She could feel his happiness, which made her happy, and she was glad to feel his desire for revenge to lessen, and the mood of earlier seemed to be returning. After being tickled, she realized how much trust she put in Eric. He could easily hurt her with his strength, but he didn't. He could easily be like Mr. Godfrey, but he chose not to. When she thought he was done tickling her, she reached her arms tentatively around his neck again, so she got a little extra support. "You're not going to tickle me anymore are you?" she looked up at him with her best sweet look. She didn't want to let her guard down. Since she could read minds, she doubted he could decieve her.

She felt a little shiver of delight run through her as he started kissing her again. He started pushing into her again, and she was closely pressed against him aware of his heart beat again. She held him close. She wondered when the next time they would get a moment like this. She hoped that more often would help blow off some of the passion, so it wasn't quite as intense. While she enjoyed intense, it did cause her to worry. She couldn't imagine how patient she would have to be. She had so many years that they would have to restrain herself, and even then it wasn't guarenteed that they would be together. The last thought made her sad and a little frightened. She wanted to make the most of the moment, and she felt a little more determined ot try to work out in the end.

She didn't hold back when he became more passionate. She didn't want it to end. His feelings melded with her own, and Kai realized she wasn't as strong as she previously thought. Eric wasn't as strong as she thought. She wanted to do anything to please Eric, and he gave her his emotions. She would have a hard time evading his emotions. While he pulled out of the kiss, this time it was her who was lingering trying to make it last. She knew it was dangerous in their current mood. She found it hard and awkward to think that they might have gone too far even when there was a chaperone nearby. Her eyes were slightly sad, as she looked at him. She didn't know the next time they would get a chance, and it was only the second time that they had gotten to do something like this. Her gaze shifted with him to the TV.

A smile graced her lips. They had spent a decent time together, and she was sure it was pretty far along. She wondered if they should turn it off at this point. It was too far along to try to return to it. They would have to do some serious reversing. He moved back to a sitting position, and she held back a sigh that it was over. Her feelings confused her, so she didn't share. After this she decided she couldn't help but be a little more freer with the kisses in front of people. She smiled back at him, trying to shake off her thoughts, "We should probably give up on it at this point." She smirked at him, "Okay. I'm sitting in your lap. Sounds like a game that we can cuddle while we play."

She gave him a suspicious look easily remembering their tickle war. Without discussing it with him, she clambered onto his lap. After spending so much time together, she didn't want to break contact so quickly. While cuddling required more contact, it was less sensual, and would be good for letting her down easier. She didn't mind not finishing the movie. She was here to spend time with Eric. She smiled at him, "Perhaps that can be one of our date goals. Finishing a movie." Not a big deal if they didn't do, but something fun to think about.

She made herself comfortable, and laid her head against his chest. It was a little awkward arranging herself, but she doubted he would try to dislodge her. It was quite weird being able to hear him speak that way, and hearing his throat and stomach noises. She supposed they should stop the kissing, but she didn't want to break contact all at once. "Let me see," she tried to think about what she had done. Shoot, she thought to herself. She would keep her feeling a secret for now, but it was annoying that she would soon have to dislodge herself. She knew it was a bit cruel, but she was a little determined to win this game, and she had an idea that would cause him to doubt. "I need to go to the bathroom, Jack has kissed me, and Ms. Regina is my favorite cat." She looked at Eric expectantly curious to see what he guessed.

"No, I won't." he whispered in answer to her question, his high energy mood slowing down and passion starting to seep back in. It was so relieving to be able to do this freely and not have to worry about if he was overstepping. Before whenever he'd kissed her, back when they were just friends, he was always highly nervous and afraid she would push him away or maybe even slap him. But he didn't have that fear anymore, because they belonged to each other now.

Her kiss, her touch, it was so electrifying yet so comforting. It was so hard to not become immersed, and even harder still for him to deal with the reality of the situation. He wanted to wait, he wanted to be patient. But he couldn't imagine how patient he would have to be. Could he last? He had one more year of highschool, then two or maybe even four years of college to get through before he could even think about planning for marriage. And even then, as much as he wanted them to be together forever, almost anything could happen.

As soon as he realized the danger he was starting to get into, he pulled slowly out of it. It was so hard, so hard for him to do so, especially when he could feel Kailey trying to hold onto the moment longer. He knew he'd been pleasing her, and oh how he wished he could take it up at least one more notch. But it was only their first date, and he knew that that shouldn't be the focus anyway. As pleasing as it was, as comforting and electrifying as it felt...he knew there had to be limits.

