bitter basil, (hozier)

august 18, 1969 - night

for judy, sex was an afterthought. and for andy, it was the same thing. it was just something adults did whether they liked it or not. it was a business transaction.

but as judy lay in andy's arms, their naked bodies covered by a blanket and their legs intertwined, that predisposition was forever changed.

andy's hand rubbed circles into her upper arm as they stared off into the distance. "have you ever," he swallowed, "done that before?" he asked, his voice a deep rumble.

judy was resting on andy's shoulder, her hand splayed across his chest. she blinked slowly. "only once," she said. "phillip greene, eleventh grade."

"eleventh grade..." andy trailed off, having yet to learn about the american education system. "so you were..."

"seventeen," judy replied. "it was a football game. we did it in a men's bathroom stall," she chuckled, the embarrassing memory coming back to her mind. "what about you?"

"twice," andy said, raising his eyebrows. "i had this girlfriend back in wicklow. she was... interesting."

judy felt how just the mentioning of this nameless girlfriend made him tense. "was she sweet?" she asked.

andy tightened his grip on judy's arm ever-so-slightly. "in the worst possible way."

judy hummed. "i'd never done it like that, though," she muttered, her cheeks flushed.

"no," andy said in agreement, "never like that."

judy had never even been held the way andy held her. it almost frightened her - she had known him for barely three weeks, and yet here she was giving him parts of her that she wouldn't dare look at herself.

but in the end, she wasn't afraid. her love for andy ran whole and deep, and she was certain that andy's love for her ran the same. that love had been cried into each other's skin, right next to the fingerprints branded in their backs that shone a bright red.

"do you..." judy started. "what happens now?" andy didn't respond, waiting for her to elaborate. she propped herself up on her elbows, looking at andy with a troubled expression. somehow, andy thought, she's still glowing. "we have money, but not a lot. we have nothing to go back to, y'know? what do we do?"

andy reached up and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "i guess the only thing we can do is look forward," he said softly. "i don't know what the future holds in store for us, but it'll be for us."

judy's lips upturned slightly, gazing at andy with an adoration she'd never felt before. "i like the sound of that," she said. andy's hand moved to cup her chin, his green eyes dancing between her own eyes and her lips. they began to lean in slowly, before-

"judy?! judy, are you in there?"

judy hung her head, falling into andy's chest as he laughed at the sound of bea's voice.

"i can't find my top anywhere," judy groaned, searching through the mass of blankets and discarded clothes.

"you could just wear my shirt," andy said, holding up his fleece flannel. it was obvious he was faking nonchalance - it made judy smile.