=Normal POV=
(Saturday, 12/23/2017-2:00 pm)
(Archian Island, Berk)
(Haddock House)
It seemed like an eternity that Nicole and Hunter sat there on Hunter's bedroom couch kissing. It was nothing too intimate, just on the lips and no tongue. With how this made them feel, though; it was likely that they'd be getting together after a talk, and then kisses like this could absolutely turn into something deeper. However, as nice and revealing this was; they needed to do what they agreed to do and discuss where there feelings were from when it began two months ago because they wanted to see what would happen. Both Hiccup and Nicole finally broke the kiss, pulling away from one another and opening their eyes; the two blushed a little and cleared their throats.
"I-I think we should talk." Hunter suggested.
"Yes. Yes, I do too." Nicole agreed. "Well…Two months ago, we said over dinner that we liked one another. And this arrangement of staying friends with mutual feelings was to see if…Anything changed in the feelings we have for each other."
"If they faded, grew, or stayed the same." Hunter nodded. "Uh…Do you want to start?"
"I started last time. So, I think you should." Nicole invited, smiling some.
"Alright. Um…My…Feelings changed; they grew for you." Hunter replied.
"My feelings grew as well," Nicole responded, looking down a bit. "I've never felt love outside of what my parents have for me or me for them. I don't know what love feels like, but I know…What I feel for you right now, especially after that kiss, is stronger than where we started at like. And I know it's stronger than what I felt for my ex; I don't think I can call what he and I had was love. Maybe an extreme fondness and attraction to one another. I suppose infatuation might be appropriate, but it was…Mostly physical, if that makes sense? Anyway, all that aside…I kind of want to say that I…Think I love you?" she brought her eyes back to Hunter's now, feeling just a bit shy and embarrassed that she couldn't say for sure if what she felt was love or not.
"No, no. It's okay, I get where you're coming from. I…Felt the same way with Ashley after we started dating. I wasn't sure if it was love or not; I know now that I did love her, but I don't think we were in love." Hunter said softly. "But…What I feel for you right now is…Stronger than what I felt for her, but perhaps that's…Biased as we had a really bad breakup. I know what I feel towards you is love. I'm not sure if I'm in love with you, maybe that'll become clear with more time, but I know that I do love you, Nicole."
"I guess we can figure it out together? The whole in love thing?" Nicole suggested.
"And maybe I can teach or show you what love is?" Hunter offered. "Maybe you just…Need to see or feel what being loved by someone who is not a friend or family member in order for you to know if what you feel is love or not?"
"Not sure, but I'm willing to try." Nicole smiled gently. "And then I suppose once I know what love feels like, we can both discover if this is love or being in love."
"I think that sounds like a good plan of action. Uh…" Hunter sort of rubbed the back of his neck a little. "Do we…Want to do this as we have been or…?" he trailed off.
"Or as a couple?" Nicole finished his sentence for him.
"Yeah," Hunter nodded to her.
"Well, we agreed two months ago that if our feelings grew stronger; we'd get together and start a relationship. So, I think that if one of the goals we just set was for you to show me what love is; then we should start dating so I can feel what it's like to be with someone who loves me and determine if what I feel for you is the same thing…"
"You're suggest we become a couple and…Just like before, see where it leads? Obviously, if…You don't love me back or you do and it doesn't end up being us in love; things will probably at some point end where we break up?" Hunter questioned, to make sure he understood it correctly.
Nicole nodded to him. "If things don't end up working out, then yeah; I suppose that would be where things go. I just…Don't want to lose you as a friend. Or rather…I don't want us to breakup and have it be like you and Ashley…"
"I don't think it would go that way if we broke up." Hunter stated in a slightly more confident tone, but Nicole picked up on something else in his voice. Perhaps disgust? Discontent? Nicole couldn't quite put her finger on what to call it. "Ashley and I broke up because she decided to get distant and not talk to me. A lot of ignoring that there was a problem, never actually working it out to avoid a huge fight, so it would get pushed aside. And if it weren't for our friends; I don't even think she and I would speak, to be completely honest. I had always pegged Ashley for being straightforward, honest, confident even. But when a time happened that I needed her to be that girl; she wasn't there. Instead, she shut me out and things went the way they did."
