Falling helplessly Episode 25
🔥 FALLING
HELPLESSLY 👠
( For his brother’s friend …. 😇 )
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Written by:- Williams Kendall____✍🏽
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🏈 CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
I awoke Sunday morning in Archer’s big bed alone. I frowned as I stretched and looked around the room. A gro-n left my l-ips as my bones made satisfying cracks and pops. My limbs felt heavy as I sat back against the headboard and rubbed my eyes. The events of last night came rushing back to me and a blush warmed my cheeks.
God, what had come over me? I was so happy when Oliver woke me up to apologize. I could tell that he was still holding back on me, that some things were being left unsaid. But I also knew he was genuine in his apology, and his wish to move forward. I figured we weren’t back to normal yet, but at least we both wanted to be.
Then the heavens parted and my father—the most stubborn man in the wh0le world—said he’d try. Pride swelled in me again as I thought about Archer driving to see him. Growing up a daddy’s girl, I’d always dreamed of a man respecting my father enough to be a bit traditional. Sure, Archer and I both did things out of order, but it meant so much to me that he valued us enough to go there. I had been so overcome with relief and euphoria that I had run right to Archer’s house to wait for him.
I blushed deeper as I realized I hadn’t actually been experiencing euphoria—yet. Archer showed me that later on. My mouth dried up as I thought about the way he had made me feel. I had completely lost control of my body and senses, it was like someone else had taken over. It was embarrassing to think about the noises I’d made but I couldn’t hold them back. I had tried in the past to figure out my lady-mechanisms—but when you don’t know your destination, it’s hærd to navigate there.
Holy moly, Archer knew where we were going.
I cringed when I realized that he obviously was very experienced with the female anatomy. I didn’t want to think about Archer being intimate with anyone else but I knew it was the reality. Anxiety crept over me as I went down that rabbit h0le.
Archer had insisted we stop last night before things went too far. But I knew that usually there would be some reciprocation on my end. How was I supposed to know what to do? How could I be as good as the other girls without any experience?
Just then the bedroom door opened and Archer walked in with two steaming coffee mugs. He smiled when he saw I was awake then his eyes flicked to my warm cheeks.
“What were you thinking about up here?” He smirked with a raised brow. He set the mugs on the side table and dropped onto the bed next to me, k-ssing my hairline.
“W-why didn’t you wake me up?” I asked as I tried to settle my anxious thoughts.
Archer frowned slightly at my nervous stutter. “I tried,” he said softly. “You punched me in your sleep.”
A giggle burst from my mouth. “I did not!”
“Yes you did,” he laughed, relaxing next to me. “Luckily we both know you can’t punch. But I figured it’d be safer to go make coffee then try again.”
I rolled my eyes at his little jab and shook my head with a weak smile. Archer twisted to look down on me again as he appraised my face. “What’s the matter, Sweetheart? Normally a comment like that would rile you up.”
I hesitated for a moment as I stared back at him before I sat up taller and tucked my legs under my bum. Might as well bite the bullet. “How many people have you slept with?”
A strangled noise came from the back of Archer’s throat as he froze and stared down at me. “I don’t—uhm—Why do you want to know? I don’t see what good could come from this.”
“I just need to know what I’m up against,” I said with apprehension. I needed to know but I also really didn’t want to hear his answer.
Archer’s eyes softened and a small smile tugged the corner of his l-ips. “Charlotte… Sweetheart,”-he pressed a quick k-ss to my forehead-“you don’t have any competition.” Shame flashed across his face as he s-cked a breath between his teeth. “To be completely honest I can’t give you a number. I didn’t keep track because no girl has ever mattered to me before you.”
I nodded slowly as I absorbed what Archer was saying. There had been that many other girls… how could anything with me be special after that?
“It’s just,” I started sadly, “everything we do is a first for me. I don’t know how I can top what you’ve already experienced.”
Archer pulled me into a tight hug and pressed his cheek to the top of my head. “If I had known how great everything would feel with you, I would have waited Sweetheart. But I am so f-cking serious when I say that you top every experience I have ever had. Just k-ssing you is amazing. And whenever we decide to do more, that will be amazing too. Because it’s with you.”