He caught the slight sadness in her eyes, and he knew the same exact look was in his own as well. She told him in an answer to his question that they should probably just give up on the movie, and he nodded. He raised his brows slightly at her comment, but didn't hesitate or try to stop her from clambering into his lap. He welcomed her gently, wrapping his arms smoothly around her. He chuckled as she mentioned that finishing a movie could be one of their date goals, and brushed her nose with his own before lovingly kissing her cheek.

"Sounds like a plan to me," he said quietly. She took a moment to situate herself, making herself comfortable and laying her head on his chest. He held her gently but firmly, leaning back into the couch as his muscles relaxed. He was glad that she still wanted to be close, because he did too. He wasn't sure if he could handle not having at least some sort of contact with her when in the same room.

He waited in patient silence as she thought about things to say. After a moment, she listed the three options, and he wondered if she could feel the absolute chaos of his heartbeat for the span of a couple seconds.

"That's cruel," he said, smiling softly. "Well if you have to go to the bathroom, I really don't want to be the cause of you not getting up to relieve yourself," he told her, giggling a little. "Regina is a lovely cat. But you talk about Toby a lot too. As far as Jack goes..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "This may just be purely out of spite but...I'm going to say that kissing Jack was a lie." He gave her a look, sort of a playful one. A look that seemed to say,

If he actually has kissed you...I will not hesitate to start another tickle fight with you.

"Either way though...if you have to go to the bathroom, by all means get up and go." he chuckled, reaching his hand up her back to play with her hair, his fingers braiding it again. If Jack and Kai had kissed at some point in time, Eric found that he didn't really care. After all, Kailey was his now, so whatever happened in the past was in the past. He didn't think that Kailey was a cheater, and as far as he knew if Jack kissed her while she was dating Eric she would have said something about it.

"You know...I'm kind of curious." he said after a short bit. "At Daniel's party...in the closet...we kissed for the first time. Did you expect me to do that? Did you want me to? Or were you kind of hoping that I'd leave you alone?" He chuckled a little, but he was genuinely curious. "Also random question...did you know I liked you before I told you? If so, how long did you know?" These were kind of fun questions to ask now that they were officially a couple. The answers showed their growth through friendship and now through this new relationship. What sorts of things had changed for them since then? How had they each matured?

Eric was eager to hear her answers and see which ones were true and if he'd gotten the false statement correct. She waved a hand at his comment, and he smiled, hugging her close and giving her a kiss on the forehead. He nodded, grinning.

"Can't choose a favorite baby?" he asked, slightly teasing. "That's good I guess. Show no favortism." He giggled quietly. He was relieved to know that Jack and Kailey hadn't ever kissed, especially recently. He wouldn't mind much at all if he'd kissed her in the past, even in like middle school or something. But if they had had something within the past year or so, it would have been slightly harder to accept.

She proceeded to tell him that Jack had had a crush on her when they were eight, and Eric smiled slightly. "Who wouldn't?" he said, his voice light. "I had a crush on you for four years straight." He shook his head, kind of in a state of disbelief that he'd liked her fo so long without ever really liking anybody else.

He was a bit excited to hear her answers to his questions, his foot tapping ever so slightly on the ground, causing his knee to move a bit as well. He soon stopped that though, because he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. He gave a shy smile to her as he heard her reply. "I was really nervous." he admitted. "That much was obvious I'm sure. But I really liked you and...I didn't know if I'd ever get the chance again." He shrugged. "Turns out I did."

She gave him a smile at his next question, and gave him a teasing comment in reply. "Of course not. You get to ask me any questions you want." He brushed the side of her face with his finger. She answered him honestly, and he appreciated that. He figured she had known for some time, since she was a mind reader. But he had been curious how soon she had found out.

Her expression turned a bit sad, and she looked down. His heart became a bit heavy as she spoke. "I'm sorry," he told her quietly. "I didn't...know how you felt." he admitted. "I must be really bad at picking up on social cues." He gave a small chuckle, but quickly turned serious again. He gently lifted her chin towards his face so he could look into her eyes. "It's obvious that I love you now though, right?" he asked, giving her a small smile before taking the time press his lips against hers in a gentle kiss.

