***Hawk***
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Have you ever been in a situation where you know you're grinning like an idiot, yet can't seem to stop yourself from doing so?
Well, I was in such a situation right now.
As I thought of my study session with Ria, I couldn't help from grinning stupidly.
Her words kept replaying in my head – ‘you’re honestly the best assignment partner I've ever had.’
I was still in the middle of reveling in this feat when I ran into…
“Hawk,” Carla greeted, pulling me into a hug, giving me a whiff of her lavender fragrance.
“Hello, Carla. How are you doing?”
“Oh, I'm just fine, dear. A little pain here and there, but nothing I can't handle.” She finished with a dismissive wave.
I remember Brooke telling me once that Carla's smiles were infectious. And now, watching her lips curl into a warm smile, which I found myself mirroring, I couldn't help agreeing with Brooke.
Now, though, she was saying, “anyway, forget all my old people's issues. Brooke is up in her room. You know your way around the house, right?”
“Uh...well, let's just say I'm getting there,” I admitted with a soft titter.
“Oh, believe me, you're doing a better job than me. When I first started working here, I used to get confused a lot. The whole house just seemed like one big maze,” she mused between chortles.
“But don't worry, a little more time and you'll get the hang of it,” she finished with a fond smile.
I managed a smile of my own, adding, “yeah, I hope so.”
But in my head, I could not help mulling over the implication of her words.
The only reason I was even able to spend time here in the first place, was because Brooke's my friend. And the only reason she even became my friend, was because of that deal we made.
And now, for the first time, I couldn't help thinking about what would happen when we'd both fulfilled our ends of the deal. Would we still be friends? Or would I become just another geeky guy at school to her?
For some reason, the latter option didn't seem as appealing to me.
Thankfully, the sound of Carla's voice stopped me from dwelling more on it. “Don't let me hold you up any more, you should go up to Brooke now.”
I could have sworn I saw her wink at the last part, leaving me to chuckle awkwardly before heading upstairs. However it was’t long before a sense of excitement set in, as I thought of how Brooke would react after hearing all that happened at Ria's earlier.
But wait, all?
I doubt Brooke would want to hear me say: ‘And then she looked at me...and then I smiled at her...and then she told me I was her best assignment partner...and then our hands grazed when we reached for the book at the same time...and then she offered me a drink...and then…’
See? I'd just end up sounding like a 10-year-old girl relating her first date to her friend.
So, I guessed I'd be sticking with the abridged version of the story instead.
But then, wouldn't it be weird if I just said: ‘She told me I'm her best assignment partner. So, yeah, that's all I need to tell you.’
But then…
Shut up, brain!
It seemed my brain really did get my message this time, because it not only stopped my mental conflict, but it also rendered my thoughts inactive when I took in the sight in front of me.
Oh my god!
Standing in her room, with the door ajar, was none other than Brooke dressed in nothing but her…
I immediately pulled my widened eyes away, trying to ignore the hotness that was creeping up my face.
Should I maybe just back away?
No, if she caught me leaving, then things would quickly turn awkward.
Then maybe I should just fake cough to get her attention? And maybe give her time to…you know, throw something else on.
No, she'd probably get startled at first, and then things would still turn awkward.
Then, should I just walk in and try to act normal about it so things wouldn't get awkward?
No, she'd just think I'm a perv.
Were there no good solutions a boy could turn to? Seriously, brain, give me something – anything!
“SpongeBob?”
Oh no!
“Why are you staring at that vase like it's a free ticket to Paris?” She quipped.
Or maybe all I had to do was just stare at a vase until she noticed my presence.
Thanks for nothing, brain!
Gosh, I really needed to stop having conversations with my brain. I made a mental note to do that later. But for now, I had other things to deal with.
And by that, I meant this brunette standing in front of me in nothing but a black lacy bra and matching black panties.
But wait, when I said ‘deal with’ like that, it made it seem like I wanted to do the ‘you know what’ with her. Which was totally not what I wanted to do. And it's not because she's not attractive, because trust me, she was. Like a whole lot. Like a whole damn lot. Like…
Ok, I think you get the idea.
Anyway, the point is, Brooke was just a friend. I might not be the most experienced in this friendship department, but I was pretty sure you didn't go around looking at your friends in their underwear — which they totally pulled off by the way, and…
“Hawk!”
That finally broke off my thoughts which seemed to be running at 180 miles per second.
I looked at Brooke to find her already staring at me, a hint of amusement in her hazel eyes.
“What's up with you? You totally zoned out.”
“Oh, I uh…I thought you might need some privacy. Sorry for just barging in on you.” I finished with a small titter.
Way to make things awkward, Hawk!
But if Brooke minded, she didn't show it. She simply chuckled, grabbing a top from her bed. “It's fine. Besides, I was the one who forgot to close the door.”
Of all the reactions I’d imagined she'd have, this was by far the most unexpected. She didn't seem freaked out, embarrassed, angry, nervous, awkward or anything like that. In fact, she seemed pretty chill about what happened.
I, however, could only nod in response, looking everywhere but at her as she dressed up.
“You know, I won't get mad if you take a peek,” she sallied. “You're missing out on seeing what a super sexy body looks like in real life.”
I didn't need to look at her to know her features must be beaming with mischief by now.
“Shut up and dress up,” I chided lightly.
Brooke simply guffawed at that, adding, “yes, daddy.”
