I Still Remember by Harper Bliss Read Free Book Online

long ago deemed not there anymore fizzles away to nothing in the pit of my stomach. When I exhale, it’s not only used-up air that gets expelled from my body, but years of repressed feelings and, from the corner of my eyes, a few tears of relief and pure happiness.
    Gently, I slide my fingers out of Amy and I press myself against her, finding her neck with my lips. After I’ve kissed a path to her ear, I whisper, “What will we do when I stay?”
    I feel her body contract against me when she giggles. “I’ll teach you how to give the perfect massage.” Amy’s voice is low and husky, and I might be bone-tired and drunk—my head swimming from too much booze and finally sinking my fingers into Amy—but this night is not over yet.
    * * *
    After calling my producer at the network to lie about a family emergency and claiming I need a week off, I head back to the bedroom where Amy still lounges.
    She arches up her eyebrows when I walk through the door, her face lit up by the sun because there was no time to close the curtains last night.
    “We have seven days to figure this out.” I have no idea what I mean when I say it, but the prospect of spending a week with Amy makes me want to burst out of my skin.
    Amy’s quizzical expression transforms into a wide smile. She extends her arm and I grip her wrist so she can pull me back into bed with her.
    “Who knew,” she says as she draws me on top of her, “that it could be so easy to make you stay?”
    I realise I’d best get used to wisecracks about me leaving town so stealthily twenty years ago. “Let’s go outside.” I kiss Amy on the tip of her nose. “I want to swim in the pond like old times.”
    “Old times, huh?” Amy paints a wicked grin on her face. “You mean lusting after me silently while I pretend I don’t notice how you stare when I wear a bikini?”
    “Absolutely not.” I sink my teeth into the soft flesh of her earlobe. “No bathing suits allowed.” I push myself up from the bed and the robe I borrowed from Amy splits open.
    Amy eyes me. “I can hardly say no to that.” She jumps from under the covers and snatches the fabric off me. Stark naked, we run down the stairs, through the kitchen and into the playground of our youth.
    I’m sixteen again when I dip my toes into the water to test the temperature.

    I first felt it when I sat in my familiar spot by the edge of the pond, timing Amy as she tried to swim as fast as she could from one side to the other. My job was to focus on my waterproof watch—something I’d always done with great determination before—but this time around, I couldn’t keep my eyes off Amy as her body cut through the water towards me. It was an afternoon of just us, before Brett appeared on the scene and stole precious moments of our time together.  
    I didn’t know what a lesbian was and I had no idea it was even possible for a woman to fall in love with another woman. But when Amy pulled herself out of the water, drops raining down her skin and lingering in her hair, I knew I was in love. I knew because not only did the sun catching the hazelnut in her eyes look like the most beautiful sight in the world, but later that afternoon, when I had to go home for supper, it suddenly hurt that I couldn’t spend every waking moment with her.
    “You weren’t timing me,” Amy said, her hands on her hips and, to punish me, she swung her head from left to right so the cool drops of water splattered from her hair onto my hot skin.
    “Stop it.” I looked up at her, at the grin on her face, which all of a sudden seemed unbearable as well as totally addictive. Because I had no idea how to handle myself, I pushed her back into the water, jumping in right after her, because I didn’t want her to swim away from me.
    She ducked under and yanked me down by the ankles and, just like that, an innocent game we’d played all of our lives, caused my body to pulse in places I’d never paid much attention to before.

    This time,