Hunter took a breath with his eyes closed, and then opened them. Nicole didn't talk because she felt like he had more to say and didn't want to interrupt. "And maybe Ashley is still that girl, but she wasn't and isn't with me. But," Hunter paused. "I know you're not like that. I know if we got together, and a problem came up; you'd talk. I guess I just feel like you wouldn't…Change on me, or because of me. If…That makes any kind of sense. It sounded better in my head…" he muttered a bit.
Nicole smiled as she scooted a little closer to Hunter and set her hands on his cheeks. "Hunter…I don't change for anybody. Okay? I promise you that. I have not and will not ever change for anything or anyone. That's not who I am, and it's not someone I'll ever be."
Hunter nodded, leaning into her touch a bit. "I believe you. And that's why I know that if things don't end up working out; you and I would probably need a little time, but be able to bounce back as the friends we started as. I know it's possible to stay friends with an ex, and I feel like that's how we'd be, if we were to end up in the position of being ex's to each other."
"I feel that way too," Nicole agreed as she lowered her hands, but her right fell on his left and their fingers intertwined.
"But I guess there's no way of knowing unless we get together. You can't become an ex if you weren't a couple first, right?" Hunter smiled at her. Nicole blushed a bit, nodding to him.
"I want to be with you, Hunter. And see where this, us; where we go." Nicole confessed.
"I want that as well." Hunter replied, trying to swallow his nervousness and be able to actually ask Nicole out. He wasn't sure if them agreeing to wanting to be together counted as making things official, and he didn't want to assume. "Will you be my girlfriend?" Hunter managed to get out in a somewhat confident voice.
Nicole had to giggle a little; his tone was cute. Keeping herself mostly composed, she nodded to him. "I will."
The weight that had been sitting on Hunter's chest lifted and he felt like he could breathe again when she said yes to being with him. Now, they were officially a couple. "Should we, uh, kiss to commemorate it?" Hunter asked. Nicole grabbed Hunter's shirt collar and pulled him towards her; the jolt took Hunter by surprise, but he didn't fight it. Hunter let it happen; their lips crashed together in a kiss, one that was a little more deep than before their talk started. Nicole couldn't resist lifting her phone and snapping the photo of the occasion; she lowered her phone into her lap as they pulled apart.
"I love how shy and innocent you are." Nicole stated.
"Gimme a break…I've been out of the dating game for almost a year. Yeah, in eight days actually; it'll have been a year since Ashley and I broke up." Hunter informed. "We should probably tell them, huh?"
"Well, unless we're gonna parade around school acting like we're just friends; I kind of think we have to." Nicole chuckled. "And probably your dad and Glenn too."
"I'll probably tell dad and uncle before the night is through, but our friends can wait until we go back to school." Hunter shrugged. "Shall we start the movie and eat?"
"I have to tell my parents…" Nicole mumbled.
"You don't sound happy about that," Hunter pointed out. "I know they don't want you driving, but are they against you dating too? Would they not approve?"
"It's just…" She had to tell him, right? They were dating now, and Hunter should know what happened. It probably wasn't the best way to start their relationship, but she felt like he deserved to know how things might go when her parents learned.
"What is it? You can tell me," Hunter offered.
Nicole decided that she had to tell him. Nicole closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "So…You remember that question you asked me two months ago at the restaurant that I passed on answering?"
"Yeah. You said you weren't ready yet, which is still totally fine with me." Hunter replied. Was she going to tell him? Hunter was kind of picking up that she didn't want to. "Hey, you don't have to tell me, Nicole."
"But I do, Hunter." Nicole sighed, eyes still closed. "It was different before, we weren't dating yet. And since we are now; I feel like you have the right to know."