His large hands grabbed my shoulders and pulled me up to look at him. He ducked his head to catch my eye and smiled wryly. “Actually, you have taken a first for me. You’re my first girlfriend.”
Archer laughed lightly and nodded. “Yep. Never really saw the point before.” I rolled my eyes and decided I didn’t want to ask any more questions about that.
“Really?” I asked surprised.
“Whoopsies,” I giggled. “You actually aren’t my first boyfriend.”
Archer glared down at me. “Who was he?”
“Richærd Jones. Grade 2.” I reported studiously.
Archer glared off into the distance as though he were making a diabolical plan. “I’ll kill him,” he said determinedly.
We put the conversation behind us after that and got ready for the day. I had made plans with Madeline and Emmett already but they had agreed that Archer could come along. Well, Madeline had agreed. Emmett and Archer were still tense around each other since the drama around Thanksgiving. Neither of them would tell me exactly what happened but they weren’t particularly friendly anymore. Not that Archer ever had been.
When I got out of the shower I could hear Archer grumbling in his bedroom. When I heard Madeline’s laughter I wrapped my body in one of Archer’s large towels and peeked out of the door.
Madeline laid on the end of Archer’s bed smirking at him while he stomped around his room with a scowl. She just loved making him angry. She stood up when she caught sight of me and grabbed a plastic bag.
“Hey,” she greeted me. “Here are the clothes you asked for.”
“Everything okay out here?” I asked airly as I eyed Archer.
“Just peachy,” he grimaced. His face relaxed when he focused on my bare collarbones. He reached towards me with a glint in his eye but I swatted his hand and disapeared back into the bathroom.
Gosh, I love Madeline, I thought as I pulled my hair defuser from the bag. She’d also packed my favourite leggings, a crewneck sweatshirt, and a slouchy beanie. Once I was dressed and my hair was dry I corralled Archer and Mads to leave. We were taking Archer’s truck to go pick up Emmett then we were going to a carnival Madeline had found online.
Archer helped me in the passenger seat then stood in the open door with a crooked grin. He tugged my beanie over my eyes and peppered my face with k-sses as I laughed. “You are so f-cking cute,” he growled between k-sses.
“Spare me,” Madeline sighed as she walked up behind us. Archer scoffed but warmth spread in my chest as he reached out and opened the back door for her to climb in. I leant forward and k-ssed the tip of his nose then pushed his chest to get him moving.
The air got a bit thicker once Emmett got in the truck. I held Archer’s hand in my lap so I could silently communicate with him through squeezes. Neither boy talked very often but I knew how sassy Archer could get very quickly.
The carnival was only a 45-minute drive from USC so Madeline and I filled most of that time with our chatter. Soon, we pulled into a parking lot and I wiggled excitedly in my seat.
Bright lights were strung all over different colourful booths of games and food. Rides in the background swooped and looped around in the air as people scre-med and laughed with joy. Happy families and young couples took their time wandering around in the sun.
“You need to be nice today,” I said pointedly.
Archer set his shoulders and glared. “It’s not me! It’s him,” he whined like a dang child.
I stepped forward and pressed my stomach to Archer’s as I gave him my best puppy-dog eyes. “It would really mean a lot to me? If you tried?”
“That’s not playing fair,” he mumbled as he glared in the direction Emmett went. He looked back down at me and sighed in resignation. “Fine, I’ll try. But I really have been trying to be nice. Did you know I got him off of cleanup duty for a party?”
“Oh wow,” I sassed, “you helped him get out of hazing that shouldn’t be happening in the first place. What a hero my boyfriend is.”
Archer laughed and grabbed my hand to pull me forward. “What a smartass my girlfriend is.”
We crossed under the brightly lit archway to the carnival. There were a lot more people once you actually got in,side so I tightened my grip on Archer’s hand. Knowing that I got uncomfortable in big crowds, he rubbed comforting circles on my knuckles with his thumb.
Madeline and Emmett joined us soon enough with the ride tickets and we all set off to enjoy our afternoon. We walked through the game booths first, watching people try to win the cheap stuffed animals on the walls. We had to walk in pairs to get through the people so Archer and I walked in the back.
