Over the course of several days, Amber and I grew more tactile. It began with her just gently brushing her fingertips against me whenever she passed close to me, and I quickly found myself returning the gesture. Whenever she would bring me coffee, my fingers would touch hers just a little longer than necessary as I accepted the mug from her. As we washed the dishes together, she stood directly beside me, our arms continually touching as I washed and she dried. And as we watched television or a DVD together, she would lean into me while I had an arm draped across her shoulders.
But best of all was the hugs. We hugged more frequently. We hugged when we first saw each other in the morning. We hugged when Amber left for school. We hugged when she returned home from school. We hugged before going to our separate beds. And each hug seemed to last longer than the previous hug.
Then, on a Friday night, after Amber had already said she was going to bed, I stood in the kitchen, contemplating whether to have some ice cream before going to bed myself, when I thought I saw something at the edge of my peripheral vision.
Amber stood in the doorway, wearing her robe and slippers. She stepped toward me, opening her arms, inviting me into her embrace...
Without a thought, I accepted.
We threatened to crush each other, and this hug was indeed the longest yet.
"I love you," she finally whispered.
"And I love you," I replied just as quietly, tightening my grasp even further and eliciting a soft whimper from her.
"I've secretly loved you for a long time, you know," Amber admitted, her voice still quiet and respectful.
That did not surprise me, nor did the fact that I kissed her forehead.
Nor did the fact that Amber tilted her head upward and her lips met mine.
Our first kiss was sweet and romantic, slow and gentle. It was a kiss of acceptance, and it hinted at more. I inhaled Amber's contented sigh, then returned it into her.
Our lips ultimately separated, but our hearts did not. Amber remained in my arms, planting little kisses upon my neck as she scratched gently along my spine. My growing arousal was evident between us, but she did not seem to mind.
"We should take this slowly," I suggested respectfully as I stroked the back of her amber-maned head. "We can't rush this if we really want it to last."
"I know," she agreed with a nod, resting her head against my shoulder. "I want to take this slowly, and I always knew that you would, too."
As I held her, I felt rather protective of Amber. I wanted desperately to ensure she had everything she needed, and ideally also everything she wanted. I yearned to ensure her safety at all times, and to give her all the tools she needed to become whoever and whatever she wanted. I knew deep in my heart that I would fully support her 100% in any of her pursuits.
Yet, as I kissed her cheek, I also wanted to pick her up, carry her to my bed, and disrobe her. I wanted to touch her, kiss her, nibble her, lick her, finger her, taste her, then undress and ease myself inside her.
...but there would be time for that later.
An idea came to mind. "Tomorrow night," I asked, "will you go out with me?"
"A date?" Amber's eyes grew large, sparkling with eagerness.