The bathwater was steaming hot as the two sat in the tub and relaxed. Arya lathered a towel with soap and thoroughly scrubbed Gendry's chest. As Arya washed him, her fingers accidentally grazed against his skin and Gendry chuckled in response, and then settled comfortably against her chest while she bathed him. With meticulous precision, Arya then cleaned Gendry's hands. One by one, each finger was paid special attention before she moved to the next digit. Extreme concentration radiated from Arya's line of vision as she focused on the task in front of her.
Gendry closed his eyes in relaxation as he let Arya do her work. His head lolled on her chest as he melted into her touch. They were soaking in aromatherapy and his muscles became less and less tense as the seconds passed. He had needed this. For weeks, Gendry's body ached all over and he needed to decompress.
To get some extra money, Gendry had been helping out a buddy of his pack and move out homes and businesses. The work hadn't been that hard, or so he thought. Over time, the stress from all of the heavy lifting eventually began to bother him. It wasn't the lifting that had agitated Gendry per se, but rather the fact that he had been improperly lifting the objects. He had no idea that he was supposed to lift with his knees and not his back.
After Arya was finished with his fingers, she then began to clean his arms. As if it weighed nothing, she lifted one of Gendry's arms in the air and wiped it down until she was satisfied that it was clean enough to her liking. When she moved to the next arm, she repeated the same actions as before. Her attention was then moved to his back after she finished with his arms. Rather than simply wash it, Arya also massaged his back as well. Gendry groaned in appreciation as Arya concentrated on loosening his muscles. Expert fingers dug into his tender muscles until they had slackened and became supple.
Firm hands pressed up Gendry's back, and then delicately encircled his neck before Arya's fingers fell to his shoulders. The pressure of her rub increased and Gendry was caught between pain and pleasure at her ministrations.
Arya kissed him on the forehead, and then on the ear and Gendry leaned into the touch of her lips.
"I had no idea you were this affectionate," Gendry teased. "Or am I just special."
Arya rolled her eyes, and then picked up a towel, dipped in the water, and wrung it out over his head.
"No, you're just stupid," she said warmly.
"I guess that means really I'm special," he boasted confidently as the water ran down his face, which earned him a pinch in the side.
Gendry gazed at her, and then settled against her chest again as she leaned back on the wall of the tub. They sat in silence as Arya unnecessarily wiped Gendry's face with the towel.
The experience was a unique one for Arya. This was not the first time she had shared a tub with a man, but this was her first time actually bathing another person. The act had a certain intimate feel about it as she touched Gendry in a non-sexual manner. They were naked and their skin was touching, but she wasn't trying to have sex. Arya was content with how they were: touching, but not fucking.
A grin played on her lips as she lathered the towel up again, and then let the cloth gradually descend down Gendry's body as Arya directed it to its destination: his cock. He moaned and thrust his hips up ever so slightly as Arya cleaned his genitals. Chapped lips grazed her chin and Arya hid a smile while she finished. Gendry pecked his way up to her lips before sliding a tongue in her mouth and pulling her closer. In response, Arya grabbed his shoulder to pull him closer as well, and then sucked on his bottom lip.
"You're evil," Gendry commented after he broke away, and then took the towel from her and cleaned his legs.
Arya grinned at his accusation.
"And so what if I am," she countered. Briefly, she ran her fingers though his hair while he scrubbed his legs. For a moment, Gendry stopped what he was doing and looked at her, and then shook his head before he finished wiping his legs down.
"Come on, Cruella," Gendry gestured for them to switch positions. Arya obliged and got up to get in front of Gendry as he simultaneously slid behind her, so his back was against the wall.
With strong hands, Gendry massaged her shoulder and Arya purred in approval. She had no idea that her body was so tense until Gendry began to work on her muscles. In tranquil quietness, he massaged Arya and her body started to loosen up for him.
Without looking, Arya reached over the edge of the tub and felt around for her watch. After checking the time, she leaned back onto Gendry's chest and sighed as he squeezed her breasts.
"When are you leaving?"
"Now," she replied as she slowly stood up.
Arya stepped out of the tub and picked up a towel from the floor to dry herself. She looked back and saw that Gendry's head disappear under the water before reappearing again.
"I'll call you later." As Arya was leaving the room, Gendry tugged on her towel, and then looked up at her. "What?"
Gendry smirked, and then raised an eyebrow as his arm hung over the tub. Arya was about to reiterate that she needed to leave for work the next day when she realized what he wanted. She leaned down to place a quick kiss on his mouth and Gendry gripped the top of her towel to hold her in place and deepen the kiss.
While Arya drove home her fingers lingered on her lips in a sense of wonder.
The next day, with a smile plastered on her face, Arya walked into the office after her lunch break.
"How was lunch with the boyfriend," Francisco inquired.
Even though Arya knew he was teasing her, she still reminded him, "Gendry is not my boyfriend."
"Sure, he isn't," he said sarcastically before giving her an exaggerated wink.
Arya's phone vibrated in her pocket and she took the device out and checked it. Gendry. Quickly, she responded to him, and then put her phone away.
Francisco laughed.
"You know, you have two different facial expressions, " her co worker began. "One for Gendry and one for everyone else."
Arya looked down to hide the blush that was slowly creeping upon her face. "No I don't."
"Yes, you do." Francisco rested his elbows on his desk as he hands held his head up. "He clearly makes you happy, so what's the issue?"
Concerning her relationship status with Gendry or, lack thereof, there wasn't an issue. A while back, Gendry had stated that he was interested in being with her; it was her reluctance to enter into another relationship that interfered with a potential relationship. When Arya explained her hesitance to get into an exclusive relationship, Gendry didn't agree, but he understood her reasons and respected her need to remain single. Commitment had never been a problem for her, despite her desire to be single. Arya had dated Ned for two years and was with Aegon for fours before getting engaged.
