Author's Note:
I do believe this is the longest I've left you all hanging... Again, I'm so sorry for the wait! Hopefully people are still reading this haha When life gives you lemons, you take all you can get. Unfortunately, when it throws shit at you, you've to take that too, whether you like it or not... On that note, yeah, I've had a lot of the latter to deal with lately and haven't had much time to write. It didn't help that when I did have time, writer's block decided to claim me as a victim. Anyway, I eventually got this one out. Hopefully it doesn't suck too much...
I've just noticed... Ninety followers. BOOM! You guys make me happy :)
Son-lyn, I totally agree. Although maybe they're just too wrapped up in each other to really notice what's going on... All will be revealed soon though. I've already written the scene where they meet 'Martha', so I'm thinking of putting it out maybe next chapter, or the one after that. I'll see what happens ;)
Dumle2209, glad you're having fun! Trust me when I say we don't get any of those here either. The most exotic thing we see is probably trout. Yeah, not very exotic...
I like fluff. A lot.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.
Chapter 21:
"Ash! Ash, wake up!"
"Huh?" I rouse slightly.
"Pam says you have to wake up!" Suddenly, I'm being shaken violently, the pain shooting through my shoulder reminding me of my fall yesterday.
"Ah!" I sit up and grab my shoulder with my right hand. "Okay, I'm up, I'm up!"
"Sorry, Ash... Pam woke me up and told me to come get you. It's my birthday today!"
In my sleepy haze, I panic, having not quite woken up just yet, and take a quick scope around the room, my heart going at what feels like a million beats per minute. I had another 'dream' last night. Although I soon realise that this one was most definitely a dream, and not reality, as there is no sign of Spencer anywhere, thank God. I think I made the right decision last night in not asking her to join me, since Brooke doesn't seem to be in the mood for knocking this morning...
When my panic is over, I turn to Brooke, smiling.
"It is indeed! Happy birthday, birthday girl! How old are you now? Forty?" I pull a face and she laughs.
"No, silly! I'm seven!"
"Seven? Wow, you're getting old..."
"You're older!"
"Hey!" I frown. "I guess I am, huh?" She nods, still smiling. "Well... it is your birthday... You know what that means, right?" I raise my eyebrows waiting for her to answer.
"Cake?" She smiles.
"Presents!"
"Oh, yeah!" Her smile widens at this.
"And cake..." She giggles at my afterthought. "And tonight... Glamping!"
"Yay!" She pauses for a second, her face confused as she reaches to touch a finger to my neck. "Did you hurt your neck too?" I'm puzzled for a second at this, but then my eyes widen as I realise what she's spotted.
"Uh... Yeah. It's okay though; I'm going to cover it up..." She seems satisfied with this, and soon drops the subject, smiling up at me.
"Are you coming down for breakfast? Pam says I get extra syrup on my pancakes since it's my birthday! Come on!" she grabs my hand and drags me to the door.
"Woah, hold on! Let me change these first!" I stop her before quickly changing out of my shorts.
Brooke's seen it all before; she's family. We're all girls here, and it's not like I'm naked... I quickly grab a hoodie, throwing it on swiftly to cover my neck. Brooke might be too young to realise the truth, but the others definitely aren't, and they sure as hell won't be so blasé about it...
"Okay, let's go!" I smile and take her hand again as she leads me downstairs.
As we reach the bottom of the stairs, I realise why Pam woke Brooke up and sent her to get me. She knew it would take me a while to wake, which would give her time to rally the troops. At least, I'm pretty positive that's the reason, judging from the current décor.
Brooke's eyes sparkle at the sight of the balloons and banners scattered around the hallway. I can't help but smile at this. Pam and Rob are two of the best people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Despite never having met Brooke before this vacation, they've pulled out all the stops to make her feel welcome, and now they go and do this. If she didn't already feel like one of the family, she sure as hell will now. I'm betting they got up early especially for this. I can only imagine what we'll be greeted with when we reach the kitchen...
