=Normal POV=
(Friday, 10/27/2017-8:30 pm)
(Archian Island, Berk)
(Berkbees Restaurant)

Hunter and Nicole had finished their appetizer just after discussing Hunter's one ex-girlfriend, Ashley, and then Nicole assuring Hunter that if they began a relationship; she would be open and honest with him. Nothing had been decided officially on about if they were getting together or not, but at least their feelings were out and they'd likely decide at some point this evening what their next step was; to start dating or maybe have a couple more actual dates before becoming a couple. Currently, Hunter had turned the past lovers question onto Nicole; it was a fair one to ask even though Nicole didn't really want to talk about it. Nicole knew they had their safe word if anything was uncomfortable or crossed a line that shouldn't be passed so early on, but Hunter went into depth about his past with Ashley, even divulging that they'd had sex before, so Nicole felt it was more than fair to tell Hunter about her ex's.

As she was about to begin telling Hunter about her past boyfriend's; Ander came to the table to deliver their food. "Here you are. Can I get you anything else?"

"No, thank you." Hunter smiled. Ander nodded as he took away the appetizer plate from the table and walked off. "This looks great.

"Yeah, and perfect timing too. The appetizer was starting to wear off." stated Nicole as she set her napkin in her lap.

Hunter did the same, lifting his burger to take a bite. "Definitely made the right choice." Nicole was also eating her sandwich, after a few bites in for both of them, and then a drink; Hunter wiped his mouth a bit. "So what's your story?" Hunter asked. "Well, with ex's," he clarified.

"My first crush was when I was thirteen, but never turned into anything. I only ever saw the guy when I was home from school on weekends or holidays. The second one was probably at fifteen, towards the end of Freshman Year, and that was a secret relationship because my parents did not like the boy at all. We were together for a year, and had…Made a plan to have sex, but…My parents jumped on the suspicious bandwagon and caught us before we got to actual intercourse," informed Nicole before she took a drink of her soda.

"If you don't mind answering, of course, were you doing foreplay, or just…" Hunter trailed off.

Nicole cleared her throat a little. "We'd…Indulged in foreplay pretty early actually. Probably around five or six months together before we decided to go all the way. We'd been at his house; his parents were never around, so it was just us. We'd messed around with foreplay, mostly clothed and my parents came with his and found us in the middle of fully undressing and him grabbing a condom to put it on. So it was basically him completely naked and me…Only as far as bra and underwear. So…Needless to say. The relationship was discovered; I was grounded for like three months. I was not allowed to leave school ground unless they came to get me for something."

"Damn, that's rough," remarked Hiccup. "I take it your parents are not fans of premarital sex?"

"No, they don't have anything against it so much as they don't approve of the secret relationship, doing all the intimate stuff behind their backs, me not being on birth control. You know?" Nicole asked.

"Not fans of not being in the loop and ensuring proper precautions are being taken?" Hunter questioned.

"Exactly that," Nicole confirmed. "Also, they weren't happy that I was sixteen…" was muttered afterward.

"I guess I can understand," Hunter nodded. "I was still sixteen my first time with Ashley, since my birthday is at the end of February. So actually, I was fifteen when I got with her," he smiled.

"Wait," Nicole stopped him. "Your birthday is the end of February?" Hunter nodded to her. "What day?"

Hunter smiled again. "Leap year baby; it's the 29th. But technically the 28th if it's not a leap year."

Nicole suddenly laughed. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

"What?" Hunter questioned with a smile towards her.

"My birthday is literally the day after yours," informed Nicole with a chuckle. "March 1st,"

Hunter laughed a bit now as well. "You're right, that's interesting and could be fun."

"Anyway…Yeah. I was still fifteen when the foreplay started, and sixteen when the planned sex was supposed to happen. The guy and I haven't spoken since my father demanded he stay away from me since…He was almost eighteen at the time. My father threatened to call the police," sighed Nicole.

"Probably a good thing," Hunter offered.