It was the expectations of others that dissuaded her from entering into something serious again. For the life of her, Arya couldn't understand why people wanted her to be someone she wasn't or to have desires that weren't her own. At the same time, she wasn't sure what she wanted, but it wasn't whatever they were trying to force her to be. Their expectations added unnecessary pressure to her relationship and, perhaps, Arya shouldn't have been so concerned with the opinions of others regarding her dating life, but she often wondered did her boyfriends want what others had voiced? As enjoyable as her relationships had been, neither Ned nor Aegon were guys she could imagine spending the rest of her life with and it was no fault of their own. She had loved the both of them, but she feared that the two of them loved her way more than she ever loved them.
There were couples where one person doesn't love their partner as much as their partner loves them, but they want to. Sometimes, there is an imbalance of affection or devotion, but it isn't because the love isn't there—it just is. With Arya, she believed that the love was there, but not in the same way. She had loved Ned, but she had never been in love with him. He had loved her way before she was interested and long after she left; there was never any long-term future for them like the plans he had in mind. For a fact, Arya knew that she had been in love with Aegon and it was none of that cliché bullshit like bad timing. The timing had been right for them, but she had gotten everything she could out of that relationship. Aegon played his part in her life and it was time for her to move on. Of course, a part of her will always love and care for him, but not enough to want to stay in the relationship or rekindle it.
"Expectations," Arya offered. "I just want to enjoy something without people expecting anything more out of it than what is advertised. That ruins the fun."
Francisco looked at Arya as if he were examining her, and then nodded his head after a beat. "Well…while you are having fun, don't assume that he is having fun as well; sooner or later he may want something more…concrete. Don't enjoy yourself too much to a point where you let another woman present herself as a viable alternative."
Arya gave him a hard stare. "You don't me and you don't know Gendry, so keep your opinions to yourself."
The man smirked at her. "I know enough," he provided as he shrugged. "I don't need to know all that complicated shit because it's all the same when you boil it down. Every relationship is made of the same basic ingredients. It's how you mix them that determines success or failure." Francisco leaned back in his chair. "That advice you just gave me you should take for yourself. All other people's expectations are is just their opinions and beliefs on your relationship—it has nothing to do with what happens between you and whomever you choose to date. How can you easily dismiss what I say, but invest in their words because you know them? You aren't dating them and they don't clearly don't know you that well if they expect things of you that you have no interest in."
"Why do you care so much," Arya's expression softened as she crossed her arms.
"I don't," he answered. "You're not in a relationship for me to care for, but you shouldn't place so much value on others people's expectations and opinions if want they want is a clear contradiction to who you are as a person. If you want to have fun, then have fun, but don't let anyone else's opinion about what you are doing interfere with what you want. At the end of the day, you are the one in that relationship, not them."
The conversation was still stuck in Arya's head a week later. As she walked to the hotel room door, she replayed every word that was said. Lightly, she knocked as she waited for someone to answer.
All of Arya's life, she never cared what others thought of her. Well, a piece of her did, but she never took too much stock in their words because she knew who she was and she wasn't going to change herself to please others. So, why did she think so highly or their opinions now? Did she want people to approve of her choices? Did she want to be judged for having interests, opinions, and behaviors different from those around her?
"Arya!" Ygritte threw her hands up as if to signal a touchdown when she saw Arya on the other side of the door. Quickly, she took a gulp of her beer, and then dragged her fiancée's little sister threw the door. "We were wondering when you were going to show up."
"I'm only twenty minutes late," Arya took a beer out of the cooler and picked up a bottle opener to pop off the cap.
"If you aren't early, you're late," Ygritte plopped on the couch and patted for Arya to sit next to her. In response, Arya rolled her eyes and sat next to the bride to be.
Jon and Ygritte had been breaking up and making up for years. It was apparent that there were in love with one another, but their different personalities caused them to clash at times and made it hard for them to be together. From the very beginning, it had been obvious that Ygritte was invested in the relationship, but Jon wasn't sure as to how he should handle a serious commitment. He seemed to be more in a relationship with the army than he was with Ygritte. They would have a good time together every once in a while, but he was never truly committed to her. In a fit of fury, Ygritte had given him the ultimatum: be more involved in their relationship or she was leaving.
She had left.
After their first break up, they never seem to be able to stay together longer than a few months. It was always a new issue. Ygritte was too wild, Jon was too serious, they were too far apart geographically, and so on. The longest they had ever been apart was when Jon got into a serious relationship with another woman, which resulted in an engagement. It took some maturing and deep soul searching for the two to finally find their way back to one another and put an honest effort into their relationship.
The girls consumed copious amounts of alcohol and threw money at the male strippers.
"Woo, take it off," Ygritte yelled before barking at the stripper. Arya and Sansa made faces at her before breaking out in laughter. The bride to be shrugged, "What? I have to get it out of my system, right?"
A dark haired stripper with ripped abs danced in front of Arya as she tucked a few singles in the band of his underwear. He began to provocatively roll his hips in her direction as Arya watched appreciatively.
In the corner, Sansa innocently danced with the third stripper. She was trying to break loose and have fun, but it felt wrong to be in this type of environment. The only reason Sansa has came was because her sister and friends really wanted her to be there.
After the strippers left, the women played some games and chatted for a few hours. Most of the women had left, besides Ygritte, only Sansa, Arya, Jeyne, and Margaery remained. They went to the downstairs casino because the party wasn't over, despite the strippers and most of the women leaving.
Sansa wasn't having any luck and decided to stop, so she wouldn't lose any more money. Margaery was doing fairly well, but her hand wasn't as hot as she would have liked. Jeyne stuck to the slots and stopped gambling once her money ran out. She had made a little profit during her time at the machines. Ygritte would win large sums of money, bet it all, lose it, and then wash, rinse, and repeat.
Unlike the rest of the girls, Arya was having better luck. From time to time, she gambled with her co-workers and was great at determining when she should and shouldn't play her hand. It was all a numbers game. You had to learn when to fold, bet it all, take a step back, and lose a little money in order to really make money. Arya supposed that life was the same. You can't expect a profit in something you don't invest in.
"Uh, I hate you," Ygritte said as she stared at the younger woman's chip stacks. A chuckle escaped Arya's mouth as she lit her cigar and inhaled deeply.
