It was too soon. They both knew it.

Panting, she sat back, feet tucked under her naked bottom, suddenly petrified with the idea that she was… well… being had. Again.

He’d said it as he entered her, two weeks after he’d first done so, four weeks after the first time she’d touched her lips to his.

She’d only heard those words uttered from two lovers before him. One was a teenage lover with whom she’d spent years pining over in a torrid series of imitation love affairs. The second was a chubby boy, a passing fling in the interim between serious relationships, who clung tightly to her in hidden moments and later went through the various stages of grief on her voicemail after she’d called it quits. There were two others from whom she’d longed to hear the words but left in their place memories of awkward, broken affection.

Neither of them had found themselves in a serious relationship in over a year. While he was quick to ask for her exclusive affection, she was hesitant at jumping into something so new and sudden, mainly due to her certainty of the affair’s inevitable demise when the two parted ways after their upcoming college graduation. Admittedly, she’d become cynical of the idea of love and resolved to pursuing a life of independence, free from the burdens and trappings that coincide with the absurdity of romantic bonds.

Still, as the momentary impact swept over her, she smiled in the darkness. Without so much as a half-minute’s hesitation, her hips resumed their undulations and she surrendered herself to the organic passion of this suddenly significant occasion.

Later, they lay breathless in the darkness, the lover’s dew still chilling on their entwined limbs. With trepidation wrapped around every word, he spoke softly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. I hope I didn’t scare you.”

She propped herself on one elbow, positioning herself just a breath away from his lips. She smiled, ran a hand over his cheek and whispered, “There’s no need to apologize, sweetheart.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I love you, too.”