips, which flared seductively away from her waist, her jeans allowing just a hint of the smooth skin of her belly to show. My eyes followed the line of her hips to her thighs, then down to her dainty feet, clad in sandals, with bright red toenails glinting from the street lights.

I looked up again, past her petite waist and her long dark hair flowing around her, to her t-shirt, clinging tightly to her perfectly shaped breasts, with just a hint of cleavage visible at her collar. Her slender neck. The smooth line of her chin, curving around to those lips which I had just been kissing moments before. Her nose, as delicate and refined as the rest of her, with a small bridge between her wide eyes, themselves topped with lush eyelashes that seemed to go on forever.

I was completely engrossed in absorbing her.

We reached her dorm and she pulled me inside. As she walked up the stairs in front of me, I couldn't help but admire her fabulous rear, a small but perfectly shaped heart. At her door, before unlocking it, she turned and faced me.

Savy stood on her toes and reached her hands behind my head, pulling me down to her. She kissed me deeply, her tongue searching for my own while her hands stroked my hair, setting every part of my body on edge.

After stepping inside, she whispered to me, "Lay down."

I climbed onto her bed and slid over against the wall. She went to her dresser and pulled out small, black terry cloth shorts and a white tank top. Despite the turn our relationship had taken over the past day and a half, she was demure enough that she moved to her closet and stood half-obscured by the door.

I watched, completely entranced, as she slid her jeans over her impeccable butt. I could only catch a glimpse of the black panties she wore, before she pulled her shorts back up. I think she realized that I was watching her, because she peeked over her shoulder at me and smiled, almost as if to herself. Her eyes were gleaming.

She reached down and pulled her t-shirt over her head, her hair flowing through and then down her back, obscuring most of her wonderful skin. Her hands were behind her and she unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the floor. Her back, with her light caramel skin, was flawless. She pulled her tank top over her head and then turned to face me. Again, that almost teasing smile, more with her eyes and just the slightest upturn in the corners of her mouth.

She came over to me and I pulled the covers back for her to slide in next to me. She faced me and rested the palm of her hand against my cheek, then pulled me close and we kissed. It felt like I was completely dissolving as a separate human being. The only parts of me that I could feel were the parts that she was touching. My lips. My cheek. The path of her fingers as she tucked my hair behind my ear. My neck, while she lightly caressed me.

I could barely breathe.

I absolutely wanted to touch all of her, to feel myself inside her, for us to be completely united, and to make love to her. But she wasn't just a roll in the hay or even another girlfriend. She was Savannah, my Savy, the one who I'd shared every part of my life with. I wanted, I needed her to understand my love, my complete adoration of her. She was now everything to me and I was as enthralled to be holding her as I would be making love to her.

I broke our kiss and gently brushed my lips past the tip of her nose, then pressed them against the bridge of her nose, kissing her in that gentle curve between her eyes, and then her forehead.

"Goodnight, Savy."

"Goodnight, Mike."

She curled up against me, completely enveloped in my arms, and we slept.

__________

We woke up the next morning, as her roommate jingled her keys while unlocking the door. A girl walked in, moderately attractive with light blonde hair and wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt.

"Oh, hi! I assume you're Savannah or I'm in the wrong room."

Savy brushed her hair out of face, showing just how red it was, probably because this was her roommate's first real introduction to her and she was in bed with a guy.

"Hi... yeah, I'm Savy. Savannah."

"I'm Amy." She nodded towards me, "... and who's this?"

Savy spoke up before I could respond, "This is Mike. He's my..." She stumbled just a bit. "... my boyfriend, from back home."

"Hi, Mike. You go here, too?"

"Uh, yeah. Actually doing my master's."

A smile crept across Amy's face and she almost, but not quite, winked at Savy. "Well, I'm just gonna grab my bag for my first class. I'll be out of your hair in a minute."

Savy and I slid back down under the covers, facing each other, and silently giggled at each other.

Amy had her bag and on her way out looked over her shoulder and said, "You guys have fun!" before closing the door.

Savy closed her eyes for a second and I leaned forward and kissed her on each eye, then her nose, then her lips. She murmured her approval and we just laid there for a bit. Finally, she realized that she had classes that day too and it wouldn't be particularly good to start her college career by missing them.

She got out of bed and once again, I sighed, marveling at her beauty. I stood up next to her and hugged her to me. "I've gotta get to work. I hope you have fun at your classes today."

She looked up at me, "I'll be thinking of you."

"And I'll be thinking of you, too." I glanced over at the schedule she'd put on the wall next to her desk, "... but you'd better be thinking just a little bit about Calculus, too."

