Disclaimer-See 1st chapter
I just wanted to give you fair warning that I have a very hectic week ahead of me. The next chapter is already started, but I don't know how much time I'll be able to devote to it. Thanks for the reviews guys. I'm very excited by the positive feedback. Especially from CrazyLove47 whose stories I adore. Seriously guys, check out Of Love and Bunnies and be prepared to get strange looks as you laugh yourself silly.
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"It is entirely too early to be awake," Hunter groaned as he dropped the last of the beach gear on Saturday.
"Come on bro, you went to sleep before Tori and I did." Blake teased.
"By maybe 15 minutes! Besides, I think I slept on something. My ribs hurt," Hunter said, rubbing the offending spot.
"No whining today," Tori demanded with a nervous laugh. "Come on Charlie. Let's show these two how to have a good time." Charlie and Tori raced down to the water, but Blake held Hunter back.
"Are you sure you want me here? Charlie doesn't seem to like me very much. I think he feels I'm intruding on his time with his 'big brother." Blake smiled wryly.
"Don't worry about it bro. He didn't like me at first either," Hunter reminded the younger Bradley. He hesitated for a moment then added, "You probably shouldn't have asked Tori out for tomorrow in front of him though. Just let Charlie have some time with Tori and then ask him how his martial arts training is going. He'll warm up to you." Hunter grabbed his new surf board and asked, "Are you coming in?" Blake shook his head.
"Nah, I'll just watch for awhile. It'll show Charlie that I'm not trying to steal either of you away, and give me time to plan where I want to take Tori."
Hunter joined his friends in the water, and the surfing lessons began. Blake watched the scene with some interest. Hunter seemed to have taken to the new sport well. He would probably never be up to Tori's level, but at least he could stay upright on the board. Which is more than you could say for me Blake thought to himself as he remembered the time Tori had taken him out after she returned from the gold dust demension. The ringing of his cell phone interrupted those pleasant, if slightly embarrassing, memories.
"Bradley," Blake answered distractedly.
"Blake?" said a feminine voice on the other end.
"Tracy!" Blake answered excitedly, "What's up?"
"Oh, not a whole lot. I'm sitting on my parent's porch. I was just thinking about you, wondering if you'd gotten home safe. Obviously you have. Are you having fun? How's your brother and...what's her name?...Tori?"
"Hunter and Tori are fine. And yes, I have been having fun. We're at the beach now. Tori is giving Hunter and this kid he mentors, Charlie, a surfing lesson." As Blake watched, the lesson deteriorated into a shoving match. The goal appeared to be to shove anyone you could reach off of their board. Hunter was definitely losing. "Although, I think the lesson has come to a standstill," Blake amended. "How's your week off going?"
"It's been great. I'm going out with a bunch of my friends tonight," Tracy said.
"Me too. We're going dancing," Blake told his friend. "I only meant to ask Tori, but everyone invited themselves along." Tracy laughed. "I think I'm going to hit the water. Can I call you back later?" Blake asked as he spied his brother jogging toward him. Tracy agreed and they hung up.
"Who was that?" Hunter asked as he dried himself with a towel. Blake told him that Tracy had wanted to make sure he'd made it home safe. "That's sweet," Hunter said. "I'm getting creamed out there. I think I'll dry out for a little bit. You should go in bro."
Blake didn't need to be told twice. He eagerly waded into the ocean. Approaching from behind Tori, Blake indicated to Charlie that he should be quiet while he crept up on the blond woman. However, Charlie obviously wasn't ready to conspire with the former ranger and he shouted a warning. Tori quickly turned and used her hand to spray Blake with water. She'd known he was there even without the warning, "Ninja-remember?" she said as Blake wiped the water from his face.
"What did you say Tori?" Charlie asked
"Nothing!" Tori said quickly turning back to her surfing student. Blake took advantage of her distraction to pull her under the water. He then tried to involve Charlie by splashing the young man.
"Aren't we hear to surf?" Charlie pouted with a fake cough. Tori gave Blake an apologetic smile and resumed the lesson. Blake hadn't brought Hunter's board in and quickly felt like a third wheel, so he moved off to swim. Once they were alone, Charlie asked, "Is that guy your boyfriend?"
Tori was taken aback. "That guy is Blake. He's Hunter's younger brother," she said. Charlie was not so easily deterred.
"Yeah, him. Is he your boyfriend?"
"He's my friend. He travels, and neither Hunter nor I have seen him in months. We've both been looking forward to spending some time with Blake." Tori said emphasizing his name again. Charlie thought about this for a minute and seemed satisfied with her answer.