"I'm flattered by your jealousy," Arya said before blowing out smoke rings.
Ygritte pouted. "This isn't fun anymore; let's go."
"It's your party." Arya collected her chips and went to go cash them before joining the other girls.
The party of five ended up at a pancake house. Both Arya and Ygritte stuffed their faces as the other girls watched with a mixture of disgust and intrigue. In less than five seconds, Ygritte gulped down her orange juice and ordered another one.
"Can you bring back another cup of coffee as well," Arya added before chewing on a piece of bacon.
"Honestly, I never thought I would marry Jon," Ygritte admitted To Arya. "Well, I haven't yet, but I didn't think he would propose. You know, Jon and I had been together longer than Robb and Jeyne when they got married, but Jon was never sure or it was always 'too much was going on'. Then he got engaged to you know who after we broke up for the hundredth time." The redhead had rolled her eyes as she thought back to Jon's former fiancée. She stuffed some eggs in her mouth and chewed as she spoke, "When we got back together, I didn't know what to expect. I mean, I know Jon said he was serious this time around and knew what he wanted, but we had broken up so many times that I just thought I was the familiar route. For a while, I had been jealous of you."
Arya looked at her soon to be sister in law and laughed. "Why?"
The waitress arrived and gave Ygritte and Arya their drinks.
"Why?" Ygritte stared incredulous at Arya. "You had this hot, insanely intelligent guy who was crazy about you and wanted to marry you. He accept you for who you were—loved it even." After some thought, she added, "Jon has always loved me for who I was, but he has learned to stop caring what other people thought and let me be who I am without worrying about how people feel. Or what society thinks. Aegon never cared."
"Well, as you can see, we didn't get married," Arya stated nonchalantly. "You should have been jealous of Sansa. Her and Willas actually got married."
"The simple act of being engaged wasn't what made me jealous," she explained. "It was the fact that you were a wild child like me in many ways. You know what it is like to be misunderstood and did whatever you wanted and Aegon loved it all. I thought that if someone could embrace and love your flaws, then surely someone could do the same with me. I knew Jon was the one, but he was just so damn stubborn." Ygritte began to tear up and wiped her eyes and said exaggeratedly, "Look at me being an overly emotional woman."
Sansa extended her hand and grabbed Ygritte's forearm.
"Hey, stop crying," she said softly with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "This is your last night of being a bachelorette…enjoy it."
Ygritte smiled back. "I am. Strippers, naughty games, poker, and food—a girl couldn't ask for more." The women laughed. "I always thought that my bachelorette party would be raunchier than this. What exactly did I have planned—no clue, but I just wanted it to be unforgettable. But, I had the most AMAZING bachelorette party planned for Arya before she had called off the wedding," Ygritte shook her head at the lost opportunity.
"I bet you did," Arya grinned.
"So, why did you call the wedding off?" The other three women groaned at Ygritte's question. "What?"
Margaery looked at Arya then Ygritte. "Arya doesn't even know why she called the wedding off. Every time we ask her it's always some bullshit answer."
Arya threw a cut up piece of pancake at Margaery.
"Hey!"
"You know it's true, Arya," Jeyne added. "'Not this' is not a good answer as to why you couldn't marry Aegon."
Sansa raised her hand in order to silence the women. "Yes, 'not this' is a vague answer, but Arya clearly wasn't ready for marriage. She looked very stressed when they got engaged and, if you ask me, she's looked happier than she's ever been since they split."
Jeyne nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you do have a glow about you that was missing while you were engaged."
"Was it that same glow that was missing while she was with Ned," Ygritte proposed with a glint in her eyes before sipping her juice.
Arya glared at Ygritte.
"What?" She laughed, and then leaned her head back against the seat cushion. Her eyes drifted shut as she spoke. "Ned was such a nice guy and he was so sweet. I remember how I used to think that you two had such a solid relationship, and then the night of the Halloween party made me reconsider."
Margaery raised an eyebrow. "What Halloween party?"
"It was that Halloween you got sick with the stomach virus," Sansa reminded and the girl made at face at the memory.
"Let's not go down that road by re-living the memory," Margaery stared at her food strangely before pushing it away. "So what happened?"
Sansa turned to her friend. "I never told you?"
"No," Margaery replied. "You never told me about the Halloween party."
"You are kidding," Sansa said in disbelief.
"No," Ygritte said excitedly. "I have to tell this story." There was a moment of quiet so Ygritte could gather herself. "So, Jon and I threw this INCREDIBLE Halloween party and after it was over, we had a small after party. It was Jon and I, Robb, Jeyne, Sansa, Willas, Arya, and Ned."
Arya groaned and sat her head in her hands.
"We were playing cards and asking about everyone's first kiss," Margaery looked intrigued as she glanced over to Arya to in curiosity. "And everyone was talking about their boring first kisses and Arya was laying on the floor drinking out of a Vodka bottle So, Ned tells us that he and Arya had their first kiss together and it was a little tongue. Now, no one at the time knew that Arya was drunk off her ass." Arya looked as if she was going to dispute Ygritte's claim, but thought better of it. Why deny the truth? She had been drunk off her ass. "She gets up and it like 'Wait! Just a little tongue? We almost had sex.'"
Margaery gasped and looked at Arya. "Arya! You almost had sex during your first kiss," she aid in a scandalous tone.
"Hold on, it gets better—or worse," Ygritte grinned. "Ned denies this and they go back and forth. Arya says that almost had sex and Ned says they didn't. So, Arya says that she asked him to kiss her because they were friends or some bullshit like that and how they were taking each other clothes off and shit and that she was fifteen."
"But, wasn't she at that camp?" Margaery looked confused.
Ygritte snapped, and then and pointed at her, "Exactly! Arya's first kiss was with another guy who she almost had sex with. Arya was SO drunk off her ass that she mixed up the two and Ned got upset."
Margaery exaggeratedly gasped, "Arya!" She hit the woman on her arm. "You naughty girl." Arya rolled her eyes and stuffed more food into her mouth.
