Arriving at the beach, Ashley found her secret space. It was a small cove of rocks directly under a boardwalk where the waves were breaking below. The boardwalk blocked the sun just enough to provide a peaceful breeze and shade underneath. Grabbing Spencer’s hand, Ashley helped guide her to a place to sit and talk. Spencer’s heart marveled at how Ashley was taking care of her in every way. She could tell that this may have not been the norm for the brunette and that she was doing it because of her, something special about her.

A silence lingered between them as they sat listening to the waves crash against rocks. Spencer was again mindlessly counting the number of times a wave hit the rocks. She tended to do that when she was in deep thought. Spencer knew this was the only peace that she might have for a while. It all had been so overwhelming.

“I‘m not crazy, am I?”, Spencer wondered.

“No, no, you are not crazy”, Ashley softly replied.

“How did I end up here? Being forced to have to come out to my parents and I don’t even know if I am gay?”

“You know you don’t have to tell them it was me. The school is not going to say who remember.”, the brunette recalled.

“I know.  But, when my mother hears this, she will freak. I can hold off from telling her about you for while, but even worse when my brother gets word of it, he’s not going to hold anything back. I mean aren‘t you worried about what your parents will say?”

Spencer felt the pressure building in her and tears began to fall to help with the release. Ashley scooted closer to her and wrapped her arm around her. Spencer took Ashley’s shoulder as comfort.

“Spencer, I know this is hard. My parents already know that I’m gay.”

“But that’s just it Ashley, I’m not gay. I.. I.. just like you,” Spencer continued. “Being with you has been… no … it is the best experience that I’ve ever had. I loved being with you. Everything about it. When I’m with you, I don’t care what happens around us or what crowds gather. I just know that I want to be with you.”