She bopped me on the nose, "Of course."

After a light goodbye kiss, I was back in my car and headed home for a quick shower and change. I always thought the phrase "on cloud nine" was pretty hokey, but it was as apt of a description for me as any. You know you're really in trouble when every song on the radio singing about love makes sense, inane lyrics or not.

The day absolutely flew by. I couldn't have cared less whether I was doing grunt work or not; work was the last thing on my mind. By the time I was heading out of my office and back to my apartment, I had to consciously will myself not to speed to get back to Savy sooner.

After texting with her and making plans for her to come over, I did a quick cleanup of my place. It wasn't exactly professionally clean, but it would do. I drove over to campus and pulled up to her dorm, where she was waiting out front for me.

Savy dropped a bag into the back and slid into the passenger seat before leaning over for a quick kiss on my cheek. While we drove to my apartment, I asked her about her classes, her professors, and how she felt being on campus. She was obviously excited to finally be a college student.

Once at my place, we ordered a pizza. Since it was just the first day of classes, she didn't have any studying to do yet, so we settled in to watch the Orioles game. After the end of the game, she grabbed her bag and went into the bathroom. When she came out, she had changed into her shorts and tank top to sleep in.

She poked her head into the living room and asked, "Ready for bed?"

I clicked off the television and turned off the light in the living room before going to the bathroom, brushing my teeth, and getting all of that out of the way. When I got into the bedroom, she was already in bed. It was like we'd been a couple for months or even years, everything was so natural.

I did what I always did and took off my shirt. When I had my shorts halfway down, I sheepishly looked up at her and she just smiled at me, so I finished stripping to my boxers. I walked over and slid into bed next to her.

Savy lay facing me, then shifted closer and kissed me. What started as a goodnight kiss quickly turned into something more and she pressed herself hard next to me. I could feel her nipples pressing through her thin top and against my chest. I was instantly aroused and I knew that she could feel my erection rubbing against her thighs. She didn't seem the slightest bit concerned about it, either.

Once again, I was astounded that this incredible and gorgeous girl was with me.

I put my hand on her hip and slowly slipped it around to the small of her back. My fingers worked their way under her tank top and I caressed her back, tracing them the entire length of her spine, from her neck to her tailbone. Savy used her own hand to ever-so-lightly trace her fingernails up and down my arm, setting the tiny hairs on edge. All the while, her savory lips were locked to mine as her tongue danced around my own, sliding in and out of my mouth.

The first time I let my hand drift down to the top of her butt, she tried to repress a tiny giggle. It seemed she was just a little bit ticklish at her dimples of Venus. I smiled as she continued kissing me.

Very subtly, Savy began grinding her hips against me. The reflexive actions of two people laying together, touching each other, took over. I wasn't sure exactly how far this was going to go tonight, but I absolutely had to tell her one thing, no matter what.

I slowly broke our kiss and leaned back just far enough that my eyes could focus on hers in the dark.

"Savy, you are everything to me and as many times as I've told you before, it's different now."

She looked up at me and her tongue gently wet her lips.

"I love you. I've loved you as my sister and I've loved you as my best friend. Now I love you as a part of me... and I can never lose that."

"I love you, too, Mike."

Her hand brushed along my cheek, then behind my head and pulled me to her. She kissed me. Deeply. Passionately.

We laid in bed, running our hands over each other, kissing as lovers, desperate for each other. Savy fell asleep in my arms, again, and I couldn't remember a time when I had fallen asleep without her. I couldn't even fathom what it was like to not hold her as I lost consciousness, the sound of her breathing soothing me, and the gentle thump of her heart, with her chest pressed against mine.

That's how it went for Savy and I over the next few weeks. We settled into a routine, as if there was no other way for us to live. She would go to her classes and I would go to my job during the day. All it took for me to be next to her was to close my eyes, for even the briefest moment.

She usually finished her classes before I could take off from work, so she'd go back to her dorm and either work on some assignment or study. She got to know Amy a little bit, but they never hit it off completely. I was glad they got along at least, remembering how poorly I got along with my freshman roommate.

I think one thing that did make her more comfortable in the dorm and at Maryland in general was the sheer diversity. It's not that she only wanted to get to know people with a similar family background, though she was happy to meet a few Filipinos there. Savy was always the different one back home and whether people accept you or don't, being "the one" of anything is always hard. I think she was just more relaxed meeting new people when everyone was the different one.

At some point in the evening, she'd text me or call me and I'd drive over to campus. Sometimes we'd stay on campus and she'd treat me at the dining hall or we'd just walk around.