"So you're just hanging out with a friend tomorrow. That's good. I'd hate to think that you were cheating on Hunter." Charlie watched the expressions playing across Tori's face with amusement.
"What? Hunter's not my boyfriend either," she said when she'd found her voice again.
"Are you sure? Because he seemed annoyed when his brother asked you about tomorrow."
"Really?" Tori said in a bewildered voice. That strange flutter had taken up residence in her stomach again. She was strangely pleased with the thought of Hunter's annoyance. "I'm sure you misunderstood. I think I would know if Hunter was my boyfriend. Besides, I thought you wanted me to wait for you to grow up."
Charlie blushed, "Well that's a long way off. I guess I'd be okay with losing you to my 'big brother' until I'm old enough."
"I'm not with Hunter," Tori repeated,"but that's really mature of you. You'll make some girl very happy one day."
"Do you want me to give Hunter some tips?" Charlie asked with a cheeky grin. Tori moaned and scanned the shore. She spotted the Bradley brothers laying out under their beach umbrella.
"Speaking of Hunter-does it look like he's sleeping to you? Maybe we should wake him. We wouldn't want him to burn." Tori said with a smirk, unconsciously mimicking Hunter.
Tori and Charlie borrowed a bucket from some kids building a sand castle and filled it with water. Hunter watched all of this from behind his sunglasses and decided to see how the scenario played out. Blake wisely decided to move out of range as Charlie and Tori approached quietly. When they were poised directly above him, Hunter spoke up.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned. Tori looked down at Charlie and shrugged. Charlie moved the bucket over Hunter's head. "I hope you're prepared to face the consequences," Hunter said in his best I'm-in-charge-here voice. Charlie hesitated. Tori took the decision out of his hands by tipping the bottom of the bucket up, dumping the contents all over her roommate.
Hunter was up before the bucket was even empty, and Tori and Charlie took off. Hunter quickly overtook the boy and began tickling him. Tori rushed to her partner-in-crime's defense. She jumped on the wet ninja's back and yelled something about picking on someone his own size. Hunter flipped her over his head and said, "OK." The chase was on, and they soon left Charlie and Blake far behind.
Laughing, Tori ran along the beach until she came to a deserted area. She hid behind a rock formation and waited for Hunter. Oblivious to the danger, Hunter ran right into her outstretched arm and fell backwards. Instinctively he reached out to steady himself and pulled Tori down on top of him. She retaliated by tickling her fallen opponent, but stopped when she accidentally hit the sore spot on his ribs. Winded, the water ninja rested her head on Hunter's chest, and the two friends lay in the sand catching their breath. Hunter casually stroked Tori's wet hair, and she laced their fingers together.
The warmth of the sun and the steady sound of Hunter's heartbeat filled Tori with a sense of peace. She felt like she could lay there forever basking in her feeling of contentment. Hunter was enjoying the feel of Tori's wet body cooling his sun-warmed one and closed his eyes to savor the moment. He was reminded of his dreams of the previous night and spoke up, "I had a dream last night."
Tori lazily shifted off of Hunter so that she lay on her side with her stomach pressed to his side and her head on his shoulder. "Yeah" she replied casually, wondering who he had been declaring his feelings to in his sleep.
"It was about you," Hunter told her.
"Really?" Tori titled her head up to see his expression.
"Yeah," Hunter answered turning to look at the woman on his shoulder.
"What was it about?" Tori asked breathlessly, hoping he couldn't feel her heart pounding in her chest.
"I don't really remember. It was a good one, but I remember thinking that it couldn't be real," Hunter told her truthfully. He glanced at her month, just inches from his own and had the feeling that sharing his dream could prove quite embarrassing (or quite enlightening) for them both. He tightened his hold on Tori and shifted so that they were laying chest-to-chest.
Tori saw his eyes flick down and wondered if he would kiss her. She wondered what kind of kisser he would be and if she would stop him. Probably not. She felt herself blush at the direction her thoughts were taking.
"Huuunteeer! Tooooori!" Charlies voice broke the spell that had fallen over the friends, and Tori jumped to her feet with a guilty expression. Hunter rose more slowly as Charlie and Blake came into view. He felt slightly disorientated as he tried to concentrate on Charlie's excited rambling about some move Blake had been teaching him. Blake looked from his blushing would-be girlfriend to the dazed look on his brothers face. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened, but he had the uncomfortable feeling that something important had just shifted in his world.
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Stupid kids interrupting our favorite couple! Don't worry I'm sure they'll face up to their feelings eventually.