A lightbulb went off in my mind and I tugged at Madeline’s shirt. “Switch places with Archer, I need to ask you something,” I asked. Archer gave me a knowing look as I pushed him forward to walk next to Emmett.
“What’s up?” Mads whispered as we hooked our arms together.
“Oh nothing,” I giggled. “I’m just playing matchmaker.” I gestured with my chin towards the two boys. Madeline nodded in understanding and we walked silently as we watched them.
Emmett and Archer both str-de with stiff shoulders as they stared right ahead. Neither looked or spoke to the other. Apparently, I was going to have to work a little h-rder.
The opportunity presented itself when we got to the end of the games. The isle of booths we had been walking down opened up to all of the rides. Emmett started getting more jumpy and excited as he looked around.
“You guys wanna go on that one?” He asked pointing to a large purple monstrosity. It looked like a big metal boat, but by how well everyone was strapped in, I figured it was scary. Sure enough, the ride started rocking back and forth as pop music bopped out of the speakers. The boat kept picking up speed until it went right over in a loop. The people scre-med as they were flung upside down and my throat tightened a bit.
“Uhm, I think I’ll pass.” I winced as a lady screeched really loud when they looped again. “But actually, Archer was telling me earlier how much he wanted to go on that ride!”
I raised my eyebrows at Archer, waiting for him to speak. He grimaced and shifted on his feet. “Oh yeah, I did didn’t I?” he muttered as he stared at the ground.
“Perfect!” Madeline smiled. “You two boys go do it while Charlotte and I get some girl time.”
Both boys shot each other distrusting looks as they apprehensively walked away together to get in line. Once they were out of sight Madeline and I found a picnic table to sit at.
“So we’ve barely gotten a chance to catch up. How’s everything with Archer? I saw that big k-ss on tv.” Madeline pressed with a laugh.
I cringed knowing that the local news had aired that a few times now. It even ended up on TSN when they were showing cl¡ps of the championsh¡p. “It was rough there for a bit but Archer and I are good.” I blushed thinking about last night again. “Really good,” I added.
“Oh my god did you have s-x?” Mads whisper-shouted at me.
“What? No! We did… other stuff.” I mumbled awkwardly.
I very painfully managed to tell Madeline the gist of what had happened between Archer and me. She listened intently and helped me fill in words that I couldn’t bring myself to say. My face was beet-red once I finished and let out a whistle of breath.
“Well, damn,” she sighed. “So you didn’t do anything back?”
“That’s my problem!” I exclaimed. “I have no freaking clue what to do.”
“Like… no clue?” Madeline clarified.
“I mean, I know the basics,” I whispered. “But I’m a little lost on the details. Plus he’s been with so many girls Mads! Girls that probably know all these tricks.”
Madeline gave me a commiserating nod as she dropped her chin in her hand. “I’m not really an expert either,” she sighed. “But I do know that lover-boy is like the ultimate alpha-male. I bet he loves that you are inexperienced. That just means he gets to teach you.”
“Definitely,” Mads confirmed. “If anything, I say own it. Play up your innocent little doe-eyed thing and let him think he’s in charge.”
“You think?” I perked up.
A loud commotion behind us made me twist in my seat. A few carnies were running towards a gathering crowd of people. Shouts rang out from the center of the crowd as everyone watched something in the middle.
I gasped when a carnie separated the crowd for a moment to get through and I got a glimpse of what everyone was staring at. I. stood up and started running forward as Madeline shouted for me to slow down. When I got to the edge of the sea of onlookers I pushed my way in. A few random elbows almost sent me falling but I caught myself and managed to pop out in the center.
Everyone had created a ring around four men fighting. Two of the idiots were Emmett and Archer. They were both on top as they dropped punches down on the other two men. Emmett’s lip was bleeding but besides that, they seemed fairly unscathed.
“Stop!” I shouted as I stepped forward. A few onlookers tried to hold me back but I evaded them. “Archer Johnson stop right this instant!” I yelled as I tugged his hat off his head and wacked his shoulder with it.
He stopped mid-punch and looked up at me with wide eyes. He shoved the guy under him into the ground eliciting a gro-n as he rolled over holding his stomach. Archer stood up and kicked Emmett in the side making him look at us.
