Sunset and Dinner

William closes the cabin door and walks to the back of the house along a pine needle path while holding Jessica.

Jessica is calming down from her arousal earlier in the bathroom. The kiss she and William shared was amazing. What catches her eyes the moment they round the corner of the house is the beautiful view. The view is just breathtaking. You can see for miles across the mountains, the beautiful trees, and the river down below.

William takes them to a seating area under a pergola with slate tiles and a wooden platform seating covered with a base layer of white cushions and topped with decadent silk pillows and two throw blankets placed at the corner of the platform. A bottle of red wine is available with two glasses, and a charcuterie board is waiting for them.

She looks at the spread and looks at William. "Did you do this for me?" She asked meekly.

He sets her down on the platform cushions and brushes his hand over her cheek, saying, "Yes, little fox, I did do this for you. While you were showering, I called the guys to set this up for us and let them know what to cook for dinner. I hope it's ok."

"This is too much. You are so kind, and I cannot repay you for your kindness." She said, gesturing to the spread and then looking at her hands in her lap.

"Little fox, Jessica, you being yourself is all I ask for in return. I am just happy I can be here to support you." He said, sitting down next to her. He grabs hold of her hand and kisses it.

"Are you sure it's not too much? You will tell me if it is, right." She says with her head still down.

"I promise that if it ever gets too much that I will let you know." He said, rubbing his thumb along the back side of her hand.

She nods and looks up and away as she wipes a tear from her eye.

The wind blows, sending a shiver across her body. William grabs the blankets and drapes one over her shoulders.

William says as he shifts them further onto the platform. "Come, let's get to the center for a better view of the mountains for sunset."

He pours two glasses of wine and moves the charcuterie board closer to them. He hands Jessica a glass of wine and sits down. William pulls her to be sitting in between his legs. His chest is solid support for her to rest her back. He takes the second throw and covers her legs and his.

She sits a little frozen at first at how easy it was for him to move her around, but with the warmth of his chest, she leans back onto him and sips her wine, enjoying the view. Williams's hands find their way to her hair and start playing with her damp hair from her shower.

"Little fox, we should have dried your hair before coming outside. It's chilly outside right now." He said as he took a towel from the wine and began to dry her hair.

She sits forward, so he has more space to dry her hair. "Hmm, yeah, we kinda forgot about that." She said as she was enjoying him touching her head.

With her hair primarily dry, he throws the towel over his shoulder and runs his hands through it, finger brushing it. He moves his hands to her shoulders and asks, "Can I offer you a massage?"

She thinks about it for a second, and with concern, she replies, "A shoulder rub sounds wonderful, but only there, please." She took a big sip of the wine.

The hint of concern in her voice makes him think that she may not like people touching her back or that something happened to her in her past. He is unsure why, but he complies with her request, only staying on her shoulders and feeling honored that she would even let him touch her. He pulls the blanket draped over her shoulders and begins to work on her shoulders over her flannel shirt. Starting at the base of her neck as she watches the sun begin to descend. She is snacking on the veggies on the charcuterie board. When he moved to the central portion of her shoulders, he felt the tension in her shoulders and likely went to her back. He thought, If I could massage away some of her pain, maybe she would open up more.

Taking in some deep breaths, she enjoyed the feeling of his hands on her shoulders and sipped on her wine while enjoying the veggies on the charcuterie board. Fear of being made fun of for her size always came into play when people touched her. Even though William had not once made her doubt her physical size to him, the many years of being bullied for her size had a lasting impression on her. Her mind started to race with all the thoughts and flashbacks of all the hurtful things that others said to her.

Williams finished massaging her shoulders when he noticed she wasn't even paying attention to the sunset anymore but was lost in thought. He rubbed her shoulders and then pulled her back to his chest, resting his chin on her head. Speaking up because he felt where she went in her mind was not good, he said, "This is the best part of the sunset." Then squeezed her a little.

Jessica snapped out of the toxic thought pattern in her mind when she felt William's chest on her back and his arms covering her to protect her. Listening to William's voice and feeling the tighter protective squeeze, she opened her eyes to see the sun peak on top of the tree as the colors exploded across the sky. Jessica gasps at how beautiful it is and cuddles into William's embrace. She finishes the glass of wine and enjoys the calm scene unfolding. The sky slowly turns darker as the sun sets behind the trees but still causes a glow to the sky.

As the sunlight fades, they watch as the first bit of stars starts to peek through the sky. Time seems to be flowing faster than either of them realizes.

William adjusts his hold on her, and with the new way he is holding her, she can rub her hands up and down his arms and enjoy the feel of his forearms. William moves his head to her ear, saying, "Little fox, I believe it is time for dinner. Even though I want to stay here all night with you, I also need to ensure that you are eating. We had very little to eat today."

With a little sigh, she responds, "Ok. And now that you're saying something, I am kinda hungry." Her stomach growls loudly. She giggles.

