The guys hand us a putter and ball. Then, Carl leans in and gives her a quick kiss.

  The fluttering in my stomach hits me again, and I surreptitiously gnce at Jeremy, hoping he follows suit.

  Unfortunately, he doesn’t even seem to notice their kiss since he was looking the wrong way.

  Carl and Desiree... They look good together, and he seems to truly like her. Irked that he didn’t notice, I slug Jeremy in the arm as I march past him, which hurts me far more than it does him.

  Startled, more than hurt, he cries out, “Hey! What was that for?”

  Carl just shakes his head as Desiree ughs and quips, “You’ll figure it out eventually.”

  Desiree steps up to tee off first, and as she gets in position to take her first swing, I watch her to get a feel for how to do this. At the same time, it would be hard not to notice her wavy mid-back length blonde hair with red highlights, her sky-blue short-sleeve, button-down blouse, in which the top two buttons are undone and show a fair amount of cleavage, and tucked into her bck pleated mid-thigh length skirt, along with glossy bck stockings and bck open-toe mule sandals.

  I compare her outfit to my own vender babydoll dress held in pce by a spaghetti strap on each shoulder, bck stockings, and silver pumps. Anyway, you look at it; it’s a cute outfit, and I look good in it, but she’s undeniably much prettier than I am and dressed much better. The only thing that I can see that I have on her is boobs. Mine look to be bigger than... You know what? Forget I even mentioned that.

  It takes her three tries to sink the ball, and then she begins to walk back to us, which also allows me to get a better look at her breasts.

  With the better angle, I can see her breasts are definitely rger than mine, not by a huge amount, but definitely bigger and perfectly proportioned for her petite body.

  When I look at her, a fuzzy, rather odd feeling surfaces that I’ve never felt before. I’m not too sure what it is at first. I know it isn’t that I’m attracted to her or anything like that, so it takes me a bit to pce the feeling. Once I have, I realize: it’s jealousy. I’m envious of how good she looks. I didn’t even realize that I’d been comparing myself to Desiree just like any other girl would. I smile self-deprecatingly and shake my head slightly.

  I’m urged to go next, and after the boys take their turns, we move on to the second hole, a curved green with a windmill hazard just ahead of a rather sharp curve.

  I still can’t believe I was comparing myself to another girl. I’m not the one who feels superior or inferior to others based on how I look compared to them. That isn’t and not who I want to ever be since I can’t stand people like that. Karen, for example.

  As we continue to py through the sixth hole, we talk, joke around with each other, ugh, and generally have a great time as we get to know each other rather well. I have to admit that I’m having a great time.

  Carl and Desiree are such an easy couple to get along with; it doesn’t feel like we just met this afternoon. To me, it’s like we’ve been friends for quite a while.

  We had just finished the seventh hole, where, by total luck, I managed to get a hole in one. Everyone cheers, cps, and congratutes me. Desiree also gives me a big hug. Carl gives me a high-five, and Jeremy gives me a kiss on the cheek. Too bad it wasn’t more.

  At each hole was a small dispy panel that tells you the hole number, gives that hole a name based on its theme, what par is for that particur hole, and the difference in height from start to the hole.

  While everyone is complimenting my good luck, the screen changes to a short video of a person. She tells me to be sure to stop by the desk to pick up my pass for a free nine-hole game of mini-golf before I leave today.

  “That means we’ll all have to come back another time to py that round with you two,” Desiree states as if it were already decided what would happen.

  At the eighth hole, Desiree steps up to putt first as Jeremy comes up behind me, wraps his arms around my waist, and begins to speak in a quiet voice that only I could hear.

  “You were awesome on that st hole, Babe. You know that puts you ahead of me now, by two strokes.”

  I can feel his body press up against my back, his crotch against my rear. The immediate reaction of my body is to melt back against him as every hair on my neck and arms stands on end as a thrill runs up my spine.

  When he continues to speak, his mouth is right behind my ear. His warm breath blowing into my ear and tickling my neck just below my earlobe. This sparks a simir, but somewhat different, as in stronger, reaction. I realize my body was reacting much the same way it did in the pool the night he asked me to be his girlfriend. I feel like putty in his arms.