I shook my head at her antics, a smile finding its way to my lips.
I was just over thinking things after all. See? Everything was still the same between us. No awkwardness.
“Hawk,” Brooke suddenly called, her voice no longer holding the teasing tilt from earlier.
You know that thing I said about no awkwardness? Well, I spoke too soon.
She seemed somewhat unsure now, as though she were debating whether or not to get her next words. In the end, she opted for the former.
“Well, you uhm...you do realize your little soldier is standing up, right?”
Little soldier?
She used her eyes to gesture at my pants, leaving me confused. So, I also peeked down, only to find…
Kill me!
I had a freaking boner!
That explained the tightness that's been building in my pants all this time.
A small: “oh” was the last word I could manage before I turned the color of a beetroot.
Talk about awkward.
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“We have to think of something else to put Hawk junior to rest,” Brooke mused, pacing around the room as though doing so would suddenly give her an idea – or at least, one that didn't leave me wanting to shrink into oblivion.
“You know you don't have to call it that, right?” I piped up from my position on the chair, where I’d sat for the past few minutes holding a pillow to myself, and listening as Brooke offered some really weird advice.
No kidding, she even suggested we place an ice pack on ‘it.’
Now though, she was saying, “but you said you don't like ‘little soldier.’”
“Ok, that's it. No more trying to fix my li….” In the face of her sly smirk, I instead said: “it. And also, no more talking about it.”
“Why not? You know, one of the best ways to solve a problem is to talk through it. And besides, it's my fault this happened. I'd feel bad if I can't do something to help,” she protested, seemingly oblivious to the fact that her wanting to help fix ‘it’ was making me want to die from absolute mortification inside.
“Brooke, I…”
“Aha! I got it.” Her giddiness for whatever she wanted to say next, was crystal clear. And knowing Brooke and her ‘ideas,’ I took that as a bad sign.
Oh god. What would she say this time?
“You've been to the beach before, right? Or maybe to a pool?”
Uh...what?
Though quite unsure of where she was going with this, I said a small: “yeah.”
However, she seemed pretty satisfied with my reply, as was clear in the way her features lit up in a grin. Unable to keep the thought to myself, I was soon asking, “but what does that have to do with anything?”
“A lot, SpongeBob, a lot,” she chirped. “In pools and beaches, you'll usually find a lot of bikini clad girls, right?”
Told you it was a bad sign. To her though, I simply nodded, secretly wishing her interrogation session would end as soon as possible.
But if anything, she only gave a pleased clap, throwing me a knowing smile as though we'd just decoded some top governmental secret – only problem though, was I had no idea what we decoded.
She must have realized it too, because she was soon adding, “you didn't have a boner seeing those girls, did you?”
Warning! Warning! Warning! An eighteen-year old boy in danger of turning even redder than a beetroot.
Thankfully, Brooke was too caught up in revealing her grand idea to care for a reply. So, she simply continued, the excitement in her voice apparent.
“You didn't because of the context. It's the kind of place where people normally wear those kinds of things. You see?”
I didn't. So, I just listened as she continued. “What I’m saying is that ‘it’ happened because of the kind of the surroundings you found me in. It's not the kind of sight you'd expect to find here, so of course it took you by surprise. Under different circumstances, I’m sure that wouldn’t have happened.”
By the time she was done, I could only blink rapidly. When I finally spoke again, it was: “you know, you should really consider becoming a sex therapist.”
“I know, right?” She echoed between chortles.
I found myself chortling a little too, my earlier embarrassment slowly dissipating.
Brooke, however, was soon saying, “well, then, now that we've recognized the problem, it's time for solutions.”
“Solutions?” I echoed, staring unsurely at her.
“Just come with me,” she chirped, not giving me a chance to respond before pulling me away with her.
“Where are we going?”
“Oh, you'll see,” she quipped.
“But,” I started, wanting to protest.
“Come on, Hawk, faster,” she urged, excitement clear as she suddenly broke into a sprint – her hand holding onto mine all the while. And despite my protests, running beside her, I soon found myself catching some of her excitement too.
After a few turns, she led us through a back door which revealed a ginormous pool.
Before I could even ask what we were doing here, Brooke had already let go of my hand and had begun to take off her top.
I quickly looked away from the sight, leaving her chuckling. The sound of water splashing, however, made me turn to look at her – only thing was that she was no longer standing where she’d been earlier, but was instead smiling up at me from inside the pool.
“Your turn, SpongeBob. Don't worry, I'll try to look away.” She finished with a wink, and I could only shake my head at her antics, chuckling softly.
I got out of my clothes in a flash, cringing when I peeked down to find that ‘it’ was still there.
Stupid boner!
Not wanting to take any chances of Brooke stopping from looking away, I got into the pool soon after, immediately feeling myself relax at the coolness of the water against my skin.
“Feels good, right?”
“Yeah,” I admitted.
“How about this?” Before I could register what she meant, I’d been whiplashed with water.
I looked at the person responsible for it, only to find her with a mischievous grin.
“Oh, it's on,” I said, feeling a playful smile creep on my lips. And that was the last she heard before becoming the victim of my water splashes.
“Hey,” she squealed, chortling as she splashed some more at me in retaliation.
And thus, the cycle continued. Boner forgotten, soon, the only thing you could hear in this big, blue pool, was squeals, water splashing, and the echoes of laughter.