Ashley and Mark have been best friends for years, each moment a precious memory soon to be a relic of their past. As Ashley's departure for college looms like the sunset of their shared days, they embark on one last road trip, a bid to encapsulate the years spent side by side. An unforeseen snag--having to bunk together in a single motel bed--forces them into a closeness they've often imagined but never dared explore.

Shrouded in the cover of night, their resolve crumbles, and with it, the barrier of just-friends. Whispers in the dark give way to the whispers of skin, as they cross from camaraderie into the arms of love, their first time as natural as the connection they have nurtured for so long. Unprotected and unequivocal, they surrender to a passion that's been simmering beneath every laugh, every tear, and every lingering touch; a culmination of who they were and the promise of what they could be.

Warning: This 5,400-word erotic romance story is intended for mature audiences only.