Nicole smiled some. "Did your parents know about…You and Ashley? Or did hers? Just…For the sake of comparing our pasts? We already seem to have so much in common,"

"My dad and Glenn knew; they figured something would happen with Ashley and I being home by ourselves. That and stupid me didn't empty my bedroom trash bin when Glenn was tidying up because if he's not at the shop; he's bored out of his wits, so he cleans the house for dad. Which helps out with not having to hire a maid, which dad was gonna do," revealed Hunter lightly while Nicole was taking a bite of her sandwich, and then Hunter did the same. "Dad told me he didn't care, as long as I was being safe and not getting myself in any trouble with authorities; he really doesn't care what I do as long as I keep my grades up and staying out of mischief,"

"Lucky you. My parents ride my ass ever since the secret relationship thing," Nicole groaned.

"So, were there any other boyfriends after that whole situation?" questioned Hunter now.

Nicole hesitated a reply, not sure if it was the best time to reveal the last male she'd been with. Nicole knew her out, and Hunter had agreed that there would be no questions asked if something didn't want to be answered. Glancing down a little towards her food. "I'm…Gonna use a pass on that question."

Hunter picked up on her mood shifting a little, so he had to safely assume that this wasn't something Nicole wanted to talk about; he wasn't sure if he'd ever find out or if this last boyfriend was a subject she didn't want to talk about. "No problem." Hunter wouldn't push her if he wanted the chance to be with her.

"I'll tell you eventually, Hunter. I'm just not…Ready yet as it was…Kind of a bad breakup and recent. Well, before the move recent," Nicole admitted gently.

"Hey, it's okay," Hunter assured. "You can tell me if you want and when you are ready to," he added.

Nicole nodded to him, smiling a bit. "Thank you."

The two of them continued to eat, not wanting it to get cold. Not too long later, they finished their sandwiches and were working on the fries, which they'd combined to one plate to enjoy together. "What do you think the others are doing right now?" Hunter asked.

"Probably wondering what we're doing," laughed Nicole. "Or ridiculously confused about what happened."

"We did just tell them not too long ago that we were only friends and there was nothing between us other than that," agreed Hunter with a nod.

"I think, since we've finished eating, we should talk about the feelings thing," suggested Nicole while looking at Hunter. "The good things is that our feelings are mutual,"

"That takes out a lot of the guess work. Where do we go from here?" Hunter inquired.

"Are these feelings on a like only level?" Nicole arched her brow at him; it was important to make sure of these things. The feelings could be mutual, but they might not be on the same page with what they felt towards the other. "I asked because we admitted to liking one another."

"I'd say, for now, they are. I'm not going to block the idea that it could possibly develop into love," Hunter confessed.

"Neither will I; it's always a possibility to become more as time goes on that we're spending time together acting as more than just friends," replied Nicole. "So I guess the question is what do we want to do with this situation?"

"Well, we could either get together; start dating," Hunter offered. "Or, as it's kind of new to us both, maybe we just stay friends who acknowledge there are feelings between us,"

"You mean to suggest that we suggest we remain friends for now to allow for more time to get to know one another while accepting there is something between us?" Nicole wondered.

"Something like that. Maybe more time together, uh, couple dates?" Hunter suggested.

"I think that would be okay, and then after some time; we revisit the idea of becoming a couple?" Nicole assumed that's what Hunter was getting at.

"Yeah. No time limit or pressure, just seeing where it goes and if we hit a point where we feel it's going good; we can consider getting together officially as boyfriend and girlfriend," Hunter nodded to her.

"I like that idea," smiled Nicole. Yes, this would work well. It gave them the chance to hang out more, talk, have some dates and just let their feelings develop however they did. If things stayed like this, or stronger after doing couple-like things; they could actually get together and know that they'd be okay. Nicole had seen people admit to mutual feelings and jump right into a relationship, not all of them went so well because the two had feelings but didn't take the time to get to know one another. So this would do good for them as a temporary arrangement to watch things.

"Are we telling our friends?" Hunter inquired.

"Maybe just that we're taking things slow and aren't a couple, but not deny the possibility that it could happen in the future?" offered Nicole now.

"Your response is way better than my mind your own business," Hunter chuckled now and so did Nicole.

"I mean, that could have worked too, but probably only make them more curious and harass us for a better answer. Like I said; I'm straightforward. I'd rather just tell them the truth and make sure they know that it's not their place to be up our asses about things," Nicole reminded.