When he was done, she told him that she'd be back and to figure out his two truths and a lie. She quite quickly got up and headed towards the bathroom, and he stayed in the same position, furrowing his brow in thought. She knew quite a bit about him in the short expanse of time they'd been together, but she really didn't know all THAT much.

When she returned, he had three things in mind. "Okay," he said. "I have a few things." He paused for a minute, thinking of how to word it. "I slapped my sister when I was twelve, I've tasted beer, and I broke my ankle in basketball when I was in middle school."

He waited for her guesses, wondering if she would choose correctly. It was kind of tricky, because she was a grade younger than him, and he didn't know if she'd gone to any of the middle school basketball games, or even knew who he was back then. She would have to look back in her memories and try to find which item was the lie.

He pushed the thoughts and scenerios into the very back of his mind, locking them away in a chest. This way it would make it harder for her to guess or know which was the lie and which was the truth.

"No cheating." he told her, his leg starting to tap again.

He couldn't help but grin at her almost scientific explanation, finding it slightly amusing. "So scientific," he commented a bit teasingly. "But it makes sense I suppose. Who am I to say you're wrong? I'm awful at science." Part of him really wanted to drop the subject of Jack, because talking about him made him feel certain things that he didn't really want to be present during his time with Kai.

Jack had never once really been too kind to Eric, and now that he knew the boy had had a crush on Kailey when he was younger made him feel a bit nervous of how he was feeling now. Kai had said that he'd showed no sign of liking her but...neither had Eric. For four years. It kind of mad him slightly jealous and more protective, as well as nervous about having competition with a male she'd known her entire life versus himself, who she'd known for what, three or four months?

But he didn't interrupt her and he listened, trying not to let it bother him. It had been a long time ago, and he didn't want to be worried about something so trivial. But he was self concious and anxious as it was, he didn't need one more reason, especially when it came to Kai. He relaxed a little bit as she gave him a flirtatious look from under her lashes, making his heart skip a beat uncontrollably.

"Of course not," he told her. "A few caught my eye too, sure, but I never felt the same way as I did for you." He sort of smiled at her following words, but struggled to form a response due to the way he was feeling about Jack. He was hoping she would drop the subject without him having to tell her to, because he didn't want to seem rude or controlling. But it was starting to bother him more the more they talked about it. He didn't like that it was. Perhaps if Jack had been kinder to him in the time that they'd known each other he wouldn't be feeling this way, but since Jack had presented himself as an arrogant threat, Eric wasn't too fond of him.

Finally, the subject was switched, and he could feel the relief flooding through his muscles. "Ten years?" he questioned, slightly taken aback. He sure hadn't been expecting that sort of question. His anxiety got the best of him, and started spitting all sorts of worries into his head.

What if you slip up and say something that pushes her away? What if her plans aren't anywhere close to yours? What if she doesn't view this relationship in the same way you do? What if she thinks your too clingy when you admit to her what you're about to admit?

"Out of college," he said, trying to push down his nerves. He was supposed to be relaxed with her here, not the other way around! She usually made him feel so safe and secure, and he couldn't understand why it wasn't working this time. Which brought up another anxiety-wridden thought.

What if she gets fed up with all your worrying?

He swallowed, pushing the thought aside and trying to give an answer. "I'm not exactly sure what I want to do with my life yet, so it's a little hard to picture that clearly ten years in advance." he said, shooting her a shy and nervous smile. She knew him well enough by now to know when he was nervous and trying to hide it. He always tried to hide it with a smile or a chuckle, the same way he'd tried to hide his depression for several years before finally crawling out of it by his own strength on his hands and knees. No one had been there to help him through the mourning process, because Summer had been going through her own, pushing herself away from what family she had left. Her abusive father and depressed younger brother.

Summer wasn't the type to go and console others, or even go to others when she needed consoling. She was independent, and that's exactly how she pushed through everything. By herself. Then left shortly after, escaping the pain while leaving Eric to wallow and drown in it.

Now was time to tell her what he did see, and what he wanted for sure to see within those ten years, and he hoped she wouldn't push him away for it or become overwhelmed with the idea of his thinking.

He kind of looked down, a bit too nervous to make eye contact. "I'm hoping by then to have a ring on my finger. One that claims me as yours." He ran his hand lightly up and down her back, pulling her closer. He finally shifted his gaze back to her, his blue eyes full of nervous tension but very obviously full of love and truth as well. He knew that he wanted a kid or two, but he was too scared to mention that right now.