"Happy birthday!" There's a loud cheer in unison as I let Brooke lead the way through the doorway.
She's shocked at first, but it's soon replaced by euphoria as her whole face lights up and she turns to look up at me. I simply wink as my face mimics hers.
I shake my head and laugh as I take in everyone's appearance. Party hats. Party hats everywhere. They're really going all out here. I mean, we've only just woken up and the excitement levels are already through the roof...
Brooke is ushered to the head of the table by Pam, who places a small stack of pancakes in front of her. The plate looks quite large for those small pancakes though... I make my way up beside her before squinting down at the plate. Written neatly below the little pancakes in syrup is 'Happy Birthday, Brooke!' Sweet. I smile as Pam hands Brooke the syrup bottle and tell her to use as much as she wants. The glint in her eye doesn't escape me.
"Hey..." I kneel down beside her. "Go easy, yeah?" She nods frantically as I rise to my feet again, satisfied that she'll pace herself. Otherwise, we'd have either a very hyper, or very sick Brooke to deal with. Neither are that fun; trust me...
I notice Spencer standing talking to Casey at the corner counter, and make my way over when Casey is called away by Chase. I tap the little blue hat she's wearing with my finger.
"Cute."
"Thanks. I saved you one." She grins as she whips out a red one from the counter top behind her.
I grimace as she holds it out to me.
"Do I have to?" I don't really have a say in the matter, as she leans over and puts it on for me.
"Yes." She steps back and grins as she takes in her handiwork. "Beautiful." We stand at smile at each other for a moment before Glen moves between us to reach into the cupboard for a glass, causing us to both step back to make space.
"Sorry, ladies; need a drink!" I clear my throat.
"Yeah, me too." I follow his lead as I reach for a glass, bumping Spencer with my hip as I do so, a look of mock horror on her face as I fix my drink before walking away and taking a seat.
Unfortunately, the only two free seats after Glen sits down are at opposite ends of the table, myself taking the first seat to Brooke's right as Spencer takes the last seat at the opposite side, beside Casey. Opposite me, and to Brooke's left, is of course, Lucy. Admittedly not my ideal view. Obviously, that would be Spencer, but I'll take it. At least I'm not opposite Glen, who is currently having a competition with Chase to see who can fit the most pancakes in their mouth. Gross. Yeah, I'm definitely okay right here...
After breakfast, everyone goes their separate ways to get changed and sort themselves out for the day. Once Brooke is washed and dressed, she bounces downstairs again, leaving me to get myself sorted.
Before making my way downstairs, I open the drawer on my bedside table and move the things from the top, smiling as I reach for the two items securely wrapped in girly pink paper. I slip the rectangular-shaped gift into my back pocket and carry the other one in my hand.
When I reach the living room where everyone else has congregated, I take a seat on the edge of one of the sofas beside Casey, Chase and Annie, careful not to sit on the object I have in my pocket. Brooke is on the other sofa with Lucy and Glen. The others, including Spencer, are hovering, with the exception of Dale, who is sat on the floor with a firm grip on the twins, who are even more hyper than usual this morning. God help them when the next one comes along; better hope it's not more twins...
"Alright, so who's going first then?" I ask as Brooke looks deep in thought.
She stops thinking, then smiles, pointing at me. I let out a chuckle.
"Okay then... Happy birthday, Brooke." I hand her the gift I've been carrying in my hand, but she just stares at it for a second, probably wondering what it could be as she judges its odd shape. "Well? Open it!" I grin at her. She doesn't seem convinced. Neither does Spencer for that matter, who's eyeing me suspiciously from the other side of the room.
Brooke begins to unwrap her present cautiously, all of us watching as she does so. When she's torn the paper enough to see what's inside, she makes a face.
"A carrot?" She gives me a weird look as I bite my lip, trying not to laugh.