“Hey baby,” Archer smiled innocently down at me as he hid his red knuckles behind his back. I ignored the flutter in my stomach that his new name for me caused.
“What the heck do you think you’re doing!” I glared up at him and punched him in the gut.
Emmett popped up next to me brushing off his jeans just as a carnie approached us with a bored expression.
“Y’all need to go before the police arrive,” he drawled as he took in the two men still gro-ning on the ground.
I grabbed the underside of Archer and Emmett’s arms and dragged them both forward quickly. The crowd parted instantly for us as I charged forward. Madeline joined us as we briskly moved to the exit.
Once we were outside the truck I let the boys go and wh¡pped around to glare at them both. Emmett let out a relieved sigh as he rubbed his arm.
“Holy shit, that’s gonna bruise,” he whined.
“Tell me about it,” Archer frowned. “Her little fingers do serious damage.”
“Okay, what the hell happened?” Madeline huffed.
I crossed my arms in front of my chest and c-cked a h¡p. “I’ll tell you what happened! These two hooligans got into a freaking fight! Now we will all probably get arrested, and then if we get records we will get kicked out of school, and without school, we can all k-ss our careers goodbye, and—”
“Breath, Sweetheart.” Archer dropped his hands on my shoulders and shook me a little. “It wasn’t even that big of a deal,” he shrugged. “Those assh0les recognized us from football and started running their mouths. We didn’t even start the fight, that greasy one punched Emmett first.”
“That’s true!” Emmett jumped in. “The bugger caught me right in the lip.”
“It’s the only shot he got on you though,” Archer smirked.
Emmett laughed and agreed. I looked at Madeline and saw my own shock mirrored in her face. We both watched silently as the boys relived the fight and laughed at each other’s reenactments. Was this seriously the thing that was going to bring them together?
“Shotgun!” Emmett called as he pulled open the truck door. I gawked in shock as he climbed into my seat and shut the door on us.
I swung my face towards Archer to see him laughing at me. “You wanted us to get along,” he shrugged.
“I didn’t think it would happen this fast!” I scowled. “And I didn’t think he’d get my seat.”
Archer k-ssed my pouty bottom lip gently. “I can kick him out if you want?” He teased, knowing I’d say no.
The ride home was the exact opposite of the ride to the carnival. Madeline and I silently listened to Emmett drone on in the front seat. I was going to get early wrinkles by how hærd my brow stayed furrowed. Archer was intently focused on the road as usual, but he let Emmett go on and on and football. This was a freakin’ anomaly.
Once we’d dropped Emmett off at home, Archer drove Madeline and me back to our dorm. He walked us up to our room so I asked him to stay for a bit.
“What the heck was that?” I asked as I plopped down on my bed.
“What was what?” Archer grinned as he stalked towards me. He fell between my legs and rested his head on my stomach.
“You and Emmett! You’re just buddies now?”
“I thought that was what you wanted?” He asked as he snak-d his arms around my wa-ist.
“Well… yeah I did. I do! I just didn’t think I’d be losing my seat.” I grumbled.
Archer lifted his face to smirk at me. “You jealous Sweetheart?” I scoffed in response and rolled my eyes. “He’s a pretty good kid actually,” Archer added thoughtfully. “You should have heard him when those guys starting shitting on the Trojans. He took up for the wh0le team.”
I smiled at the respect I could hear in Archer’s voice. “So you actually like him?” I prodded.
“You said it was important to you, so I’m trying,” he said simply.
I rubbed my fingers over the tight muscles on his back. My in,sides melted into goo as a wave of gratitude washed over me. I was so lucky to have Archer. I loved how hærd he was working to make us happy. Loved? I cringed internally. There was that word again. The urge to verbalize the overwhelming feeling bubbled up in my stomach and rose up to the tip of my tongue. It was like every nerve in my body was vibrating as I clamped my mouth closed. I couldn’t tell him I loved him. Not yet. It was too soon, right?
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“Okay everyone, that’s enough for today! I want those papers in my inbox by Sunday at midnight.” My professor called out to the auditorium of students. I breathed a sigh of relief and immediately started shoving my stuff into my bag.
