It was still early when Brad left that morning. He had fallen asleep on the couch, as had Mike, and the discomfort only allowed him to sleep for so long. Seven in the morning was later than he expected, but it was not a restful night.
He left then, knowing that staying would only lead to more uncomfortable sleep, and inevitably, Mike may convince him to abandon and plans he might have had to be productive that day and to instead stay and play games. He drove home, happy to face so little traffic on a Saturday morning.
Pulling into the double garage of his parent's home, he thought about moving as quietly as he could so as not to wake anyone. He went into the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. He ate quietly, thinking about the night before, about the great time he had with Jennifer, of her petite body, happy to learn and explore how best to feel pleasure.
The sudden interruption towards the end was unwelcome, but at least it came at a time when they had already done a good amount. Brad looked into the backyard, it was quite sunny and the forecast called for warm weather all day long.
Despite the poor night of rest, Brad decided to make the most of the day, getting right to work on some homework due in one of his university classes later that week. The rest of the morning was a blur of homework and coffee, until he finally finished and set aside his work for the day. He glanced over at his phone, seeing that it was now a few minutes after noon.
Just then, Brad heard a knock at the door. He turned to see that it was his father.
"Hey champ," he said, always referring to Brad with some old nickname, "Up for a run?"
Brad considered it, and thought it might be a good idea to tire out the body and simply have a relaxing evening afterwards.
"Sure thing," he said. "Where did you want to go?"
They threw around some ideas, rejecting the stairs by the old golf club, and the trails near the park, settling instead on a loop circuit they sometimes did not too far from the university campus. They had gone there together, and often with Brad's sister, since they were young. It was a short decline followed by a loop to a short, steep incline. It was the perfect place for hill training, and Brad both loved and hated going there.
The pair took a few minutes to change into their workout gear and lace up their shoes before driving down to the usual spot. As they left the car, Brad received a text message, but it would have to wait until later.
The run began simply enough, with the practiced pacing to avoid early exhaustion. They decided on doing ten laps, not for speed, but again for endurance. Each lap came and went, and Brad was glad they had not decided on speed, until that dreaded moment when they were going to start their last lap. As he sometimes did, Brad's father asked as they reached the bottom of the hill before looping back up, "Friendly wager?"
Brad nodded and replied, "Friendly wager."
This was the most common way Brad's father had of slipping his children extra money while they were in university. The wager was always the same, the winner being the first back to the car. This was no longer about pacing, but an uphill sprint. Brad and his sister usually beat their father without too much effort, but now Brad felt the effects of the wine and beer from last night. He pushed hard, accepting his punishment for the drinks, feeling his insides scream and curse at him in anguish. He made it to the car first, but only barely, with his father right behind him and hardly winded, laughing to himself.
"Tired today, son?"
Brad nodded, holding his side as a cramp set in, choosing to lie down in as undignified a position possible. Brad's father roared with laughter now, patting his son gently on the back, "Well, you beat me fair and square, so that's twenty dollars for you."
"Woooo..." Brad said, breathing hard, but still happy to have won.
His father walked back and forth for a bit, catching his own breath. Eventually Brad found himself able to stand once more, breathing heavily and moving slowly. The pair got back into the car and began the drive home.
While his father drove them both home, Brad checked his phone. A number of text messages from Jennifer popped up on screen. It seems that her parents had come home early as well, and so she and his sister they would be coming over that night. She asked if they could chat later in the evening. He replied that of course, they could chat, but it might be difficult to do so privately with his sister and both parents in the house.
Her reply was simply, "2am, rec room?"
He considered for a moment, and thought it should be fine. When they renovated the basement, years ago now, Brad's father had installed a good amount of soundproofing, leaving the rec room perfect for watching movies or tv at any time of day without distracting anyone else. Brad and his sister had often spent many evenings studying in their respective rooms while their parents watched television, and they never heard so much as a peep.
When they returned home, Brad made his way to the shower, washing away the sweat from the run, and all but collapsing against the wall as the water washed over him. His exhaustion had all but taken over his body. He ate a light dinner with his parents, and around eight o'clock, both his sister and Jennifer arrived. They said hello to everyone, and Jennifer did not give Brad a second glance, for which he was grateful. In the back of his mind, he worried what would happen if his sister found out about the two of them.
By a quarter past eight, Brad found himself physically and mentally spent, so he relaxed in bed, watching a show on his phone. He set an alarm for a quarter to two in the morning, and promptly fell asleep.
His slumber was deep and dreamless. When the alarm when off, Brad found himself groggy and despising the hour with all his being. He silenced the alarm right away, and then stretched in bed. Rising slowly, tip toeing around the room and to his door, he opened it a crack, listening carefully to hear if anyone was still up. Only silence filled the air, and darkness in the hall. He crept down the hall and down the stairs, again working his way down to the rec room. There was a light on at the bottom of the stairs, and Brad moved as silently as he could in case it was his parents or sister down there.
Relieved, he saw only Jennifer, sitting on the couch with her phone. She wore one of her long shirts that went past her hips. She turned to face him as he reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Hey," she said, her voice quiet.
"Hey, how are you?" he replied, taking a seat opposite her on the long couch.
They chatted briefly, learning that both she and his sister had shared a bottle of wine, and that his sister was quite happily sleeping in her room upstairs. Brad nodded, not saying anything.
"I had a great time yesterday," she said.
"Me too."
"I thought about it most of today, and wanted to know if you would be cool with one more thing?"