Spencer looks at me like I'm mad. I trust she meant it when she said she thought I was going crazy. I'm not though; promise. Lucy starts laughing as Max escapes Dale's hold and runs up to Brooke and takes a bite out of the carrot in her hand.
"No, Max!" Dale grabs him and keeps him secured on his knee once more as Emily now cuddles up to Annie.
"Ash, why did you get me a carrot?" Spencer looks as if she wants to ask me the same thing, whereas everyone else just looks confused.
"Well, it's not really a carrot as such; it's more like a promise."
"A promise?"
"Ha! Yeah, she bought you a carrot, so she's going to promise to buy you a whole vegetable patch!"
"Shut up, jackass!" I throw I cushion at Glen, and Lucy gasps.
"Jar!"
"Ah, ffffudge..." Good save! Only one dollar for the jar then...
Brooke's looking at me expectantly.
"Uh... Okay. What eats carrots? Apart from Max..." Lucy giggles at the last part.
"Umm... humans?"
"Not humans." I can see Spencer smiling now. She knows.
"Bugs Bunny!" Lucy shouts.
"Yeah, Bugs Bunny!" Brooke smiles.
"Right! And Bugs Bunny is a..."
"Cartoon!"
"No. Well, yes. But, no." I get no response. "What kind of animal is he?"
"He's a rabbit!" Brooke smiles as I nod, pleased to have guessed the correct answer.
It takes a second, but the realisation soon hits her as I don't say anything else, but wait for her to respond. Her whole face lights up as she finally gets it.
"A rabbit! A rabbit! You got me a rabbit!" She runs up to me and throws her arms around me.
"Woah, watch the arm, superstar!"
"Sorry, Ash..."
"It's okay, come here!" I pull her into a less painful hug, where her arms go around my waist as opposed to my shoulders.
"I can't believe you got me a rabbit! Thank you!" She's still beaming as she pulls away.
"Well, I haven't got you one yet. How could I without getting your opinion first? You're going to have to come and pick one out specially when we get home. Think you can do that?" She nods frantically.
"A white one?"
"If that's what you want, that's what we'll get... And before you ask, yes, we can name him Snow." She's almost bursting with excitement as she hugs me again.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best, Ash!"
"I know." I laugh, and take a glance at Spencer, who wipes her eye subtly as she smiles. Weird. "Oh, hey, before I forget... I know I've promised you a rabbit, but I didn't want you to have nothing from me on your birthday, so here..." I reach into my back pocket and pull out the small rectangular-shaped gift. "And no, it's not another carrot." She giggles at this and starts to unwrap the paper.
"No way! I got an IPod!" She turns to everyone to show off the box.
I know what you're thinking; why would you buy a kid an IPod? Surely it'll be broken within a week... Well, Brooke's a good kid. She's not one of those spoilt brats who gets the latest gadget as soon as it's released. She looks after her things, and to be honest, she can probably work my IPod better than I can. Anyway, I kind of told Casey that I was getting her one, so that she and Chase could get her a couple of those protective cases between them, so it should be all good.
"Yep. Your very own. I hope you don't mind, but I already opened it to put some of your favourite songs on there..."
"Awesome!" Lucy watches over Brooke's shoulder as she turns it on.
Spencer excuses herself to go get a drink. Brooke's too preoccupied with flicking through her music to open anymore presents right this moment in time, so like Spencer, I take this chance for a quick break.
"I'm kind of thirsty too. Anyone else want a drink?" There's a chorus of 'no thanks' as I head into the kitchen, Brooke and Lucy oblivious to anything other than what's on the screen of Brooke's IPod right now.
When I reach the kitchen, Spencer's standing facing the counter as she leans on it, her glass of juice in front of her.
"Hey," I call out to her and she turns around, looking quite pensive.
"Hey. You want a drink?"
"Please." She grabs another glass and pours some diluted juice into it, topping it up with cold water before handing it to me. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." She doesn't say anything else as we stand there sipping.
