The Woods | Harvey #1

Chapter 2

Nicole got out of the backseat of the car and stretched. A five-hour ride always made her feel stiff. She walked around to the opened trunk and dragged out her bags. She'd packed more than she'd thought. It began to feel very heavy by the time she'd brought it into her room. She dropped everything at the foot of the bed and called out, "I'm going! I'll be back!"

"Not without me!" Hailey called, running into Nicole's bedroom. "I want to meet this mysterious Ashton." She was grinning.

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Of course. Go wait for me at the door – I'll be right there." Once her friend had left the room, she dug around in her toiletry bag until she found her body spray and gave herself a few spritzes, hoping it was a scent Ashton would like.

Now ready, she met her friend at the door and together they headed towards the woods. A few feet in she could see Ashton sitting on the steps to his house. "Ashton!" she called. He looked up and stood. She waved and he waved back. He walked to meet them.

He grinned at her, and she could feel her heart beat a little faster. His arms wrapped around her, and she hugged him back. For a long moment, they just stood there that way. Finally, he pulled away and he nuzzled her nose. His lips brushed her cheek lightly and she shivered. He grinned against her cheek and kissed her right under her eye.

"Ahem," Hailey said.

Nicole blushed deeply and pulled away, still holding his hand. "Ashton, this is my friend, Hailey." He nodded at her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Hailey, this is my boyfriend, Ashton. He lives right over there." She gestured to the structure, darkened slightly by the tree cover.

"Nice to meet you," Ashton said, offering his hand.

Hailey accepted it. "Ditto." She looked over at his house. "So, you really do live in the woods, huh? I thought she was exaggerating."

He shook his head. "No, I really live here. Come on, I'll show you around." He turned and tugged a little on Nicole's hand. They walked with him up onto his porch and through the door. He gave a quick tour and finally everyone settled down in his living room. Ashton sat on one end of the sofa and Nicole sat next to him, her head on his shoulder. Hailey sat on a chair from the kitchen.

An hour of casual conversation passed before silence took over. Hailey fidgeted and Nicole noticed. "Hail?"

"Hmm?"

"If you want to, you could go into town. There's some small shops and some interesting things to do. There's a really good diner, too."

She smirked at Nicole and Nicole blushed. "Okay, Nikki. I'll see you around, Ashton. It was nice to meet you."

"Same here. Have fun!" called after her.

Once the door clicked, Nicole closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She got a good whiff of his aftershave and smiled. She felt him shift and opened her eyes to see him looking at her and smiling too. "Penny for your thoughts," he said quietly.

"You smell good." She felt herself blush a little and he just grinned.

"So do you." He kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes again. He shifted so he kissed her cheek. She felt him shift even more and she tilted her head for him. His lips brushed across her cheek and settled near her mouth.

She knew that a slight change in the angle of either of them would end with their lips meeting. She held her breath, waiting for him. He didn't move. Neither did she. After a moment he pulled away, looking embarrassed. She watched him not look at her.

Finally, he met her gaze. He looked into her eyes for a long moment. "Nicole?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to go too fast." She nodded. He took a deep breath as his mind seemed to go somewhere else for a moment before snapping back to the present. "I like you a lot, but I think, um, we should take our time." He looked away again.