“Hey Charlotte,” a smarmy voice said from above me. I didn’t even need to look up from my bag to know who it was.
“Nathaniel.” I nodded tightly.
“Are you sick? You don’t look well.” Nathaniel crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a pitying look. Anger boiled up in,side of me and I had to take a calming breath. Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t look well? Well excuse me for waking up this morning to Mother Nature’s gift to women and maybe I didn’t feel like putting real clothes on or makeup or doing my hair? I thought it was pretty dang impressive that I wore leggings under Archer’s USC hoody instead of sweatp-nts, and I even made sure the scrunchy holding my bun in place was red to match.
I stood up and slugged my bag over my shoulder, cringing when the weight pulled on my sore muscles. “Yep. I’m sick,” I said as I shuffled into the walkway and headed for the large double doors. Nathaniel fell into step next to me but I ignored him. I didn’t have the energy to be polite. I had one goal today and that was getting to the dining hall and eating fries.
I scanned my card to get through the mechanical entryway and bee-lined it right to the buffet line. I grabbed a tray and bypassed all of the plates of pasta and sandwiches, keeping my eyes locked on the fry station.
“You know,” Nathaniel joined the line behind me. Ugh, his voice makes my skin hurt. “If you’re sick you should really get soup or something healthy. Your body needs nutrients, not carbs.”
“Thanks for the tip.” I didn’t turn around so he couldn’t see my scowl. My body relaxed when the line moved and I finally made it to my heavenly fries. The smell of salt and oil wafted around me and whispered sweet nothings in my ear, making me wiggle a little in excitement.
I stepped out of line after I filled my plate and walked towards the tables. I loved coming to the dining hall. It reminded me of Hogwarts with the high vaulted ceilings and long rows of tables running parallel down the hall. The only downside was that the large communal tables didn’t allow for me to tuck away in a corner and make love to my fries.
“You want to join me and my friends?” Nathaniel asked as he came up behind me.
“Oh, uhm—”
“Charlotte!” Tyler called out from behind us. I wh¡pped around and beamed as he approached us. From this day forward, you shall be known as my hero. “Oh hey Nate,” Tyler added with a nod.
“It’s Nathaniel,” he responded tersely.
“Right,” Tyler laughed. “Well sorry but I’m here to steal this little lady away.” He grabbed my tray and bumped his h¡p into mine to get me to follow him. I was so grateful for his intervention that I ignored the pain that shot through my body at the contact.
“Bye Nate!” I called over my shoulder making Tyler chuckle.
Tyler led me to the far end of one of the tables. I smiled when I recognized most of the first-string football players. Tyler placed my tray down in front of an empty chair and gestured for me to sit. I was grateful it was at the end so I wasn’t sandwiched between two guys. They were freakin’ animals when they ate and more than once I’d gotten elbowed sitting at the table with them.
Normally that wouldn’t be a huge deal but my period made my wh0le body sensitive. My muscles, bones, joints, even my skin reacted badly to every little jostle. I was liable to murder someone today if I was knocked the wrong way. Or I might cry. It was kind of a toss-up.
A beautiful blonde girl slid into the chair next to me and scooted closer. “Hey!” She greeted with a big smile. “You’re the famous Charlotte right?” Upon closer inspection, I recognized her as Holly, the head cheerleader from the Pep Rally.
“F-famous?” Was my brilliant response.
Holly laughed as if I had made a joke, only making me furrow my brows more. “Yeah, you tamed the beast! I mean I never thought we’d see the day Archer Johnson settled down.”
I couldn’t tell if she was taking a dig at me or not by pointing out how loosey-goosey Archer had been before we got together. The potential for another confrontation with a cheerleader made my throat tighten and my palms sweat.
“Oh shit!” Holly rushed out when she saw my face. “Frick. I didn’t mean it like that!”
“It’s okay,” I smiled weakly at her. “It’s my fault, I’m a little sensitive today.”
Holly gave me an understanding grimace. “Girl I get it. That was me last week—eating chocolate until I broke out all over my damn face.” We shared a small laugh and my body slowly released the tension it had held.
“But really,” Holly added thoughtfully, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to imply anything. My fiancé was such a wh0re before we got together, but he’s an amazing man now.”
