A Sunrise for Two...
October 1, 1978, Sunday, Shawangunk Mountains
“Damn Conor, this is magnificent. Everything around us is glowing,” Kai exclaimed.
It was just after 6:15 on a Sunday morning. Kai and Conor were sitting on a blanket draped over a car-sized boulder off the Trapps Trail. Conor had woken Kai up as promised that morning and driven them up to the lookout above the hairpin turn on the Minnewaska side of the Gunks. After supplying enough light for them to find this secluded spot, the sun began to appear. It sent its first direct rays toward the cliffs where they were perched at 2,200 feet of elevation overlooking the valley.
Conor’s favorite lookout, it was shielded by a thick growth of dwarf pines and mountain laurel on three sides, with a drop of several hundred feet on the fourth side. Of all his favorite lookouts, it offered the most privacy. He told Kai that Catholic Mass didn’t hold much meaning for him.
Ever since he got his driver’s license he’d been coming to the mountain most Sunday mornings. It was an alternative spiritual period of the week to think about life and the part he was to play. Kai loved that he shared this special personal moment with her.
They held hands and looked to the east as the mountain’s boulders and cliffs were lit up, reflecting the horizontal rays back towards the valley. It was a spectacular site and like a rainbow, the fleeting nature of the sunrise stirred Kai’s emotions.
“Conor, sometimes I think about the past seventeen years spent without knowing you and it makes me sad. All those years seem wasted.”
“Yeah, it’s a shame you missed potty training. Constipation was a thrill, and you’d have loved my obnoxious ten-year-old self. What a know-it-all!” Conor quipped.
“I’m serious.”
“Well, we did need to grow up first, still, it would’ve been wonderful sitting right here with you three or four years ago.” He paused for a moment then said, “Hell, I could’ve saved you from virgin-shattering sex with your chubby neighbor.”
“Leave poor Billy out of this!” Kai said, taunting him with a punch in the shoulder. “Look, I’m almost eighteen and I’ve never experienced anything like this until you came along.”
She combed her fingers through Conor’s hair and slowly turned his head toward her. She looked up into his deep blue eyes with a longing he hadn’t yet seen.
She whispered, “I’m glad you remembered I wanted to do this with you. It’s sensational. I can’t say enough how much you mean to me, Conor Walsh.”
Without hesitation, for the first time, he whispered back, “I love you, Kai.”
She stroked his hair between her fingers and responded, “I love you too, so much.”
They sat for several moments looking into each other’s eyes.
Finally, Kai spoke, “All through French class last year, I saw you were different and liked you a lot, but never dreamed or even thought something like this would ever happen.”
She kissed him deeply for one long kiss as if she were sending her soul inside of him. She ended their kiss with her forehead pressing against his while gasping for air, staring closely into his eyes with their eyelashes touching.
Catching her breath she murmured, “It’s like we were meant to be Conor. Our souls were just waiting for us to meet.”
Still rubbing foreheads together Conor nodded and in a low husky voice whispered, “I’ve been hooked from the first time I spotted you on the volleyball court. I’m addicted with no chance of an overdose. None.”
He stopped for a few moments to let it sink in, then took her hand and kissed it before continuing.
“It’s also what scares the piss out of me. The thought of ever losing you. I mean, it’s ridiculous. You’re the most dazzling woman in the school, you’re brilliant and everyone wants to look like you. That first night we spent alone at your house, your outfit drove me insane. I had to think about throwing grandma off a cliff to keep my mind off screwing your brains out!”
Kai wanted to laugh, but instead kept it to herself and said, “You’re a freaking idiot. I’m the lucky winner of the Conor Walsh lottery. You have no idea how many hearts were broken when I jumped into your arms outside of typing class. Believe me, there were a ton.”
She paused a moment, then with a crazy look in her eye said, ”Ease your grandma back into her rocking chair and take me.” Glancing at their surroundings she added, “Right now!”
Kai pulled her shorts down and off and reached a hand into Conor’s. She gave him a devilish smile as she pulled his shorts off too. They made love right there in plain sight of every hawk, falcon, and sparrow that happened by. The chance of nearby rock climbers hearing their moans and cries gave their lovemaking an edge of excitement. It was the most intense sex either had ever experienced, even more than the previous night’s Kama Sutra marathon, although the shower sex was close.
They lay side by side with their backs to their boulder and looked up at the blue sky.
“That was amazing Conor, let’s do it again!”
“Kai, you’re insatiable! Remind me next time when making plans to be sure to add an extra hour to whatever we’re doing,” Conor pleaded.
“Only an hour? Most times we’ll need two.” Kai said with a smirk,
“Yeah, I messed up. We’re supposed to meet Phil and Ashley soon.”
“No worries Conor, we always have this afternoon to put in more practice,” She said with a sexy wink while she slid into her shorts.
Conor smiled and spanked her butt cheek while saying, “I don’t deserve you.”
∞