"What about you?" he asked her back. "Where do you see yourself?" He assumed she had a better plan in mind than he did.

She soon caught a mischievious look, and began making comments. She was flirting, he could tell that, and it was picking up his mood for sure. He managed to actually give a genuine chuckle when she told him he'd have to do better. "Oh Kailey, believe me..." he said quietly, accepting her quick kiss. He was slightly ashamed how often now he found himself wanting a lot more, or being just generally curious and thinking about it. He wouldn't ever intentionally attempt anything against her will, but he did find guilt in wondering what it would be like to give her his love in the best way possible.

She'd come back from the bathroom, sitting down next to him and starting to list off her guesses and reasons. He raised his eyebrows, impressed with how quickly she'd gotten the answer. "I'm impressed," he told her, scooting up and taking her hands. He pulled her gently back onto his lap, just wanting to continue being close. "You guessed right, no cheating." He gave her a playful grin. "No, I didn't think you needed to cheat. They weren't too hard to guess."

He kissed her forehead, then her cheek, underneath her jaw and then her mouth, the motion fluid and quick, ending slower and slightly more passionate before he pulled away. He knew he probably needed to stop, but her kiss and touch were so addicting, and it wasn't like he was intentionally trying to get a rise out of her. He was just expressing his love for her in one of the only physical ways he could right now.

She could feel his jealousy kicking in, and she had a few things running through her mind. Reassure him that she had never liked him that way, or perhaps tease him about how cute he was being jealous. She knew that was a serious emotion, so she wasn't going to do that. People had killed over jealousy. While she knew that Eric was far from that, she did have to take it seriously. Saying something like it's nice to see that you are jealous and care was also another callous way to deal with it. She decided if she did need to say something , telling him that she never liked Jack like that, and that she was sorry for being inconsiderate was the way to go.

She wasn't sure if it was worse that Jack and Eric didn't get along or if they did. Either way they could still fight and she could lose some of the friendship that she had for both of them. Was all of Jack's rudeness due to him liking her? She thought it was preposterous. She thought she would have caught some sign of it. He couldn't hide it from a mind reader and be friends with her for so long. She caught what he was thinking about the four years, but she thought it would be a lot harder for Jack to keep the secret. He had been near a mind reader, and they had been friends frequently interacting. It was much harder to keep it a secret than someone who watched from afar the way Eric did.

She could understand someone catching his eye. While there were a few guys that she liked the looks of, she never got past appearances, and met them, so she didn't consider it a crush. They weren't something that she dwelled on or ever thought about unless they were passing by. She wasn't sure if she should try to reconcile Jack and Eric. After telling him that Jack had had a crush on her, she doubted that he would ever want to be friends with him. She cocked her head looking at him. She sort of expected that he wanted to be married and have a family at that point, because it was the normal plan, so she wasn't sure why she had asked the question. She supposed she had wanted to hear it from his own mouth.

Kai wasn't sure if she wanted to get a better degree than a four year one. She thought she could do better, but it might not be worth it and simply more expensive. Besides, she might start wanting a family at that point. She was surprised at how nervous he felt, and she wondered how she could sooth his feelings. Honestly, she probably would eventually get tired of his worrying. Her own fretting tired her, so adding someone else's wouldn't relax her. However, she would much prefer to be tired and annoyed about it, than to not know about it. It was a burden she wanted to help carry. However, she wasn't sure if she told Eric that if it would clam him up more or cause him to talk more.

She gave a small smile acknowledging his point. She waited to see if he would calm down enough to tell her. However, she frowned when it easily dawned on her that this was his favorite way to hide his nervousness. She wanted to cut to the chase, but she thought she would have to be delicate. She beamed at him trying to ease his fears, "I imagined that also. Maybe a kid or so depending on our financial situation," she wondered if she was being too realistic or pushy for her future. She knew it often took young couples a while to get ready for a kid, and she didn't want to have too many at one time.

While she wasn't sure if it was appropriate, she didn't stop her smirk, "Since we don't know what jobs we want for all we know we're alone together in a shack," she sort of referenced the game mash. Her plan wasn't any more filled out or detailed. She wanted at least two kids but she wasn't sure if she would want more than that. Even though she loved Eric and believed she wanted to get married and spend the rest of her life with him, highschool was a little too young for her taste for determining how many kids they were going to have. It put a pressure on that was unnecessary, and they had plenty of time to change their minds, so it might be pointless.