  The four of us continue to have a great time pying through the next nine holes. In what feels like no time at all, we make it to the eighteenth hole. I set up for my initial shot and swing, banking my ball off the metal side rail. My stroke is completely off, so when my ball bounces off the side, it hits a block in the center of the passageway and bounces my way, continuing right past me before stopping. Not at all what I thought would happen.

  “That’s one stroke,” Carl ughingly says.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I reply with a chuckle of my own as I pick up my ball. “Don’t tease me too much; you’re next.”

  I return to the tee and look at the hole pnning my shot when I’m surprised by Jeremy once again reaching around me. He then pces his hands over mine on the putter as his body presses tightly against my back. Honestly, I find it warm and comforting. “I can really get used to this quickly,” I tell myself.

  Jeremy helps me with setting up and taking the shot. I swing the putter with his guidance, and the ball easily rolls past the center block, up an incline, and through the tunnel, narrowly avoiding the swinging arm, and coming to rest not more than a couple of feet in front of the hole.

  “Take your time. Concentrate on where you want the ball to go, but don’t overthink it,” Jeremy says encouragingly.

  “You got this,” Desiree adds.

  I hit the ball a little too hard, so it jumps the hole but bounces off the retaining wall and rolls back to drop into the hole.

  Astounded, I look around to see what Desiree thinks, but neither she nor Carl were paying any attention to my shot. He had her pulled against him as he kissed her. I know it’s rude to stare, but I couldn’t look away. Something inside me stirs as I watch the way one of Desiree’s hands rest around the back of Carl’s neck as she intertwines her fingers in his hair. I continue to watch as his tongue disappears inside her mouth. It was easily the sweetest, most intimate moment I had ever witnessed in person.

  Jeremy kisses my neck, then states, “Great shot.”

  Turning around in his arms, I stand on my tiptoes for a kiss of my own. Once we pull away, I smile at him and take his hand, twining my fingers with his.

  “Your turn, Carl,” Jeremy announces.

  Hearing Jeremy’s announcement, Carl and Desiree pull away from their embrace and turn their attention back to the game.

  Desiree blushes when she sees that they are now the center of attention as Carl steps up to take his turn. He, of course, doesn’t blush but winks and grins at us as he passes us on his way to the tee. Jeremy reluctantly releases my hand so he can pick up his putter.

  Desiree moves beside me, pces an arm around my shoulder, and says just loud enough for me to hear her. “Carl may appear to be a really sweet guy, and he is, for the most part, but he’s also very competitive. If it takes him more than two strokes to sink his ball, you’ll have won the game. I’m not all that sure if he won’t be a little upset if that happens. If it does, don’t worry; I know how to distract him.”

  “What might that be?” I ask, turning towards her. Wondering if it might be something I should keep in mind myself since Jeremy can be rather competitive himself.

  “Oh, just a bit more kissing," she replies airily with a smile.

  Carl steps up to the tee, pces his ball, and takes a moment to line up his shot. When he finally swings, he makes a perfect shot.

  It banks off the block, right past the other obstacle, and drops right into the hole. He scores the only other hole in one.

  His grin would rival the Cheshire Cat’s as he states, “Still the reigning champion," with his hands in the air as the girl on the video screen again makes the same announcement about picking up a voucher for a free round on his next visit.

  Jeremy gives Carl a slow cp.

  “Oh well, his loss then,” Desiree comments quietly so only I could hear.

  I look back at her, and we both have a good ugh.

  Finally, it’s Jeremy’s turn.

  “Rei,” he says while turning back to look at me with a smirk. "What do I get if I can do this in one shot?"

  If he gets a hole in one, he would tie with my score. “We’ll be tied. Why should I give you something for that?” His shoulders droop, and he sighs as the smirk leaves his face. He turns back and begins to set up the shot. “Whatever you want,” I state loudly, right when he begins his swing, which, of course, throws off his concentration, and he hits the ball harder than he intended.

  Jeremy’s ball hit the angled slope of one side of the hazard. With the force it was traveling when it connected, the ball deflected back toward Jeremy at an upward angle that put it on a direct line with his chest.