"Your idea sounds nicer than mine," Hunter smiled.

The two of them continued to talk a little while finishing their fries and drinks. Their friends had been blowing up their phones to ask how things were going and what they were doing, but neither Hunter or Nicole responded since they were out to dinner and enjoying each other's company. By 9:00 pm, Ander returned to the table. "Will there be any dessert this evening?"

"I'm stuffed," replied Nicole.

"I think we'll pass on the dessert. Just the check, please?" smiled Hunter.

"Certainly. I'll just take these dishes out of the way for you and be right back," Ander gave a nod, rounding up the plates, utensils, and cups before heading towards the kitchen to get them into the sink. Nicole and Hunter continued to chat a little about whatever came up; they decided to view their phones and compare messages and deciding the best response to each message received. Ander returned with the check. "Take you're time," he said before moving to check on other tables in his section.

Hunter pulled the slip over to him and looked at it. "What's my damage?" asked Nicole.

"I figured we'd just split it between us. The total is only $32.70," Hunter informed. "So, divided by two is…$16.35."

Nicole and Hunter both put down $25. "That leaves our waiter almost a $20 tip,"

"More than sufficient too. Speedy service, friendly, satisfactory meal," listed Hunter's reasons why Ander deserved a good tip and knowing that servers barely made anything, so a good portion of their income was tips. "Ready to go?"

Nicole nodded to Hunter. "I am."

The two slid out of their seat and stood up to stretch a bit and then move towards the exit. While passing Ander, Hunter tapped his shoulder. "It's all set on the table. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, sir. Have a good night!" Ander replied. Hunter led Nicole outside and towards the jeep; they both climbed in and buckled up. Hunter started the vehicle up and backed out of the parking space, and then they headed out of the parking lot towards their neighborhood.

. . .

(9:15 pm)
(Strondsen Home)

Hunter pulled into Nicole's driveway and shifted the gear to park so that they could sit there for a few moments. "I have to admit that this night turned out a lot better than I believed it would when it was suggested we go together," Hunter chuckled.

"Is it weird to think that your ex might have suggested it because she feels you might still be caught up on her?" Nicole wondered.

"I hadn't really thought about that being the reason, but I suppose anything is possible," Hunter shrugged. "I felt it more had to do with the fact I said I wouldn't go because I was the only single one while everyone else is either in a relationship or had a date."

"I picked up the annoyance in Ashley's voice when you said you wouldn't go because it would be like third-wheeling," Nicole stated softly. "But I could be wrong, who knows. Maybe they did just want us there so we could hang out,"

Hunter rolled his eyes now. "Yeah, I didn't see much hanging out except us all sitting at the same table and they were in their own conversation, so it was a bust hangout if you ask me."

"Hey, at least we had fun with the dance and then bailing to go have dinner," smiled Nicole.

"True," Hunter nodded with a smile back to her.

"I should get inside," Nicole went to unbuckle. "Thank you for tonight, Hunter," she kissed his cheek lightly.

"I believe that thank you belongs to you, Nikki. It if wasn't for you kissing me; we'd likely still be at the dance, bored out of our skulls," Hunter remarked.

"Okay, maybe I started things, but the dinner and talks were nice. I had a lot more fun with just you than with the others," Nicole laughed a bit.

"We'll keep that to ourselves; I already sense the jealousy if they find that out," winked Hunter as Nicole nodded in agreement. "Feel like texting a bit before bed?"

"I'll message you after my shower," informed Nicole.

"I'll be waiting," Hunter assured.

Nicole went to get out of the jeep and then close the door, but she turned back to face him. "Are we still on for movie afternoon after your game next Saturday?"

"Absolutely," Hunter smiled. "Goodnight, Nikki,"

Nicole smiled back. "I can't wait. Night, Hunt," she giggled and went to continue her path towards the front door; she waved to Hunter before getting inside. Hunter just smiled like an idiot that things went so smoothly tonight, and honestly; it helped him out that she made the first move. Hunter hadn't planned to kiss her, just mention before the dance was over that he liked her and wait to see what happened. But this went way better than expected, and there was a very good chance that after a little more time; the two of them could end up dating. Hunter shifted the gear into reverse, backed out of the driveway, and then headed for home.