“Wow, you have a fiancé?” I asked incredulously as I swept my gaze over her face. She couldn’t be much older than 20.
Holly laughed and rolled her eyes. “Oh God, don’t turn into my mother and lecture me about divorce rates.”
“Sorry…” I giggled sheepishly. “That’s really great though, congratulations.”
Holly flashed me her left hand, showing off a small but beautiful diamond ring. “Grants overseas right now,” she said quietly. “He proposed at Christmas before his last deployment.”
“That’s amazing,” I breathed as a whack of emotions poured over me. I started eating my fries to distract myself from how badly I wanted to weep.
Holly and I chatted while we ate and commiserated about the pains of being women. The good company and warm fries in my belly made me feel a lot better. I was just starting to forget about my less-than-stellar morning when a long pair of arms wrapped around my body and lifted me up out of my chair.
Air hissed through my teeth as the nerves in my skin recoiled against the contact. It felt like my wh0le body was covered in that sensitive skin that gets exposed when you cut your nails too short.
“Woah Sweetheart are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Archer looked at me worriedly as he sat down in my chair and placed me on his lap. His large hand covered my cheek as he looked over my body for injuries.
“I’m fine,” I whispered weakly as I slumped against his chest. Archer continued to flick his eyes over me, looking for the invisible threat.
“Are you sure? You seem like you’re hurt?”
I blushed deeply, unsure how to tell him that my problem today was not an injury. He stared back at me with concern and confusion floating around in his eyes. He raised his brows in a silent question when I stumbled to speak.
“Good lord,” Holly sighed from next to me. She leant forward and stretched her neck to get closer to Archer. “She’s got her period leave her alone,” she hissed quietly. I wh¡pped my head around quickly to make sure no one else heard but they were all focused elsewhere.
“Thanks, Holly,” I grimaced.
“No problemo girl,” she giggled before returning to her food.
Archer slowly moved his arms around my wa-ist as though I might break at the contact. I let myself relax in his hold as my body adjusted to his touch. “Are you okay?” He whispered in my ear. I nodded softly, not really wanting to talk about it much more. Thankfully, he let it go and sat back in his chair. He kept his hold on me really loose as he listened to his teammates and occasionally joined in with their banter.
My eyelids were really heavy as I blinked slowly to keep them open. Archer was a freaking heater and his warmth under me made me want to nap. I dropped my head to his shoulder and pressed my forehead to his neck, relishing in the soothing beat of his pulse against my skin.
Archer arced his neck down to look at me with a soft smile. “Do you have class after this?” He asked. I shook my head ‘no’ as I fought the overwhelming pull to sleep. “Wanna come hang out at my place then?”
I considered that for a moment. My plan had been to get my fill of fries and then go home and lay in bed all afternoon. But Archer’s bed was much comfier than mine and he had a big tv. Plus, if I had Archer around I wouldn’t need to keep getting up and reheating my hot water bottle.
“Sure,” I agreed. He patted my bum softly to get me to stand so that he could get up to. His teammates called goodbyes to us as I waved at Holly. Archer held the straps of my bag and his in one hand then held out the other one for me to grab.
Archer always had to slow his stride when we walked together since my little legs couldn’t keep up with his mutant ones. Today was even worse though as I trudged behind him, letting him pull me along. I was so freaking tired and the walk to the football house felt like it was 100 miles long.
“Are you going to make it?” Archer laughed over his shoulder. I didn’t bother responding. Instead, I scrunched up my face and repeated his words under my breath in a mocking tone.
Archer stopped walking and turned his back to me as he crouched down. “Okay, hop on,” he said. I eyed him warily then he looked over his shoulder and huffed exasperatingly. “C’mon Sweetheart. I want to get home this year.”
“Well that’s a little dramatic,” I sighed as I climbed onto his back.
“Oh yeah… I’m the dramatic one,” Archer muttered while he stood up. I wanted to whack him in the arm but I had to grasp onto his shoulders tightly. He was like an elevator that just kept going up.
“Good lord,” I breathed as I locked my arms around his neck. “Is this how you see the world?”