"Poor kid, when I looked in his eyes, I could see the future he had planned for you two," Jeyne said as she thought of Ned.
"I think everyone could," Sansa responded.
"Who was the guy?" Ygritte asked as the other ladies stared at Arya expectantly.
"Just some guy at camp," Arya said in a neutral tone.
A boisterous laugh filled the air as tears streamed from Ygritte's face. She was partially drunk, tired, and had a caffeine buzz going on as well.
"Just some guy," she repeated. "For just some guy, you are awfully secretive about him. And you almost had sex with him. Just some guy my ass."
"We got carried away," Arya shrugged, and then sipped her coffee. "Nothing happened after that," she lied.
There was a sea of contradicting emotions Arya felt about that night and Gendry in general. Without a doubt, Arya adored Gendry—he was her favorite person in the world, but his presence in her life was problematic. If they had been just friends rather pretending what they felt back then was purely platonic, Arya wouldn't have any issues talking about him. But, the line had been crossed way back when and his age had posed a huge problem. Yes, she was older now and legal to do whatever the hell she wanted to, but opening that can of worms started a conversation she didn't want to have. It wouldn't have matter what she said or how she explained it, no one would have believed that Gendry didn't take advantage of her, except Yoren and those at the camp.
Despite the way things had ended when Gendry had left, every other memory Arya had had of him were filled with warm feelings. Her family would taint that. They would make it seem as if Gendry had been a predator and she had been his prey. They would take his one major slip up as him being an untrustworthy guy. Arya cared too much for Gendry to put him in that position.
Arya trusted Ygritte, but not when it came to Jon. She would tell her soon to be husband and the family would find out. Sansa wouldn't understand and would be judgmental, but it would eventually get back to her parents by some unfortunate accident. Jeyne would tell Robb and Margaery would tell Sansa, so Arya told no one. A secret is the safest when only a few people knew it, which were only she and Gendry. Well, the identity was a secret, not the act itself.
Ygritte looked at Arya in suspicion.
"You don't just get carried away," Ygritte contradicted in disbelief. "I mean, if he was 'just' your friend. Now, if you had a thing for him, it's entirely possible."
"Well, he was hot," Arya conceded. "Rugged looks and smoking body—always walked around shirtless. Hell, even the camp therapist had admired his…physique."
Fascinated, Margaery raised an eyebrow. "So, did you ever sleep with this smoking hot guy?"
"I told you—" Margaery cut her off.
"No, I'm not talking about at the camp, but after you left," she explained. "Did you two ever run into each or something and resolve the unfinished business."
Momentarily, Arya contemplated how much information she should give. The ladies didn't know anymore than her and Gendry almost having sex and her vague description of him. She thought 'what the hell' and answered the question.
"Yes," she grinned.
"Ooh," Jeyne leaned forward. "Details."
"NO!"
"So, it must have been recently, like, after you broke up with Aegon," Sansa pieced together.
"That's not necessarily true," Arya denied, and then tried to pick off of Ygritte's plate before having her hand slapped away.
"Yes, it is," Sansa countered. "You were home all summer when you got back and, when you weren't with us, you were with Ned and Mycah. Then you went away to school and spent all of your time with Ned who you dated for two years. After you broke up with him, you went through that period where you didn't want to be bothered with guys. When you got over that, you were with Aegon for four years. Unless, you cheated on Ned or Aegon, I don't see how you could have slept with the mystery guy somewhere in that timeline."
Arya raised her eyebrows, and then grinned. "No, I said that I didn't want to date, not that I didn't want to be bothered with guys," she clarified.
Sansa raised widened her eyes in shock.
"So…" her older sister trailed off.
"So, I had sex with guys that I wasn't in a relationship with," Arya answered. Sansa didn't mind pre-marital sex, but she believed that people should only have sex when they are in a relationship with one another.
"Why didn't you tell me?" The oldest Stark daughter looked to be interested in this new revelation.
"Because you can't hold water," Arya retorted. "I didn't want mom and dad to know that I was having no strings attached sex."
The waitress came by and picked up their plates before being instructed to keep the coffee coming.
"I can keep secrets." Arya laughed at her sister.
"No, you can't," she shot back. "But, I'm being misleading. You're right: I slept with the mystery guy after I broke up with Aegon. I only slept with one person after Ned and before Aegon, but we were lovers for a year."
Ygritte coughed on her food. "No fucking way," she exclaimed, and then raised her hand to high five Arya. "This is what I mean when I say that we are alike. A girl should be able to get a good fuck without always having to be in a relationship. And sometimes stranger sex is the best sex."
Arya slowly moved her head side to side as she weighed Ygritte's statement. "Yeah, sometimes. I had this one night stand after I called of the engagement it and it was the worst sex I ever had in my life," she provided. "The idea of it was freeing because I had felt trapped with Aegon, despite not knowing why, but the sex was atrocious. Even if the guy did want to see me again, I would have not been a repeat customer—hell, I wished I could have gotten a refund. That's how back the fuck was."
"It's really hit or miss," Ygritte laughed.
"It is," Arya sipped her coffee, and then pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She pulled out two and handed Margaery and Ygritte one each before pulling out her own. The flame from the zippo lighter burned brightly as she lit each cigarette.
Briefly, Margaery examined the cigarette in approval before exhaling, and then looking at Arya. "So, what was M like without the nitty gritty details?"
A while ago, Arya had figured out that Sansa and co lived vicariously through her. Well, not Ygritte because they were birds of the same feather, so she lived through herself. But, Sansa, Jeyne, and Margaery were traditional women who played their roles well. Although Margaery did some 'living' of her own, it was in secrecy. Her family would kill her if they thought she partook in the ways of fast women. Not only that, she was married as well. In a span of 12 years, Margaery had been married three times and divorced twice—all to Baratheon men.
As frustrated as Arya got with her parents, she thanked the Gods that her father never saw her as a business asset to move around as he pleased.
