My Dearest Readers,
Thanks again for your comments! First off this installment is a bit longer than usual, however when I first wrote it, it was much longer. But I didn't like the direction I took, so I quickly revised it. (As you read you'll understand why I left off where I did. :D) I'm actually really pleased with the great ideas my laptop gave me, and I'm excited about how it turned out. I hope you, my dear readers, enjoy it as much.
D.S.
Chapter Five: Women, Weights, and Voyeurism.
"You're serious?" Brian responded, shocked out of his mind. Why would Emily even consider hanging out with him and his friends? Not that he minded. He just thought a girl like Emily would have a million other better things to do on a Friday night.
"Dead serious! I mean, if it's okay with you and your friends. It's the two guys I always see you with right? Do you think they'd mind?" She asked honestly.
"Well, no. I don't think they would." Wow. He let the thought sink in. Emily Stine, the girl of his dreams, playing games with the guys. Once again he felt his heart picking up pace.
Emily smiled at him. "Good. Here..." She continued, fishing a pen out of her pocket, and wrote down her number on his arm. "Call me and let me know where at and what time."
"Yea sure! I mean, okay cool." The rain seemed to stop and he awkwardly waved goodbye as he took off for home.
They are never going to believe me, he thought to himself.
"Dude, Emily fucking Stine is coming to my house?" James repeated for the third time.
"I mean, only if you're cool with it." Brian responded, but mostly out of courtesy. He knew James wouldn't object.
"Dude. I need to shower." James said sniffing himself. Then he panicked as he looked around his room.
"Shit, I gotta clean this place up. No way that a chick would be cool with this mess." He added as he swept his eyes around his room in the basement.
Brian was happy it was at James' house for the privacy, it was just going to be them tonight. But James had a point. It looked exactly how a nerd's room would look like. Messy. The tell tale sign that a guy never got laid.
Thankfully Travis and Brian didn't need to shower, they had came fully prepared.
"You go ahead with the shower, we'll clean up this place yea?" Brian offered. It was the least he could do.
"Word bro. I owe you. Well, actually you owe me. If I help you get laid you gotta hook me up with another ballet chick man."
"Just go already!" Travis responded, pushing James upstairs.
It didn't take long for the place to become spotless, nor for James to finish his shower. Brian, nervous as always, had to work up the courage to actually call Emily. He didn't know why, she gave him her number after all.
Finally he was able to punch in the number, then his palms began to sweat as it rang. He managed, in between stutters, to spit out the address to her.
Then they waited.
"I wonder what it's gonna be like, you know. Hangin with a girl?" Travis spoke up.
"Completely epic." James sang out, attention on the TV.
They were killing time, playing some Call of Duty when all of a sudden the door bell rang, making them all jump. They sat for a second, looking back and forth at each other then sprinted for the front door, causing James to slip and curse loudly as he banged his shin on one of the steps.
Brian, smacking his friends back shooed them both back downstairs. It wasn't a date or anything, but still he wanted his space. Reluctantly they returned to the basement.
He paused for a brief second and took in a deep breath before finally opening the door.
"Hey Emily." Brian said with a smile, taking in the sight of her. She wore her usual flip flops and denim shorts that showed off her toned legs. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail and she had the usual amount of makeup on—nothing like a clown, but only enough to keep you guessing if she was wearing any or not. Her shirt was well fitted, seemed to accentuate her breasts and waist.
"Hey. Thanks for the invite." She smiled back and he swore her eyes danced and twinkled as well as she did.
"Anytime. Trav and James are already downstairs, but I have to warn you...They can be a bit, out there."
"What? You think I can't handle hangin with a few guys?" She teased him as she followed him down the stairs.
Travis and James took their eyes off of the screen as Emily entered their domain, taking her in just as Brian had.
"Um, nice to meet you, I'm Emily." She said with a small wave and smile, breaking the silence after a few minutes. Funny, Brian thought. Did she seem a tad bit nervous herself?
The two boys nodded in unison, still glued to the sight of the beauty and their very lucky best friend. They finally went back to their game.
If Emily had been nervous at all it melted away as she became comfortable. She noticed a Katy Perry poster on the wall.
"Is that how you guys like women?" She said pointing at the poster. "Way to make me feel inadequate."
"No you're totally hot." James blurted out, which earned him a dirty look from Brian, and a laugh from Emily.
"Thank you, but stop being nice, if I was a guy I'd do her. I'd probably do her even now." She said with a wink. All three guys jaws dropped at her admission.
"Oh an actual record player..." Emily exclaimed, still taking in her surroundings. "You guys mind if I play something?"
"Be my guest." Travis responded half heartedly, most of his interest was on the game at this point.
"Alright, I want to go against Brian next round, and I have to warn you. I play with my younger brother all the time. Don't go crying when I kick your ass!" Emily said, sure of herself after she put a Beatles record on to play.
All awkwardness was truly warded away, and the four sat together playing games and listening to music for the next couple of hours. Emily had grown to genuinely like Brian's friends and they had a blast all cracking jokes at the others expense.
For Brian's part, he and Emily got to know each other better, but there was no flirting really. Brian was a bit disappointed. He was hoping something would spark and that tonight would be the night. Or was she just being nice to a nerd that didn't really have any friends?
Soon she threw an arm around both Travis and James in a half hug, the two still glued to the TV. "Sorry fellas but I have to go. It was a pleasure meeting you."
"Pleasure was all mine." James replied, eyes never leaving the screen, Travis just nodding in agreement.
She caught Brian's eye and gave him one of her smiles. "I want a rematch though! I think you got lucky."
They both stood and she put her arms around him and squeezed, Brian all aware of the fact her breasts were pressed against his chest as he returned the hug. Brian could still smell the familiar scent of wild flowers when she had left.
"She is one cool girl." Travis exclaimed, the rest of the guys nodding in agreement.
"Do you think she likes me?" Brian asked, still puzzled by what was going on.
"I dunno. At least as a friend, that much is clear. We both know you don't wanna be in the friend zone though." James said thinking it over for his friend. He knew how much Emily meant to him, and he wished he had the answers.
The friends stayed up for a while later, discussing girls and games and the like. Brian fell asleep still wondering what it all meant, if anything. Why couldn't there be a simpler way to know? He didn't want to ruin it by telling Emily how much he liked her. That would surely scare her away.
Brian's life seemed to improve. He and Emily's relationship, wait, no...friendship grew. He wished it was more, but he was stuck on what to do. The other guys at school stopped bullying him, and he found he actually grew to enjoy ballet, as weird as it seemed.
One Wednesday after ballet class Katherine stopped him as he was about to leave.
"Oh no you don't. Guess what? Neil finally moved his weights over here like I promised, and he'll be over here in a minute to give you a hand."
She led him toward a back room, that was spacious enough for a weight room. He felt alien to the room, like it wasn't his style. Oh well, better get used to it.
Not long after Neil showed up, and Katherine introduced the two. He was friendly, tall and very fit. He could see how a guy like him could easily pick up a woman like Katherine.
"Well, I'll let you two guys get to it." She said with a wink.
Neil was a nice guy, introduced himself in earnest to Brian, explained that he had an ordinary body, but with dancing and working out he managed to put on some muscle. He ran Brian over his weight plan that was easy enough for one person to do on his own, at least until he increased the weight he was lifting by quite a bit.
He went over the proper lifting techniques with Brian, and soon Brian was actually enjoying lifting the weights. After all, this would make him more attractive.