Disclaimer: I own a mirror just like that one. But not the characters.

Author's Notes: ds_flashfiction. What it means to be from Maine.

Story Notes: Written for the Summer of 79 challenge.

She would have told him not to get the tattoo, if he'd asked her, but she kind of likes it. She never says it out loud, but sometimes she catches a glimpse of it and shivers.

She would have laughed at the idea that she'd wind up dating "Stan-the-man" Kowalski, but even at twelve it was a rush to have him tagging along with her, her own personal devoted little bad boy.

She would have been offended if anyone'd said she found dangerous men attractive, but she let Ray go all the way after the prom because he didn't talk too much and his leather jacket felt beaten and broken in under her fingertips.

Most of what she says about Ray isn't true, because the truth is silly, and embarrassing, and fragile. The truth is, he's a bad boy with a sweet heart. Truth is, the tattoo does turn her on, and the leather jacket, and the car, and even his heavy accent and the half-crazy way he acts. Ray thinks she's smart and he thinks she's sexy, and he thinks she can be anything she wants to, and he argued her out of listening to her mother about college. Her mother thought she needed to get out of the city and go to a college good enough to find a decent husband. Ray thought she should do and go wherever the hell she wanted, and he'd help her, and he didn't even mention the husband part. And when after her freshman year her advisor mentioned law school, Ray didn't laugh along with her when she told him about it. Ray dropped out of school and got a job and opened a savings account. Now he carries a gun, and she doesn't like telling her friends about it because she thinks it sounds like she's living some ridiculous adolescent fantasy -- her boyfriend had a tattoo and a reputation and a car, which was one thing, but handcuffs? She rolls her own eyes thinking about it, but doesn't let it bother her when Ray cuffs her to the bedposts.

And now they've got a week left before her first year, and they're making the most of it. Stella loves it like this, when he hits something just right inside her that makes shivers run all over her body and her eyelids drop, but she forces her head up and keeps her eye on the mirror, because she loves watching Ray fuck her. He's got his eyes closed and one hand on her shoulder and one on her breast. He's biting his lip and doing that strange frown that means he's trying like hell not to come yet, and Stella tightens up the muscles around his cock and he gasps, which makes her shudder again and push back against him. She does this to him, taunts him and goads him and makes it the best it ever could be, and he thinks she's the sexiest thing ever. And when he opens his eyes he looks straight into hers in the mirror, and his lips curl in his most dangerous grin, and he grabs her around the waist and pulls her up so they're both on their knees and he can hit that spot harder. She comes, gasping for breath, and as soon as she can she slits her eyes open to watch him. When Ray doesn't know she's looking he looks at her like she's the best thing that could ever happen to a guy. And she's going to be.

End Stella Kowalski, circa 1979 by Hel Virago: lorelei_fic@hotmail.com

Author and story notes above.