In thought, Arya brought her cigarette to her mouth and inhaled slowly. She tried to bite back a grin as the remembered Gendry's skills in bed. Her grin began to widen at the memories of the pleasure Gendry cultivated within her. As she exhaled, she answered. "Worth the wait." The girls didn't miss the twinkle in her eyes as she spoke.
After they left the pancake house, the women went back to the hotel room and went to sleep. Arya and Sansa shared a bed as well as Ygritte and Margaery and Jeyne slept on the couch.
Over the next few days, Arya schedule had been booked. There had been Jon's wedding and she was the maid of honor, which surprised her when Ygritte first told her. Then, she had to gather notes and write reports to give to a detective for an ongoing trail. This was in addition to working out an open case for a series of thefts in Winterfell. Luckily, she had caught a break in the case and they had arrested the suspect.
Arya just wanted to rest. She wanted to go to Gendry's place and fall asleep in his bed, preferably with him in the bed and going to sleep with her.
Firmly, she knocked on his door and waited for Gendry to answer.
"Hey," Gendry welcomed as he opened his door. Briefly, he took in Arya's appearance. "You look beat."
"Thanks, for noticing," she said exhaustedly, and then gave him a deep kiss. Gendry responded with the same amount of intensity before breaking away and placing a kiss on her lips one more time.
"No problem." He grinned at her, and then kissed her nose as his thumbs gently rubbed her temples. "If you aren't too tired, Hot Pie is making dinner and you know that there is more than enough for you."
Arya didn't need to be told twice.
Hungrily, she dug into her plate as Gendry and Hot Pie spoke about cars. If it was any other day, Arya would've joined them, but she was bone tired and just wanted to fill her belly, and then sleep like the dead. Tomorrow was her day off, so she could sleep in for as long as she wanted. And she would.
Almost as if she was having an orgasm in her mouth, Arya groan at the deliciousness of the food. Hot Pie had cooked baked chicken, mashed potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, and cornbread. To drink with the meal, there was some expensive wine and for dessert, there was blue berry pie.
Randomly, Hot Pie asked, "How long have you two been fucking?"
Gendry choked on his wine. Frantically, he tried to clear his pipes and went to go get a drink of water. In no time, he gulped down his glass of water and Arya continued to eat her food as if Hot Pie said nothing.
"We're not having sex," he denied, and then filled his cup with more water.
"So, you're dating?" Hot Pie sipped his wine and looked at Gendry expectantly.
"No," he denied adamantly.
"Seven months," Arya answered without looking away from her plate. "We've been fucking for seven months."
"Arya!" Gendry gave his lover an unbelieving look.
"What," she shrugged. "He clearly knows. It doesn't take a genius to piece together that something has been going on between us," she explained. "We always smell like each other; I either smell like your cologne or musk or you smell like my perfume. OR we smell like the same soap. I'm in your room a little too much and often spend a night in there. Hell, sometimes I even wear your clothes. He was bound to figure it out sooner or later."
Hot Pie burst out laughing as tears began to stream down his face. For a minute straight, he wouldn't stop laughing as Gendry stared at his friend like he two heads. Arya stole a piece of Gendry's chicken and finished it before cutting herself a slice of pie.
"What's so funny?" Gendry asked incredulously.
"I was just fucking with you when I asked about you and Arya," Hot Pie admitted as he cackled. Gendry turned stoplight red.
He looked at Arya. "Hot Pie didn't even know about us and you spilled the beans."
"No," Hot Pie inserted. "You spilled the beans. Arya confirmed it without a shadow of a doubt, but your overreaction pretty much said it all."
Arya turned to Gendry and stuck out her tongue.
"So, you didn't suspect anything before then?" Gendry crossed his arms and leaned against the kitchen sink.
"Well, sorta," the cook admitted. "I mean, but you two have always been closer than me and you or me and Arya. I figured you two may have fucked once or twice, but not for seven months. Seven Hells," Hot Pie laughed again. "I don't understand the secrecy though since you guys are just fucking."
A loud belch filled the room as Arya fork clanged against the plate and she got up to sit her dishes in the sink. As she walked away from the sink she grabbed Gendry. Over her shoulder she said, "Because we didn't want you to read too much into it and feel like a third wheel."
"Well, thanks for your consideration," he playfully mocked.
As the closed the door behind them, there was a click. Arya stripped down to her bra and underwear, and then helped Gendry out of his clothes. Tenderly, she peppered kisses against his skin as she unbuckled his pants. Gendry tilted her head up and captured her lips with his own. Passionately, she pulled his closer, and then smiled against his mouth. A while ago, Gendry joked that they could fuse together and he would still never be close enough to her liking. Of course, she called him a stupid bull, but now she surmised that he was right.
Even the times when he was inside her and she didn't know where he ended and she began, Arya desired to have him closer.
They fell into bed together as a mess of tangled limbs. Their lips never broke apart while they settled comfortably in the bed. From experience, Gendry knew that this wasn't going to lead to sex. Arya just wanted to be touched before she fell asleep. She just wanted to have him close.
A few minutes later, Arya fell asleep in cradled in Gendry's arms. His arms were wrapped tightly around her and he held her from behind. Contently, Arya snuggled further into her and a light snore fell from her lips.
In the morning, through all of the tossing and turning at night, Arya woke up with her head nestled on Gendry's chest and an arm and leg splayed over his body. Gendry's chin rested on her head and his hand was on her waist as if to keep her in place, which was most likely the case. He had such a small bed that she only reason she fit was because she was small herself.
With affectionate fingers, Arya traced invisible patterns on Gendry's stomach.
"That tickles," Gendry murmured into her hair.
"Does it," Arya matched his tone as she continued her ministrations.
"Yeah," he said as he kissed the top of her head.
As if Gendry didn't say anything, Arya continued to draw patterns on his stomach. She liked this: just her and Gendry lying in the bed on a Saturday morning.
Arya lifted her head off of Gendry's chest and pressed a kiss near his nipple, and then bit hard enough to elicit a hiss, but not enough to harm. Another kiss was pressed near his other nipple before Arya kissed her way up to Gendry's mouth. She then placed a wet smooch on his ear and Gendry grinned against her arm to hold back his laughter. This time, their lips met lazily as Arya's stomach fluttered for an unknown reason.