"Spence?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay? You look kind of upset about something. I thought you were going to start crying back there..." She ducks her head and lets out a quiet laugh as she shakes her head.
"I'm fine. I just..." She looks at me then. "You're really good with her. It's ridiculously sweet." I chuckle at this before shrugging.
"She's a great kid. I just want to make her happy. When she's happy, I'm happy. Most of the time, I don't even have to try; she's a naturally happy soul..." Spencer's eyes get glassy again. "Hey, there's no need to cry over it..." I reach over and pull her into an embrace, Spencer hands clutching at the back of my top as a few stray tears fall.
"I can't help it." She shakes her head against the crook of my neck as her emotions shake her. "The two of you have just gone through so much with Paige and her parents, and you... You're not even biologically related to her, and yet treat her just like a sister, and care for her like the perfect mother, and you just... You have so much love for her, I just... I..."
I hear her sniffle and pull back slightly, grinning at her as she works to wipe away her tears.
"Damn you." She slaps my chest lightly. "Why can't you stop being so sweet all the time? It makes me –" She catches herself before she finishes her sentence, and shakes her head again slightly. "Just stop it..." She looks up at me with reddened eyes and I pout at her.
She leans in and pecks me on the lips.
"You need to stop being so cute too..." I smile widely as she makes an exit, probably heading to the bathroom to compose herself... You know, because I'm just too cute and sweet to handle.
I smile as I wash out our glasses and put them away before returning to the living room, where Brooke is still entranced by her IPod.
We all wait until Spencer returns to continue the gift-giving. As expected, Brooke is chuffed with the little pouch and covers from Casey, and immediately gets to customizing her little music player.
Aside from the Ipod and covers, and of course, the promise of a pet rabbit, other gifts include a couple of DVDs, some clothes, and other girly things, and Brooke is absolutely thrilled with everything. I lift the little pile of birthday cards and set them all up on the mantlepiece and along the fireplace, smiling as I do so.
"Ash?" Brooke calls to me.
"Yeah?"
"Is Mel coming today?"
"Uh... Well, do you want her to come?"
"Yeah, I like her! She can come glamping with us! Phone her!"
"Okay, okay! I'll text her now..." I pull my phone out and do just that.
Hey, I've just been given strict instructions to get you over here for this seventh birthday party today. Oh, and bring your pjs and a change of clothes. You're staying over ;)
It doesn't take long for her to text me back.
Haha Great! I'll bring my own crayons :P I'll be over soon!
Funny.
"Okay, she's be here soon."
"Yay!" With that, Brooke is off again, joining Lucy as she plays around with Chase.
As planned, Mel arrives after stopping off to buy Brooke a card, putting some money inside for her. I guess the topic of her birthday never came up before, so how was she to know? Anyway, Brooke is delighted, as in her words, she can use it to 'buy cool stuff for Snow'. We haven't even got the rabbit yet, and it seems she has everything planned out...
A few hours later, just after lunch, the others keep Brooke settled at the table as Casey and I head upstairs to get the cake. Yes, we decided to keep it upstairs in Casey and Chase's room in a plastic bag; she's less likely to spot it then.
After some fumbling around with a dodgy lighter, we finally get the candles and the large '7' lit, and make our way downstairs again, putting those mad balancing skills to good use as we attempt to avoid falling and setting the whole house up in flames. That wouldn't go down too well...
When we're almost at the doorway leading into the kitchen, I clear my throat, giving everyone the signal to start singing the traditional 'Happy Birthday'. Brooke's eyes widen as we make our way towards her, the candles creating a glow on her elated little face as we set the cake down in front of her.
I pull my phone out to get a photo just before we finish singing.
"Okay, now make a wish!" She looks deep in thought for a second before she looks at me and smiles, closing her eyes as she blows her candles out.