He kisses her temple and pulls the pillows away from them. He pushes the charcuterie board away, noticing that Jessica has eaten all the veggies on the board, leaving the sweet items. He asks, "Blanket on or off?"

Jessica looked down at herself wrapped up in the blanket and determined it would be better if she didn't have the blanket covering her, especially if they were going to be eating with others. "I think no blanket would be better since we're gonna have dinner with the guys." She said and pulled the blanket off of her, now noticing how much cooler it had gotten. "Brrrr," she says, "it is chilly out now."

William puts his empty glass down and picks Jessica up. "Warmer now, little fox?" He asked.

Curling into William, she replied, "Yes."

He walks to the house holding Jessica. As he walks, Jessica looks at the estate and sees the guys moving around in the kitchen. Tank is at the grill on steak duty and appears to be yelling at the twins as they work ever so often, elbowing and punching the other twin. Even though I am sure they annoy each other, they work well with each other. The site is very comical to watch. Paul is setting the table and grabbing the prepared dishes the twins have at the end of the island and organizing them on the dining room table. They do work well as a team.

With a tap of William's shoe on the glass wall, they were all still. Paul comes quickly over and pulls open the window, a hidden sliding glass door.

"Welcome inside, Wolf and Miss Jessica," Paul says brightly. Jessica smiles back at the pleasant greeting.

William gives him a head nod, and Paul heads out of the kitchen after closing the door behind them.

"Hey, Wolf! Hello Miss Jessica. How was the sunset?" Tank asks as he starts to flip the steaks on the grill.

"Hi, Tank. It was beautiful. I never saw so many pretty colors." Jessica replies.

"Hey, Wolf, and howdy, Jessica," RJ says, getting an elbow from his brother.

"Hey, Wolf. Hello Miss Jessica," JR says, emphasizing the Miss in his reply.

William looks at RJ with a look that could kill him, and RJ straightens up, saying, "Sorry, Miss Jessica."

"Hi, JR and RJ. Whatever it is you're making, it looks delicious," she said.

Paul returns with a couple of items saying, "Hey, Miss Jessica, we got some things for you. Can I show them to you?"

Surprised, she replies, "Oh, ok."

William sets her down in a chair in the dining room. "I'm going to help the guys finish up. Should be eating in 5 minutes." He said to Jessica.

"Ok," Jessica replies.

"Thanks for the help, Paul. Good job earlier." He says to Paul with a pat on the shoulder.

As Paul is beaming with pride at the compliment, he turns his direction to Jessica and says, "Hey, Miss Jessica, So Wolf had us pick up some things for you. I wanted to test them out before settling on what you like. So we have underarm crutches, forearm crutches, a walker, and a knee scooter. I'm not sure the scooter is good right now, but maybe in a week or two after your knee starts to feel better. Which would you feel comfortable using if none of us are around?"

With a worried look, Jessica says, "Oh, are you all leaving soon? Ummm. I don't know about that, um."

Paul reaches out but freezes and says, "Miss Jessica, may I approach you?"

She nods her head.

Paul reaches forward and holds one of her hands, and continues, "We are not going anywhere. William wanted to make it possible that you could go wherever you liked freely and not feel confined to the cabin."

She lets out a breath and says, "Oh... ok... umm... I think the forearm crutches will be good. I don't like the walker, but it might be good. I would feel like an old lady; maybe we can make it pretty" she giggled. "I don't think the knee scooter would work with my knee anyways. I have a bad knee."

"Ok," Paul says, "I think the forearm crutches and the walker are good choices. How about this? What if I make the walker cool? Right now, you're right; it does look like an old lady walker, but give me a day, and the walker will be completely transformed!"

With a laugh, she says, "Ok. Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Paul." And hugs him.

William walks in, seeing Jessica lean to hug Paul. Paul stiffens at first, then after receiving a nod from William, he takes one hand and pats her back. William and Paul smile at each other.

William steps behind Jessica and says, "Hey, Little fox, Did Paul help you pick out some things?"

She releases the hug smiling at Paul, then turns her head and looks at William. "Oh yes." She continued, "He is gonna help make the walker cool for me too!" She said as she clapped her hands excitedly.

"Sounds good to me. Can't wait to see what you can come up with, Paul." William said.

"Oh, me too," Jessica said with excitement as Paul took the rest of the items out of the dining room, smiling.

"Ok. Dinner time. Tank grabs the steaks. JR and RJ wash up and do not get water on the kitchen floor." William shouted toward the kitchen.

Tank grunted at the twins in the kitchen and brought the steaks into the dining room. He places them on the table and takes his seat to the left of William's chair at the center. William placed Jessica in the chair to the right of his chair. Paul puts the forearm crutches near the doorway and sits across from Jessica. RJ and JR, race to the opening, realizing Paul took the seat the twins wanted to sit in. They look at him and sigh.

