Rum Spring by Yolanda Wallace Read Free Book Online

though.”
    Rebecca wadded up a napkin and tossed it at the back of Dylan’s head.
    Dylan tossed it back. “Nice arm, but we need to work on your aim.” She grabbed two bottles of water and set them next to the plate of spaghetti. They ate standing next to the island in the center of the kitchen.
    When Dylan licked spaghetti sauce off her lips, Rebecca flashed back to the day two years before when Dylan had almost kissed her. What would have happened if they had kissed? Would their lives be drastically different or would they be the same? Rebecca couldn’t change the past. She could only hope to learn from it. Her faith said Dylan and people like her should change their ways or remain celibate. They should live a life without love. But how could love—in any form—be wrong?
    “Kiss me.”
    Dylan’s eyes widened. “What?”
    “Kiss me.”
    “Are you sure?”
    Rebecca met and held Dylan’s gaze. “Rumspringa is about pushing your boundaries. Isn’t that what you said? I want to push mine. Will you help me?”
    “Gladly.”
    Dylan put her hands on Rebecca’s waist and pulled her closer. When their lips met, Rebecca felt her body come to life. Dylan’s lips were soft and warm. They were amazing. No, miraculous was a better word. She circled her arms around Dylan’s neck as Dylan’s hands slowly slid up and down her back. Chills ran down Rebecca’s spine. Did kissing a boy feel this good? Or could she feel this way only when Dylan Mahoney’s lips were pressed against hers?
    When Dylan pulled away, Rebecca felt a part of herself go with her. She couldn’t believe what she had just done. And she couldn’t wait to do it again.
    “Have you ever seen Lady and the Tramp?” Dylan asked. “It’s an animated Disney film about a pampered cocker spaniel and the streetwise mutt she befriends. It’s not the first movie that comes to mind when I think of romantic scenes, but there’s one scene in particular that— Well, it’s better if I show you. Follow my lead.”
    Dylan picked up a spaghetti noodle and put one end in her mouth. She directed Rebecca to take the other end. They slowly worked their way through the noodle until their lips met in a kiss.
    “That kiss was even better than the first one.” When Rebecca lowered her eyes, Dylan put a finger under Rebecca’s chin and tilted her head up. “You’re safe here. You don’t have to hide how you feel. You don’t have to be scared. Not with me. I will protect you.”
    Rebecca desperately wanted to believe Dylan’s words were true, but how could they be? If word of her behavior were to get back to her family, the impact could be devastating. She hadn’t yet been baptized so she couldn’t be shunned, but she was still subject to her father’s will. If he forbade her from seeing Dylan, she would have no choice but to comply.
    “That would be my parents,” Dylan said when the phone rang. She gave Rebecca a quick kiss, then crossed the room and picked up the phone. She quickly filled her mother in on her evening, assured her everything was fine, and returned to Rebecca.
    “Do your parents really know about you?” Rebecca asked.
    “Yes, they do.”
    “What did they say when you told them you were going out with me tonight?”
    “They told me there was no way you could feel the same way about me as I do about you. If you tell me you could live the rest of your life without kissing me again, maybe I’ll believe them.”
    Rebecca replayed their first kiss. And the second. And the third. “I don’t think I could live five more minutes.”
    “Neither could I.”
    “When did you first realize you liked girls?”
    “I was seven. I had a crush on the librarian at my elementary school. She didn’t feel the same way, but I think she did have a bit of a soft spot for me. She used to try to teach me about the Dewey Decimal System. I never learned how to catalog books, but I did learn one very important thing: I loved the way her legs looked in fishnet