Best Friends...Forever?

As the week progress, I slowly learned some more things I hadn’t realized about my parents. My dad was apparently dating some women named Lena, and my mom was dating a dude called Mike. I was completely shocked. Is that why they had broken up, had someone cheated on the other? But they both seemed to be in relationships now was it a mutual break up? As much as I wanted to know, I didn’t. If one of them had cheated I wouldn’t want to know because I don’t want to think poorly about either one of my parents. So for the moment I was happy to live in ignorant bliss though the curiosity wouldn’t go away.

I’d been spending a lot of time at Hunter’s. It was better than being in my house that was always so empty. My parents had always been busy and I’d have the house to myself before but now it just seemed different when no one else was there. My dad was gone living with my Aunt and my mom was off being with her new boyfriend? God I didn’t even want to think about that. My mom had a boyfriend? My dad had a girlfriend?

“You’ve been over here every day this week,” Hunter commented as we were in his room.

“Is that a problem?” I questioned.

He shook his head. “No, I like having you here.” He started tickling me and tried to shove him away.

“Stop,” I laughed. He continued and I couldn’t help the smile that overcame my face as I started shrieking with joy.

“You haven’t been that happy all week. I’ve missed your laugh,” he said softly. “Is it that bad?”

I sighed. “To me it is. I mean it could be so much worse. They could be fighting all the time and all that but to me, it’s bad. I mean it’s rough. I never in a million years would have expected them to split up and now their dating other people. Seriously. It’s just a lot to take in so suddenly, you know?”

Hunter nodded. “You’re always welcomed here.” I smiled. “But you might get tickled.” He started to attack me again and I tried to get away from him as I jumped off the bed. He caught me though and started to tickle me again and I exploded into laughter.

“No fair,” I pouted after he was done. “You can’t just keep tickling me.”

“Oh I think I can.”

“No, not unless I get to tickle you too.” Then I jumped on him and started to tickle him. He burst out laughing as he tried to squirm away but I had him pinned to the bed.

“Jessica,” he got out between laughs, “stop.” I smiled and shook my head.

“This is payback.” I continued to torture him for a bit. “I’ll stop if you say I’m the awesomest person in the whole entire world.”

“You’re the awesomest most beautiful person in the whole entire world,” he said.

“I don’t think that’s exactly what I told you to say but I think I’ll take it.” I stopped tickling him and leant down for a kiss. It ended up being longer than I was expecting as he held my face in his hands as my hands went to run through his hair.

Once we pulled away he said, “It’s true.” I smiled and had to lean down and kiss him again.
The next thing I know we flip around so that I’m being pinned underneath him. The moment his hands touched my bare skin under my shirt I froze and broke off the kiss.

I swatted his hands away and he quickly pulled them back.

“What? Too fast?” he asked.

“No,” I said. I didn’t know how I could word it without sounding as self-conscious as I was.

“It’s just…”

“What?” he encouraged softly as he nuzzled into my neck. It was still kind of weird to think this was Hunter. Over the past few weeks we’ve been moving closer and closer to being more like lovers instead of friends. The awkwardness was going away. It just felt right to be close to him and kiss him and hold him. When he got all sentimental it wasn’t as weird as it first was.

“It’s just…I don’t want you…” I paused thinking of how to word it. “I’m not… ” I sighed. I couldn’t do it. I knew the moment I told him the reason behind my actions he would tell me it wasn’t true. He’d just called me beautiful moments before. If I told him that I didn’t want him touching me because I was scared he wouldn’t like me or think I was too fat, he would tell me I was wrong. But that wouldn’t help me feel any better about it.

“I’m not understanding.” His hands came to rest on my hips over my shirt and I still felt the urge to push him away. What if he felt how fat I was? I mean it was one thing when I had clothes to hide everything. It was a completely different thing when his hands were roaming my naked body.

“I’m just not…like Angela. You know?” I asked.

“What a major slut? I know that.”

“No I mean. I’m not…” I lowered my voice, “skinny like her.”

“You’re not saying you’re fat again are you,” Hunter said with an edge. “Didn’t we already settle this at Christmas?”

“We settled that you’re strong enough to pick me up, not that you won’t be disgusted when you touch me.”

Hunter sighed loudly. “Jessica…” he paused as he looked down into my eyes and I just wanted to look away but there was so much emotion in his eyes, so much caring that I couldn’t look away. “I don’t know what to say to make you think any differently,” he admitted. “I mean I told you you’re beautiful and I mean it and I told you you’re not fat and I meant it.”

“I know. I just can’t…” I wanted to cry but I didn’t. “My stomach’s not flat.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with that. Everyone is different. Some people are skinnier and some people are bigger. Jessica, you’re perfect. It doesn’t bother me. Would you let me try something?” he asked suddenly.

I raised an eyebrow skeptically. “What?”

“Just trust me okay?” I nodded meekly.

He started pulling my shirt up. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Nothing, just chill.” He only had my shirt up enough to expose my stomach. Then he pulled off his shirt and I couldn’t help but to ogle his chest. He grabbed my hand and placed them on his stomach. “It’s not like I have a six pack or anything but I think I’m okay. What do you think?” He let me run my hands over his chest. His skin was so warm.

“You’re perfect,” I said. His stomach was flat. He laughed.

“Thank you.” Then his hands came down to rest on my stomach and I wanted to push him away. He was touching my belly that stuck out just the tiniest bit. “Relax.” His hands roamed lightly across the surface.

“Hunter,” I whined wanting him to stop.

“Jessica,” he whined back. “Do you see this? Do I look disgusted to you?” He didn’t. He looked like he was enjoying himself.

“No.”

“You don’t have to be self-conscious around me. I’ve seen you without a top on remember?”

Of course I remembered the day at the pool but that wasn’t the same. That was years ago and he wasn’t touching me then.

“It’s not the same.”

“No, but I just touched you. So it shouldn’t matter now.” He leant down and placed a soft kiss on my belly. I wasn’t expecting it. He started peppering light kisses all over. Then just as suddenly as he started he stopped and pulled my shirt back down and slipped his back over his head. “Now, next time I slip my hands under your shirt, don’t freak out. I love your body.” He kissed me on the lips.

“And I mean who wouldn’t want someone this hot touching them?” he joked. I laughed.

“You’re not that hot,” I argued.

“I so am.”

“Not really.” I giggled.

“I’m hot and you know it. You were enjoying running your hands all along my body.”

“Maybe a little bit.”

“You can’t deny it. You enjoyed it. Probably not as much as I enjoyed touching you but what can you do?” He shrugged. “You’re just hotter than me.”

“I’m hotter than you?” I asked uncertainly.

“Oh yeah definitely,” he agreed. I laughed.

“Mister I’m so fucking hot. I’m the best person in the world is saying I’m hotter than him?”

“Obviously. I’m so amazing that I need someone even more amazing just to handle all my amazing hotness. You know?” I shook my head and started laughing.

“You’re insane.” I kissed him.

“You’re hot and with me.” I rolled my eyes.

I hung out at Hunter’s for the rest of the day before heading back to my house.