Their kiss had been tender and languid.
When they broke apart, Arya looked at him and asked, "Who was your first time?"
"Where did that come from?" Gendry chuckled, and then placed a kiss on her forehead. "And it's not like you know her anyways."
Arya rolled her eyes. "I'm curious. It doesn't matter if I know her or not. I just want to know—and I told you about Ned."
"I didn't ask about him though." Arya bit down hard on Gendry's lip and he snorted. "Okay, okay," he relented. "Her name was Danica and she was a quiet girl. We had spent a lot of time together and I liked her—she was smart and funny. And she was cute," he added as an afterthought. "When we had sex, it was clumsy and over it a matter of seconds. It had been a one time thing and neither one of us had looked too much into it. We both knew that our relationship would never amount to anything besides what it already was. It couldn't be."
"Why is that?" Arya's thumb caressed his hairline as she looked at him affectionately.
"Because she was fifteen," Gendry snorted trying to bite back his laughter. In response, Arya muffed him on his forehead.
"You're an ass, you know that," she said as she tried to get up, but Gendry grabbed her and held on tightly. "Gendry!"
Gendry guffawed as he tried to keep Arya in place. "I'm sorry; that was wrong of me." Arya still struggled. "I'm promise I will tell you the real story if you sit still."
For a few moments afterwards, Arya struggled until she tired herself out, and then relaxed in Gendry's arms.
"So," Gendry said loudly as he rubbed Arya's knee. "I had had moved back to King's Landing and had been there for a few months when a couple buddies and I decided to go to this bar called The Red Woman." Gently, he grabbed Arya's hand and held it between his hands. "I was 24 at the time and was just trying to have fun with the guys. As the guys and I are fucking around and getting shit faced, we see this gorgeous woman. Everything about her stood out from all of the other girls. She had bright red hair, was a few years older, a well portioned body—her dress was red too. But, the thing that stood out about her the most was her confidence. She walked as if she owned the place—later, I found out that she did. This woman just looked as if she could have whatever she wanted and you would give it to her just to make her happy."
In intrigue, Arya raised an eyebrow.
"In my mind, I had no chance with her. She was just too beautiful and I didn't have any experience with women besides kissing. Even then I had never really been the initiator," Gendry explained. "I mean, the furthest I had ever got to the point with any girl was with you."
"Really," Arya snuggled closer to Gendry.
"Yeah, really," he confirmed. "I have never been good at talking to girls even as friends." Gendry shrugged. "So, as we are talking, the woman walks over to us:
The five guys behaved rambunctiously as the redheaded woman stood in front of the table. They don't notice her at first.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," she said in a soft tone as she mysteriously grinned at the group.
"Hello, beautiful," a blond man responded as he reached for her hand and kissed it. The woman firmly pulled her hand from his grip, and then looked around the table before her eyes settled on Gendry.
"Hi," she retorted back to the man as her green eyes connected to blue eyes.
"Hey," the blond man said to get her attention. The redheaded woman kept staring at Gendry. "My name is Xavier, but my friends call me Hawk."
"Nice to meet you, Hawk." Again her eyes never broke contact from Gendry's. She smirked, and then pursed her lips at the dark-haired man. "And what is your name?"
Gendry gulped, and then stuttered, "G-Gendry."
"Gendry," she tried out the name as it rolled off of her tongue. "Hi Gendry, I'm Melisandre, but friends call me Mel."
Mel extended a hand for Gendry to shake and he stared at her hand blankly. The woman let her hand fall to her side and seemed to be flattered by Gendry's response to her.
"Your name sounds pretty," he choked out.
"Why, thank you," Mel looked Gendry up and down, and then reached down and grabbed his hand. "Join me for a drink."
"Okay," Gendry replied as Mel dragged him away.
Gendry and Mel had a few drinks in silence as Mel looked at her male companion as if he was dinner. When she got up, she took a hold of Gendry's shirt and made him follow her. Mel led him to an office, and then pulled keys out of her pocket before opening the door.
"You work here?" Gendry asked after Mel gradually pushed him on the couch. She straddled him soon afterwards before placing a moist kiss on his lips.
"You could say that," she lightly chuckled. "I own the bar."
"Oh, so you're the Red—" Mel's lips crushing against his cut off Gendry.
Mel pulled back abruptly and looked into his eyes. "Stop talking," she warned, and then bit his lip. Gendry complied with orders and he ended up on his back as she took off his shirt and had removed his pants.
When Mel sat on his cock, Gendry gasped.
"You like that?" Mel asked as she moved her hips and Gendry moaned in response.
Later on, as Mel got dress, she asked, "That was your first time, wasn't it?"
Gendry shook his head yes in response. His face was bright red as he looked everywhere except Mel.
A finger softly traced along Gendry's jawline before two fingers were placed under his chin, and then titled his head up to look at her. Mel's eyes had not a trace of mocking or disappointment.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of," she declared as she palmed his face and her thumbed caressed the skin just below the hairline. "You may not possess the skill of an experienced man, but your eagerness to please me made it very enjoyable."
Mel sat on Gendry's lap and kissed the younger man deeply as he timidly wrapped his arms around her. They broke away to catch their breaths and Mel looked into his eyes and her lips rubbed against Gendry's as she spoke.
"I want to see you again." Another moist kiss was placed on his lips. "Do you want to see me again?"
"Yeah," Gendry nodded as if he was in a trance.
"Good." Mel grinned as she got up, and then went over to her desk and wrote on a piece of paper. After she was finished, she handed it to Gendry. "I look forward to seeing you soon."
"So, did you call her back," Arya lips moved against Gendry's as she spoke.
"Yeah," he answered plainly. Arya raised her eyebrows as an indication to be more detailed. Gendry softly exhaled as he played in her hair. "We just had sex…I thought I would see her one more time and should would be done with me, but we ended up having sexual relations for four years."
"Did you like her," she inquired.