Nicole checked in with her parents before getting to her room; she quickly dropped her things in their usual spot by the desk, set her phone to charge on the nightstand, then headed for the bathroom to get her shower in. Fifteen minutes later; Nicole was out and dressed for bed; she hopped into her bed and slid under the covers. Nicole grabbed her book and phone; she pulled up her messages with Hunter and sent him one.

9:45 pm
Out of the shower and in bed :)

Nicole set the phone down, ensuring it was on vibrate, and picked up her book the start reading where she left off earlier from Hunter's practice. At 9:50 pm; a response came through as she lifted the device to check it.

Hunter, 9:50 pm
Decided to take one too. Are you reading your book too or just waiting for me? Lol.

9:51 pm
Little bit of both. Enjoy your shower?

Hunter, 9:51 pm
It was nice. How about you?

9:52 pm
Satisfactory lol. I had showered this morning too, but it's easier to get the makeup off in the shower.

Hunter, 9:54 pm
Whatever works. Is it bad that I'm still smiling like an idiot over earlier? My dad and uncle laughed at me for it…

Nicole laughed a bit as she prepared her reply.

9:55 pm
Aww. Did you tell them what happened? Are they teasing you over it?

Hunter, 9:58 pm
I couldn't exactly hide it from them when I strolled into the living room looking like I just won the lotto. I didn't tell them everything in detail, but just that you and me talked about our mutual feelings and decided to take things slow, staying friends for now, to get to know one another better. And then revisit the idea of becoming a couple at a later date. And yes, now I'm being teased with the "aww, how cute; he's like a horny schoolgirl with a crush" or "aww, maybe he's in love and hasn't realized it yet" -.-

Nicole blushed a bit, but smiled. How could she not?

10:00 pm
I'm so sorry. But, at the same time, maybe that's what is happening between us and it's just too soon for us, who have just confessed our feelings, to see clearly. Maybe we feel it's a crush because it's new to us having feelings for one another, when in truth it could just be…Unlocking and opening the door to love?

Hunter, 10:05 pm
Sorry for delay, uncle needed to confirm with me my work hours for tomorrow and Sunday. Also, what you said makes sense; that's also why we said we'd just take things slow and see what our feelings do.

10:06 pm
Exactly :) I really did have a lot of fun tonight.

Hunter, 10:07 pm
I did too. I'm sure we'll have many more fun times together!

There was a pause as Nicole saw him typing again.

I meant that in the best possible way.

10:08 pm
LOL. It's okay; I know what you meant, Hunty. My parents haven't really asked me anything. At this hour; they've both turned into their room to watch TV or read. We're all heavy readers in this family. So I just go by the room to say I'm home, and then get to my room.

Hunter, 10:10 pm
They don't ask who brought you home, or how your night was?

10:11 pm
We kind of talk through the door, just a check in. We usually catch up in the next morning about the night before, or how my day that day went over dinner if we're all home to eat together.

Hunter, 10:12 pm
I understand. That's how things are for me, dad, and Glenn. Since we all have different schedules.

10:13 pm
Glad we live somewhat of the same lifestyle. It's nice to have someone to talk to about it. So what are you doing right now?

Hunter, 10:14 pm
Laying in bed, doing a little bit of homework. I probably won't go to sleep until 11:30 pm or so. How about you? When do you plan to go to bed?

10:16 pm
In the next fifteen minutes or so. Kind'a tired.

10:17 pm
Go on to bed, Nikki. We can talk tomorrow; I'll need someone to keep me company while I'm working :)

10:18 pm
I'd be happy to message you throughout the day, Hunter. But yeah, I think I'm gonna settle down for the night. Talk to you in the morning!

Hunter, 10:20 pm
Night! Sleep well!

Nicole set her phone down, read her book until the next chapter and then saved her space and placed the book on the nightstand next to her phone. Nicole got comfortable, shut off her light and finally drifted to sleep by 10:45 pm. It had been a great night, and Nicole somehow just felt that there would be many more with Hunter.