She could tell that she had gotten a rise out of him, and she felt a little guilty for making her way to the bathroom instead of staying there for a moment longer. It made her be a little quicker, and she returned soon. She smiled, when he said he was impressed at her answer. "I used the process of elimination. It does miracles for problem solving." She was soon back where she had been before. She wondered if his kiss was more passionate because she had flirted before she left. She smiled while he kissed her and returned it when he reached her lips. It was much easier to flirt, when she was comfortable with her guy. She had always thought she was bad at it, and super awkward, but from his responses to her, she wasn't awful. Perhaps it was just because he loved her that much, and not necessarily her skill.

Her phone buzzed, and she wondered if this would interrupt the moment. It might be her mother, and she would be very mad if Kai chose to kiss Eric over responding to her. "Sorry," she murmured, "That could be my mom." She pulled away slightly and dug out her phone. She knew that there was nothing like a phone to break up the moment. "Mary and Anna want to go for a run around the track around the town," she read outloud for his benefit. "They are asking me to go with them. They said I could bring whoever wants to come with me." She would feel guilty for not going, because they were obviously trying to reach out to her again. However, if Eric wanted to stay here, she would feel just as bad for not staying. She looked at Eric hopefully.

Eric felt a slight weight be put onto his shoulders as she mentioned maybe having one or two kids in the future. While he figured that his future wife would want kids, and while he kind of did too...it felt so far away. Would their feelings towards the change? Would he be a good enough husband for her? A good enough father?

He smiled at her comment, feeling the urge to kiss her but holding back due to not wanting to be too clingy or pushy. He chuckled. "Ya know...that'd be fine with me." he told her quietly, a shy gleam in his bright blue eyes.

Once she'd returned and guess the lie, she explained how she'd gotten to the right answer without having to peer into his head. It was so calming, being here with her. Her body was warm, and he felt safe with her so close in his arms. He felt that they both had gotten considerably better at kissing since their first time in the closet, but he was finding out that even if they weren't "good" at it, he wouldn't care. Because he loved her, and that's all that mattered really.

Eric also knew that it was a bit early to be thinking about it, but he wondered what it would be like to be married to her. Where would they go, what would they do? Would they have kids of their own someday? Pets? If so, how many? How long would they want to wait to have kids? What would the wedding be like? The honeymoon? It was wild to be thinking about it so early on, but yet it wasn't. It was kind of fun to imagine, and he just wanted to be good enough for her.

He wanted to please her in every way he could, support her, help her, protect her, love her more than he loved anyone else for the rest of his life. He wondered how long would they wait before getting married. Her first year in college like some eager couples? Mid way through? After? Would they be able to afford a house or apartment to live together in that early on?

He didn't want to leave, he didn't want her to leave. She was so warm and soft and comforting, her touch exciting and electric yet calming and loving. He recognized how much passion he had for this young woman, and how much love he had in his heart for her. How long would he have to wait to express it? How long was she willing to wait?

Her phone buzzed, interrupting the moment, and she pulled back slightly, telling him that if it was her mom it could be important. "It's okay," he said as she apologized. He ran his hand smoothly and slowly up and down her back, in a soothing tickling motion. He tilted his head as she read the text aloud. Mary and Anna wanted to spend time with her. They were making an effort and reaching out to Kailey, and Eric felt like there was still a good chance for the three girls to be close.

But he wasn't sure how pleased they would be when she brought him along. It was a bit of a mental debate. Should he go with her and risk making the girl's time together awkward or dampened? He didn't want to leave Kai, and he did want to go. But he also didn't want to be getting constant nasty looks from either Mary or Anna. He didn't think they would say anything or do anything mean, but he could never be too sure.

"If you want to go, that's fine with me." he said quietly. "I can go if you want me to, it's not a big deal." He leaned up a little, grabbing the remote and turning the tv off. "It could be fun. Give us something else to do." He wanted Kailey to be able to spend time with her other friends as well, not just him. He was also glad that the two girls had reached out to her first, and weren't forcing her to hang out nor completely ignoring her.

(haha or so you thought. Time skip is yours, friend^^)

She sensed that he seemed troubled by her mentioning kids, and wished she had known that it would bother him. Since that conversation seemed to bother him, she would try a little harder to steer away from that topic in the future. She wasn't sure how she felt about having children, but she assumed it would happen, since most people, especially married couples had them at some point. While she knew that kids could be great, they also caused a lot of pain and forced parents to sacrifice. Why would so many human beings be willing to put up with such a drain on their resources? Kids could suck everything out of a person, yet they added that extra flare which made a home and family.