"Us dating does not entitle me to know things before you're ready to talk about them. You've told me it was recent and a bad breakup, so don't feel like you have to tell me to avoid keeping secrets. I don't need to know all the details." Hunter informed.
"It's more than the secret thing; you deserve to know why parents are going to be a certain way with you for a while. I won't keep it a secret from them that I'm dating someone, but I want you to know that they aren't going to be easily accepting because of what happened." Nicole responded.
"Well, I can work with that. It's not uncommon for parents to be hesitant on their child dating someone new after a bad breakup. Took me months to Ashley's dad to stop glaring at me, and that was without a bad breakup before me and her. That was just him not liking a boy in his only daughter's life in a romantic sense. I'm talking a glare from this man as in if looks could kill…" Hunter admitted. "And I'm sure I would be dead if they knew we were having sex. I know she hid it from them, and they probably to this day still don't know. All that aside…If I have to earn their trust, that's fine with me. But you still don't have to tell me if you aren't ready to." Hunter lifted her chin and she looked at him now. "Seriously. Don't feel obligated to tell me just because we're in a relationship, and don't talk about it before you're ready."
"Thing is that I made peace with what happened; I can talk about it. I just didn't want to say anything over dinner and while we weren't even dating; it felt weird to say something when we were just friends and the atmosphere wasn't appropriate for such a talk. Nobody knows about this, Hunter; other than those involved. I haven't even told Heather and she's my best friend in the world." Nicole said softly.
"If you want to tell me; it's your decision to, Nicole. I'm not going to make you, and I'm not gonna be upset if you don't." Hunter mentioned calmly. Hunter knew it had to be bad, just by how grave it all sounded.
"I want to tell you, just feel like it's the wrong way to start a relationship…Know what I mean?" Nicole asked.
"Then we won't talk about it right now. Let's use the rest of today to do what we said we would. Okay? We talked about our feelings and got together. Let's eat lunch before it gets cold, and watch the movie. We'll take another day to get all serious and stuff, alright? Let's just enjoy today, let this be what it is; the day we started dating. We can bask in the joy and excitement of that, then take another day in our week vacation from school to get together and you can tell me what happened. Sound good?" Hunter offered.
It did sound better; she didn't want to bring the good day down with something bad. "Okay." Nicole nodded.
"Great," Hunter smiled as he reached for the remote to turn on the TV and the DVD player, which he'd already loaded with the third movie before he left for his game this morning. When the title screen came on; Hunter pressed play as it began while he and Nicole began to eat their food, which thankfully hadn't gotten too cold.
. . .
(5:30 pm)
The movie had been great. Hunter and Nicole were both relaxed on the couch; Nicole was laying her head on Hunter's shoulder after about an hour into it starting. The movie finished about 5 pm, and then the two of them just talked about how it was, plus the comparison to the book. The two loved being able to analyze things, and have real discussions. Now, they were just relaxing on Hunter's bedroom couch; Nicole was still leaning against him and his arm was around her shoulders.
"What would you like to do now?" Hunter asked, looking down at her.
"I don't know. My parents aren't home yet, so I really don't want to go to my house and sit around." Nicole admitted.
"You can hang here longer; I don't mind." Hunter smiled. "It's not like we have school or homework and I don't have practices or games to worry about."
"That's true. Maybe we can watch another movie?" Nicole suggested.
"She can stay for dinner, son!" Spencer called from within the hallway. Hunter and Nicole blinked a few times as Hunter looked towards the door, seeing shadows underneath it.
"Are you listening in?!" Hunter demanded.
"No, lad. We would never…" Glenn replied. Hunter let go of Nicole as he moved over to the door and opened it to see Spencer and Glenn nearly falling into the room when the door swung open and they had nothing to lean against.
"Uh huh. First off, I saw your shadows under my door. Secondly, I knew you were both there when Glenn answered when I'd only inquired if dad was listening in…" Hunter remarked, folding his arms over one another. "So now that you've been caught…What do you want?"
"Just…Checking in to make sure everything is alright. It's been quiet in here for hours," Spencer informed.