"Yeah, but not in that way." Gendry seemed to be lost in thought. "Mel was a very…interesting person and she was always so sure of herself. And she was very experienced. It was a real confidence booster that she chose me as her lover."
"Do you think she was interested in you romantically?"
Gendry laughed. "Mel? No," he denied. "Mel had higher aspirations than being in a relationship with a bastard mechanic."
"She owned a bar," Arya stated. "Not to shit on her aspirations, but unless she was trying to open up a chain of bars or something, I don't think she had any right to look down on you."
"Mel didn't look down on," he defended. "And she never made me feel bad about myself—she actually supported me. She owned the bar as a hobby. I mean, she ran the thing pretty damn well, but she was involved in big business. She was the advisor of Stannis Baratheon."
"Really?" Arya rolled over onto her back as she looked at Gendry.
"And his mistress as well," he grinned. "He was the one who gave her money to open the bar. It was her who resurrected Stannis' company from the dead."
"Now, this story has gotten infinitely more interesting," Arya, remarked as Gendry played with her panty line. "You were fucking the mistress of Stannis Baratheon—wow, Gendry, what else haven't you told me?"
Gendry rolled his eyes.
Hours later, Arya left Hot Pie's and Gendry's apartment and went home. Rather than go to the guesthouse, she went to the main house to visit her father.
"Hey, dad." Arya kissed his bearded face before pulling a chair up to sit next to him.
"Hey yourself," Ned said as he sign his name on a document, and then put it in a manila folder before depositing the folder in his desk.
In silence, Arya watched her father work as she sat next to him. Arya cherished the moments where she could be near her father and didn't have to say or do anything, she could just be. Over the years, she was reaching that type of relationship with her mother, but Ned always had a better understanding of his daughter than Catelyn did. One minute Arya would talk to you and the next, she just wanted to be near you.
Ned typed up a few documents, made a couple of calls, and wrote some notes before calling it quits for the day. Arya helped him put some folders away as Ned made sure everything was in order.
"Are you bringing someone to the barbeque next week," Ned asked causally as he turned his swivel chair to face his daughter.
"Uh, yeah," she misunderstood. "I invited Ned and Mycah, but I could ask a few other people if them want to come."
Ned smiled to himself. "No, I mean like a special someone," he clarified. "Your mother has reached the conclusion that you have a secret boyfriend and I can't say that I blame her."
"Well, sorry to disappoint, but there is no 'secret boyfriend'," the young woman made air quotes as she dismissed his inquiry. "I've introduced the family to the two WHOLE boyfriends that I have had. Why would I start keeping them a secret now?"
"I don't know," he supplied. "But, you have a very secretive nature, so it's not like you can fault us. You dated Ned for about four months before casually telling us that you were in a relationship. And after saying that you were dating round, you bring Aegon over for dinner and announce that you two had been dating for five months."
Arya popped some candy in her mouth and stared at her father in rebellious disbelief. "I was just trying to see how the relationship worked out. I don't want to introduce to you every guy I date, and then we break up three days later."
"Is that what you are doing now?" Ned raised an eyebrow and grinned at his daughter.
"No," she shot down. "I'm not dating anyone."
Ned gave his daughter one last look before dropping the subject.
Later on that night, Arya and her siblings decided to go to midnight bowling in downtown Winterfell.
Robb was in the lead, but Arya was a close second while Sansa, Bran, and Rickon moved in and out of third interchangeably. Jon would have been with them, but he was still on his honeymoon.
After Arya bowled a strike, she looked at Robb and shot an invisible arrow at him before sipping her beer. Robb staggered back as if he was shot, and then laughed at his little sister's competitive nature. He knew that the next time they played, that Arya would beat him and it wouldn't be because he let her.
As she watched Bran bowl, Arya pulled out a cigarette and lit it. She recalled her conversation with her father form earlier.
Aloud she asked, "Am I secretive?"
Her siblings said without hesitation, "Yes."
"How?" Arya asked loudly as she looked at her youngest brother.
"How are you now," Rickon laughed as he picked up his ball.
"Is there anything wrong with holding my cards close to my chest," she rhetorically asked, and then puffed on her cigarette again.
"Also known as being secretive," Robb smirked. Arya rolled her eyes, and then glared at her eldest brother.
"Just because I don't broadcast everything about my life does not mean I am secretive. You guys don't need to know my every action," she defended.
Sansa sipped her drink, and then offered her input, "No, you are very secretive, Arya. Gods, you told me a week ago that you had a lover for a year only to prove that I didn't know everything about your love life."
"Whoa," Bran said as he looked at Arya. "You had a lover!"
Arya took another puff, and then exhaled before focusing her eyes on Sansa. "Like I told last week: you can't hold water."
Out of embarrassment, Sansa blushed, and then looked away from Arya as she drank her beer.
"Yes," Arya confirmed. "But, it was years ago. I don't see why the family needs to know that. I don't ask about you guys sex lives and I don't want to know for that matter."
"I guess," Robb conceded. "With you, though, it's like pulling teeth to get you to open up about your love life. We only find out stuff about you if you are trying to prove a point or if you slip up—like that whole first kiss fiasco with Ned."
"What kiss fiasco," Rickon asked in intrigue. Robb was about to tell his brother when Arya loudly groaned.
"Seriously?" She put out her cigarette and got up. "You guys don't talk about that thing for YEARS and all of the sudden, it is a hot topic."
Bran laughed at her. "What's your problem?"
"We asked her about it last week at Ygritte's bachelorette party," Sansa informed, and then caught them up to date with what happened. As she wrapped up her story, she added, "Turns out she slept with him some time after she broke up with Aegon."
"Again, you can't hold water," Arya repeated, and then grabbed the bowling ball. She got a gutter ball and turned to glare at her sister. In order to collect herself, Arya took a deep breath and gathered her emotions, and then rolled the ball down the lane again. Strike.
"Arya, you know what your problem is." Bran dipped his nacho chip in some cheese and meat, and then ate it.
"No, please enlighten me," she mocked.