William speaks as the twins are trying to decide who sits where. "RJ here." pointing to the chair in front of Tank. "JR here." pointing to the chair across from him

"Yes, Sir." They respond in unison and take their seats.

Turning to Jessica, William asks, "Do you want to give thanks for the meal, or do we let Tank do it?" He says with a smile.

She smiles wildly. "Tank!" She exclaims!

"You heard the lady Tank." He said, turning to Tank.

Tank begins immediately, "Thank you for this meal, our new guest Miss Jessica and let it nourish our bodies. Amen."

Everyone says in unison, "Amen."

William says to Jessica, "We normally pass the serving bowls around. Just take what you want. I can put your steak on your plate for you," as he grabs the steaks.

"Yes, please," she gleamed.

Everyone passes around the variety of side dishes. There are roasted red potatoes, rustic mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, green bean casserole, lima beans, carrots, brussel sprouts, corn, house salad, and caesar salad. The twins are watching what sides she is putting on her plate. Jessica adds both potatoes sides, both green beans sides, carrots, corn, and adds some of the house salad.

JR leans over to his brother and says, "See, told ya!"

RJ mutters, "Whatever, man."

William looks at the twins and holds up two fingers, and the guys groan.

Jessica happily eats her meal and asks, "The food is very yummy. Thank you for cooking."

RJ speaks first, "It was our pleasure, Miss Jessica. Do you have anything else you like to eat?"

She thinks for a moment and starts listing off food, "Yes, Tacos, Mexican, Polish, Italian, Chinese, Tex-Mex, Bar-B-Que, Jamaican, and all the Caribbean food, just to name a few."

The twins look at each other and nod.

Paul asks, "What Polish food do you like?"

Jessica smiles with her reply, "I like kielbasa, pierogies, and cabbage rolls."

Paul looks to William, "Hey Wolf, do you think we can try that tomorrow instead of the Italian?"

"I am sure we can figure that out." He says, "Tell you what. After Dinner, if Jessica is not too tired, why don't you two put together a list of ingredients? You can be her feet in the kitchen. The Twins and Tank have some sparing they need to do after dinner."

Ugh, the three of them say together.

Jessica chimes in, "Why do they have sparing, and Paul doesn't?"

William turns to her and says, "They are being taught a lesson in manners for earlier behavior."

Jessica blushes, remembering how the three of them acted earlier. "Oh," she says. Then she looks at Paul, "So this is what you meant earlier, huh?"

Paul shook his head yes.

"Well, Paul, it looks like you and I have a mission after dinner!" She says to Paul with a smile.

They finish dinner with more light conversation, but Tank, RJ, and JR are less talkative. When everyone has finished dinner, William is the first to rise and pulls out Jessica's chair as Paul brings her the arm crutches. He adjusts the height on them so she can get around better.

William says, "Paul, your KP duties tonight are not needed. RJ and RJ will handle it after sparing time. Tank, you have the pergola duty tonight." Tank nodded his head, but the twins groaned again. "Boys, you're now at three." They both sigh, lowering their heads in defeat.

Jessica looks at the twins and then at Paul. Paul shrugs his shoulders. Then looking at William, she asks, "How long will you be gone, Wolfie?" She blushes after saying the nickname.

William looks at her and smiles, saying, "Wolfie, ok, we can try that. We should finish in an hour or two. If you finish and I am not back, Paul can help you find a movie to watch here or help you back to the cabin." Then looking at Paul, he added, "Just don't go in the bedroom." Then William, Tank, RJ, and JR head out of the dining room and down the hall to a door that leads somewhere they didn't look at on her short tour of the house.

Paul nodded his head understanding the boundary he was establishing for him.

Jessica looks to Paul, "Maybe we could go to the library and find a couple of books to read. Do you like to read Paul?"

As they walk into the kitchen, he replies, "I never really got into reading, but if you have a book recommendation. I would give it a shot."

"Oh yes, I wonder if the library has my favorite book. It's called Alas, Babylon." Jessica said with a lot of excitement.

"Maybe. We would have to look, but before we go, we need to make a shopping list. Here is a pen and paper." He said as he passed the paper and pen to her.

Jessica waited to hear the sound of the door closing and asked, "Paul, where are they going?"

Paul looks up from the counter where he had just slid the paper and pen, saying, "They are going to the gym on the other side of the garage. William is adamant that we show respect for guests that come over."

Jessica nods in understanding. "Oh, I don't want someone getting in trouble because of me."

Paul smiles and says, "No, the twins like to start trouble, and Tank, likes to keep Wolf on his toes. He and Wolf are like brothers. The twins do it to get some time in the ring to improve their technique." He then asks, "Did you want to start listing the ingredients?"

Jessica nods and starts calling out ingredients, and Paul verifies each item and quantity and lets her know if they do not have that item.