Was it silly to want kids or have them, because it was the normal thing to do? How much would she miss out on, if that didn't happen for her? As a little kid, she remembered dancing with the idea that she might never get married. She had tried to imagine what a life as a spinster would be like. After being with Eric, even if they didn't work out, she sort of doubted that she would spend her life alone. She gave him a small approving acknowledging smile, when he said that those plans would be fine with him. What would their family consist of?

Where would they want to go on a honeymoon? She knew all of these things could change, so if she asked any of these questions, she wouldn't take it into consideration for the future. However, it might give her further incite into Eric. She definitely wanted a dog, and she hoped that Eric wasn't ruined on that count. She wanted the dog before they even considered children. Once they settled down in a place, she wanted the dog. She was a little surprised how sleepy she was getting, and she supposed it was because it was quiet, she was warm, safe, and cosy, and they were sort of just relaxing. These were the kind of conditions that could put her to sleep.

She felt her eyes fluttering closed, and she had to work hard to keep them open. She realized with a half amused lazy tired thought that they had improved kissing. There was a difference. A certain edge that showed they had some idea of what they were doing now. When it came to relationships, she had never considered that part of the relationship improving.

She thought that if they remained together for that long, she would start getting impatient. She wouldn't want to wait, and it could cause some mistakes to be made. She could already see how delicately she walked the line. Her parents had always advised their children to not get married until they were finished with their education. Once they were married they would have responsibilities, that they would have to prioritize over their education. They wouldn't have the freedom to go where they wanted or to have as much command over their time, because their partner would have demands on their time also. She wanted to do whatever she could to make Eric happy. She would do or say whatever he told her to do. She trusted that he wouldn't ever suggest she do something that would harm her.

With a slight wriggle, because of discomfort, she was settling in further, feeling quite relaxed. He was warm and strong. He felt safe and protective. She didn't want to be going anytime soon. He ran his hand up and down her back, which made her want to smile from either glee or ticklishness. She was quite sensitive. She tried to keep a smile out of her voice, when she spoke on the phone. Kailey felt happy and sad all at once. How was she supposed to react? Eric and herself had planned this day to spend together. She didn't want to leave him or ditch him, but she thought it might be best if she was going to start trying to rebuild a relationship with her friends. It would be awkward, and she felt that they would be disappointed if he showed up with her, even though she could tell that they had purposefully mentioned that she could bring anyone she wanted to, so that she felt like she could bring Eric.

Should she, since she had been giving subtle permission? Her face froze with indecision. Eric calmly tried to help her make the decision easier or at least help her decide. "Hopefully, my plan works. I think I'll invite them over this weekend. I do need to try to spend some quality time with them. I do want to go, because I don't think it would be a good idea if I gave any sign of pushing them away. Perhaps over the weekend we can bring a group together to play laser tag, and then I can have them over later for a sleepover, so we get time together," she looked at him wanting to be reassured that she wasn't making a dumb mistake. Laser tag would be a good ice breaker, and she knew that she needed to have them over. Going at all was better than not showing up, if she wanted to bring their friendship back where it had been. Most friends didn't try to reach out again. She had to respond to their effort, but she was sad that meant she wouldn't get to spend the weekend with Eric. They hadn't had anything scheduled, and her girl friends were important. He would understand.

She felt he was more likely to be displeased if their date was interrupted than if she occupied her weekend with someone else. Kai hardly ever talked while she ran, so this was more of a hanging out being in the same place type of thing. She believed it would be okay if she brought Eric. "Think you can keep up with us cross country runners?" she gave him a teasing grin. She knew he was athletic, but that didn't mean he could run nearly as well as a runner. "You'll have to give me a ride," she gave him an innocent look that hinted she might start trying to convince him. "Want to chaffeur me to the track?" she gave him an apologetic kiss, because she was feeling guilty that she was smashing a part the moment. "I'm sorry for doing this, but I really think this could be important," she apologized softly.

