My Hope (Complete)

Chapter 25

I think about this for a second and then nod my head in agreement. I will still be a little self-conscious though. But what he said was very sweet. Our bodies were made differently for a reason. I don't have any cause to be embarrassed about those differences. But I'm definitely picking up some new undergarments while I'm shopping. "So, can you come shopping with me before the party?" I ask Delilah. "I sure will, and your Mom will come too. It'll be fun." That sounds good. I don't want to shop for bras and panties in front of Noah.

"We should get going soon. Are you ready?" Noah asks. "Yeah, just let me grab a coat and shoes." I run up the stairs to my room. I decide to put on some lipstick and mascara.  When I come down, Noah is ready. He put on a form fitting Henley that is showing me his "assets" as well. I have never noticed how muscular he is. The guy is jacked. I spend a moment gawking.

"Are you staring at my enhanced assets?" he asks as he starts to laugh. I can't help but giggle myself. "Yes, Mr. Kingston. And it is totally inappropriate. Walking around in front of your student with all of "that" showing." I say while motioning to his arms and chest. "Just wait until I take my shirt off." He says with a wink as he opens the front door for me. Oh goodness, that must be quite a sight. When is that going to happen?

He won't tell me where we are going. But it doesn't take long for us to drive to what appears to be a beautiful park. "It's called the Emerald Necklace." He tells me, as we get out of the car. "It's a chain of over 1,000 acres of linked parkways and waterways." "That's amazing. What a beautiful spot." I tell him as I look around. We start walking along the pathway. There are so many flowers, even in the winter. They must plant them all year round. "We will head back to my car after a while because I packed a picnic for us. Until then, we can hike and explore." "That sounds great. Thank you for bringing me here. I love it."

We walk and talk for the next couple hours. Sometimes stopping to watch butterflies or birds that live in this habitat. There are a few benches to sit on and watch the water flow by. The weather is perfect today. Not very cold. But it is January. So, I should be freezing. "Why didn't you bring a coat?" I ask now that I'm thinking about it. It will be incredibly cold when the sun goes down. Maybe he has one in the car. "We regulate our body heat. You will be able to do it too once you change." He tells me. "Really? That's great. I think it's already starting. What temperature is it today?" I ask. He pulls out his phone. "It's 40 degrees right now." He informs me. "Are you sure?" I ask, shocked. "Yep, check it out." He shows me the weather app. So cool! Maybe I can handle sitting outside with him at night after all.

After getting the picnic basket, we find a secluded area in some trees. He lays out the blanket and takes out lots of food for us to enjoy. I am literally starving again. There are big Italian style sub sandwiches. Pasta salad, fruit salad, and a green salad. "Mom, did all this while I was making breakfast, so I can't take credit for it." He confesses. "Well, I will have to thank her. This is all delicious."

Then he pulls out a little chocolate bunt cake. He cuts me a piece and gives it to me. I moan as I take my first bite of the moist goodness. He just looks intently at me. He isn't eating any yet. I put another bite on my fork and present it to him. He opens for me and takes the bite in his mouth. He chews slowly and then licks his lips. Now I'm staring at his mouth. Since when is eating cake sexy? We continue to share the piece of cake without speaking. Just me giving him a bite and then taking one of my own.

When we finish, he swiftly takes everything and puts it in the basket and moves it aside. I am sitting crossed legged in the middle of the picknick blanket. He scoots directly in front of me and crosses his legs. Neither of us have spoken yet. He looks deeply into my eyes. Our knees are only an inch apart. This is too close for him. He would usually be putting at least a foot between us. Feeding him the cake was as close as I have ever gotten to him. His hands are on his knees. I notice movement and look down. His palms are facing up now. He moves his hands closer to me as if asking for my hands. Is that what he wants? I look back into his eyes and he nods his head.

I'm about to touch his hands for the first time ever. I'm excited and scared at the same time. I know it wont hurt, but he has made such a big deal about it, that I don't want to be disappointed. Or for him to be. I slowly lift my hands towards his. Now they are hovering about an inch above his open palms. I look back into his eyes. I want to see him when this happens. I gradually lower my hands until I can feel the heat of his radiating off them. I must be a mere millimeter away.

Then I do it. I lower my hands just a hairsbreadth until they both touch his. At first, I feel a little electrical shock, like when there is too much static electricity in the air. I take in a startled breath. He encloses his large hands around my smaller ones. I feel the warmth. But something more. Its small little twinges of electricity. It's energizing. It spreads from my hands, up my arms and then throughout my entire body. We are still intently gazing at each other. We both have a little smile on our lips. Then the energy turns into tingles. Little tiny pricks everywhere, starting with our hands. Just like the electricity. It feels so good. It's warm and soothing, like a hot shower. My smile widens, and so does his. We sit like this, experiencing each other's touch for the first time. It's so intimate and powerful. He takes his hand and runs it up my arm. The tingles are intensified in the spots where his skin touches mine. I get little goosebumps all over. Then his hand moves to my cheek. I can't help but close my eyes and lean into his warm palm. I turn my face slightly and kiss his hand. I feel a little shock on my lips. We both are surprised by this and I giggle. Then he runs his other hand up my arm and into my hair. He plays with it for a moment.

He goes back to holding both of my hands. I feel all the tingles intensified there. But they still run throughout my whole body. It's amazing. I love this feeling. He stands and pulls me up by my hands. He lets go and I lose all the tingly feelings. But quickly I feel them again when he pulls me into his chest and lays my head down under his chin. I fit perfectly there. I can feel his heart beating rapidly. I wrap my arms about his waist. His hand is on the back of my head and the other on the small of my back, rubbing circles there.

We just stand there, enjoying the feeling of finally being in each other's arms. My eyes are closed, and I take in a deep breath of his scent. I feel him rocking us just slightly back and forth. This is heaven. I could stay like this all day. I feel tingles all over, but they are mostly concentrated anywhere that we are touching. He wasn't kidding about these tingles feeling amazing. I'm not disappointed.

Then he pulls back just slightly and looks at me. We still have not spoken a word. He lifts my chin with his finger, looks me right in the eyes and says, "Hope, I love you with all my heart."

Finally!!!  The tingles! Please remember to vote if you liked it.