The University of Maryland is a beautiful place in the early fall. The temperature has cooled down from the unbearable heat of the summer and evenings can even get a little chilly, signaling football weather is on the way. There's almost never a time when students aren't out on the mall or other grassy areas, kicking a ball or playing Frisbee.

New couples would sit on the edges, captivated by their newfound love and oblivious to the running and hollering of the people around them. All across campus, walkways break off from the main paths, providing secluded benches. Just before the leaves start changing into brilliant oranges, reds, purples, and yellows, they turn this wonderfully deep green, setting off the red bricks and white trim of the Georgian buildings on campus. It's a special place.

Every night, we'd go back to my apartment. With actual paychecks rolling in, I was able to start buying some real furniture for the place. Savy picked out most of it, of course, including an actual dining table and a larger sofa for the living room. If we hadn't eaten dinner on campus, I'd usually throw something together for us and we'd sit and chat around the table, me doing my best to ensure that she never stopped smiling.

I loved her smile more than life itself. I could live off of it alone, no need for food or water.

Before long, we'd be curled up on the couch, under a blanket, watching TV or a movie. We never really paid attention unless it was an O's game and even then, we often got rather distracted.

Savy was an incredible kisser. Her lips were pure perfection. Sometimes she would kiss me as if she were starving for my touch. Other times she kissed me so softly, I could barely tell we were making contact. It was as if she read my mood and had the exact type of kiss ready.

At some point every evening, one of us would be just about ready to nod off and the other would take the other's hand and we'd walk to the bedroom. We never felt the need to rush anything. We both seemed to have this innate sense that there would be time for everything with each other. Every night, we fell asleep together. We would hold each other in our arms or she would cuddle, with her back to me, as close as she could get. As long as we were touching each other and with each other.

By October, my friends, both at work and in my graduate program wanted to know where the hell I was spending all my time. They'd seen the change in me; it was pretty obvious. Finally, my good friend Jeff, a fellow Maryland graduate that I'd known since my freshman year said that I absolutely had to be at the next happy hour, or he was gonna storm my apartment with twenty people and a keg.

When Savy and I were on the sofa that night, I asked her if she'd like to go with us. I'd make sure we went somewhere that she didn't need to be 21 to get into. She said that of course she would. Since none of my buddies knew me from high school or earlier, we wouldn't have any issues. I would simply introduce her as my wonderful girlfriend.

The next day, I texted Savy to tell her I'd pick her up at 6pm to go to happy hour. When I pulled up to her dorm, she wasn't out front, so I sent her a quick message to let her know I was there. I was just looking up from my phone when I saw her walking towards me, wearing an incredible royal blue sundress.

I was completely transfixed.

Her hair flowed freely around her. The dress had small sleeves, but left her svelte arms uncovered. The neckline was cut into a moderate V, revealing the wonderfully shaped valley between her breasts. Below, the dress clung spectacularly to her waist before curving over and accentuating her hips. It was cut around her knees and blew gently in the breeze. Her legs were graceful and smooth. She wore a pair of black sandals to complete the ensemble.

I couldn't even check to see if any other college guys were looking her over; I was too busy drooling on myself.

Savy knocked on the window.

"You gonna let me in?"

I'd been so mesmerized, I'd forgotten to unlock the door. I fumbled around a bit before I finally did so and she smoothly slid into the passenger seat.

"Savy, you're... unbelievable."

"Oh, is this not okay? Should I change?" She was teasing me and having quite a good time doing it, too. "You're doing okay yourself."

I was in my usual attire for going out: bootcut jeans, an untucked dress shirt, and a blazer. I thought it was pretty bland, but it was comfortable and got the job done.

Savy leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "Ready?"

"Absolutely."

I put the car into gear and got us on our way. We pulled into the parking lot of the pub just off campus. Savy got out as I turned the car off and waited for me at the front of the car, holding her hand out to take mine. I reached out and our hands touched, but before she could start walking towards the pub, I pulled her close to me and kissed her.

"I love you." I smiled at her and reveled in her wonderful dark eyes.

She ran her fingers through my hair, brushing a loose bit behind my ear, before pressing her lips against my cheek and whispering, "I love you, too."

We walked inside, hand in hand.

Right after we stepped through the door, I heard a loud chorus of "Mike!" coming from across the pub. I made eye contact with Jeff and waved my acknowledgement.

As we made our way to the table where eight of my buddies were gathered around, I noticed that absolutely none of them were watching me. Every pair of eyes was firmly on Savy and who could blame them?