"We were watching a movie…" Hunter informed. "Why would we talk through the whole thing?" Spencer and Glenn didn't say anything. "Caught. Wanna try again?" he asked.
"Just to say hi?" Glenn shrugged.
Hunter wanted to face-palm and refrained, but Nicole actually went ahead and did it. "You're both awful liars." Nicole said softly.
"You were listening in to make sure we weren't doing anything, weren't you?" Hunter stared at them.
"No, son. I would never invade your privacy like that." Spencer said.
"Except that you have, plenty of times…" Hunter rolled his eyes.
Spencer sighed. "Fine. Yes, I was. I don't want another dad of one of your girlfriends coming at me about keeping my hormone-laced son off their daughters…"
"Dad, how many girlfriends do you think I have? Or have had?" Hunter glared, dumbfounded at his father's remark.
"Well…" Glenn began.
"Don't go there. I said girls I've dated, not all girls who have wanted to be with me. For the record; the only girl I've dated is Ashley. Are you telling me her dad came to you about us having sex?" Hunter inquired.
"It was more of a warning to make sure you knew to keep your pants on…I never revealed you two had done anything. I didn't want to be the cause of him forcing you two to break up and then have you hate me for saying something. So I didn't." Spencer revealed.
"We broke up just a couple months after having sex anyway, so it really wouldn't have made much difference as I'm still convinced to this day that she wanted to leave me and needed an excuse," Hunter mumbled. "Regardless…Because I really don't want to revisit that…"
"I-I know, son." Spencer nodded. "But you did have that little…Encounter after the breakup and-,"
"I told you both not to bring that up. Ever." Hunter stared intently. Nicole wasn't sure where the conversation turned, but it likely wasn't her place either. Hunter wasn't forcing her to say anything about her past, so she wouldn't do the same to him. "No, we aren't doing anything other than sitting on the couch and figuring out how to kill more time so Nikki doesn't have to go home and be bored." Hunter informed.
"Right, well…As I said; she's welcome to stay for dinner. We're ordering Chinese," Spencer offered.
Hunter looked over at Nicole now. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"I wouldn't want to impose. You've been stuck with me most of the day," Nicole said lightly.
"That's fine. I'm not complaining," Hunter chuckled. "I rather enjoy our time together."
"I do too." Nicole replied, trying not to blush.
"And nonsense about imposing. You're the lad's girlfriend now; we expect you over more often!" Glenn laughed as Spencer elbowed him in the side. Hunter's eyes widened. "Oops…"
"How exactly would you have known I'm his girlfriend unless you were listening in hours ago before we started the movie?" Nicole stood up now, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Dad…" Hunter pushed.
"I-I might'a heard it by accident when I was coming to check on you from the game earlier…" Spencer confessed.
"Oh my Gods…" Hunter actually face-palmed this time. "Now it makes sense why you decided to listen in again, because you knew we were dating already and obviously just assumed that we were going to start having sex right away?" With neither male having a response, Hunter sighed. "You two are something else, you know that? Well, we're not. So stop worrying and assuming. Geeze…"
"Aye…Sorry, son." Spencer nodded to him.
"Right. Sorry, lad." Glenn stated.
"Now, would you two get out of my room, please?" Hunter asked. "We'll be out when dinner comes." Spencer and Glenn left as Hunter closed the door. "I am so, so sorry…"
"Well, it's not like we weren't going to tell them anyway." Nicole shrugged with a smile. "Don't worry about it. You warned me how your dad and uncle can get, so I took that into account when I decided I wanted to date you." She winked and moved over to hug him. Hunter smiled and hugged her back; this was a good day, despite the eavesdropping by his godfather and dad. "Let's relax on the couch? We can throw on Netflix and watch a comedy special or something until dinner arrives." Nicole suggested.
"Sound good to me." Hunter nodded as they moved back to the small couch, resuming their position of Nicole on Hunter's shoulder with his arm around her shoulders. Hunter grabbed the remote to change the TV over to Netflix and find something for them to watch.