  A moment after the ball strikes him with a meaty smack, Jeremy’s kneeling down with both hands covering the spot where it hit him on the chest as he let out a pain-filled groan.

  I wanted to distract him, but I never meant for this to happen. “Jeremy!” I yell as I run over to him. “Are you okay?”

  "Do I look okay?" He groans again.

  “No, you look like you’re in a lot of pain. Just be gd you don’t have breasts, or it would be a lot worse. It would probably be about the same as if it had hit you in the nuts.”

  This is all my fault. If I didn’t say what I did, when I did, this wouldn’t have happened.

  “Are you going to live?” Carl asks sympathetically while standing over Jeremy.

  "Yeah, yeah,” he replies, waving Carl off with a hand, his other hand still covering his chest. “You two go on ahead. I’m going to sit down for a minute. I’ll be okay, so don’t worry. We’ll catch up to you.”

  As Carl and Desiree walk away, I ask Jeremy, “Are you sure you’re okay? We can just leave if you want.”

  “No, I want to stay. There’s no need for this to ruin our first date without everyone around.”

  I really feel terrible about this, but I don’t know what I can do to fix it.

  Once he stands up, I step forward and wrap my arms around him to do the only thing I can think of to make him feel better and apologize. “I’m so sorry. I never meant for you to get hurt. I wish there was something I could do to take the pain away.”

  Then I kiss his neck, which makes him shiver. “It’s alright," he tells me as he looks down at me, then smiles.

  “Are you ready?”

  He nods as he slips his arm around my waist, holding me close to his side as we make our way over the gocarts.

  The go-carts look to be a lot of fun. Everyone looks excited to try them out, especially me. I just couldn’t wait to be flying around this track as fast as I could.

  ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

  Walking away from go-carts after the most exciting race I've ever been in, the four of us ugh and talk excitedly over each other, recounting the thrilling details of what had just occurred. The best part is that Desiree and I beat the boys.

  We then decided to go inside and py some games in the arcade until we had to leave.

  After about fifteen minutes, I remind Jeremy that he needs to call Uber for a car since I had about a half-hour before I had to be home. We say our goodbyes to Carl and Desiree, who tell us that they’ve had a lot of fun hanging out with us. Then we exchange cell phone numbers so we can keep in touch.

  Standing at the entrance while we wait for our Uber, he steps behind me and wraps me within his arms. Looking over my shoulder, I smile up at him as I allow myself to completely rex and enjoy the moment. I feel warm, comfortable, and completely safe in his arms.

  I close my eyes, enjoying the closeness, and sigh happily. This didn’t just feel warm and safe; it felt totally right.

  He leans down and kisses my shoulder, and finally, he traces his lips along my skin as I tilt my head to the side to allow him easier access, and he gently nips my neck. Needless to say, it didn’t hurt; it only made me want more.

  Turning me around so that we’re facing each other, he looks into my eyes and smiles. He takes one of my hands, kisses my palm, then pces it over his heart.

  He holds it there for several moments, and I can feel his heart beating as rapidly as my own. This sends a wave of warmth through me and ignites a smoldering ember in my nethers.

  I softly kiss his chest where the ball hit him, then take a deep breath and slowly blow it out as I y my head on the other side. A moment ter, the driver arrives, so we reluctantly break away from our embrace and walk over. He hands me into the car, closes the door, and then walks around to the other side to get in. Once he has, he takes my hand, and I slide over to cuddle against him.

  Arriving back at my house, he gets out, then opens my door and helps me out. He holds my hand all the way to the door. At the door, Jeremy turns toward me, uses his free hand to lift my chin, and gives me a lingering kiss.

  The warm, electric sensation that shoots through me like a bolt of lightning when our lips meet demands that I stay there and surrender to whatever he wants of me. Honestly, I could have stayed right there, like that, for the rest of the night, but I resist my impulses, quickly pulling away, though breaking our kiss is absolutely the st thing I want to do, yet I know I have to.

  I hastily murmur, “Goodnight,” open the door, step inside, and close it behind me.

  I lean against the door for a moment and smile.

  Mom quietly calls, “Rei, come here. We need to talk.”

  Uh-oh, I totally forgot about Mom and our ‘talk.’