They were going on a date every Friday night, but they didn't see each other much of the rest of the weekends. Derek worked, and Mason had her social obligations. He didn't get his mother's boyfriend's car again, but Mason didn't mind. She decided he needed to save his money for college, not spend it on her, and she picked restaurants accordingly. The double date with Jamie and Jessica had been okay, but the next week Mason really wanted Derek all to herself. They got burgers and fries at the drive-through and drove out to the local "parking" area. She kept looking at him between bites of her cheeseburger. She could see him anticipating, and trying to keep himself from expecting, and failing. She knew pretty much what she was going to do, and what she wasn't, but he didn't. It made it so interesting to watch him, she forgot to eat for a while and he had finished all his food before she even took the last bite of the cheeseburger.

He sat with hands folded in his lap, slightly awkwardly around the steering wheel, as she took her first french fry from the paper bag. She fished around for ketchup, found the packet, and looked for something to put it in so she could dip her fries in it. Derek pulled out the box his burger had come in, and opened it for her. She squirted the ketchup in a small mound and dipped a fry into it, then ate it.

Derek watched her eat each fry, one by one, eyes going from paper bag to ketchup to mouth following the path of Mason's fingers. Her eyes caught his and held them for a moment as she ate one fry slowly, and she stopped chewing to enjoy the electric sensation of eye contact. She wasn't that hungry anymore, she decided, and put the rest of the fries and the cardboard box with ketchup on it into the large paper bag they were using to stow their trash.

Mason remembered the last time she'd been here, with Will. Tense and pretending to be relaxed, feigning enjoyment and then allowing her distaste to show as events went past her preset limit. It was so different with Derek. She had decided, not what she would allow, but what she would do. And beyond that, she did not anticipate pressure from him, instead the pull of his desire and her own. It was all so ... so Caryn-like, and she smiled to herself at the thought. And yet not, because of their... weirdness... but she didn't really intend to worry about that tonight. Just a night to pretend she was Caryn and enjoy feeling wanting and wanted and dipping her toe into an ocean she hadn't ever quite let herself notice before.

She leaned close to Derek, and he turned his face to hers. She kissed him lightly, then more deeply, and put her arms around him. He held her with gentle strength, his arms around her shoulders, but without pulling. She was leading this, she was surrounded by his desire and acceptance and she felt another rush of desire at the thought, knowing he would push nothing but enjoy everything she chose to do.

Derek did push, in his own way. If he hadn't, things never would have got even this far. But he did it so differently from Mason's previous experience, and more importantly, so much more in line with her natural tendency, that she did not realize he was doing it. The feelings clouded her perceptions, making it even more difficult to realize what he was doing. She slid her hands under his shirt and stroked his back, skin to skin contact so vivid she pressed harder. Her nails scraped him. "Oh, Mason, that feels so good," he breathed into her ear. Encouragement; a little push.

Her nails must be scoring his back by now, she thought, but his reaction was all positive. And the thought that it might be hurting him anyway only aroused her more. His breathing sounded so loud in the quiet car. She had a sudden impulse. She'd never wanted to touch a boy's crotch, because it might give them ideas she didn't want to encourage. But she didn't have to worry about that with Derek. And she really wanted to know how it felt... she snaked a hand down and rested it against his erection -- he did have one, definitely -- she felt his whole body trembling when she did that. She grinned, feeling wonderful, feeling a rush that was overwhelmingly pleasurable, and kissed him again, one hand stroking under his chin, then flat against his neck.