Miss Morgan

Nine

April 1887
-John-

I find Ivy sitting against a fallen tree along the edge of the river, her normal spot she runs off to when she's mad about something. I sit down next to her and she doesn't look up at me. She sits so still she looks almost like a statue.

"Arthur and Dutch told me why you were pretendin' you couldn't shoot." I mutter quietly, not too sure how to bring it up. I've wanted to have this talk for a while now but always put it off.

"Oh. Why's that?" Ivy mumbles next to me.

Here goes nothing I guess. "They said you're sweet on me."

Ivy doesn't respond and I'm sure she's had enough humiliation for one day.

"It's alright.. ya know. If ya are. 'Cause I feel the same way." I fidget nervously with a rock in my hand before tossing it into the river.

"You are?" She finally turns her head and looks up at me.

"Of course I am. I thought it was obvious."

"Guess I didn't know." She whispers.

We're quiet a moment and she stares at me, her wide eyes sparkling in the moonlight. Hints of a bruise have started to form on her left temple and outer corner of her eye from her fight yesterday and it makes her look tough.

My chest fills with butterflies and I want to kiss her, but I'm still nervous she doesn't actually feel the same way about me.

But before I can say anymore, she pulls my lips to hers, and my heart flutters out of my chest. It's awkward but gentle and the world disappears around us.

She pulls back, breaking the kiss and she looks away with a blush. It's adorable.

"I liked that." I smile at her.

"Me too." Her eyes find mine again and she smiles back at me.

She takes a breath and stands up. "I'm gonna head back to camp. You comin'?"

I think about it a moment but my head is still spinning from our kiss and the day we've had. Plus, it's a nice evening and it's quiet out here. "Nah, I'm gonna stay out here a while longer. You go on ahead." I smile at her and she gives me a nod and heads back to camp I just want to take a minute out here to process the feelings and emotions buzzing around my head.

I let my head fall back against the log and listen to the breeze in the branches of the trees that are just beginning to grow leaves and the bubbling river next to me. It's peaceful and I feel like I can finally hear myself think.

She kissed me. I touch my fingers to my lips as I play it through my mind again and I can't help but smile to myself. I can still feel the warmth of her soft lips against mine and my heart flutters in my chest all over again.

She kissed me. I can't believe she kissed me. This whole time I actually thought my feelings for her were one-sided.

Where do we go from here now though? I don't really know how to be in a relationship. We're so young, I don't want either of us to get hurt. She's my best friend, how would we live in this gang together if we became more than that and it were to end badly?

Suddenly a low snicker catches my attention. "Weren't dat sweet?" A voice with an Irish accent speaks and a man I've never seen before steps out of the shadows and crouches down on a large rock only a few feet in front of me.

"Who are you?" I put my hand on my revolver holstered on my hip.

"Ahh, so Dutch hasn't told you about us." He tilts his head slightly as he stares at me. "I wouldn't reach for dat gun if I was you."