“The airs nicer up here hey?” he laughed as he walked down the path. A few people that passed us shot us weird looks. I guess we probably looked like quite the sight. Both of our bags still swung in Archer’s large hand while his other arm wrapped under my bum to stabilize me on his back. I felt like growling at the more judgemental faces to back the frick off.
“Holy moly,” I mused as I looked around at the gardens we passed. “You can see so much from up here.”
“Maybe one day I’ll crawl around on my knees so I can see the world from your point-of-view,” Archer chuckled as he turned and str-de up to his house. He hissed when I relaxed my grip on him long enough to pinch his shoulder.
Archer carried me right up the stairs and into his bedroom. He sat down on the bed and slowly leaned back so that I could drop softly on the mattress. I gro-ned as the soft comforter billowed beneath me.
“Do you need anything?” Archer asked as he twisted around. I was too busy rolling around on the comfy mattress to answer him. I was lost in the pillowy cloud of heaven that was a God-send for my tight muscles. “I’ll take that as a no,” Archer added. “I’m going to shower, I’ll be right back.”
The gentle sound of the water running in the bathroom lulled me to sleep on the big bed. Not much later though I awoke to the sound of the door shutting.
“Whoops,” Archer whispered as I blinked my eyes open, “I didn’t realize you were sleeping.”
I mumbled at him and was about to fall back to sleep when my gaze finally focused. My eyes w¡dened as my mouth went dry and I gulped.
Archer stood in front of his closet with his back to me as he looked for clothes. My cheeks heated up as I took in his nearly nak-d form. His tanned skin stretched tightly across his bulging shoulders and back. This boy had muscles on top of his freaking muscles. His torso tapered in and I licked my bottom lip as his boxers were all that covered his bum. The thighs that stuck out of the bottom of his boxers were bigger than my wa-ist.
My body felt hot all over as I greedily scanned the platter of hunk being served to me. I’d seen him in various stages of undress during our sleepovers, but usually, he would wear pyjama p-nts or one of those man-tank-tops. Seeing him clad only in his boxers felt way different. I opened my mouth to say something but all that came out was a weird strangled squeak.
Archer turned around to look at me and a knowing smirk stretched across his face. “What’s up, baby? See something you like?”
I squinted my eyes at his c-ckiness and sat up quickly to defend myself. The movement was too much for my achy body as my stomach muscles clenched and pain shot down my spine. I held out a hand to stop Archer as he stalked towards me like a predator. “Make one move on me mister and I’ll throat-punch you.”
“Alright chill Hulk,” Archer laughed as he held his hands up in mock-innocence. I looked away as he slipped on some sweatp-nts and a tee-shirt. Given our recent activities, I would have thought this kind of intimacy would be no big deal now but it still made me feel a little shy. I mean, our clothes had stayed mostly on for one thing. Seeing Archer almost nak-d stirred some hormonal animal in me that freaked me out.
We decided to watch a movie so I curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed. Archer wanted to pick one which I said was fine but I gave him specific rules. It couldn’t be anything scary, or too sad since I was likely to become a sobbing mess. He chose one called Warrior and promised me it fit my criteria. He said it was just a boxing movie and it ended happily. Good enough for me.
I was a little concerned as the plot unfolded on the tv. These two brothers wouldn’t stop fighting and being mean to each other. My bottom lip wiggled a little as I tried to control my hormones. I relaxed when Archer reached out from his place behind me and started brushing his fingers through my hair. That kept me distracted for a while but then all heck broke loose.
The movie’s climax was that the two brothers had to fight each other in this competition thingy and neither one was backing down. Tears sprung to my eyes as I watched them throw punches at each other. I could tell it hurt their hearts to swing at their family. My breath quickened as the younger brother bested his kin. He was supposed to be happy that he won but he couldn’t be because his brother just lost.
My heart ripped into a million pieces and the dam broke.
I hopped off the bed and started pacing the room as tears poured down my cheeks. “How could you make me watch that!” I cried as I gestured to the screen.
“What?” Archer looked up at me confused and a little scared. “What are you talking about it was a happy ending?”
I scoffed as I continued to pace. I was crying much h-rder now as I tried to wrap my mind around my boyfriend’s stupidity. “Happy? They almost killed each other for money! Poor Brendan!” I sobbed. “He is never going to forgive himself for winning!”