Jeff stood up and gave me a quick fist bump before stating the obvious, "Well now we know why we never see Mike anymore!" The entire group erupted in laughter.

"Hey Jeff, everyone. This is Savannah. Let's see here... Savy, this is Jeff, who you'll remember from me telling you about us nearly getting busted for drinking on campus, and we've got Ben, Danny, Ravi, Josh, Sung, Jim, and Jack Daniels. Don't worry, you'll figure out why we call him Jack Daniels." I pointed out each guy and Savy responded with a "Hi" and a smile.

Jeff offered up his seat to Savy and she nimbly perched on the stool while I stood behind her, one hand holding her hip. All the other guys already had their drinks. I ordered a beer and Savy got a coke. I wasn't gonna be the one to tell mom I got her pinched for underage drinking in a bar.

I'll admit, it was good seeing the guys again. We'd gotten through a pretty tough major together and while Jack was a bit on the bro side, they were a good group.

Most of the rest of the evening was the guys busting my chops for being domesticated, while fawning over Savy. Jeff, of course, was a gentleman and never made any jokes about never seeing me again now that I was spoken for. He'd been in a relationship with his girlfriend for years and knew what it was like. He inquired about Savy's major and how she was liking Maryland so far.

All in all, it was a good evening. Even when your entire life seems to revolve around one person, it's good to get out and remember that you've got a lot of friends in your life, both casual and close.

At the end of the evening, I settled up on our check and Savy and I said our goodbyes. Jeff walked Savy and I over to the door and gave Savy a hug, telling her it was nice to meet her. He then gave me a stern look and said, "You'd better not lose her, man."

"Don't worry, I'm not letting her go anywhere."

Once again, I took Savy's hand and we walked out to the car. A few minutes later, we pulled up to my apartment, which was now very much like our home.

We'd just gotten inside when Savy turned to me.

"It was nice seeing you in your element."

I chuckled, "I don't know about that, but yeah, it's good to get out with the guys every once in awhile. They were certainly more than thrilled that I brought you along, Miss Star of the Evening."

She blushed a bit, then pulled me down for a kiss. "Let's go to bed."

After changing and hopping into bed, we lay there facing each other, her lightly running her hand over my arm while I stroked her hair. Savy leaned closer and kissed me. Almost immediately, our tongues were exploring each other. Every kiss with her was as good as the first time.

After a few minutes, Savy broke the kiss and looked me in the eye.

"Mike, I'm ready."

She kissed me again and I felt her hand run down my arm, over my hip, and brush against my member. That tiny little touch was electric. She began tracing the tip of her finger, through my boxers, from the base of my shaft to the increasingly sensitive head. I groaned with approval.

My own hand began wandering and found the gap between her shorts and tank top. I slid a finger under her top, then my entire hand. The tips of my fingers brushed her skin, moving back and forth over her stomach, slowly inching higher up her body. Before long, I'd reached the swell of the bottom of her breasts. I traced the curve, from her ribs around to the gap between her breasts, and then to the other rib. It was agonizing. I wanted to touch her, everywhere, but I wanted to build her arousal, to ease her into this next step for us.

My fingers caressed closer and closer, moving almost randomly, barely skimming her soft and supple skin. Finally, my finger grazed her nipple. It sent a jolt through both of us. My fingers traced around, rubbing her areola, before closing on that firm nipple, like a gum drop just waiting to be devoured. She broke our kiss and moved her lips next to my ear.

"Yes, Mike."

I began kissing down her neck and to the top of her cleavage. I wanted to taste every inch of her. I slid down further, until I could lift the bottom of her tank top and plant kisses on her wonderfully flat stomach. I worked my way back and forth, from left to right, kissing and nuzzling. I could feel her hips gently rolling against my chest.

I took hold of her tank top and slowly pulled it upwards, revealing ever more of her spectacular body. The bottom of her breasts were in view and I kissed higher up her belly. It was agonizingly wonderful. Further and there her nipples were, a wonderful creamy pink and brown, set against her caramel skin. I continued pulling up and she lifted her arms over her head, allowing me to completely remove her top.

She brought her arms down and tugged at my own t-shirt. I raised my arms and allowed her to remove my shirt.

I wanted to feel her. I lowered on top of her and kissed her deeply. My tongue thrusting into her mouth, searching for her own. I could feel the swell of her breasts, soft and smooth, against my own chest. They were generous, but perfectly proportioned to her petite frame. With no top on, she still looked like she was wearing a push-up bra. Her nipples were two little hard points pressing against me. My erection was painfully hard, rubbing against her thigh.