Just at that instant, Max runs straight in front of Spencer, who is standing next to me, to get closer to the cake. She tries to dodge him, but trips over her foot. My reflexes kick in and I react quickly, catching Spencer before she lands in a heap on the floor, my injured shoulder protesting at the swift movement. We stare at each other for a split second as I hold her, before we recover, both securely on our feet. When I look over to Brooke, she has a strange look on her face. My attention is pulled away from her however, when Glen pats my back.
"Nice save! Almost thought we were going to have to put up with two cripples for the rest of our stay..."
"Hey!" I hit his arm. "I'm not a cripple!" He makes a face at this.
"Whatever you say..." I let it go then. It's time to cut the cake anyway...
Some stage later, the majority of us are sitting in the living room after being roped into watching one of the DVDs Brooke was given this morning. Dale and Annie managed to make an escape as Rob dragged Dale down to his workshop earlier and Pam is showing Annie recipes in the kitchen.
Halfway through the film, I excuse myself and I head up to the bathroom, but am shocked to find myself pushed back when I open the door to go back downstairs, my body pressed up against the sink as a set of lips are thrust upon my own. My eyes widen for a fraction of a second, before closing in content as a warm tongue darts into my mouth.
I groan as our tongues begin to duel, my hands reaching for slim hips, pulling a warm body against my own. Soft hands are on my cheeks as I'm held there with force, unable, and unwilling, to move as I'm kissed within an inch of my life.
When the need for oxygen becomes too much, my lips are deprived of the sweetness I will never get enough of, and slowly, I open my eyes to be faced with the beautiful orbs of none other than my blue-eyed blonde.
"What was that for?"I manage to croak out. She shrugs.
"I've just really wanted to do it since this morning, but hadn't got the chance since I couldn't get you alone."
"So, what, we're having sneaky make out sessions in the bathroom now?" I ask.
"Are you complaining?" She raises an eyebrow questioningly, and I shake my head.
"Definitely not..." I lean in, and just like that, things start to get heated again.
"Ahem..." We break apart to find Mel at the bathroom door, which was left wide open. Oops. She points to the door. "Quite a show you're putting on...You might want to close the door next time though, huh? Lucky it's just me and not Pam or Rob. Probably best not to give them a heart attack. That wouldn't be good..." She smirks at us.
"Uh... Yeah." I clear my throat. "We'll uh... We'll see you downstairs." I grab Spencer's hand and drag her out onto the landing where we start giggling as Mel enters the bathroom and closes the door.
She leans against one of the doors and sighs.
"Guess I'll see you downstairs then..." She looks at me as I say this.
"Yeah..." I go to make my way down, but am pulled back by our still-connected hands, into a final gentle kiss. "Go." I smile as she urges me to leave, walking to the top of the stairs before maintaining eye contact with her for as long as I can, as I make my way down.
When I return to the living room, everyone else is still in the same positions they were in when I left. Now though, it seems that Chase and Glen have been distracted by a game of slaps. The kids seem engrossed in their DVD, but honestly, it's quite entertaining to watch the boys. I catch Casey watching out of the corner of her eye too.
Spencer soon rejoins us, smirking subtly at me before sitting next to Casey, and suddenly, Glen decides to test Chase on his geographical knowledge.
"Hey, what's the capitol of Thailand?" I watch on silently as they continue their game.
"What? How would I know?"
"Wrong. It's Bangkok!" Just as he says it, he slams his fist into Chase's groin area with force, causing Chase to double over in pain and clutch his crying manhood.
Damn, he doesn't hold back, does he? Even I felt that one...
"Oww! Motherf –"
"Jar!" Casey shouts to him, as the kids are distracted by the volume and suddenness of Chase's cry.
"What? I never said it!" He throws one arm out to the side as the other remains between his legs.
"You were going to..." She throws him a serious look, and he sighs, reaching into his pocket before beckoning Lucy over.
"Here. Take it." She grins as she makes her way over to the jar, where she opens the lid and slips it in. Satisfied, she takes a seat beside Brooke again as the pair of them continue to watch the film.