“Sweetheart,” Archer laughed, “it’s not real. Besides look—they made up now. They’re helping each other off the mat.”
“Don’t you dare laugh at me Archer Johnson,” I snapped while I s-cked in air. There was a small voice somewhere in the back of my head that told me I was looking a little crazy right now but my hormones and overly-sensitive heart were louder. I couldn’t stop the whimpers that were ricochetting out of me.
Suddenly the door burst open and James and Tyler came running through.
“Charlotte are you okay? We heard you crying!” James asked anxiously.
Tyler swung around and glared at Archer. “What the hell did you do to her, you big buffoon!”
I tried to explain to the guys what was happening but it was hærd in my current state. I kept s-cking in air between sobs as I gestured angrily at Archer. He stood up and stepped cautiously towards me as he slowly wrapped me in a hug. He patted my back as I shoved my face in his shirt.
“I think I broke Charlotte,” he whispered over my head. A laugh bubbled up from my chest as I shook against Archer’s chest. All three boys froze and stared down at me in confusion. My breathing settled down and I began to wipe my tears away with a bashful smile.
Archer walked away to the bathroom to get me a w-t clothe for my face so I went back to sit on the bed with a tired huff.
“I don’t know what the hell just happened,” James sighed as he plopped down next to me.
Tyler shook his head as he followed us, laying down next to me. “Tell me about it. No offence Charlotte but your gender confuses me.” I laughed at the dazed boys as I felt my heartbeat returning to normal.
“What the f-ck is with people thinking they’re allowed in my bed?” Archer barked as he exited the bathroom and tossed me the clothe. I wiped the warm fabric across my red cheeks and scrubbed the sadness from my eyes.
“Oh hush they’re fine,” I said.
Tyler chuckled as he squirmed around to get comfortable. “Yeah Archer, hush.”
Archer continued to grumble but eventually, he sat against the headboard and pulled me into his lap. I laughed softly against his shoulder when he threatened the boys with bodily harm if they came within a foot of him. After James and Tyler got filled in on the Warrior fiasco, James offered to pick the next movie.
He did a much better job than Archer at choosing something that wouldn’t spike my hormones. I spent the rest of the afternoon laughing at Tyler and James’ commentary of the movies. Even Archer relaxed eventually and stopped dropping hints for the guys to leave us alone. I could even feel his chest rumble against my back with quiet laughter every once in a while.
At one point I looked down to see Tyler and James both snoozing at the end of the bed. I peeked up at Archer and smiled when he was already watching me.
“Hi boyfriend,” I whispered.
“Hi girlfriend,” he said back in a similarly hushed tone. I sighed at the warmth that swirled in his eyes. Every once in a while his face softened in a way that mesmerized me. The glint of affection and curve of his l-ips made my in,sides feel gooey.
He leaned forward and brushed his l-ips against mine. There was barely a hair’s breadth of contact but it made a shiver run over my skin. He moved his l-ips to each cheek, giving a soft k-ss to both. Then he dropped a quick one to my nose before finally pressing a k-ss more firmly to my forehead.
“Are you feeling any better?” he said against my skin. I smiled and nodded silently. Now that my hormonal episode had passed I was a little embarassed.
“Is it weird that I think you’re kind of cute when you’re hysterical?” Archer mused.
I pulled my head back to scrunch my nose at him. “Yes. I don’t know how I can date such a wackadoo,” I hummed. Archer let out a genuine laugh that transformed his face into something akin to an angelic renaissance painting. I sighed as the musical sound of his laughter washed over me.
Never in a million years would I have thought that today could have turned into a good day. But as usual, Archer suprised me with his ability to be gentle and caring. Even when he was a smart alec, he still showed concern for me.
Never in a million years would I have thought that today could have turned into a good day. But as usual, Archer suprised me with his ability to be gentle and caring. Even when he was a smart alec, he still showed concern for me.
I leaned back against his chest and nuzzled my face into his neck, breathing in his intoxicating scent. Every muscle in my body felt loose and relaxed as I sighed in contentment, “I love you.”
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Tbc…
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