After they had come to their decision on what to do next, she called her mother to notify her about the change in plans. She could hear that her mother was relieved that she was going to try to work it out with her friends. Now that she was exiting the car, she wondered if she should have stopped at home to change into excericise shorts and a sports top. The prideful side of her said she could run in anything. The realistic lazy side of her wanted to be as comfortable as possible, and use the least amount of energy. She exited the car, and they headed toward the track. She looked around for her friends, and waved, when they started jogging down the track back towards them.

"Hey, thanks for inviting me," she told them while pulling them into a quick embrace even though they were sweaty. "I wasn't expecting it. Eric and I were on a date," she informed them hoping she hadn't been dumb. She wanted them to know that she was giving them priority time, and that she did consider their friendship important. She also wanted to explain why Eric was here, why she didn't feel like she could up and leave him at home, and why she might have been hesitant to come.

She noticed that their was a hesitant expression on their face, as they pulled away from her.

"Yeah, no problem," Anna waved a hand.

"Ready to go?" Mary asked.

Kai was expecting more talking than this, but she was always ready to run. She raised a brow at Eric asking the silent question before she took off after the girls. It had been a while, since she had actively trained, and she realized that she was going to be hurting, when cross country came back around in the Autumn. There would also be killer heat. Not everyone made it.

As time went by, Kailey began to relax, snuggling up against him. Her body was warm, and he was getting drowsy. He was so comfortable, and he could sense that she was too. He ran his hand lightly up and down her back in a repetitive movement, his breathing and heart rate slowing down as they relaxed. His eyes soon fell closed, and he could feel himself drifting off into sleep. But that didn't last long, for her phone went off and the text from it suggested a different idea of what to do.

Eric listened to her speak, hearing her ideas and silently accepting them. "That sounds fun," he said calmly, smiling a little. "I do agree that you shouldn't decline this offer though." He shifted, sitting up a little more so he could try and wake himself up. "You should spend more time with them. They need it more than I do I suppose." He chuckled softly, glancing at the floor before looking back up at her. There was a brief moment of silence before Kailey spoke again, teasing him. She was teasing, but it kind of was a serious question. He hadn't exactly ran in awhile, and even if he had, he wasn't any sort of cross country runner.

He was a scrimmager, he ran short distances very quickly, or ran with excersises in between. His competitive side was desperately wanting to shine through and challenge her, hold her to that, but he knew he would only fail. "I really want to say yes." he said, grinning. "But honestly...I think you all would show me up pretty good." She gave him an innocent look, hinting that she wanted him to come by telling him that he would have to drive her there.

He accepted her kiss, smiling shyly and giving her his signature glance before letting out a soft sigh. "Don't be sorry," he told her. "It is important. We'll have other times." He tried to reassure. "We will." Soon it was decided. He'd bring her to the track and join in, as long as Mary and Anna didn't object to him being there. Kai called her mother to explain the change in plans, and Eric went to tell John. The man seemed happy and okay with it, and Eric waited casually by the door for Kai.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the track, and once there Eric began to wonder if they both should have taken time to change. He was in jeans, and he didn't like running or doing much physical excersise in them at all. He took off his jacket though, tossing it in the car before following Kai over to the track. Mary and Anna started jogging towards them, and Kai waved. Eric stuck his hands in his pockets, staying silent as the friends greeted one another. Kailey explained why they were dressed the way they were by telling the girls that they had been on a date.

Eric felt slightly uncomfortable and out of place, especially when he saw the looks on the girl's faces. He nodded to them and gave them a shy smile, but as soon as they looked away his expression fell again. He was glad to be here with Kai, but he always felt judged by her friends. Why couldn't they just accept him? Give him a chance? He wasn't that bad, was he?

The girls started rather quickly, abruptly ending the conversation a bit coldly. Eric hesitated for a moment, unsure if he really wanted to stay or not. But he knew he had to. He was already here, and he'd agreed to do this with Kai. But he knew Mary and Anna didn't want him here, and he wasn't sure how tense this little jaunt would be with him here.

He caught Kailey's glance briefly before she started after her friends. Eric stood for a few seconds longer, his heart skipping beats nervously before he finally started after them. He followed loosely, not wanting to waste his energy right off the bat, and also wanting to give the three girls space and time to talk with each other. He did this for the first lap, pacing himself before sideling up next to Kai by the second lap.

"You all ready for cross country season?" he asked conversationally. "I know I'm not ready for basketball. I need to start getting back into shape." He felt a bit strange, because he usually wasn't one to start conversation, but he didn't want to be just completely silent the entire time either.