I chuckle as the boys go back to their game, Chase determinedly defending his manhood with a cushion incase Glen decides to launch another surprise attack. Somehow, I don't think a cushion is going to ease the pain much...
Mel joins us a second later, sitting in the space beside me.
"So what'd I miss?" She asks universally, probably about the film, and Casey, Spencer and I just look at each other before erupting into giggles.
After dinner, there's a team effort in getting the four tents pitched. They're not that big. I think they're just two-man tents, but you could probably fit three in there, moreso if they're kids. We used to pitch three of them, and Rob and Pam slept in one, Dale and Chase in another, and Casey and myself in the last one. Rob got a good deal on them, so bought an extra one incase anything happened to the others. Good job he did, or it'd be a tight squeeze...
We're all camping out tonight with the exception of Pam, Rob and Annie. Dale tried to talk her around, but apparently when you even imply that a hormonal pregnant woman should change her mind about something, you get a swift blow to the head. According to her, asking her to sleep in a tent is completely selfish, as she would most likely have the worst night's sleeps, and wake up a tired cripple. Don't ask.
We stand back and admire our handiwork.
"Okay, so who's going where?" I ask.
"I'll have to stay with the kiddies, so we'll take this one." Dale unzips one of the tents, setting up their beds for the night.
"Well, I'm staying with you guys. There's no way I'm staying with the nutcracker..." Glen sniggers as Chase climbs in after Dale with his pillow and a sleeping bag.
"Right, well then we'll take this one, will we?" I look down at Brooke, who looks at Lucy.
"But we wanted our own tent..." Lucy agrees and I look at Glen who shrugs.
"If they want their own tent, let them have it. They should be fine."
"I don't know, Brooke..."
"Pleeeeaaaseee?" The pair of them look up at me with sad faces. I look towards the others for help, but get nothing. Sighing, I relent.
"Fine."
"Yes!" The pair of them clamber into the tent.
"We'll take this one!" Casey and Mel lay claim on the penultimate tent, leaving myself, Spencer, and Glen for the final tent. Great.
"Well... As much as I love my sister, I'd rather not share a tent with her. Sorry, sis..."
"Oh, it's fine. Really." She pulls a face at the prospect of having to bunk with him.
Glen walks over to the tent that Mel and Casey are occupying and climbs in.
"Move over, snuggle buddies. We've got one more!"
"Oh, great!" Spencer and I smile at the protests we hear coming from their tent. Well this has actually turned out quite nicely...
I unzip the last tent and gesture for Spencer to enter first and claim her spot, following soon after to set my own bed up.
Cute. She's picked the side where I would normally sleep, but I'm guessing she's done it so I can sleep facing her without hurting my shoulder. I haven't really been able to sleep on it comfortably. I should definitely be comfortable tonight though...
Once everyone is satisfied with the sleeping arrangements and has their bed set up for the night, we congregate around the campfire lit by Dale and toast marshmallows.
Brooke is to my left, and once I'm satisfied my marshmallow is perfectly toasted, I wave it in front of her face for her to eat.
"Mmmm." She throws me a huge smile and then brings hers in front of me. Oh dear, it looks very burnt...
Regardless, I accept it, and it tastes disgusting. Despite this, I smile and force out a satisfied noise, nodding my head. As soon as her head is turned, I turn my own head over my shoulder and spit the charcoal from my mouth, earning a slight chuckle from Spencer who is sat almost opposite me, and seems to have been watching the whole time. I make a face at her, which makes her giggle some more, before popping another marshmallow on my stick. This time, I'll be eating this one...
After a couple more marshmallows, which I have to share with Brooke as she refuses to do her own as she insists they're 'disgusting', I lift my gaze to Spencer again. She's already looking at me, smiling sweetly, though a second later, there's a glint in her eye as she starts to toast another marshmallow. I keep watching her, forgetting about my own as she captivates me completely.