"You have control issues," her brother informed. "You always have. That's why you are so secretive. You don't want us to know anything unless everything is in order or if you can control whatever situation or person that's involved. You want things you how you want them and to hell with everything else."
Arya pouted. "That's not true."
"But, it is," he refuted. "We only find out about your failures after you have an achievement to boast about. You don't tell us about relationships or break ups right away because you want to make sure you're not emotionally vulnerable—can't be too happy or too sad. You like neutrality, so you won't appear weak. And whenever your sense of control is threatened, you are upset and respond negatively. There isn't any real reason to get mad about a kiss that happened years ago, or how you accidentally told Ned about it, but you are. It's because you no longer have control over your personal information."
The other reason, Arya thought, was crisis prevention.
"Whatever." Arya replied, and then went to order herself two hotdogs. While she was there, she got another beer and some cookies.
'I do not have control issues.' She thought to herself. People didn't have to know all of your business. They just messed up things and Arya would prefer to have things mess up on her own terms. Or people who were intrusive and gave unnecessary advice. If she wanted them to know and give advice, she would tell them and ask for their opinion.
By the second game, Arya had calmed down and channeled her frustration into kicking her siblings asses. Robb was right, Arya did beat them the next time they played, but it was the following game and rather than the next time they visited the bowling alley. Out of ten frames, she bowled eight strikes and picked up both of her spares. Robb bowled seven strikes, picked up two spares, and split one.
"See you next week?" Robb hugged Arya tightly and she smiled.
"Of course," she responded. "When have I ever passed up food? And I live in the backyard, genius."
Robb smiled. "Oh, yeah." He kissed his little sister on her head, and then proceeded to pack up his gear. Arya had already packed her ball and put her shoes away, so she zipped up the bag and went to the car to wait for Bran and Rickon. As she was on the way to her car, Arya pulled her phone of her pocket and called Gendry.
"What's up," he said groggily.
"You were asleep," Arya asked softly.
Gendry cleared his throat. "Yeah, but I'm awake now. What's up?"
"I know this is last minute," Arya began. "But, my family is having a barbeque this upcoming Friday and I was wondering if you and Hot Pie wanted to come."
"That sounds great," he said enthusiastically. "Why did you wait until now to invite us?"
"I guess it slipped my mind," she admitted. "Does that mean that you two will come? No conflicts or anything?"
"Naw, I'm as free as a bird." Arya rolled her eyes at his cheesiness. "Don't you roll your eyes at me," he playfully chastised.
"I'm not rolling my eyes," she denied. Gendry scoffed. "I'm not."
"Yes, you are," he contradicted. "But, anyways, I would love to come to your family's barbeque. I know for a fact that Hot Pie is free, so don't worry about him."
"That's good to know," she remarked. Mischievously, she licked her lips, and then ran a hand through her hair. "So, what are you wearing?"
A deep, throaty laugh filled her ear and Arya's stomach jumped at the pleasant sound. "My birthday suit."
"Oh, so you are waiting for me?"
"Of course," he agreed. "My cock has been asking about you all day. He's homesick."
"Is he?" Arya stupidly grinned into the phone. "Well, tell Jr. that I missed him too."
As Gendry spoke to his cock, Arya laughed, and then bit her lip.
"Gendry, I'm about to face time you, so I can talk to Jr." Arya looked at the screen and push the icon and Gendry immediately answered. The first thing she saw was his erect cock. "How are you doing, J?"
Gendry put his hand to the base of his cock and began to move it, and then changed his voice to sound like Elmo as he spoke. "I'm feeling a lonely now that you are gone."
A loud bellow erupted from Arya at the absurdity of the conversation.
"I'm so sorry El—J," Arya tried to bite back more laughter unsuccessfully as she chuckled.
"Sorry, isn't going to cut it, sweet tits," he admonished. "You have to make it up to me."
"Whatever you want, Jr." She promised.
"Hmm," Gendry made his Elmo voice sound even more ridiculous. "Whatever I want."
"Anything." Gendry began to stroke himself.
"Come over," he demanded.
"I can't."
"You said whatever I wanted!" Gendry wiggled his cock frantically to indicate that Jr. was mad. Arya laughed into her hand as tears fan down her face.
"Except that," she amended. "Not tonight, but soon."
"Have you no honor?" It was all too much; the Elmo's voice, Gendry wiggling his cock, and the ridiculous conversation. Arya's belly started to ache from all of the laughing and her cheeks hurt from grinning so much.
Arya wiped her face profusely as she tried to contain her laughter.
"I have to go, J." Arya shook her head at the current situation.
"Fine," he said. "BYEEEEE!"
Of course, he would sign off as Elmo. Arya disconnected the call and her gaze lingered on the phone for a bit before she raised her head to see if her brothers were on their way. From twenty-five feet away, Arya's siblings stood in the street and stared at her. Arya's stomach dropped. She wondered how long they had been watching her. They began to walk as Sansa gave her Arya a questioning look before hiding her smile.
Robb opened his back door on the driver's side and looked over the ceiling of his car.
"Is there something we should know?"
"Like what?" Arya feigned ignorance.
"Umm…I don't know," Bran opened the passenger seat of her car. "The laughing, smiling, running your fingers through your hair shtick you had going on there. If I had to guess, it seems like you're going steady with someone."
"What? I can't have friends anymore?" Arya pushed the unlock button on her car, so Rickon could open the back door.
"No, you can." Robb closed the back door, and then opened the driver's door. "But, I've never seen you smile like that for any of your other friends. Hell, I've never seen you smile like that in any of your relationships."
"You're not around me all of the time to know that," she remarked. Her phone began to vibrate and Arya looked at it to see she had a text. Quickly, she read the text before grinning and responding.
She looked up to see Robb smirking at her.
"Shut up."
"I didn't say anything." Her older brother held his hand up in innocence. "Still didn't answer my question."
Arya sat in the sat driver's seat, and then turned on the car and rolled out the window. She popped a piece gum in her mouth and chewed for a while before seeing if Bran and Rickon were buckled up. As she pulled off she said, "Because there isn't anything to know."
But, there was and Arya wasn't ready to admit it yet.