Without warning, still maintaining eye contact, she lifts the marshmallow to her mouth and bites half of it slowly, closing her eyes as she swallows, then licks her lips. Then, she smiles as she pops the other half into her mouth, taking her time as she sucks it equally slowly, off the end of the stick. I swallow audibly as I watch on. I know what she's doing, the tease.
"Ash!" I'm brought back to reality by a distressed Brooke calling me from my side. "You ruined it!" she points and I follow her line of sight. Looks like I killed my marshmallow. Oops.
I look back to Spencer briefly to catch her smirking at me.
"It's fine... We'll just do another." I smile at Brooke as I pull the remains of the unfortunate marshmallow off the end of the stick and attach a fresh one in its place.
This one will not be burnt. I narrow my eyes at Spencer as I hold the stick out to the flame. This time though, I keep an eye on it, and pull it back in front of Brooke for her to take it. She bites it off the end of the stick.
"Well?" She makes a face as she chews and swallows, before turning to me and smiling.
"Perfect!"
Once the fire is doused, we get the kids washed and ready for bed. Dale gets changed too, deciding to go to sleep at the same time as Max and Emily so they settle alright in the tent. When the girls are tucked in, the rest of us chill in the house for a while to let them get over to sleep, satisfied that Dale's out there with them anyway.
It's already quite late though, so after about half an hour, we decide to get ready for bed ourselves, quietly making our way into our five star accommodation for the night, careful not to wake the kids as we d so.
Before getting into our own tents, we check on the girls, who are soundly sleeping with their little torch on. I smile as I reach into the tent and switch the torch off before placing it down again, giving Brooke a quick kiss on the forehead as I back out and zip the tent shut again.
Once we're all settled in our own tents, we say our goodnights.
I close my eyes, ready to drift off when I feel something hit my nose. I open my eyes to see Spencer grinning at me. I raise my eyebrows in question and she flicks my nose with her finger. I narrow my eyes at her before flicking her nose in return. She does it once more, before I poke her in the stomach, and she smiles before poking me back. Our duel goes on for another few seconds before I lift the covers off and straddle her, tickling her sides. Thank goodness we've brought our bed sheets instead of opting for sleeping bags; less noise.
She's biting her lip below me, laughter threatening to escape. I lower my head to her ear, before whispering quietly.
"Shhhhh..." Before I can pull back, Spencer grabs my face and brings my lips to hers.
It takes all I have not to make a sound. My arms are now holding me up, my hands having stopped their tickling.
My left hand finds solace on her cheek, as hers is on my neck, her right making its way down to the hem of my vest. When she lifts it slightly to rake her fingers over my stomach, I gasp slightly, managing to keep quiet enough to not startle the others as the muscles of my stomach contort as a result of Spencer's movements. I start to kiss her neck as my own hand travels down to stroke across her torso.
Soon, she pulls my face back up to hers to connect our lips once more, her hand reaching around to my waist, where she applies a pressure with her nails. As our tongues continue to duel, I feel her hand move slowly back to my stomach, before trailing lower and hooking one finger under my shorts, and subsequently, my underwear, tugging gently.
I pull away slightly at this, staring down at her to silently question her actions. She's just staring intensely back at me, eyes dark and hungry. Well shit.
I pause for a second as I wait for the wave of doubt to hit me.
It doesn't come.
In its place, is a cloud of desire, and something else I can't quite place at this moment in time, but my legs are suddenly weak, and my heart, racing, my want for her multiplying with every second that passes.
I know it then.
I want her. No, I need her.
I know we've only known each other for less than a month, but when you have a connection like this with someone, and are forced to spend almost every waking hour with them over a long period of time such as this, fighting your emotions can be very difficult. I tried. I really did, and I managed for a while, until it all got too much that night at the lake. Since then, the feelings I have for Spencer seem to have multiplied at a rapid pace, and show absolutely no signs of stopping soon.
She makes me feel alive.
And I love it.
I lower my lips to Spencer's again, her grip on my shorts tightening.
"Aww, Jesus Christ!" That was definitely Casey. Shit! For a while there, I'd forgotten exactly where we were...
I climb off a flushed Spencer and get under my own sheets again.
"What happened?" I call out as we try to compose ourselves, the heat not having lessened any.
"Glen just farted, and he seriously reeks! God, why is it so hot in here?" Spencer and I both start shaking from laughter, hearing Chase laugh along with us. "Oh God, I think I just swallowed some..." This just makes us laugh some more.
"Dude... Were you eating eggs? I think I can taste it from the next tent over." Ah, Chase... Ever the comedian.
"Oh my God... That's disgusting! I sure hope Pam has some gas masks handy..." I guess Mel's been hit by a whiff too.
"I think I'm going to boke..." Please don't, Casey. If you start, we'll all start.
"Aww, come on, it isn't that bad!" There's a pause. "See?"
"Did you just lift the covers up to smell your own fart? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Lucky the kids are all asleep, so no one gets conned out of their hard earned cash.
I take this moment to whisper quietly to Spencer.
"That habit better not run in the family..." She smiles and shakes her head.
There's some fumbling and muttering outside before we hear the zip of their tent being pulled up. A few seconds later, it's our tent's zip going up, and Casey makes her way inside carrying a pillow.
"Guys, I'm staying with you tonight. There is no way I'm staying in an enclosed space like that with Stinko." Great, Casey's joining us now.
She squeezes in between Spencer and myself, splitting the pair of us up, much to my disappointment.
"God, why's it so warm in here?" Spencer and I look at each other sheepishly, Casey luckily being preoccupied with fluffing her pillow.
"I'm staying here too." Oh, Mel's here too, yay... "Your brother is repulsive." She throws her pillow up towards the other side of Spencer at the side of the tent, before settling under Spencer's single cover with her, throwing me a subtle wink. I would probably be jealous if I didn't know she wasn't a threat, but I know she's totally toying with me right now.
"Aww, come on! Don't leave me here all on my own!" Glen complains.
"Yeah, come back to me when you can control your ass. Or better yet... Find a cork. I'd gladly help you shove it up there, nice and tight." I look at Casey then.
"You'd shove a cork up his ass?" She stares back at me. "You would actually touch his ass?" She looks speechless for a second as both Spencer and Mel snigger.
"What? No. I'd... I wouldn't... It's a figure of speech, okay?" I simply arch an eyebrow at this.
"Ah well... More room for me then. Hey, I might even take my clothes off and sleep naked..." Oh God, no.
"Jesus! If he's not up before us in the morning, I claim I'm not the one who's waking him up..." We all look at Casey before looking at each other.
"It's fine, we'll just send Chase," I suggest.
"I'm still awake, you know! And I sure as hell won't be going near him if he's naked..."
"Relax guys! I'm not actually going to strip. You thought I was being serious? Uh, hell no. I have to charge people to see my naked body it's that hot."
"Pffft, yeah, well I'd gladly pay millions to not see it!" I blurt out, much to the delight of the others.
"Burned!" Chase shouts from his tent.
"Shut up, man. Hey, Ashley, you're just jealous."
"Jealous? Why would I be jealous? I've got a tent with three beautiful ladies, and what have you got? Oh yeah; a tent full of farts..." This causes the others to laugh even more now.
"Well... I..." He pauses for a second. "Yeah, I've got nothin'..." Game, set, and match!
"Goodnight, Glen!"
"Yeah, yeah... Night." There's a moment of silence as we all lie looking up towards the top of the tent, before Casey breaks it.
"Well... Isn't this cosy?" Yes. 'Cosy'. That's exactly what I'd call it. I definitely wouldn't call it 'frustrating'.
It's going to take me some time to get over to sleep tonight...
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A/N – Did it get hot in here for a second, or was that just me? I'm bumping the rating up to M next chapter. Just letting you guys know. No, nothing will happen, but just to be safe ;)
